Many elements come together to make a great camping experience, but just for a moment, let’s go back to basics and consider the biggest investment — the tent itself.
If you’re a first-time tent buyer, things might look a little bit overwhelming — there are myriad tents on the market in different sizes, styles and price points. If you pick the right option for you and your family, it will likely serve you well for many years, so look at the bigger picture when deciding, particularly regarding the space it offers. You might only have a couple of toddlers to fit into it with you now, but in a few years, it will be a very different picture, so be sure to future-proof your purchase as much as possible.
Also, pay attention to the tent’s internal height. If it’s raining outside and you need to spend more time in the tent than you had intended, you don’t want to give yourself a crick in the neck from stooping for your whole holiday.
We’ve put together a range of Outwell
camping gear, including the tent, that will last you and your family for years to come without costing you a fortune. They are all easy to use, relatively compact and will add a little flare, taking you more towards glamping than camping.
The Tent
Outwell Moonhill 5 Air
We took the Moonhill 5 Air, which is new this season from Outwell’s Deluxe Air Collection, out for a trial run and were impressed from the get-go. Setting up your tent can be stressful, especially if it’s the first time you’ve got it out of the bag, but the Moonhill 5 Air was an absolute dream to set up.
It was our first experience with this particular model, having decided to wait until we reached the campsite even to take a peek at the instructions, and it really couldn’t have been easier. As you’ve probably guessed from the “Deluxe Air Collection” description, rather than having to slide together poles and feed them into the right fabric channels, the Moonhill 5 Air has four inflatable beams in place of structural poles.
If you think that sounds like hard work, you couldn’t be more wrong. Having taken the tent out of the handy storage bag, we had a quick scan of the incredibly easy-to-follow instructions, which are sewn to the bag seam, before laying out the tent, pegging down the sides and attaching the pump — which is also included with the tent — to the first beam.
Somewhat surprisingly, given that it isn’t the largest of hand pumps, it had fully inflated the first beam in about 12 pumps. On detaching the pump, we realised that a few seconds longer reading the instructions might have been a better idea, as the beam immediately deflated as quickly as it had inflated. A quick press of the value set it to the right place, and we tried again.
This time, the beam remained firm, so we replaced the valve cover and moved on to the next. Within 25 minutes, we had a usable tent with just a little bit of fettling to do to finish the job, which was impressive given its size.
The only pole that isn’t inflatable is at the very front. A traditional sectioned pole holds the front porch area in place, but this was nice and simple, with everything else solidly set in place.
To add a little luxury underfoot, we added the Cozy Carpet in the tent’s living area. It easily attaches at the corners to hold it in place and keeps feet warm and comfortable as you head to the sleeping area at the back of the tent. The only negative is that it isn’t machine washable — it’s a handwash-only scenario — but that’s a small downside for the added comfort of not just having the crinkly groundsheet under your feet.
Inside the Moonhill 5 Air, the bedroom compartments are already in place, so you’re ready to start unpacking and making yourself at home. There are plenty of options to let in natural light during the day. At the front, the door can be unzipped and tied neatly back, and to each side, there are well-sized vinyl windows with attached curtains which can be similarly tied back. There are also large vinyl windows on each side of the tent and a second door to one side, giving an alternative point of access, should you want or need it.
Outwell has included some nice little touches inside, too. If you opt for an electric hookup on your camping pitch, you’ll not need to leave a door zip partially open to allow the cable through; an opening on each side is designed for your power cable to be easily posted through.
The interior doors are fitted with a magnetic soft-close system, so during that late-night dash to the toilet block, you won’t disturb those sleeping in either of the two bedrooms.
There really isn’t much to criticise with the Moonhill 5 Air — it has everything you need to get started; you just need to add a little furniture to make it your home-from-home, which can be as lavish or basic as your budget allows.
The Trimmings
Snowbird Lake Inflatable Sofa
Once the tent is up and beds are sorted, the next most important thing is somewhere comfortable to sit and relax. That’s where the Snowbird Lake Inflatable Sofa comes in.
When folded, it’s compact enough to fit into a relatively small, sturdy carry bag. Once unpacked and inflated, it has a maximum load limit of 250kg, so it can comfortably accommodate a couple of adults.
Inflating it is pretty easy, as long as you have the right pump. We, rather foolhardily, assumed that as it was made by Outwell, we were likely to be able to use the tent pump to inflate it. We were wrong. Luckily, with a little jiggery-pokery and some holding things at weird angles, we got the sofa fully inflated.
The rectangular shape and wide arms make it feel very stable and the thick padding on the seat and back create a very comfortable seat to relax on. The fabric is coated with PU, so any spills or marks are nice and easy to clean, making it great for both kids and adults.
The base is made of waterproof tarpaulin, so it is pretty hard-wearing. However, sharp objects can still damage it, so make sure the ground is as clear as possible of stones or debris that could cause damage before you start using the sofa.
While, thanks to our ineptitude, inflating the sofa had taken longer than it should have, deflating it took no time at all. Pull out the stopper on both the top and bottom sections and squeeze the air out. The tricky part is folding it well enough to get it back into the carry bag, which took a couple of tries.
Seneka Lake Padded Chair
If a sofa isn’t enough to create a home-from-home, add the Seneka Lake padded chair, and you’ll be in the lap of camping luxury. This is the perfect chair for lazy lounging by the campfire – it’s cosy and comfortable and so easy to put together.
The folding frame opens out, and the padded top slips over the corners of the frame, using the reinforced patches to hold it in place. It comes packaged in a carrying bag, which can be stowed in the mesh pocket on the back while you’re using it.
The only real downside is that it’s quite a long frame once folded, at 103 cm tall. If you are a little tight on space in your car, this one might not work quite so well.
Kimberley Bamboo Table
No camp set-up is complete without a table, and the Kimberley Bamboo table worked well for us. It’s neat, stylish and compact, and the top is made from environmentally friendly bamboo, so it’s pretty lightweight, too.
Once out of the zipped carry bag, the aluminium frame folds out and clicks into place, creating a sturdy, modern table. This particular version stands at 40cm in height, so it’s more of a coffee table style than a dining table, but there are alternative versions available from the range, should you want something taller.
The Kimberley Bamboo table was a nice height to complement the Snowbird Lake inflatable sofa and Seneka Lake padded chair, creating a lovely homely feel in the Moonhill 5 Air’s porch area.
Padres Kitchen Table with Side Unit
It’s important to get the camp kitchen right — cooking on gas can be challenging in an exposed camping field. The Padres kitchen table with side unit has some lovely little touches that make food preparation and camp cooking a doddle.
The bamboo top provides ample space for preparing food, and the zip-up cupboard has two shelves for storing all your food and kitchen paraphernalia. There’s even a pull-out holder for your washing-up bowl, so it doesn’t take up valuable worktop space on the unit. The side table is ideally sized to house your camping stove, and the windshield will make it much easier to get the stove up to temperature in breezy conditions.
The windshield slots into the table with metal hooks cut out of the aluminium, but be a little careful with these, as they are easy to bend. They bend back just as easily, but over time, that could cause a weakness in the metal.
The pop-up bin has space for two bin bags and has a lid to ensure nothing blows away or gets in that shouldn’t.
Impressively, it takes just seconds to unpack the kitchen unit from its carry bag and set it up — so the kettle can be boiling in no time at all. All of the surfaces are easy to wipe down and clean after each use and it’s nice and compact when packed down, measuring just 77x46x16 cm.
The Padres kitchen unit’s lightweight nature makes it easy to move around when constructed, so moving it into the tent while you’re out and about is no hassle at all.
The Verdict
Outwell has been making camping equipment since 1995 and has gone from strength to strength. While there are plenty of camping equipment manufacturers on the market, Outwell seems to have got the balance between quality and price about right.
We were impressed with all of the equipment we tested. Not only did it all feel strong and well-made, but it was straightforward to use without reems of hard-to-fathom instructions. The Moonhill 5 Air tent was a particular highlight, as it was so quick to set up and pack down. Wrestling it back into the storage bag — well, that was a different story…
