Wild camp gear musings

[Ninja Marmot]

We recently did our first wild camp in a wee while and we took along some new and some old kit. Just thought I'd share a quick evaluation of some of them.

Stove:

I've never been keen on unstable canister-top stoves and would rather take a heavier one with a remote reg - we have a ThermoTech. The primary source of hot water for brews is a Jetboil. It's blinkin' marvellous; we even take it to France for extended trips as our kettle.

Cleaning porridge out of a pan when you only have cold water and no kitchen is a pain, yet I like a hot brekkie. I got round this by getting some boiling bags from Lakeland Plastics and taking a couple of clippits. Stick 2 sachets of ready-sweetened Oat-so-Simple in a bag, slop in some hot water (guess the volume as twice the sachet size), seal the clippit round the top and insulate it, Keep squishing it now and again, and 5 minutes later you have scrummy oats with no microwave and no pan to wash. Works for instant noodles, too.

[Ninja Marmot]

Troos:

I hate overtroos with a vengeance. Since I discovered Paramo, I wear those for 6 months and shorts or running leggings the rest of the time. Last year I got some Kamleika troos. Got them second-hand from a fellow OMer. I wore them in anger for the first time this weekend. They blew me away. They are stretchy and don't rustle at all. The fit is slim and flattering - and best of all - totally waterproof. And in black. Top troos. I'd prefer them to be an inch longer so the elastic bottom would stay over my boots but hey ho.

Jacket:

As soon as the Paramo Velez Adventure Ultralight came out in a woman's fit in black, I almost bit off the hand of the nice folk at Whalley Warm 'n' Dry. Oooooh it's good. It's been out in allsorts of weather with me so far, it fits and feels like a slightly-insulated windshirt, the fabric is extremely tactile and the large front pouch is brilliant. It makes a superb match for the Kamleika troos and keeps up my ninja-esque image

[SE7]

Thanks for the tip on boiling bags, 50 ordered

[Frum]

NPC, I like your method of cooking Oat-so-Simple, but suggest you try real porage oats instead and give them 12 minutes in the insulation. I think you'll prefer the result.

[Jamie @ www.trekkingbritain.com]

One of my fave bits of kit wild camping in the past few months has been a flask. Fill the flask when you set up camp and you don't need to get the stove fired again! The boiling meals in Pour and Store type bags is something I do too, great not having to ash up and they just zip up again and go flat in any saqck till you get home.

Still don't get the whole insulating pouch thing as the meals I have stay warm anyway and if I have to soak rice or whatever for 12 mins max then it doesn't go cold anyway just sat in the pour and store bag so never needed the insulating things, can see they're nice for holding the pouch but for insulating, never really got that.

Last wild camp I did in cold and even snowed, I took porridge in a Pour and Store with fruits and nuts in it and brown sugar and chopped up crystalised ginger. Yummy! No pots, no washing up etc! Got myself a nice long handled spon for eating out of them too. And for main meal at night took morrocan cous cous with soya mince, sultanas, sun dried toms, cumin, dried onions, drid mushrooms etc in it, yummy and again no dishes!

Having a constant supply of hot water using a flask is great and flasks are so light these days.

Another thing I've found great is Trespass thermal under garments, cheap from TK Maxx, lightweight and great!

[Sukute]

Hi, Thought I would continue the thread.

Just came back from a first wild camp in the Brecons (thanks to Metric Kate for some locations)

Treked for 4 hrs and found a pitch. First time we had used the Macpac Minaret in a wild situation, went a dream.

Susan and I also used our Osprey Exos packs for the first time, a 34 & 46 and have to say they performed excellent, no rubbing, very comfy packs and contained everything we needed.

Susan also used her Alpkit Piedream 600 and was also ok although a little cold to start with but soon warmed up.

Tried the Primus etapack lite stove for the first time and was well impressed with the performance and boil times.

Another try out with the Alpkit socks (although these had a good hammering in Nepal and Bhutan for 14 days a couple of weeks back) and they are proving to be real comfy

[Imperial Dave]

where did you go in the Beacons John? West, central or east?

[Sukute]

Western area, up to Fan Foel and then down thru Carnau Gwys, was a bit boggy in places but we found a nice dry spot

[Metric Kate]

Really pleased to hear it went well, John

I'm definitely going to try the 'pour and store' approach with the porridge having been left with a grungy mess in my Ti pot after my last camp. Frum - I use Oats so Simple type stuff because I don't actually like 'normal' porridge, and it took me ages to find something I could have hot for breakfast (the Lyons Golden Syrup ones are yummy).

Ditto NPC's comment on the Velez Adventure Light - an outstanding piece of kit.

[Fossil Bluff]

John

I was thinking of a eta packlite stove to have a go with - any expansion on your views?

[Imperial Dave]

ah....Kate's favourite

Carnau Gwys is quite boggy in places for sure!

there is a nice spot at Carreg yr Ogof too

[Ninja Marmot]

Thanks for the additions!



Drinking water:

I was donated a water filter thing by a kind Bennachier, like this one.

No more messing with water and tablets and waiting an hour....just took water from a standing tarn. Tasted great and neither of us had ill effects. Squeezing it through the filter took a wee bit of effort but well worth it.

Tent:

We tried our our new Terra Nova Solar for the first time. Totally bombproof (disclaimer: no bombs were used to test it). We had a bad storm in the night for several hours and it never budged. We were both thinking "what if the tent failed catastrophically and we had to strike camp in the storm and find our way off the mountain in the dark?" etc - but it wasn't needed. You do hear about folk having to do that, but sitting there in the gales and rain, one realises what an epic that would actually be....



Jamie - I don't use an insulating pouch, just stick it in me pocket (free warmth), or in the tent in a pile of clothes. Nowt special.

[Fossil Bluff]

Hi NPC (sorry for interupting )

I saw that picture of yours(nice).. was it a 2.2, and if so how did you find it for space and comfort. Did the top catch water?

I was thinking of one of these recently.

[Jamie @ www.trekkingbritain.com]

"just stick it in me pocket (free warmth)" yup thats what I did a few weeks ago, put it inside my jacket, kept my tummy warm before and after consumption!

[Jamie @ www.trekkingbritain.com]

Oh yeah forgot to say JJ, the piccy of your tent at your spot gave me a very big smile!

[Mikel el Bastardo]

If you like cooking in plastic bags, have a look at this siteNPC. You can cook a lot more than poeeidge in plastic bags. I haven't washed acamping pot for years.
BTW, microvave ziploc bags from Tesco work just as well, and they are cheap.

[Sukute]

Fossil, The Eta Packlite is a real neat piece of kit, as you know its very compact like as been mentioned , a bit like a Russian doll but it all works, the only issue I had was the wind shield, the rivet that keeps it in place when compacted or at its full size is made of brass and this came out, I replaced it with a better type of rivet and peened it over in the vice...better than new. I bought a pack of 12 x 100g canisters of which each one weighs 72 grammes. Boiled 3 litres of water, warmed some pasta and chicken up and boiled some rice, all in all about 5 cups of coffee. When i got back the canister weighed19 grammes, so I reckon on just over2/3 rds used. I guess that means I will have to take the part full one and a new one next time, I suppose I could always use a larger canister but its so compact with the canister the way it is part of the Russian doll set up. Its easy to clean, it is a little on the delicate side when packing away, you have to be careful with the pieza (self ignition thingy) Boiling time is incredibly fast, by the time you have got the cup, coffe and milk ready...its boiling

[Fossil Bluff]

Thanks John

The delicacy of the piezoelectric ignition does worry me a bit - it certainly sticks out a little bit in the same way that a jetboil does.

Thanks for getting back with that - I shall give it some thought

[Sukute]

Dave, do you have the grid ref for Carreg yr Ogof ?

[Rog Thedodge]

"If you like cooking in plastic bags, have a look at this siteNPC. You can cook a lot more than poeeidge in plastic bags. I haven't washed acamping pot for years.
BTW, microvave ziploc bags from Tesco work just as well, and they are cheap. "

or this one - mine