Use this Blacks promotional code to get 25% off everything, including items in the sale section.

Click here to use your Blacks promotional code

• Discount: 25%
• Promotional code: etp7nV
• Expires: 4th November 2011

To use this code, go to the Shopping Basket and enter it in the Promotional Code box. The discount will appear in the Discount column on the page.

I tried it out on a pair of The North Face women's boots, which were reduced in the sale by from £119.99 to £90, and then again to £64.99. The code took another £16.25 off this, reducing the boots further to £53.69.

Delivery on the site is £4.95, or free if you spend £70 or more.

Apart from the fact that I just love to shop at Blacks anyway, this is perfect timing for me. I've got some money to spend, woo hoo! And I want to make sure I am snug and warm this winter when I go out.

Thanks to djmetsandy at HUKD!

Use this Millets Promotional Code to get 10% off including sale items. The site has a sale on footwear at the moment, with up to 30% off online and in store.

Click here to use your Millets promotional code

• Discount: 10%
• Promotional code: DYWVme
• Expires: 3rd November 2011

To use this code, go to the Basket page and enter it in the Promotional Code box. It will appear in your totals column.

I tested it out on a pair of Peter Storm Women's Skiddaw II shoes, which had already been reduced by  in the sale. Down from £64.99 to £49.99. The discount code took another £5 off, making it £44.99. Very nice.

A good pair of hiking boots are a must for me in the winter time. I need the support, and as I do a lot of walking, I definitely need the extra grip when the weather gets icy. Strangely, and I don't know how, but over the summer I managed to lose a boot from my old pair!

Thanks to djmetsandy at HUKD!

Use this Millets Promotional Code to get 10% off including sale items. There are final reductions on sale items in their clearance section at the moment, so you can nab yourself a fabulous bargain.

Click here to use your Millets promotional code

• Discount: 15%
• Promotional code: yDE23S
• Expires: 30th September 2011

To use this code, go to the Basket page and enter it in the Promotional Code box. It will appear in your totals column.

I tested it out on a Manic Daysack, which had already been reduced by half price in the sale. Down from £19.99 to £9.99. The discount code took another £1.50 off, making it £8.49. Very nice. Delivery costs £4.95.

There’s lots of stuff on sale here, which is particularly handy if you plan to do a bit of camping next summer. I’ve got plans to do so, and have already seen the camp cooker I wanted to buy in the sale here on Millets. Am really relieved I didn’t buy it a couple of months ago, when I saw it at a good price on Amazon. This is even cheaper!

Thanks to andywedge at HUKD!

Use this Blacks promotional code to get 15% off jackets, including items in the sale section.

Click here to use your Blacks promotional code

• Discount: 15%
• Applies to: Jackets
• Promotional code: yEW8HQ
• Expires: 17th August 2011

To use this code, go to the Shopping Basket and enter it in the Promotional Code box. The discount will appear in the Discount column on the page.

I tried it out on a Woman's Callisto Light Jacket, which was reduced in the sale by £10, from £54.99 to £44.99. The code took another £6.75 off this, reducing the jacket further to £38.24.

Delivery on the site is £4.95, or free if you spend £70 or more.

Apart from the fact that I just love to shop at Blacks anyway, this is perfect timing for me. We are off camping on Tuesday. Yay! I do really need a new waterproof. Not that I'm saying it is going to rain, but, well this has not exactly been a dry summer! Keep your fingers crossed. Remember that huge gale with torrential rain that hit us this time last August? That was what would have been the first day of our camping holiday, but we cancelled when we saw the rain was more horizontal than vertical.

Hoping, really really hoping, that it doesn't happen again this year.

Thanks to amibees at HUKD!

Amazon seems to be gearing up for Summer at the moment, as they add great outdoor and camping deals to their weekly promotions list.  A great example is the 55% they’re giving you off the Gelert Portable Gas Cooker, making this £21.99 stove just £9.99. This deal ends just on midnight tonight, so don't delay!

• Get cooking this summer with the Portable Gas Cooker

Okay, so this is quite a basic cooker, and it isn’t going to replace your home cooking equipment. It’s also not going to provide for the whole campsite, or withstand major wind (and please don’t use it in your tent!) but it is perfectly suitable for the occasional camper who needs to boil the kettle for a cuppa, or prepare a quickie dinner at the campsite.

It’s quite a compact cooker, and only weighs 2.2kg – without the gas canister – so it’s not going to take up too much room in your kit and it is great to have the flexibility to be able to brew your own refreshments if everything around you is still closed early in the morning.

Also, be sure you have the right gas canisters and that you know how to set it up, or you may find yourself with a hungry crew and the wrong equipment!

I'm going camping in a couple of weeks and have just ordered this stove. It is on sale at Amazon for £29.95, and delivery is free with Amazon Prime. It's normally priced at £69.99. After deliberating for quite a while, I opted for this stove for three reasons. It was cheap, it has two burners so you can cook more than one thing at once, and it will take generic gas cylinders.

• Click here for your Campingaz Camping Chef Stove at Amazon

Reading the reviews, you need to get a gas regulator for this stove, it doesn't necessarily come with one. That's not a bad thing as you can buy a gas regulator with a butane or propane gas cylinder at any store. From the reviews it would seem that the Calor 4.5 cylinder is much cheaper and lasts much longer than the Campingaz one.

As well as two burners, there's a grill on this. According to the user comments, it is enough to toast a single slice of bread. If you're using the grill pan though, most recommend finding something to raise the pan up with - one person used a can of beans, another a brick. There's also a trick to getting a really low flame if you just want to simmer a little bit. One reviewer suggests lighting the burner on high, then turning slightly back to the off position.

The general consensus is this is an easy to use, and importantly, easy to clean stove. I've also ordered the carry case for this, as recommended on the site by most of the reviewers.

There’s a fantastic 57% off the Coleman Novae X2 Tent at Amazon, bringing it down from £229.99 to just £100.  This offer is only available till midnight on Sunday.

• Head over to Amazon for a great deal off the Coleman Novae X2 Tent

It’s been over a year now since we went camping in France with my grandmother and then 8 month old daughter and I must admit, I’m about ready for our next trip. We do have a lovely large family sized tent which definitely adds to our comfort on these outings.

This Coleman Novae X2 isn’t quite as large, but it is purpose built for hiking, and weighs just 1.9kg – not bad at all! The tent has one room and a small storage area, and comes with all the bits needed to set it up, including Scandium Air Hercules poles with floating inserts.  For its size it’s very lightweight, and apparently it takes around five minutes to erect – which is great at the end of a long day’s hiking!

And the tent is built to withstand wintry and windy conditions too.

This is a 2 person tent, but a reviewer does mention that it’s only high enough for, erm, horizontal activity, and isn’t really designed to be spending time in it. That said, it is 130cm high at it's highest point, and 80 cm at it's lowest, so you should at least be able to sit up and  get dressed and so on!

Going camping this holidays? It is always a fun, and fairly cheap option. But you do need to take things with you like something to cook on. Amazon has massively reduced this Coleman 2 Burner Propane Stove to £25, down from £69.99. That's a saving of 64%. Delivery is free with Amazon Prime

• Click here for your propane stove at Amazon

Now most people I know use Campingaz stoves for family camping. Which are fabulous in that they're inexpensive. This stove, however, appears to be more sturdily build. But, if you look at the reviews, you can see there's one main drawback that might explain the huge price reduction. The propane canisters for this stove, while easily available in the US, need to be ordered online here in the UK. Which means you have to stock up before you go, and make sure you have enough for your trip.

However, at £25 that could be a risk worth taking?

You get about an hour of cooking time out of one canister, if you are using both rings on high. The stove has InstaStart ignition, two independently adjustable burners, aluminised steel cooking top and a WindBlock system for conserving heat.

Here's what one reviewer said: "It folds down neatly, transports easily, is cheap and the piezo lighter was great (until one of the two on this stove stopped working after a couple of days). The wind shield is effective and it boils water quickly."

Use this Millets Promotional Code to get 10% off including sale items. The site has a big sale on at the moment, with up to 70% off online and in store.

Click here to use your Millets promotional code

• Discount: 10%
• Promotional code: uxWpd2
• Expires: 4th July 2011

To use this code, go to the Basket page and enter it in the Promotional Code box. It will appear in your totals column.

I tested it out on a Buckingham 6 man tent, which had already been reduced by half price in the sale. Down from £299.99 to £149.99. The discount code took another £15 off, making it £134.99. Very nice.

There's lots of stuff on sale here, which is really handy if you want to do a bit of camping this summer. I've got plans to do so, and have already seen the camp cooker I wanted to buy in the sale here on Millets. Am really relieved I didn't buy it a couple of months ago, when I saw it at a good price on Amazon. This is even cheaper!

Thanks to scorpiok at HUKD!

There’s up to 50% off tents at Tesco for tents and outdoor equipment in preparation for the bank holiday weekend.

• Go camping with 50% off at Tesco

We’re pretty fond of camping, if for no reason other than the ability to stretch our holiday money a lot further than staying in a hotel we hardly see anyway.  We camped right up till late in my 7^th month of pregnancy, and when our daughter was 8 months old, we took to the road again for 8 weeks – although we did balance the costs out with a few hotel stays towards the end.

I’m really looking forward to this summer and unpacking the gear again, and setting off for the most deserted spots we can find – which admittedly are going to be even fewer and further apart this year, since it seems no one has much money for luxury holidays – or at least, no one we know.

So, if you’re hoping to join the masses in a cheaper family holiday, Tesco comes to the rescue with this 6 Person Vis a Vis Tent for just £75, down from £150.  Or if there’s more of you, you could try the 12 sleeper Teepee Tent which with 20% off is down to £143.20. That’s less than 12 of you will pay in a hotel for one night.  For something a little more intimate, there’s the 2-person dome tent, a 1/3^rd off at £20.

Happy camping!

Use this Millets promotional code to get £10 off when you spend £50 or more. The code works on items bought in the sale. This is a nicely timed discount with summer fast approaching. It is hard to believe we're already in the summer term at school. Camping is an inexpensive way to get a few days away, and enjoy the great outdoors with the kids.

Click here to use your Millets promotional code

• Discount: £10
• Minimum spend: £50
• Promotional code: LhcCC4
• Expires: unknown

To use this code, go to checkout. Enter it in the Promotional Code box and hit Apply. The discount will be applied automatically to your order. There are additional codes to use if you spend more than £50.

Use uhGmN4 to get £15 off £75; JPNQFv to get £20 off £100; tLhL8f to get £30 off £150; and dXsjuB for £40 off £200.

I tested the code out on three items from the sale. The Callisto Sleeping Bag has been reduced from £54.99 to £27.49; a Twister Plus cooker marked down from £19.99 to £14.99; and a Manic Daysack that was £17.99 but is now £9.99.

Thanks to millarcat at HUKD!

Argos have some good deals on Ben 10 and Ben 10 Alien Force Tents at the moment - there are three for your little alien hunter to choose from.

• Click HERE for a Ben 10 Alien Force Pop-Up play tent - half price: £9.99 instead of £19.99

• Click HERE for a Ben 10 Igloo tent - save 20%: £20.40 instead of £25.52

• Click HERE for a 2-man outdoor Ben 10 tent - half price (pretty much): £10.99 instead of £19.99

Ben Tennyson, pah! That alien hunting, bug busting dude single-handedly cost me an absolute fortune in 2010 and looking at these tempting tent deals, it looks like 2011 could go the same way (please let my youngest move on from Ben 10 SOON!).

Kids love playing, and hiding, in tents - the Ben 10 Alien Force pop-up play tent is an awesome little tent for doing just that.

Lightweight, easy to store and easy to just pop -up as and when required and fold away again just as fast, the pop-up tent is great for indoor tenting and ideal for little ones who like to play with things for a little bit but will move on to something else within 10 minutes.

The Ben 10 Igloo tent is bigger, will take a few minutes to put together and is fab for indoor and dry outdoor tenting activities.

The Ben 10 2-man outdoor tent is what it says - a tent for 2 men (I'm guessing pretty small men!) to camp outdoors with.

Shopping for outdoor equipment may well be the furthest thing from your mind in this cold and dark weather, but with at least 20% to 50% off at Field and Trek, I couldn't resist dreaming of summer camping again.

• Hike on over to Field and Trek for awesome discounts

I love camping, and although it's taken us a few years to build up proper gear, we have a pretty comfortable camping set up now. It requires a family size vehicle to get us from place to place, but at least we're in the lap of outdoor luxury when we get there.

With reductions off on a host of outdoor equipment, you can have a luxury camping too. From the Campri Knife Fork Spoon for £1.00, reduced from £3.99, for compact packing, to Terra Nova Laser Space 5 Tent for £570.00 down from £749.99 for family accommodation, there are over 500 items to choose from.

The range is suitable for amateur to pro, backyard camper (Karrimor Rapid Pitch Tent, £20.00 down from £49.99) to festival day-tripper (Campri Picnic Rug, 67% off at £5) to mountain enthusiast (Mountain Equipment Snowline Sleeping Bag, now £259.99 instead of £324.99).

The only catch is that the sale ends on Sunday 31 October at midnight, so you don't have much time left to start your camping kit, or expand on an existing collection. Delivery is standard or 24-hour and will be charged extra at checkout.

Thanks to YCSB at HUKD

I Want One Of Those.com (IWOOT) sent PlayPennies a bundle of brilliantly bewildering camping accessories that you just know, because they are from IWOOT, are completely insane. We had these sent along to our old PlayPennies regular, Heidi, who promptly whisked them off on a camping holiday with her husband and two boys...

The Briefcase Barbeque

We all loved this idea. A proper bb that’s compact and portable, and in a briefcase. So what did Heidi think?

“I loved the idea of this. I thought it would be perfect for the beach or camping, but in reality it’s just too small for our needs as a family of four,” she said, “We went camping this weekend with friends and had planned to cook dinner on it, but once we got it out the box we realised there was no way we were going to fit food for four adults and two children on it.”

Heidi did go on to say that there is a bigger version available for the larger camping group of humans but that she couldn’t really recommend the smaller one for a family at all.

“It might work fine for a couple with a baby not yet on solids,” she added, “But then, if you’re camping at that stage of life you’re probably so superhuman you take gourmet meals with you, or have a butler.”

The friends Heidi went camping with also felt that it would be too small for just the two of them and she wasn’t sure it would cook the meat properly. However, they did find the perfect use of it – an impromptu campfire around which they sang songs and made s’mores and toasted marshmallows.

“Maybe they should ditch the bbq bith and market it as a portable campfire complete with the ingredients to make tasty campfire treats,” said Heidi, “Now that I could get excited about.”

She also felt that it was a mission to clean, difficult to locate smaller bags of charcoal for, and nowhere near as convenient as a disposable bbq. Except for the green angle, of course. You wouldn’t be contributing to landfill with the IWOOT one.

“As a gift it’s actually quite inspired,” said Heidi, “And it will probably be the inspiration for some impromptu family fun, as long as we can find some small bags of charcoal.”

The Pocket Towel

“The pocket towel takes a bit of getting used to in terms of the way it soaks up moisture but it's reasonably effective,” said Heidi, “It also scores high points for being portable and taking up minimal space in your luggage.”

Certainly this is an ingenious idea and is something that will definitely come in handy for the camping family. So small it can be secreted away anywhere in the car, easy to use and very useful for camping, this gadget won Heidi over.

“One of the best things about the pocket towel is how quickly it dries,” she said, “None of this having soggy towels at the bottom of your beach bag, or lurking in the corner of your tent. I know a mum who bought one of these for her daughter’s teacher as a thank you gift at the end of the school year.”

“The teacher is going backpacking around Australia during the summer and was reportedly thrilled. And I can see why! This is an inspired gift for festival goers and intrepid explorers.”

Costing £9.99, this seems like a fabulous investment for families that camp.

The Pocket Shower

I have been dying to hear about this particular review. I’ve been quite excited to see if it worked, how it worked, and what happened when you used it. Here is Heidi’s onsite report.

“The idea is that you fill it with ten litres of water, hang it from a tree, and let the sunshine heat up the water within, giving you a seven minute shower,” explains Heidi, “I might be missing a trick but I just don’t get this. You’ve got to go to the lengths of finding ten litres of water, pouring it in to this, hanging it from a tree and waiting for it to warm up – all for the shortest shower of your life.”

Unfortunately the pocket shower just didn’t strike a chord with Heidi at all.

“The only place you’re likely to find that much water whilst camping is in a tap, and a tap strikes me as all you’ll need for a wash anyway. Besides, what kind of campsite doesn’t have shower facilities?” she wondered, “Perhaps if you’re camping in the Australian outback but where would  you find ten litres of water in the Bush?”

Ultimately Heidi felt that this was more of a gimmicky gift that may come in handy for an intrepid explorer but that overall it was more for entertaining her kids on a hot day and not really worth the £14.99 price tag.

And Finally

The Pocket Towel was the clear winner in this review, useful and helpful it did what it should and made a big difference to her camping experience. The bbq was a bit too small for her family but should perhaps be judged only on that level as she never got a chance to cook on it. If this appeals to you, get the bigger version just in case.

In honour of the festival and camping season, these delectably warm and toasty summer days, PlayPennies was sent some adorable sleeping bags and self-inflatable mattresses to review. Parents can choose from a funky flower design called Flowies Rose, or a DINO Explorer range with lots of lovely dinosaurs.

While I appreciate that perhaps girls won’t like dinosaurs or boys won’t like flowers, I’m not a fan of forcing a gender stereotype on anyone so I won’t be allocating a gender to this review.

Outwell Self Inflatable Mattress

How cool is this? I loathe having to blow up/pump up anything. I think old age has rendered me incapable of blowing up even balloons, so getting in a mat that will do all the hard work for me is pure genius.

The two different self-inflatable mats we were sent had either a funky green and red dinosaur pattern or a pretty lilac and green flower pattern. They have plenty of other colours and designs on their site too, so if neither of these appeal to you there will be others there that you might like.

The mattress didn’t take long to sort out. I only had to slip it out of the included cover and follow the simple instructions. You have to do a teeny bit of inflating at first. I suppose this is to activate it or something, but it didn’t demand a lot of effort to do.

After about five minutes, as opposed to the advertised two, the mattress was fully inflated and ready to go. I had to top it up a bit after a while but this is quite normal for most inflatable mattresses as the fabric settles.

My daughter adored it. She lay down on it and refused to get off. It’s really a lovely size for her (she’s four) and its dimensions are 160x51x3cm. Because we didn’t have any camping trips planned in time for this review I did a field test in the lounge. My daughter was set up with the sleeping bag (see below) and snugly ensconced on the mattress for the night.

I must admit that I expected lots of cries of, “Mooommeee” to continue throughout the night, but instead she did her usual three (a wee, a drink and a cuddle) and fell straight to sleep. In fact, because of the novelty value, we got an extra hour of sleep that morning. Oh, how I wish I could keep this mattress!

The only down sides, for me, are the fact that the site is determined to make them gender specific, and that the dinosaurs were a bit disappointing. I would have hoped for something a bit more detailed than the plain black images.

These retail for around £17.99 which feels like a good price for a product that does all the hard work and looks good for kids.

Outwell Sleeping Bags

The same designs seen on the self-inflating mattresses are repeated on the sleeping bags but with some neat little extras. Flowies has a fairy motif while the dinosaurs have, well, a dinosaur motif. The bags come with a cap compression sack and measure 165x70x40cm. They are really cute and my daughter just adored hers.

What makes these quite impressive is the long list of specifications. They come with a ridge hood and thermocollar insulation around the shoulder area for extra protection. There is a full length zip baffle complete with an anti-snag guard (thank goodness!) and an inside mesh pocket for storing all those little toys and secret things.

The fabric, for those of you who are camping buffs, is 230T microfibre polyester.

I have to admit that, in spite of a life of camping up and down two continents, I am possibly the worst roller-upper-of-sleeping-bags in the universe. I have been incapable of reducing a sleeping bag to the size it needs for insertion into tiny bag from Day One.

Sadly, this is no exception. I sweated, heaved and rolled until I gave up and had a sulk. This isn’t really a good basis for a review though, because my husband ambled in and did it in seconds. I think, perhaps, sleeping bags have it in for me. Possibly they’ve teamed up with spiders to keep me on my toes.

These Outwell sleeping bags sit in the region of £22.99, a reasonable price for a quality sleeping bag methinks. I love the patterns and styles available and felt that this was a good quality product that appealed to its target market.

And Finally

As a special surprise for PlayPennies readers we are giving away two complete sets of the Outwell kids range to two lucky winners. Check out the competition here and follow the simple instructions to win. I really do recommend these products to future parental campers and festival goers so good luck to you all!

We’re celebrating the magic of festivals and camping and summer delights this July, and giving away a bunch of goodies from Outwell. Outwell have a collection of camping accessories for kids and are giving away two delectable sets – a self-inflating mattress and sleeping bag in two different designs. 

The Dino Explorer sleeping bag and self-inflating mat are toasty and comfy and ideal for anyone who loves dinosaurs. The scrummy Outwell Flowies sleeping bag and self-inflating mat are flowering pink and lilac delights for those who prefer something more colourful. Check out our review tomorrow!

Instead of uncomfortable kids and moaning minnies, you’ll have toasty tots that snooze their way happily through the festivities, leaving you some free time to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Each prize is valued at £41 – an awesome prize indeed! 

So, how do you get to win your set?

• Subscribe to the PlayPennies daily email update (1 entry)
• Leave a comment in the thread below saying Dino or Flowies for your choice of prize (1 entry)
• Tweet a link to this contest and leave your twitter link below (1 bonus entry) 

Rules: 

1. The contest ends on Friday 06 August 2010
2. Open to UK residents only
3. 1 person per household may enter
4. Must complete email verification when subscribing
5. Must include a valid email address if commenting
6. Admin’s decision is final in call cases 

The winner will be announced on Monday 09 August and your prizes sent out that same week. Please expect delivery within two weeks of the announcement.

Mossie bites can totally ruin my holiday. This is not a problem at home. It’s as if I have built up a resistance to the little bloodsuckers around here, because I barely get a bump on my arm if I’m bitten. But as soon as I go somewhere else I come up in lumps the size of a small golf ball. And that’s before I scratch the bite. If I’m idiotic enough to do that, then I’m walking around on holiday sporting a lump on my arm, or leg, or heaven forbid my face, the size of an orange.

Not a pretty sight.

So, top of my shopping list for my summer holiday is always insect repellent, shortly followed by a first aid kit. Because, even if I do remember to spray myself, I’m sure to trip over a misplaced bit of air. That’s just the kind of luck I have!

In the interests of keeping our readers safe in the great outdoors this year, I got a bunch of products from Boots. And gave them to Katharine, a PlayPennies mum with a lot of experience taking children on holidays to the seaside, camping and abroad.

Repelling mossies

Boots gave us two insect repellents. Repel Insect Repellent Lotion Natural Citrepel 75 (100ml) £6.99. And Repel Once Insect Repellent Spray (125ml) £8.99.

First impressions were good. As Katharine comments “Both types of insect repellent (Natural Citrepel and Repel Once) have a quite pleasant odour, and don't smell anything like as strongly as repellents I've used in the past.”

Although the name of the active ingredient, Citrepel 75, sounds a bit sci-fi, the substance is natural and comes from the lemon eucalyptus plant. According to Boots, the Natural Citrepel 75 repellent is suitable for non-tropical areas with a low risk of malaria and insect-transmitted diseases. It also claims a light and non-greasy formulation.

That wasn’t quite what Katharine experienced however. “Whether using the spray pumps or the lotions, they all go on easily, though they all leave your hands feeling slightly sticky” she says. “The Repel Once ones (which are designed for tropical areas where malaria is a problem) are the stickiest. A quick wash of the hands, though, and the problem's solved - I've never been troubled by mosquito bites on my hands, so I can't see it being a problem not having lotion on them.”

Repel Once contains 25% DEET and claims to provide protection from mosquitoes for up to 8 hours. Neither repellents are suitable for use on children under six months.

What were the repellents like in use? "While wearing the lotions outside, I haven't been bothered by any insects - but I haven't really found insects to be a problem at all this year," Katharine explains. "So it hasn't been a very fair/thorough test. (Most years I end up covered in bites - I must taste good.)

What was Katherine's final verdict? "The prices, ranging from £7 for the non-tropical Natural Citrepel repellents to £9 for the tropical Repel Once Spray are probably quite reasonable, but unless I was going somewhere with a particularly rampant mosquito population, I doubt I'd bother buying them. If they were a couple of quid cheaper, I would."

Soothing stings

Even with the most careful application of repellents, you can be sure that if you miss even the tiniest spot, a mosquito will find it. Scratching such a bite is, for me, a really unpleasant and unsightly experience! Boots has a product, Bite and Sting Relief Click It (£5.49) to help people like me. Our tester found Bite & Sting Relief Click It rather intriguing. "You click it five to 10 times on and around a bite or sting to dispense tiny electrical charges, which supposedly relieve the urge to scratch." Certainly sounds like an unusual approach. What is it like to use?

"Thankfully, I haven't been bitten or stung lately, so I've been unable to test its efficacy." Katharine told us. "However, I have used it on un-stung skin to see what it feels like - in a word, strange. Not unpleasant, though, and I'll certainly be taking it with me on my travels this summer. At just £5.49 and with the ability to treat up to 2,000 bites, it seems incredibly good value, too."

Travel First Aid Kit

With two boys, we definitely always needed to carry at least a few band aids with us, wherever we went. But it was my energetic and adventurous step-daughter who required a more substantial first aid kit! I was never confident enough to be able to carry just a little one. However, I might have done with this Boots Travel First Aid Kit (£8.99), as, from what Katharine says, they're thoughtful enough to include space for you to put a few extras of your own.

Katharine says "Finally, the Travel First Aid Kit is another great value piece of kit for just £8." In fact, it is a kit that she has bought and used in the past because it seems to fit such a lot into such a handy pack. "I just sling it in with our luggage when I pack for a holiday and I know I'll have everything I need for any minor medical mishap. There are plasters, dressings, a bandage, scissors, antihistamine cream, a blister plaster, antiseptic wipes and even a very brief guide to basic first aid. The small bag it all comes in is roomy enough for you to pop extra bits and pieces in too."

And Finally

My plan this year is to go camping, and more of us than ever before taking advantage of the festivals abounding in our countryside. For use here I'll be going with the natural repellents, but in a hotter country I'd probably opt for something with DEET in it to be doubly sure.

Plus if this summer continues to be as hot and muggy as it is, especially with the humidity, I don't think I'll have to go on holiday to find bumper crops of mossies! Some of these items will probably see just as much use in my own backyard, which makes sure I'll get my money's worth out of them.

The great outdoors. Fresh air.  Sleeping under the stars. Meals cooked and eaten under the sky. There’s something of a great adventure about camping. Maybe it is being outside. But I find that I have simply the biggest appetite! So I’ve scoured the internet and asked PlayPennies parents for their easiest and yummiest ideas for camping meals. Here’s what I found!

If you’re after information on what to cook the food on, then take a look at last weeks feature: Festivals, Camping, Food and Cooking.

The easiest option is to simply eat out, or buy convenience foods. But what’s the point of going camping if you do that? OK so I’m not talking from the vantage of experience here. I have yet to take a family camping holiday! I might change my mind after I’ve sat stirring a pot over a fire with the sun blazing down. But, I really do want to do a bit of cooking outdoors myself. It is part of the fun and experience, isn’t it? Plus it is much cheaper. I’m on a mega tight budget – one week for less than £100!

Be prepared!

Preparation isn’t just for scouts and guides. The key to a happy tummy when you’re camping is to make sure you plan before you go. I’ve been told to make a daily menu up, and then take the right amounts of food for each meal bagged up. That way you don’t have to measure and you don’t have to take whole packets. Will let you know how that works out.

On the other hand mum of two teens, Karen, takes a more laid back approach.  “Buy food daily. Also camping is the time for packet mash and everything out of a tin (not if you're hiking, obviously).”

Kay, mum to three and grandma to two, says “We used to do three day hikes. We'd start off the first night with steak and veggies, and then graduate to things that wouldn't spoil for the next two days. Bagels and peanut butter travel well. Make some homemade granola, lots of water, bread and hard cheeses. Oh and peanut M&Ms - absolute must have food when camping”.

Nicki plans out her meals before heading off. “I usually make up a spag bol or a nacho bean/mince mix for the first day. I freeze it; then it defrosts on the trip in time to reheat the first night. By the last night we're on tins of spagetti.“

One Pan Wonder

If I’m going to be cooking on my hols then it has to be quick, easy, tasty and light on the washing up. Preferably, I’d like to just use one pan. Two ideas I have come across that sound promising are to take your wok, or slow cooker . Both make sense, although the slow cooker only works if you’re in a campsite with power hookup.

I use my wok like a saucepan all the time, and have found it is fab for making quick casseroles at home. With a slow cooker you’ll have a nice hearty stew at the end of the day without having to slave over a hot fire. Genius!

BBC Good Food has a page of the yummiest looking one-pan recipes for camping .

Or try this simple recipe idea from PlayPennies dad Phil “When we go fishing, we bring tins of tomatoes (or light cartons from Sainsburys), puree, garlic etc for a sauce and slice up some salami to add to it. All of which, along with the pasta, won't spoil before use.”

I’ve had more than one person tell me to make my own bread on the fire each morning. I’m really still not sure about that. I found a video on making campfire bread on Videopedia http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Cook-Campfire-Bread---Bannock-18630405. It looks easy enough but I am definitely not sold on the idea. Especially after seeing what looks like a spider crawling out of the berries he tips into the mix. Maybe I’m not really cut out for this after all!

And finally

Really want to impress the family in the next tent? I found these recipes from Annie Bell’s latest book The Camping Cookbook, handily available online here. Not sure I’ll have the courage to try out the ‘fish in a newspaper’ one. You wrap the fish up in wet newspaper and cook it on the BBQ. I’d probably manage to burn the campsite down!

However, as yummy as Annie’s recipes sound, they also seem like too much hard work to me. That sort of culinary fannying about is the sort of thing I prefer to do at home in the comfort of my kitchen. Not stooped over a gas ring or portable BBQ, while trying to chop vegetables without getting grass or insects into the mix.

Claire recommends starting every day “with a big fry up. A large breakfast really sets you up for the day, and can often skip lunch and just have a small dinner.”

So here I am, about to go camping as a family for the first time, and I feel more than a tad under prepared. Any advice, or tips, anyone has to give will be gratefully received!

Calling all camping conossieurs and festival fruitcakes!

• Click HERE to pitch up at Halfords for this deal

Personally, I'm a hotel kind of girl! If I'm going away I want to stay somewhere where I don't have to do all the things I normally do at home, but in a MUCH smaller space, with the most minimum of equipment and everyone still expecting a three-course banquet!

However, I'm often assured that this is all part of the 'fun'!  Well if you say so, and so for your bargain-hunting delight here is a GREAT camping cookset at a great price from Halfords - they've reduced it down from £59.99 to just £25.00.

It contains all of the following bits and pieces:

• 1 x durable rucksack to store and carry all items
• 1 x portable gas stove
• 4 x pans
• 3 x cooking utensils
• 4 x plastic food containers

It's a shame I don't 'do' camping really;  I almost feel I'm missing out, this is such a bargain! But there will never be a deal good enough to persuade me that an a'la carte menu and room service aren't much more civilised.

If your local Halfords has this in stock (you can check on the website) you can reserve and collect it for free, otherwise you can buy it online and have it delivered for £4.99.

Happy camping!

Thanks to taswir1 over at HUKD!

Is money tight this year? Does a bear do its business in the woods? I’ll be saving some cash by taking my holiday in the great outdoors this summer. First thing to look at is camping food. Or more specifically, how to cook it.

Camping makes sense, as a cheap way to take a break. At the moment I don’t know if I’ll head to a field on the coast, or go to a festival with its in-built entertainment. Or do both.

One thing I do know is that I’ll want to eat. Festivals will have plenty of food options on hand, of course. But there’s still that need for a bacon (or vege bacon) sarnie in the morning! And when I’m camping (by car of course; not up for hiking with a five year old just yet) I’ll need to be able to cook.

For more info on festivals read our guide: Family Friendly Festival Fun. Also look around for smaller, niche, and often free, festivals. For example I’m using the event guide at Folking Cool.

Campsites are even easier to locate. One good resource is The Camping and Caravanning Club, although you may have to join to access some sites.

What to use

I have to admit we’re still debating this one in our house. I would prefer to invest in either a couple of Primus stoves, or a gas burner, dual hob, preferably with grill. My other half just wants to get whatever the cheapest own brand is from somewhere like Halfords.

He doesn’t want to be lugging gas bottles around. I say he’s missing the point of going camping with your car.

PlayPennies parent of two, Paul, is a Camping Gaz man all the way. “I just never thought of taking anything else along. Just need to plug in a gas bottle and you can get these for Camping Gaz just about anywhere.”

Right now it seems like lots of outlets have the Camping Gaz Chef double grill on sale. The cheapest I could find it was £30 at Sports Direct, delivery is £3.99.

Nicki puts in a vote for her Primus stove, which can power a lantern too. I’m not sure I’ll be able to take the advice of mum of three, Rebecca, just yet. Maybe something to aspire to! “We go camping every year but do it 5-star, which involves a trailer /powered site/fridge /mini oven /heater /toaster /kettle etc. Last year we even cooked a roast that made everyone else in campsite extremely jealous.”

Keep in mind that some festivals ban gas bottles, and certain other types of fuel. Check on this carefully to avoid having your gear confiscated at the gate, and being left with a cooler of food and no way to cook it.

Those that use gas, or liquid fuel like Primus, are just the two options that I’m most familiar with, as I’ve used them before. Alternatively, as Sho, an expert at taking her family on holiday on a shoestring, told us “most campsites allow BBQ type fires. You can get a disposable one and use it more than once then just bin it when you leave.” The Camping and Caravanning Club has a good guide to stoves HERE.

How to store

The universal, most offered advice I came across when it came to storing your food is to not use a generic, cheap, own brand cooler from the supermarket. This is, apparently, a false economy. Invest in a good quality cooler, one that will keep the ice (used to cool things) solid for days rather than hours.

Kat has had plenty of experience of camping. She advices that, if you're going to be near a car, “you can pack a cooler with all sorts of thing. We usually freeze bottles of water to keep things cool and then as they melt you have cold water and then just fill them back up as you go. It might be worth looking into a small travel fridge that plugs into the campsite’s electric if you're going to be doing a lot of camping, they even make some that will plug into the cigarette lighter in your car, but they do tend to wear down the battery if the car's not running.”

Here’s a great tip from mum of two Celine, and something I wouldn’t have thought of. “If you're not hiking I'd take a cooler box with those awesome little freezer gel packs - most camp sites will pop them into the shop freezer for you.”

And finally

Once you’ve got your food ‘hardware’ – that’s the cooler and stove – you’ll want to use it. I am gathering all the tips I can from our canny PlayPennies parents, and from around the internet. Next week we’ll look at some yummy, and cheap, ways to eat for next to nothing while you’re living in the great out doors.

Here’s one last tip. Remember that tinfoil is your friend! You’ll want to take at least one roll. You can use it to minimise cleaning – cover the grill before cooking bacon. Wrap up food to keep it warm, and use the tin foil as impromptu plates, serving dishes, and saucepan lids. Or to cook baked potatoes on an open fire. If the wrapping isn’t going onto a heat source, grab some wrapping foil as well. This is much cheaper – the Sainsburys Basics wrap is about 30p – than using tinfoil.

Please share you experiences of camping food, and cooking, here! And help other PlayPennies parents to save money.