One of the things that I enjoy most about camping trips is being able to use gadgets and camping accessories. These can add a whole new dimension to any holiday. Some of them are great fun, while others quickly come to be seen as necessities.

You may well have your own favourite items. These may be the first things that you pack in the car. They are objects that you feel that you simply could not do without. I've often looked around the campsite and wondered at the great selection of gadgets that people bring along with them.

One accessory that I always make sure that I'd pack is my trusty camping table. At the most basic level, it's an item that allows us to enjoy meals as a family. It ensures that we don't have to sit on the floor. We can all gather round and enjoy a dish that's recently been prepared using the barbecue.

But there are other uses that have little to do with mealtimes. It's a great item to have you want to play a game of cards, or maybe a board game, in the evening. How do you choose a good camping table?

I think the really good quality table should be lightweight and should fold up nice and small. That's because I believe that it's all about mobility. You want a table that easily fits into the back of the car and that you can carry around without too much effort. But you also clearly want something that will be big enough when expanded.

There's no point having a table that is extremely compact if you know that it won't allow the entire family to use it at one time. So when people ask me whether a particular camping table is any good, I always point out that it's very much about individual requirements.

In essence, you'll find that it's something of a balancing act. You'll be looking to buy a table that is large enough to meet your needs when you come to eat, but that offers suitable compact functionality. If you can find the right combination of characteristics then you'll have a camping table that truly is fit for purpose.

Keith Barrett has written about camping equipment and Kelsyus camping tables for a number of publications. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.