Author Topic: Bought any camping gear today?  (Read 332115 times)

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1400 on: 11 April, 2018, 06:42:20 pm »
They go over the originals i.e. they are not to replace them. The intention being to spread the load a bit and prevent sinking in (and thereby losing the Helinox originals).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FBHZHVO/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_3p_dp_1
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1401 on: 27 April, 2018, 01:03:26 pm »
We seem to have a lovely Trangia set now.
Getting there...

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1402 on: 27 April, 2018, 01:15:45 pm »
Stocked up on Poundland camping pillows yesterday. Game changer.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1403 on: 29 April, 2018, 03:15:35 am »
Sea to summit large camping pillow, still not quite tall enough for be but better than the OEX one it replaces and it packs smaller.

αdαmsκι

  • Instagram @ucfaaay Strava @ucfaaay
  • Look haggard. It sells.
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1404 on: 23 May, 2018, 09:12:36 pm »
A Nordisk Oppland 3 LW tent to replace the one that we loved when we were cycle touring in 2016 and ended up with a shredded outer thanks to a domestic cat! (We did manage to use the cat destroyed tent for a further 3000+ km of cycle touring, but with a tarp of shame thrown over the top.) Anyway, "Above and Beyond" were offering the Nordisk at a reduced price, plus coupled with a 20% discount code they'd emailed me meant we've now got a new Oppland for a not totally crazy price.

Now we need to go camping.
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

Nick H.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1405 on: 24 May, 2018, 01:09:11 am »
I was thinking about taking my cat camping. She would probably shred my tent within seconds but somebody's invented soft plastic claw covers which you glue on. So add that to the camping shopping list! Or maybe don't because they're said to be cruel. So I suppose I can't take the cat camping after all. It's a shame because I think she'd love it. She's a bit strange.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1406 on: 29 May, 2018, 03:54:20 pm »
I bought a small, very light, plastic chopping board, from a kitchen shop, to make camp cooking easier and, shock horror, actually cook vegetables!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1407 on: 29 May, 2018, 04:08:16 pm »
I was thinking about taking my cat camping. She would probably shred my tent within seconds but somebody's invented soft plastic claw covers which you glue on. So add that to the camping shopping list! Or maybe don't because they're said to be cruel. So I suppose I can't take the cat camping after all. It's a shame because I think she'd love it. She's a bit strange.

Camping with cats is an actual thing, they even have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/campingwithcats/

And over the weekend The Current Mrs R was telling me how she's read that someone had installed a cat flap in their caravan as their cats loved a bit of caravanning!   We have 3 cats and I'm not sure we're brave enough to take any of them camping or caravanning for a whole variety of reasons, some of these involve us potentially being thrown off the campsite  :hand:

Nick H.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1408 on: 29 May, 2018, 08:14:20 pm »
I was assuming wild camping. I think I'll have to pitch the tent indoors and sleep in it. She'll want to join me. Then I might discover whether she thinks a nylon tent is scratchworthy.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1409 on: 30 May, 2018, 01:28:46 pm »
A Duossal frying pan for my Trangia, to replace the non-stick one with the flaky coating & the aluminium one with all the dents & scars.
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1410 on: 31 May, 2018, 09:25:43 am »
I was thinking about taking my cat camping. She would probably shred my tent within seconds but somebody's invented soft plastic claw covers which you glue on. So add that to the camping shopping list! Or maybe don't because they're said to be cruel. So I suppose I can't take the cat camping after all. It's a shame because I think she'd love it. She's a bit strange.

Camping with cats is an actual thing, they even have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/campingwithcats/

And over the weekend The Current Mrs R was telling me how she's read that someone had installed a cat flap in their caravan as their cats loved a bit of caravanning!   We have 3 cats and I'm not sure we're brave enough to take any of them camping or caravanning for a whole variety of reasons, some of these involve us potentially being thrown off the campsite  :hand:

Hmm. I wouldn't want free range cats on a site near my tent. One of the ALC had his Hilleberg Acto ripped to shreds by a cat that some idiot had taken to York Rally. They only have to get scared by one dog and go haring up the nearest object.
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1411 on: 31 May, 2018, 09:40:53 am »
I think you’re right. Most of the camping cats I’ve seen in photos wear a harness connected to a long lead.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1412 on: 31 May, 2018, 10:06:16 am »
Hmm. I wouldn't want free range cats on a site near my tent. One of the ALC had his Hilleberg Acto ripped to shreds by a cat that some idiot had taken to York Rally. They only have to get scared by one dog and go haring up the nearest object.

I've been on sites with free-range cats eg. Wing, and they've never been a problem.  I suppose there's a difference between a local cat on familiar territory (with known bolt-holes) that's only likely to go near the tents if it's happy with random humans, and a random cat that's been brought along by a camper and is likely to be on edge.

I've had more trouble with people's free-range dogs, including a yappy dog run up my tent during a fight with a bigger, less yappy dog, the usual friendly dog slobber allergy risk, and various spontaneous dog-emptyings in extremely suboptimal places.

Robert S. Thorn

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1413 on: 31 May, 2018, 11:31:34 am »
In recent days I have acquired a gas burner for the Trangia (I have lost the love for meths as it's messy and tastes awful if you accidentally ingest it) and a Helinox Chair One for a bit of campsite luxury.

Can I please ask for recommendations for a good nights sleep courtesy of what the best sleeping mat is for comfort given that it will be packed away whilst walking or cycling?

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1414 on: 31 May, 2018, 12:01:49 pm »
Starter for ten: Exped Downmat/Synmat.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1415 on: 31 May, 2018, 12:05:21 pm »
In recent days I have acquired a gas burner for the Trangia (I have lost the love for meths as it's messy and tastes awful if you accidentally ingest it) and a Helinox Chair One for a bit of campsite luxury.

Can I please ask for recommendations for a good nights sleep courtesy of what the best sleeping mat is for comfort given that it will be packed away whilst walking or cycling?

I've used both Thermarest Neoair & Exped Downmat/Synmat.    Both are comfortable,  both will eventually fail so I think Thermarests lifetime warranty beats the Exped 5 year one.  Exped was slightly more comfortable, the thermarests pack a bit smaller.    I think my current model is a Neoair Trekker.   Both manufacturers offer large or Wide versions,  after using one I think it's worth the slight weight penalty for not worrying about rolling off the mat

Edit: Whichever one you get buy a pump sac. Inflating them by mouth gets old quickly.
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Robert S. Thorn

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1416 on: 31 May, 2018, 12:31:58 pm »
So, Exped or Thermarest then.

I have an old Thermarest so googled to check that they had advanced over twenty years and it seems that they have.  Always been reliable if not so comfortable so I'll start with Thermarest I think.

Thanks to you both for your help.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1417 on: 31 May, 2018, 12:33:16 pm »
I'd recommend a Neoair over a Downmat.
Compare the result you get when googling "downmat baffle failure" and "thermarest baffle failure" to see why.

A warranty is all very well, but it doesn't help very much when you are a week into a 2 week trip.

They come in various warmth ratings (R-value, higher is warmer), which deserve some consideration. Values below 3 (US units) or 0.5 (SI units) aren't really warm enough for winter.

There are other similar mats available (from eg Sea to Summit), but the alternatives generally haven't been available long enough to get a decent user base and feedback

Aushiker

  • Cyclist, bushwalker, phottographer (amaturer)
    • Aushiker: Bicycling and Hiking in Western Australia
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1418 on: 31 May, 2018, 01:35:25 pm »
On the subject of Exped mats, this thread at the Bushwalking Australia forums might be of interest.

Robert S. Thorn

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1419 on: 31 May, 2018, 01:44:27 pm »
Thanks for that link.  I wonder if there is something similar for Thermarests lurking on the internet? 

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1420 on: 31 May, 2018, 01:53:37 pm »
Do Thermarest do anything that's as warm as a Downmat?

Ah, the NeoAir XTherm.  Doesn't look quite as comfortable, but very impressive weight.

Nick H.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1421 on: 31 May, 2018, 02:19:05 pm »
Nobody's mentioning the top of the range mats, e.g. Thermarest MondoKing and DreamTime, or Exped MegaMat.  Or the really thick things from other mfrs such as Coleman. They're too heavy for cycling but Robert's post seems to imply that's not an issue.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1422 on: 31 May, 2018, 02:27:51 pm »
I was extremely impressed with Polar Bear's MegaMat.  No idea if it suffers from the same problems as other Exped mats.

Alpkit's Dozer isn't bad, either.

Robert S. Thorn

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1423 on: 31 May, 2018, 02:35:24 pm »
Nobody's mentioning the top of the range mats, e.g. Thermarest MondoKing and DreamTime, or Exped MegaMat.  Or the really thick things from other mfrs such as Coleman. They're too heavy for cycling but Robert's post seems to imply that's not an issue.

I did say that it will be used whilst on walking and cycling trips.  Perhaps not well enough expressed - sorry.

Having now looked at a few of the suggestions they look more like car camping mats or mats that I'd use if I had a base from where I was exploring.  The 63cms wide Mondoking is 2.5 kgs.  A tad heavier than my tent.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1424 on: 31 May, 2018, 02:38:37 pm »
Yeah, those are all very much car camping / 'base camp' mats.