"You must be mad" is a polite way of describing what my wife said to me as I announced I was going camping for a night in the middle of january. "No babe, I dont think so" I said, "give me a cold january camp over celebrity big brother any day of the week!" And off I went with some mates for a cold overnighter in our local woods on the north kent downs.
I will admit to being slightly nervous as I am a novice bushcrafter embarking on my first winter camp but alas, I had good company and ended up pleasantly surprised at how comfortable you can be in the woods when you have the right kit and know how (and several layers of clothing!!)
I think the highlight for us was the sight of a pair of buzzards flying past just above us and the tree canopy. I dont think I've ever seen buzzards flying wild in this part of kent.
As for our shelter, I had a comfortable nights sleep in my hi-gear soloista tent and budget 4 season bag from another high st outdoor 'warehouse' store. Yes its a cheapo tent but has performed admirably in two camps where the conditions have been far from ideal. Maybe when it gives up the ghost I'll upgrade to a better quality tent or contemplate hammocking. There was a slight gradient which meant I slid down the tent a little bit but not too bad, will probably pitch the tent differently next time (am open to some advice on pitching a tent on a slight slope)
My fellow camper (also of this parish) on the other hand was the king of the swingers in his hennesey hammock and tarp, he also used his new edc hammock to great effect by storing his kit beneath the main hammock.
There was lots of deadfall silver birch about so no real drama when it come to firelighting - ably lit by my bushcrafting buddy. I think the deadfall was largely from all the bad weather we had last winter as there was lots of widowmakers to be wary of (not around our camp though!) We just made sure there was plenty of wood set aside before nightfall and then we were set for the night. A nice deflector helped push the heat out so with fire, shelter and sausage sticks sorted, it was time to kick back and enjoy the peace of our surroundings and maybe enjoy a beer or two when some friends arrived for the evening.
In the morning it was time to field test the new hobo stove (no pics but it was the ravenlore inspired 10cm billy and utensil holder jobby! many thanks for the inspiration for that, I'll add some photos to the hobo stove thread in due course) and I must Confess that I have much to learn when it comes to firelighting with wet wood (some homework for me!!) But all was not lost as my hobo stove is truly multi fuel and the trangia meths burner soon helped to boil some water and fry my eggs.
We departed just as the forecasted showers arrived and of course we left no trace at the camp spot. Here's to the next camp!
I arrived home sporting that potent 'eau du fire' scent, can't say that it had the lynx effect though and took two showers to get rid of the lovely bushcraftershave!
I will admit to being slightly nervous as I am a novice bushcrafter embarking on my first winter camp but alas, I had good company and ended up pleasantly surprised at how comfortable you can be in the woods when you have the right kit and know how (and several layers of clothing!!)
I think the highlight for us was the sight of a pair of buzzards flying past just above us and the tree canopy. I dont think I've ever seen buzzards flying wild in this part of kent.
As for our shelter, I had a comfortable nights sleep in my hi-gear soloista tent and budget 4 season bag from another high st outdoor 'warehouse' store. Yes its a cheapo tent but has performed admirably in two camps where the conditions have been far from ideal. Maybe when it gives up the ghost I'll upgrade to a better quality tent or contemplate hammocking. There was a slight gradient which meant I slid down the tent a little bit but not too bad, will probably pitch the tent differently next time (am open to some advice on pitching a tent on a slight slope)
My fellow camper (also of this parish) on the other hand was the king of the swingers in his hennesey hammock and tarp, he also used his new edc hammock to great effect by storing his kit beneath the main hammock.
There was lots of deadfall silver birch about so no real drama when it come to firelighting - ably lit by my bushcrafting buddy. I think the deadfall was largely from all the bad weather we had last winter as there was lots of widowmakers to be wary of (not around our camp though!) We just made sure there was plenty of wood set aside before nightfall and then we were set for the night. A nice deflector helped push the heat out so with fire, shelter and sausage sticks sorted, it was time to kick back and enjoy the peace of our surroundings and maybe enjoy a beer or two when some friends arrived for the evening.
In the morning it was time to field test the new hobo stove (no pics but it was the ravenlore inspired 10cm billy and utensil holder jobby! many thanks for the inspiration for that, I'll add some photos to the hobo stove thread in due course) and I must Confess that I have much to learn when it comes to firelighting with wet wood (some homework for me!!) But all was not lost as my hobo stove is truly multi fuel and the trangia meths burner soon helped to boil some water and fry my eggs.
We departed just as the forecasted showers arrived and of course we left no trace at the camp spot. Here's to the next camp!
I arrived home sporting that potent 'eau du fire' scent, can't say that it had the lynx effect though and took two showers to get rid of the lovely bushcraftershave!
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