Every camping box eventually contains a deck of cards with four missing, three stuck together and one that has clearly been rained on. These are coated in a waterproof finish, so a spilled drink, an afternoon shower or an hour at the beach does not retire them.
You get a standard 52-card deck with bold, colourful designs and smooth rounded corners, measuring the usual 8.9 x 6.4 cm. They shuffle and deal like proper cards rather than the stiff plastic novelty decks that fight you every hand.
The deck comes in a hard plastic storage case instead of the cardboard box that disintegrates within a fortnight. That single detail is why this deck will still be complete in two years, while the one from the servo is already down to 48 cards.
It is small enough to live permanently in a camp box, a glovebox, a boat or a beach bag. Cards are the most reliable entertainment there is when the weather turns and everybody is stuck in an awning for the afternoon.
This works beautifully as a stocking filler, a Kris Kringle present or the extra thing alongside a larger camping gift. It suits campers, caravanners, boat owners, poolside loungers and anyone taking kids anywhere there might be rain.
If you want to build it into something bigger, a deck of cards and a camp lantern make a very sensible pairing, since the two problems with cards at a campsite are water and not being able to see them.
â Standard 52-card deck with a waterproof coating
â Hard plastic storage case instead of a cardboard box
â Standard 8.9 x 6.4 cm with smooth rounded corners
â Survives rain, spills, the beach and the pool
â Small enough to live in a camp box or glovebox
