what do you think of my list

[alex905]

it was in my revison i made most of those changes. except that i dident go for the tent i went for the pocho/basha no hamock. i will take your advice on the tinder pouch and i thoguh since i have some of my old webbing at home i might awell buy a watter bottel as it hoilds alot and it is always in hand. i have got rid of all tourches as i found i have a head tourch and a right angel hand held. i godt rid of the follding saws and just put a wire was for about £3 seems like it will do the job. im not sure on the mulitool, it seems like it could be very usefull. and save alot of space(and weight). im getting a stove for free (good welcoming from you guys)

and what works better tablets or boiling as i agree 53 quid is a bit steep.

 

[big_swede]

and what works better tablets or boiling as i agree 53 quid is a bit steep.

No idea, never really used the tablets, except when I was in service. If it's bacteria you're afraid of you probably just could boil it. But I have little experience from english limnology. Chemical pollutants, and particles could be a problem as well. In such cases I have used a field made crude moss/char coal filter.

And again, the mulitool, when was the last time you needed pliers in the bush? Or a screwdriver?

 

[alex905]

i thought that it might be usefull for maintaining equiptment but if it isent neede i will remove it.

 

[alex905]

just been going through my list and what do you think of my iomporvisations.

instead of a shovel i could use a trwoel and i could steel my dads camel pack if im quick on the way out.

i have a tarp but its for the garage when we sand stuff in our house. but it seems quite light and it has plenty of eyelits.

i plam to make my own charcloth at some point. should save some time.

purifaction will be clorin tables like said above.
so will that work or will i find my self in troble when i do out camping.

 

[Nightwalker]

Nice list you've put together. I noticed that a couple items on your excel document were priced higher than on the link you gave, so a couple of items may have dropped in price. Your water bottle was one of the items I think.

Have you already started to buy some of this kit? The reason I ask is because I was thinking about postage. You have sourced your list from a lot of different websites and paying the postage for individual items could add a lot onto your final cost. I mean some sites are reasonable with postage, but some arent and will expect to charge you next to a fiva regardless of the weight of the item. ie. you wouldnt want to buy some £2.50 cutting wire online and pay more than that for postage would you?

Its a brilliant list you've gathered, I recommended reviewing each item and think what features is it about this item that makes you want it. Knowing its functionality & features you like you can then also visit local surplus or camping stores in your town and look for deals. If you find yourself a deal locally on a sleep-bag for example and it has the features you require you may just save yourself 4 or 5 pound postage. Getting smaller items locally would be better too, eg. wire-saw, ziploc bags, gaffa tape, paracord, hex-fuel etc. you could pickup from local stores and wouldnt have to pay any postage for each and every item, saving you a lot in my eyes. Online shopping will find you better competition and discount on larger items and it would also make it useful to buy some of the larger items you need together on the same website to share the postage fees. I have recently been looking for a lot of new kit (see thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=15742) I have used the net as a superb resource to shop around, find kit with the features I want, checkout competitive prices, and then I know what sorta thing I want for the price I want, so when im in local towns generally for other reasons I just pop into surplus stores and checkout their deals, I've picked up a lot of stuff like that and have saved money Just an idea. Good luck on the search and let me know if you have already started buying.

 

[alex905]

i think their is a surplus in camden i will have the check it out.

no i havent started buying yet i plan to go through my loft nd garage to see if their is anythig usefull inbetwen all the wasps nests :theyareon

 

[TheGreenMan]

Just like to give you an update on the trowel. I happened upon this one the other day, it’s much lighter than the one I suggested:
http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product151.asp

On the stove front, if the Pocket Stove is a little more than you would like to spend, this site has many options for making your own, at little cost, and the site is packed full of really useful information about stoves of all sorts and some very interesting information about the differing properties of various types of fuel (Once you have made camp I imagine you’ll be looking forward to lighting a fire to cook on etc, but when still in transit on foot, it’s worth bearing in mind that lighting a fire may not be an option and/or be time consuming. A small stove will be very useful to make a hot drink when taking a brief rest when on foot in cold weather – I still think that the collapsible Pocket Cooker is still the best option – no need to carry fuel, no need to buy fuel):
http://zenstoves.net/StoveChoices.htm

In this chart ‘btu’ = British Thermal Unit. It’s the standard for measuring heat output.
http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm

With water bottles, if you are planning on using any water that happens to be around, it might be a good idea to use a Milbank Bag (To filter-out silt and debris, in conjunction with Chlorine/Iodine, and neutralising tablets will help get rid of the unpleasant taste. As an alternative, as ‘big_swede’ mentions once the water has been filtered, just boil it, and a good ‘rolling boil’. I have tried boiling water in a Crusader Cup cooking unit with Hexamine blocks and I can not get it to boil sufficiently hot.

Also if you treat water with chemicals only, you need to keep the treated water protected from daylight, and UV can break-down the chemical protection in the water, and bacteria can begin to grow in it once more.

This is why people like the British Army water bottle. It’s thick black material that won’t permit light to reach the treated water. I know some people think that some of the kit on the Ray Mears site is expensive, but it’s the genuine article. There are a lot of inferior copies of kit available on the market, and I think that when it comes to safety, it always best to spend your money with a trustworthy supplier.
http://www.raymears.com/shop_item_desc.cfm?id=82&itemType=Accessories

Happy trails,
Paul.

 

[Nightwalker]

great post, thanks for that.

 

[hardyferret]

When in HM service really tried to get my kit to a sensible weight /level
35mm film containers are good, waterproof secure lightproof
Ideal for
toothpaste also chop off half handle and the brush will fit
foot powder
matches/cotton wool for tinder
fishing kit yes it does fit your after trout not tarpin !!
just a few ideas

as for water purification have mainly used puritabs for ease of storage and weight or iodine (tastier)
One of my most favoured bits of kit ron hill trackster tracksuit trousers warm comfey and quick drying also make room for a notebook to record

Regards Jerry

 

[alex905]

thanks for the reply. the film container was a great idea. and i will look into those trousers