Hi all,
I thought Id share some thoughts on the kit that I took on a recent overnighter.
Having recently been in hospital for some minor surgery, I found myself in a position where I had an unexpected opportunity to go camping with some mates but, owing to doctors orders, I was not able to carry heavy weights. One might suggest this is a tall order when it comes to winter camping. My very kind camp mates did offer to carry some of my gear for me but Im a proud lad and didnt want to burden them with that task
So I set myself a challenge of stripping down my gear to the bare essentials and think carefully about what you really need to take on a camping trip. I didnt want to carry any unnecessary weight and I wanted to shoe horn it into my smallest rucksack A 25 litre daysack which is typically used to carry my lunch to work.
I stuck fairly rigidly to the parameters set out by Mr Mears in his essential bushcraft book, i.e; something to sleep on, sleep in, under, cook with etc etc (Im sure many of you are familiar with this mantra!)
Having recently acquired a British army bivvi bag following a swap on this good forum, I was also keen to sleep on the ground (I usually swing from the trees!).
So heres what I took:
Something to carry your outfit in: Forces 25 rucksack (pic above)
Something to sleep under: Snugpak 3m x 3m Tarp really like this tarp
Something to sleep in: Alpkit Mountain Ghost synthetic sleeping bag and Mod bivvy bag I slept well but was pushing the limits of the sleeping bag, its advertised as a two season bag with comfort limit of -0.8 (check out my recent trip report for more info). Its a great bag though, I got it for Christmas and have used it a few times since then in some pretty testing conditions. Best of all, it packs down very small indeed.
Something to sleep on: I usually use a budget brand ¾ length inflatable mat but was concerned that I might puncture it on the rough ground. I ended up investing some hard earned cash on the Rolls Royce of foam mats! the Thermarest Ridgerest. Glad I did because it kept my underside lovely and warm. And with a little help from a mattress made of some leaf litter/pine needles it was also very comfortable. Ok its a little bulky but was actually lighter than my old mat.
Something to cook over: Aside from carrying a fairly comprehensive fire kit that enables me to cook over a fire. Another recent purchase was a Trangia triangle. This replaced a wood gas stove that Id often used on previous camps. Its a good bit of kit but I had two issues; firstly: its a little bit bulky, and secondly; I rarely used it as a wood burner as I generally do most of my cooking on an open fire. I was instead using it in conjunction with my trangia burner for those crucial morning brews! The trangia doesnt work that efficiently with the wood gas stove as the burner is often too far from the pot. I was really pleased with the triangle, its a sturdy bit of kit, weighs very little and packs down very flat.
Something to cook in: A dutch army stainless steel mug with a home made foil lid, paired with a pair of leather gloves for handling hot stuff I often take a few different stainless steel pots but when it boils down to it (pun intended!) all you truly need is a simple metal container. This mug is ideal as it nests in with one of .
Something to carry water: 2 x Dutch army water bottles
Cutting Tools: Puukko knife, opinel saw, folding knife. I usually carry a hatchet but ditched it to save weight. The puukko is carried on a kneck lanyard and the folding knife goes in my pocket.
A mug: An enamel mug, didnt fancy drinking out of a sooted up dutch army mug.
Eating utensils: Spoon, nothing fancy made from super light metals. Just a simple old fashioned spoon from the kitchen!
Food: Potato, ribs and cheese, trail mix, brew kit ..Yummy!
Medical kit: First aid kit essential on each and every trip and the only thing in my backpack which didnt get used!
Navigational equipment: Not needed in my local woodland, could probably make my way round there blindfolded but I did have gps on my phone if it was absolutely necessary.
Illumination at night: Head torch and spare set of batteries
Wash kit: Tissues, wet wipes and hand sanitiser
Clothing: In addition to the clothes I was wearing, I carried a down jacket, long johns and a thick pair of socks. Whats also worth a mention is the poly-cotton smock that I got from the Bushcraft Journal am really liking this smock. Its a thick and very durable (almost Polish lavvu) like fabric, water resistant (and has stood up well when Ive worn it in the rain) and at £30, wasnt too expensive either.
Luxury items: Hammock chair, sit mat, Kendal mint cake!
Heres a few pictures. The picture of the loadout is of a previous evolution of this set-up. I essentially replaced the sleeping mat and the rucksack and ditched the msr cook pot, hatchet and hip flask.
Did I miss anything when I took it on a camping trip? In short no, its nice to take other gear with you (e.g. more elaborate cooking systems, lots of different tools etc) but I was happy to prove to myself that you can be just as comfortable without it.
Lesson learnt: Firstly, its always worth thinking about keeping things simple, I had a great night out despite leaving some luxuries at home. Secondly, while I learnt that all this gear can go into a 25ltr daysack, I was conscious that it was stretching the limits of the bag. Next time Ill just put it in my larger 38ltr bag itll make striking camp a little easier and Ill most likely just fill the space with more food!
I thought Id share some thoughts on the kit that I took on a recent overnighter.
Having recently been in hospital for some minor surgery, I found myself in a position where I had an unexpected opportunity to go camping with some mates but, owing to doctors orders, I was not able to carry heavy weights. One might suggest this is a tall order when it comes to winter camping. My very kind camp mates did offer to carry some of my gear for me but Im a proud lad and didnt want to burden them with that task
So I set myself a challenge of stripping down my gear to the bare essentials and think carefully about what you really need to take on a camping trip. I didnt want to carry any unnecessary weight and I wanted to shoe horn it into my smallest rucksack A 25 litre daysack which is typically used to carry my lunch to work.
I stuck fairly rigidly to the parameters set out by Mr Mears in his essential bushcraft book, i.e; something to sleep on, sleep in, under, cook with etc etc (Im sure many of you are familiar with this mantra!)
Having recently acquired a British army bivvi bag following a swap on this good forum, I was also keen to sleep on the ground (I usually swing from the trees!).
So heres what I took:
Something to carry your outfit in: Forces 25 rucksack (pic above)
Something to sleep under: Snugpak 3m x 3m Tarp really like this tarp
Something to sleep in: Alpkit Mountain Ghost synthetic sleeping bag and Mod bivvy bag I slept well but was pushing the limits of the sleeping bag, its advertised as a two season bag with comfort limit of -0.8 (check out my recent trip report for more info). Its a great bag though, I got it for Christmas and have used it a few times since then in some pretty testing conditions. Best of all, it packs down very small indeed.
Something to sleep on: I usually use a budget brand ¾ length inflatable mat but was concerned that I might puncture it on the rough ground. I ended up investing some hard earned cash on the Rolls Royce of foam mats! the Thermarest Ridgerest. Glad I did because it kept my underside lovely and warm. And with a little help from a mattress made of some leaf litter/pine needles it was also very comfortable. Ok its a little bulky but was actually lighter than my old mat.
Something to cook over: Aside from carrying a fairly comprehensive fire kit that enables me to cook over a fire. Another recent purchase was a Trangia triangle. This replaced a wood gas stove that Id often used on previous camps. Its a good bit of kit but I had two issues; firstly: its a little bit bulky, and secondly; I rarely used it as a wood burner as I generally do most of my cooking on an open fire. I was instead using it in conjunction with my trangia burner for those crucial morning brews! The trangia doesnt work that efficiently with the wood gas stove as the burner is often too far from the pot. I was really pleased with the triangle, its a sturdy bit of kit, weighs very little and packs down very flat.
Something to cook in: A dutch army stainless steel mug with a home made foil lid, paired with a pair of leather gloves for handling hot stuff I often take a few different stainless steel pots but when it boils down to it (pun intended!) all you truly need is a simple metal container. This mug is ideal as it nests in with one of .
Something to carry water: 2 x Dutch army water bottles
Cutting Tools: Puukko knife, opinel saw, folding knife. I usually carry a hatchet but ditched it to save weight. The puukko is carried on a kneck lanyard and the folding knife goes in my pocket.
A mug: An enamel mug, didnt fancy drinking out of a sooted up dutch army mug.
Eating utensils: Spoon, nothing fancy made from super light metals. Just a simple old fashioned spoon from the kitchen!
Food: Potato, ribs and cheese, trail mix, brew kit ..Yummy!
Medical kit: First aid kit essential on each and every trip and the only thing in my backpack which didnt get used!
Navigational equipment: Not needed in my local woodland, could probably make my way round there blindfolded but I did have gps on my phone if it was absolutely necessary.
Illumination at night: Head torch and spare set of batteries
Wash kit: Tissues, wet wipes and hand sanitiser
Clothing: In addition to the clothes I was wearing, I carried a down jacket, long johns and a thick pair of socks. Whats also worth a mention is the poly-cotton smock that I got from the Bushcraft Journal am really liking this smock. Its a thick and very durable (almost Polish lavvu) like fabric, water resistant (and has stood up well when Ive worn it in the rain) and at £30, wasnt too expensive either.
Luxury items: Hammock chair, sit mat, Kendal mint cake!
Heres a few pictures. The picture of the loadout is of a previous evolution of this set-up. I essentially replaced the sleeping mat and the rucksack and ditched the msr cook pot, hatchet and hip flask.
Did I miss anything when I took it on a camping trip? In short no, its nice to take other gear with you (e.g. more elaborate cooking systems, lots of different tools etc) but I was happy to prove to myself that you can be just as comfortable without it.
Lesson learnt: Firstly, its always worth thinking about keeping things simple, I had a great night out despite leaving some luxuries at home. Secondly, while I learnt that all this gear can go into a 25ltr daysack, I was conscious that it was stretching the limits of the bag. Next time Ill just put it in my larger 38ltr bag itll make striking camp a little easier and Ill most likely just fill the space with more food!
