Prep for 1st trip

[FatDad]

Over on the introduce yourself forum I mentioned that my 7 year old Son and I are planning an overnighter on the 25th August. He's just recently been inspired by watching BG's antics, and the new BG/Gerber knife he got as a present. He was mesmerised by the fire steel and wants to try his hand at wild camping with his old man (yours truly).
In a move of unprecedented generosity/stupidty/craftiness his mum, the Finance Director has permitted a reasonable spend on some kit to replace the rather tatty and extremely heavy gear from my youth.
I thought it may be a good idea to share the kit list with you all and get some feedback (or howls of derisive laughter), so here goes:

3 x 3 tarp
Hammock
Honey Stove (which I believe can be used with my 25 year old Trangia burner)
MKettle - A mate of mine has one of these, and it works superbly.
Titanium pots and mug
Ancient machete
Firesteel and cotton wool tinder
Compact first aid kit
Old Mora knife (I found this in the bottom of my tool box - result!!)
Folding Saw
Head Torch
Paracord

Obviously food and water, a pocket knife/tool thingy, some paracord will be thrown into the sack along with a sleeping bag for junior.

If there is anything I've missed out which I'll really need, or something that will make the trip more enjoyable, let me know.

[Martin]

Something to sit on will make the trip so much more enjoyable. The ground is fine for a while but you can't beat sitting back in a nice comfy chair in my opinion. :)

Martin

[FatDad]

Thanks for that Martin.
Sam, my 7 yr old has reliably informed me that he knows how to make a stool from dead sticks and paracord.
I can't bring myself to visibly doubt him on our first outing, so i'll let him have a go!!
Hopefully he'll succeed, but if not there may be a log that can be pressed into action to support the parental arse!!

[NeedABrew]

I like those little blow up travel pillows - you know the ones that sort of wrap round your neck a bit? I wriggle quite a lot when I'm sleeping and when in a hammock if I am using the usual rolled up items of clothing etc you can be sure that they end up half way down my back or directly above my head in a totally useless place.

Walking poles if you are going to be doing any sort of distance (Asda 7 quid a pair).

I think Sapper mentioned a bit of gaffa tape - something that I always take myself. I have a plastic trowel from Wilkinsons which I take (along with a toilet roll in a water tight bag) and I always wrap a few meters of tape round the handle. Amazing the uses you can get out of it.

Plastic bag for rubbish.

Have fun! :)

[Martin]

Plus one for the pillow. I use an Exped Inflatable Pillow which I love.

Sticks and paracord for a chair? Ha ha, I'll stick to my bushcraft throne. Those who know me, know what I mean. :D

Martin

[JonnyP]

Don't forget to take a first aid kit..
After re-reading, I see you won't lol..

[biker-bri]

My advice - take only the essentials, the trouble is, you - like me don't know what the essentials are until you have been out at least a couple of times, on my first trip with a hammock I carried way too much, lucky for me it wasn't a long walk in
I even took a pen and pad to write down all the things I didn't use, when it was time to do the check-list I found that I had left the pen at home :ashamed:
My kit list now looks like this. Tarp, hammock, sleeping bag, stove, fuel, lighter, water, food, cook pan, mug, toilet paper and a trowel what goes in must come out !!:eek: As extras I always carry some kind of knife and I don't leave home without my dslr.
Other people will have their own take on what the essentials are and you will find out your own soon enough, "Enjoy it", that's what it's all about any way. Cheers Bri

[NeedABrew]

Oh and as a dad too, who is taking his 10yr old daughter for her first proper wild camp next week - I know you mentioned a first aid kit but remember to throw in some sachets of calpol and some infant piriton. I got bitten to death last weekend and some anti-histamines would have been bliss for me. For a little one - essential, as is some insect repellent for that matter. Last lot I bought was 9 quid in my local chemist so I bought it at B&M for about ~2.50

[FatDad]

The missus has just shown me the lads first attempts at carving - a tent peg and a 'fork'. Quite frankly, I'm amazed!!

5215

[FatDad]

By the way, how come I'm now a 'Hobo', and no longer 'Lost in The Wilderness'?

[Kernowek Scouser]

Plus two for the pillow and plus one for the call of nature kit.

If these have already been mentioned and I missed them apologies:

A map & compass (Even if it isn't really needed, map reading could keep your lad entertained)
Hand sanitizer (Unless you automatically eat with your less favoured hand)
Wet wipes (Easy cleaning)
Spare batteries (For anything you take that needs them)
A small towel (As a rain soaked head, left damp can make even the most grizzled grown man sneezey)
A safety whistles (to signal distress or if out of sight of each other, a much easier and more civilized way to communicate instead of shouting 'Where the F are you?")
Your mobile with you I.C.E contact entered into it and either a spare charged battery or a solar/wind up charger (In case you need to call for help, signal willing)
Camping dogtags on both your persons: you name, age, I.C.E. contact, a list of any medical conditions a first responder would need to be aware of, a list of any medication you take and a list of any medication you may be allergic to (this may seem a bit over the top, but it is one of those 'just in case' things if things do go a bit Pete Tong and if you have some cardboard knocking about, it only takes a couple of minutes to cut round a credit card and write one out)
And finally, a sense of adventure :D

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your trip

Cheers,

Colin

[Silverback]

I think Sapper mentioned a bit of gaffa tape -

Yup good stuff, myriad of uses from first aid to heath robinson repairs

[blindgeekuk]

Woot, another mKettle user like me.

If its new to you, I recommend doing a few test boils at home so you get used to the amount of dry sticks you need, and to wash out any manufacturing chemicals from the inside, and to coat the inner chimney with a nice layer of soot/resin - I recently got a second mKettle, and my well used first one boils much 1 to 2 minutes quicker...

Remember, you can supplement the wood in the mKettle with an esbit block - i've found that quite useful for getting a fire started when all i have is damp wood, as it helps dry the sticks out to get a proper fire going.

If you get on with the mKettle, you can get a pot stand for it, though i've only had limited success with mine, it warms the pan up but doesn't cook the contents.

And if you go to theboilerwerks website, Devlin who made the original backcountry boiler that the mKettle is a ripoff of, does a 'firefelt' that you add 15 to 30ml of meths to. Devlin also does a pot stand that fits a bit snugger on the mKettle, and can be used in the fire bowl of the Mkettle to give a backup stove.

[NeedABrew]

The missus has just shown me the lads first attempts at carving - a tent peg and a 'fork'. Quite frankly, I'm amazed!!

5215

Oh wow! He's seven did you say?? I am genuinely unsure if I could match those first try.

Welcome to being a hobo - I became a tramp a few posts ago, strange but I have been called that by a few ladies in the past lol