[Closed] Wild Camping Anyone ! (advice needed)

Heard good reports on the Zephyros 2. I make do with cheap Hi Gear Soloista, looking to change the glass poles for alloy tho...

Alpkit make a couple of good headtorches for the money, have tried both, both work well, red led good for stealth/reading etc.

Sleeping bag - Carinthia Defence 4 season, hugely warm, quite hefty even in stuffsack, but never lets me down. Haven't personally tried anything 4 season that is more compact so can't compare

For company/backup I take the Trevor Bayliss-designed Freeplay Companion solar/wind up torch/radio/charger wonder gadget, wouldn't do without it 🙂

There was a thread very recently on the Zephyros, search for it. You can get the 2XL Lite for £50 less than that.

Last weekend:

[img] [/img]

Why wait till next year? Get out there now, give it a try.

Wild Country Zephyros Lite 2XL
Just get the normal Lite 2 one

Jet Boil for cooking but what one.
None get a [url= https://www.alpkit.com/products/mytimug ]Mytimug[/url] with a 100g gas canister and [url= http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/products/Optimus/CruxStove.aspx?gclid=CNmN9p_k978CFU_JtAodlkYAVQ ]Optimus Crux stove[/url] and [url= https://www.alpkit.com/products/snapwire-foon ]Spork[/url] inside.

What Sleeping bag
[url= http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/softie-3-merlin-sleeping-bag ]Something from Snugpak[/url]

What 45 + 10 rucksack
[url= http://www.ospreyeurope.com/gb_en/pack-selector ]Something that fits from Osprey[/url]

A good Jacket
[url= http://www.montane.co.uk/range/men/insulation/prism-jacket ]Montane Prism[/url]

Head Torch
[url= https://www.alpkit.com/lighting ]Alpkit[/url] or [url= http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/allheadlamps-petzl ]Petzl[/url]

http://www.tiso.com/shop/wild-camping/wild-country/zephyros-2-xl-lite-2-man-tent/ £150.

If you go on your own don't smoke weed just before lights out or you'll get really paranoid that there is someone else up on Angletarn and they want you dead

Thanks guys for your help and that Link for the tent.
Cougar that looks pretty cool, where was that !

LOL howsyourdad1 I have never taken the illegal type of drugs : )

Brilliant cannot wait to get going

Cougar that looks pretty cool, where was that !

That was the Angle Tarn that howsyourdad1 was discussing. I can confirm that I didn't see anyone trying to kill me, though it was a brown trouser moment when I got up in the dead of night for a wee and my head torch picked out the eyes of another camper's dog.

ION,

WRT to 'jetboil,' I got this and this:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/coleman-f1-lite-stove-p118554

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-backpack-cookset-p287230

... and cannot recommend them highly enough. Weighs nowt, and served me well on a fortnight's car camping before I backpacked. Jetboils are expensive and relatively heavy.

...

This was my thread before I did it, there may well be useful info for you there.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cougar-grylls

These stoves are worth a look.
Simple and the work as well as the others.

http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/114380-vango-folding-gas-stove.html#read_more
http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/024842-vango-compct-gas-stove-assorted.html#read_more

What 3 season sleeping bag can you recommend that packs down
Also what about an inflatable matt ?

Thanks for you advice and links

Mat is easy - Thermarest NeoAir. Silly money, but I got mine for almost half price at Decathlon.

Sleeping bags, good question, I'm in the market myself. I'll post my shortlist after tea.

Ah, this is what I got to.

Montane Prism.
Rab Ignition 2.
Mammut Alpine UL.
Marmot Cloudbreak 30.

All £100 - £140. Can't decide between them, open to suggestions.

This is the NeoAir.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/therm-a-rest-neo-air-xlite-regular-p206784

I paid £70 for mine. It's ace.

NeoAir +1
Montane Prism +1 (montane must have made a bomb on these, I see the everywhere)

I prefer the Thermarest Prolite over the NeoAir. It's a bit heaver and doesn't pack down as small, I just seem to get on better with it for some reason.

Montane Prism +1

My primary reservation with the Prism is pack size, far as I can tell it's double the size of all the others?

Never use a back pack if you want to cover the miles.

Hang your gear on your bike in frame and saddle bags.

If you've more gear than that you are travelling with too much gear.

Christ, I'm supposed to pack a bike too?

(-:

Don't know about the others but it packs up small enough in a drybag if you squeeze the air out and seal it. Just stuffed into it's own pocket it makes an ideal bivi size pillow.

You must have a Brompton or something?

LOL
I found this Bio cooker But the wasted heat is meant to charge anything attached to the USB
All I can think of is the heat is transferred through the copper/metal cable

[url= http://www.theoutdoorshop.com/showPart.asp?part=PN9102&product=BioLite%A0Camp%20Stove#galleryPhoto/0/ ]BioLit camp stove [/url]

Thanks for that link for the Mat I have almost made a good list of equipment
Cheers Guys

I like a 1 season synthetic bag - oversized to accommodate my down clothing accordingly - this is pretty much as good as it gets for British conditions - Exped Down Mat - quite heavy but it generates so much warmth you'll save weight elsewhere.. Western Mountaineering Down Trousers are my fave piece of kit - Snowpeak Ti Solo Cookset is nice .. Bivy should be E - vent - breathable - Gortex ain't good enough.. Shed loads of booze - I like good gin with apple and lemongrass .. Bubblgum Amsterdam cup Winner ... Ok that's enough that now 😉

Thanks for the info noltae
I am trying to find a stockist with the Zephyros2 XL and the Hoolie 2
as the Hoolie looks very roomy for if the Mrs/friend comes along

Does anyone have an Hoolie !

Thanks everyone for you input
So far yesterday I bought the North Face Superhype jacket

Had a chance to try it out this morning and all very good indeed

Gore tex waterproofing Active shell
70 D rip stop
Really warm and no wetting inside
Pit zips are nice and long
The hood is always a worry if not in all jackets, but with great adjustability the hood moves with you
rather than your head moving and the hood stays put. And the peak which isn't wire but shapes
very well and if not better than a piece of metal as you don't have to keep bending it back
every time after you packed it away.
And the jacket packs away in its own hood.

Does anyone have one of the Primus ETA cooking system's !

Grantway, I picked up a zephyros 2xl lite in Cotswolds shop in Brecon if that's any help to you. And they put it up in store so I could have a look.
If you are anywhere near Brecon,Cotswolds are having a tent show on august bank holiday weekend up at the visitor centre near Libanus.

Montane Prism? 1.2kg for zero degrees performance you say? Gerraway, go and have a look at some proper l/w bags filled with down. Alpkit do cheap ones, PHD, Mountain Equipment, RAB etc do dearer ones. 600gms is easily achievable for a 1 season down bag.

Hi Houndlegs
Thanks for the info, but unfortunately I am in London.

Was you able to see the new Zephyros side by side with the older one
And can you put two Thermarest Neo Air Xlite mats side by side in the new Zephyros 2 XL tent

Gerraway, go and have a look at some proper l/w bags filled with down.

Until you have an accident and it gets wet.

(Wow, that was a bad turn of phrase. By 'accident' I mean getting caught in the rain without a drybag, or a leaky tent.)

Until you have an accident and it gets wet.

Over 100 nights in my current bag and never come close to getting it wet enough to cause heat loss.

I wouldn't say I look after my kit either. It goes into a drybag when I pack. Comes out the drybag when I'm in the tent. Goes back in the drybag before I get out the tent. I honestly struggle to see how and when people get their sleeping bags drenched 🙂

I've even been in a icy river at the start of a two night trip in December. Fell off a bridge (if you can call it that) near Duror bothy with my pack on. One of the few things to remain completely dry was my sleeping bag.

Just bought the Primus Eta Paclite cooking stove from Cotswold outdoor
For just £55 Pounds

Grab a bargain [url= http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/primus-etapacklite-stove-97110004?channel_code=110&id_colour=180&product_code=92493448&utm_source=google&_$ja=tsid:45886&gclid=CKGD7JyciMACFU7MtAod0E8Avw&gclsrc=aw.ds ]Primus Eta Paclite £55 [/url]

Here is a Primus review on the Paclite

I picked up a dd hammock recemtly. Only 1 night and it's awesome. needs a mat to keep bum warm and a tarp in case of rain, but is supergood fun. Acts as bivvi bag in the absence of trees
[img] [/img]

I've been toying with getting a couple of those for a while now. Can you link the model you've bought?

My only issue is that it presents the same problems as bivvying in bad weather... no where to cook, no where to get changed, no where to sort out kit etc...despite probably weighing not much less than a tent set up.

But still...immeasurably cooler 🙂

[url= http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-travel-hammock ]DD Hammocks[/url]
Around 900 gr ex webbing, so about the same as small lightweight tent. You can drop the weight to around 650g by losing the net, but it's fixed on mine. There is an optional net for hammocks without one.
You're right. Effectively, you're bivvying - just off the ground so with all the disadvantages but with more comfort and style. that said, bear in mind that, by the nature of the kit, you're most likely to be in woods when using this, so there is an element of protection.
EDIT - just clocked there is a [url= http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd_superlight_hammock ]270g superlight, non-net version[/url]

Bearing in mind where you do most of your stomping around Peterfile, I'd have thought tarps and bivvying were way down the list. It's bad enough pitching in the midges let alone bivvying amongst them.

I just don't get the tarps thing for the UK. By the time you've packed a bivvy bag and a tarp, you could just have well packed a light tent which is much more suitable for the weather we mostly get. Bivvy bags are great for post pub rolling about, tripping up Argies on Goose Green or keeping your down bag dry in really really shit multi day winter conditions. They're not really for sleeping in 😉

I honestly struggle to see how and when people get their sleeping bags drenched

Condensation! I've woken up shivering to find my down bag utterly soaked from condensation dripping off the inner sheet (TNF VE25 tent).

I now carry a tiny bivvy bag to protect the ME down bag (which pre-dates DWR pertex being used on Down bags).

I just don't get the tarps thing for the UK. By the time you've packed a bivvy bag and a tarp, you could just have well packed a light tent which is much more suitable for the weather we mostly get. Bivvy bags are great for post pub rolling about, tripping up Argies on Goose Green or keeping your down bag dry in really really shit multi day winter conditions. They're not really for sleeping in

+1 and yes I have tried. Repeatedly.

Until you have an accident and it gets wet.

I used to think that way about down bags but with a bit of care and the right choice of tent etc it is a non-issue.

I just don't get the tarps thing for the UK.

I think some people like it. Ray Mears says he simply prefers the semi-outside aspect to it, rather than being shut away in a tent.

I've woken up shivering to find my down bag utterly soaked from condensation dripping off the inner sheet (TNF VE25 tent).

That sounds odd. I've never had condensation drip into my tent. I've had it drip slightly onto the inner mind, and it's a good idea to keep stuff away from the inner if possible, but I've only ever had the outside of my bag slightly damp from this.

That sounds odd. I've never had condensation drip into my tent. I've had it drip slightly onto the inner mind, and it's a good idea to keep stuff away from the inner if possible, but I've only ever had the outside of my bag slightly damp from this.

+1

I get lots of condensation in my tent (especially in winter when i'm in the quasar with its solid walls and don't want to open the door very far), but it just makes the outside of my bag a bit damp, never enough to soak through and lose heat. Which is another key thing about down, it's not that when it's wet you instantly freeze and die, it just isn't as effective at keeping you warm. So unless you're already right at the bags limit when you somehow get it really wet, you'll probably be OK.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm well aware of the consequences of a wet bag in a remote place in winter. But I've just never come close to getting it wet enough to matter since it's always in a dry bag unless I'm in the tent.

On one occasion we were on Ben Donich at the tail end of winter and it was blowing a gale on the top. The door at my feet kept ripping open and it took me a while to get it tied into place. I didn't drift off until about 4am, but when I woke at 6am the door had ripped open again and the bottom of my sleeping bag was pretty wet where the rain had been coming in. That's the wettest it's ever been, but I didn't have any noticeable heat loss and that was somewhere colder then -5.

You'd have to be pretty unlucky. But then again, accidents do happen and the consequences could be pretty dire if you're far enough away from safety. Down sleeping bag, drybag and throw in a bivvy sack if there's a significant risk of death 🙂

Grantway,I didn't bother setting both tents up,the xl lite is a smaller pack size for about the same weight so I just went for the bigger tent.
According to the specs you should get two mats in there,but I wouldn't swear to it.
I'm taking mine out for its maiden voyage this weekend,I'll do some measuring up for you.

Hi Houndlegs
OK yes please, as I want to buy two of these [url= http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/therm-a-rest-neo-air-xlite-regular-p206784?gclid=CMfwl_C0jsACFVHKtAodOUkA1g ]Therm a Rest NeoAir XLight[/url]
Which are 51cm wide. So will be wanting to put the mats side by side
Lets see some pics

Interesting Hammock

Very interesting comments regarding condensation

I have a new Tadpole 2 DL going spare if you fancy a decent tent cheap. Email in profile.

Thanks for the offer boblo But I am about to buy the Zephyros 2 XL

I think the issue with a lot of this is it depends on time of year, budget and acceptable weight.

Bag wise, you can get some cracking lightweight warm down bags, but they arent cheap (rab, or alpkit are good if you can find one). personally i run a snugpak travelpak 3 for winter, but I tend to run hot at night. Its synthetic but packs down reasonably small and has a built in bug net (good for bivi use). This is usually inside a bivi (army jobby, heavy but sturdy (if i wanted lighter I'd go with alpkits hunka xl).

Tarp wise Im using a poncho. If the weathers truly foul, or its midgetastic, I run a zeph. Frankly they're cheap enough and good enough.....but theres plenty better out there if you have the budget. The offer for the tadpole is probably a better bet than the zeph btw (speaking as someone who has a zeph)

As someone else said, using a bivi is all about connecting with the outdoors. You'll find some of the high end tents will come in around the same weight as a tarp/bivi combo, which kind of leaves your choice down to preference.

Stoves, again personal choice. Im a fan of a proper fire, but if its multi day/somewhere I cant have fire, I'll use either a swiss metakocher (with meths), or a home made meths burner. They arent fancy but they're very reliable.

Theres no right or wrong in this stuff, just whatever works for you.

Alpkit Pipedream is a great range of very lightweight down bags - none in stock right now but they're redesigning it, so keep an eye out. Not cheap, but a great investment and still cheaper than equivalent bags from Rab etc. Just keep it dry - not hard if you've got a dry-bag and an ounce of sense.

Alpkit headtorch. I like my Manta a lot.

GoOutdoors do a super-cheap titanium stove from Hi-gear - weighs nowt, maybe 20g, and cost me £20.

NeoAirs are great - tiny and light. Shop around for deals

Prisms are good too, but I'd be a bit disappointed if I'd paid full price for mine. Look around and get one on offer, as low as £55-60 sometimes.

Grant way,here's some pics for you
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14939069066_534479ae9e_s.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14939069066_534479ae9e_s.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oL7CLj ]SAM_0566[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/100876064@N05/ ]philipdixon36[/url], on Flickr

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[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14962199285_d22ac887c4_s.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14962199285_d22ac887c4_s.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oNabzc ]SAM_0569[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/100876064@N05/ ]philipdixon36[/url], on Flickr

My mat is 51 wide,so you can get an idea from it. There's plenty of room,about 2 foot of space at either end of the mat,and you should fit 2 side by side.
That said,if you are going to regularly use it for 2 people,I'd be thinking of a 3 man tent,but for 1 its ideal.