We are Philippa and Deb and we started Fancy Camping in May 2007 because we love camping. We really love it. Living outside with grass as your carpet, cooking on a campfire, waking up to see a different view out of your tent. Working out ways to set up your temporary home in different ways. Being inventive with things to hand—finding just the right stick to prop your tent flap open—this stone here will stop my wine falling over.
But the thing that really united us was our horror of the camping equipment available. I don’t use a bottle green plastic cup for my tea at home, why should I want to in my tent? The abundance of nylon, plastic and aluminium sent us running for the hills. Did the Glorious Toad long for a maroon kagool and a polyester sleeping bag when he set off on the open road in the Wind in the Willows?
We noticed that people who were used to the nomadic lifestyle still surrounded themselves with things that they loved, strong, practical, beautiful, often hand crafted objects with history.
We’re not talking unnecessary here. We don’t want to encourage anyone to take too much stuff camping. Not go in the car when you were going to take the train. Not kitchen sink camping, that just spoils the whole point. But if the few things you do need are really practical, will last for ages, and you love them to bits, well then, we’re really getting somewhere. I have a stainless steel bowl which is from India. It is embossed with flowers and it weighs about three ounces (84 grams to you young uns). I use it to wash in, I make salad in it (ok, well I give it a rinse in between), I’ve cooked porridge in it when I’ve forgotten to take a pan, and at night I stand tea lights in it, and wonder at it’s silvery loveliness.
Whether you keep your camping box next to your christmas decoration box and go to it once a year in anticipation, or you love these things so much that you use them all year round, we hope you find something you like in Fancy Camping.