Campcraft questions
- Thread starter THOaken
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Maybe I'm expecting a super low price, but even £50 is way too much for a mat, surely? Is that what mats actually cost? I thought they'd be at least £20 max.
If your mat is £50, I may aswell get http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/822-Multimat-Superlite-25-Sleeping-Mat/ ??
Are you spoiled rotten?
Weeeeeelll. We did get a good quality rockwell mat from Lidl for £12.50. Last weekend it went to the charity shop due to it's weight and size. Fine for car camping.
You really will have a tough time finding a better mat the the Mountain Equipment one Clouston recommended.
To save on money though, what about this to start with? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Hike...1395518411&sr=8-5&keywords=self+inflating+mat Can't be that bad?
I think its fine mate. Im guessing that if you kipped on the floor with no mat last time it can only be comfier with that one. You are still young so carrying a bit of weight and sleeping on the floor will do you no harm. Its us oldies that need the lightweight comfy kit
Yes, I've gotten sleep, albeit rough sleep, in just a thin bad quality sleeping bag in a tent before. There were even twigs digging into me! I was just happy to be outdoors. So yes, I reckon any mat would do me.I think its fine mate. Im guessing that if you kipped on the floor with no mat last time it can only be comfier with that one. You are still young so carrying a bit of weight and sleeping on the floor will do you no harm. Its us oldies that need the lightweight comfy kit
I'm going to post a kit list of what I'm planning to buy tomorrow morning in hope of some last criticism.
In regards to sleeping mats I would either spend a couple of quid on a thick/bulky but still comfortable CCF mat or,, spend a lot more on a decent blow up one.
The in-between stuff is around £20 -£30 on average and unreliable after a couple of trips out. Just my experience but I have tried quite a few over the years.
Nawt worse than sleeping on two bits of material rather than a padded surface
Plus the big old CCF will not get a puncture but not quite as comfy as a big air mat.
The in-between stuff is around £20 -£30 on average and unreliable after a couple of trips out. Just my experience but I have tried quite a few over the years.
Nawt worse than sleeping on two bits of material rather than a padded surface
Plus the big old CCF will not get a puncture but not quite as comfy as a big air mat.
Critisism is good lol. It will save you cash.
Post it up and everyone can see if they can help with some used stuff to save a few quid. Ive got tons of gear gathering dust.
I know. That's what I meant. I want constructive criticism, and that's what I've been getting. All's good.
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Yea i know. Just remember - Its YOUR kit so you will make choices that others wont. We can all reel off tons of kit that we own and enjoy using but it wont always match your needs. What you buy now might not be what you use in the future but you will learn lots of lessons along the way
And besides, Its a hobby and you have to spend the money on something
Really good, really cheap really bulky. http://www.militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=1778
How far do you intend to walk with your kit.
How far do you intend to walk with your kit.
Foam mats cost a few pounds and weigh nothing... Free up some cash for the DD 3x3 tarp (35 quid), sleeping bag (20) and a British Army Bivvy Bag (20). I would then buy a Swedish army LK35 rucksack (15 quid) and Czech mess kit (5 quid) from Ebay. Buy the sig type bottles from poundland, make a white box stove from one of them. That'd see you right for not much money.
My 2p worth.
A basic foam mat is just fine, don't be fooled into spending more than you need, the £5 Amazon job linked above by Mr Thrills, looks good.
"Don't let the sunshine fool you"The basic function of a mat, foam/closed cell foam/inflatable/semi inflatable/pop up self inflator etc, is to insulate you from the ground, not to mimic a slumberdown extra comfort king sized waterbed. Camping is camping after all.
So, the main function of the mat being insulation, it's that function I'd be focused on more than anything else. So the first question would be where am I going to use it?
For UK lowland camping (a good place to start) a couple of large Cardboard Boxes opened out and placed under the sleeping bag makes a profound improvement over going sans mat. Cardboard isn't practical for carrying around, it gets damp it's bulky, and a tad trampy for the discerning aspirant gentleman bushcrafter
The next step up is that £5.27 mat linked by Mr Thrills, it maybe a simple low cost mat but that mat looks to me to be around a 5 or 6 LOC (layers of cardboard) on the cardboard box scale, so more than adequate for 3 season UK lowland camping, for 4 season camping, just buy two £5.27 mats
In cold weather the mat is more important than the bag, IMO. Heat loss to the ground is the biggest factor when it comes to staying warm, and staying warm is 90% of being comfortable.
The mat rolls up and attaches to the exterior of ones sack, whilst on the move, two rolled up together work in the same way one just ends up with a bigger bundle, mats rolled up for carry are best then stowed in a bin bag to keep it dry before tying off to the rucksack. 2 of those mats would trump almost all the others on the insulation stakes, for example.
Comfort? There's more to comfort and getting comfortable than fancy Carlos Fandango kit. As mentioned above we can get 90% of our comfort by getting and staying warm. The remaining 10% comes down to where we park ourselves for the evening.
When I'm planning a camping site, the first thing I do (after finding a likely spot) is to get my mat out and lie down in a few different positions and then decide where the best spot is, then I set up around that.
Tents offer more protection from the elements, and biting insects, if managed correctly. Tarps are more flexible but require more experience IMO to make suitable use of. Bivvi bags are good stand alone (if the weather isn't too rank) or used in combination with a tarp set up.
If one was handy with a tarp, had semi reliable tent or other rain proof shelter, bothy, howf etc, then one could easily forgo the bivvi bag (***NB; in a situation where your life may depend on creating shelter, upland and or winter camping when the tent or tarp blows away, or you're otherwise exposed and starting to go hypothermic, then you should have a bivvi bag in your sack regardless, as an emergency backup, standard practice, plastic is good for an emergency and low cost, goretex; something you could work towards, most people dying outdoors in the UK die from exposure, and most would have survived if they'd just climbed into a plastic bivvi bag whilst they still had faculty enough to do so).
A good tip for getting to sleep for a 1st night in a tent when one is new to it, is to go to bed very late and rise very early, or just stay up all night; the day you plan to campout, ensuring that by the time you're all set up, had your scoff, allowed the fire to die down, got sick of whittling sticks etc, one is proper knackered.
After sleeping the sleep of the very sleepy for an evening, under a tarp/in a tent, on your mat in your sleeping bag; on the ground, that'll be you in the way of it.
For pillows etc, I just arrange the clothes I'm not wearing and use them.
£5.27 thats all I'd spend on a mat initially, it's all you'll need. It won't deflate puncture etc, as it is what it is and whilst it may seem bulky when compared to fancy pop up pocket self inflatables etc it doesn't really weigh anything worth worrying about and is attached to the exterior of the sack, so it doesn't take up valuable pack space.
For my own part, I've done years of camping, I've a £400 tent, a £100+ sleeping bag, a £200 bivvi bag, but I still park my backside on a simple foam mat and don't see myself going all inflatable any time soon. For me, my mats are by far the lowest cost elements of my camping sleep set up.
My 2p worth.
A basic foam mat is just fine, don't be fooled into spending more than you need, the £5 Amazon job linked above by Mr Thrills, looks good.
great advice!
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for a pillow just take a pillow case and stuff it with surplus clothes.
I find that stops them escaping as I shift around in my sleep
I find that stops them escaping as I shift around in my sleep
Rather than use a separate pillowcase I use a canvas stuff sack that I use to carry my spare clothing in.
My 2p worth.
A basic foam mat is just fine, don't be fooled into spending more than you need, the £5 Amazon job linked above by Mr Thrills, looks good.
The basic function of a mat, foam/closed cell foam/inflatable/semi inflatable/pop up self inflator etc, is to insulate you from the ground, not to mimic a slumberdown extra comfort king sized waterbed. Camping is camping after all.
So, the main function of the mat being insulation, it's that function I'd be focused on more than anything else. So the first question would be where am I going to use it?
For UK lowland camping (a good place to start) a couple of large Cardboard Boxes opened out and placed under the sleeping bag makes a profound improvement over going sans mat. Cardboard isn't practical for carrying around, it gets damp it's bulky, and a tad trampy for the discerning aspirant gentleman bushcrafter
The next step up is that £5.27 mat linked by Mr Thrills, it maybe a simple low cost mat but that mat looks to me to be around a 5 or 6 LOC (layers of cardboard) on the cardboard box scale, so more than adequate for 3 season UK lowland camping, for 4 season camping, just buy two £5.27 mats
In cold weather the mat is more important than the bag, IMO. Heat loss to the ground is the biggest factor when it comes to staying warm, and staying warm is 90% of being comfortable.
The mat rolls up and attaches to the exterior of ones sack, whilst on the move, two rolled up together work in the same way one just ends up with a bigger bundle, mats rolled up for carry are best then stowed in a bin bag to keep it dry before tying off to the rucksack. 2 of those mats would trump almost all the others on the insulation stakes, for example.
Comfort? There's more to comfort and getting comfortable than fancy Carlos Fandango kit. As mentioned above we can get 90% of our comfort by getting and staying warm. The remaining 10% comes down to where we park ourselves for the evening.
When I'm planning a camping site, the first thing I do (after finding a likely spot) is to get my mat out and lie down in a few different positions and then decide where the best spot is, then I set up around that.
Tents offer more protection from the elements, and biting insects, if managed correctly. Tarps are more flexible but require more experience IMO to make suitable use of. Bivvi bags are good stand alone (if the weather isn't too rank) or used in combination with a tarp set up.
If one was handy with a tarp, had semi reliable tent or other rain proof shelter, bothy, howf etc, then one could easily forgo the bivvi bag (***NB; in a situation where your life may depend on creating shelter, upland and or winter camping when the tent or tarp blows away, or you're otherwise exposed and starting to go hypothermic, then you should have a bivvi bag in your sack regardless, as an emergency backup, standard practice, plastic is good for an emergency and low cost, goretex; something you could work towards, most people dying outdoors in the UK die from exposure, and most would have survived if they'd just climbed into a plastic bivvi bag whilst they still had faculty enough to do so).
A good tip for getting to sleep for a 1st night in a tent when one is new to it, is to go to bed very late and rise very early, or just stay up all night; the day you plan to campout, ensuring that by the time you're all set up, had your scoff, allowed the fire to die down, got sick of whittling sticks etc, one is proper knackered.
After sleeping the sleep of the very sleepy for an evening, under a tarp/in a tent, on your mat in your sleeping bag; on the ground, that'll be you in the way of it.
For pillows etc, I just arrange the clothes I'm not wearing and use them.
£5.27 thats all I'd spend on a mat initially, it's all you'll need. It won't deflate puncture etc, as it is what it is and whilst it may seem bulky when compared to fancy pop up pocket self inflatables etc it doesn't really weigh anything worth worrying about and is attached to the exterior of the sack, so it doesn't take up valuable pack space.
For my own part, I've done years of camping, I've a £400 tent, a £100+ sleeping bag, a £200 bivvi bag, but I still park my backside on a simple foam mat and don't see myself going all inflatable any time soon. For me, my mats are by far the lowest cost elements of my camping sleep set up.
good advice here, ive got a cheap inflatable mat, and im sure its got a hole in it. im seriously considering getting a foam mat to go in my hammock rather than an inflatable one
Another option is to place the mat in your empty pack first and then pack everything else inside the hollow cylinder.
I've used CCF mats on their own but not for a long time, my mid 90's Thermarest Prolite short is still going strong and gets the occasional outing sometimes. My current choice of mats for ground dwelling trips are fully inflatable without any insulation inside, there's always a chance they could let you down and on longer hikes it's something to consider. I've done a 200 mile hike with a NeoAir short but also had a OMM DuoLite for backup and leg/foot insulation. For the Cape Wrath Trail this autumn I'll probably go with the same system.
I use the stuff sack from my softie jacket. If its a little too plump just open the draw string and let some of the stuffing out.
Also means you jacket it warm in the morning
Okay, everyone. Here's the new purchases kit list so far.
TARP: DD Tarp 3m x 3m
SLEEPING BAG: Karrimor X Lite 3 Sleeping Bag
BIVVY BAG: BA Goretex Bivvy Bag
SLEEPING MAT: Yellowstone Eva Camping Mat
COOKING: Free hobo stove and can sent by member Crosslandkelly. (I will try this first as I appreciate the generosity and then perhaps move on to a newly bought stove later on)
Mess tins.
Keep in mind I have camped a few times before. I done my solo night in a tent last year about one hour's drive away from home, which I didn't even find that uncomfortable and thoroughly enjoyed it so it's only going to be more comfortable now, I reckon. I'm excited to try tarp camping. Indeed, the only real changes to my kit list is in regards to shelter, sleeping and cooking. So, is this alright? The tarp is perfectly fine. The bivvy bag has been recommended a lot, even in Essential Bushcraft. Concerning the sleeping mat I was going to go for the Gelert, but it'd be good to save on money for the foam one, recommended by Thrills. The only thing I'm not sure about is the sleeping bag.
TARP: DD Tarp 3m x 3m
SLEEPING BAG: Karrimor X Lite 3 Sleeping Bag
BIVVY BAG: BA Goretex Bivvy Bag
SLEEPING MAT: Yellowstone Eva Camping Mat
COOKING: Free hobo stove and can sent by member Crosslandkelly. (I will try this first as I appreciate the generosity and then perhaps move on to a newly bought stove later on)
Mess tins.
Keep in mind I have camped a few times before. I done my solo night in a tent last year about one hour's drive away from home, which I didn't even find that uncomfortable and thoroughly enjoyed it so it's only going to be more comfortable now, I reckon. I'm excited to try tarp camping. Indeed, the only real changes to my kit list is in regards to shelter, sleeping and cooking. So, is this alright? The tarp is perfectly fine. The bivvy bag has been recommended a lot, even in Essential Bushcraft. Concerning the sleeping mat I was going to go for the Gelert, but it'd be good to save on money for the foam one, recommended by Thrills. The only thing I'm not sure about is the sleeping bag.
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