Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

Finally found a lightweight long tent that dint break the bank.
The Vango F10 Helium 2 , 1.3kg and a bargain at £189 bit over my £150 budget but half the weight of my Vango Mirage.
Not Too sure on its sturdiness compared to the Mirage but it is for fair weather use.

 
Recently I was camping at a gig and enjoyed the two day experience of "roughing" it and having to live off burger vans... :p

Joking all aside I wouldn't mind starting to go trekking/maybe camping over here in Northern Ireland.
What would you recommend a novice such as myself need to start myself off.

I've a 4 man Tresspass tent.
Tresspass TP75 jacket.

No hiking boots, day bag or anything else.

Any tips for a noobie that doesn't involve me spending hundreds on gear.
 
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Are you planning on light-weight hiking (i.e. carrying all of your kit) or walking from a base location (i.e. a campsite), as that impacts massively the kind of equipment you need :)

What sort of budget are you looking at too, as the sky really is the limit on much this stuff costs :D

As a basic list you'll need:
  • Sleeping bag & pillow
  • Air mat / mattress
  • Hiking boots
  • Hiking socks
  • Walking poles (subjective / personal preference)
  • Gas burner
  • Cooking equipment / cutlery
  • Water pouch
  • Backpack
  • Suitable clothing
 
ci_newman said:
Are you planning on light-weight hiking (i.e. carrying all of your kit) or walking from a base location (i.e. a campsite), as that impacts massively the kind of equipment you need :)

What sort of budget are you looking at too, as the sky really is the limit on much this stuff costs :D

As a basic list you'll need:
  • Sleeping bag & pillow
  • Air mat / mattress
  • Hiking boots
  • Hiking socks
  • Walking poles (subjective / personal preference)
  • Gas burner
  • Cooking equipment / cutlery
  • Water pouch
  • Backpack
  • Suitable clothing
Click to expand...

Thanks for getting back to me. Most likely it will be light weight hiking, day hiking to begin with. I want see Northern Ireland has to offer as we have some nice hills and mountains in the country.

I suppose you are right, sky is the limit, abit like everything really. I suppose my immediate purchases would be boots, and a daypack? What would you recommend for footwear? Would £100 or so get a good starting part of shoes, and if so what would you or others recommend? What about day packs as well?
 
ShiWarrior said:
anyone doing Snowdon next week ?

i was planning on using my old Camalbak mule NV (bought for mountain biking) but i cant get a lot of clothes in it, so im not sure what/how many layers i will need ?
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I carry a North Face coat with zip out fleece. That's all I take with me plus gloves and water. That's all you really need, I'm quite hardy though compared to most. I tend to wear the jacket shell and keep the fleece in my bag when it's cool but damp.

What route are you doing? On the ascent from Pyg there's usually a whiteboard with weather info, so take heed if there's any real warnings. Otherwise, it's rather simple really and on a weekend there will millions of people there. At this time of year the weather shouldn't be an issue unless it's forecast a thunder storm.

Blackvault said:
Thanks for getting back to me. Most likely it will be light weight hiking, day hiking to begin with. I want see Northern Ireland has to offer as we have some nice hills and mountains in the country.

I suppose you are right, sky is the limit, abit like everything really. I suppose my immediate purchases would be boots, and a daypack? What would you recommend for footwear? Would £100 or so get a good starting part of shoes, and if so what would you or others recommend? What about day packs as well?
Click to expand...

I bought some Solomon GTX boots last year for about £70. I have walked upwards of 6-700 miles in them since in all terrain and the the sole is starting to come loose and they're not as waterproof. That said, they are lightweight and super comfortable and grippy when needed. For an entry point, these are great. I'm upgrading to some leather boots soon and mending these to remain as backup if I'm away for more than a day.

So all you really need to get going and decide you enjoy it is some ~£50 decent brand boots, waterproof coat, something warm to put underneath the coat if you don't have anything for those colder days, gloves, bag to chuck coat in when it's not peeing down plus any snacks/supplies you need for energy and water.

Look online for good local routes and then go exploring! It's handy to keep a print out just in case and save a copy to the phone. Some places have routes that can be challenging such as narrow ridges which might be great for me, you may not appreciate so knowing where to avoid those and get on track is useful.
 
ci_newman said:
Are you planning on light-weight hiking (i.e. carrying all of your kit) or walking from a base location (i.e. a campsite), as that impacts massively the kind of equipment you need :)

What sort of budget are you looking at too, as the sky really is the limit on much this stuff costs :D

As a basic list you'll need:
  • Sleeping bag & pillow
  • Air mat / mattress
  • Hiking boots Trail runners
  • Hiking socks
  • Walking poles (subjective / personal preference)
  • Gas burner
  • Cooking equipment / cutlery
  • Water pouch
  • Backpack
  • Suitable clothing
  • Sawyer mini for filtering water
  • water bladder, find I drink far more with one that just using bottles.
  • and if you're hiking alone and far from roads/phone reception then a find me spot or other is a good idea, there's a few on the market know and i think some you can just pay for trips rather than spot which is just a monthly direct debit for the year.
Click to expand...

fixed and light weight as your money can stretch. It really makes a massive difference
It doesn't cost much more for a titanium gas burner ~750ml mug and a spork.

leemk said:
Finally found a lightweight long tent that dint break the bank.
The Vango F10 Helium 2 , 1.3kg and a bargain at £189 bit over my £150 budget but half the weight of my Vango Mirage.
Not Too sure on its sturdiness compared to the Mirage but it is for fair weather use.
Click to expand...

you should have looked at the lunar solo/duo by six moons, i know its over your budget but its well worth it, 1.3kg is still pretty darn heavy, its also 229cm long, much lighter and only 220 for the solo and 280 for the duo.
 
leemk said:
Finally found a lightweight long tent that dint break the bank.
The Vango F10 Helium 2 , 1.3kg and a bargain at £189 bit over my £150 budget but half the weight of my Vango Mirage.
Not Too sure on its sturdiness compared to the Mirage but it is for fair weather use.
Click to expand...

you should have looked at the lunar solo/duo, 229cm long, much lighter and only an 220 for the solo and 280 for the duo.
 
ive just spent an hour or so, looking for somewhere to have breakfast around 6 or 7am either around Bangor (where im staying) or near snowdon, and im having trouble
my hotel doesn't have a restaurant so i dont know what to do
 
ShiWarrior said:
I see it now, the Youth Hostel Breakfast is open at 7:30, hoping i don't have to stay there to eat brekkie, ill give them a call and check

thanks guys
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Siabod Cafe on the A5 opens at 7.30, nice little cafe and only 10mins from the pass. It's a slightly longer drive from Bangor on the A5 but it should be much quicker than going through Llanberis.

ShiWarrior said:
i'll be wearing a base layer, and a fleece, an extra fleece in my pack along with my waterproof (its light weight Gor Tex pro 3L) so packs up small
Click to expand...

That will probably be plenty this time of year. Even if it's raining it's still likely to be around 8C at the top.
 
Street said:
Siabod Cafe on the A5 opens at 7.30, nice little cafe and only 10mins from the pass. It's a slightly longer drive from Bangor on the A5 but it should be much quicker than going through Llanberis.



That will probably be plenty this time of year. Even if it's raining it's still likely to be around 8C at the top.
Click to expand...

thanks street

ill find out from the YH first, if that fails then i might visit that one
 
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