What new camping kit for 2015?

[Blu]

Time to get excited about the new season!

I have got off to a good start having ordered a new tent. I am now considering a waffle iron

Though my campfire cooking kit is getting a little over-extensive. I would use this at home, too, I think.

Would be nice for breakfasts, though, wouldn't it?

I'd also like an Outell Collaps Kettle, but that cannot be justified - I have a nice little stainless steel camp kettle (don't like aluminium).

The 5l supermarket containers are the best!
Everything else makes the water taste plasticky, or leaks, or is hard to pour from.

I would like a fire pit this year, and also a proper deckchair (though I think that will be more for the garden than camping)

Don't need anything else until I go into a camping shop

We also use an old giant squash container for water.

I've been on UK campsite tonight...refreshing myself on my virtual brochure.

That sounded very oo err missus didn't it?

I mean...I was looking at the campsites I'd like to visit that I have saved on my profile on ukcampsite.

I know it won't get used every day but I would really like some sort of smoker to attach to my Frontier Stove (have hubby working on draft design). See if he can beat Jimmy's farms' double sink contraption!

Frozen - it was incredible! There we were happily camping at Les Valades and one morning we woke up to find that the firepit had disappeared. We scoured the edges of the site to see if it had been thrown over the fence by someone who objected to us cooking on it (which, btw, is allowed on the site), and checked out all the other pitches but to no avail

We replaced it while we were there with a bbq which the kindly campsite owners are storing for us until this summer as it would not fit in the boot on the way back!

Aha! Les French! I have never heard of a piece of kit like that being nicked from a UK campsite - esp the sort that allow or encourage fire pits.

Nice of the owners.

I would love to visit Les Valades but as the only driver in the family the drive seems long to me.

Just this for us - a cast iron panini press - we absolutely do not need anything at all.

Even though it is a new purchase it is actually lightening the load - we used to take a big cast iron pan with a lid for paninis so this is a pound or two less weight!

www.alloutdoor.co.uk/stoves-cooking/campfire-cooking/rome-panini-sandwich-press-cast-iron-.htm?gclid=COz39JaowcMCFTPKtAodNlYA2w

Last year I wanted a Cobb BBQ. Resisted. Think I will cave this year!

Perhaps because we like to eat them Mrs - if the truth be known we probably don't need half of what is in our trailer do we ... but we like it.

Hillbilly, that is awful! People just don't care how they affect other people do they?

Not sure it is a French thing though, Blu. We stayed at a lovely site last year in Kent where the owner also had had firepits taken, local farm-made ice creams from the freezer where they had an honesty box (nice one people - reward a bit of trust, why not). And, worst of all, the lovely round (and no doubt expensive) wooden seat from her ropeswing was cut off and taken away, robbing all the children of their favourite pastime. All taken by campers but obviously not very nice ones.

MrsW - because they can be used on a campfire to make quick, easy hot food that requires little washing up, or on the stove for cheese and ham toasties - easier than a fried breakfast, and you can cook loads of things in them (pies, with ready rolled pastry or pizza dough, even sausages). I love campfire gadgetry as it makes cooking on the fire fun.

MrsW - because they can be used on a campfire to make quick, easy hot food that requires little washing up, or on the stove for cheese and ham toasties - easier than a fried breakfast, and you can cook loads of things in them (pies, with ready rolled pastry or pizza dough, even sausages). I love campfire gadgetry as it makes cooking on the fire fun.

Frozen: that's terrible! Sounds a great campsite, though, was it NGN?

NGN? I can't work it out - sorry. But no, it was Chafford Park, not too far from Tunbridge Wells, and fairly new I think. The owner was lovely the first year we went (2013) but had a few of these sort of things happen, and I got the impression was starting to get a bit fed up by last year. Hopefully, things will be better this season.

She has moved from allowing ground fires to hiring firepits which is understandable but not quite as lovely (or warm) from our point of view.

As to gadgets for this year, we need nothing. I came very close a couple of weeks ago to convincing myself we needed a frontier stove after reading about them in Camping Magazine, but I have given mself a slap and restored sanity now.

DH is giving out indications we may not make it through this season without a Cobb, however. If we do that, I think we will have to sell the Cadac as there seems no point having both and the Cobb would certainly be a lot easier to pack.

I am wildly jealous of the Frontier stove, but cannot possibly justify it, or fit one in the car.

Harrumph.

What about a frontier stove instead of a Cobb?

Apparently they are quite little and all fold up or telescope in to something the size of a rolled up towel!

In the end I couldn't justify it because we usually camp with friends and have a fire anyway so warmth outside isn't an issue. They said you could use it in a tent but should have a CO monitor. Since CO monitors are supposed to be unreliable in a tent, and we don't tend to camp in the bell tent much either anyway, the whole thing just deemed like an expensive waste of money - for us. Much as I would love it for its beauty and collapsible nature.

The Cobb on the other hand could be used (by DH - the chef in our house) to roast chickens, cook pizza and all manner of other wonderfulness. Even if it does take all day to do so.

We have a heavy duty Yukon Firebox, not sure why but I have never fancied a frontier. It folds completely flat and doesn't take any room at all - we do take it in our canoe!

www.canoepaddler.me.uk/Products.php