some of my kit (still waiting on some more to arrive)

[TheDaddy187]

From left to right:
Emergency shelter
Folding saw
Stormproof matches
Solar phone charger
4man tent
Survival box (contains water purification, slingshot bands, leather strop, tape, office rubber, ziplock bags for water storage, random sharpener, snare wire, signal mirror, spare micro torch + a few other random bits)
Cotton balls with petroleum jelly (burns longer)
Mora robust with firesteel, cordage and diamond sharpener on the sheath
A fallkniven dc3 diamond and ceramic sharpener
Cree 3w led torch (very bright)
Opinel #8
The mini takedown slingshot a friend sent me (in the altoids tinreplacing an old one I had)
A crappy mini axe thing
Cold steel trailhawk...

Currently waiting for my new pack (40l camo)
3.5x5.6m camo tarp
New mummy sleeping bag
Few ponchos


Not shown is my first aid kit
A few other knives I have
Another fire kit with birch bark tinder
Self inflating camping mat
My canteen and my cooking stuff

I do have a few other bits knocking about but I cannot remember nor see them right now

comments please...

also feel free to post pics of your kit

[saxonaxe]

Good for you. I think most of us like to try different kit, we use it, and keep some, but other bits never get used so get sold, swopped or passed on. Nobody can say what kit an individual should or shouldn't have, just pass on ideas or suggestions that's all. 4 Man tent, is that for family outings/base camp type use, must weigh a fair bit?
I spend a fair bit of time outside and find that even in Uk the kit list builds up according to weather/terrain conditions. Just the Winter, summer requirements in clothing/ shelter and sleeping gear for instance. I'm sorting kit for a January trip..I think I'm going to need a 4 tonner to shift it.. :D

[TheDaddy187]

well it said the tent was just under 2kg with guy lines and case but it feels like a fair bit more... maybe even up to 2kg more

im happy as long as my kit dont exceed 20kg (20kg is easy to shift about)

the purpose of the 4 man tent is to house myself, the missus and an overactive dog...

i wild camped just me and the dog and woke up to the dog missing during the autumn...

luckily she turned up after about 20 mins... but i got the tent new for 20 quid so thought id use it rather than lose my dog... shes a little cow sometimes

plus if i take my son camping, it would be better than wild camping with him (dont think he would enjoy the elements)

considering getting a smaller 2 man tent for just myself and him... will most likely give him the tent as i'l barely use it without him

[saxonaxe]

Yep, the tent manufacturers tend to stretch the truth a bit about weight I've found. A bit like the sleeping bag temperature guidelines, ha! their four season rated bags seem a fair bit different to what I think is a four season bag...
Still if it does the trick and the family get to join you, and you can carry it, why not?

I've got several tents I'm not a hammock fan, only two of them cost more than £65 and they're all great for the purposes for which I use them, back packing, summer/winter and woodland.

[TheDaddy187]

yup... as long as it does the job well enough then dont knock it...

i found the best way to have a true 4 season sleeping bag is to get an old one...

all the old kit works just as well if not better than this new stuff... it just weight more... in some cases alot more depending on the kit in question...

i was never expecting it to be as light as they stated... thought it sounded a bit far fetched... or if it did weigh that ammount then it must be made from bin liners and chopsticks...

im glad it was heavier rather than bin liners...

for a cheap tent its actually really good quality...

stands up to fine-medium rain ok... but i imagine heavy rain would eventually work its way in somewhere...

though this is just speculation... i have yet to use it in heavy rain... but i will soon have my camo tarp (looooong wait from amazon) so i may never get to see if it holds up well in heavy rain

[saxonaxe]

" yup... as long as it does the job well enough then dont knock it..." Agree 100%.

I use this tent quite a lot. Not expensive, weighs about 2.6 kilos (I've replaced the steel pegs with alluminium pegs) I give it a thorough spray with aerosol proofer a couple of times a year and it takes all the weather can throw at it..

http://i.imgur.com/WFxBYtKl.jpg

[TheDaddy187]

nice...

thats more the size id prefer...

better colour too...

mines blue with little yellow bits... i dont have a pic of it built but next time i go out i will take a few pics...

considering making a camo tarp outter wall for it... permanently attached... will up the weight but will take any weather and decrease heat loss...

but then id prefer to do that to a better and more suitable sized one...

ahh i will see how i feel later on

[OakAshandThorn]

I started out with a tent and then made the switch to a hammock system because it was a monster to carry. Now I'm starting to revert back to ground-dwelling with my DD tarp and a space blanket for a ground sheet. The DD Frontline hammock, with 2 karabiners to keep rain from seeping in, is a little too much weight and bulk for my liking. I'd like to upgrade to an ENO Doublenest (use the extra width to cocoon myself), which I know is a bit less of burden to carry. Still, I do like to go hammocking in the warmer months, especially in places where gnats and mozzies swarm to greet you with their eager buzzing.
12703
Up in Piermont, New Hampshire along the Connecticut River.

[saxonaxe]

I usually throw a lightweight camo net over my tents too, I just feel it makes the tent more covert as far as wildlife is concerned. Of course they know I'm there but the net softens the strange shape (to them)

This tent is a cheap Eurohike, sprayed with Nixwax aerosol in the Spring it stays 100% waterproof all summer..no problem
http://i.imgur.com/2n3y1QRl.jpg

This one I used last week, it's a 2-3 man Colman, again it does me ok and has had a fair bit of use over the years.

http://i.imgur.com/25SnlBSl.jpg

I use this one (without camo) for backpacking, it's a Zephyros 2. Good tent.

http://i.imgur.com/a0a7v8Ql.jpg

If I was going clinging to the side of a mountain in a blizzard I'd spend a lot of money on a tent, otherwise mine suit my needs. :)

[TheDaddy187]

the camo net makes it softer on the wildlife, and harder for me to see lol

im considering something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Highplains-Armed-Forces-Ghillie-Camouflage/dp/B00L4LS6QO/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1418591158&sr=8-21&keywords=2+man+tent but maybe not a pop up one... but if im giving it to my son, maybe a pop up one would be better...

[saxonaxe]

" ground-dwelling with my DD tarp and a space blanket for a ground sheet"

Yep, I spent a lot of summer nights under a tarp, ( on an exped air mat though 'cos I'm a wimp ) The summer was so good a tent seemed overkill..:D

http://i.imgur.com/8SoucyRl.jpg

" im considering something like this"

Those 'pop-ups' are ok if you have transport right up to where you're going to pitch, but the forth little illustration down on the Amazon website shows it 'folded' and they are a bit of a pain to haul very far because of the size/shape..Good for encouraging nippers to camp out though..:D

[midas]

[QUOTE=TheDaddy. but if im giving it to my son, maybe a pop up one would be better...[/QUOTE]

The only trouble with the popups is you need to be a magician,or have 3 hand, to recoil them.lol
I've got a Hi Gear,Pitch n go.Camo,2 man,(thats a joke)Totally waterproof.but you need to take a towel to bed to wipe the condensation of the inside.
Nevertheless,its great for an overnight stop.
For when weight is no object got a "Force 8 Bivvie"erect in 20 sec.n let the Jeep do the carrying.....

[TheDaddy187]

im happy under a tarp... use to use leaves as a base for bedding, but i got a self inflating mat... folds up pretty small (though takes a good 5 mins to get all the air out when its finished with)
the brand evades me...

[OakAshandThorn]

I find leaves are only useful if they are not compressed, otherwise, you're sleeping on a tick-infested lumpy bed. They make a great fill for a raised bed, but are otherwise not ideal IMO.

[TheDaddy187]

I generally collect up dead leaves and fresh boughs from something evergreen...
layer of dead stuff followed by layer of good stuff then I have a little 2x2m tarp id fold in half and lay on top... then sleeping bag...

Now its just making sure nothing sharp is there... tarp folded then inflatable mat and bag...

In my tent I just check the grounds clear of sharp stuff then mat and bag inside

[Pootle]

I agree with pop ups being a pain to carry, and terrible for condensation.
But I take one family (car) camping and festivals if it's raining. Chuck all the gear in it whilst setting up and it keeps everything from getting soaked.

[TheDaddy187]

i hike to wherever i am camping out...

my pack is set for bad weather setup... everything is placed in an order inside so i can access it while reducing chances of things getting wet that dont need to be... generally its tarp and cord on top... as soon as this is setup i have a rain free space to work under at a more leisurely pace...
then its tent (if i am using one) or ground sheet...

the last thing to come out is my sleeping bag when its safe to do so...

pack setup is as important as camp location and checking the weather reports

[Paul De Fitter]

The ol pop up tent is a bugger to carry !
I think a tent with a bit of a fly/roof type thing over the door is a must, the pop up will let rain straight into the tent any time you open up,

[midas]

The ol pop up tent is a bugger to carry !
I think a tent with a bit of a fly/roof type thing over the door is a must, the pop up will let rain straight into the tent any time you open up,
Agree on awkward to carry,Paul! But I solve the problem of no porch,Usually have my large poncho with me!so a stick n a length of paracord,extends,n forms a covered cooking area, if required n if persistantly raining.