While most people head off on a campervan holiday to escape technology, it is becoming an essential part of a good camping experience. In the past, a wind-up radio and dim camping torch were the pinnacles of camping gadgetry but nowadays there are a whole host of companies offering electronic gubbins to enhance your campervanning experience.
Related: The Parkers guide to factory-supported campervans
One such example is Ryobi, purveyor of power tools and lawnmowers. It now offers a range of camping gear all using its clever ONE+ battery sharing range. With a selection of kit loaded up, we charged the batteries up, cranked up the Cliff Richard and went campervanning to see if these gadgets made a holiday more enjoyable.
Lights on
Modern campervans are teeming with LED lights illuminating every internal surface possible, but these lights are decidedly unportable. This is fine during the day when the sun is out and can light to outdoors, but when it starts to set and you want to sit outside by the camping table it becomes a dark and dingy affair.
Ryobi’s Area Light is a modern take on the traditional camping lantern. Producing 330 lumens of light with the choice of two intensity settings and a frosted cover to reduce glare, the light proved ideal for a relaxing evening campervanning. The efficient LEDs meant it used little power and also meant the lantern remained cool to the touch. Best of all, it includes a USB charging point built into the side, perfect for charging a mobile
That’s not to say it’s perfect mind; the hook, while sturdy, is too small to be useful and with a decent battery installed in the bottom, it becomes rather hefty. Still, even with these small niggles the Area Light is an impressive camping gadget.
Ryobi ONE+ LED Area Light
Price: £37.49 | VIEW OFFER
Tuning into Radio Ryobi
Music is another thing you’ll want to be portable on holiday. Speakers are one popular option but there’s also the humble Bluetooth radio worth considering, including this option from Ryobi. Anyone familiar with a builder’s radio will immediately gel with the Ryobi. It’s simple to use, has rough-and-tumble styling and feels like it could survive a direct rocket hit.
What was most surprising was that the sound quality was actually very good. While the sound was rather one-dimensional owing to the speaker design, it was still crisp and clear. It only supports FM and AM radio frequencies which isn’t ideal in a world of DAB, but everything remained audible.
The best way to make the most of the sound quality is to hook your mobile up to the Bluetooth (or AUX) setting and enjoy the most of that clear speaker. It’s clearly designed with mobiles in mind, offering a storage strap for a mobiles and a USB charging port. What can be concluded therefore is that the speaker is solid, the radio technology isn’t and the Ryobi Bluetooth Mini Speaker is a cheaper way to enjoy music on the ONE+ battery system.
Ryobi ONE+ Bluetooth Radio
Price: £60.33 | VIEW OFFER
Topping up the charge
It’s all good waxing lyrical about this battery-powered tech but what happens once they need charging. There’s no guarantee you’ll have a proper power socket and these batteries will quickly drain a leisure battery. Thankfully Ryobi has a decidedly old-school way of recharging your batteries on the move, using a 12V socket. Charging a larger battery takes a fair amount of time (90 minutes for a 4Ah) but it’s a reliable way of keeping the batteries topped up. It’s a large, slightly ungainly charger and costs a fair bit, but nothing will give you more peace of mind on a campervanning holiday.
Ryobi 18V ONE+ in-Car Battery Charger
Price: £64.85 | VIEW OFFER
Verdict
Like any other product we’ve tested from Ryobi, there are two big things that stand out. The first is that everything is well made, ergonomic and performs exceptionally. The second, more important part is that everything is rather expensive. It gets a bit better if you already have a selection of Ryobi products (or are intending to do so) but there’s still a price premium. Still, if you’re wanting to jump on the battery-sharing train then Ryobi offer the most versatile selection of products and this successfully extends to camping gear.
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