Good kit.

[Blackberry]

Hello

I am looking at peoples ideas of good kit, i am trying to update my kit as much as possible until i am as happy as can be with it

My favorite bit so far...

Crusader mug and bottle

Looking for rucksacks, shelters, firelighters, cookware, water storage, tools, torches and any other great kit you have!!

Thanks :You_Rock_

 

[Thetillerman71]

One of the best bits of advice I read in a bushcraft book (cant think of the title!) was don't buy any kit until you know what you need and what your buying - of course in my wisdom chose not to follow it and found out the hard way thus had to replace most of it for better lighter and more robust kit. In general id suggest ex-forces kit normally good for the job. Crusader water bottle, crusader mug, army poncho, army poncho liner, army artic sleeping bag, millbank bag, gore tex bivvy bag. Normally try to stick to makes like Web-tex, highlander or BCB

 

[monkey boy]

most bits of kit are good really, its weather it works for you or not, ask yourself how often are you gonna use it? otherwise you will end up buying everything and anything.
two things will happen

1. you will carry it all and weigh youself down with stuff you are not using, (a walking surplus shop if you ask me)

2. it will end up in a draw of cr*p

so if you are using stuff that works for at the moment even if it is homemade, stick to it theres no need to replace it.
thats my view on it 

 

[Blackberry]

At the moment i have all the kit i need but its not the best
I was using a 2 liter pop bottle till i dropped it so had to come home (no more camp trip) so bought the water bottle
Bought a mug to fit on the bottom to save room

Just wondering what people recommend instead of ending up with some carp..

 

[Bushwhacker]

The worst thing is to worry about what other people have got. A mora will do the same as a Ray knife... you get the gist.

 

[Blackberry]

The worst thing is to worry about what other people have got. A mora will do the same as a Ray knife... you get the gist.

I totally agree!

What i would like from this thread is what people have tried, tested and used- to see what works ..

 

[mountainm]

Issue Softie trousers and Jacket (sleeka equivalent)
Svord Peasant knife
Aldi Cree torch
Mora Classic
Snugpak response pak
IMCO lighter
Modded Swiss volcano stove
Honey Stove

 

[sandbender]

"...I am looking at peoples ideas of good kit, i am trying to update my kit as much as possible until i am as happy as can be with it..."

What do you do and where do you do it?

Do you walk into a small wood and sit under a tarp on the occasional weekend or do you walk over hills and mountains? Are you out all year or just in the fair months. Give us some idea of what you need the gear to cope with.

 

[Blackberry]

I try to get out as often as possible- i dont get home until around 4 so i get out little in the winter but still try to get out. I camp some weekends but have not been for a while as i want to ditch the tent for my tarp but never camped alone before!
I sometimes walk for a couple of hours or walk into woodlands and have a fire, few coffees and maybe a bite to eat

Im thinking to purchase..
Full tang knife
Bahco laplander saw
British army basha (smaller for day trips)
14cm Zebra billy can

 

[Totumpole]

That sounds like a good wee shopping list. Zebra's are bomb proof - I would definately recommend them. A 14cm will be pretty big if its just to cook for yourself. The other option is a tatonka billy can - for a wider, shorter billy depending on your preference.

I can highly recommend a lid for your crusader cup - the water for your cofee will boil quicker, so you can have even more coffee's!!!

 

[Thetillerman71]

Best thing I ever done was go on a 2 day survival course (was with Trueways and booked it last minute for 50% discount but that's irrelevent..lol) but in them 2 days I did start to see what I really did need and what you didnt. Of course turned up looking like John Rambo and didnt use a fraction of it

 

[Blackberry]

I have a sheet of aluminium i was thinking of making a few lids out of, On payday i may invest in a bit of kit

Also may get a trangia burner, Pocket stove, multi tool and other bits. Love getting outside- especially in the summer!!

 

[Totumpole]

Where's your local haunt? DO you have to go far out of Cardiff?

 

[dave53]

hi blackberry where in cardiff are you I'm in cwmcarn there is a few of us around here what i do is make a list of what i take and cross of what i don't use regards dave

 

[Blackberry]

Im in Caerphilly, caerphilly mountain makes some lovely walking and there is a small woodland close by

 

[John Fenna]

I can recommend making your own kit - my billies are from stainless steel coffee and biscuit storage containers from charirty shops, my camp warm top - as seen in my avatar - is a blanket etc etc etc.
Not only is the gear cheap, you also have the pleasure of knowing it is unique, is just what you wanted and if you break it you can always make another! (not that anything I made has broken yet...)
I am so ken on making stuff for my bushcraft (and other folk making for their bushcraft) I have even written a book on the subject which shows folk how to make the stuff that I make and sell!
(if you are interested search for "A Basic guide to making your own budget bushcraft equipment" - I only sell it through this site though )
Home grown kit is the best you can get!
Erm - I think I just shot myself in the foot there - I should have been pushing all the gear I have for sale!

 

[Tiley]

I reckon that, usual things about knives aside (but I would thoroughly recommend a Ben Orford full tang number), the Bahco Laplander saw and the Husqvarna hatchet are two things that I use with infuriating regularity and which have never disappointed or let me down. The first is just superb; the second offers astonishing quality for not much money (I think I paid about £22 for mine).

Hope that this is the kind of thing you're looking for.

 

[Jaan]

I don't agree with waiting until you know what you'll need.

You have to buy something to even have the possibility to get out there. Of course in time you will find out some pieces of kit you don't like and some you love, but without getting some camping gear it is too much of a hassle to get out there. Of course anyone can take a knife and a loaf of bread, hack away at trees and build a shelter, but that's chaotic.

In my opinion it is entirely justified and favorable to be worried about what other people have. The key is to follow it a bit further - don't just take the first guys kit list and get that. Then again maybe I'm too much of a planner and other people couldn't do it, but that's how I started.

I took several lists - Lofty's books, Ray's books, the post on Paul Kirtley's blog, the kit list of the local outdoor shop, kit lists for bushcraft courses, other camping kit lists and so forth. Then I put ALL the stuff into an Excel table and started deleting rows.

When starting out it is not a bad idea to see what other people have - I've ended up with a pretty simplistic set of kit that way and most of it works great for me. If hundreds of people use Zebra billys, then that's what I'm getting, IF I don't know any better. If I've been out for tens or hundreds of times I'll develop my own idea about what I like, but until then I'd rather get a good candidate, not a bad one.

The internet is a wonderful place for collective knowledge, this forum being one of them. It's better to share a loaf of bread than have a turd just for you. My kit may not be unique, most people use similar stuff. But it works.

(IT being a Karrimor rucksack, Laplander saw, Woodie clone knife, Crusader cup, NATO water bottle, DD tarp, Army bivi, Woodlore sleeping bag, Fjällräven clothing, among other bits and pieces.)

 

[garethw]

Hello

I am looking at peoples ideas of good kit, i am trying to update my kit as much as possible until i am as happy as can be with it

My favorite bit so far...

Crusader mug and bottle

Looking for rucksacks, shelters, firelighters, cookware, water storage, tools, torches and any other great kit you have!!

Thanks

Hi there
I was in your situation a year or so ago and have slowly built up kit by getting ideas fom the forums....Here's what I've got so far:

• Rucksack: Lowe Apline Sting.... bought from thexmod site for £78... brilliant pack, has great reviews and is far cheaper than the Karrimor or similar brands.
• Shelter: DD 3x3 Tarp. Excellent tarp from a great company....
• Firelighters: I made a fire kit consisting of matches, lighter, LMF Army Firesteel, plus some cotton wool balls in vaseline
• Cookware: Crusader Cup to go with the bottle, plus a Zebra 12cm billy.
• WaterStorage: I take two water bottles out with me, but I have a waterbladder from a hiking day pack that fits the pocket of the Sting.
• Tools: Folding saw (found in a bricolage store here..looks like made by Bahco, but half the price), Mora knife, Leatherman Blast.
• Torches: Cheapo headlamp and Petzl tikka.
• Others: DD Travel Hammock & Snugpack underquilt...excellent sleep system.
  MSR Pocket Rocket Stove (Very cheap & light, Can't always have a fire)
  Loads of paracord...

Cheers
Gareth

 

[sandbender]

"...Looking for rucksacks, shelters, firelighters, cookware, water storage, tools, torches and any other great kit you have...i want to ditch the tent for my tarp but never camped alone before...I sometimes walk for a couple of hours or walk into woodlands and have a fire, few coffees and maybe a bite to eat...

Im thinking to purchase..
Full tang knife
Bahco laplander saw
British army basha (smaller for day trips)
14cm Zebra billy can

As others have mentioned, making your own kit can be very rewarding, John Fenna's book is worth splashing out for.

I have many Bahco saws and cannot recommend them highly enough.
You cannot go wrong with a Zebra billy, big enough for a casserole or you could even bake a dampa in one however I dislike the supplied hanger as it can damage the things next to it in the pack (or the pack) it can be easily removed and replaced.

If you have never slept out under a tarp before you might first consider buying a cheap builders tarp from B&Q and rigging that up with some suitable cord. Try that for a night or two before splashing out in the basha.

Bits of kit I'd specifically recommend? three items of clothing.

A Bison Bushcraft Guide Shirt

A Buffalo Systems Teclite Shirt

A Swanndri Bush Shirt

These, or combinations of these keep me comfortable in most weather conditions and being comfortable I get much more out of my time in the woods.