I don't think I'm very good at camping

spandit

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 6, 2011
5,594
308
East Sussex, UK
Was such a lovely day yesterday I thought I'd camp out in my own fields, despite paying about £75 a day for the house just down the hill!

Pitched the lavuu for the first time:

F10C82AE-57AF-4413-ABB4-588B7208B782.jpg

Went up at about 9:45, inflated the Exped Downmat and unpacked my sleeping bags. I'd taken a full size pillow with me and had a flask of coffee for the morning.

Once I was set up, I got ready to fall asleep listening to the sounds of nature - it really is peaceful up there once the traffic stops. However, one of my neighbours was using a circular saw until nearly midnight - I hope it wasn't the one that complained when he found out I'd been thinking of offering camping in the field due to the noise...
Eventually, they stopped and I managed to fall asleep. Despite being on a warm mat and inside my Dutch sleep system, I was still a bit cold (in fairness, the outer bag wasn't zipped up because I find it too restrictive). Slept reasonably well anyway and woke to the sound of birdsong, although the morning wasn't as glorious as I'd envisaged (it started raining shortly after I left the tent to come back to the house).

The worst thing, though, was the slugs. They were all over the place, including quite a large one in my shoe (which fortunately I spotted before I put my bare feet into them). Think I'll be hammocking tonight - will probably be cold again but at least the slimy horrors will have trouble getting in!
 

Jackdaw

Full Member
I once woke up with a group of slugs in my hair having fallen asleep next to our car which was parked up at the side of the road in Wales after we gave up trying to find our accommodation. I had been tucked up in my issue dossbag but must have tried to vent in the night and ended up with them all over my hair. You have my sympathies.
 

spandit

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 6, 2011
5,594
308
East Sussex, UK
Was too hot last night, which made a nice change! Didn't get to bed until 4 as one of our party overindulged on the grape & grain and we had to sit up with him to make sure he didn't choke on his vomit and die. Added to that, one of the other guests on the field started screaming from 3am for an hour, which woke everyone up. Feeling a little jaded now but at least I wasn't cold for the spare few hours I actually got!
 

Braidsta

Forager
Jul 29, 2013
151
1
39
Essex
500px.com
I feel you on the slugs! I've often been lying in my bivi wondering why, of all creatures on this earth, must it be slugs that come crawling over me. Imagine waking up to find a group of rabbits has decided to curl up with you, or a badger comes and snugs up, it'd be lovely! Slugs man, why slugs?!
 

BushBerks

Member
Jun 19, 2015
47
0
Berkshire
I had a nights sleep on a beach completely ruined by what what I used to call sand hoppers (no idea what they're actually called!?!). The spent the entire night Tring to get in my ears!

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
 

Quixoticgeek

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,483
24
Europe
Could be worse, could wake up to find a snake in your bivvi bag...

Snakes, Scorpions and venomous spiders, Are all worse than slugs... but only just... Thankfully tho we live in the UK, so the slugs are the only pest we have to deal with. Still a right PITA tho. Podcastbob talked on one of his podcasts of waking up to find a slug about to fall in his mouth... ewwwwww

J
 

GGTBod

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 28, 2014
3,209
26
1
I find it funny that whatever you set up to camp in you're not even finished setting up and the local critters are staking claim to it, from daddy-long-legs to slugs and snails and everything in between, i was surprised to find out slugs bite as i tried to remove one from my neck one morning and it was holding on by it's mouth to my flesh, at first i thought it was a leach but it was just a common black slug the type you find in your garden
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
18
Scotland
Well Bod, I look on it like I'm.visiting their house when I'm out and they don't come to.visit me.in mine. Kinda live and let live.
Did the slug draw blood? I.know their foot has powerful.suction, though their mouth parts are sharp and raspy.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
 

GGTBod

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 28, 2014
3,209
26
1
No blood but i had a micro hickey i think i woke up not long after it got in position, i am quite happy for the visitors they make me feel welcome
 

spandit

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 6, 2011
5,594
308
East Sussex, UK
Snakes don't bother me particularly, they seem to have some intelligence and if they decide to leave, they don't hang around. Slugs, on the other hand, seem to move at incredible speed when nobody's watching. I'm planning my next trip on the salt flats... :D
 

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