Mick Jagger crooned the following lyrics in the Rolling Stones song Gimme Shelter:
Oh, a storm is threatening
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, Im gonna fade away

The lyrics get even more foreboding in the subsequent verses, so I don’t think he was singing about camping. But if he’s serious about getting some shelter he could do worse than buying a canopy tent…
Still, the Rolling Stones would need a large tent to get all of them in it, plus their entourage of roadies and groupies. In fact, they would need the largest tent that they could find. I propose a yurt. You can find some enormous yurts now which you might even be able to have an intimate concert in. Or maybe a Tipi might be more appropriate. But if they didn’t want to go the whole hog with a Yurt or Tipi, there are some pretty large tents on the market. A family tent may not be suitable but a big expedition style tent might suit their wild, rolling ways.

I made a new discovery today. I’ve been camping for over 30 years but have never heard of a Sunncamp tent. It may be because I’m a bit of a camping snob and choose to invest in only the finest, branded kit. Sunncamp is not a name that springs to mind when I think of quality camping equipment. Yet, judging by the breadth and depth of tents and accessories they produce, it seems like the company has been around for a very long time and is known in some camping circles as a quality and reliable brand.

Excited by my discovery, I had a little dig around their website to see what they had on offer. I wish I had discovered them before. They have some great looking tents at all levels of affordability. I was interested to discover if their tents match up to those of better known tent manufacturers. They seem to tick all the boxes in terms of build quality and versatility of uses in different weather conditions. They are on the bulky side – useful only for large group adventures or car camping. Their ‘backpacking’ 3-man tent, for instance, is 9.9kg. I don’t fancy lugging that on a long-distance trail!

Having said that, I was impressed with the quality and range of tents on offer by this company. They’re never going to take on tent manufacturers like The North Face or Vango in the world of performance tents but for standard summer camping they seem ideal. I’m glad I discovered them. You really do learn something new every day!

In the camping world there are few brands as big and well-known as Coleman. Coleman has become a byword for camping reliability and affordability. The company’s quality and quantity of products is awesome, ranging from family camping tents with add on compartments, to lightweight hiking tents, backpacking tents and the versatile dome tent. Coleman tents have funky features like electrical access ports, adjustable ventilation and colour coded pole sleeves for easy set up. Each tent comes with its own Coleman Weathertec™ system which includes weather resistant fabric, protected and leak-proof seams, waterproof floors, zip protection and a wind-strong frame. Amazingly, they have a rain room and a wind tunnel in their factory which can simulate all kinds of weather conditions, like the extremes of a British Summer! Seriously, the tents have very rigorous testing before they are put out on the shelves. Their family camping tents are particularly popular, being spacious with a huge range of tents starting with a basic dome that can sleep five, all the way up to tent ‘cabins’ that have a cooking area, space to sit and read the paper and enough room to sleep six adults. At 100 years of age, this company is still going from strength to strength.

I don’t often get excited about travel backpacks, in fact, never might be nearer the mark, unless of course it’s the surfy small Roxy backpacks, they are to die for.

I used to find backpacks cumbersome and aesthetically unpleasing, on a par with the duffle - until now. I found one called the adventure hydro sports backpack. Those into adventure travelling and extreme sports, this is one for you!

It’s a multi layered, water-resistant fabric with heat welded seams and inverted, waterproof zippers. Available in three colours - silver, black and orange - it looks smooth and has a magnetic appeal to touch it and stroke it, a lot. Gone too far … thought so!

There is a top carry handle, so you don’t always have to have it resting on your back and you can have a quick glance down every now and then to admire it. Two small pockets on the shoulder strap are perfect for storing lift passes etc and d-rings for your keys and id cards.

Its ergonomic design means that it meets the comfort factor too. You won’t have to worry about back ache or the cumbersome factor, it fits perfectly to your body allowing plenty of flexibility in movement, perfect for climbing mountains, hills or skiing back down.

Alternatively, if you want something a little more contemporary and well, fashionable, the Roxy praise me beige rucksack is just plain delicious. It pips the boring, block colour extreme sports varieties any day and it almost certainly won’t break the bank.

When I think of a camping light I imagine the gas powered lamp that I used to be terrified of lighting thanks to the loud whoomph when the gas caught the flame. It used to take a fair bit of grit not to drop the lantern at that point. Plus there was the fiddly mesh mantle that had a drawstring at the top and bottom which had to be carefully fitted around the burner. After a few burns, they used to crumble at the slightest touch and you’d be back at the beginning again trying to fit the damn mantle again.

The good news is there is now a vast range of camping lanterns to choose from. In these eco-conscious times you can even get wind up lanterns powered by dynamo or solar rechargeable lamps (obviously, you recharge in the day). There are LED camping lanterns, U-tube lanterns, spotlights, gas lanterns (of course), battery powered camping lanterns - the list goes on. So where do you start to look for the camping lantern that will suit you and your needs?

Let’s say, you were heading off on a long camping trip and needed to travel light. Something electric would be the best bet, with a rechargeable option like wind-up or solar powered.

How about heading off with the family? You can take something bigger, heavier and maybe multi-fuel. If you’re not as nervous as me about gas camping lanterns, they burn pretty well and very bright. An ‘area-lantern’ is a good option as it lights up larger spaces; ideal for family camping tents.

After a quick web search, I found out that gas and multi-fuel camping lanterns are still pretty popular, but the rechargeables are storming up from behind as you don’t need to worry about carrying extra batteries or power for them. The infiltration of power-saving light bulbs has also had its effect on the camping lantern market, with a range of products that are battery powered. With the energy saving bulb, the lantern can work for up to eight hours continuously. We really are spoilt for choice now. At the end of the day, it’ll be down to you as an individual to decide what your preference would be.

I zip back every now and again to take a look at some of my favourite travel websites so that I can keep on top of any up-and-coming travel bargains. Lo and behold, today I reached for the mouse and found out from the Iwishtravel site that Ryanair is planning to offer flights to America for £8!

If I don’t update this travel blog for a while, it’s because I’m standing in a queue of, I don’t know, a MILLION people wanting to grab one of these babies.

Let’s do a quick comparison shall we? Can you get a taxi home from the pub for £8? No. Can you buy a decent meal in a restaurant for £8? Maybe just about if you drink tap water and don’t tip. But to fly to America for £8? There must be a catch.

The guys on this travel blog suggest that for £8 you won’t get any legroom, so only contortionists should consider flying. Also, if Ryanair sticks to its “budget” status then you won’t get any entertainment or food thrown in which means they can probably charge a premium to stave off hungry and bored passengers.

The ticket price won’t include taxes and airport charges, so you’re probably looking at a total of £150. When all’s said and done, though, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be among a gazillion others taking full advantage. I will quite happily amuse myself for eight hours whilst I fly across the Atlantic and I’m sure I can squueze a packed lunch into my American tourister.

So I say bring it on! Now I’m just going to pop to a local yoga class to get limbered up for a few hours with my knees round my ear’oles and then I’m all set!

Having spent hours searching the latest gadgetry for travelling and visited all my old haunts for inspiration, I happened to be in the know that thanks to a student from Loughborough we may all be able to get our hands on some self-weighing wheeled luggage very soon!

Inventor Richard Taylor has designed a novel travel suitcase that has an integrated weighing device. At this point in the game, it’s just a prototype, with models and graphics being the only things in production however, like me you are probably thinking “what a jolly good idea, why didn’t someone think of this before?”

Well, after a bit more research it turns out someone has thought of it. Ricardo Beverley Hills offers a range of self-weighing luggage sets that all have a built in digital display to show you the weight of your belongings. The wheeled luggage that it’s built into isn’t half bad either. Rolling in at a reasonable price and coming in a variety of colours such as maul teal, black or crushed berry and with a choice of sizes including 25 and 28 inch!

Male or female, seasoned traveller or occasional globe trotter, whatever the weather, a self-weighing suitcase is still a fantastic idea.

Perhaps they should combine all the features of the very best wheeled luggage, make it round, with less than a gram pulling weight, waterproof, bombproof, locatable, easily identifiable and above all cheap whilst looking exceptionally expensive. Oh yes, and self-weighing too. If only we could get it to make its own way there, buy its own ticket and unpack itself upon arrival we would be onto a winner. Is that asking too much?

No travel blog would be complete without a few tips to help you avoid the dreaded excess baggage charge at the airport.

Until someone invents an anti-gravity luggage set we all have to take a deep breath as we place out suitcases on the official weighing scales at the check-in desk. To avoid the red faced embarrassment of having to unpack and dispose of items, or pay to take the extra gear on board, invest in a set of luggage scales. Relatively inexpensive, they are perfect for assessing the weight of your luggage set before you set off.

Digital scales will of course give the most accurate reading and nothing beats the Balanzza luggage scales. Unlike many designs it isn’t restricted in the type of handle it can accommodate which means rucksacks, holdalls and suitcases are no problem. For those of you into gadgets, this is one to add to the Christmas list and make sure Santa brings you one this year.

If you want to spend a little under a tenner, another version is a dial scale: in some cases it comes equipped with a handy tape measure.

Camping brands come and go. Some have been with us for decades; others spring up season on season. But who’s who in the world of tents? Which are the most popular tent manufacturers? In the interests of camping knowledge, I take a look at some best known tent manufacturers.

Vango
Vango is 40 years old, although the company behind the brand has been associated with tent making for a century and a half. With the emphasis on comfort, safety and reliability, Vango designers create tents that are built to last. With a series of innovations under its belt, the company still produces quality tents for a variety of uses. Its Force Ten range is built for harsh conditions experienced by mountaineers and winter campers.

Terra Nova

Terra Nova is another great British tent manufacturer famed for tents ‘built for expedition and adventure’. The company aims to extend and improve its range, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in tent design and production. They once famously held the Guinness World Record for the world’s lightest tent – its Lazer Competition which weighed just 890g.

North Face
The North Face is an international brand with an impeccable reputation. As a tent manufacturer, it has produced tents for camping expeditions across the globe. Supported by many extreme athletes, The North Face emphasises quality products for harsh environments.

Coleman
Coleman is at the less technical end of the spectrum of tent manufacturers. Nonetheless it uses quality materials and trusted designs to create great tents for less extreme camping trips – those with family and friends on a campsite as opposed to the side of a mountain.

Gelert
Tent manufacturer Gelert is a relative newcomer on the camping scene. They have emerged with a series of lightweight, simple and easy to pitch tents for the masses. They are aimed at first time campers who want the ease of a pop-up tent, with product lines geared for small families and festival goers.

1. The South Downs Way
This is a great seven day hike through some of southern England’s most beautiful scenery. This ridge of hills between London and the South Coast is steep at times but not overly challenging, so it’s a good trail for novice long distance walkers who have never donned a backpack. Many people put on their waterproof hiking boots to tackle parts of the trails at weekends but the 100-mile walk from Eastbourne to Winchester, or vice versa, is well worth the hike.

2. The South West Coast Path
This is a mammoth trek around the spectacular coastline of South West England. Starting in Minehead in Somerset and ending just short of Poole in Doreset, this 630-mile walk is a serious undertaking that can take up to seven weeks to complete in one go. It is very strenuous in places but the views of cliffs, beaches, harbours and ever-present sea make it an extremely popular trail.

3. The Pennine Way
Britain’s oldest long-distance hiking trail passes through the remote, upland areas of northern England. Crossing the Pennine and Cheviot ranges of hills, the 250-mile trail demands respect ad should only be undertaken by experienced hikers with navigation skills. But the rewards are access to great wilderness areas, historic landmarks and scenery that hasn’t changed for millennia. A good backpack and sturdy waterproof hiking boots are needed for this one.

4. The Great Glenn Way

This is a coast to coast walk in the Scottish Highlands. This is a relatively easy, well-marked trail so it’s a good one for those who have never walked with a backpack before. The 70-mile trail follows the banks of three lochs and the Caledonian Canal in a deep-cut valley between Fort William and Inverness. It rains a lot in this part of Scotland so waterproof hiking boots are essential.

5. Hadrian’s Wall Path
This is another coast-to-coast trail, following the line of one of this country’s most important Roman monuments. It is an 85- mile walk from Wallsend near Newcastle to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. While sections through the city suburbs and close to Hadrian’s Wall hill forts are easy, a good backpack, waterproof hiking boots and map reading skills are required for some of the more remote parts of the trail.