Tents are back! Time Out's essential guide to camping

What to take

Perfect pitch: Val de Cantobre campsite in France's Dourbie Valley

1 Today’s tents are a country mile away from the leaky canvas ones of old. Modern dome tents consist of an inner and outer waterproof Ripstop covering, with a gap of about two inches between them to allow for the evaporation of condensation. The larger models even have separate bed chambers and large living areas. Even the most expensive is unlikely to set you back more than £450. The most reliable brands are Vango, Khyam, Coleman, SunnCamp, Terra Nova, Blacks and Wild Country. One word of caution about tent sizes: some manufacturers seem to think we like to sleep like sardines because there’s no way you’d fit four people into a four-berth tent comfortably. Go for a tent with twice the manufacturer’s capacity recommendation.

2 Most decent campsites have an on-site restaurant and/or takeaway, but it’s so much more adventurous cooking your own food. Camping Gaz still makes the best butane cookers on the market. Ideally, you should take a couple of mini gas hobs along, or, invest in a fancy Camping Gaz twin hob and grill; don’t forget you’ll need a large refillable butane gas bottle to go with it. That same bottle could also power a gas barbecue; remember – not all French sites let you use charcoal-fired barbecues, so check with the proprietor before setting out.

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3 A gas lamp is essential for cooking outdoors at night, as well as for general ambience. For inside use, though, it’s best to pack a rechargeable battery-powered lamp or even a small electric table lamp.

4 Your pitch will probably be on hard or stony ground, so take along some inflatable mattresses and a foot pump. That way you’ll never be bothered by mini-boulders appearing miraculously under the groundsheet overnight. Inflatable beds are cheap (around £10) and will ensure a genuinely restful night’s sleep (hint: for the full comfort effect, inflate the bed to around half its capacity).

5 You’ll also need a sleeping bag of sorts. Cheap cotton rectangular bags are quite bulky, but are ideal for summer camping.
If you go for a man-made fibre option, make sure you don’t get one with too high a tog rating or you’ll wake up in a pool of sweat. Also take a few pillows.

6 Finally, don’t forget to pack an outdoor extension cable (to run from AC supply socket to tent), a tent-peg mallet, a head torch, camping kettle (or an electric one if your pitch has a mains supply), saucepans (Vango makes a handy camping set), crockery and cutlery, glasses, a washing-up bowl, a small folding table, folding chairs, a collapsible dinner table and a cooler box with several ice packs (packs can be refrozen at the campsite shop). Better still, splash out on a proper camping fridge that can run on mains, car battery or butane gas. They’re expensive, yes, but they’re the only things that keep food properly fresh and cold when the temperature rises.

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