Kit for British "Summer" and the Med

After years of day hikes I'm ready to take the plunge and go camping. Who knows if I get good gear maybe it will be less traumatic than the week in a canvas tent in Sweden when I was 9. (Maybe.) Anyway, I'm wondering what gear to buy. I've read lots of reviews on the net and the Kelty Windfoil Ultralight looks like a good tent. But can I get that here? And what about sleeping bag? Anything else I need?
As stated in the headline I'm looking to use this in summer in the UK and in the Med. No glaciers, no snow.

Kelty have a UK dealer listed on their web site at www.kelty.com - MAN O' LEISURE 01395 443789, but they don't have a high profile in the UK, in fact I was kind of surprised to find they have a presence here at all...

There are plenty of other good tents around however. Hilleberg are developing a really positive reputation - www. hilleberg.com - for making excellent lightweight tents in Sweden. I also really like the New Zealand brand MacPac and brands like Terra Nova have a proven record.

Sleeping bags? The two top specialist UK makes are RAB and Mountain Equipment. For warmth to weight ratio, down is best, but it's more expensive and needs more care, particularly keeping it dry. Synthetic fillings are improving all the time and for a summer bag, will still be pretty light and compact and cheaper too. A 2/3 season bag should take you into autumn and late Spring which with our luck'll be just the same as the UK summer anyway... Get one with a zip so you can vent and stay cool if it's really warm.

You'll also need some sort of sleeping mat as lying direct on the ground is pretty cold and uncomfortable. The ultimate is a Therm-a-Rest-type inflatable mat, but again they're expensive and you can buy a perfectly adequate foam mat for a lot less. It won't be as comfortable, but then it won't leak air either and will be lighter too.

For cooking, I'd stick with gas as it's so simple and easy to use, though not always cheap. The GoGas stoves we've tested have worked well,but whatever brand you pick, the most stable design is one of the tripod-type alpine stoves. The ones that mount on top of the gas canister are light, but can get unstable.

It makes sense to keep the weight down, but you'll soon discover that light, high quality kit does tend to be more expensive. Other tips, well, there's obvious stuff like practicing putting the tent up before you use it for real - it'll save epic messing around in the dark, but then again, that's half the fun of it...

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

Thanks, that was a lot of really useful information. I've used the last few days to find out more. I've got the tents down to three alternatives: Hilleberg Akto, Terra Nova Solar or MacPac Microlight. They're about the same size and price and have more or less the same features. Right now I'm leaning towards the Terra Nova. It is slightly bigger inside than the other two. The Akto looks nice but I think it may be overkill for what I intend to use it for and I'm a bit wary of the condensation problems reported. But then again maybe the same problems occur in the Solar. It's just that I haven't found that many thorough reviews of them. The same applies to the MacPac - I haven't been able to find many reviews. Except ones that say "I have this tent and it's great" which is not very helpful. Anybody have any actual experience?

As for sleeping bags I'm leaning towards a Snugpack Softie 9 Hawk. They also have it in 3/4 size. I'm 168 cm tall and the 3/4 bag is 190 cm long. Do you think I'll be warmer in the smaller bag? Or will I just feel cramped?
Cheers,
--Mjausson

I've had two MacPac Minarets and I can tell you that the build quality and water-resistance are both very, very good, though I don't have direct experience with the Microlight.

As far as the sleeping bag goes, I reckon you just need to try one for size. The important bit, obviously is the internal length of the bag.

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

I guess what I need to do is go *horror* to the shops and see for myself. Of course I'll just go to a place that is easy to get to and carries all the brands I'm looking for. It will only take an hour or so to compare the kit side by side. Naturally they will have my colours and sizes. *poof* Ooops, sorry, I'm dreaming. Anyway, thanks for all your help.
--Mjausson

Re. sleeping bags, I had a snugpac softie and it was utter crap. It was great for about the first four trips, after which the padding started to collapse, and after a season's use it had gone from a reasonable 3-season bag to an only-on-the-hottest-of-summer-nights bag. It put me right off synthetic bags. I'd say that, since you'll have a resaonably waterproof tent, and you're only planning on going out when it's warm-ish & dry-ish, get a light down bag instead. It'll last 10 times as long, and be miles smaller & lighter too. Well worth the extra expense.

Oh, a note about gas stoves, too. If you're heading for the med, then be aware that resealable gas canisters can be difficult to get in some areas (southern corsica has none, for example!) so it's worth getting a conversion kit so your stove will take the bluet (sp?) -style ones too (unless you fancy spending a week eating only baguette and cheese :-(

Chris

I'd agree with Chris that down's a better option if you can afford it. The down Mountain Equipment Lightline I bought as a teenager is still functioning okay, er, at least 15 years later, the synthetic bag I had at the same time is long gone.

The gas canister conversion things are made by GoGas and scew into non-resealable cartridges so they can be used with threaded connectors.

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

The down sacks I've looked at have all been horribly expensive. That's what's putting me off. At this rate, I won't be able to go anywhere once I've gotten all the gear I need. :-/
I must confess that the stove issue has me thoroughly confused. Having read several articles that supposedly explain it all, I'm scratching my head. Maybe it's because I've read both American and British buying guides.
Yesterday I got my Lowe Alpine Appalachian ND55 at least, so that's sorted.
On the tent front, I've eliminated the Terra Nova Solar because it pitches inner first. That leaves me with Hilleberg Akto and Macpac Microlight on my shortlist. Then some friends of mine said that it was better to get a two-person tent because there is more room for gear while the difference in weight is minimal. They also added that in case I meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger, having a one-person tent may prove to be impractical. These are important considerations. :-)
Anyway, I'm planning on going shopping in Hemel Hampstead on Saturday if the weather is crap.
--Mjausson

Mjausson, sounds like the Saunders Spacepacker fits the bill. Pitches outer first, & slighter bigger than the others mentioned, and not much heavie.
Can't rememeber specifics, but I do believe they have a web sites.
Anyway, its on my wish list. Sadly though its not too cheap.

Mjausson - re. down sleeping bags, although they're more expensive, they tend to work out cheaper in the long run because they last so long - so if you can bear the short-term expense and put up with bread and water for a while, they're well worth it.

Incidentally, if you're ever up in the peak district, get over to "Magic Mountain" in Glossop - mountain equipment factory seconds shop, where you can get some fantastic bargins on down gear - for exmple last year I got a 4+season ME bag for £110, reduced from £250+. I've seen 2/3 season bags (lightline etc) for around £50-60 there in the past, which is probably almost as cheap as a synthetic.

Tent-wise, I think that the Macpac Microlight pitches inner first too, although I could be wrong, so you may want to strike that from your list as well (although I would argue that for camping in hot weather - e.g. the Med - there are definite advantages to an inner-first pitching tent). Definately give the spacepacker some thought too, as, so long as you don't mind the extra 300g-or-so weight, it has a lot of useful extra features over the others mentioned.

Anyway, weather forecast for Northern England is sunny this weekend so you won't want to stay in Hemmel!

Chris

Strangely Chris has managed to say much of what I was about to, even down to recommending Magic Mountain - perhaps you need to plan a trip up to the Peak District... I know it's kind of glib to say that down makes economic sense in the long term, but it is true.

If you do decide to go for a synthetic bag, the Polarguard 3D filling's generally reckoned to be the best option at the moment. Ultimately though, don't get too hung up on gear. Sure, it's nice to have a super lightweight down bag, but for a year or two a synthetic bag will cope and get you out there, which is what it's all about. You can always buy the flash stuff later when you have a clearer idea of what you need. I started off walking and backpacking with a load of heavy army surplus gear and loved every minute of it, even if I do look back and wince retrospectively.


I'm not suggesting you do that, but 'budget-priced' outdoor gear is getting steadily better and for summer use, is generally up to the job. I'd concentrate on getting boots and pack right as they'll be the things that make the biggest difference to comfort when you're actually walking and build up the rest gradually.

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

Re: my earlier post - Saunders tents, and in particular the Spacepacker you can check them out at:-
http://www.robertsaunders.co.uk

I checked them out but as far as I can see from the photos it doesn't have any vents at all. There's very little information available about them. Can you pitch the inner on its own? The outer? On the site it appears that the Mk II is lighter, cheaper and bigger. I wrote to them yesterday asking about how they achieved that but haven't heard back from them yet.
Cheers,
--Mjausson

You can pitch the outer on it's own but not the inner in a SP. (unlike the TN and Macpac, on which you can only pitch the inner on it's own). Outer only is waterproof but not midge/mozzie/ant-proof, vice versa for inner-only.

The SPs (at least, the bigger ones) have doors on either side of the pole, which means you can get a breeze going right through the tent, unlike the other 2 which only have doors on one side - big plus for ventilation in the SP.

I don't know how they manage the bigger-lighter-cheaper thing, although I suspect it probably equates to thinner-weaker for the fabrics and poles - not that this should bother you for summer use.

Being able to pitch inner only is pretty important to me as I'm going to move to California in a year's time. Outer only is not a lot of use in rattle snake and tarantula territory. I'm leaning more and more towards the Macpac Microlight.
In other news I got my pack on Tuesday. It's a Lowe Alpine Appalachian ND 55. I'm going to look like an ad for LA with my LA jacket, trousers and pack. Come to think of it, do LA make tents? Just kidding. :-)
Anyway, I'm going to try it out with a bit of a load this weekend so that I can start adjusting the bewildering array of straps and buckles. I also want to go look at a Macpac Microlight. Hope I can find a shop that carries Macpac tents.
Cheers,
--Mjausson

Cotswold stock Macpac if there's one in your neck of the woods - there's one right next to Sherpherd's Bush tube station.

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

Cotswold are out of Microlights. They will restock in March/April but don't know if they will buy any Microlights then. This according to their customer services. I guess I'm doing this at the wrong time of year.
--Mjausson

I tried out the new backpack for the first time yesterday. I packed it full with clothes. It was probably still lighter than it's going to be with a tent and sleeping bag in but I wanted to start slowly. What surprised me most was that although much heavier, it was more comfortable than my day pack. The added weight slowed me down on steep ascends but that's all. I was also a bit unbalanced on the stiles. On Bucks stiles that's OK because they usually have uprights. It's going to be worse on wobbly Oxon stiles without uprights. Is there a trick to crossing stiles without having the backpack unbalance you?
Cheers,
--Mjausson

Third post in a row from me but I guess I started this thread so I might as well post to it. :-)

Anyway, I went to Cotswolds in St Albans today and they had a Microlight! The friendly young woman showed me how to put it up. I do think it will work but they only had it in blue. I think I'll try and get it in green from someone else.

I did get a sleeping bag. It's a Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 300, rated down to 0C. It's billed as a 2 season bag. I'm going to try it in the garden and if I think it's too cold I'll get a fleece liner.

Exciting, isn't it? :-)
--Mjausson

Fleece linings are the very height of excitement, I can still remember the time I first used one... No, seriously, I still get an anticipatory buzz out of getting stuff together for a trip. As for stiles; the two things I'd try to do are make sure that the hip/waist belt is done up to stop the pack from swinging around and try to keep your upper body reasonably upright.

You can also make the pack more stable by packing heavier stuff lower down and close in to the back and using compression straps to keep everything from slopping about.

Glad the pack's so comfortable, often with bigger packs you get a bit more padding, but it'll also help that you have an ND women's specific one that's designed for the female anatomy.

Cheers

Jon

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com