Winter camping: a girl scout's guide

It’s the time of year when dreamy positivity takes over and we look forward to winter with The Holiday -style rose tinted glasses and naive romanticism – snowflakes gently falling, mulled wine brewing, cosy nights by the log fire in a luxury lodge …

Then bang. The other half suggests you go winter camping .

Camping? In winter? Impossible. My designer Zandra Rhodes floral teepee from last year’s Secret Garden Party will not only fail to keep convection heat at bay, but also might get muddy if it rains. No way!

Yes way - he’s getting his MacGyver on no matter how much *sad face* you pull, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s pack-up or break-up – if you love him, you’re going remote.

But wait a minute…it’s stopped raining. Pretty quickly it becomes apparent that winter camping has come a long way. As well as open-year-round campsites , geek chic is en vogue. There are now all sorts of fun, quirky gadgets to keep you both happy – and warm!

Starting with the obvious, bedding. We heart the Sexy Hotness Sleeping Bag . Like a super-slanket, not only will it keep you toasty and warm, but also you can connect as many sleeping bags as you like – tres romantic. We’re not sure if we like that or the built-in padded slippers best.

And you won’t be in the dark if you pick him up the gadget du jour for Christmas – an Energizer Extreme Headlight . Combined with the fresh winter air you’ll be glowing 24/7!

But you are going to have to venture out of that snuggle sack at some point. So donning your new Hunter Berkley Talls (with luxury shearling lining), you head for a stroll along the beach, holding hands…well, actually you’re holding hand warmers too. Even better.

Returning to the love shack, a beverage is in order. So you slip some sounds on your iPod via that dinky Griffin Travel Speaker . It saved some space on batteries as it’s powered directly from your iPod, awesome!

But it didn’t save enough space…those wellies take up a fair bit of the tent. So it’s just as well you sourced that hip flask set ! You’ll sit back and relax while he puts the Christmas present you sent him to use in building the campfire . Every rugged bloke needs a Swedish Army FireSteel and while you’re keeping the spark alive it might as well be at a 3,000 degree Celsius heat.

A good girl scout ALWAYS comes prepared!