Author Topic: Bought any camping gear today? (Read 339266 times)

rogerzilla · « **Reply #1700 on:** 06 September, 2022, 06:05:23 pm »

Another Coleman lantern for when the lights go out. This one was a bargain - green, fairly recent, and probably used once. Fitted a mantle and filled it with Coleman fuel, and it Just Worked. Most Coleman stuff I buy from eBay needs a new generator and is gummed up with stale unleaded.

To show how weedy modern LED streetlights are, these throw out about the same amount of light - maybe the same as a 40W filament bulb*

*I won't say incandescent, because these are incandescent too.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #1701 on:** 21 November, 2022, 04:03:13 pm »

Picked up a ti spork in a local charity shop for 30p on my lunch break.

I was actually in need of one, too, as my always-in-my-bag plastic version recently broke.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1702 on:** 22 November, 2022, 09:16:38 am »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 06 September, 2022, 06:05:23 pm

Another Coleman lantern for when the lights go out. This one was a bargain - green, fairly recent, and probably used once. Fitted a mantle and filled it with Coleman fuel, and it Just Worked. Most Coleman stuff I buy from eBay needs a new generator and is gummed up with stale unleaded.

To show how weedy modern LED streetlights are, these throw out about the same amount of light - maybe the same as a 40W filament bulb*

*I won't say incandescent, because these are incandescent too.

probably puts out a fair amount of heat too which could also prove useful when the lights and central heating go out. 👍

We still have a couple of gas fires which probably will still function as almost every gch boiler and associated pump will be down due to no electricity this relieving the load on gas. And, we still cook with gas ...

andrewc · « **Reply #1703 on:** 04 May, 2023, 04:56:26 pm »

6l of bioethanol for the Trangia have just been delivered. Should keep me going for a while.

drossall · « **Reply #1704 on:** 04 May, 2023, 06:29:55 pm »

Does a couple of second-hand bike-packing bags count? I've got a Mercian tourer with full pannier set-up, but we're taking the Scouts to Scotland in summer, and this is about at least demonstrating how you could carry gear off-road on mountain bikes.

Adnepos · « **Reply #1705 on:** 08 June, 2023, 11:14:11 pm »

Been looking for my Tenacious Tape for two weeks cos I need to repair my tent inner. Searched in vain so yesterday I splashed out 2.70GBP on a roll of tent repair tape from Millets. Today, my Tenacious Tape turned up so I’ve fixed my tent inner. In celebration, I spent 8.10GBP on some permethrin clothes spray, again from Millets.
I am sure I’ll find a use for the extra tape.

Kim · « **Reply #1706 on:** 09 June, 2023, 12:01:01 am »

While I was away on tour, a Flextail Tiny Pump 2X arrived. Review can wait until I've used it in anger, but it inflates mats, comes with an impressive assortment of nozzles and works fairly nicely as a lamp, if you don't mind 1kHz PWM.

iddu · « **Reply #1707 on:** 09 June, 2023, 10:57:55 pm »

Splurged out on a Durston x-Mid 2p, for a bit more room to swing a cat than the Elan / SoloLite (thus the decluttering in For Sale)

Just need to find a non-busy w/e to test in anger somewhere...

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #1708 on:** 10 June, 2023, 10:38:04 am »

Quote from: Kim on 09 June, 2023, 12:01:01 am

While I was away on tour, a Flextail Tiny Pump 2X arrived. Review can wait until I've used it in anger, but it inflates mats, comes with an impressive assortment of nozzles and works fairly nicely as a lamp, if you don't mind 1kHz PWM.

There is one that apparently weighs only 10g. Doesn't have a lamp though.
https://threepointsofthecompass.com/2023/04/01/gear-talk-pad-pal-the-worlds-smallest-and-lightest-electric-pad-inflator-is-getting-smaller-and-lighter/

andrewc · « **Reply #1709 on:** 10 June, 2023, 12:58:33 pm »

Interesting. Inflating a mat with a pump sack is one of my least favourite camping tasks.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #1710 on:** 10 June, 2023, 01:14:59 pm »

Lung what you brung.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1711 on:** 10 June, 2023, 01:27:09 pm »

As we have Exped mats I bought an Exped Widget pump. It inflates our large double Exped in a couple of minutes and has a light built in so I hung it up in the sleeping compartment.

It's rechargeable via micro USB which makes it very practical.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1712 on:** 11 June, 2023, 08:47:59 pm »

A Vango Brecon 450 airbeam tent. Our car camping future has begun.

Apparently the fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles (107 iirc), I got it half price and £50 goes to the National Trust. It'll do.

Do you think that I could sneak into an ALC meet with it? 🤔

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #1713 on:** 12 June, 2023, 04:21:51 pm »

Quote from: Lightning Phil on 16 August, 2020, 01:01:25 pm

Here’s my bivvy which I’ve had a while.

In the second photo I was seeing how it’d work with an emergency survival bag to save bulk. Third photo all packed up with inflatable mat inside the bivvy bag, and emergency bag in long thin orange bag. Total weight 1020g. Fourth photo packed between my recumbent seat and wheel and seat bag , avoiding rack needing to be installed. If rack was installed I’d probably take my 300g sleeping bag. I measure my stuff against foot size.

Been looking at setup as Wild Atlantic Way audax if it runs next year may need to use campsites instead of sports halls for sleeping.

What bivvi is that? Looks inflatable, which is a tent tech I think is really interesting.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #1714 on:** 12 June, 2023, 04:22:19 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 11 June, 2023, 08:47:59 pm

A Vango Brecon 450 airbeam tent. Our car camping future has begun.

Apparently the fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles (107 iirc), I got it half price and £50 goes to the National Trust. It'll do.

Do you think that I could sneak into an ALC meet with it? 🤔

Blow it up with helium. Can't get lighter than that.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #1715 on:** 12 June, 2023, 07:14:39 pm »

Doesn't the "lightweight" in ALC mean a tent rather than a caravan or motorhome?

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1716 on:** 12 June, 2023, 07:41:09 pm »

Generally tents loss than 2m in height and 5.5kgs in weight.

We could still use the Hilleberg Nammatj 3GT but definitely not the Vango Brecon 450 airbeam.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #1717 on:** 12 June, 2023, 08:21:28 pm »

Just read the ALC history page. Not for the last time, it was a story of the carists taking over something started by the cyclists.
https://lightweightcampers.org.uk/about-the-alc/

Kim · « **Reply #1718 on:** 12 June, 2023, 11:54:39 pm »

That page needs updating...

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 12 June, 2023, 07:14:39 pm

Doesn't the "lightweight" in ALC mean a tent rather than a caravan or motorhome?

Quote from: Polar Bear on 12 June, 2023, 07:41:09 pm

Generally tents loss than 2m in height and 5.5kgs in weight.

We could still use the Hilleberg Nammatj 3GT but definitely not the Vango Brecon 450 airbeam.

We recently changed TEH RULEZ, so they no longer specify weight or height (on the basis this was needlessly excluding people with single-pole or vintage canvas tents). To qualify as lightweight camping you now merely need to be doing it in "a tent" that is "small" and "easily transportable". The vagueness is intentional.

(AIUI the height and weight limit were originally introduced as a pre-emptive measure against overly restrictive planning regulations on campsites which never actually happened.)

And for the avoidance of doubt, it was never about means of transport. You've always been welcome to transport your small tent by car or motorcycle (though some meets might not allow vehicles to be driven onto the camping field), as well as on foot, bicycle, bus, etc. We're not the Fell Club.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1719 on:** 13 June, 2023, 03:52:58 pm »

Thanks for the link Kim. Interesting reading but I am still thinking that our new ountry home is perhaps a tad too big. ☺️

We've got a couple of nights coming up soon so I might just sling the Nammatj 3GT in and pitch it to see what needs doing. I know that the elastics are giving up on the inner and the shock cord in two of the piles is decidedly slack. Throw in a well knackered fly and footprint and perhaps a new small tent is required if we are to lightweight in the future.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1720 on:** 16 June, 2023, 03:31:36 pm »

I might have found a replacement for the Nammatj ...

Quisling · « **Reply #1721 on:** 17 July, 2023, 04:31:46 pm »

Not sure if this counts but it's a gateway to a camping adventure. I've just bought an Ultimate Direction Fastpack 30 ahead of a planned 2 day running circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight (and other adventures).
https://www.centurionultrarunningstore.com/products/ultimate-direction-fastpack-30

It's just about big enough to hold a 1 person Saunders Jetpacker tent, a Jetboil Micromo, an Exped sleeping mat, a 1-2 season down sleeping bag, some grub, 500ml water bottles x2, a toothbrush, phone and a a few dry clothes for a 5-6kg packweight. Which frankly is more than enough to be running with for 30+ miles a day.

Seems like an excellent piece of kit so far.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #1722 on:** 17 July, 2023, 04:38:13 pm »

Definitely counts in my book.

Hope that your plans go well. 👍

cycleman · « **Reply #1723 on:** 17 July, 2023, 06:56:52 pm »

Regrettably the c and c c is far too expensive for me to use . If I could afford it I would give me more incentive to explore

Kim · « **Reply #1724 on:** 18 July, 2023, 12:27:54 am »

Quote from: cycleman on 17 July, 2023, 06:56:52 pm

Regrettably the c and c c is far too expensive for me to use . If I could afford it I would give me more incentive to explore

The ALCish types within the Club are acutely aware of this (many of the sort of people who'd fit in in the ALC won't join the Club on cost grounds), but it's not something that's likely to change. The economics of membership rates are such that it's easy enough to justify if you're a family in a big tent or a couple touring in a motorhome or something, but much less so if you're a solo backpacker or cyclist, unless you go to a lot of DA/Section meets.

At which point it becomes a question of whether the hefty membership fee is worth it purely to be able to use the Certified Sites - to which the answer is a resounding "maybe".

(Of course there's no reason you couldn't independently book a pitch at a site where the ALC happened to be having a meet...)