Hey Brian just had a look at your site! very nice mate, good to see someone who takes pride in thier work
Dave
Dave
Advice Please
- Thread starter DaveBromley
- Start date
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Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
mate i'm the same at my job lol, most sparks just throw it in but i won't leave until i'd be happy with it in my house (and i'm a "bit" of a perfectionist lol) if worth doing its worth doing right!
Thanks Dave
Thanks Dave
One thing i can say to look for mate, is Yoga mats. They're identical to sleeping mats, but for some reason or other, seem to be no more than a quid.
Sleep is one of the most important things to get whilst wild camping so i would get the money into a good sleeping system ,one that will endure the roughing it ,at the moment with summer here a small daysack will do warm summer nights etc,also it will get you set on the right track for only taking what you need for the duration of the stay in the bush.regards cappi
over the summer months i tend to use blankets, good surplus wool ones.cheapish and lovely and warm.
Hi ,
If you feel the need for a knife then militarymart £4.99 Mora is a good starting option ( I've never moved above starting so still use mine
). Although the postage is £3.64 it's still only £8 something for a pretty decent knife . As you're in Manc it would be worth a trip to Clas ohlsen to see what they've got too .
Cheers , Trev .
If you feel the need for a knife then militarymart £4.99 Mora is a good starting option ( I've never moved above starting so still use mine
). Although the postage is £3.64 it's still only £8 something for a pretty decent knife . As you're in Manc it would be worth a trip to Clas ohlsen to see what they've got too .Cheers , Trev .
Hi Dave,
Over the years, I've collected all sorts of gear. The odd thing is that the kit I use regularly, the stuff I like using, is neither state of the art nor expensive.
Out of my vast array of billies, pots and pans, the most frequently used are a Tatonka kettle and a 1/2 ltr can for drumming up. The tea can started out in life as a stainless steel tea-caddy. The Tatonka was bought a couple of years ago, as the pot with hanging bail I'd used for decades finally sprung a leak. My cup is an orange plastic number I've carried for decades through Scotland, the Alps, Tatry, Pyrenees and Atlas mountains. It has a patina testament to its antiquity. If only it could talk!
I have, somewhere, stoves from old brass paraffin Primuses to petrol Optimus stoves, Trangia, hexi-block and various gas stoves. They all have histories, although due to practicality, the stove I use most often is a home made wood burner similar to the type you'll see here...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57216 (thank Bushcraftbob for that, and check out the copious info in DIY and Traditional Crafts on this site) Mine was made in half an hour from an old tea caddy with a drill and a grinder, and has been fuelled with everything from wood to heather, peat and the crap of various herbivores. Almost all of my cooking is done on the camp-fire, either suspended on a crane or rack or on a rock at the side.
I don't use meths as it's expensive and can't be easily replenished. My belt and braces comes in the form of my wood burning/"Hobo" stove and a well respected petrol Optimus Svea. A gallon of petrol can still be bought for not much more than the price of a can of gas. The petrol can be easily gotten and will last me for months. A can of gas needs a camping store and lasts for maybe a week.
The saw I've used for the last 3 years is a small fixed-blade gardening saw, £3 from Lidl. I can't say how many tons of dead-standers it's dropped.
My point is that you don't need to splash the cash in obtaining kit! Look in Lidl, Aldi, surplus stores, etc. Millets sell 6' x 9' groundsheets for less than a tenner! Check out the pound shops for water bags, bottles and boxes, etc. Get yourself to car boot sales and if you keep an open mind, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can pick up, and what others think is useless junk. I saw an old Sheffield Bowie for a couple of quid... spitting now that I didn't grab it!
One thing I will say is that you need a warm sleeping bag, and when you're in the sh!t you need a good pair of boots!
Cheers, and happy
Over the years, I've collected all sorts of gear. The odd thing is that the kit I use regularly, the stuff I like using, is neither state of the art nor expensive.
Out of my vast array of billies, pots and pans, the most frequently used are a Tatonka kettle and a 1/2 ltr can for drumming up. The tea can started out in life as a stainless steel tea-caddy. The Tatonka was bought a couple of years ago, as the pot with hanging bail I'd used for decades finally sprung a leak. My cup is an orange plastic number I've carried for decades through Scotland, the Alps, Tatry, Pyrenees and Atlas mountains. It has a patina testament to its antiquity. If only it could talk!
I have, somewhere, stoves from old brass paraffin Primuses to petrol Optimus stoves, Trangia, hexi-block and various gas stoves. They all have histories, although due to practicality, the stove I use most often is a home made wood burner similar to the type you'll see here...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57216 (thank Bushcraftbob for that, and check out the copious info in DIY and Traditional Crafts on this site) Mine was made in half an hour from an old tea caddy with a drill and a grinder, and has been fuelled with everything from wood to heather, peat and the crap of various herbivores. Almost all of my cooking is done on the camp-fire, either suspended on a crane or rack or on a rock at the side.
I don't use meths as it's expensive and can't be easily replenished. My belt and braces comes in the form of my wood burning/"Hobo" stove and a well respected petrol Optimus Svea. A gallon of petrol can still be bought for not much more than the price of a can of gas. The petrol can be easily gotten and will last me for months. A can of gas needs a camping store and lasts for maybe a week.
The saw I've used for the last 3 years is a small fixed-blade gardening saw, £3 from Lidl. I can't say how many tons of dead-standers it's dropped.
My point is that you don't need to splash the cash in obtaining kit! Look in Lidl, Aldi, surplus stores, etc. Millets sell 6' x 9' groundsheets for less than a tenner! Check out the pound shops for water bags, bottles and boxes, etc. Get yourself to car boot sales and if you keep an open mind, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can pick up, and what others think is useless junk. I saw an old Sheffield Bowie for a couple of quid... spitting now that I didn't grab it!
One thing I will say is that you need a warm sleeping bag, and when you're in the sh!t you need a good pair of boots!
Cheers, and happy
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There seems to be a recuring theme here lol, i have a pack sorted now thanks to the very generous Southey! so will be looking into sleeping systems for the next week i think lol
Thanks Dave
Thanks Dave
I find that good cutting tools makes woodland camping much easier (particularly in winter). However they soon need attention if they are used frequently. So sharpening equipment (and good advice on how to use it) is useful. A double sided sharpener, diamond coated and ceramic, is fine for field repairs. At home, a range of graded stones can be used to keep simple edges in good condition.
S.
S.
Dave if your after a realy warm fairly weather proof sleepnig bag try an ex German Army Issue sleeping bag, they are warm as anything but are quite bulkey.
i used one for years as a cadet and had no probs at all (appart from being a little bulkey). you could probley get one for around £15-30 from an army surplus (dont forget to haggle)....
the British army Assault boot is ok as a starting boot for £30 brand new but are not gortex lined and will soak up water once it starts to get in, but thats fine if you dont mind wet feet for a while or you can wear gortex socks which are about £10 a pair (i think)....
the best boots i have ever had are Lowa's well worth every penny but are pricey at £180 a pair......
i used one for years as a cadet and had no probs at all (appart from being a little bulkey). you could probley get one for around £15-30 from an army surplus (dont forget to haggle)....
the British army Assault boot is ok as a starting boot for £30 brand new but are not gortex lined and will soak up water once it starts to get in, but thats fine if you dont mind wet feet for a while or you can wear gortex socks which are about £10 a pair (i think)....
the best boots i have ever had are Lowa's well worth every penny but are pricey at £180 a pair......
an alternative boot quite cheep from surplus are deck boots or jungle boots which just let the water straight in but drain and dry more quickly than any other boot.....
another piece of kit which has lasted 10 years and is still going strong is my buffalo fleece/jacket costs £90 but is warm as the pit of hell and is quite waterproof to, being made from pertex and is almost totaly wind proof.... i use mine as my coat in the winter unless its realy cold or snowey.......
i know these are things you cant afford right now but in the future for b/day prezzi or xmas and the like....
hope this helps a bit more
chris...........
another piece of kit which has lasted 10 years and is still going strong is my buffalo fleece/jacket costs £90 but is warm as the pit of hell and is quite waterproof to, being made from pertex and is almost totaly wind proof.... i use mine as my coat in the winter unless its realy cold or snowey.......
i know these are things you cant afford right now but in the future for b/day prezzi or xmas and the like....
hope this helps a bit more
chris...........
I'm in a similar situation Dave. I used to be really I to wild camping and outdoors stuff arond 10-12 years ago but just stopped. Maybe it was lack of time or whatever but I'm just starting to get back to it now. I was a real kit junkie and sold a lot of my gear but still have some good bits. I havent bought any more gear but am considering a new bivvy or dd hammock. I have a basha, stove & cooking gear, Bergen, waterproofs, knife and a bit of common sense. Snowdonia Nation Park is on my doorstep so ihave lots to see. Again.
Good luck to you DaveBromley.
Good luck to you DaveBromley.
second hand bergen £15 online
Mora knife £10 online
tarp £5 army surplus
cord £5 army surplus
guylines £1 poundland
Sleeping bag £10-20 tesco,army surplus,etc
DD hammock or Alpkit bivi £40 or a £10 pop up tent if you have to
Headtorch £3-5 morrisons,tesco etc
£100 ish,you dont have to eat and cook eat prior to leaving grab a buttie on the way home.
Next month
£1 mess tins poundland
£5 hobo stove bits
spare fork from home.
Your then out and about,as you go on you can decided what kit you like and dont and swap in better kit bit by bit as time goes by not be long before your kitted out,IMHO its cheaper now than its ever been to get kitted up
Mora knife £10 online
tarp £5 army surplus
cord £5 army surplus
guylines £1 poundland
Sleeping bag £10-20 tesco,army surplus,etc
DD hammock or Alpkit bivi £40 or a £10 pop up tent if you have to
Headtorch £3-5 morrisons,tesco etc
£100 ish,you dont have to eat and cook eat prior to leaving grab a buttie on the way home.
Next month
£1 mess tins poundland
£5 hobo stove bits
spare fork from home.
Your then out and about,as you go on you can decided what kit you like and dont and swap in better kit bit by bit as time goes by not be long before your kitted out,IMHO its cheaper now than its ever been to get kitted up
i agree with what has been said previously:- you can kit yourself out with basic kit for very little and if you arent out and about with others what does it matter if you are using cheap gear? but......
We are all human and the gear does shout! there are plenty gear freaks on this forum.good on em if they have the cash. However you pare down to the essentials ,if you are human you are going to want a couple of items you can use to hold your head up in company. i suggest:-
Go to the gear shops-get the free catalogues and study!
Same for online :- browse here, all the retailers surplus outlets etc and watch for deals:- I have had bling kit from retailers for silly money as a result of heads up posts on this forum.
Many on this forum knock/are embaressed? by ebay. but once you do the research i mentioned before and learn to bid on older quality kit others may not realise the quality/value of ,you can clean up.If you play the game half reasonably you can make a profit by snapping up good deals out of season and reselling at or just befoe peak season eg ice axe end of winter/mid summer sell autumn /winter plough the profit back into your kit fund.
Also go lightweight /ultrlaightweight as soon as you can it concentrates you wonderfully on what you really need and when it comes to kit bragging you can just dismiss most guys kit as very nice... but i prefer to travel lighter...
I am going to sound like gok wan but the impression is from a few well chosen bits of classic kit like the svea petrol stove mentioned in the thread earlier. the real guys out there dont look for the latest kit they look for the classic items and these are often old kit you can pick up for a pittance. if you get this kit it wont matter that its 20 yrs old cos its for life.
This might be a bit superficial but no one wants to enter a new pastime looking like a low budget newbie
Can i suggest that members perusing this thread add their suggestions for classic kit now cheaply available that still hacks it in the real world ( swedish packs has alraed y been mentioned and fits the bill. good luck with the search and.
Spend all the birthday money on the best boots you can afford or all else is misery.
We are all human and the gear does shout! there are plenty gear freaks on this forum.good on em if they have the cash. However you pare down to the essentials ,if you are human you are going to want a couple of items you can use to hold your head up in company. i suggest:-
Go to the gear shops-get the free catalogues and study!
Same for online :- browse here, all the retailers surplus outlets etc and watch for deals:- I have had bling kit from retailers for silly money as a result of heads up posts on this forum.
Many on this forum knock/are embaressed? by ebay. but once you do the research i mentioned before and learn to bid on older quality kit others may not realise the quality/value of ,you can clean up.If you play the game half reasonably you can make a profit by snapping up good deals out of season and reselling at or just befoe peak season eg ice axe end of winter/mid summer sell autumn /winter plough the profit back into your kit fund.
Also go lightweight /ultrlaightweight as soon as you can it concentrates you wonderfully on what you really need and when it comes to kit bragging you can just dismiss most guys kit as very nice... but i prefer to travel lighter...
I am going to sound like gok wan but the impression is from a few well chosen bits of classic kit like the svea petrol stove mentioned in the thread earlier. the real guys out there dont look for the latest kit they look for the classic items and these are often old kit you can pick up for a pittance. if you get this kit it wont matter that its 20 yrs old cos its for life.
This might be a bit superficial but no one wants to enter a new pastime looking like a low budget newbie
Can i suggest that members perusing this thread add their suggestions for classic kit now cheaply available that still hacks it in the real world ( swedish packs has alraed y been mentioned and fits the bill. good luck with the search and.
Spend all the birthday money on the best boots you can afford or all else is misery.
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