I’m no camping fan, but I have a real soft spot for Paddy Pallin. It stems from childhood shopping visits with my Dad, when we’d venture into town to check out tents, sleeping bags and backpacks for my older brothers’ various Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. In fact I think we even went back to buy thermals before our big family trip to Europe. Need thermals? Of course you’d go to Paddy Pallin. I think our go-to brand was Patagonia, and although these days it has its own shopfront, Paddy Pallin is still the place to go for comparison shopping. There’s Helly Hansen, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face and the new must-have, Skins. The shop is looking a bit tired these days, but if I ever decide to go camping, I know where nostalgia will take me!