Bamboo wood is fairly unique in that it has the look of tree wood but is actually made from a grass. As such it does not warp or shrink when the humidity of the surroundings change. Trekology have released a fantastic folding table which uses aviation-grade aluminium as the tabletop material. The colour of the metal top needs to be seen to be believed – a gorgeous electric blue sheen which attracts a lot of attention. A clever touch is the central triangular section of the table which can be used either flush with the main surface or raised by around 10cm to act as a platform to put food on in a more easy-to-share location.

A sturdy table is an essential component of camping life, but unfortunately they don’t receive the focus they should compared to other camping ‘must-haves’ such as tents or awnings. Underneath the tabletop a useful net can be suspended (included in the bag) which adds a second layer of storage for say laptops or magazines. This certainly improves the functionality and flexibility of the Nestling versus some of the other similar-sized tables. OK, we hold our hands up – this Nestling folding camping table is a budget offering and probably not the highest quality piece of furniture you’ll ever buy – however, it covers all the basic features that we consider essential in a camping table. This Bamboo Folding Table is a wooden-topped offering in our roundup and an absolute peach of a design from a classic outdoor company called Snow Peak who are based in the Fukushima region of Japan.

Cupholders sunk into the table top can help stop your drinks slipping, but these are not usually too useful for wine glasses with a stem. Instead, we generally prefer to make sure the table is simply solid and stable and easy to level – then you don’t need cupholders. It’s a fairly small side table, measuring 45-65cm tall and 60 x 80cm on top. What makes it so good is the fact that the legs can fold into the wooden top and then the whole table can effectively be ‘rolled’ into a very small carry bag measuring 12 x 17 x 81cm. It also looks very nice indeed! This table is absolutely perfect for setting up inside your awning or close to your cooking area, because within that briefcase-like exterior, there exists a couple of sizeable fabric cupboards having individual zippable front-loading bays. These cupboards are capacious, and perfect for storing food, drink or even bedding if so required. The table top surface When opened up, the tabletop surface is very smooth which enables wine glasses to be placed on top without any fear of spillage. In fact, this is the smoothest table top we’ve reviewed and it would be possible to pen a letter on it (do people still do that?). There are two pairs of legs which open outwards away from each other in a U shape, and the height of these legs can be switched between two settings. One thing we did notice is that there is a spring-loaded pin which requires pushing in to change the height of the legs, and this can easily catch the skin on your thumb as you press it. Probably the only negative about this table, and only a minor problem at that. Summing up

Our first bamboo choice is the Dometic Bamboo Large Table which is a gorgeous camping table using premium bamboo wood as a fixed (non-folding) top section. The Atepa Folding Bamboo Table is a wooden-topped offering in our roundup and an absolute peach of a design.We have recently discovered some delicious bamboo tables which cost slightly more than comparative aluminium or plastic alternatives but perform in a very stylish and practical manner. Bamboo as a material is extremely environmentally friendly and sustainable and so worth considering for that reason alone. We were a little concerned about just having three fairly flimsy-looking legs to support the table but found that it is extremely stable in use. To keep costs down, the material used for the Quechua table top is MDF, but this doesn’t interfere with the performance for eating, drinking, card games, etc. The surface is very smooth and a pleasure to sit and eat at. We highly recommend the Quechua hexagonal table for camping this year. What do you think about fishing or angling? You either get it or you don’t I guess. I’m in the latter camp, and can’t really see the point of sitting at the side of a lake, in beautiful countryside, sipping at your chilled beer, occasionally pulling the line and…. hold on a minute! I can see exactly why anglers angle – it’s a way of relaxing in the arms of Mother Nature, and for that reason, Anglers and Campers are of a similar mindset….