Tested: The Derek table from Stratus Outdoors

Finding the right camp table is one of the most challenging decisions to make and I’d need more fingers to count the number of tables I’ve used over the years, most of them rubbish.

The perfect camp table, in my opinion, must be lightweight, heavy-duty, easy to transport and have multiple uses. The Derek from Stratus Outdoors is all that, and is by far the best camp table I’ve ever used.

The Derek is certainly light, the 3mm brushed aluminium table weighing a mere 7kg, making it the lightest one-piece table on the market, with competitors such as the Front Runner Pro Stainless Steel Camp Table coming in at 11.82kg, and the Alu-Cab Alu-Table at around 7.5kg.

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Being a one-piece table, the Derek has a larger footprint than multiple-piece camp tables, which may make it more difficult to store, but I have carried it on the load bars of my rooftop tent for over 20,000km, removing it at every campsite with a minimum of fuss, and setting it up within seconds. The one thing that you do need to be aware of is the pinch points when folding or unfolding the legs, the consequences of not doing so could be bloody.

Once out of its bag, it is just a matter of unfolding the legs to their full extension and the Derek is ready to use. When set up, the table is 1010mm long, 550mm wide and 715mm high, which means it is a good height when sitting in a camp chair, and I found that my elbows weren’t perpendicular to my shoulders like when using taller tables.

What impresses me is the diversity of the Derek, whether set the table up for preparing and cooking a meal, or as a desk, or as a workspace where you can lay out tools when fixing something – it is brilliant.

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The best thing though, is being able to place a hot pan straight off the stove directly onto the table without having to worry about leaving a mark or damaging the tabletop. It is the same when using a propane stove; I had no fear of causing any damage. This is a problem faced with most camp tables, especially the plastic-topped ones; direct heat is the weakest point. And thanks to being made of aluminium, even sitting in the roaring sun in Purnululu National Park, the Derek didn’t heat up as much as a stainless steel camp table would have.

The Derek has other features that make it unique, like tea towel holders and bottle openers, and being made from brushed aluminium with stainless steel fixings, it will never rust. I was keen to try it out as a fish-filleting table in Arnhem Land, but being the fisherman I am, the opportunity never arose.
While it is perfectly safe to cut food directly on the tabletop, I decided that I would always use a cutting board when preparing meals as I didn’t want to blunt my expensive knives.

The RPET canvas fabric carry bag is made using 43 recycled plastic bottles, and it is as tough as they come, and on test it protected the table from tree branches, especially on the Nyangumarta Highway. Being strapped to the roof bars with a fly tent on top, using Front Runner Stratchits, there was minimal wear on the bag.

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When it came to cleaning the Derek, I found that a damp microfibre cloth was the best option as it would pick up all the dust, food scraps and oil splatter with ease. It is amazing how much dust is in the air when you are camping, something you forget about until you wipe down a table. After being set up for five days on the Cobourg Peninsula in Arnhem Land, I decided to give it a quick spray with fresh water to give it a decent clean, and it didn’t take long to dry in the hot sun.

Why do I rate the Derek so highly? When I think of all those roll-up aluminium tables with the wonky legs and spilled food and drinks stuck between the slats, or the fold-up plastic-top tables or the lightweight fold-up material tables, none have the versatility or strength of The Derek.

The ease of setup and the space to prepare food and cook in one place made life simple for me on the road, and that is what camping should be: simple.

RRP: $396