Upgrading my camping kit

[DontCallMeBaby]

Well, I want a new tent really, but DH won't let me. In the meantime ...

We bought a tent and some kit to go with it last year, and went camping for a weekend. We didn't drown or spontaneously combust, and generally had a good time. So we want to go again (probably at halfterm, and maybe again in the summer, plus DD and I are going to Camp Bestival in July). A few bits of kit weren't really up to scratch, so I'm investigating what we need to buy, and I would welcome some advice from knowledgeable types. :)

Here goes:

1. A mallet! We got a little plastic thing that cost about 50p, and of course it's rubbish. Do I go for something heavy, or long, or both? Looking at Go Outdoors they have mallets labelled 16oz and 19oz, and one labelled 'heavy' with no actual weight. How heavy does a mallet need to be before it's actually useful?

1. A windbreak. We bought a really cheap one last year which was brilliant for sheltering the stove and giving us a bit of space, but it was really flimsy and will probably only survive one more outing, if that. Go Outdoors have a huge rang of prices - but a windbreak? What kind of features can it have? Is there anything actually worth paying extra for?

1. Lighting. We okay for torches, but not lanterns. I bought a wind-up lantern and it was so rubbish - nightlight brightness at best. And a Cath Kidston paraffin lamp (it was in the sale, alright?) which lit up beautifully but leaked (and shed glitter everywhere, FFS). I would really like a decent paraffin lamp as I like the light, but don't know if they'd be banned at a festival, and I wouldn't use one inside the tent anywhere, so need a battery or rechargeable lantern, or even another wind-up if I could find one that wasn't complete pants. Any recommendation?

1. Electric extension wotsit. We did without last year (although we had a pitch with EHU, as they'd run out of pitches without!) and I'd quite happily do without on the whole, but DH is keen (plus I guess it would mean we could borrow my parents' whizzy electric coolbox, which would be nice). I'm tempted by this one as it seems decent value, plus we could have the coolbox plugged in along with the portable DVD player (GRRR, for the record I am VERY anti this) and my iPhone charging. :o Does it look okay?

Also interested to know if anyone's used a solar charger for an iPhone, any genius festival camping tips, or recommendations for campsites around Weston/Brean/Burnham, but don't want to ask too much!

1 - mallets don't have to be heavy they just have to be strong
2 - i have never owned a windbreak
3 - arf @ cath kidston lamp vomitting glitter on you. tbh this is the holy grail. the only lanterns i have every liked are gas but seeing are you are going ehu ther must be some electric thing you could bring
4 - i am with you, i think ehu's for tents are ridiculous but heh ho

Get head torches - brilliant for night time peeing!

The camping gaz lanterns are fab too

Would be interested to hear about solar phone charges

We've only ever had EHU once in 4 years of camping - horrendous experience (more shit campsite than electricity though) and won;t bother with again.

Am also looking for a decent windbreak!

oh yes head torches are good

I recommend getting a Camping Gaz lantern and a stove that takes the same size gas cartridge for using outside the tent.

Watching with interest to see anyone else's recommendations for a windup / battery lantern for inside, I haven't yet found one good enough to read by!

1.Mallet with rubber head. I would want to handle mine first before purchase to test it's balance point and swooshability like Sean Bean just did in Game of Thrones.

1. Blue Diamond.

1. This one works

what are the blue diamond windbreaks made out of?

Excellent, so far have:

1. Mallet doesn't need to be heavy, just strong, with rubber head, need to test a la Sean Bean.
2. Blue Diamond - interesting to hear, I like the look of those on Go Outdoors, thought they looked like a good midpoint between flashy annex-half-the-campsite and cheapo annex-portion-of-beach.
3. Oh dear, are lanterns the pushchairs of the camping world? Very much a personal taste, you can't possibly buy the right one first time round, and you need different ones for different stages ... I'll have a look at gas (same cannister as stove is a lost cause though, as we have a cheapo stove that I'm actually quite happy with). Definitely want a non-mains one for the festival, and should we accidentally book a non-EHU pitch in future (heh). Wind-up one looks good, Slubber, will have to think about that one. We have a headtorch, might get another as there was a little conflict over it last time!
4. The trouble is, DH would like all mod cons, and I want a yurt in the middle of a field with bunting and (non-glittery) hurricane lanterns. We both want a state-of-the-art wash block just beyond the next hedge though. :o But I figure if I give in on this he might be less stubborn about some of my preferences. And let me get a new tent sooner rather than later. And the coolbox is tempting ... DVD though. Urgh. I really disliked being able to hear other people's totally not-child-friendly TV through their tent walls at 7pm last time. Ah well.

Thinking this looks promising on the phone charger front (I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite on this front, but my iPhone is the font of all knowledge for me) - a few decent reviews (ie not just one 5-star review), nice and compact, doesn't cost a fortune.

Newname, the blue diamonds are made from a thick fabric. They are noiseless unlike the plastic stripey ones that rustle about all the goddamned time. We rarely use ours as I'm a right snob about campsite and beach annexers (nice term DontCallMeBaby), but when we do need to break wind [har] the blue diamond does a very good job of it, SILENTLY.

Baby I quite like our lantern as it holds it's charge quite well when you have juiced it up at home, just so long as you don't let the dc fiddle with it on site. I'd prefer a gaz one but kit buying is now verboten for me for the rest of this year.

yes i am v. sniffy about windbreaks, now that the credit crunch lot take up 5 pitches with their drive through tents and then another 5 with their sodding windbreaks for fear anyone should see them glaring at each other and hissing 'it was your bloody idea to take up camping so starting enjoying yourself'

blue diamnonds sound interesting. I hate the plasticy beach ones so am looking for something nice, this could well fit the bill

I absolutely promise I won't annexe any beaches, but I will be annexing small portions of campsite, purely to make up for the inadequacy of my tent. :)