Backpacking
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The Robens Primavapour 40 is an incredibly small and lightweight camping mat that performs really well.
★★★★★
More details +
£79.98
PROS:
- Packs down small
- Lightweight
- Comfortable for a small mat
- Insulated
CONS:
- A bit pricey, but that's what you expect for a high-end lightweight mat.
Reviewed
The Robens Fire Moth System should be great for backpacking or bike packing. It's lightweight, strong, and has a good cooking capacity. However, the one I reviewed, didn't go so well. Read on to find out more.
★★★★★
More details +
£14.99
An excellent system, but the one I was reviewing let me down when I needed it.
PROS:
- Good capacity
- Packs down small
- Lightweight
CONS:
- No piezo ignition.
- I had difficulty getting the gas flowing.
- The gas control knob came off the one I was testing.
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The Robens Spur 250 is a two-sleeping down-filled sleeping bag that packs down small, ideal for backpacking or bike-packing adventures.
★★★★★
More details +
£160.00
This is comfortable and warm. The 2-season sleeping bag temperature rating will help see you through colder spells while backpacking or bike-packing.
PROS:
- Packs Small
- Lightweight
- Good 2-season temperature range
CONS:
- Very expensive, as you would expect from a technical bag like this.
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The Robens Morain I is an ideal lightweight summer sleeping bag for backpacking or bike-packing.
★★★★★
More details +
£79.99
PROS:
- Small Pack Size
- Lightweight
CONS:
- Only 1-Season temperature range. If you want something the same but warmer, look at the Robens Moraine II.
Thumbs Up
The Robens Air Impact 25 is a surprisingly large and comfortable sleeping mat for such a small and lightweight pack size.
★★★★★
More details +
£36.99
PROS:
- Very small pack size
- Lightweight
- Good size when inflated (not a 3/4 size mat)
- Good comfort for depth of mat
CONS:
- None found so far
Thumbs Up
The Vango Helvellyn 300 is a 3-person backpacking tent.
★★★★★
More details +
£139.99
We've based our review on our experience with the Vango Mirage 300 but adjusted for the specifications of the Helvellyn 300, which is slightly smaller and has a lower hydrostatic head.
Despite a lower HH, this is a great tent for the money.
Reviewed
The Robens Pioneer 3EX is a lightweight tent that's ideal for backpacking or bikepacking.
★★★★★
More details +
£13.95
PROS:
- LIghtweight and not too big when packed. Could be separated to pack smaller.
- Very easy to pitch.
- A really good sized porch area.
CONS:
- Better as a two-person than a three-person.
- Pitch the bedroom section well to keep the sides off the inner tent.
- No groundsheet for porch area.
Discontinued
The Vango Banshee XD 300 is a great little backpacking tent. Better for two people than three!
★★★★★
More details +
£13.99
PROS:
- Lightweight and fits into a backpack
- Good quality materials
- Easy to pitch
CONS:
- Three people would be cramped. Better with two.
- The porch is only on one side.
Thumbs Up
The Vango Dreamer is a lightweigth self-inflating camping mat.
★★★★★
More details +
£27.50
PROS:
- Lightweight
- Despite just 3cm thick, not bad to sleep on
- Includes insulation
- Can be bought for a good price
CONS:
- The mat is quite long when packed
- No R-Value to compare insulation levels
- Doesn't self-inflate fully (which is to be expected)
Thumbs Up
The Vango Ultralite Pro 100 is a small lightweight 2-season sleeping bag that's ideal for backpacking.
★★★★★
More details +
£63.00
PROS:
- Small and lightweight summer bag
- Not bad price for this sort of sleeping bag
CONS:
- Legroom is tight, which is to be expected on a smaller bag
Reviewed
The Wayfayrer meals are pre-cooked meals in a bag that you can simply re-heat by boiling in the bag.
★★★★★
More details +
PROS:
- An easy way for you (or your child) to cook a meal.
- The ones we tried tasted great.
CONS:
- Can get expensive if buying many meals.
- If boiling in water, bring a pot large enough.
Thumbs Up
Thumbs Up
The Robens Telescopic Tripod is a great addition to your camping toolkit, especially if you like cooking over a campfire!
★★★★★
More details +
£47.21
PROS:
- Folds down small and is lightweight.
- Strong enough to hold a full pot over the campfire.
- Has spiked feet for extra stability.
CONS:
- Securing the chain can be fiddly. Make sure you do it right so you don't spill the contents of a hot pan over anyone! This is the only reason I marked quality down, otherwise, this is a quality bit of kit.
Discontinued
The Vango Mirage 300 is a three-person backpacking tent.
★★★★★
More details +
Reviewed
We test out the Vango Fuel Gel, which is an eco-friendly and safer alternative to meths. But how well does it perform?
★★★★★
More details +
£34.00
The Vango Fuel Gel is much safer to have around kids than liquid fuels.
PROS:
- There's no doubt that this is much safer than meths. And it's good for the environment too.
CONS:
- It's not going to cook as quick as a gas burner.
Discontinued
We've been using the Robens X3 HT Tent. A great little tent for quick weekend getaways or outdoor activities.
★★★★★
More details +
£39.29
PROS:
- A great little tent that's ideal for quick weekend camps or activities, such as the D of E.
CONS:
- None found so far.
Thumbs Up
We test out Vango's folding stove, which is small enough for you to throw in a backpack and enjoy warm food on your next picnic.
★★★★★
More details +
£22.42
This is a handy little stove. There are a few niggles we found with it, but it does the job just fine.
PROS:
- A small lightweight stove easy to fit in your backpack for some warm food when hiking out on the hills.
CONS:
- The piezo ignition needs a few pushes to work, and the orange box it comes in isn't very good. Although it says on the box it comes with a windshield, for any wind more than a breeze, we recommend you take a separate folding windshield.
Thumbs Up
We test out a couple of Thermos flasks designed to keep food warm: the Thermos Stainless King and the FUNtainer.
£18.75
Thumbs Up
We put the En Route 65 backpack to the test, both in outdoor use and for travelling.
★★★★★
More details +
£78.98
PROS:
- A great 65L backpack from a brand you wouldn't expect.
- Lots of storage pockets.
- Rain Cover.
- Adjustable back.
The Eco Vessel Boulder claims to keep liquids cold for 36 hours or hot for 8. We've been testing it out for the last few months.
★★★★★
More details +
£3.99
PROS:
- We found the Eco Vessel Boulder flask kept to its promises of keeping liquids warm and cold. And it didn't leak.
CONS:
- You need to shop around to find one at a good price. The cheapest we found was £9-10 but we did also find someone selling one for £68!
We test out the Water to Go filtration system. A water bottle with a built-in filter that's supposed to even filter out bacteria and viruses, but does it?
★★★★★
More details +
£27.99
PROS:
- In theory, a way to top up water from streams.
CONS:
- We found the black bottle hard to squeeze.
- The filter won't remove 100%.
Thumbs Up
Looking to extend your family camping season? This winter sleeping bag from Snugpak won't disappoint.
★★★★★
More details +
£49.18
PROS:
- We've been really impressed with this winter sleeping bag from Snugpak. It certainly keeps you warm and is now my go-to sleeping bag for the colder months.
CONS:
- Although it does pack down relatively small compared to some other four-season sleepings bags used with car camping, you can fit this one into your backpack, but it will take up a lot of room. If you want to go backpacking, look at some of the more expensive Snugpak sleeping bags.
Garmin's handled held GPS series, from the eTrex 10 starter to the eTrex 20 and 30 with mapping capabilities are great for Geocaching. We gave the eTrex 10 a try.
More details +
£69.12
PROS:
- Rugged. These are more likely to survive if your kids drop it than your phone.
CONS:
- The basic model is very basic. The more expensive version with colour maps is more useful.