Camping with Style Partners With Campsited.com

There is nothing quite as rejuvenating or relaxing as spending time outdoors – and nothing is as frustrating and time consuming as booking a camping trip online. So says founder of Campsited.com Finán O’Donoghue. He would know, he has first hand experience!

A native of Kerry, Ireland, he grew up surrounded by spectacular mountains and lakes, and spent lots of time exploring the nature around him. Years later, he wanted to share the magic of camping, and benefits of the outdoors, with his young family when his son was a year old.

“Going online to book a camping trip abroad was excruciating,” says Finán. “I spent hours trawling through dozens of websites. None were really easy to use or had a comprehensive choice of bookable campsites around the world. Most also lacked essential details.”

Campsited.com owner Finan O’Donoghue

“I realised that if this was my experience, many others, eager to get into nature and enjoy time with their families and friends, must be having this problem too. So I decided to do something about it and set up Campsited.com.”

Campsited currently has more than 1,300 parks located in the UK and Ireland listed on its website, with ambitious plans to internationalise further in 2016. Campers are spoilt for choice as all types of campsites are represented, from traditional parks to glamping sites. Each listing is accompanied with photos and as many details as possible to help campers decide on the suitability of the park for their holiday. Campsited’s blog also has lots of extra information for anyone interested in just how good being in the outdoors is for you. (Spoiler alert: It’s very good for you!)

Campsited.com and Camping with Style – perfect partners

Camping with Style and Campsited are proud to announce a partnership which we hope will help fulfill our joint mission to get more people camping and into the wonderful outdoors!

Camping with Style readers now have all the convenience Campsited offers, and access to all the sites and information on www.campsited.com.

So be sure to check it out and send any feedback you have to the nice people at Campsited. They’re always on the lookout for ways to make it better for each and every one of you.

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Pure Dehydrated Travel Friendly Dog Food – Review

What we tested

Pure Dehydrated Pet Food Chicken Dinner
Price: £24.99
Ingredients: Chicken (25%), potato, carrot, parsnip, chicken liver, green beans, apple, cabbage, minerals
Protein: 26%
Crude oils & fats: 11%
Weight: 2kg (8kg prepared)

Find out more or buy it here.

I’m very picky about what food I feed to my fussy Boxer-cross dog Norman. He has a rather sensitive stomach, which I have learned the hard way! So when Pure Food got in touch and asked if Norman would like to try their natural dehydrated dog food, before I said yes, I busied myself in researching the ingredients.

From educating myself in the past about dog nutrition and health, I have a fair few criteria for any gfood I feed to my sensitive boy, including;

• Free of grains
• Free of wheat
• High meat content
• Quality ingredients
• Hypoallergenic

I was happy to learn that Pure Food met my criteria. Good start.

Camping & Travel Friendly Dog Food

One reason I liked the idea of trying hydrated Pure dog food for Norman was the allure of taking light weight food on trips away. Most weekends we are normally away with the Norman either camping or on our boat.

It’s a pain having to lug around tins, or trays of dog food with all your other gear. Welcome to the number one benefit of hydrated food- less heavy stuff to take!

Yes £24.99 for 2kg dog food sounds mega expensive, but it makes up 8kg of food after it’s re-hydrated. I’m a sucker for design, and off the bat I really liked the packaging of Pure’s food. It made me think that with the effort they’d taken in the branding, hopefully that would reflect on the quality of the food inside, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Preparation & Taste Test

Before we went away camping armed with our Pure, we made sure to take out the recommended amount of scoops of the food in it’s powder form to make up 3 meals. It’s certainly a lot lighter than the food we usually take I can tell you.

The food in it’s power state has a strong smell, and once I added the warm water as per the instructions, Norman actually came in sniffing at the air.

The packaging says you have to add warm water (correct ratios given using nice illustrations on the box) and leave for around 10-15 minutes to re-hydrate. Unfortunately the wait wasn’t enjoyable for Norman!

He was whining like a baby as if to say, “Mum, stop teasing me, give me the food already!” This was a tad grating, especially as we were on a camping trip with 5 other friends. I had to keep apologising for his impatience, but it obviously smelt good to his doggy nose!

I can report that from the first time we fed Pure chicken dinner to him on the camping trip 2 weeks ago, to today, he loves it!

Norman isn’t a big ‘foodie’. He has to really like food to gobble it down in one sitting. I can report that from the first time we fed Pure chicken dinner to him on the camping trip 2 weeks ago, to today, he loves it! He actually scoffs it down like there’s no tomorrow.

That’s very satisfying to see from a dog who’s usually fussy eater.

The Verdict

I found mainly pros and a few minor cons with Pure dog food.

The good

• Natural, quality ingredients
• Norman dog loves it.
• No upset tummy side-effects from Norman, meaning no anti-social whiffy dog bottom smells in the tent at night. (Bonus.)
• Convenient to take camping due to it’s dry weight

The not so good

• The dry food didn’t swell up as much as I was expecting after adding the warm water and waiting the full 15 minutes.
• May not be convenient every meal to have to wait 10-15 minutes to re-hydrate your dogs food before you feed him.

Regarding the food not plumping up once re-hydrated as much as I expected, what I have ended up doing to get the most from the Pure food, (and make it last longer) is to mix 2-3 scoops of powder with 4-5 scoops of water, and add in a cup of the good quality biscuits Norman usually has. This formula works well for Norman and myself.

Due to the price, Pure wont be Normans every day food, we will be feeding him on his usual high quality diet which is a mix between raw, and high percentage wet meat mixed with biscuits mostly. However, because he loves it so much, we will defiantly be buying Pure again and feeding Norman it at least twice a week, and taking it with us on our future camping and boating trips.

Normans cousin Harvey with the Pure food

A big thank you to Pure who provided the doggy food for Norman-doggy to try out.

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Hydro Flask Widemouth 32 oz Water Bottle Review

What we tested

• Hydro Flask Water Bottle
• 32 Oz widemouth flask
• TempShield^TM Protected
• Keeps cold up to 24 hours
• Keeps hot up to 6 hours
• 18/8 Pro Grade Stainless Steel
• BPA-Free and Phthalate-Free
• Durable, sweat-free powder coat finish (or our Classic Stainless option)
• Lifetime Warranty
• Find out more, visit the website

Quite honestly, when it comes to water, I can be a bit finicky. I like my water cold, and don’t tend to like using flasks as the water warms up to room temperature (or worse when outdoors in the summer!), which I find really unpleasant, so the claim that the Hydro Flask can keep cold liquids cold for up to 24 hours, definitely got my attention.

I’ve been using mine every chance for the past week or so, and have taken it everywhere with me, from the gym, to work and out walking and kayaking. I think the best test Is probably when I fill it up in the morning, and take it to work with me. It sits on the desk beside me all day, and whilst it’s big enough to last me pretty much the whole day, it stays cold too!

The verdict

This is a great water bottle, and I love the extra size of the Widemouth model. It means that you’ll have cold water enough to keep you going for a good half day of hiking. The extra size might not be to everyone’s liking, but the good news is, they do smaller versions too!

I like the flexible carry strap, love the bright purple colour and of course, the performance of the flask is what clinches it for me. A great buy I highly recommend.

Thank you to Hydro Flask for sending us a flask to review.

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Royal Robbins Jammer Capri Pants – Review

  What I tested

• Royal Robbins Women’s Jammer Capri in Khaki £50.00
• Natural Fit Shaped to skim the body for a flattering fit that allows ease of movement
• Wrinkle resistant
• Lightweight and quick drying
• UPF 50+ protection
• Buy them here

What I thought

Quite aside from being utterly delighted that they fit (US 10/UK 14), they are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Just over a year ago, I finally had to retire a similar pair of summer trousers I’d been wearing year in year out.

I always find this style of trouser ideal for summer as they are so versatile and can easily be dressed up or down. This is the kind of thing that I tend to wear all the time at weekends, or whenever I go away as they are great for walking and generally being active in.

They are a great fit, thanks to them being a Spandex mix, and they are so light that even on hot days, they are comfortable to wear.

 What I like most

• I love the mid-calf classic capri cut
• The neutral colour and style means that they go with everything I want to wear with them, pumps, sandals and even my walking boots
• The stretch fit makes them super comfy and a great choice for walking or other outdoors activities
• They are exceptionally thin and when folded take up very little space, making them perfect for packing
• They contain UV protection at factor 50+

Thank you to Royal Robbins who supplied the sample for this review.

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How To Fit Lots of Camping Gear in an Average Family Car

When I first started camping many years ago, it was with the bare minimum of gear. As the years have progressed (about 14 of them, give or take) my family unit has grown from myself and my husband to include a child. I’ve developed an achy knee and a preference for not waking up with the ground pressing into my hip. I might not be a true glamper but I’ve certainly become fond of camping with style.

A little while ago I posted my ultimate weekend camping list. When we went away a few weeks ago to Little Oak in Retford, I thought I’d document how we packed our car. It might seem daunting to contemplate packing so much into one vehicle, but not only can it be done, here are the pictures to prove it.

For the record, my current vehicle is a 2014 Nissan Note. Whatcar.com describes this as a cross between a small hatchback and an MPV; other sites err in favour of referring to it as having a “small stature” and “a little larger than a conventional supermini”. It has a 325 litre boot space which increases to 411 litres when I slide the rear bench all the way forward. It has a 60/40 split on the rear seat, however for this trip I did not drop either of the rear seat backs.

Want a version you can print? Download Suse’s Ultimate Weekend Camping Packing List.

Preparing my space

I slid the rear bench all the way forward, to give myself as much space in the boot as possible. The rear seat is where my daughter sits and she doesn’t yet need the same leg room that an adult might. Parcel shelf came out and went safely in the garage. Then I paused to refill my screen wash and to remove the safety kit from the cubby under the boot space (warning triangle, safety vest and first aid kit). In the event that there was an emergency on the way to the camp site, I didn’t want this stuff buried under 411 litres of camping gear!

Taking stock

We then gathered together all our gear with the help of my Ultimate Weekend Camping List and a cup of tea. Camping equipment was assembled in the back garden and checked off the list as it was checked, packed and laid out. Luggage was assembled in the house and lined up in the hallway.

Think about unpacking before you pack

This may sound contrary to purpose, but wait. There’s method to this madness.

Consider the items that you will need to unpack first when you get on site. For this trip we were arriving between breakfast and lunch. We took snack food for lunch. So we wouldn’t need the kitchen until the evening, or until the first round of hot drinks. We were taking our bell tent and we knew from the weather forecast that we would arrive on site a few hours before rain was forecast. We wanted to get our tents up as soon as possible in case of rain.

Therefore, we packed the bell tent and components (groundsheet, peg bag, mallet, poles) as close to last as we reasonably could.

Last in, first out.

Layers, methodical.

We started with flat and sturdy items that would fit well together. Camping kitchen, folded down chairs, rolled up tables. A sturdy Trofast container with loose items and to the side flat things. Pop up tent, beach shelter, groundsheet bag, deflated air mattresses, the poles for the bell tent.

The boot was finished off with a thick duvet. This provided a layer of padding to protect my boot inside door should anything slip or slide during travel and also provided a final layer to wedge everything in securely.

Throughout this packing I made sure I maintained rear view mirror visibility.

 

The back seats

The bell tent canvas bag went in the footwell of the unused rear seat, along with the cooking stove. Duvets and blankets were laid out flat on the rear seat. The luggage went onto the seat itself along with our bag of cooking equipment. Sleeping bags in stuff sacks wedged everything in safely together, and finally pillows went in with my daughter to make her ride more comfortable.

Although this did provide more of a vision impediment than having a passenger in the rear would have, I made sure that this obstruction happened behind my driver’s seat. This meant that I could still maintain good rear view mirror visibility.

Oh darn it, the groceries

We did slightly run out of room at this stage because without thinking I had done the grocery shop for the trip before we left. With a massive supermarket only 10 minutes drive from our campsite, it would have been much easier to go after we had arrived and pitched up. We ended up packing the groceries in the front passenger side footwell and my husband held a bag on his lap.

Refinements for next time

• We overpacked on luggage slightly. It had been so long since our last relaxing camp that I had forgotten how nice it is to just sit with my Kindle and read books in between staring at nature and going for walks. Next time, a bag or two less and we won’t miss it.
• Grocery shop happens after we arrive on site.
• Medium term we would like to claim back the rear seat rather than solidly packing one side of it. A bigger car isn’t yet an option, nor is a small trailer as I don’t have a tow bar. So we are going to start looking for a roof box to fit our square Thule roof bars – readers, find me on social media and let me know if you know of a good choice!

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Tog24 Ladies Byte Fleece Jacket – Review

What I tested

Tog24 Byte Women’s TCZ 300 fleece Jacket in Berry
Was £69.95, now £34.95
Buy it here

Technical details

• TCZ 300 fleece
• Breathable
• Warmth without weight
• Honeycomb textured fleece
• Full length zip with inner placket
• Bound hood
• Adjustable hem and cuffs
• Lower secured zipped pockets
• Anti-pill face
• Easy care and fast drying
• Thumb holes
• Shaped seams for increased fit
• Moulded easy grip cord pullers

The verdict

I loved the colour of this zip up fleece hoody and was delighted to find it had thumb holes too. They always makes jackets and tops better in my opinion.

I tend to get quite warm, and don’t like very thick bulky layers, so this was perfect. It gave ample warmth for a cool evening sat outside, and has equally performed well on daytime walks, when it’s been too chilly for just a tee, but not quite cold enough for a coat.

A couple of minor gripes include a dodgy zip, which remained extremely hard to pull up and down, requiring a real tug each time. I also found the hood was too big and didn’t fit my head very well. However, I rarely wear my hood up, and if worn in the winter, with a wooly hat, I think it would provide a better fit.

All said, I think it’s a great value women’s technical fleece and I’d have no problem in recommending it.

Summary

• Super value top with a lovely form hugging fit
• Bright colour
• Thumb holes
• Warm and snug layer
• Great at regulating temperature

Thank you to Tog24 who provided the fleece for us to review.

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Take a Look Around Our 6m Rainbow Bell Tent from Boutique Camping

We’ve long been fans of bell tents and are head over heels in love with our new 6m Boutique Camping rainbow bell tent. Each time we’ve used it it’s drawn admirers, so we thought we’d feature it here and let you have a look at it.

At 6m wide it’s bigger than our previous bell tent, but the extra space makes heaps of difference! We love the extra door height and the extra height of the walls, which means there is even more usable space inside.

We fitted a flashing kit and started using our wood burning stove in it straight away. We camped for 5 days, and on 3 of those nights it was freezing, but the wood burner kept us toasty.

As with all Boutique Camping bell tents, the branding and styling is beautiful with high attention to detail.

Despite the extra size (which does make it heavy to carry) we are delighted with the new tent, and are glad we moved up from a 5m to a 6m. If you are considering such a big tent however, do make sure you take into account the fact that some campsites, will charge you more to pitch it.

If you are wondering if a bell tent is the right option for you, see our article Should I Buy a Bell Tent?

The Rainbow Bell Tent comes in a variety of different sizes, and you can find out more on the Boutique Camping website.

Related articles

• Should I Buy a Bell Tent?
• Boutique Camping 5m Canvas Bell Tent Review

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Kayaking at Astbury Mere Cheshire with Peak Pursuits

This was the first weekend in many months that we’d planned to spend at home, mainly so I could catch up on some feature writing. After working all Saturday morning however, by lunch time I needed some outdoors time, and so promptly decided I wanted to go kayaking (not that I’m at all impetuous).

Where Did We Go?

• Peak Pursuits, Astbury Mere Country Park, Newcastle Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4HL
• Kayak hire £10pp for 60 minutes including bouyancy aid
• A range of water sports offered, including canoes, stand up paddle boards and sail boats
• Visit their website

Our Visit

The first time I visited Peak Pursuits at Astbury Mere, I vaguely remembered being astonished to find somewhere local (a 10 minute drive) that I could hire and kayak from. I’d not kayaked since before my accident so was a little nervous, and I wasn’t entirely sure if my memory could be trusted, but low and behold, 20 minutes later, after throwing a change of gear in a bag, we were pulling up outside Peak Pursuits.

We chatted to two extremely friendly members of staff, who told us that this summer they’ll be running summer holiday activities for kids that can be booked online, and that they also do kids birthday parties. Perfect if you’ve got adventurous little people and are stuck for a birthday party idea or want to plan some summer activities for them.

The Verdict

Friendly staff, good hire rates, a lovely lake in the heart of Astbury Country Park and it’s located only 10 minutes away from where we live. Not needing to book was real bonus, and being able to turn up and get straight out on the lake was great.

Mr CWS has never kayaked before, and despite being fearful of open water, he loved it. The staff were very helpful, and showed him the best way to paddle, and later were happy to chat to us.

Thoroughly recommended, and we’ll definitely go back again soon to hire another kayak or perhaps to try SUP (stand up paddle boarding) in the hope that I’ll be better at it second time around!

You can find out more about Peak Pursuits at Astbury Mere in Congelton, Cheshire here.

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