walkhighlands

This forum is for general discussion about walking and scrambling... If writing a report or sharing your experiences from a route, please use the other boards.

Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby IanEzzi » Wed Sep 07, 2016 4:45 pm

I'm currently loving Tesco's cous cous sachets (or Ainsley Harriot if going cheap) with some chopped olives and feta cheese. The olives and cheese can be pre-chopped and carried in a little tupperware flask. All you need to do is pour a mug's worth of hot water over and bingo! Light, cheap and tasty. Supplement with occasional £8 expedition meal for variety... :wink:
User avatar
IanEzzi
 
Posts: 344
Munros:173   Corbetts:20
Fionas:8   Donalds:2
Joined: Dec 22, 2011
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Caberfeidh » Wed Sep 07, 2016 5:12 pm

john swinden wrote:Take some fruit jelly cubes, throw them into a flask of hot water in the morning and you have a nice tasty drink.


Or you could save weight and use a powdered drink. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/hp-orange-energy-drink-powder-560g-id_8078571.html

john swinden wrote:If it's not to cold, leave the sleeping bag at home and sleep in your clothes and a nice duvet jacket.


If it's not that cold, you'd have to carry a duvet jacket especially for that. You'd be better off with a sleeping bag.

john swinden wrote:Sleep with the damp socks against your body to dry and warm up through the night.


Or take spare socks.

You could save on carrying a tent by simply building your own shelter out of local materials...

St Kilda Cleit.jpg
Build your own shelter...
User avatar
Caberfeidh
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 8369
Joined: Feb 5, 2009

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Old Bill » Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:09 pm

^^^ Nice shelter!! :-)

mrssanta has already mentioned bags, and sorting through my own camping kit today reminded me of this.
It's handy to have bags for everything, clean clothes, wet clothes, food, toiletries, first-aid, waterproofs, bags for other bags etc. I range from a couple of bin liners, carrier bags to those supermarket fruit & veg bags (Morrisons' ones don't have holes in... :-) ). Keeping things dry is paramount!
And before now I've used the fruit & veg bags as wet-boot liners. Bliss!

Also, a small day rucksack is handy for waterproofs and packed lunch. They pack away to nothing and cost just a few quid.

OB
User avatar
Old Bill
Wanderer
 
Posts: 305
Munros:51   Corbetts:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:9
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Jan 8, 2014
Location: That London.

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Caberfeidh » Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:59 am

Old Bill wrote:Keeping things dry is paramount!


Agreed! I just killed my faithful iPhone after a trip out in a leaky canoe! One of those iPhone waterproof covers is a great idea. I have two. Using the damn thing is an even better idea.
User avatar
Caberfeidh
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 8369
Joined: Feb 5, 2009

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Old Bill » Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:00 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:
Old Bill wrote:Keeping things dry is paramount!


Agreed! I just killed my faithful iPhone after a trip out in a leaky canoe! One of those iPhone waterproof covers is a great idea. I have two. Using the damn thing is an even better idea.


Doh!! Proper dead?
I'm wondering about mine - not had one before. I want to have it with me, but won't be using it - so it might end up wrapped up in clingfilm! :-)
User avatar
Old Bill
Wanderer
 
Posts: 305
Munros:51   Corbetts:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:9
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Jan 8, 2014
Location: That London.

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Caberfeidh » Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:24 pm

Old Bill wrote:
Caberfeidh wrote:
Old Bill wrote:Keeping things dry is paramount!


Agreed! I just killed my faithful iPhone after a trip out in a leaky canoe! One of those iPhone waterproof covers is a great idea. I have two. Using the damn thing is an even better idea.


Doh!! Proper dead?
I'm wondering about mine - not had one before. I want to have it with me, but won't be using it - so it might end up wrapped up in clingfilm! :-)


Yes, proper, really expensively and inconveniently dead. Cling film wont cut the mustard, you better get a proper waterproof iPhone holder. And use it. Unlike me, leaving it in my bag... :(

https://www.fishingmegastore.com/stillwater-waterproof-phone-bag~14196.html
http://www.duncanyacht.co.uk/showpartnumber.asp?CategoryID=34174&PartNumberID=468885
User avatar
Caberfeidh
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 8369
Joined: Feb 5, 2009

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Marty_JG » Wed Sep 14, 2016 12:48 pm

JohnJoe wrote:I've never really done it - always been too put off by the inevitable extra kilos you must have to carry because of water, food, stove, gas, pan etc.... Interesting to see the suggestions.


KILOS? :shock:

Let's go through some options with an eye to both weight and cost.

Solid Fuel

You can get a Titanium solid fuel stove for £10.
A Titanium foil windscreen is again about £10 for 15 grams.
Fuel is 14 gram blocks, individually wrapped. Good for at least one boil, maybe even two.

Alcohol Fuel

You can make an alcohol stove from all sorts of tins and cans, but the easiest is probably from a Purina Gourmet can with some holes punched around the top. Youtube is your god here.
Alternatively you can buy Trangia (brass) at £10 for 100 grams, or Evernew (titanium) at £30 and 35 grams. A pot-holder can be useful at £10 for 10 grams.
Either way get the Ti foil screen as mentioned above.
If you use a fluid ounce per boil that's 30 grams a go... no problem for a night or two but it'll start to add-up if you plan a week or two on the road.

Twigs

It's best not to rely on building a full fire to cook, so look at wood burners. A UK-made classic if the Honey Stove. It has a holder for solid fuel directly, and it can host a Trangia or Evernew burner (you'll need to buy them) so it acts as a stand and windshield for them. Or you can turn it into a small stove and feed it with twigs.

They're about £40 for steel and £75 for Titanium. Weight is highly variable because they come with a lot of bits some of which you will probably leave at home, e.g. the BBQ grill. As a solid stove or burner holder it's just over 50 grams Ti, for a full size wood burner just over 100 grams Ti, or the "full" all-in kit for 150 grams Ti; double the weights for steel. Disassembles completely flat.

One very easy way to use them is to use a solid fuel tablet (including the smaller 4 gram tablets) to get them going and warmed up then add scavenged twigs, that makes it very easy to keep going even if you're not a fire-builder type.

Pots & Whatnots

You can get an army-like (or actual army) mess tin for just over £5 and about 100 grams, they tend not to have lids (very useful to save fuel) but you can easily make one from a disposable baking tray. Alternatively you can spend about £30 for a 30 gram Titanium boil-up mug including the lid.

You can spend money on Titanium sporks and whatnot but I have an Ikea spoon (steel end, plastic handle) that only weighs a few grams more.

Foods & Water

A water filtration kit is about 50 grams.

Dehydrated foods don't weigh much. I make my own but "packets of stuff" are also widely available in supermarkets, cup-a-soup, dehydrated meals, packets of instant oats for breakfast (or a nice hot dessert).


One of the nicest thing about cooking like this in the wilds is how quiet they are. They might not be suitable for very high altitudes or arctic conditions (not without some experience) so I do "get" why the noisy rapid burners are good for those conditions, but for most nights-out wild-camping the peaceful option is exactly that.

If you only plan to go out once or twice, or just to try it out, look at the solid fuel or alcohol stoves. But if you think there's even a slight chance you'll like it, do look at the Honey Stove.
User avatar
Marty_JG
Backpacker
 
Posts: 1223
Munros:10   Corbetts:2
Fionas:2   
Sub 2000:3   
Islands:3
Joined: Sep 12, 2016
Location: Glasgow

Re: Wild Camping - Top Tips Please

Postby Lee Helen » Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:14 pm

A 'water-to-go' water bottle and filter.
Lee Helen
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 9
Corbetts:1
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Nov 19, 2016

Previous



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to General discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests