Ornaments distinguish luxury camps
Toting the luxuries of modern living to the wilderness is a trend for a new breed of car campers, according to Hud Knight, a merchandise manager at Backcountry.com in Park City, Utah.
“The theme has been to bring the creature comforts of home to the campground,” Knight said.
People used to staying in motels can now put up a tent with lights, fans and power plugs. They can even enjoy hot water with the turn of a spigot.
Coleman has a propane-powered device that spigots instant hot liquid at the touch of a button.
Take ’em or leave them, the following five products, from the power tent to stakes topped with pink flamingos, were made to put some “pamper” into the car camper experience.
Power tent: Plug in reading lights and recharge the iPod in the Eureka! 1310 N!ergy tent, a shelter equipped with three 12v DC outlets wired to a rechargeable battery pack. The home away from home has six windows and a 13 by 10-foot floor plan to sleep up to 10 people. $299.90, www.eurekatents.com.
Outback BBQ: Grill veggies or meat on a state park picnic table with this packable stove. Powered with propane cartridges, the Primus Atle BBQ ignites at the push of a sparker button and fires hot — up to 12,000 BTUs on the burner — for backcountry feasts. $90, www.primuscamping.com.
Hot pipe: Enjoy hot water instantly for cooking or cleaning with the Coleman Hot Water On Demand device. Press the button on this propane-powered spigot and hot liquid will rush forth from its tank in five seconds. $258.49, www.coleman.com.
Port-o-kitchen: Kelty calls this foldable cook table a “deluxe culinary setup.” With aluminum prep surfaces, bins, shelves and wind screens, the Basecamp Kitchen can handle up to 100 pounds of food and cooking equipment on top. $160, www.kelty.com.
Pack flamingos: Add some kitsch and flair to your camp setup with a flock of Pack Flamingos, inflatable nylon lawn ornaments that come topped on aluminum tent pegs. Campers pound in these birds for support, guy line visibility as well as a cheeky decoration. $22 for a four-pack, www.pacoutdoor.com.