Prep and Pack - What's Your Method?

[OurJud]

As someone who can count his wildcamps on the fingers of one hand, all disasterous, I'd be really intereted (and grateful) to learn how the more seasoned among you would go about a four-day, winter wildcamp in the Lakes.

• How do you pack? (What goes inside and what stays out)
• What would your sleeping gear consist of? (mats, bags, etc)
• Food and water (How much and what types (of food))?
• What would be your packing order?
• Pitching (Would you move each day or stay put for a couple at a time)?
• Clothing (types and how much spare)?

Any other tips and pointers are welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[Skaukraft]

It all depends on time of year, how, why and where.
I found out that keeping a small log book, and make notes after every trip with rewievs of the equipment, and thoughts and ideas on what equipment to throw away and how it could be used better or what it could/should be replaced with.
Most importeant: Stay safe and learn from your mistakes.

 

[Still Waters]

Try and camp within walking distance of a pub
That way if it all starts to go down hill you can walk to the pub for a warm by the fire and a good hot meal

Id suggest if your previous wild camps have been a bad experiance then to use a normal campsite with a few facilitys to get your experiance in and get used to your kit

 

[Elen Sentier]

Try and camp within walking distance of a pub
That way if it all starts to go down hill you can walk to the pub for a warm by the fire and a good hot meal

Id suggest if your previous wild camps have been a bad experiance then to use a normal campsite with a few facilitys to get your experiance in and get used to your kit

Agree - have been doing that this year. Experience grows in leaps and bounds as you get used to being out there and find you really can do stuff while you're out there. Getting used to the kit has been major for me ... and having a bolt hole (like a pub!) certainly made me feel more secure.

 

[sandbender]

As someone who can count his wildcamps on the fingers of one hand, all disasterous, I'd be really intereted (and grateful) to learn how the more seasoned among you would go about a four-day, winter wildcamp in the Lakes.

• How do you pack? (What goes inside and what stays out)
• What would your sleeping gear consist of? (mats, bags, etc)
• Food and water (How much and what types (of food))?
• What would be your packing order?
• Pitching (Would you move each day or stay put for a couple at a time)?
• Clothing (types and how much spare)?

Any other tips and pointers are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Like Skaukraft I make a note of the things I either didn't need to have with me or the things that I'd wished I'd had with me, that can help and is worth doing.

.

• I pack as little as I can get away with and I base my decision on experience and by checking several weather sites current and historical before setting off.
• My sleeping gear will be everything I need to guarantee a warm night, so over rated sleeping bag, bivi-bag thermarest mat.
• For a winter hike, lots of fatty food, goose fat reduced to flakey crispy biscuits, preserved sausage, back fat etc. Lots of water if there won't be any on route.
• Poncho or waterproofs and tarp at the top of the pack, sleeping bag at the bottom, anything else in between.
• Pitching, stay put or move? depends on the trip.
• Clothing, a nice reliably cosy set for the evenings, buffalo or woolen jumpers, trousers and shirts for the day, it depends on the trip.
• Tips, Try not to weigh yourself down too much, you don't have to travel too far off the beaten track to feel as though you are in the wild, being near a pub (especially one that serves breakfast) isn't such a bad idea, make sure you have permission to camp, have fun.

 

[magpiewolf]

After every trip I unpack into three heaps - one lot of stuff that I used and was good, one of stuff I didn't use or that wasn't good (therefore don't take it again!) and one of stuff I didn't use but wouldn't leave behind (e.g. first aid kit). I keep a spreadsheet on the laptop rather than a notebook list but it's the same idea.

For a winter 4-day camp in the Lakes I'd be looking at 4-season synthetic sleeping bag (down's great if you can keep it dry but synthetic's better in damp conditions) and a sleeping mat, sleeping bag liner, bivvy bag and tarp. I use the Rab storm bivvy and a Gossamer Gear spinnshelter tarp/tent set up as an open-sided shelter so I don't get condensation problems - it's warmer with wind protection. Make sure you take a spare pair of warm socks, a good pair of gloves and a warm hat - I always sleep in these to stay warm, since my head and at least one hand sticks out of the sleeping bag in the night. It's worth taking at least one complete change of clothes so you know you've got something warm and dry to wear inside your sleeping bag at night.

Choose your fuel/stove combination to suit where you're planning on being - if you're in woodland, fine, but it might be worth packing meths/stove in case you're short of wood or it's so wet you're struggling to find anything useable - at least you can brew up and get yourself warm before setting out to find wood for a fire again.

If you're inexperienced, take a friend or camp close to a pub is great advice - it can get very lonely out there when you're struggling to survive!

Would I move? I probably would since I tend to be camping overnight while trekking - it depends why you're out there. If you're just practising bushcraft, find a good spot and stay in it.

Food - high-fat high-carb for energy, so meals like instant mash with butter, cheese or salami that're hot and full of calories. Drink plenty of water to stay warm - getting dehydrated mucks up your temperature regulation system. I'm a terminal tea addict so can cheerfully go through a couple of pints of tea a day as well as drinking water on the move. I'd rather drink hot chocolate in the evenings though - it's less diuretic and has more calories.

Make sure you've got enough insulation under you while sleeping - if you can't gather enough bracken/brush etc to lie on, take a full-length thick mat. I use a 3/4 length mat and shove my ruck under my lower legs and my day-clothes in the sleeping bag's stuffsack under my head to keep ground and body apart but would also be piling up a foot or so of dry bracken or old leaves under my sleeping spot. An earwig or two in the sleeping bag is a small price to pay for being warm all night.

Don't be afraid to say you've had enough in bad weather and head for the pub - you can always go back in better weather and improve your skills.

Enjoy, the Lakes are beautiful.

 

[Tank]

take are of this great great article by TinkyPete regarding packing,very useful.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?r=415-Bergen-Packing-101

 

[OurJud]

Thanks for all the advice and tips, people

I'm a bit of a 'in at the deep end' kind of person when it comes to wildcamping, and I know many of you will be shaking your heads and washing your hands of me after hearing that, but I'm not getting any younger and don't have time to do pretend camping.

Out in the wilds, alone, is the only time I feel truly at peace with myself, and yes, granted, I haven't done much of it, but that still doesn't stop it being so.

I know that when I do this, by the start of the next day, with an aching back and after 25 minutes sleep, I'll want to pack in, but I'm determined to do the four days, even if it kills me (which it theoretically could).

Please don't see this as me throwing your advice back in your face, as I don't mean it like that, but I need to do this for real and was just looking for some pointers on what and how to pack (which I've had )

Thanks again.

 

[rik_uk3]

Don't winter wildcamp alone, use a site and take a tent, please don't rely on tarps etc with your level of experience. Make sure people know where you are, if you go hiking inform people of your route and keep in touch with them.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

You're asking some really basic questions which anyone planning on camping in the lake district at this time of year shouldn't have to ask..........it's not a place for newbies..........I advise you get a bit more experience & know more about the kit needed before going anywhere 'challenging".....................

Check out the rules about wild camping in the lakes too ..( I say that 'cause I know you're going what ever anyone says.).

 

[OurJud]

Check out the rules about wild camping in the lakes too ..( I say that 'cause I know you're going what ever anyone says.).

How do you know me so well after such a short time?

As for the questions I'm asking, I might be inexperienced but I'm not stupid. I won't be going for any midnight dips in a tarn before bed, put it that way.

 

[chris_irwin]

• How do you pack? (What goes inside and what stays out)

Everything goes inside apart from my water, camping mat, map and compass and some snacks.

• What would your sleeping gear consist of? (mats, bags, etc)

I just use a bog standard closed cell foam mat and a Alpkit Pipedream 600 down bag. If I'm car camping then I have a thermarest prolite too. If it's really cold I might bring along some baselayer long johns, but I don't normally bother. I use a Wild Country Zephyros 1 tent.

• Food and water (How much and what types (of food))?

As much as I need, I try not to pack anything more. I usually take dehydrated pasta/noodle type stuff for dinner and trail mix for snacks + snickers bars. Lunch and breakfast varies, but a lot of the time I will make tortilla wraps on the go for lunch, and just have cereal bars for breakfast.

• What would be your packing order?

Tent and Sleeping bag go at the bottom, but vertical, then I fill the gaps/ top with everything else. I don't carry a heavy pack so I don't need to worry too much about weight distribution

• Pitching (Would you move each day or stay put for a couple at a time)?

Usually pitch each day and move on when wild camping. This is only because I usually wild camp when I'm hiking.

• Clothing (types and how much spare)?

In the summer, I wear craghoppers kiwi zip off trousers, that double as shorts, Low Alpine Dryflo boxers, hiking socks, trail running shoes technical T-shirt, maybe a fleece and a lightweight rain jacket. I might also have rain trousers if I'm expecting a downpour. I only take spare socks usually.

In the winter, more or less the same but I would take a more substantial raincoat, maybe an extra fleece, socks would be merino and I'd have my primaloft jacket, gloves, hat and polar buff.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

As for the questions I'm asking, I might be inexperienced but I'm not stupid. I won't be going for any midnight dips in a tarn before bed, put it that way.

Going hiking & wild camping on any of the UK's uplands at this time of year with your experience & kit, I don't think midnight dips will be your primary concern ..............speaking of kit, just what have you got ?....have you used it in extreme conditions before ?...Do You know how it's going to hold out ?........are you prepared for snow or gale force winds & torrential rain ?..................How will you be navigating ? you don't wanna fall over a ridge if the visibility is bad.......remember too, if you do get into diffiulties because you were ill prepared & manage to all for help, you will be risking the safety of the MR guys who have to come & get you, even more so if the conditions are bad.
On the other hand it could be a very pleasant 20° C with clear blue skies & everything goes swimmmingly..

 

[widu13]

How bad were your failed wildcamps? I bet that all of those involve mistakes you won't be making again. You're no longer a beginner, now you're and novice working you way up to experienced.

Pack light. My bag (and kit) is big but not heavy. My 65 ltr Karrimor (new) cost £27 and weighs 1.1kg. It's cheap 'cause I am. If your pack weighs 12kg or less when full, you've cracked it. I'm running at 14kg and would love to make mine 12kg but it costs too much. I make my own meals and dehydrate them and use one Mug/pot. I wash with one flannel and dry with a microfibre towel which is a 1/4 sized bath towel. Carry little water but top up often. Packing your ruck? You'll figure out how it works for you, but basically everything you need last at the bottom and everything you need first at the top.

I like to walk along a route so every day will be a different pitch (for me). Clothing- take warm clothes in winter to put on in the evenings. DON'T takes extra spare warm clothing. Wool doesn't stink after a day walking, much technical stuff does. I keep a clean base layer for bed and put the dirty ones on in the morning.

Best advice? Chill and enjoy yourself.

 

[Welshwizard]

Try and camp within walking distance of a pub
That way if it all starts to go down hill you can walk to the pub for a warm by the fire and a good hot meal

Id suggest if your previous wild camps have been a bad experiance then to use a normal campsite with a few facilitys to get your experiance in and get used to your kit

Sounds good to me too , always stay close to the pubs

 

[OurJud]

Carry little water but top up often.

But from where? According to one website (might be this one) it goes like this:

• Springs (generally safe and no need for boiling etc).
• Streams (second best option, but take from as close to the source as possible and maybe boil just to be extra safe)
• Tarns (generally not advised because of the risk of human contamination and regarded only for emergencies - Filter and boil)

I must confess water is my main concern as it's one of the heaviest parts of the kit.

 

[widu13]

Springs, streams as you've already identified. Walk an extra 1/2 mile out of your way and ask the local farmer nicely, top up through villages, pubs, mains fed cattle troughs. We're in the UK- there's plenty about.

 

[rik_uk3]

Springs, streams as you've already identified. Walk an extra 1/2 mile out of your way and ask the local farmer nicely, top up through villages, pubs, mains fed cattle troughs. We're in the UK- there's plenty about.

Or invest in a good water filter.

 

[Big Stu 12]

Still seems too many basic questions being asked to be playing up in the hills in the winter...

Hows your map and compas work? , and i dont mean GPS....

Also on your own??!!!

 

[widu13]

Or invest in a good water filter.

Yes, that's a filter in addition to many of those options. The OP did say he's not daft!