New Gear for Caravanners: March 2017

The latest, greatest leisure gear for caravanners revealed and reviewed.

All prices are 'suggested RRPs'. You may find significantly better prices online or elsewhere.

NEW 2017

Fancy winning some of this new gear? Enter our Caravan Lottery here once to be in with a chance of winning some of these as prizes every month.

Each month, one lucky person will win all the prizes in Kit & Caboodle.

Klean Kanteen Insulated Cup

Price £25-£30 depending on top

W kleankanteen.com

If you’ve ever dripped coffee down yourself outside your caravan, or severely boiled your unmentionables when taking a sip at traffic lights, you’ll appreciate the 335ml vacuum-insulated Klean Kanteen cup because it doesn’t leak or drip.

Holding slightly more liquid than regular drink cans, the KK cup claims to keep hot drinks acceptably hot for eight hours (we’d say six is a better bet) or chilled ones cold for 24 hours.

It’s just that bit better-made than most insulated cups, so, we think, it’s worth every penny.

Zippo Handwarmer

Price £22.95

W whitbyandco.co.uk/zippo

If you suffer from cold hands, even in relatively warm weather (i.e., you’re female!), you should check out this compact and efficient product from the iconic manufacturer, Zippo.
This tactile warmer delivers six hours of gentle heat. The new and improved filling process makes firing up these pocket-sized furnaces easier than ever. Fill the cup, light the burner, and go. There’ll be no pongs either, so the only thing that stinks is the alternative to not using one – frozen fingers.

Mobile phone car vent mount

Price £26.95

W niteize.co.uk

The Steelie Vent Mount Kit is designed to hold your smartphone in the car. It clips securely onto most car vents and is extremely versatile regarding adapting the angle of view.

A small metal disc bonds onto the back of your phone or cover and then powerfully magnetises to the ball-mount allowing quick and easy angle changes. A small, but a high quality bit of kit with a price to match.

Glowing dog’s ball

Price £16.95

W niteize.co.uk

Nite Ize GlowStreak is an LED-illuminated dog’s ball made of a robust rubber material.

The LED is motion-activated, so it’s perfect for night time frolics, and it stays lit for 10 minutes (lit and flashing), so you won’t lose it if one of you gets distracted!

It’s waterproof and slobber proof and floats, too.

GlowStreak’s available with red or blue lights or with colour-changing LEDs.

REVIEWED BY TOBY HAWKINS

Gregory Zulu 30 backpack

Price £100

W gregorypacks.com

We hadn’t come across it before, but the Gregory brand has been creating top-notch bags for 40 years.
I tested the Zulu 30, which is a highly-spec’d rucksack for day’s out and smaller trips.
This top-loading backpack is extremely comfortable to carry, with the straps and supports perfectly positioned. It remains fresh and feels light throughout the day, thanks to its integral CrossFlo ventilated suspension. It also features a zippered accessory pocket and an internal security pocket with a key clip.

It performed well on a 10-mile bike ride, and on a short jog, with the only discomfort being my lack of the ability to run! The weight distribution was balanced, earning this bag a well-earned place in my arsenal.

7.5/10

REVIEWED BY CARAVAN AMBASSADOR, ANNIE COOPER

FABinthepan fat absorbers

Price £2.99+ 80p postage for 10
W fabinthepan.com

I don’t think I was supposed to review the 'fat absorbers' the team sent, but I figured they were such genius, I decided I would write a quick review.

Who doesn't love to wake up in the caravan and cook a good old English breakfast? The trouble is that fat is bad for us and the environment, so these FAB fat absorbers are genius.

You can pop them in the pan while the food is cooking, so you eat less fat, or you can use them to absorb all the fat left in the pan after cooking. Then, you can safely put them into your rubbish bin with no mess and no harm to the drain.

They are also brilliant at stopping the fat splashes during cooking keeping the cooker clean.

My verdict is FAB fat absorbers are an excellent product anytime, but in particular for caravanners.

I have attached two photos one of the packaging, the other of a pan of sausages I was frying as you will see there is a fair bit of fat in the pan, but within minutes the fat had gone when I dropped in the absorber.

8.5/10

Blink security system

Security in storage and on site

Price From £109.99

W blinkforhome.co.uk

With HD video, no monthly fees and free cloud storage, you can secure your caravan on site, at home or in its offseason lock up by just placing a small camera unit inside or nearby to catch any unwanted attention at any time, wherever you are.

You control one or multiple cameras through the Blink Home Monitor app, which lets you view the live stream whenever you like and gives you alerts based on your chosen security settings.

One of the best features of the wireless camera units is the two-year battery life with two AA batteries — if there's no movement detected, they won't activate and drain the power.

Want to cover all angles? Additional cameras are £89 each.


8/10

VERDICT

The value for money and functionality of these cameras is second to none, but the wi-fi dependability can be an issue on-site.