Ultimate Camping / Treking accessory?

Kemik said:
I'd always pick a head torch over a normal torch. Gives you both hands free :)
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Me too :) in 15+ years of camping/trekking on Dartmoor, Lakes, Snowdonia and the Alps I've almost never needed to see any more than 5 or so metres in front of me and I'd trade power for long life and being stuck on my bonce so I have both hands free.
 
dangerstat said:
On behalf of that being such a good suggestion I will endeavor to take a picture (with Hovis) on top of Sca Fell with a spork especially for the foums:D
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Oh carefull with that!

You may want to take a backup spork. Many people 'borrow' sporks on finding out you have one only not to return them after finding how damn nice they are.

But it's not thiers... its... my precious...

/hops behind rock with spork
 
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If it as organised thing with other people, whatever you do, take a pack of bacon, half-dozen eggs, some sausages and a tin of baked beans.

It doesn't matter how heavy, fragile or awkward it is - the extra 1lb or so is made up epically by you firing up a gas burner and filling the campsite with the smell of a freshly cooked English breakfast when everyone else is stuck eating cereal bars or super noodles for breakfast :p
 
Freefaller said:
Good boots. Don't skimp on boots. Boots will save your life and make you a happy man!

Number 2, socks. Lots of socks, and change them regularly.

Oh and a decent burgen that'll be comfortable going for a long tab.

Everything else is a luxury :D
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salat701.jpg

These are the boots I have - to be honest they're top notch and have never let me down. And I'm fine on the socks count.

What does the term 'burgen' mean? I've got a decent jacket that I'm taking
 
beh said:
It's the summer, how many torches do you need? It doesn't even get dark till 10ish. Surely just a small single led one for the tent?

Should be thinking what you can be doing to reduce weight rather than the other way around.
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Yep weight is an important factor. I have my weight down to 6kg without food and water for camping trips, that is until I add my camera gear, 2L water and a day or so's worth of food, then it goes up to 15kg :(

Food wise if you will be pubbing it then take some lunchy stuff and "emergency" stuff like mars bars/sweets of your choice, and maybe an evening meal (flavoured rice/spaghetti) just in case you don't make it to a pub. The rest of the stuff just get when you wonder through a village.:)

I think we may be getting a little over the top with the survival type stuff here, he's going to the lakes and not Siberia... A fleece is always a good idea to have, as obviously waterproofs, other than that things like thermals are probably over the top for august in the UK. For example I take a change of clothes and a fleece to wear in the evening with me. along with a windproof jacket, and even on "cold" summer days I'm usually just walking in a t-shirt. shorts and a Jacket (Shorts dry out quicker when it's raining too. :)

A GPS is always good as a backup in case you get really lost, and a spare compass is always a good idea (which most people never seem to take, just one of those small ones integrated with a compass that you can attach to your bag would do) as compasses can break too (in fact so far I am 2 compasses to no GPS's broken, much to the annoyance of the GPS hate crowd :D).
 
Freefaller said:
Good boots. Don't skimp on boots. Boots will save your life and make you a happy man!

Number 2, socks. Lots of socks, and change them regularly.

Oh and a decent burgen that'll be comfortable going for a long tab.

Everything else is a luxury :D
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Agree with you on the first point, however clean socks aren't a major issue. I usually wear mine for 2-3 days at a time, and if I have used up my spare pair it's easy enough to give them a quick soak in a stream to clean them up a bit ready for wearing again a day or so later. Saves on weight too!

As for a Bergan, have a look at Osprey if you don't have one already, I have the Atmos 35 and it is very light (1.2kg ish) whilst still being strong and balanced. They are quite expensive compared to most other brands but worth every penny.

~>Dg<~ said:
^^^^^^^^ this man speaks the truth. while up in the lakes me and few mates one was in angony with a golf ball sized blister caused by crap boots. not good when youve only just started goinng round the mountain walks like helvelyn and scaffell :D


lol at flares and knifes . your not going to the amazon :D
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And that reminds me, 2 important pieces for your first aid kit, some elastoplast tape for when you start to feel a rub (stops a blister forming) and some blister plasters for when the blister has already arrived. No matter how good your socks and boots are you will at some point get a blister if you walk a long way. :)



diverse180 said:
Regardless of whether he's going to the lakes or the Amazon, I'd always recommend taking a good knife when going camping or trekking...not sure about flares though.

I guess it depends on whether or not the OP wants to rough it whilst he's out there. Personally I think that roughing it makes for a more satisfying and enjoyable experience, which is one of the reasons I suggested a StrikeForce Fire Steel.
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A swiss knife is perfectly fine for normal camping, unless of course you want to chop up a tree to make a house or something stupid. However Lethermens are just as good.

rotters said:
got to love "free style" camping. but alas there will be times that your just chilling out and doing nothing so take a book!
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Good point, especially in the evening if you are going on your own, no one to talk to is boring!

Col_M said:
Me too :) in 15+ years of camping/trekking on Dartmoor, Lakes, Snowdonia and the Alps I've almost never needed to see any more than 5 or so metres in front of me and I'd trade power for long life and being stuck on my bonce so I have both hands free.
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I like to take one oe each, a Tikka xp for walking and long life and a Fenix for lighting up "the world" when you need to.:p
 
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Well you've never done some proper camping/treking as I can assure you socks get saturated very quickly, and mouldy feet are not nice, and just perpetuate blisters, athelete's foot and other type of foot ailement (plus they start to smell). If I'm going on a proper hike (and I've done a fair few) I have more socks than underwear. Then again you seldom have time to wash in 1-2 week expeditions.

Obviously if it's only a 1-2 day trip then it's not an issue, I'm just sharing my experience that's all. :)
 
beh said:
I live in the Highlands, ta, signal is quite patchy but I wouldn't ever carry flares when out on the hills and I've not come across anyone else that does either.

Sorry, just a lot of the suggestions in this thread are simply overkill, all this survial gear (knives, firesteels, bivi bags and flares!), the guy's only going to the Lakes and it's summer.
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So out of curiousity how would you attract attention if you ended up hurt/etc? Accross the beacons the signal for most providers is patchy as you say, however i'd prefer not be in the situation where i'm sitting at the bottom of some gully etc, where my nice bright orange bivvi bag doesn't show up too well, and the valley masks the whistle sound somewhat, or at least funnels it in a specific direction....

I'm not suggesting it's an always required item, I certainly wouldn't bother if I was going around the gower, but depending on the area, it's one of the more useful considerations,not suggesting a full on parachute flare type unit, but a pencil flare set is the same size as a mobile phone, and for the peace of mind it gives... Why not?
 
I LOVE my Coleman Alpine CPS stove. Weighs next to nothing, stable and pretty damned powerful, also I have a lantern from the same series which is awesome (although I wish I had the new version as it has a mesh globe rather than a glass one :( )

Plus my Petzl Tikka+ LED head torch...and my Victorinox Explorer knife...and my Coleman Boa tent...oh man, theres so much kit I love I cant list just one thing :( Plus my Karrimor KSB 300 boots I got just before they went bust :)

- Pea0n
 
Jest3r said:
So out of curiousity how would you attract attention if you ended up hurt/etc? Accross the beacons the signal for most providers is patchy as you say, however i'd prefer not be in the situation where i'm sitting at the bottom of some gully etc, where my nice bright orange bivvi bag doesn't show up too well, and the valley masks the whistle sound somewhat, or at least funnels it in a specific direction....
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I'd just take a whistle, similar drawbacks to flares, if you're somewhere quite remote then there's not always gonna be someone about to see/hear a signal and both can be negatively impacted by weather and terrain.

If I were particularly concerned I guess I'd leave my route details with someone responsible who'd raise the alarm if I didn't return or contact them by a reasonable hour.
but a pencil flare set is the same size as a mobile phone, and for the peace of mind it gives... Why not?
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If it's suitably light, and you're happy to carry it, aye.
 
I take:

Tent
Pocket Rocket
Camelback
Sleeping bag
Change of clothes
Waterproof jacket
Fleece
Socks (enough to change 2 times a day if I need to, as Freefaller says you need to look after your feet when walking)
Underwear
Food (enough to last plus an extra meal)
Head torch
Knife
KFS

If I have space, and I'm not walking too far in any one day on a prolonged trip I take flipflops to wear at the campsite to give my boots time to dry up and give my feet time to breathe too.
 
Freefaller said:
Well you've never done some proper camping/treking as I can assure you socks get saturated very quickly, and mouldy feet are not nice, and just perpetuate blisters, athelete's foot and other type of foot ailement (plus they start to smell). If I'm going on a proper hike (and I've done a fair few) I have more socks than underwear. Then again you seldom have time to wash in 1-2 week expeditions.

Obviously if it's only a 1-2 day trip then it's not an issue, I'm just sharing my experience that's all. :)
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I've been on plenty, however I have decent socks and boots, which even when sweaty (hot weather a couple of weeks ago) don't give you blisters. Yes the can start to smell a little after a couple of days, but then a quick 2 minute dunk to remove the excess salt (which is the main problem and why they can start to "hurt" a little if you wear them too long, I wouldn't wear a pair for more than 3 days max due to this) sorts it out. This way you can get away with just two pairs of socks for a couple of weeks walking. In fact it's easier to wash your socks than boxers. However I wouldn't want to go on extended walking trips (morer than 2 weeks) doing this with two pairs of socks.

For example, if I remember correctly I took 3 pairs of socks to the Pyrenees for 4 weeks last summer, washing two pairs quickly in a shower/sink/stream at the end of each week (whilst having the third pair to wear whilst they dry). Yes it can get a bit smelly, but then you will smell anyway, unless you take a dozen t-shirts etc.

EDIT: actually, just to mention something, decent socks really do make a difference in things like this. A pair of ordinary socks (from Sportsworld or Next etc.) just wouldn't cut it for more than a few hours properly, a pair of Bridgedales (I've had the unfortunate "pleasure of having to wear some, unfortunately :() don't last for more than a day in conditions mentioned above (they really are the cheap end of walking socks) but decent socks such as those by Wigwam and Smartwool (I swear by Wigwam socks, worth every penny) do show their worth, the anti smell and anti bacterialness really do work.
 
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phonemonkey said:
I take:

Tent
Pocket Rocket
Camelback
Sleeping bag
Change of clothes
Waterproof jacket
Fleece
Socks (enough to change 2 times a day if I need to, as Freefaller says you need to look after your feet when walking)
Underwear
Food (enough to last plus an extra meal)
Head torch
Knife
KFS

If I have space, and I'm not walking too far in any one day on a prolonged trip I take flipflops to wear at the campsite to give my boots time to dry up and give my feet time to breathe too.
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How long do you walk for and how much does your pack weigh? If you are going for a week, that's 14 pairs of socks! That's a lot of space and a lot of weight needed. Having said that there are lots of people that seem to insist on taking 60l packs weighting 20-30kg for what is essentially a few days ambling across the moors etc.
 
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