ROAD
CYCLING
ACCESSORIESFIELD DAYS
20 T3 MAY 2020Horizon
FitnessCARRY ON CAMPING
When we can next all get into the fresh air again, outdoors journalist
Mark Mayne says there’s some terrific new gear waiting for usAs difficult as this year has been so far, there
should be better times hopefully in the not
too distant future – and with them the
opportunity to go camping. If you’re looking
to upgrade your family or group camping
tent for later this year, there’s a bumper crop
to choose from. Camping royalty Outwell is
leading the way with its flexible yet robust
Airville 6SA (£1,624, outwell.com), an
inflatable six-sleeper designed with two
bedrooms and a wing lounge side pod for
breakout living space.
Meanwhile, Wild Country is releasing the
air-poled Wild Country Zonda 6EP (£1,199,
terra-nova.co.uk). It has an extended porch
and a raft of mod cons, including electrical
hookups for various camping gadgets (think
lanterns and coolers).
Coleman has just unveiled its brilliant new
Octagon (£199, coleman.eu), a wallet-
friendly yet spacious three-person tent
that’s super-fast to pitch. Six sides open up
completely, allowing air and light in. With its
octagonal looks and high roofline, there’ll be
plenty of these at campsites in the future –
pair it with the Outwell Tally Lake camping
chair (£80, outwell.com).The great thing about outdoor tech is
that it keeps getting lighter and comfier; this
is something epitomised by the Samaya 2.
(¤980, samaya-equipment.com), an
all-season three-person alpine tent that
weighs just 1,500g. Made partially from
super-strong Dyneema, this ultralight dome
stands up to the most intense environments
on the planet... as well as more sedate
weekend camping trips in Cornwall.
Arguably there’s nothing more satisfying
than cooking in the great outdoors, and this
year we’ll be doing that with the Vango
Atom (£21, vango.co.uk). This tiny gas stove
weighs a feather-light 66g yet punts out
3000W, which is enough to boil a litre of
water in 3.5mins.
Rab’s new Mythic Ultra 180 sleeping bag
(£549, rab.equipment/eu-de) is another
clever piece of camping gear we’ll be getting
cosy with. It saves weight while adding
warmth by bonding titanium to the lining,
resulting in a zero-degree comfort-rated
bag for under 400g, which is good news for
anyone looking to adventure further afield
while still staying comfortable when
sleeping under the stars.VAN RYSEL RR 900
AEROFIT CYCLING
GLOVES
Whether you’re
commuting or
weekend
touring, a good
pair of gloves
will be a constant
pleasure, soaking
up the vibration and
protecting your palms.
These beautiful race-style
gloves are not only easy on
the wallet and the eye, but
feature Technogel inserts and
breathable material to boot.
£19, decathlon.co.ukLIFESAVER LIBERTY
BOTTLE
Although this looks
like any other cage
bottle, there’s
a lot more to
the LifeSaver
Liberty than
meets the eye. It’ll
filter even the most
contaminated water
to make it safe to drink, so
there’s no danger of getting
dehydrated on long summer
days out. Ingeniously, it
comes with a scavenger hose,
so you can dip it into harder-
to-reach spots.
£124, iconlifesaver.comHEDKAYSE ONE
HELMET
One of the most
innovative
bike helmets
available, the
Hedkayse One has
two nifty tricks up
its sleeve... Firstly,
it folds down, so
commuters and weekend
warriors alike can stuff it in
a bag on the train or at work.
Secondly, it’s multi-impact,
so it doesn’t need replacing
after you accidentally drop it.
Add to that a customisable fit,
and this one is a no-brainer.
£150, hedkayse.comIMAGE^SOURCE:^ COLEMIM AN
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IMAGE^SOURCE:^ HEDKAYSE