clanking kit

[lou1661]

hi guys,
i have a thing about the kit in my pack making a noise everything metalic being wrapped in something else this has made me carry lots of stuff i dont need can i wear 3 shemaghs and im getting fed up of drying my self on a towel that is covered in black from my billy can. Is it just me? does everyone else sound like a hardwear shop rolling down a hill, if not whats your answer if you have made little bags what do you think is the ideal material?.
cheers louis

 

[gregorach]

Simple - take less stuff.

Seriously though, what do you actually need? The only stuff that's really prone to clanking is cookware, so ask yourself if you really need all of it. I've always been bemused by those camping cooksets with umpteen (OK, 3) different pans - I rarely use that many different utensils at home. Personally, I just take a Crusader mug and cooker (which fits in my waterbottle pouch) and possibly a billy (usually hung on the outside of my pack) or small mess tin (inside the pack). The crusader cooker runs on either solid fuel tabs or a tiny meths burner that packs neatly inside it. So the upshot is that there simply isn't anything in my pack to clank. Problem solved.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

you are already using the old army trick of wrapping the offending items!

but 3 scarfs? i've done simular things in the past!.

stuff usually nakes noise if it moves is there a way you can compress the outside of your bag/pouch?

my favourite for this problem has been, making or buying a stuff sack which takes up little space and is light also would stop dirt getting on other kit.

try to find out what exactly is noisey, is it 2 or more pans hitting each other, or handles and chains.

in each case deal with the item with chains wrap them tightly around the pan with a bungee or elastic band.

with mess tins moving rather than wrapping them with a scarf how about filling the gap with a bags of food or something else you want to take?
how about a poly bag of flour to make bannock bread?

in the army we had 58' webbing which was terrible for noise loads of slack material, we just had to make do, for our mess tins we would fill one with most of our 24 hour rations, the other with boot cleaning gear and wash kit, this usually helped then i used to put a bungee or two around both "kidney pouches" which held everything tight. basically i needed the contents and the bungees came in usefull for shelters!
the ultimate test was before a stealthy excersise we would individually jump around to hear if there were any noises and our mates would find the noises show us the area we would then tape it down or move it.
( creaky buckles was common with 58 gear!)

if all else fails if one metal thing is banging against the other, take one item away or pack it somewhere else!

 

[andyn]

I find the only noisey item in my bag is the lid on my billy tin, the plastic clips were bound to melt so had to come off. I now either tie it shut, or squash enough stuff on top of it to stop it moving.

It is very annoying listening to you bag clang around while walking so sympathise with you. Good luck finding a solution that works for you.

 

[Goose]

A couple of carrier bags inside can reduce the noise made by tins clanking inside one another. Another thing is do you use a compression sack for your sleeping bag? If you do try taking it out and stuffing your sleeping bag in the bergen without a stuff sack, it initially looks like you won't fit anything else in there but as it is soft other stuff fits around/in it, and it muffles all sound. It can also be comfier to carry as the weight is spread better. Bear in mind you will need a carrier for your mess tins to stop muck getting on your bag though!

 

[ArkAngel]

My cookset does have a tendancy to clank around as well. It came with a stuff sack so i use that to stop it from clanking against other items in the rucksack but things also clanked around inside the stuff sack. I solved this by getting some small pouches (a bit like ziplock bags) and using them for my brewkit (coffee, sugar, powdered milk) these i packed into the spaces that were causing me problems and hey presto! silent walking again.

 

[lou1661]

Hi guys,
Fast responses as ever it is mainly the stuff that is carried in the side pockets (sabre 45, plce sidepockets) its just that all the odds and sods get chucked in them billy can, water bottels, mug, laplander saw also in there is my tarp and hammock so they are quite full just not full enough. I dont think that there is anything that i could leave behind.
cheers louis

p.s. i still carry out the jump test

 

[leon-1]

Hi mate you can ditch water bottles for water bags, they don't clank, carry a folding mug they aren't huge , but they do the job. Seperate things out, Tarp on one side.

I try to keep the things that I may need quickly in the side pouches like food/cook kit (not fuel) and first aid kit, hammock sits inside as it is one of the things I set up in the dry. Folding saw in top pouch.

 

[lou1661]

Some good ideas leon-1 i tend to keep my FAK and any other emergency gear in the top pocket so its easy to get to without taking everything out, i also find its easier to explain to other people where it is if its me needing it. ( i tell them before we go anywhere)
cheers louis

 

[Pablo]

My solution to this is to carry a small shoulder bag. I keep folding saw, crook knife, FAK, water bottle, gloves, camera, binos & tinder in there (with room to spare). An old gas mask holder is just the job. There's enough small pockets in there (depending which one you get) for the items not to rattle about. The items are also in easy reach.

I also use small waterproof pouches to pack smaller items such as spare tent pegs, head torch, spare cordage, small bungees. Another small w/proof bag will hold notebook, pen, compass. This keeps smaller "rattle" items compartmentatlised.

That only leaves the cookset in the back pack. Mine's a Trangia and I pad out the "rattle saces" with tin foil, old dishcloth or tea towel, sections kitchen roll which are all pretty handy. A plastic bag is also good to take rubbish home.

Pablo

 

[Klenchblaize]

Thought this was to be a thread about Landrovers when I saw the title!

Cheers

 

[lou1661]

Dont get me started on the clanking rattle my landy makes need more than a couple of shemagh's
louis

 

[Kirruth]

Three words. Word 1: Compartmentalisation. Words 2 and 3: Cotton Wool (or loo paper or...anything else soft and spongy). Put in a ziplock bag and put it in with whatever's rattling.