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Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Holly » Sat Jun 18, 2022 8:35 pm

I have been solo wild camping for many years now. I started with a heavier lightweight tent and the more I enjoyed the experience I slowly upgraded to lighter weight gear. At the minute and for the distant future coz I think its a great bit of kit, is the Alpkit Koro titanium stove. I use a titanium pot. Gas can be got from a wide range of shops now. I now carry the smallest size and although more expensive they last long enough unless I am heading off for anything more than a few days. The sheer convenience of more expensive dehydrated food options and not having to clean my pot so I could have coffee without a mish mash of cleaning is also now my preference! I have a down quilt now from Thermarest but a cheaper option could be Alpkit’s range of sleeping bags as they come highly regarded re quality and price. Down being lighter is more expensive but some great synthetics out there now. When you are ready to head off for a camp outside of a site,, the Cairngorms are always a good bet. It was my favourite and still is tbh. Going in for example even to the area around Derry Lodge or farther to Corrour is not somewhere you will expect to be completely alone as folk camp around there as a base for the mountains but you arent so far out that should you feel uncomfortable with the experience you don’t far to go back to your vehicle especially if you stick around the area of Derry lodge. But there are many more options like this especially if you read the long distance trip reports on here for ideas. Being near a good water source with flat and sheltered ground to camp where possible is always a good plan :-). I like my tech and often will download a movie on my phone to watch, keep my phone on airplane mode as I will also use it as a gps and carry a battery charger. Walk with Wallace on YouTube has a range of videos not only doing gear reviews, but his experience of some of his journeys . He does one of a trip into Ben Alder, a fab place to wild camp (Ive done it myself a few times now) and worth a watch for more detailed ideas… :-)
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Ewen1966 » Sun Jun 19, 2022 12:39 pm

You don't have to go for a gas stove. Yes they are easy to use but gas is getting harder to get in places and is going up in price.
You could go down the alcohol route (not what you think). There are some very lightweight stoves from the likes of speedster and polymath and you can get meths in most hardware or pound shops. Then there is trangia with their mini or 27.
Yes, they take longer to boil water but can work out cheaper and are quite frugal for fuel.
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby DevonRambler » Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:22 pm

Ewen1966 wrote:You don't have to go for a gas stove. Yes they are easy to use but gas is getting harder to get in places and is going up in price.
You could go down the alcohol route (not what you think). There are some very lightweight stoves from the likes of speedster and polymath and you can get meths in most hardware or pound shops. Then there is trangia with their mini or 27.
Yes, they take longer to boil water but can work out cheaper and are quite frugal for fuel.

Thank you Ewen, that’s certainly another option to look at. :D
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby DevonRambler » Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:24 pm

cruachan06 wrote:
My first stove, which I still use, was this one which was a cheapie from Amazon I bought on Prime Day. The pots are aluminium so light, and big enough to carry a C350 can inside as well as the burner. Even if you prefer not to buy from big companies like Amazon they're worth checking out as the reviews can be helpful.

Bear in mind though that gas is not available everywhere so some planning might be required for longer trips when you get there.


Thank you for the good advice! That one has got really good reviews - and cheap!
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby DevonRambler » Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:28 pm

Holly wrote:Going in for example even to the area around Derry Lodge or farther to Corrour is not somewhere you will expect to be completely alone as folk camp around there as a base for the mountains but you arent so far out that should you feel uncomfortable with the experience you don’t far to go back to your vehicle especially if you stick around the area of Derry lodge.


Thank you for the advice! I’ve not been to the Cairngorms yet but it’s definitely on my places to visit list. I absolutely love the Wester Ross area and would love to return there to hike some of the hills. But I do think it’s a good point you make - staying somewhere easy first at least helps you get a good understanding of wild camping. Fortunately I live right next to Dartmoor National Park so can give that a few goes first!
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Booga » Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:11 pm

Sleeping bags: Have an idea of the temperatures you will be camping in (you can search for average night time temperatures for particular places and times of year online) and buy a sleeping bag with a suitable "comfort" rating for those temperatures. The "extreme" temperature ratings on bags are more of a "you'll survive" rating and are not going to give you a comfortable night's sleep. For example a bag with a comfort rating of +5c and an extreme rating of -10c would give you a comfortable nights sleep at 5 above but not at 10 below.
Sleeping mats also make a big difference as cold comes up through the ground and the insulation in the sleeping bag under your body is compressed by your body weight. A mat suitable for the conditions will make a difference and in my opinion is a worthwhile investment.

Stoves: I've used an alcohol stove made from a drinks can for years but similar stoves can be bought online if you don't fancy a DIY version, a 600ml titanium pot from ebay placed on top will boil enough water for a hot drink and a "just add hot water" type meal. My hot drink mug with a folding handle fits inside the 600ml pot along with a foldable windshield and I keep the stove in a seperate ziploc bag so nothing ends up tasting of alcohol.
Twig stoves are a nice idea but in the UK climate you can't always guarantee twigs are going to be dry and burnable. I'd rather carry a small travel bottle of meths and know it will always light. A 100ml bottle will easily do me an evening meal and a breakfast with hot drinks.

An online search for "lightweight backpacking tips" will bring up some useful suggestions on what to take and what you can do without. Swapping unnecessary packaging and equipment cases for ziploc bags is an easy and cheap way of saving some weight, and when choosing food think about the packaging you'll have to carry in and out. Foods in paper packets or ziploc bags will be lighter and create less litter to carry out than bottles and tins.

Have fun!
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby westonfront » Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:08 pm

The cheapest way to lighten your pack is simply to take less stuff. Start to think of items that can fulfil two purposes for example. The obvious one here is to have a cooking mug - use it for cooking and drinking, Alpkit offer some good value Titanium cooking mugs. Another example would be for travelling in the warmer months: don't carry a warm jacket for the evenings, just climb into your sleeping bag at the end of the day.

For a stove I'd go for something simple and gas powered. A freestanding stove which connects via a flexi hose to the gas canister is a good option. Get one with a pre-heater then not only will you have a low centre of gravity (a failing of all the trendy Jetboil like systems) you will also be invert the gas canister in cold weather and run on liquid rather than vapour which may not evaporate well. Once again I'd recommend Alpkit - I wrote a review of the Koro stove here >> https://westonfront.wordpress.com/2019/09/01/lightweight-stove-review-alpkit-koro-mytimug/

You also ask about sleeping bags. I would suggest that you simply cannot beat a down bag from Rab. Their quality is second to none, the zips don't snag and whilst they are not the cheapest, neither are they the most expensive make out there. For summer use I find the Neutrino 300 absolutely superb. They also offer women's models which are slightly shorter in length but with a greater amount of fill, so you end up with something warmer at the same weight. For info on the Neutrino 300 see https://westonfront.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/rab-neutrino-200-ultralight-three-season-sleeping-bag-a-review/

Water - consider using a bladder and a water filter. If you are able to harvest water regularly you will need to carry less of it. By using a water filter rather than iodate tablets you can drink the water instantly, not wait 30 min for the chemistry to happen. Also the water tastes considerably better. I'd recommend a small bladder and a second one you can fill in the evening to have enough water to cook with and brew up the next morning. There are not many one litre bladders out there, but I've been very pleased with my Hydrapak Stow - https://westonfront.wordpress.com/2021/10/04/hydrapak-stow-one-litre-soft-bottle-bladder-a-review/, but be sure to not to get the early model with the colour matching lid, the lid seals on these leak and the newer models have the same thread type as most water filters so you can fit this directly to the bladder.
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Scraggygoat » Thu Jun 30, 2022 11:14 pm

Stoves; In dry conditions if the stove sits on the ground, soak the grass on the spot you’ll set up the stove so that it is very unlikely to catch fire. Keep checking the heat hasn’t dried the grass…..haven’t been there, but been close!

Make sure the stove is stable. If not using a jet boil type stove a light wind shield is a good investment. Always take two lighters/sources of ignition.

If weather conditions are poor it’s very hard not to end up cooking in your porch. Care required, gas is easiest. Note alcohol stoves are very bad for carbon monoxide so vent well, dont be tempted to snooze while cooking. Been there done that!

Don’t skimp too much on your sleeping bag especially for multi day trips, otherwise you will fret over being warm enough, it’s also in the unlikely event your taken unwell or injured your last line of defence…..been there done that that twice, once with flu two/three days from the road and trapped by floods to add to the fun, and once at altitude with travellers tummy. Though if you think you might be getting unwell always best to head to civilisation early.

Food take a mix of dehydrated and non. Eg couscous and smoked sausage or chorizo. Mars bar and custard. Thus if your stove fails, or the weathers so bad you decide to keep walking out, or you forget the lighter or fuel you can still eat something…. been there done that; too embarrassed to say how often…..

Pack a few food treats and have fun.
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Jon and Jen » Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:24 pm

I do a lot of multiday trips. I use the alpkit brukit which is an excellent bit of kit. Great for a quick coffee and has a cooking ring and good heat control for cooking. I use a trangia aluminium pot and handle. My sleeping bag, (which would be fine for your timeframe) is the oex fathom ev 400. I paid £45 for the brukit and £60 for the sleeping bag. Great budget options. Never had issues with either.
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Re: Tips and advice for a solo backpacker

Postby Jon and Jen » Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:39 pm

Another thought. The cheap powdered milk is disgusting. Nestle nido is the dogs danglies. Mix a spoon of it with cold water for coffee or can use it for porridge and some pasta things that need milk. Tesco do nido but only in their premium shops (affluent areas) otherwise it can be bought on Amazon.
A 6" washing up sponge from lidl is a great investment. Can wash with it, wash dishes with it, take dew off the tent with it and they work better as a towel than any other towel I've tried. Very light. Very little space.
I carry a few wooden clothes pegs to fix my underwear and socks on my backpack webbing. I wash them at night and leave them on the guy lines of the tent then transfer them to the pack if not dry and they dry as you walk.
Zip off trousers are a godsend.
You don't need a mallet for tent pegs. I carried one for ages and never used it.
HTH
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