The best camping gadgets to keep you warm in the wild

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Gone are the days when a trip camping (or glamping) is considered roughing it. Particularly when you have some of these high-tech camping gadgets.

Quentin Long shared his favourite camping gadgets to keep you warm in the wild on a Today Show segment recently. Here, find a rundown on each of the products featured for you to invest in before you hit the road.

 

If you’re in need of some location inspiration, click here for the the best campsites to visit during winter.

Kookabox

Necessity forces creativity; new flavours come together simply because they are all you packed. The Kookabox is as close to a kitchen as you can get while camping, made of aircraft-grade aluminium for an ultra-lightweight and extreme durable experience. However, for transportation, campers use tandem trailers for extra space and safety for your family and your belongings.

 

This world-first product comes complete with all the bells and whistles of home. Fully functioning, the kit includes a saucepan, frying pan, four stainless steel plates and desert bowls, four insulated stainless steel mugs which can be used for hot or cold drinks, four drinking cups, BBQ implements including tongs, spatula, salad spoons, vegetable peeler and scissors, stainless steel cutlery for four, four stainless steel spice/condiment containers, five litre water tank with electric pump, LED lighting and a chiller/cooler box. Plus, a separate drawer to hold your oils and sauce bottles. You’ll never go without again.

 

Get it from: Kookabox

The Kookabox
The Kookabox is as close to a kitchen as you can get while camping

Fireside pop-up fire pit

This crafty invention is the first truly portable fire pit. It packs up smaller than a camp chair and weighs pretty much the same, but opens up to a 60x60cm gadget that is large enough to keep the whole party warm.

 

Lots of camping accessories these days come with more contraptions than a James Bond car. The Pop-Up Pit however sets up in just under 60 seconds, sans the use of any tools. It folds away in 90 seconds – once your fire is extinguished of course.

 

Get it from: BCF

Warm up your campsite

ALL4Adventure Swivel grill 

Camping doesn’t have to be synonymous with bad food. The Campfire Cooking Grill helps to make light work of good meals in the great outdoors. It’s constructed with sturdy steel and coated with high-temperature resistant paint for good looks and durability.

 

The four independent swivel arms hold two cooking grills and two hanging hooks, giving you plenty of room to cook up a feast for the whole campsite. No one will eat trail mix for dinner on your watch.

 

Get it from: BCF 

Wanderer Hot Water System 

The thing we miss most when camping? Hot showers. This baby from Wanderer Hot Water goes from zero to hot in less than five seconds, is fully portable, provides three litres of hot water per minute, and has a rechargeable battery. The unit can be mounted vertically or attached to the optional shower stand (sold separately) and includes an easy to read LCD. Includes water heater, shower head, water hoses, filter and pump, power lead, gas hose and regulator that easily hooks up to your LPG gas tank for instant hot water. Hot stuff.

 

Get it from: BCF 

Oztent heated sleeping bag

The first of its kind in the world, stay warm in the wild with the Oztent non-electric heat adjustable sleeping bag.

 

We needn’t explain the benefits of a sleeping bag that heats itself. Anyone who has been camping in a colder month will recognise that braving the elements is much easier with some attention paid to detail.

 

The Oztent Redgum HotSpot Sleeping Bag is inspired by aerospace-grade sleep research to maximise your outdoor sleep comfort. Padding is specifically designed to support core muscle sections, and change temperature depending on your preferred conditions. There are five points of active heating that can be adjusted, as well as a soft and comfortable flannelette inner lining fabric.

 

Get it from: BCF 

Selk’Bag

Speaking of unique sleeping bags, have you cottoned on to the Selk’Bag trend yet?

 

In essence, it’s an insulated suit. Hard-core outdoorsy people have been wearing similar looking contraptions for years in sub-zero temperatures; the difference with the Selk’Bag being that they are designed without the inconvenient technical specs.

 

These wearable sleeping bags provide mobility, comfort and warmth for all the outdoor chaos that could be thrown at you. There’s a two-way zipper that grants easy access to pants pockets, and elastic hand enclosures which transition to gloves in a flash.

 

Get it from: Gear supply 

Selk’Bag
Have you cottoned on to the Selk’Bag trend yet?

Primus Letch Coffee and Tea Kettle

It might not churn out your half-almond milk, half-unicorn tears, single-origin ristretto, but the LiTech Coffee & Tea Kettle does produce a decent cup of rocket fuel.

 

Made from anodised aluminium, it’s lightweight, durable and ideal for outdoor use.

 

Get it from: Primus

LiTech Coffee & Tea Kettle
LiTech Coffee & Tea Kettle produces a decent cup of rocket fuel

Anaconda Solar Mat

For the ultimate solar performance, give the KT Solar 120W Portable Folding Solar Mat a go. There’s nothing much to report about a product like this, particularly because it does exactly what it says it’s going to do.

 

With its unique and compact size, the portable mat can either lay flat or hang via corner eyelets for maximum solar positioning. Featuring six powerful monocrystalline cells in a 20W configuration, it’s the sustainable way to generate and retain energy at the campsite.

 

Get it from: Anaconda

KT Solar 120W Portable Folding Solar Mat
Give the KT Solar 120W Portable Folding Solar Mat a go
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The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay
Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering  dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Pair'd Beach Club
Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting
Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia
Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd
Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Pair’d Margaret River Region is proudly owned by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA.