Ace Gikmo
25-06-2013, 12:36 AM
Hi,
I've been a lurker on this forum for ages, trying to pick up knowledge from the other posters ahead of trying wild/stealth camping myself. I've been wanting to vent my mid-life crisis in this fashion since last year – however, as it never stopped raining in 2012 I decided to leave it until this year. I've had one or two little trial runs in the back garden - learned some things from them before creeping back into the house in the early hours. Eventually, the urge to get into the woods became overwhelming and with the weather seeming fair on Friday night, I packed my rucksack and set off.
It started out well enough – weather fine and dry, not many people about on the walk there, my planned camping spot was totally deserted – but the best laid plans of mice and men, etc, meant that things went downhill from that point on. I reluctantly struck camp just after 0100 hours and made my way home. I've made some notes which may prove useful to other beginners like myself, and will no doubt provide amusement for the wiser heads amongst you.
Things I got wrong:
Not checking the weather forecast! Had I bothered to check, I'd have been aware of the impending heavy rain and either abandoned the trip, or rigged up a tarp.
…..Not rigging up a tarp anyway, as rain can strike at any time in England, and even a bivi bag won't keep you 100% dry (head/shoulders are exposed). Also, as I discovered, a bivi bag is so close to your skin, heavy rain hitting it is like an unseen assailant prodding you with many fingers. Better if a tarp catches that.
Not taking something to distract myself with until ready for sleep – lying in a sleeping bag with nothing to do but listen to every noise in the undergrowth or dogs barking in the distance is not recommended, especially when also close to a busy railway line and on an airport flightpath.....
Not putting my slippery foam filled sleep mat inside my bivi bag, as they tend slip away sideways from under you. As mine did.
Not driving close to the location, and therefore not having transport home. I could have driven to and parked fairly close to my camping spot, but got my partner to drop me off – I wanted to be a bit “ninja” and not alert anyone to my presence, but that long walk home (getting on for three miles) at half past one in the morning in the pouring rain, was not an enjoyable experience to be honest, and could have been dangerous if I'd sustained an injury and unable to walk.
Things I got right:
Location – worked out a really isolated spot in the middle of some local woodland, miles from the nearest town or pub. Never saw another soul all the time I was in there, and I doubt anyone would have seen me had they passed by. Only trouble was finding my way out of it in the dark at one o'clock in the morning, when the heavy rain made the tarp-less situation unbearable! The vegetation was so thick in places, and the darkness so disorienting, I was on my hands and knees trying to find a route through it. It must have looked hilarious! Not the most pleasant experience.
Kit – was toasty in my British Army bivi bag, British Army jungle sleeping bag, and US Army “woobie” tied around the sleeping bag. A good, compact, and cheap combination of light weight and thermal efficiency, adequate for summer camping and all easily easily washed. Had a thin polystyrene foam silver sleep mat as my ground layer, and a ¾ length inflatable open cell mat above that. Mobile phone is essential in these circumstances, and I was able to have text banter with my partner and eldest son whilst isolated – very comforting for a bushcraft virgin like myself. My Led Lenser head torch was a godsend, it made what could have been a nightmare situation (packing away in the dark and finding my way out of the woods) into a do-able job.
Observations
The British Army bivi bag provides good wind protection but I'm doubting mine is fully waterproof, although hard to tell after the deluge of last Friday, when water was probably trickling in via the head and shoulders area. I used mine upside down, in an attempt to keep the rain off my head with the hood. In conjunction with even a poncho tarp to keep off the bulk of the rain, it would probably have been sufficient to keep me dry even in that downpour.
The weather – started off warm, dry, and no wind, but as dark fell a breeze developed. Being a townie, I'd forgotten that wind usually brings rain, and should have either packed up there and then or rigged up a tarp. In the dark.
Could have done with a pouch/small bag or something around my wrist or waist in which to store mobile phone, head torch, and glasses – you don't want to be blindly trying to find crucial items such as these in the dead of night, only to discover they've ended up at the bottom of your bivi bag! I might try sleeping with a small bum bag in future.
Rediscovered mosquito's appetite for human flesh – must look at insect repellent before venturing out again.
My constant worry was that someone would discover me and make life awkward in some way – this was compounded by being quite close to a canal towpath, where a boater decided to start his diesel engine at midnight to charge his batteries and stay up drinking longer, judging by the noises coming from that direction - but on reflection I'd chosen my spot well, and would feel more at ease if and when I venture out there again.
Would I do it again?
Yes, and hoping to do so before summer ends. Even though this trip was a bit of a disaster, I've been looking back on my little adventure fondly and laughing at my numptyness, slightly pleased with the way I coped with getting back home in one piece in the dead of night, and a little ashamed about “wussing out”, as my nine year old son predicted! The lessons learned will prepare me much better for my next trip.
I've been a lurker on this forum for ages, trying to pick up knowledge from the other posters ahead of trying wild/stealth camping myself. I've been wanting to vent my mid-life crisis in this fashion since last year – however, as it never stopped raining in 2012 I decided to leave it until this year. I've had one or two little trial runs in the back garden - learned some things from them before creeping back into the house in the early hours. Eventually, the urge to get into the woods became overwhelming and with the weather seeming fair on Friday night, I packed my rucksack and set off.
It started out well enough – weather fine and dry, not many people about on the walk there, my planned camping spot was totally deserted – but the best laid plans of mice and men, etc, meant that things went downhill from that point on. I reluctantly struck camp just after 0100 hours and made my way home. I've made some notes which may prove useful to other beginners like myself, and will no doubt provide amusement for the wiser heads amongst you.
Things I got wrong:
Not checking the weather forecast! Had I bothered to check, I'd have been aware of the impending heavy rain and either abandoned the trip, or rigged up a tarp.
…..Not rigging up a tarp anyway, as rain can strike at any time in England, and even a bivi bag won't keep you 100% dry (head/shoulders are exposed). Also, as I discovered, a bivi bag is so close to your skin, heavy rain hitting it is like an unseen assailant prodding you with many fingers. Better if a tarp catches that.
Not taking something to distract myself with until ready for sleep – lying in a sleeping bag with nothing to do but listen to every noise in the undergrowth or dogs barking in the distance is not recommended, especially when also close to a busy railway line and on an airport flightpath.....
Not putting my slippery foam filled sleep mat inside my bivi bag, as they tend slip away sideways from under you. As mine did.
Not driving close to the location, and therefore not having transport home. I could have driven to and parked fairly close to my camping spot, but got my partner to drop me off – I wanted to be a bit “ninja” and not alert anyone to my presence, but that long walk home (getting on for three miles) at half past one in the morning in the pouring rain, was not an enjoyable experience to be honest, and could have been dangerous if I'd sustained an injury and unable to walk.
Things I got right:
Location – worked out a really isolated spot in the middle of some local woodland, miles from the nearest town or pub. Never saw another soul all the time I was in there, and I doubt anyone would have seen me had they passed by. Only trouble was finding my way out of it in the dark at one o'clock in the morning, when the heavy rain made the tarp-less situation unbearable! The vegetation was so thick in places, and the darkness so disorienting, I was on my hands and knees trying to find a route through it. It must have looked hilarious! Not the most pleasant experience.
Kit – was toasty in my British Army bivi bag, British Army jungle sleeping bag, and US Army “woobie” tied around the sleeping bag. A good, compact, and cheap combination of light weight and thermal efficiency, adequate for summer camping and all easily easily washed. Had a thin polystyrene foam silver sleep mat as my ground layer, and a ¾ length inflatable open cell mat above that. Mobile phone is essential in these circumstances, and I was able to have text banter with my partner and eldest son whilst isolated – very comforting for a bushcraft virgin like myself. My Led Lenser head torch was a godsend, it made what could have been a nightmare situation (packing away in the dark and finding my way out of the woods) into a do-able job.
Observations
The British Army bivi bag provides good wind protection but I'm doubting mine is fully waterproof, although hard to tell after the deluge of last Friday, when water was probably trickling in via the head and shoulders area. I used mine upside down, in an attempt to keep the rain off my head with the hood. In conjunction with even a poncho tarp to keep off the bulk of the rain, it would probably have been sufficient to keep me dry even in that downpour.
The weather – started off warm, dry, and no wind, but as dark fell a breeze developed. Being a townie, I'd forgotten that wind usually brings rain, and should have either packed up there and then or rigged up a tarp. In the dark.
Could have done with a pouch/small bag or something around my wrist or waist in which to store mobile phone, head torch, and glasses – you don't want to be blindly trying to find crucial items such as these in the dead of night, only to discover they've ended up at the bottom of your bivi bag! I might try sleeping with a small bum bag in future.
Rediscovered mosquito's appetite for human flesh – must look at insect repellent before venturing out again.
My constant worry was that someone would discover me and make life awkward in some way – this was compounded by being quite close to a canal towpath, where a boater decided to start his diesel engine at midnight to charge his batteries and stay up drinking longer, judging by the noises coming from that direction - but on reflection I'd chosen my spot well, and would feel more at ease if and when I venture out there again.
Would I do it again?
Yes, and hoping to do so before summer ends. Even though this trip was a bit of a disaster, I've been looking back on my little adventure fondly and laughing at my numptyness, slightly pleased with the way I coped with getting back home in one piece in the dead of night, and a little ashamed about “wussing out”, as my nine year old son predicted! The lessons learned will prepare me much better for my next trip.