VW Camper Van TentThis just may be the coolest tent ever designed, or should that be the grooviest?
Now, it’s not what you’re going to be pitching on the South Col of Everest, but boy, will it pitch you at the centre of green-eyed attention at Electric Picnic or the like. It’s an officially licensed 1:1 scale VW Camper Van tent, based on VW’s beyond-iconic 1965 classic T1 model. Hold that hippy feeling!
It’s a proper four-man tent or whatever gender quota floats your boat, with two double compartments. You can even stand up inside if your summer of love hasn’t worn you out.
They’ve done a decent job of reproducing the photo-real detail, such as the wipers and the chrome hubs – so expect plenty of double takes from your co-campers.
The Camper Van tent comes with all the usual tentphenalia, such as pegs and so on and has a 3,000mm x 1,000mm groundsheet sewn in. Now all you need is to download a few Grateful Dead tracks, find your fringed flares and hide it from the kids.
Available in yellow, red and blue.
Cost€336 (to pre-order for late August), from firebox.com
Pit MittCometh the summer, cometh the barbecue man. From the range-like gas-fired behemoths that the Celtic Tiger seemed to spawn to the quick hibachi on the beach, we guys do seem to have a burning desire to well, burn.
And not just the burgers. Seared fingers and singed hair are often on the menu too. Behold the Pit Mitt, which will keep your pinkies pink.
With an outer layer made from a strong, heat resistant synthetic fibre called aramid and a soft cotton lining, those manly hands can be shielded from temperatures as high as 250 degrees. The Pit Mitt even boasts extra long cuffs for when you’re wrestling with those chicken breasts incinerating themselves at the back.
And if any of your butch mates start casting aspersions on your manhood thanks to your mitt, you can tell them aramid is so tough, it’s used for military spec body armour.
Needless to say, the Mitt is entirely suitable for women barbecuers too, if ever they’re let near the grill.
Reversible for the right-on and an ciotóg.
Cost€20, from chefscatalog.com
Burton Beeracuda CoolerTotting a six-pack around on your outdoor adventures is not being formally endorsed here, needless to say, where more sensible hydration systems would be the order of the day. However, if circumstances conspired where you just had to haul a few cold ones along and out of simple practicality, wanted to keep them that way, cold, then Burton has just the kit.
The Beeracuda – so bad a name, it’s still bad – is an insulated tube which takes five tinnies, with a holder on the shoulder strap for a sixth.
Perfect for festivals, long days on the beach or basically anywhere far from the bar you might be gasping to crack open a couple with mates, Burton’s Beeracuda may be the gadget you didn’t know you needed.
Oh, apparently it works just as well with soft drinks too. So that’s good.
Comes in three patterns.
Cost£14.95 (€16.74), from bornextreme.co.uk
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