Camping next week

17 March 2013 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography / iPhone photography, outdoor gear, Photos 2013

It has been a wet day here in Lincolnshire so that put a stop to a planned walk. I also had some work to catch up on.

However I am planning a camping trip for next weekend, so I have taken some time today to sort through my gear.

As part of my ongoing project to keep my camping gear lightweight I have changed my sleeping mat for a much lighter and smaller Alpkit Numo air mattress. The photo shows the difference in size and the weight saving is about 500g.

You can download a spread sheet that lists the weight of my backpacking gear from the free download page.

My backpacking pages

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Backpacking Cooking Equipment

17 February 2013 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography / backpacking, iPhone photography, outdoor gear, Photos 2013

Lightweight backpacking cooking equipment

Today’s photo, of my backpacking cooking equipment, is an illustration for a booklet I am writing about backpacking food. This is my lightweight backpacking cooking equipment I use regularly when backpacking and lightweight camping. I often carry it when I head out to work on a Friday, where I think I will have time in the afternoon when I am finished to go out in the countryside somewhere for a walk and a mug of tea.

It is based around a titanium mug with a lid that I use both as a mug and a cooking pot and a multi-fuel titanium stove. Most of the items will pack in a small stuff sack.

When backpacking the kit goes in an outside rucksack pocket so it is easy to get to for using on the trail.

For a full description if this kit, including the latest updates I have made – backpacking cooking gear.

This article and kit has been updated several times since I wrote this. Must most up to date lightweight backpacking cookset can be found here, with the weights spreadsheet here.

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Sleeping Bag

24 January 2013 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear / lightweight backpacking, outdoor gear

Yesterday one of the outdoor shops in Inverness was having a sale – and I found a sleeping bag to replace the rubbish sleeping bag I bought last year.

In the shop, I was able to get into the bag to try it for size and comfort.

It is filled with down, weighs just less than 1kg and is warm to about zero centigrade – it will reduce weight and space in my rucksack for backpacking.

Robens Down Lite 500

packed and compressed

The specification looks to be just what I was looking for. I hope it is made well enough to keep the down inside the bag and that it is warm. The real test will be during my next camping trip.

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Day Pack

22 January 2013 / Outdoor Gear / Golite Jam 2, Lincolnshire, outdoor gear, tea

Ultra Sil Day Pack – Sea to Summit

I was going to buy a lightweight stuff sack/dry sack for using to carry some extra kit strapped to the top of my Golite Jam. However I have bought this day pack instead as it will probably be more useful.

here it is packed with my Swiss Army Knife for comparison

It is a 20l pack for 68g. On longer backpacking trips I can use it for groceries or for day walks out from campsites – when I was away last May Day I used my Golite Jam when day walking, this will be more suitable.

click on the above image for a larger version

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Walk along Loch Tay – tea break

14 January 2013 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Travel, Walking / iPhone photography, outdoor gear, Photos 2013, Scotland, snow, tea, walking

As followed the route along the Loch there was a convenient picnic area for a tea break.

I carry the meths bottle in an outside mesh pocket, on my rucksack, which meant I did struggle to light the meths as it was very cold.

Here is the view from my cafe – menu, fresh hot tea with custard creams.

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Travel Tap – Micro Purification Water Filter Bottle

8 January 2013 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear / backpacking, lightweight backpacking, outdoor gear

Jeremy bought me this bottle for Christmas – the specs are here.

This is a really simple, lightweight, way to produce safe drinking water whilst I am backpacking or wild camping. No moving parts, batteries or pumps – drink straight from the bottle or use it to fill another water container or pot. When I wild camped in the Lakes last year I carried 3l or 3kg of water, my pack without the water weighed less than 9kgs – in the future I can top up along the way and save weight.

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Coffee Break

18 November 2012 / Outdoor Gear, Walking / coffee, lightweight stove, lightweight walking, MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, walking

I didn’t take a backpack on my walk this morning, I wore my winter walking coat and carried just enough equipment for a coffee break on the walk back – well actually it was hot chocolate.

I used a stile as a convenient seat and got my meths stove out of the wind behind the fence post.

I use a strip of heavy duty aluminium foil, cut from a tray an oven joint was cooked in. The foil is shaped into a “coil” so it fits snuggly around the titanium mug with lid, making an effective wind shield.

The plastic mug fits over the Sigg bottle and the folded up stove is stored under the bottle, the titanium mug slides onto the bottom of the bottle.

The other sundries fit into the front pocket: spork, fire steel, mug lid, meths bottle, some paper towel in a small ziplock bag for cleaning up and the rubbish.

I carried my sitmat in a jacket pocket.

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