(I think) I'm loving this. . .

With forecasters predicting a sunnier summer and tourism bods reporting a rise in the value-for-money staycation, it's likely that good old-fashioned camping is going to be a hot trend. So maybe this strange new product is going to be a novel hit.

Actually, when you see it up close, the Slanket (not a great name - but it pretty much does what it says on the label) is a great idea. Essentially a blanket with sleeves, the Slanket offers warmth for campers or any outdoorsy folk on cool UK evenings.

I know it will work for me. Last year on a camping hol in Wales I spent hours every evening sat on a camp chair trying to keep warm by snuggling into my sleeping bag. However, every time I needed to get up to pop to the loo or fix another drink I had to climb out of the bag (or alternatively do a series of incongruous sleeping bag jumps). With a Slanket I would never need to discard the warm outer.

The only thing is the Slanket does look a bit granny-ish (although some colours are better than others) and I don't think the publicity pics do it much justice but having tried one for size I know it'll be the first thing to be packed for this year's camping trip. See www.theslanket.com