Lightweight gear - help needed

[davidpopely]

OK, I am returning to the forum after much too long away, so please forgive the entry-level nature of this post, and help if you can.

Having previously disposed of (given away) all my old gear a while back, I am now looking to start occasional 2-3 season solo camping again. Obviously with the weather we've been having, cold/wet weather isn't an immediate problem, but the great British climate ensures it will be sooner or later - probably sooner!

I need to buy myself the following (unless you can think of anything I've missed, or really should have, which isn't here):-

Tent 3 season
Sleeping bag (3 season)
Sleeping mat, mattress, bed or any combination of the three. I'm not a teenager any more, and I don't like waking up cold, stiff and having slept for three hours.
Lightweight stove
Rucsac (recommendations to carry one person's gear for 2-3 nights, maybe 4 at a pinch, please
Lightweight torch
Lightweight cutlery, crockery, etc.

Although I anticipate having the general use of a vehicle, I aim to be on foot at least on occasions, hence the inclusion of the rucsac, which is a serious requirement, although will probably be the last thing I'll shop for.

I'm not independently wealthy, nor do I 9as yet) have my big lottery win to dispose of (probably because I don't participate), so while I don't want to buy the cheapest and nastiest options, neither do I want to buy the most expensive all-singing all-dancing equivalents.

Your best recommendations, based on experience and in-the-field (or forest) testing would really be gratefully appreciated, also any particular shops, chain or otherwise, and online suppliers you have found particularly helpful.

Thanks for humouring me, and I look forward to tapping into your collective expertise (again).

Dave
Somerset

 

[ozzy1977]

Whats the budget?

 

[davidpopely]

Whats the budget?

Initially £250. If I can make this 'stick' I'll come back and upgrade elements later. That can exclude the rucsac, as it isn't immediately essential. Thanks for asking!

 

[sandbender]

For your rucksack I'd recommend the Crux AK47, currently available at £150 from Crux direct (normally £200). Tough as nails, can as over stuffed as you need, very comfy on the back and very light.

Always try before you buy though.

 

[davidpopely]

Thanks Sandbender.....I'll put that on my list, although the rucksack will probably be on my list of 'second buys'. Weight is a crucial issue, and I won't forget to take account of the empty pack weight as well as the weight of the individual items of gear! Thanks again

For your rucksack I'd recommend the Crux AK47, currently available at £150 from Crux direct (normally £200). Tough as nails, can as over stuffed as you need, very comfy on the back and very light.

Always try before you buy though.

 

[jpa1]

Have a look at the Alpkit snapwire folding titanium cutlery. I got them recently and I am very impressed with it. For knife, fork and spoon its £15.

 

[Angry Pirate]

Alpkit would be a good port of call for a few things.
They do a good range of inflatable mats, great value headtorches (I really rate my gamma) and titanium mugs / pots that are decent value.

 

[boney gumbo mcgee]

Another vote for Alpkit here. Good value kit, well made and great service too. No affiliation just a happy customer.

 

[PDA1]

what type of camping will you be doing? If from a vehicle, then I presume camp grounds, and no need to carry your it. In which case, why lightweight? If hiking, then you need lightweight, and can most easily get there by minimizing the amount of kit you use. With such a small budget, it is difficult to think of really lightweight tent. maybe tarp camping may be better? can be light and (fairly) inexpensive. If you have top walk any distance, a backpack is really needed.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Tent 3 season
Sleeping bag (3 season)
Sleeping mat, mattress, bed or any combination of the three. I'm not a teenager any more, and I don't like waking up cold, stiff and having slept for three hours.

I love my Vaude Hogan tent, but it is very heavy (2.8kg). Current top of the shopping list to replace it is a MLD trailstar. For a while I had the Vaude Power lizzard SUP 1-2P on the top of the list. But it has been replaced by the Trailstar as my next tent.

I like my Snugpak SF1 and SF2 sleeping bags. The SF1 covers me May-September, and the SF2 the rest of the year. If it gets really cold (<-10°C) I can zip the two together to get a bag for colder temps. It's not the lightest bag out there, but it's the best centre zip bag I could get.

I love my Exped Synmat 7 UL sleeping mat. Comfy, Warm, Lightweight. Very happy with it. Highly recommended.

Lightweight stove

I think this could be the most contentious item here. If you want really light weight, get yourself a cat can stove, they weigh a few grams, burn meths, and cost about 65p. If you want something a bit more durable, then the Mini trangia is popular. If you want to throw money at it, then the Evernew Appalachian set is 161g of titanium lovelyness. It gives you a Meths, Hexi and wood burning, and a 500ml cup. All in a nice compact size. I am currently saving up for one as my next brew kit for UL hikes.

If you want to go heavier and liquid fuel, I have used a MSR whisperlite for 14 years without any issues, a joy to use. Just a bit heavy. I am going to upgrade to a Primus Omnilite TI, when I have the money. If you wanted, I have a MSR Dragonfly stove (sans fuel pump) I could be persuade to part with. It's only been used on 2 trips. Brilliant stove, if noisy and heavy, but it does burn pretty much every liquid out there (except meths).

Rucsac (recommendations to carry one person's gear for 2-3 nights, maybe 4 at a pinch, please

For what you describe a 30L pack might suffice, but you will find that something about 40L would be more comfortable. I have the Osprey Tempest 30, which is the ladies version of the Talon 33. It's plenty big enough for me for 2-3 nights. Longer if I can resupply every 3 days. In the 40L area, the Osprey Talon 44 or the Exped Lightning 45 are high up the list. The Osprey is 1.04kg and the Exped 1.00kg. You can get the 2013 version of the exped pack from backpackinglight.co.uk for £99 currently. The exped lightning 60 will be my next big pack (for when my tempest 30L is too small).

Lightweight torch
Lightweight cutlery, crockery, etc.

I have a Petzl Zipka 2+ as my main torch. I am considering getting the Petzl E+lite instead, it's 27g, vs about 70g. Not the brightest light out there, but should be enough for my needs around camp.

Cutlery wise I have the Alpkit snapwires, I think they are the best bang for buck for gram out there. I have a Evernew 400ml cup as my main pan, and then use a fold-a-cup for drinking from. I also have an old Orikaso (now fozzils) flatware plate. Works well and very light. The X plate comes highly recommended also.

You missed Water bottle off your list. For years I used the Issue 58 pattern bottle. Then switched to the Nalgene Stainless steel bottle. But that was way way to heavy (340g when empty). These days I am using 1.25L diet coke bottles, with a Bison bottle bandit clip to attach it to my pack. The 400ml evernew cup nests nicely on the bottom.

Although I anticipate having the general use of a vehicle, I aim to be on foot at least on occasions, hence the inclusion of the rucsac, which is a serious requirement, although will probably be the last thing I'll shop for.

I would start with sleeping bag and sleep matt, then backpack. Then the rest. But that is my personal choice, everyone will give a different answer.

I'm not independently wealthy, nor do I 9as yet) have my big lottery win to dispose of (probably because I don't participate), so while I don't want to buy the cheapest and nastiest options, neither do I want to buy the most expensive all-singing all-dancing equivalents.

Your best recommendations, based on experience and in-the-field (or forest) testing would really be gratefully appreciated, also any particular shops, chain or otherwise, and online suppliers you have found particularly helpful.

I am a big supporter of the Sam Vimes Theory of Economic Injustice. There is often little point in getting cheap low quality kit and buying 3 lots of it, you're better off saving up for a little bit longer and getting decent kit.

Hope these suggestions are helpful

Julia

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Just to add, at your budget, and with lightweight in mind, you may find that an Alpkit Rig 3.5, and Alpkit Hunka bivvi bag would be a better shelter setup. Together they are about 646g, and about 70quid. I don't think you will get a good tent for anything even close to that.

The Wild Country Zephros 1 is £99, and about 1.5kg. The Luxe Hex peak is 1.215kg. But it's £159.99. The Vaude Power lizzard I mentioned is £319.99 for a 1050g 3 season tent. Very nice, but very expensive.

Regarding where to buy kit, I can't recommend backpackinglight.co.uk enough, best service I've received by any business in a long time. I have no connection other than as a very satisfied customer.

Julia

 

[rg598]

Here is an ultralight gear list that I put together for winter use. It weighs under 11lb and costs about $750. I'm sure you can further reduce the price and weight by replacing some of the gear with three season items (sleeping bag in particular): http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2014/04/low-cost-ultralight-winter-backpacking.html