Increasingly here on this website, we find ourselves being drawn to more than just clothing and footwear. The pandemic changed all of our habits and for many, the allure of the outside has endured. Whether that’s a slightly more exotic place to walk the dog, an energetic hike up a big hill or full on wild camping experiences.
Hiking itself is a nice gateway drug to the outdoors but before you know it you’re spiralling into building bivvys and pricing up van conversions, and considering a nomadic lifestyle.
Perhaps for the male of the species, that comic book sensibility of wanting to live like a real life archetype remains strong. It’s seen in clothing, when ten years or more ago, everyone began growing full beards and dressing like Elmer Fudd and his more rugged outdoor contemporaries. Techwear is having a moment now, so it’s not uncommon to see a plethora of expensive 3 layer outerwear pieces dotting the horizon of the Peak District. The natural extension of all of this is what could best be described as ‘gear’. And that brings us neatly to something any serious rural traveller should have in their armoury.
Last year, for an article in our printed magazine, a group of us headed towards Bamford Edge in the Peak District and indulged ourselves in a spot of wild camping. Our original plan to climb Kinder and take in an evening looking up at stars and down at quaint farmhouses got shelved, and thankfully so. The sheer amount of kit we took would have left us all with crippling spinal injuries, such was our naiveity at that point regarding the concept of travelling light.
One weighty thing that justifies its inclusion on any group excursion though was the Stanley Cook set. This is the Russian doll of outdoor cooking. From the outside, the steel structure looks like something your could cram freeze-dried noodles into by the dozen, but on removing the elasticated straps and lifting the lid, a family-sized treat awaits.
A whopping 21-pieces are contained conveniently within the stainless steel pot, including plastic plates, knives and forks and more. As some of these pics show, this isn’t something for the solo sojourns in summertime, more a neat and tidy long term essential for anyone who spends a long while outside. It’d be ideal for those who spend each summer camping in France, or the surfer types who park up on Cornwall beaches and generally look untidy but cool. In fact, this is just the type of order their lives need!
Easy to clean, lightweight, durable and simple to pack away, this is exactly the kind of thing anyone dipping their toe into a potentially long term relationship with the great outdoors should consider.
Take a closer look at Stanley Cookware here
