View Full Version : what do you think of my list
i was board yesterday so i was playing around with equiptment lists and were to get it from. i used this a s a base http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/p/v/Resources/Kit+Advice/Equipment/
and i used excel for all my links and stuff.
please keep in mind i am a poor student so chhep is good. i will put up with the cold :)
what am i missing or what could i improve on.
http://perfecthosting.biz/camping-equiptment.xls
Alex,
That's a fantastic list. Congratulations on putting together some excellent kit.
The only other thing I'd suggest that you look at it is a decent pocket sized survival kit. I'm a poor student myself so I know how hard it is to stretch a few hard earned dollars. Instead of buying an overpriced over the counter kit, you might want read over some survival manuals to get a good feel for what items you'd need. A tobacco tin works well for storing small items once you complile what you need.
Cheers,
Adam
i was board yesterday so i was playing around with equiptment lists and were to get it from. i used this a s a base http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/p/v/Resources/Kit+Advice/Equipment/
and i used excel for all my links and stuff.
please keep in mind i am a poor student so chhep is good. i will put up with the cold :)
what am i missing or what could i improve on.
http://perfecthosting.biz/camping-equiptment.xls
Alex don't buy stuff off the Ray Mears site its grossly overpriced.
For instance the Sabre 45 ruck sack he has for £89.95 can be purchased here for £67.99! (i've seen it cheaper elsewhere but can't remember the link).
http://www.johnbullclothing.com/products.asp?ID=1200
Angus Og
09-10-2006, 20:48
Alex don't buy stuff off the Ray Mears site its grossly overpriced.
For instance the Sabre 45 ruck sack he has for £89.95 can be purchased here for £67.99! (i've seen it cheaper elsewhere but can't remember the link).
http://www.johnbullclothing.com/products.asp?ID=1200
I agree, just had a look about and saved a £100.
Sabre 45 £70.00
http://www.awe-outdoors.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?productID= 97
side pockets £30.
http://www.awe-outdoors.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?productID= 162
Water purification £59.95
http://www.survivalschool.co.uk/acatalog/Water_Purification.html
Alex,
Good list mate, but as already said shop around for better prices, you could save a fair bit of money off your list ;)
Brian
thanks for all the input my main prob with finding kit was i dident know any sites. but i will alter the list now or tommorow. and see what alse i can change
Hi Alex,
Good list. You'll find it get's refined alot as you use it.
Two things;
1. do you really need some many different ways of cutting things? Remember K.I.S.S. "keep it simple & stupid
2. You have a question mark around bug spray. People's opinions vary on this subject and a quick search of the BCUK archives will give you plenty of advice. Personally I prefer non DEET based products such as MossieGuard and Avon's after sun lotion (again explain in more detail in other threads)
Have fun and remember to practice with each piece of kit you buy in all weathers, even if it's in the garden or a local park. Make sure you can pitch your tent in the rain and in the dark. That you can light your stove or a fire when the wind and rain are relentless - kit is no good if you don't know how to use it.
david
TheGreenMan
10-10-2006, 13:09
...please keep in mind i am a poor student so chhep is good. i will put up with the cold :)
what am i missing or what could i improve on...
Hello Alex,
A few suggestions that are inexpensive and light weight (If you’re on foot all the way).
Useful little hand trowel for digging a small latrine (In soft-ish ground):
http://www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk/trading/misc.htm
Really good tinder pouch – this will last pretty much forever (I had a leather tobacco pouch many years ago, and within a year the plastic lining was very badly puckered and splitting:
http://www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk/trading/misc.htm
This ‘pocket cooker’ is a very nice piece of kit, great if you’re on land where you can’t light an open fire (Almost everywhere in the UK), and so long as you can gather a few twigs, you’ll never have to carry relatively heavy liquid fuels, and you won’t choke on the Hexamine, and it’s slightly kinder to the environment, and you’ll never have to buy fuel:
http://www.countrytrader.co.uk/acatalog/Outdoor_Cooking.html
This mat is nice and cheap, and no punctures to worry about. The ‘10mm Military Premium’ is, I believe issued by NATO, which is a little wider than the standard Multimat, and it’s more durable that the ‘value’ type:
http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acatalog/Multimat_10mm_Military_Premium .html
And you can make up your own excellent medical kit with supplies here:
http://www.stjohnsupplies.co.uk/products/section.asp?cat=FC
Have fun!
Best regards,
Paul.
For a poor student you seem to be planning on spending a lot.....
Im hard up too, so i get stuff from Car boots.
Ebay is good, though it is best to compare prices.
why dont you try making some things?
Theres lots of ideas on this forum.
you could start with some simple pouches and a coke can stove.
Moduser,
I know DEET isn't exactly a safe product and that's probably why in Canada, anything over 30 percent is a banned substance. I've tried using non-DEET products but for me they just don't cut it. I was lucky enough to buy the last two bottles of 100% DEET bug juice in an outdoor store once before they stopped carrying the product.
It's really powerful stuff. It'll melt synthetic clothing, strip paint off of axe handles and it's also a great firetstarter. :)
Adam
addyb,
That's why I don't like the stuff. Even the diluted version you can buy here in the UK cost me an expensive pair of shades, I forgot I had pushed them up on my forhead, when I sprayed my face with a DEET based repelent.
I came to the conclusion that if it does that to plastic I don't want it on my skin.
In fact I'm getting closer to the maxim that if I'm not prepared to ingest something I wont put on my skin - as my skin absorbs the stuff into my system.
Each to there own though :D
David
just wanna thank Tengu for giving me a few bits and bobs. its the most generous anyone has been on a forum. :You_Rock_
the best insect repellent I have found is tobacco, the easiest way to make it is crush up half a dozen cigarettes with a little water and apply, our just chew them then apply.
Grooveski
12-10-2006, 14:28
Chew cigarettes?
:yuck:
You're having a laugh, surely?
Ya. I usually smoke 'em. What do YOU do with 'em, sir?
could be a new exprince. i dont really smoke but it could be good for a laugh. :) and i will have the added bonus of not getting bit
just wondering for all this kit do i need a 45 liter ora 100liter rucksack.
im gonna refine this list now with all your sugestions should knock off a few quide. also
Angus Og sent me a refionded version so with a few edits to that i should hve a final or near to list.
alex,
in fairness 45 ltrs should be more than plenty for the kit needed for a weekend and even a bit longer.
If the weather is going to be particularly cold/hostile then you may need extra room for spare/warmer clothes.
Personally 45 ltrs is what I prefer - easier to carry in dense woodland or over harsh terrain.
Remember to take what you need not necessarily everything you have :D
David
big_swede
13-10-2006, 14:10
Just some thoughts...
1) Why on earth do you wan't to spend more money on the sleeping mat than on the sleeping bag? A 10 mm foam mat is more than enough, as somebody already mentioned.
2) If you buy a tent, you won't need hammock, tarp, basha etc.
3) To cut corners, skip the tinder pouch and use a plastic ziplockbag, or a homemade canvas one.
4) Waterbottle? Use a PET-bottle(s), tape it up with ducttape to avoid sunlight (no good with bacterial growth), or spraypaint it.
5) if you have headtorch, why do you need a handtorch?
6) No need for two folding saws, do you need one at all, if you have both an axe, knife and multitool?
7) why the pouch? Seems really unnecessary.
8) Carry matches, and a firesteel as a backup, no need for a second firesteel
9) No real stove?
10) purification is available much cheaper... ordinary chlorine tablets (Puritab) or just boil the water for 6 minutes. Or use active carbon, etc.
11) I would skip the multitool
This was just my reflections, hope it's useful for you..
it was in my revison i made most of those changes. except that i dident go for the tent i went for the pocho/basha no hamock. i will take your advice on the tinder pouch and i thoguh since i have some of my old webbing at home i might awell buy a watter bottel as it hoilds alot and it is always in hand. i have got rid of all tourches as i found i have a head tourch and a right angel hand held. i godt rid of the follding saws and just put a wire was for about £3 seems like it will do the job. im not sure on the mulitool, it seems like it could be very usefull. and save alot of space(and weight). im getting a stove for free (good welcoming from you guys)
and what works better tablets or boiling as i agree 53 quid is a bit steep.
big_swede
13-10-2006, 14:38
and what works better tablets or boiling as i agree 53 quid is a bit steep.
No idea, never really used the tablets, except when I was in service. If it's bacteria you're afraid of you probably just could boil it. But I have little experience from english limnology. Chemical pollutants, and particles could be a problem as well. In such cases I have used a field made crude moss/char coal filter.
And again, the mulitool, when was the last time you needed pliers in the bush? Or a screwdriver?
i thought that it might be usefull for maintaining equiptment but if it isent neede i will remove it.
just been going through my list and what do you think of my iomporvisations.
instead of a shovel i could use a trwoel and i could steel my dads camel pack if im quick on the way out.
i have a tarp but its for the garage when we sand stuff in our house. but it seems quite light and it has plenty of eyelits.
i plam to make my own charcloth at some point. should save some time.
purifaction will be clorin tables like said above.
so will that work or will i find my self in troble when i do out camping.
Nightwalker
22-10-2006, 13:27
Nice list you've put together. I noticed that a couple items on your excel document were priced higher than on the link you gave, so a couple of items may have dropped in price. Your water bottle was one of the items I think.
Have you already started to buy some of this kit? The reason I ask is because I was thinking about postage. You have sourced your list from a lot of different websites and paying the postage for individual items could add a lot onto your final cost. I mean some sites are reasonable with postage, but some arent and will expect to charge you next to a fiva regardless of the weight of the item. ie. you wouldnt want to buy some £2.50 cutting wire online and pay more than that for postage would you?
Its a brilliant list you've gathered, I recommended reviewing each item and think what features is it about this item that makes you want it. Knowing its functionality & features you like you can then also visit local surplus or camping stores in your town and look for deals. If you find yourself a deal locally on a sleep-bag for example and it has the features you require you may just save yourself 4 or 5 pound postage. Getting smaller items locally would be better too, eg. wire-saw, ziploc bags, gaffa tape, paracord, hex-fuel etc. you could pickup from local stores and wouldnt have to pay any postage for each and every item, saving you a lot in my eyes. Online shopping will find you better competition and discount on larger items and it would also make it useful to buy some of the larger items you need together on the same website to share the postage fees. I have recently been looking for a lot of new kit (see thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=15742) I have used the net as a superb resource to shop around, find kit with the features I want, checkout competitive prices, and then I know what sorta thing I want for the price I want, so when im in local towns generally for other reasons I just pop into surplus stores and checkout their deals, I've picked up a lot of stuff like that and have saved money :D Just an idea. Good luck on the search and let me know if you have already started buying.
i think their is a surplus in camden i will have the check it out.
no i havent started buying yet i plan to go through my loft nd garage to see if their is anythig usefull inbetwen all the wasps nests :theyareon
TheGreenMan
22-10-2006, 14:24
Just like to give you an update on the trowel. I happened upon this one the other day, it’s much lighter than the one I suggested:
http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product151.asp
On the stove front, if the Pocket Stove is a little more than you would like to spend, this site has many options for making your own, at little cost, and the site is packed full of really useful information about stoves of all sorts and some very interesting information about the differing properties of various types of fuel (Once you have made camp I imagine you’ll be looking forward to lighting a fire to cook on etc, but when still in transit on foot, it’s worth bearing in mind that lighting a fire may not be an option and/or be time consuming. A small stove will be very useful to make a hot drink when taking a brief rest when on foot in cold weather – I still think that the collapsible Pocket Cooker is still the best option – no need to carry fuel, no need to buy fuel):
http://zenstoves.net/StoveChoices.htm
In this chart ‘btu’ = British Thermal Unit. It’s the standard for measuring heat output.
http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm
With water bottles, if you are planning on using any water that happens to be around, it might be a good idea to use a Milbank Bag (To filter-out silt and debris, in conjunction with Chlorine/Iodine, and neutralising tablets will help get rid of the unpleasant taste. As an alternative, as ‘big_swede’ mentions once the water has been filtered, just boil it, and a good ‘rolling boil’. I have tried boiling water in a Crusader Cup cooking unit with Hexamine blocks and I can not get it to boil sufficiently hot.
Also if you treat water with chemicals only, you need to keep the treated water protected from daylight, and UV can break-down the chemical protection in the water, and bacteria can begin to grow in it once more.
This is why people like the British Army water bottle. It’s thick black material that won’t permit light to reach the treated water. I know some people think that some of the kit on the Ray Mears site is expensive, but it’s the genuine article. There are a lot of inferior copies of kit available on the market, and I think that when it comes to safety, it always best to spend your money with a trustworthy supplier.
http://www.raymears.com/shop_item_desc.cfm?id=82&itemType=Accessories
Happy trails,
Paul.
Nightwalker
22-10-2006, 15:39
great post, thanks for that.
hardyferret
22-11-2006, 22:40
When in HM service really tried to get my kit to a sensible weight /level
35mm film containers are good, waterproof secure lightproof
Ideal for
toothpaste also chop off half handle and the brush will fit
foot powder
matches/cotton wool for tinder
fishing kit yes it does fit your after trout not tarpin !!
just a few ideas
as for water purification have mainly used puritabs for ease of storage and weight or iodine (tastier)
One of my most favoured bits of kit ron hill trackster tracksuit trousers warm comfey and quick drying also make room for a notebook to record
Regards Jerry ;)
thanks for the reply. the film container was a great idea. and i will look into those trousers