Camping advice needed

[RossG]

Oh and also, I'll probably be buying my own tent for the next expedition. What are decent makes and what aren't?

 

[BenhB]

Some things I haven't seen mentioned

Take some Zinc tape to tape up any blisters.
Wear 2 pairs of socks. With the inner ones being made of thin cotton. Wearing tights under your trousers keeps you warm too.


And don't forget to carry bog roll / tissues.

 

[Col_M]

Oh and also, I'll probably be buying my own tent for the next expedition. What are decent makes and what aren't?

It really depends on your budget, do you know how much you want to spend?

Very good tents are Terra Nova, TNF, Mountain Hardware and VauDe but you really pay for the them, you're looking at £200+.

You've really got to know that you'll use it if you want to spend that much. I've got an ancient (6+ years old) VauDe Mark II, it's really built like a tank and has been with me to the alps 3 times, Dartmoor more times than I can remember, The Lakes, Snowdonia and Scotland, for the times it's kept me dry and warm it's been well worth the money I paid for it though.

For something more on a budget Vango are pretty good if you make sure you get a sturdy one. That's the main thing you have to look out for, if you have a flimsy tent they have a tendancy to get flattened by winds and snow, the main culprits are the domes where the main structure is 2 poles crossed going corner to corner, look for a geodesic or an external frame like the VauDe. If you're in doubt get it pitched in the shop and give it a wiggle/push and see if it sways about, if so avoid it but bear in mind that you'll probably guy it out when you come to use it which will help it a fair amount

 

[D.P.]

Well I survived the trip and had a bloomin' great time

Now we are looking to go again, but this time in Snowdonia. Anybody know any good camp sites around there, preferabley one that allows fires? Must be within walking distance to all the best walks around there too.

And as for D.P saying that it probably wouldn't snow in Edale:

Thats the inside of our tent. We opened it up in the morning and it all fell in. We cleaned most of it out and put the kettle on for a cup of tea at 5:30AM. It was wonderful ^_^

I'm glad i gave you the warning.

We also attempted to go camping this weekend, in Austria but there were some problems. -14 and very heavy snow. The snow was so heavy there was a risk of suffocation as it was pilling up. Our chosen campsite was closed due to avalanche risk.

 

[RossG]

The one we used in Edale was a Vango and it seemed to cope well. We had a lot of wind the first night. It flapped around a lot but wasn't damaged. It held up to 3 inches of snow without a problem either.
A theoretical budget for the tent would be around £250, though I don't know for sure if I will need it yet now. I'll look for one slightly nearer the time.

Also, I found the quickest way to dry the insides of your boots if they ever get wet - tea lights. The snow got in mine, but with a couple of tea lights in each boot for 5 minutes they were bone dry. Just make sure you keep an eye on them. A fellow camper tried it and his shoes started smoking

 

[Jebblehmoo]

Rule 1.

Never buy boots and not wear them in. If you walking easter get them now and wear them where ever you can.

Rule 2.

If a sleeping bag say down to 5c that really means that thats the lowest you can go to sustain life! Not to be comfy.

I'm guessing your gona pitch the walk from the tent as a base, not take the tent with you. If so then just take a good quilt,or the sleeping bag and the quilt.


I'd go with a set go hellys and layer cloths up. nothing gets you cold like sweat coated cotton.


We finaly gave up tenting last year and brought a VW camper. We stayed a week in -7c and BBQed every night. could write you name in the frost on the tent by 4pm

That sounds awesome

Although please forgive me, I found it really hard to read what you wrote as good as it was