which shelter??

[High on Hex]

I take nothing and hope to find a dead camel i can hollow out.

 

[david0607]

Vango's for my Students, Tarp for me, Just a Sleeping bag and Bivi bag is good if the sky is clear, might be tempted to buy a Swag though

 

[kai055]

has ne one just used a survival bag and a sleeping bag/army blanket cos that is realli good as well, even just the survival bag on its own u get well hot inside them

 

[durulz]

Depends on the weather.
But 99% of the time it's a tarp/basha.
If it's the middle of summer then you don't even need that - sleeping bag/bivibag is all you need. Cuts down on the weight (although if we're in the woods then I generally still hoist the basha, just to stop small twigs and things dropping onto oneself during the night).
Oh, and you don't need trees to put up a tarp (although you will need a couple of poles and some bungees) - if you look at my profile picture you can see my basha put up without being tied to trees - peg one edge down then use a couple of basha poles in the other two corners and use the bungees to pull tight.

 

[rik_uk3]

It will be interesting to see if hammock/tarps really do outnumber tents by 2:1 at the moot

 

[andy_e]

hehehe! I'll be bringing one of each - my Argos tipi for stashing stuff and a hammock'n'tarp for sleeping in.

 

[crazydave]

going by the forecast then its going to be a wet weekend so a multipurpose set up may be required.

 

[mortalmerlin]

I use a hilleberg tarp but I just bought a hootchie which I prefer.

I will have to get round to trying a hammock but not sure I will like it.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

it hammock and tarp for me cos the are easily the best nites kip i have ever had

 

[phaserrifle]

hammock all the way. our whole explorer group made them last year, and allmost none of us have used anything else since (cept one guy, whose hammock broke)

 

[andybysea]

It used to be 58 patt poncho and bivy for me, but just switched to a more spacious,3mx3m tarp bivy combccasionaly use a one man tent if im going midgy infested areas of north west Scotland in the summer,as i have a reaction to the bites
which weep and crust over on me,Nice!

 

[harryhaller]

Well, incase anyone is interested, here is a short video review of the MOD bivvy tent I did earlier in the year for my overseas mates.

If anyone wants to buy any, see here and say Spacemonkey sent you:

http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/stock.php?page=bigpic&item=20093

Good video, Spacemonkey. Thanks. That bivi looks really good, but the url you've given is no longer valid - is this the same one? I don't see any hoops etc.

 

[Man of Tanith]

one more vote for the poncho for a combo of lightweight,versitile and easy to set up i cant beat or fault it
cheers
Sam

 

[BushcraftBaird112]

I chose other. I usually sleep in a DD hammock or if its cold I'll put a sleeping bag in the hammock. Over it I will either put up a DPM basha or a US poncho

 

[harryhaller]

one more vote for the poncho for a combo of lightweight,versitile and easy to set up i cant beat or fault it
cheers
Sam

How do you set up your poncho, Sam? I'm very interested in the use of a poncho as a shelter since it would save the weight of a tarp. How do you set it up when it is already raining and you're wearing the poncho?

MIchael

 

[Man of Tanith]

Hi Michael
If it is already raining I tend to give it a little while hoping that the rain will go away!
if that isnt gonna happen I make sure my bergan is out of the rain as best I can, (usually by wrapping it in a bin bag or a rucksack cover). I tie a ridgeline between the two trees i have chosen and prussick knot the two central attachment points to the ridge line and tighten, peg the four corners out using IPK pegs attached to the corner attachment loops. This works best if you pack a set of dry clothes that you only wear when you've set up camp.
If I am taking a hammock I hang it in the same way but using the corners of the poncho rather than the central attachment points so it is hanging in a diamond shape.
If the weather is fine then I hang the poncho by again putting a ridgeline between two trees but attaching one whole side to the ridgeline and pegging the other side down at a 60degree angle to encourage any rainfall to not get me, i then have an open sided shelter one end i block with bergan one end i tend to keep my feet at, once in bivi bag its quite snug and cosy and by locating the fire in front of the shelter its very warm!
i have got a 58pattern sleeping bag that has poppers which you can snap onto the poncho to make a mini sheleter but i havent experimented with this yet.
hope this helps and makes sense
cheers
Sam

 

[harryhaller]

Thanks, Sam. Yes, that was very helpful.

Michael

 

[Bushcraftsman]

I use a DD Hammock and the DD 3x3m tarp! cant beat them...easy to set up and a comfortable night sleep! then if its cold, like BushcraftBaird, I'll throw in a sleeping bag.

 

[Daegurth]

DD 3x3 tarp and a sleeping bag. since so far i've only camped during the summer, i haven't had need of a groundsheet or a bivi bag.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Thanks, Sam. Yes, that was very helpful.

Michael

another way i forgot to mention is you just do up all the poppers and get a very basic bivi bag
glad you found it useful
cheers
Sam