Kit for the beginner..

[BStone]

First a wee bit about me...

Having lurked for quite a time on this beautiful forum, I have finally decided to take the plunge, and get beyond "sofacrafting".

I am a notorious kit-junkie, and pretty much love anything functional - though i do have a tendency to gravitate towards things that do way much more for me than i really need. I love kit, for the kit's sake. When looking for a backpack for march-training, I jumped straight into looking at Norrøna Para Ranger, Bergans Alpinist Escape, Kifaru EMR and such bags. I think you get my drift...

Anyway, I have decided to try and really get into this whole bushcraft thing, and having never even been a boyscout, I am pretty lost as to what to get and where to look. My outdoors experience is limited to that of 4 months as a conscript in the Danish Army. As a soldier, though, I learned to love the outdoors, and since I have dreamed of going to Sweden/Norway/Scotland to hike and sleep in the outdoors.

What do i get as a start, clothing excluded (got plenty). And where do i find it - preferably most in one place. My budget is around 300 pounds to get started.

What I've considered is a Polish Army Tipi or an army basha as a shelter, and perhaps going for a highlander pack to keep initial costs low. I don't know how advisable that would be though?

Are there places that offer beginner "value-packs" that contain most of the essentials, to minimize time spent, searching for saved pennies?

Things I've got:

Clothing - might need a few pants/shirts, but other than that I'm good.
Petzl Tacticca XP Plus
Camelbak Thermo 3l
A few Nalgene 1L bottles

Things I need:

The rest.......

Hope you'll lend an enthusiastic beginner a hand

Also, any links to existing threads are greatly appreciated!

 

[mclark]

hi bstone and welcome to the forum , have a look in the classified section for some cheapish kit

 

[Shewie]

Hi BStone - welcome to the forum

To quote the holy one, your camping kit should consist of ...

Something to carry your outfit in
Something to sleep under
Something to sleep in
Something to sleep on
Something to cook over
Something to cook in
Something to carry water
a mug
eating utensils
food
medical kit
Navigational equipment
illumination at night
wash kit
clothing

 

[ged]

You don't need to spend anything like your budget to get started, although if you plan to sleep in very cold places you could spend more than your whole budget on a sleeping bag. There are people on this forum who spend hundreds of pounds on a single blade. I think they're nuts, especially Martin.

If you've been in the army you know that you need water, shelter, fire, food. Sounds like you have the water sorted. You can get a brand new tent for 30 pounds, much less if you look out for a good bargain. Similar for a sleeping bag. They won't be top class kit but they will do the job in mild weather. Many people here prefer to use a hammock and tarpaulin, that will be a little more expensive if it's not to, er, let you down. I'll be surprised if you don't have a penknife and a box of matches already, so just a pan to cook in and you're ready for your first trip. I'd say don't go buying kit just because you've seen somebody else with it, take your time and find out what suits you. Try to go out with a few others to see what they like to use. And how they get it to the site.

As for the classified section here, I don't know how much use it will be to you if you're in Denmark, the shipping costs from England might be prohibitive.

 

[spiritwalker]

hmm i love talking kit but its all personal i suppose what one likes another hates...
in respect to the polish army tent (lavvu) its absolutely great but its a little heavy at over 3.5kg depends on what you going for if you plan to hike well off the beaten track as opposed to car camping there are much lighter options such as a descent solo tent (can be had for under £50) or you could choose a basha and or bivi bag again shopping around can be quite cheap or theres the hammock route (something i know little about as i don't use them).

Tent pros are you in a nice wee sealed environment away from things that bite etc but it can also be a con as in sealed away from the nice views.

Basha bivi option is nice for a feeling of being out there but you are also exposed to the bugs and if your in a busy area you have little privacy for changing etc.

My personal preference is a tent but i also use a bivi now and then, best thing to do is to really think of the places you like to go to and what will suit the conditions best.

Knife many shapes uses and forms but a mora blade for £10 or less is brilliant and very reliable, you can always treat yourself to something nicer looking cosmetically later down the line. A Swiss army knife is also very good option and a legal (non locking type) safe carry in towns etc should you be passing through theres been a lot discussed about this on the forum.

mess cooking kit, again quite personal i guess i have in the order of 9 stoves for making brews (something of an obsession to me lol) but a good cheap option (about £10) would be the swiss army volcano stove (uses natural fuel and or can encompass a meths burner) or a trangia (a wee bit more expensive but very reliable on long lived) or make a hobo type stove (again covered extensively on this forum) ideally you want a nice light stove capable of making a brew and solo meals but think of the fuel type you prefer to dictate what route to go down lots of options all with pros and cons and personal taste.

mess kit but to be honest i eat from the pan saving space and washing up.

first aid kit

fire making materials, gas lighter, striker, matches or similar all valid again down to preference.

small survival tin will cover other bits and bobs

compass and map (and the ability to use them always helps)

folding saw is a good option too, i prefer a saw and knife to an axe (in my opinion i wasted money on the axe as i dont use it much now i have a folding saw)

im sure theres more but as you can see its all personal choice youll add and remove stuff as you go along.



Mess kit

 

[spiritwalker]

oh and welcome aboard :-D

 

[persistent king]

Ive only just got into it mate and i have spent very little,

My tent was £25, mat £5 sleeping bag£15, small stove £15 (but love the hobo stove cant wait to make one ) pan set £15 and back pack to carry it all in £20.

I think its all about learning as you go along . i have a realy rubbish knife but it does the job.

Im happy with my kit at the min, and it keeps me dry and warm.

 

[Wander]

You need a decent ish knife and somthing to sleep on/under/over?

 

[Tengu]

You need a car boot and a lot of patience

 

[ged]

Oh, I forgot to say in my earlier post: the search facility on the forum isn't great but you can use Google to search just this site like this:

"search phrase site:bushcraftuk.com"

That is you put your search phrase in Google's little box, followed by a space, and the word "site" with a colon after it, and then the domain name of the site.

Example:

"recommend hammock site:bushcraftuk.com"

 

[Barn Owl]

A Highlander sac will be fine,up to you which size.

Mora clipper knife,ferro rod,folding saw,basha (DD make is light),Army surplus bivi bag (British,Dutch,whatever),foam kip mat,try and get a good sleepbag,hammock (doesn't take much room),make a hobo stove with any steel tin that will do as a pot,tin cup (or go for a crusader cup),spork,first aid kit=your bandana,some plasters,burn gel,some tape(your choice),compass,torch.

No need to spend hundreds,(but you probably will).

 

[drewdunnrespect]

now as the rest have all ready said it is all to do with personal choice.

for instance there are people on here who love gas and petral stoves now personally i hate em cos the always seem to break but thats just my choice and thats why i have a kelly kettle that uses wood or any tinder sort of material as fuel and a meths swedish army trangia cos gas or petral no i just dont like them and this is why when asked what kit to by people will say its personal choice

now

knifes mora = £10 perfect i have one and wouldnt change it for the world cos yes it dont look pretty but well it does everything that a £300 + knife will do and if i break and believe me i have tried its only a tenna instead of £300

now tents i personally wouldnt like to say because i use a bivi bag and a tarp if i go to ground (very rare) now hammocks are in my opinion the Dogs Dangelies
cos they are comfy can be strung vertually anywhere that has trees and it dont matter underfoot
the hammock i have is the camping model from

www.ddhammocks.com

so as has been said its a personal choice and its up to u but there are a few of my suggestions that i would and do use and if you decided to use them in my opinion you wouldnt regret it

 

[Ogri the trog]

My recommendation would be to have a long hard think about what specifically you'd like to learn about first! Then look at kit that meets that initial aim.
If you want to learn knife crafts, it might be less of a priority to buy tents and sleeping bags; If you want to learn plantlore & foraging, don't worry about a fancy rucksack.
While it'll be true that you'll want your kit to adapt to many different uses, Bushcraft is a broad church with many specialist areas - there are those who specialise and those who generalise - all of whom call themselves Bushcrafters.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[J4C3]

Get a second hand armny issue bergen and then get a hammock and tarp from dd with that your at about £70 and with what you already have good to go.then buy more kit as you go

 

[kai055]

search google and look for a bergen, i got an army issue bergen for £15 was well worth it

 

[Dreadhead]

welcome aboard, hope you find what you need here

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi, Welcome and enjoy. You've come to the right place.