Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: velosam on 17 June, 2021, 02:25:05 pm
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I would like to try it but have no idea as to even how to get going. I have watched the youtube videos etc, but do I just have to suck it up and see how it goes?
It does not help that I have no kit either, so any hints etc appreciated.
Also, is it best I just jump in and go wild camping or should I try a few campsites in the car first?
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Best approach is probably to go with experienced camper(s), borrowing some of their n+1 kit.
Not sure about the car. I find that the beauty of cycle-camping is that it enables you to bring enough kit for decent comfort, while avoiding carrying so much stuff that it just gives you more work to do (if you have masses of crockery/cutlery, you end up with a bowl full of washing-up, for example).
On the other hand, car camping means you can bring heavy/bulky items (cheap synthetic sleeping bags that are actually warm, tents you can stand up in, real pillows, steel pegs and mallets, decent chairs, kitchen roll) that aren't practical by bike.
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What ever you do, don't get a pop up tent, Fucking horrible things. Right pain in the arse.
J
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What ever you do, don't get a pop up tent, Fucking horrible things. Right pain in the arse.
Pop-up tents are absolutely brilliant[1] when you need something to keep the sun/rain away from your trackside babbage-engine (lest the jam go all runny and leak out, interfering with the acquisition of race results) that can be quickly erected by people who aren't familiar with the tent, and sorted out with mooncup-style contortions in the car park afterwards.
I wouldn't want to camp in one.
[1] This will be why nobody seems to make them in big-enough-to-stand-up-in sizes any more. They've pretty much consolidated on the disposable-tat-for-festivals market.
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I would definitely go campsite first, save wild camping for when you know what you're doing. If you've never camped before, you won't know what bits of kit you really need, and what you can leave at home, so you'll probably end up taking more than you need but still find yourself missing essentials. Going to a well-appointed site means you're less likely to need much in the way of special kit - and there will probably be a shop on site where you can buy bits and pieces you do need. Camping kit is best acquired piecemeal over a number of years, as you learn what you need. Also helps to peruse the site and see what kit other people have for inspiration.
Fully agree with QG on pop-up tents. They go up easily enough but take forever to fold away!
Also, whatever tent you do take, practise setting it up and putting it away in your garden (or even a local park if you don't have a garden) before you go away. Not least because you don't know what conditions will be like when you have to do it for real (I once memorably had to pitch a family-size tent in the dark, in a howling gale and driving rain in Fort William while my wife and son sat in the car watching me and laughing).
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Absolutely. Wild camping is exactly the sort of thing that done badly can make you hate camping.
A fully-featured commercial site may be a bit bland, and full of noisy young people / stuffy caravanists (delete according to prejudice), but it's a great way to try out kit, and those sort of things are easier to discount, compared to the misery of toilet issues, running out of water or an encounter with a grumpy land-owner.
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What ever you do, don't get a pop up tent, Fucking horrible things. Right pain in the arse.
Pop-up tents are absolutely brilliant[1] when you need something to keep the sun/rain away from your trackside babbage-engine (lest the jam go all runny and leak out, interfering with the acquisition of race results) that can be quickly erected by people who aren't familiar with the tent, and sorted out with mooncup-style contortions in the car park afterwards.
I wouldn't want to camp in one.
[1] This will be why nobody seems to make them in big-enough-to-stand-up-in sizes any more. They've pretty much consolidated on the disposable-tat-for-festivals market.
As long as you want to wander round with a 1 m diameter circle of doom, that is usually strapped to the back of things and forgotten about and used as a way of wreeking havoc on a central station crowd due to complete stupidity.
I have raced a friend with a pop up tent, vs my Vaude Hogan. I could get my tent up and pegged our faster than they could get their popup tent up and pegged out...
J
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The circle of doom isn't a problem when it's going in a van with a load of RFID aerials and cables and flags and stuff.
As I say, there are niche applications. Cycle-camping/backpacking isn't one, unless you're planning to abandon it at your destination.
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You need to speak to that Torslanda chappie. He never camped at least half a dozen times now and really doesn't enjoy it. Honestly.
Hopefully folk will provide pictoral evidence of Torslanda not camping shortly ...
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I would definitely go campsite first, save wild camping for when you know what you're doing. If you've never camped before, you won't know what bits of kit you really need, and what you can leave at home, so you'll probably end up taking more than you need but still find yourself missing essentials. Going to a well-appointed site means you're less likely to need much in the way of special kit - and there will probably be a shop on site where you can buy bits and pieces you do need. Camping kit is best acquired piecemeal over a number of years, as you learn what you need. Also helps to peruse the site and see what kit other people have for inspiration.
Agreed, and you can always borrow things from neighbours, I've often borrowed a mallet when on a campsite. Or a squirt of washing up liquid when at the sinks. Etc...
Fully agree with QG on pop-up tents. They go up easily enough but take forever to fold away!
Also, whatever tent you do take, practise setting it up and putting it away in your garden (or even a local park if you don't have a garden) before you go away. Not least because you don't know what conditions will be like when you have to do it for real (I once memorably had to pitch a family-size tent in the dark, in a howling gale and driving rain in Fort William while my wife and son sat in the car watching me and laughing).
Agreed.
Some notes on choosing tents:
98% of all tent designs suck. Big time.
They look lovely and everything, until you have to put them up, in the rain, and in the wind. Any tent that requires you to feed a narrow pole through a sleeve was designed by someone who hasn't heard of wind. Any tent that is pitched inner first, and then an outer over the top, has never heard of rain. An inner first pitching tent is a place of misery when you put it up only to find your shelter is soaking wet before you've even climbed into it...
The problem is this basically rules out nearly every tent any of us can afford. The Vaude Hogan (original), and the Vaude Mark models (various sizes, various prices, hard to google for), are excellent in this regard. But you pay the price in it being a bit heavier. They are also not cheap.
I have a Luxe Sil Hexpeak, it's light weight, has room for two people (you need to buy a different inner for 2 people, but worth having). Stands up to storms very well, and it's outer first pitching. If you want to save a bit, then they do a non silnylon version for a bit less (at a higher weight). If you want to have more people, they also do other sizes. backpackinglight.co.uk are the uk stockist I believe. The nice thing about a Luxe Hex peak, is it will serve you just fine on a campsite in Kent, as it will on the way to Cape Wrath in Scotland. It is not cheap, but assuming you don't destroy it, it will last, and have good resale value.
I am a tent snob. It's worth noting that if you go to the sort of middle class folk music festivals where people have on idea how to use a tent, you can drink for free for a weekend by offering to put peoples tents up for them, in exchange for a beer. A friend and I did that at a festival in the west country... An hour of tentage, and a weekend of free drinks...
The circle of doom isn't a problem when it's going in a van with a load of RFID aerials and cables and flags and stuff.
As I say, there are niche applications. Cycle-camping/backpacking isn't one, unless you're planning to abandon it at your destination.
Until you need to also fit a human in the back of that car too... We picked up a Slovakian friend on the way to an event, we could fit him, or his luggage, or his tent, choose upto 2.
If you need shelter for your babbage engine, there's much better options, and it's best you put them up advance.
I *REALLY* hate pop up tents.
J
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Outer-first tents - very good point!
Our current family tent has many flaws but this is not one of them.
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If you need shelter for your babbage engine, there's much better options, and it's best you put them up advance.
Open to suggestions, for the situation where we have a track booked for a few hours, and time spent waiting for the tent to go up is time spent not setting up the timing system, which is time not spent racing. Typically we can't erect the tent when someone else is has booked time on the track.
Current arrangement is a non-pop-up event shelter, which involves a several of Faffers working out what to do with a great many poles. Previous solution of a now-unobtainium large pop-up tent (alas, stolen along with the van it was in at the time) worked very well. As does parking a van at the trackside, on the few sites that allow vehicle access.
Something inflatable might work nicely, but would blow the budget.
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If you need shelter for your babbage engine, there's much better options, and it's best you put them up advance.
Open to suggestions, for the situation where we have a track booked for a few hours, and time spent waiting for the tent to go up is time spent not setting up the timing system, which is time not spent racing. Typically we can't erect the tent when someone else is has booked time on the track.
https://amzn.to/3cOZ6Ta
Coleman event shelter. They go up in about a minute with a couple of competent adults... Come in various sizes.
Current arrangement is a non-pop-up event shelter, which involves a several of Faffers working out what to do with a great many poles. Previous solution of a now-unobtainium large pop-up tent (alas, stolen along with the van it was in at the time) worked very well. As does parking a van at the trackside, on the few sites that allow vehicle access.
Something inflatable might work nicely, but would blow the budget.
J
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Btw, this is the tent I use:
https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html (https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html)
J
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If you need shelter for your babbage engine, there's much better options, and it's best you put them up advance.
Open to suggestions, for the situation where we have a track booked for a few hours, and time spent waiting for the tent to go up is time spent not setting up the timing system, which is time not spent racing. Typically we can't erect the tent when someone else is has booked time on the track.
https://amzn.to/3cOZ6Ta
Coleman event shelter. They go up in about a minute with a couple of competent adults... Come in various sizes.
The ALC have one of those, which we use to good effect as a social space for lightweight camping meets. It's functionally similar to (though much larger and somewhat less tatty than) the one the BHPC are using at the moment (which is technically an event shelter rather than a tent, as we're reminded whenever the rain blows through the gap between the wall and the groundsheet.)
Anyway, this is OT.
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Once you have your basics of tent , mat, sleeping bag or duvet. You can practice putting your tent up and sleeping in it , in your garden. Admittedly something I did when a child. But nothing stopping you doing it as an adult. If you don’t have a garden you can at least practice putting it up (and taking down and repacking) in a quiet local park, but best not to sleep there.
As to cooking. You don’t need to get cooking gear to start. If you choose a suitable site near pub for evening meal and café for breakfast. You can skip the cooking bit. See how it feels sleeping in a tent on a site etc. If you decide you do like it then you can see what others on the site have fir cooking setup.
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thanks all, lots of food for thought.
I think I have convinced someone to go for one night, but he has a huge bell tent!
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That's okay, it's summer.
(All else being equal, big tents tend to be cold. Classic rookie mistake is using a big tent for family camping off-season on the basis that there's room to do things inside it if it rains.)
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Once you have your basics of tent , mat, sleeping bag or duvet. You can practice putting your tent up and sleeping in it , in your garden. Admittedly something I did when a child. But nothing stopping you doing it as an adult.
If you don’t have a garden you can at least practice putting it up in a quiet local park, but best not to sleep there.
As to cooking. You don’t need to get cooking gear to start. If you choose a suitable site near pub for evening meal and café for breakfast. You can skip the cooking bit. See how it feels sleeping in a tent on a site etc. If you decide you do like it then you can see what others on the site have fir cooking setup.
Oh come, let's play the tape to the end.
OP: "What cooking stove should I get?"
Kim: Trangia! Trangia! Trangia! they are bullet proof and easy to use!
Me: Well... you could get a trangia... but they are heavy... and awkward... and the fuel is not always easy to find... I am a fan of multi fuel stoves, an MSR Whisperlite is an excellent choice, esp the one that burns both petrol and gas. Avoid anything that uses camping gaz blue things. They are from the same school of devilry that produce pop up tents. Do not trust you can get the right gas everywhere. Petrol you can get pretty much everywhere (or use coleman fuel from your local blacks/decathlon/katmandu). If you do buy a gas stove, then the MSR Isopro cans are best, as they have a neat marking on the side for how much gas they have left. Personally I use a Primus Omnilite Ti. It's lovely.
Someone else: But what about a £10 screw on gas stove from china?
Me: Sure, but they suck in the wind, and some of them are a death trap, and you can't get gas everywhere?
Someone else: I never had issues with gas.
Me: <stories (plural), of friends unable to get the right gas>
Yet another person: ESBIT!
Me: Bushcraft forum is over there ---> :p
OP: So, about that campsite near a pub suggestion.
(Have we done this before on yacf? sure, what gave that away?)
J
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https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=107532.0
Here's the latest stove thread. Where everyone is wrong :p
J
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Yet another person: ESBIT!
Me: Bushcraft forum is over there ---> :p
OP: So, about that campsite near a pub suggestion.
(Have we done this before on yacf? sure, what gave that away?)
J
The modern EBITs, combined with a windscreen, are quite good. Not stinky, you can use part-tabs, even use the gel stuff for sanitizing hands.
I found that one tab would cook a full meal for one. A half tab would boil water for a drink.
Was skeptical until I tried one.
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Borrow as much equipment from friends as you can. It gets expensive quickly, and you don't know yet if it's a one-off, or what qualities to look for. Buy used, or from vendors like decathlon (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/) and alpkit (https://alpkit.com) which have good price-performance/quality.
When using your bicycle the volume of all the stuff you take is often more a problem / challenge than the weight. If you're lucky you can borrow someone's Ortlieb (or equivalent) waterproof panniers. Don't pack your bags to the brim when you leave, you probably need some space for some food (I usually buy at the end of the day when I'm near the campsite).
Definitely start with campsites, I'm sure that with a little research you'll find ones that are cozy for tents. Bring earplugs (also applies when staying in hotels, b&b's etc). For a first trip I'd say do 2 - 3 nights out; easy mileage so you arrive late afternoon without the need to rush (everything takes more time while camping).
Don't cook inside a tent (think CarbonMonoxide...)
But think twice before you set off, you may be going down the rabbit hole :)
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Any tent advertised as sleeping n people will actually sleep n-1.
Keep everything as dry as possible. The only thing worse than packing wet gear is unpacking it for the next night.
Store any food in the porch, not in the sleeping area. Small furry animals are known to go after the food, and you don't want one nibbling its way through the tent.
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Any tent that is pitched inner first, and then an outer over the top, has never heard of rain. An inner first pitching tent is a place of misery when you put it up only to find your shelter is soaking wet before you've even climbed into it...
I've heard of rain, camped in plenty of it and still have a preference for inner first pitching. When packing away it's easier to keep a wet fly and dry inner separate, and when pitching you don't have to crawl around inside trying to attach it, the worst is packing them away together which will transfer more wet than a bit of rain. Take a bit of care and the inner is exposed for half a minute at most, and many modern inners have enough DWR to to deal with it. Even if they get a bit wet, the fabric is so light it'll dry in no time. I've had my current tent 17 years and it's not once been a problem. On the plus side, it's likely to be a more rigid structure, crossed poles, less unsupported fabric, which means less flapping and less reliance on guys and free standing enough to fit in awkward spots.
But the OP doesn't need to know any of this stuff. Camping kit is and isn't as important as bike kit. Just needs warmth, shelter and something not to hard to sleep on. Some really basic kit will offer that, probably find it hard to find kit that didn't. Then they'll know if they like camping in the same way as you can find out if you like cycling by riding a cheap bike.
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I'd start with a campsite and borrowed, someone else's or just cheapish gear. Definitely practice putting the tent up in the garden or park first, or make sure your friend has done so. Check the weather forecast and go for one night or a weekend. Eat in the pub but it is nice to be able to make hot drinks (well, it depends on your attitude to tea and coffee). Car camping probably easier on grounds of making it possible to use cheap rectangular sleeping bags, which are heavy, bulky and warm, cozy mats and stuff, and take lots of food with you if you want – although I've never actually car camped so might be 101% wrong on this.
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Something inflatable might work nicely, but would blow the budget.
Boom... tish.
I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
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Proof of the pudding is in the eating, so hopefully will do a couple of car camps and then shift to motorcycle camping. However similar to a bicycle I dont want to carry much stuff, so lets see how I do. Lots of food for thought, cheers
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The down side of car camping is that it's too tempting to just load up the car with *everything*. But then you're likely to end up with *too much* stuff - bearing in mind you will have limited storage space, and that keeping everything clean is much harder.
Part of the joy of camping is roughing it a bit. If that means wearing the same pair of pants and socks two days running, so be it. That's preferable to having to take a load of laundry home with you. Minimise things like kitchen utensils - take only versatile tools that can be used for multiple purposes, don't try to set up a whole field kitchen.
On the other hand, taking the car means you can afford to pack extras like wind breaks, which can be extremely useful - especially if the campsite is in an exposed location. Also good for a bit of extra privacy on busy sites.
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I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
I can't help being suspicious of inflatable tents - just struggle to accept the idea that they would be rigid enough. But they seem popular, so I'm sure they're fine - especially for a one/two-person size. Although I have seen some massive family-size inflatable tents too.
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Something inflatable might work nicely, but would blow the budget.
Boom... tish.
I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
I have a tent with an inflatable “air” beam which basically replaces the main pole that forms a hoop in many tents. Kim is right, not cheap. But it is light (920g including all the pegs and guy lines) and packs into compact compression stuff sack. The rear you are mean to find a twig for a pole. But I’ve never bothered as under tension my feet down that end are fine. Comes with a small hand pump which doesn’t take long to inflate the beam. But it’s not a tent for sitting up in. If weather looks like it’s going to be very wet I prefer my three man tunnel tent which has plenty of volume for the weight.
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Yes, the "air beam" principle is what Alpkit are working on. I've never looked at the festival pop-up tents, do they work in a similar way or does the whole tent inflate like a balloon?
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I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
I can't help being suspicious of inflatable tents - just struggle to accept the idea that they would be rigid enough. But they seem popular, so I'm sure they're fine - especially for a one/two-person size. Although I have seen some massive family-size inflatable tents too.
I was on a site the other year and the family were trying to find a nearby shop to purchase a new tent. There aren't many places near the Lizard...
It seems that a mouse had visited the tent when it was in storage, and so it wouldn't inflate when they got there after a long drive.
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Definitely start with a campsite. Also try and pick a dry night if possible, and for your first attempt a relatively warm one. If you have a back garden you can camp in, that might be even better for testing kit.
If you are away from home, a method of making hot water for tea/coffee is something I like. I'm usually happy to eat cold foods when camping, as long as I can get a hot drink. This also saves washing up over cooking, especially if you are used to doing things like frying bacon as per most camps I did as a scout.
Another tip I'd give is that roll mats and self inflating mats may be tiny and cheap, but unless the ground is soft you may not enjoy sleeping on them. I was always happy with them when I was younger, but I use a syn-mat now (if I ever get round to camping - it's been a while :-[). Cheaper and at least as good if you are car camping would be a blow up airbed.
With poles, I've found that alloy poles are far easier to put up than fibreglass ones, as they form a smooth pole when fitted together. The annoying bit of feeding a fibreglass pole through a tent tends to be the metal connectors snagging on the material IME. On the plus side, fibreglass poles are easier to repair if the campsite dog decides to jump on your tent and smash them. Alloy poles take a bit of inginuity to keep going ;D
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/30eEptcU6DkhIb_cditktU_ts1CEhu1SI-_UP6BfTcNEJKObAia_mMep-OyuSuSYgB-_7W9u0pAJwsjCc7lJiuF7DzyKxr7TkKpqWmxWxE60a6c5-c6UB3klaRDcDigCxDFibKqLqxUFQTulENHWe8HZFnK_Z4Ionlo-Qv8lT5F9-XLzm8acE0f53APaxC1vxypNXsWMEOD83MzkMypsCFnit4oHQKDEXmfYGTOyrUK1eKkv-oEuhAhMhbWIQT5b1DAExv8x0mpV1tl_DKbLqai0Qg4di9i7WQqrDVa2GzSp3SVNVX1tBtMq3OX0gpOQ0GmwTYjpTIMbjq_kmzF_fPqLTrjpDFzdRAkWo7A00iIH21Wik8AyLooGD3qinyboOrSgTNHO5YIoU04rCO6Zt0zjeZJCTK-y5jUNalz2ICUkEZNQC65Ozx1Wtw50B8yU__kT2LZcMFtDIDRgoyZZvI6lZVRTITWPkEbrJxZbqZSyUc-6iUUSzAZ5HKPr6IkSasTyzdGvi4cN1bRrfR09zN8vSB_Eo-wYRdDJ43WtO-qHzbuleFykfvHbY9GfHS6C8cNbsPLq0GDqG5-lBlTdAB8EdZaOIGB0vd9yyLpj75qldnGQrTOsndJmgea3ulHYFU0pDBJwGQWkxl6rDTixPO3kEZgglLkoHtsHVz1v-yEZNFcPrjrdHlHO2fcnZErxHwoSJhYEkfcOst8jXsSEKdE=w834-h625-no?authuser=0)
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I've never looked at the festival pop-up tents, do they work in a similar way or does the whole tent inflate like a balloon?
No, they have flexible poles that stay in place, arranged in a continuous circle (makes a sort of Pringle outline shape when erected) - to put it away, you have to contort the poles into something like a figure of eight, then fold it in on itself. It has straps to keep it folded. We have one, which was a gift from a relative for the boy when he was small. We have taken it with us on family camping holidays to give him a bit of independence, in the form of his own private sleeping area, while we occupy the main tent. There is a knack to folding it up but I've never acquired it, so it's a learning process every time. Hateful thing.
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It seems that a mouse had visited the tent when it was in storage, and so it wouldn't inflate when they got there after a long drive.
:facepalm:
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Yes, the "air beam" principle is what Alpkit are working on. I've never looked at the festival pop-up tents, do they work in a similar way or does the whole tent inflate like a balloon?
Where you would normally have the pole sleeve. There’s a double layered sealed chamber with a valve. The hand pump clicks into place, and you pump till you have a solid hoop formed by the beam. You then twist the valve to seal it and release pump. I’ve had the tent about 8 years now. It does work pretty well.
It’s nothing like a festival tent.
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Something inflatable might work nicely, but would blow the budget.
Boom... tish.
I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
Git!
*Soon to be owner of a new Polestar tent*
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I note that Alpkit now do an inflatable tent aimed at bikepackers. The idea being no poles makes it easier to stuff into an oddly shaped bikepacking bag, as well as (perhaps) saving weight.
I can't help being suspicious of inflatable tents - just struggle to accept the idea that they would be rigid enough. But they seem popular, so I'm sure they're fine - especially for a one/two-person size. Although I have seen some massive family-size inflatable tents too.
I was on a site the other year and the family were trying to find a nearby shop to purchase a new tent. There aren't many places near the Lizard...
It seems that a mouse had visited the tent when it was in storage, and so it wouldn't inflate when they got there after a long drive.
They’d be able to repair with the patch kits you get for air beds. Assuming the hole is obvious and not super large.
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Definitely start with a campsite. Also try and pick a dry night if possible, and for your first attempt a relatively warm one. If you have a back garden you can camp in, that might be even better for testing kit.
Garden camping can be surprisingly fun, especially if you have kids. Make it as rough or as civilized as you want, it's an adventure without travel – moving your point of view rather than the view. And it's definitely a good way to try out new kit!
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Definitely start with a campsite. Also try and pick a dry night if possible, and for your first attempt a relatively warm one. If you have a back garden you can camp in, that might be even better for testing kit.
Garden camping can be surprisingly fun, especially if you have kids. Make it as rough or as civilized as you want, it's an adventure without travel – moving your point of view rather than the view. And it's definitely a good way to try out new kit!
Don't try this if you have cats and an expensive tent though - our Hilleberg has never been the same since Anja discovered it was a fun thing to climb up and down the other side. Then there was the fun part of grabbing feet through the inner having crawled in under the outer. We locked her in the house in the end which had an element of irony to it
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Any tent that is pitched inner first, and then an outer over the top, has never heard of rain. An inner first pitching tent is a place of misery when you put it up only to find your shelter is soaking wet before you've even climbed into it...
I've heard of rain, camped in plenty of it and still have a preference for inner first pitching.
We have the Alpkit Jaran as our backpacking tent. It's pitch inner first. Inner first tend to be lighter - although not always the case but I found you have to spend more. We use the Hilleberg nallo for bike trips which is outer first and lovely but a bit big for the rucksacks.
In the pouring rain last week we were able to erect the tent fully in the washing up area of the campsite and carry it to the pitch for pegging out. Not always possible especially when wild camping but there's usually some solution - camping is about being self sufficient. I'm pretty sure (not tested yet) the poles could be erected and the outer thrown over and clipped in without the inner at least to provide a shelter for the rain to ease for a full assembly later.
I wouldn't entirely rule out inner first pitching if other features and budget dictated that was the best compromise. All kit selection is a compromise.
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The OP has missed out asking the most important question; Shimano or Campag?
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Btw, this is the tent I use:
(https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html)
J
It’s invisible to me, until I “quote” your post. The text that is. I still don’t see the pic.
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It’s invisible to me, until I “quote” your post. The text that is. I still don’t see the pic.
The emperor's new tent!
(I didn't see the pic either, but assumed QG was making a point... ;D )
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Stealth camping
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Btw, this is the tent I use:
https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html (https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html)
J
Oops, link now fixed. I used img rather than url tags. I'm awake, honest.
J
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Btw, this is the tent I use:
https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html (https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129-138.html)
J
:thumbsup:
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That's a clone of the Golite Shangri-La 3 which I still have & use. I got a 3/4 size inner for it from AliExpress a while ago.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3F-high-quality-T-door-design-2-person-4-seasons-230-132-138cm-inner-tent-40d/32973615138.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.17434c4dRH7Vyj
I use my MSR HubbaHubba more frequently though, probably time I had a cull.
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I'd start with a campsite and borrowed, someone else's or just cheapish gear. Definitely practice putting the tent up in the garden or park first, or make sure your friend has done so. Check the weather forecast and go for one night or a weekend. Eat in the pub but it is nice to be able to make hot drinks (well, it depends on your attitude to tea and coffee). Car camping probably easier on grounds of making it possible to use cheap rectangular sleeping bags, which are heavy, bulky and warm, cozy mats and stuff, and take lots of food with you if you want – although I've never actually car camped so might be 101% wrong on this.
This sounds about right. Just be careful or you'll end up like a lot of us with camping kit for every occaision. I have everything required for the range of family car camping to solo wild camping and I'm sure I'm still a sucker for the latest best bit of kit.....
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Has anyone eulogised about packing a hot water bottle yet?
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Has anyone eulogised about packing a hot water bottle yet?
Perfect winter companion to a Trangia, which is (apparently) the One True Stove.
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Has anyone eulogised about packing a hot water bottle yet?
Perfect winter companion to a Trangia, which is (apparently) the One True Stove.
The trick here is multi use.
If you use an HDPE nalgene bottle for your water, fill it with boiling water, place it in your spare sock, stick it in bottom of sleeping bag. One hot water bottle, one preheated sleeping bag. I carry a pair of 500ml bottles, (1000ml doesn't fit in my socks), I put one near my feet, one near my back. The extra bonus is that I have prewarmed socks for the morning, as well as able to make tea/coffee faster in the morning by using warmer water...
Don't use the polycarbonate ones tho, as the water cools it creates a vacuum. This will crack the polycarbonate as it's not flexible enough. The HDPE ones work great tho.
J
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Borrow stuff if you can. Buy on eBay if necessary, then sell back on eBay if you want to change it. Trangias, used, are simple and easy to use, fuel is easy to find. Camping opens up a whole new world where you can kip anywhere from Gibraltar to Nord Kapp. It's seriously life changing.
Recommended. 😁
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Has anyone eulogised about packing a hot water bottle yet?
Perfect winter companion to a Trangia, which is (apparently) the One True Stove.
The trick here is multi use.
If you use an HDPE nalgene bottle for your water, fill it with boiling water, place it in your spare sock, stick it in bottom of sleeping bag. One hot water bottle, one preheated sleeping bag. I carry a pair of 500ml bottles, (1000ml doesn't fit in my socks), I put one near my feet, one near my back. The extra bonus is that I have prewarmed socks for the morning, as well as able to make tea/coffee faster in the morning by using warmer water...
Don't use the polycarbonate ones tho, as the water cools it creates a vacuum. This will crack the polycarbonate as it's not flexible enough. The HDPE ones work great tho.
This seems eminently sensible. As does (in theory) using your Ortlieb water bag as a pillow. (I've never had the nerve to try that one, though - my sleeping bag's stuff sack doubles as a pillow, with less serious consequences if it leaks.)
Personally, if it's cold enough for hot water bottles, it's too cold for much in the way of cycling, so I don't give a stuff about the extra weight.
Oh, and the advantage of a meths stove (doesn't have to be a Trangia) here is that you can light it up in the middle of the night without disturbing anyone, to re-heat the hot water bottle water while you're peeing at bladder o'clock.
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Even better than a bottle might be one of those drink pouch things. Then it's not a hard lump in your sleeping bag.
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Thanks all, lots of food for thought
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We're off again this weekend with the dog. Managed to find a site in Wisebech - https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=13316 - but it was a bit of a struggle, being the school holidays and Covid...
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I was at Beeches Farm between Chepstow and Tintern last night, known to quite a few otp. Based on previous midweek experience I was expecting it quite quiet. I had of course failed to reckon with school holidays and the not-really-staycation. Not full up, but busy. However, I was pleased that they haven't put their prices up – still only £8 for the self-propelled – and impressed by how quiet it got at ten o'clock. Also, despite being mainly families with small kids (Oscar, I told you to get your pyjamas on! Now!) it was also almost entirely tents (big ones). A couple of camper vans, didn't see any caravans. And the views are as good as ever, and my new sleeping bag is toasty!
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I cycled past one of our local campsites yesterday evening. The site has an overspill field that is rarely used, even in high season, but it was rammed. I don't think I've ever seen it so full.
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Too lazy to read the thread, just popping in to say that a tent should be free-standing. Tent pegs not necessary. Then you can wild camp on concrete or whatever, and your tent won't droop in the night and you won't trip over the guy lines or lose the tent pegs or break them. Just forget tent pegs, they're shit. They're only for mountaineers who camp on a ledge in a gale. Obviously a free-standing tent will blow away with the slightest puff of wind, but you have a bike and panniers with which to weight it down. So get a tent which is big enough to accommodate your bike so you can sleep with it and not worry about foxes eating your Brooks etc.
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Too lazy to read the thread, just popping in to say that a tent should be free-standing.
I think this is a good rule of thumb that can be broken on a case-by-case basis as necessary. Free-standing gives you so many more pitching options.
(The Akto approach of achieving a passable pitch with only 4 anchor points is a grey area - I've successfully secured mine to things other than pegs in the past. Lightweight imitations that rely on 27 off-cuts of titanium wire to achieve something resembling a tent shape need not apply.)
foxes eating your Brooks
Is that a thing that happens?
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Some foxes will chew anything which smells interesting. In Portugal a fox pinched my shoes and threw up in them.
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This probably says more about your shoes than foxes...
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So I finally went camping. Had to share a tent which was ok but was woefully under prepared. I just had a sleeping bag and yoga mat, others came with airbeds, pillows, and duvets!
It was only one night but fun. I would definitely do 9t again but only in dry, warm weather, can't see the point otherwise.
Not sure how I would cope with the cold and boil in the bag food.
Was a little wierd seeing everyone in pj's in the morning, washing dishes etc
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To a great extent, dealing with cold and indeed wet is about having the right kit.
Airbeds, for example, are wonderfully comfortable if it's warm, but lose a lot more heat than your closed-cell foam. Things like the Exped mats achieve the best of both worlds, with an associated cost. The same sort of thing can be said for clothing.
I mentioned before that big tents are, by their nature, a lot colder than small tents. On the other hand, keeping your dry stuff dry while getting into a small tent dripping wet is something that requires practice and a bit of forward planning. I have about two night's patience for that sort of thing.
Boil-in-the-bag food is, fortunately, not compulsory. But neither is camping in bad weather.
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Boil-in-the-bag food is, fortunately, not compulsory. But neither is camping in bad weather.
Kim is, as usual, correct. It's worth investing a few minutes working out the cost of camping kit, then several nights in a hotel during a year and comparing that with the cost of a nice warm campervan. I've found a load of camping kit offers a lot more flexibility for cycle touring and nights in nice warm hotels cost a lot less than a nice warm campervan.
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If you are in a car then a heavier tent with a decent porch for sitting in if wet and back from any activities works well. The Vango three person tunnel tents are good for this in wet weather. Doors either side so at least one side can be left open in wet weather. If on bike then a lightweight tent and tarp can give a good sheltered area for cooking and relaxing in wet weather. Tent one end of tarp and bike other end and some guy lines attached etc.
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I have a Luxe Sil Hexpeak, it's light weight, has room for two people (you need to buy a different inner for 2 people, but worth having). Stands up to storms very well, and it's outer first pitching. If you want to save a bit, then they do a non silnylon version for a bit less (at a higher weight). If you want to have more people, they also do other sizes. backpackinglight.co.uk are the uk stockist I believe. The nice thing about a Luxe Hex peak, is it will serve you just fine on a campsite in Kent, as it will on the way to Cape Wrath in Scotland. It is not cheap, but assuming you don't destroy it, it will last, and have good resale value.
Assuming you use a midge proof inner, i.e. not the stock one