Family Camping | New Tent & New Camping Gear Tested & Reviewed

Join us as we go family camping and test out our new family tent set up for this year.
We test out all our new camping gear to see whether they are any good and give you our honest review. Should you buy them or should you just leave them on the shelf...
This year it is a bit different, as we had a new tent as well as some new camping gear! So yes, our family camping trips are starting to get a bit more expensive...
So, what do we have this year.....
First the new tent. We upgraded from the trusty Vango Casa Lux poled tent to a Vango Ventanas II Air 650XL. Our first air tent. Were we pleased with this? It did take ages to pitch and gave Scott some more grey hairs, but in the end, we did find the tent to be great and teh whole family were pleased with it, as it was actually bigger and very sturdy in the wind and bad weather.
All the items that we found to be good in our last video we brought on this trip. Camping equipment such as the Quest Griddle, the water Dispenser that we purchased from Amazon, Yawn Air beds, Vango Inflatable sofa, Portaloo for the kids, Vango Table & chair Dining set and of course the great £12 pop up Firepit that we got off Amazon.
New camping bits we for testing and reviewing were:
- The Tent itself - A full review of the tent can be found here: • Vango Ventanas II Air ... .
- Hi-Gear Bubble Chairs
- Another Hi-Gear Cheap £6 chair
- Hi-Gear Inflatable Chair
- Vango Flex Lights
- Vango Vista Projector Screen
- A Projector (which Scott Bought off Amazon)
- Hi-Gear Divine Sleeping bags
- Kampa Chair for Children
- Pop up Shoe Houser
- Kampa Oscillating Fan
- A windbreak
- Bottle Holders
The Vango Ventanas Air tent got a big plus from us as mentioned, but what was the new camping equipment like..
Hi-Gear Bubble Chairs - We purchased 2 at approx. £30 each. Comfortable they were, especially when compared to the cheap £6 Hi-Gear Chair, but these bubble chairs are very bulky. Had we not got a trailer, we probably could not have fit these in the car. It is also worth noting that they do not come with cup or bottle holders. But What we did have was some great..
Bottle Holders that we purchased from Attwoolls For only £2 each. Infact these great contraptions are one of teh best buys we think you can make. Can be taken anywhere and just stuck in teh ground to support your beverage. So those were a winner.
Hi-Gear Divine Sleeping bags. Again, we bought 2 at approx. £30 each. We had previously had 2 £15 jobs from Aldi, and although great for teh price, we did find the sides opening and the zips often getting stuck. So were these worth the money, most definitely yes. Really warm and we did not find ourselves slipping out of them during the night. So, if you are looking for some good sleeping bags that do not cost the earth, we can recommend these.
Kampa oscillating fan. this was a thousand times better than the Kampa Diddy Heater. We used to have a Quest Fan, that was great and this was the perfect substitute. Approx £30 from GoOutdoors and it kept our huge family tent nice and toasty, also a winner.
Hi-Gear inflatable Chair. If you ignored the actual colour, we found that our kids loved this. Not ideal for larger people as you will need strong knees to lift you up. If you have children we would recommend, if just adults do not bother.
Pop Up Shoe Houser - Brilliant piece of Kit. Takes up hardly any space, easy to assemble and we really noticed difference having shoes kept off the floor. We recommended getting one of these if you have the space.
Vango Flex Lights - These were fantastic. If you have these, you can more or less do away with any other camping lights. We bought two, but only set up one and the whole tent was pretty much lit up by them. You actually have a controller to make them brighter or dimmer pending your requirements.
Projector and Vango Vista Screen - Screen cost approx. £40, but does get creased, so you do need to set up correctly. But.. the projector, oh dear. Do not get what we got, and as Scott Says, sometimes you just need to spend the money. Purchased off Amazon, with Chinese Instructions, it would not mirror Samsung phones, so was pretty much useless.
The weather for our stay was not great and actually too cold to test the windbreak, but we will test or maybe look at new ones for next trip along with other bits that Scott is eyeing up.
This was our first trip for the year and hopefully you may some of our latest camping tips useful. if so please subscribe and watch our other videos.
#familycamping #campinggearreviews #familytentsetup #campingtips
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[@user-ix3tn8yb6x]

Love your videos keep doing doing them. Like the reviews and your sense of humour lol

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Thank you so much for your comment. Scott is already eyeing up more camping bits to buy and review 🙄 like a dog with a bone when he gets started...

[@paullawrence8572]

Been watching a couple of vids now of yours and really taken to them, really enjoyed your different approach too! Just subbed! Paul & Lin.👌😊

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Awesome, thank you!, glad you like them..

[@uzog4423]

Lovely!

[@ufonut]

Hi Scott & Janice another great video I love your new set up it looks very spacious. I think IGoing to invest in the Vango sunbeam flexi light as I think I would prefer to a lantern, I did wonder where your outdoor revolution was as I’ve just bought one myself but yet to be delivered, I look forward to your next camping video regards steve

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, this was first trip with our puppy Roxy and not knowing how she would be with inflatables, we decided it would be better to take the cheaper Vango inflatable sofa. At £100 a go, we didn't want to risk it being punctured. And yes defo get the Vango light. Actually has a remote that dims and brightens. But really is a great buy. Happy camping👍

[@jndvtv]

Galing Talaga Ng review lagi ah

[@matthewsteedman3871]

Welcome to the air tent world 👌love the new set up... My screen I hang on the vango hooks as for the projector yes spend the money. Also take the slack of those tension bands 😂😂😂

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi and thanks for comment. And lol, yes Scott will be spending the money on a projector now..I did tell him, but he didn't listen. And yes, noted with the tension bands👍

[@thewhitehouse6527]

We got the same tent from atwools this year too I've done a lil tour on tiktok and here also got a samsung copy projector of tiktok for 40 quid and works perfect with samsung phone and netflix

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, hope you enjoy the tent as much as we do. Can you tell us what type of projector it was, Scott hates spending money🙄 so if he can find one for £40 he would be very pleased..

[@steve94971]

Love your videos especially camping related

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, thank you so much for your kind words..

[@W1LLDERBEAST]

Nice set up. I think I’ll try the vango lights. They look like they’re worth it. As bins go, we just got two collapsible laundry bins from b&m, cut the top flaps off and then just put a bin liner in them. They take up very little space and cheap to boot if they get ruined.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, we cannot fault the Vango lights, we'll worth it,and thanks for the tip for bins. I will get Scott on the case👍

[@StuNotStew]

Great review video! Nice to see some of the new bits. We have the outdoor revolution sofa too, but may invest in those bubble folding chairs!! Have a look at the kampa eco bin. Folds up small and accommodates a full size bin liner. Works great for us. Happy camping. ⛺️👍🏻

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, glad you liked it. And thanks for the tip, will take a look at the Kampa Eco Bin now

[@merzkielife3066]

Thank u for sharing

[@familyfirst4727]

We have just bought our first air tent a berghaus kepler 9, really looking forward to our family camping holidays :)

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, hope you enjoy it. Apart from the very first pitching we loved it, and found the air tent to be far more solid than our old air tent. Sure your family will love it👍

[@margaretdownie4407]

Just use a white sheet for your projector.💜 New sub

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, thanks for subscribing. I did tell Scott a sheet would do, but he got carried away🙄 he has been looking at new projectors this week. Just checking all the different reviews for each..

[@margaretdownie4407]

@@TheHadwinsTV he is no different from any other men😆 hope he finds what he wants.💜

[@erikawilson1154]

Great video. We bought a silent night air mattress. Just to try it. I hate air beds. I found air mattress fantastic. It self inflates. It's warm and it's sooo comfy. I always get a good sleep. I'll never buy another type of camping mattress. The only down side. It's a double and packs away quite big. But I love it.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, we have not looked at an air mattress yet as we have found the Yawn to be very reliable..If the dog keeps on jumping on the Yawn though, we think it could be our next move👍

[@angelamyers1812]

Love the video ❤

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Thank you for the comment, glad you liked it..

[@merzkielife3066]

Watching live now😅

[@merzkielife3066]

Waiting

[@olly7673]

We are looking forward to our first outing next week to Dorset with our Outwell Sundale 7PA air tent, which replaces our broken fibreglass pole tent caused crazy winds last summer. I was looking to replace it with the Vango Casa Lux, which brought me to your channel but decided against it in the end and stumped the extra for Air Beam. I've done a practice run setting up the Sundale in the garden and am impressed with the speed and ease of it going up, as well its build quality and features, it is miles above its predecessor., it's a wonderful tent! Though as you point out it is a lot bigger pack size and a heck of a lot more expensive. Your Vango seems similar to the Outwell in many ways, such as the skyhook system, and no drip side porch, though the Sundale does have the magnetic door system (VERY quiet) on the lounge and bedroom area doors, and large tinted windows all round, which I love. Regarding the windbreak, I can highly recommend the Outwell pole ones. A lot more compact than the wooden pole type one they replaced, like yours. I took your advice regarding the inflatable chairs shortly after seeing your vlog about them last year but saw the Aldi ones on offer and they are just rebadged ones that share a lot of marques' logos by the looks of it. If your fan heater needs replacing, take a look at the black Toolstation 1200/ 2000w heater which has the safety feature of it switches itself of if it tips over. Do you find your water carrier takes up a lot of space or is it collapsible? In order to accommodate the pack size of the new tent I have gone compact with as much as possible. Silicon collapsible water carrier, kettle and washing up bowl. The folding chairs have also been replaced with Amazon's Tentock Ultralight aluminium camping chairs. Nothing to them pack size, but very comfortable...... AND drinks pouches. 😁😁 We also have that storage cupboard, exactly the same but from Aldi. I took your advice with the compact fire pit, though not used yet but looking forward to trying that out on the upcoming trip. Thanks for the insight and enjoy your upcoming trips with the glorious (NOT!) British weather. You have got me interest in the projector but not this weekend..., I need to do my research but take onboard your advice of not going cheap.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi and thanks for your comment. Making note of the windbreak as the poled ones we have take up far too much room. With the water container, we do have a collapsible one, but it was not compatible with our current dispenser, so we are looking for a new one that will fit the collapsible one. And with the fire pit, we found that to be a real winner, amazed it lasted, but if definitely does the job. And lol, the projector, Scott is looking now, no more cheap ones, think you have to spend in excess of £150, and definitely worth doing some research before buying. 👍

[@olly7673]

@@TheHadwinsTV I have found a contender with the Yaber V9 wireless projector with autofocus, keystone and zoom and HD on Amazon for £179 minus the £28 discount voucher = £151 It is looking like a great with 4.7/5.0 out of 500+ reviews, just too late a delivery for our trip.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

That sounds quite promising...will take a look,thank you👍

[@truckeryogi_6637]

We use a pop up laundry basket as our bin only thing is it leans to the side sometimes, we did see a good bin for camping in Tesco folds down really small

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi and great, thanks for letting us know..We knew there has to be something out there, buy to date we haven't seen anything. Will see if we can oder one online from Tescos👍

[@weemanc73]

Hi Hadwins, We are about to embark on 7 nights at Globe Vale, and the weather isn't looking too Mediterranean ffs... Any local knowledge of things to do to keep an energetic and water loving 10 year old would be gratefully received. Apparently pub play areas aren't sufficient according to the commanding officer 🤷‍♂️

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, there are great beaches nearby and ones that a 10year old should love. You have Holywell beach, that our kids loved, not for swimming as too cold, but zooming down the dunes on their bodyguard. Then there is slip and slide near Newquay, which they both loved..they wear wetsuits and was blowing a gale when we did it, but they still loved it. You have Flambards theme park, and of course St Ives is down the road, but set off early or take the train if going there, otherwise you will never find parking. Scott always likes Perrenporth and the pub on the beach there, so we often end up there🙄 fortunately Globevale is central to most places, so you do get the option of travelling quite easily. We did video our week there, and weather was not good..that video will be up soon when we finish editing, but probably too late for your trip as it may have given you ideas..sure you will enjoy it though, and you may be surprised..you can never trust Cornish weather, so it may turn out 👍

[@weemanc73]

@@TheHadwinsTVMany thanks for your speedy response Mrs H! Is it fairly easy to hop on the train then? We saw the water slide on one of your vids and my daughter will love that - although I'm drawn to the pub in Perrenporth... 😂 Thanks again

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, yes the train apparently is easy to get on fro. St Erth. We were told about it after we had spent hrs there looking for a car park...Scott was not impressed😆

[@Paxton44]

Great video and a lot of useful info ! Where do you store your clothes? Also what are you burning in your fire pit? The shoe storage set-up we also use for clothes!

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, currently we leave clothes in a suitcase, but looking at pop up wardrobes (as long as they are not too bulky). We buy the Firelogs for fire pit. Most supermarkets have their own versions of them for sale at approx £2 -3 each..

[@jamietonks6057]

I can highly recommend the index inflatable 3 seater sofa bed and they do a single chair as well from Argos

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, thanks for the tip, we will take a look at that. We have found the Outdoor Revolution to be the best so far, but then we have not tried that one, and think it fair to give them all a go. I will tell Scott to take a look at that one now. You may see a Review shortly👍

[@DulcePosas-rd5nk]

❤❤❤ 6:09 pm

[@michaeltyers5469]

Good video am looking at projector for my ten. Just wondering how you get on with the blow up beds now you have used them on a few occasions?

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, we love the Yawn air beds. Cost a bit, you have to ensure you only inflate to about 90% and lol, try and keep dogs off them. Otherwise great, we are on year 3 with them now...

[@michaeltyers5469]

Thanks for the update

[@Klingon2468]

Loved it, great review video. When are you going to camp in the Cotswolds so I can come and visit with one of my tents?

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, funnily enough we have been looking for sites in Cotswolds, unsure where yet though. Thinking of going late August if we can get the time off. Will let you know👍

[@Klingon2468]

@@TheHadwinsTV Winchcombe is a great site, play area for the kids and a dog walking area aswell.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, that sounds like a winner thank you, we will take a look..happy kids = happy parents😁

[@ruthsimpson8773]

What do you burn on your fire pit? Trying to find something easy that we can toast marshmallows over!

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, we found that the compressed fire logs that are sold in most supermarkets for about £2-3 to be great. They are called different in each supermarket, such as BB Quick..

[@ruthsimpson8773]

@@TheHadwinsTV thanks, never quite what these smaller things can take!

[@ronnythemenace]

Thanks guys for another great video 🙂 We just bought the projector solution as well for this year and if you would still like to keep a budget for another projector, you should check out the HY300 projector. There is a lot of reviews to find on youtube on this one, which seems to answer all the things mentioned in this video. And if you want to scale up, but double the price, the HY320 could also be an option to consider. About the projector screen, we got the Outwell movie screen which has a metal pole in the top and bottom to weigh it down, so that it should not move about as much the vango screen seemed to do. Was that an issue for you guys when watching movies in the tent? We have not tested our projector solution inside our tent at this point. About the shoe rack you got, I have searched for good offers for that shoe rack besides the IKEA one without any luck. Where did you guys buy it from? Thanks again guys for sharing with us, and hope you'll enjoy all the new camping adventures to come onwards with your new fantastic home from home 🙂

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, thank you for the comment and glad you enjoyed the video. Plus, thanks for the info ref projector, I will get Scott to check that out..lol, the one he bought was pretty useless. Screen will be OK, just need to secure it properly with Skyhooks etc to our tent. The shoe rack we got from GoOutdoors. Lightweight, compact and easy to assemble, so definitely a good buy.

[@ronnythemenace]

@@TheHadwinsTV Thank you Janice 🙂 As for reference on the Netflix issue for Scott's projector, I found some information that Netflix is restricting more and more on to which solutions to be certified to be able to screen the app. For example if the OS on the projector in hand does not have an OS approved and certified by Netflix, you will not be able to project it. Even screen mirroring is not accepted by Netflix anymore and even HDMI cable have restriction if they are not the correct version, Netflix will not work. So to test this how to get it to work, some googling is needed and maybe a PC with the correct HDMI setup is the way to go to be able to use it through a projector? We don't use Netflix but as soon as our HY300 is in the house by the end of this week, I will for sure test our streaming apps directly from the projector before taking it camping! 🙂

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, thank you for letting me know. I will let Scott know that Netflix has some restrictions..shame, but if there is a way around it, that would be good. First will have to be a phone that does work well with Samsung phones🙄

[@ronnythemenace]

@@TheHadwinsTV I just tested our newly arrived projector, the HY300 pro which has a nut for tripods and is a bit shorter than the std HY300. So for our purpose the video quality with the built in loudspeaker it is more than enough for our camping use. It was very easy to use and through wifi with our streaming services apps, TV2 play, viaplay and NRK, it all runs very smooth with no issues. The projector was 39$ without delivery to Norway from China. But if you want HD quality in the tent, I believe it's possible to get away with that for around 80$ to 90$. That would be a bigger sized projector without tripod connection though. But all in all, we are very happy with the size, video quality and sound, and also the way all streaming apps running so quick and smooth, with no need to connect anything else to watch our favourite programs while camping outdoors. Good luck in your chase for a better projector solution, it may well end up in satisfaction very quickly with those good budget friendly projectors out there😊 Tonight is the finals with England and Spain where i believe Spain will win, but my biggest hope is that England will finally win their european championship for the first time! 😊

[@nenestvmixed4430]

Nice tent..natawa Ako da English natin ba

[@TheHadwinsTV]

hahaha 😂 nalingaw ko ganina

[@erikawilson1154]

Have you ever bought a canister cooker with grill? I mean the wee gas (aerosol size) I can only find the gas cannister ones.

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, no we have not seen any of those with the canisters, single hob ones but that's about it. If you do find one with a grill that uses them please let us know, as we would certainly be in the market for it...

[@erikawilson1154]

@TheHadwinsTV thanks. I'll keep looking. 😃

[@foyjunnessachowdhury2409]

We r new in camping,any suggestion for power bank,as we r looking for but really confused...

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, sorry we always go to sites with electric hook ups, so do not have much experience with power banks. There are many forums on Facebook, sure if you join one and throw the question out there, you will get some really good advice..👍

[@666wilf]

How do you run your projector? Do you have an Ecoflo or Bluetti or something?

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Hi, no we had electric hook up, so no generator required, although we are looking at one, so we can start using non EHU sites.

[@666wilf]

@TheHadwinsTV what's a EHU site?

[@TheHadwinsTV]

Electric Hook Up

[@celynnAjoc]

Unsay name anang among tent dam