The first National Camping Show was held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire in May and was an opportunity to see tents, awnings and accessories from around 30 companies in the open air.
Tent manufacturers reported high levels of demand, with many having sold all their 2021 stock into dealers already. It has been a challenging year, with difficulties in obtaining supplies from China, shipping delays and issues with customs clearance, but the overall mood was positive. The enthusiasm for camping in all its forms was clear, with shelters such as the proving popular for covid-safe outdoor living in domestic settings too.
Here we’ve listed our pick of the most interesting new products:
Wild Country
The mid-range inflatable-tube Zonda family tents come in four- six- and eight-berth form, with 150d rip-stop fabric and a robust build quality. These tents are now in five times as many retailers as last year.
The popular one- and two-person Zephyros tents have been made easier to pitch, with their compact poles making them ideal for cycle campers (see main image).
Dutch tents De Waard and Owner Satisfaction Award-winning Karsten tents were on show from Camping Travel Store
Karsten and De Waard
Two striking tents in the Dutch line up were the Karsten Opera Blueline, using cotton from recycled denim jeans, and the De Waard Apollo 5, a 5m-diameter bell tent with a large porch in bright-orange cotton.
Coleman's top-of-the-range Weathermaster tents
Coleman
This year Coleman has released two new family tent ranges: the Castle Pines 4, 4L and 6L are in dark blue with a slightly higher specification than the Meadowood 4, 4L, 6 and 6L, which are in a lighter shade.
Zempire
New Zealand brand Zempire has introduced linking packs to connect its Pro and Evo tents with Aero shelters, giving vast amounts of under-cover living space.
The Quest Screen House can be connected to a number of accessories
Quest
A similar feature is available for the Quest Screen House, which can be connected to a campervan as a drive-away awning, to another Screen House or to a windbreak.
Dometic
Alongside the substantial new-for-2021 Dometic Ascension tents, the Rally AIR Pro 240 TG was on show. This tailgate awning allows those with a car to camp in comfort.
Isabella had a selection of inflatable tube awnings on display
Isabella
Traditional awning manufacturer Isabella had a range of inflatable-tube awnings on display, including a stylish Air Y Sun Canopy with a single front window and distinctive side sails.
Vango
The third generation of the substantial six-berth Anantara has been released to mark the tenth anniversary of Vango’s inflatable-tube AirBeam technology. It has the new single-point inflation system, SI Pro, and sleek tinted windows.