‘’Ooh, that would be good for camping’ What have you spotted out and about?

[BoudiccaOfSuburbia]

I am meant to be rationalising and downsizing my camping kit, but we do like a new gadget!

What have you spotted in ‘ordinary’ shops that would be good?

IKEA is a treasure trove.

Last year I bought a large cheap flatware cotton rug for the bedroom area:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tiphede-rug-flatwoven-natural-black-40456757/

plus a £6 cotton rag rug for just outside the bedroom door, and an incredibly cheap very flat light doormat.

They have a little stubby washing up brush that can be filled with washing up liquid.

This little table with storage caught my eye but I decided I didn’t need it, however impressive. I already have 2 low decathlon tables.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/strandoen-folding-table-blue-20575836/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&utm_content=free_google_shopping_clicks_Outdoor

Sainsburys have single solar stake lights often £1 each on Nectar price that are good for marking corner guy lines.

What have you spotted out and about?

I keep seeing the foam jigsaw mats, I have resisted from buying but think they will be great to use either inside the tent instead of a carpet or to sit on outside. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edz-Kidz-Interlocking-Piece-Pastel/dp/B00MBE4BH6/ref=asc_df_B00MBE4BH6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310577763257&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4664085429534881010&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9050369&hvtargid=pla-563203557025&psc=1&mcid=ebc43f2f8df9343f9ca7f2dd517bc39f

@Wolfpa : they make fantastic ground insulation from the cold. And protect your knees if you are grubbing around on the floor. Go for it!

Halfords (and similar) sell them too, black ones, for workshop flooring, might work out cheaper.

No! Don’t do this to me. I’m trying to minimise my camping stuff due to massively downsizing my car but so far this year I’ve bought a camping table with storage, a rag rug from ikea, a BruKit and some nice wool blankets!

My friend has a camping inflatable cushion from Orsen which we affectionately call the vagina. It fills with air by waving it around (no pump) and rolls small into a carry bag. Really comfy for outdoors.

We have a vagina sofa too- agree and recommend

We've got one of those. It's great.

USB fan from Home Bargains at £2.99- will work off my power bank for day sleeping at a festival! 😊😊

I splashed out on a bell tent this year so really shouldn't be buying anything else. I saw a collapsible trunk which I thought was pretty good for clothes but I don't trust it to be very sturdy.

Really I'd like to buy a new cool box but the new tent has ruled out any (more) pricy purchases this year.

But surely Bell Tents are there to be accessorised?

@BoudiccaOfSuburbia they are but we already have the accessories. I'm probably going to stretch to a new carpet and bunting.

Lidl have got decent looking firepits for £25 right now.

(At least I hope they're decent, because I bought one. It's still in the box, unassembled).

My weakness is lights. There are some great rechargeable ones on evil Amazon, better than any I've seen in RL. Unless anybody knows any different....?

Oh, and I got some great enamelled mugs, walking socks and a microfibre towel at Aldi last year, about July. Hopefully they'll have similar in the middle aisle this year.

We've bought some great lights from Lights4fun

I need more rechargeable lights, if anyone wants to post links. Kids only have crappy battery ones that I got in Aldi a few years ago. I need more sturdy, lantern type ones.

Oh and I'm currently debating whether to get an airbed, at the moment we use a self inflating mat with a memory foam topper, which is okay and reasonably warm but could do with a bit more height and a little more cushioning!

We replaced our wonderfully comfy, but insanely bulky moonchairs with hammock camping chairs from Costco (much cheaper than elsewhere).

Oh I saw that website- are they OK? It put me off by looking a bit Temu- esque.

This! Also USB clip on reading lights.

For superlight packing, my most prized item is the Trangia stove: stove, saucepan, frying pan and kettle all in one small perfectly engineered package 😍
A fleece picnic blanket makes a great carpet in smaller tents, which can then double up for its original purpose on day trips.
Teddy bear fleece bottom sheet for the airbed/SIM/mattress.
Duck Tape.
Velcro cable ties.
Small lap tray-sized table like this www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15979441/hi-gear-low-picnic-table-15979441

For medium length trips with bigger tents/luggage capacity, Ikea Drona boxes (the ones that go in Kallax units) are great for shoe storage - lightweight, pack flat, and saves hunting around for the second shoe.
A small Tuff Tub. So many uses, but ours mostly gets filled with water, plonked in permanent shade and used as a makeshift drinks fridge. It isn't as good as a real fridge (obvs!), but cools overnight and drinks are definitely colder throughout the day than simply popping them into the shade.
Insulated lidded tumblers.
Camping Gaz party BBQ. It can also be used as a stove if you don't have room to pack both.
Collapsible bowls, washing up bowl, drainer/drying rack. We have one small bowl which is always set up as a fruit bowl, which always feels very civilised!
These hanging storage units amzn.eu/d/gYi3Joj for toys, medicines, spare loo rolls etc - anything fairly light. We hang them in the awning from the poles, but could easily hang in tents of gazebos too.

For longer trips with the whole family, car and trailer tent plus the luxury of EHU: a small air fryer. You need to check the amps carefully, but we got one that uses less than half the max amps for an EHU for £25 from Argos last year. Definitely not essential and you can't fit an entire meal for 4 in it, but it opens up the dinner options when camping for longer or at either end of the camping season when the weather is cooler.
A double camping chair like this www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15900892/hi-gear-vegas-double-chair-15900892 . Can seat two, but is also very comfortable for one person to lie across - multi purpose!

@crackofdoom as far as solar panel lights go, they're nice (and also pretty). We have these

https://www.lights4fun.co.uk/products/3-lucena-tassel-solar-lanterns?utmsource=emaillcampaign&utmmedium=email&utmmcampaign=23%2F07%2F2023SummerSalee5StarFavourites&profileid=01H1VETGRF453ZHNPZE74FB5FK&&kx=dB2DdxIDE2UCUYnOiw5_KeG9ZATWJnvjgho5Lgz63GNDNUOCOneBf3wS9Vw-FrNf.KqedTD

Oooo... These look good! They are out of stock, but have been added to my wish list.

@SkankingWombat
The double chair looks great but for that link I have to join the website for £5 to get it at a good price- are they legit or did you get yours elsewhere?

They look beautiful, but I've had Chinese lanterns before, and they don't fit properly in the lights cupboard of my van and subsequently get bashed!

Also, that website is beautiful, and very posh. I must have got it mixed up with another one!

I'm afraid that I succumbed to the evil behemoth and bought these from Amazon (on two devices, so it was actually easier for me to take a photo of my laptop screen):

Rechargeable fairy lights, be still my beating heart! And the smaller lamps are also magnetic, so I can stick them to the interior of the van :).

Skankingwombat oh that reminds me, our local temple of bargains Trago Mills has tiny stoves that look like Trangias but actually run on wood (presumably twigs) for £18.00. Sorely tempted....

Tragos is a treasure trove tbh, but only any use if you're in Devon, Cornwall or South Wales. I got a great folding saw for £5.99, among other things.

Definitely reputable! They are a large chain that have giant stores in which I have lost a DC many a time (our local branch have an entire floor of tents all set up that DCs have a habit of disappearing into to test out. It is a very stressful experience even now they are older Primary age...)

We are camping in Dorset nr the Devon border this summer. I shall look this company up to see if there is one nearby any of our planned trips out 👍🏻 It sounds like my kind of shop!