What do i need?

[Sappy]

I'm wanting to head out for the night with my dog this weekend but i have no camping equipment.

At my work we have a lot of coffee tin and they usually get binned so i'm hoping to get one and push a piece of wire through the top for a handle so i can cook/ boil water

My work has some old tarpaulins that have been discarded for some unknown reason as i checked one and it's waterproof so i can cut it smaller and use that, i'm sure there will be rope lying around somewhere to tie it up.

I don't have a sleeping bag but the dog has somehow acquired 3 wool blankets so if i give them a wash they'll be fine as they are longer than me and i'll just sleep next to the dog.

If i put the tarp inside the blankets with a tin of soup and tin of breakfast, can of dog food and a handful of dog biscuits tie his bowl and the coffee can on that should be okay to carry.

Is there anything vital i have missed?

 

[Mesquite]

A can opener?

 

[shaggystu]

you've not included a stove of any sort so i'm guessing that you'll be having a fire? some means of lighting it would be a good idea. you'll need to make some sort of raised bed as you've not got a roll mat, a heap of branches will do, and something to stop the damp from coming up into your blankets, another piece of the tarp should do. a torch is pretty high up on my essentials list, especially at this time of year. a water bottle's pretty essential i'd say, and maybe something to drink from just to feel civilised.

good luck for your first night out, i'm sure you'll love every minute of it

stuart

 

[spandit]

A means of escape? It's pretty chilly at the moment - be careful...

 

[Sappy]

I've got a swiss army knife that has a tin opener.

The spot that i plan on going to had a recently fallen tree so i could cut a few off for a bed, theres quite a few rivers around me so i'd be just as well boiling water as i come to it, save me having to take a bottle.

Though i'll have to look out for a torch and i have a cigarette lighter so i'll be fine.

 

[Robbi]

fair play to you mate good luck and enjoy

 

[udamiano]

Something to insulate you from the ground!! a blanket won't be anywhere near enough. If you want something really lite a simple foam roll from any camping shop will be better than nothing

 

[woodspirits]

im sure youll be fine, just keep warm and dry, and know your limitations. have a good time mate

 

[Mesquite]

I've got a swiss army knife that has a tin opener.

The spot that i plan on going to had a recently fallen tree so i could cut a few off for a bed, theres quite a few rivers around me so i'd be just as well boiling water as i come to it, save me having to take a bottle.

Though i'll have to look out for a torch and i have a cigarette lighter so i'll be fine.

Fair enough... At least you won't go hungry

With regards advice take some dry tinder with you, something like cotton wool impregnated with vaseline or some rubber inner tube, that way you can light that and have that burning whilst you build the fire up slowly.

Take a bottle with you anyway as you can use it as a hot water bottle if you get cold and also check the coffee tin isn't plastic lined. To be honest I'd stick the tin in the fire to make sure any nasties that might melt when heated are burnt off before you use it as a cooking pot

And make sure you take some pics to share your night out with us

 

[Man of Tanith]

Camera!!!! vital bit of kit!
sounds like you have majoirty if stuff you need
a bit of common sense so if it gets nasty and you need to go home you have the good sense to do so
i've bailed a couple of times when its got nastier than i expected no shame in it

 

[Shewie]

The Met Office is predicting -7 for the weekend near you, I'd take a mat to sleep on and get snuggled up to the fire if you've just got blankets.

Take a camera as I'd love to see the piccies

 

[Bigrich]

A can opener?

That is brilliant!

Never underestimate how cold you may get, if you can't get warm when you cwtch down, you'll not sleep! Happened once to me, learnt my lesson there, as the sun came up, and I was able to shut my eyes and sleep for the first time. Enjoy and as is said take some pics : )

Cheers

Rich

PS the wife says poo bags, make sure they don't split on your way back tho : )

 

[Hugo]

If you have a water bottle 58 patten type works better, fill it with hot water at night, it makes for a nice hot water bottle.
Thanks to Widu13 for this tip.
Good luck and have a nice time when your out.
Tell us what it was like when you get back.

 

[AndyJDickson]

Make sure you tell someone where your going and when you plan to come back. Just in case...

 

[shaggystu]

The spot that i plan on going to had a recently fallen tree so i could cut a few off for a bed.......

what with?

The Met Office is predicting -7 for the weekend near you.....

foolproof means of making fire, preferably two or three backs up too. lighters, matches, candles, innertube, plastic bags, cardboard soaked in wax, little bottle of petrol, blow torch.....anything at all you can think of really that'll help you to light and maintain that fire. you're trying to maintain a body temperature that's very nearly 45 degrees above the ambient temperature, that's quite a lot, you won't manage it with just a tin of soup and a few blankets, not even with a ruddy great german shepard to cuddle up to. in fact, if it was my dog, he'd just make matters worse 'cos there's no way in this world i'd be able to convince him that i should lay next to the fire and he should lay behind me, he'd spend the entire night getting between me ands the fire and stopping the heat from getting to me.

please don't think i'm trying to put you off at all, i think what you're doing is a great idea and i'm envious of that whole first night out experiance, i just don't want you to get hypothermia, been there and done that and it's bloody horrible

ATB

stuart

 

[Jinsin456]

I would maybe buy some fire lighters, the white powdery kind, they should be cheap this time of year. They should be warm enough for your initial kindling to start to burn in turn drying out any other wood you find. Also don't underestimate how much kindling you need, especially if the wood you are burning is damp, try not to take any wood from the forest floor as it will be wet. Check for dead branches hung up on trees as they should be dry.

Make sure you are well hydrated and well fed and you should be fine. Another tip is that you can cook tins straight over the fire, just either pull the ringpull back a bit or put a few small openings in the top of the tin to allow the pressure to escape or you'll end up with a soup bomb

And one last thing to remember...... Have fun.

Safe trip mate

 

[Andy BB]

-7C? With that kit you're a brave man, sir! If you do go, try and make a back reflector for your fire, so that the heat bounces back towards you. To be honest, I think you need some warmer gear and some decent ground insulation. Best of luck and prove us cissies wrong

 

[yomperalex]

I would definitely add a sleep mat and bivi bag. Fire kit, FAK. Plus some comfort items to keep your spirits high.

Alex

 

[blacktimberwolf]

It would be better to wrap the blankets in the tarp ( & not the other way around ) as this will keep them dry. You can make a passable backpack with just a piece of tarp & some string...( yukon pack )

What breed/type of dog do you have ?

 

[monkey boy]

something to sleep on,
a torch
a phone
a spoon to eat with
a big coat to keep warm
a cup with a brew kit for the mornings
defo a good fire kit, make sure you prep your fire wright DONT RUSH IT with the improv kit you have the last thing you need in this weather is failier at fire.

good luck i really hope you enjoy yourself, takes me back to when i started out with the improv kit