Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

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hamster
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by hamster »

Definitely still worth carryign for alloy tubes. They can still crush or crack and fold up.
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Cowsham
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Cowsham »

foxyrider wrote:i seem to add a new 'gadget' of some sort every year then promptly remove from the gear list when i get back as i either found no use for them, they didn't actually work or they broke!

I do that too -- but the worst thing that happened to me was my phone screen smashed two days before my trip. Luckily I had the wife's old phone but had to transfer everything, apps, contacts documents for travel etc over which left less time for packing.
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Cowsham
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Cowsham »

hamster wrote:Definitely still worth carryign for alloy tubes. They can still crush or crack and fold up.


Do they come in the appropriate sizes -- since alloy pole diameter is smaller and there's no joiner as such. Poles have reduced diameter at one end to slide into next pole -- leaves it flush so they slide easily into the tent fabric which along with being light is a great advantage of alloy poles.
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profpointy
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by profpointy »

A piece of 1/4" plywood around A4 size to use as a chopping board. Round the corners off so it doesn't wear through your luggage. Doesn't weigh much and is much better than cutting your fingers or blunting your knife on something unsuitable. Surprisingly using a cardboard sheet (cornflakes box) as a chopping board blunts the knife. I also take a proper kitchen knife despite it being heavier than my Swiss Army knife. My kitchen knife originally had a cardboard and duck tape scabbard, but since got a nice leather one for it. I might skip the knife if weight was an issue and I didn't expect to cook that much, but would always take the board.

board.JPG
hamster
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by hamster »

Cowsham wrote:
hamster wrote:Definitely still worth carryign for alloy tubes. They can still crush or crack and fold up.


Do they come in the appropriate sizes -- since alloy pole diameter is smaller and there's no joiner as such. Poles have reduced diameter at one end to slide into next pole -- leaves it flush so they slide easily into the tent fabric which along with being light is a great advantage of alloy poles.


I've always had one as part of the tent when new - a little bag with a pole sleeve and a patch. It fits snugly over the outside of the pole diameter.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Tangled Metal »

Cowsham wrote:Does pole fixing tube apply to alloy poles? I discovered alloy poles a couple of years ago and wouldn't go back to fibreglass -- I take a couple of spare alloy rods bungie with end plug and cutting tool to make new or I take the two ready made ones cos on my vango tent there are only two different lengths.

Yes!

It was a good make with good brand of alloy poles that failed on mine. DAC branded poles iirc but could have been Easton. Good grade of alloy too. Terra Nova brand. It's actually the cracking around where the pole section joining pin is inserted into one end of the pole. It causes damage that can sooner or later fail by cracking. There are brands of tent poles makers who use other joining production method which lessen this risk considerably. They're usually more expensive or rarely discounted.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Tangled Metal »

Cowsham wrote:
hamster wrote:Definitely still worth carryign for alloy tubes. They can still crush or crack and fold up.


Do they come in the appropriate sizes -- since alloy pole diameter is smaller and there's no joiner as such. Poles have reduced diameter at one end to slide into next pole -- leaves it flush so they slide easily into the tent fabric which along with being light is a great advantage of alloy poles.

They usually come with your tent repair kit however you can fit bigger diameter ones onto your poles and duct tape them on well. That trip when we had the pole failure we used ones from my old Vango tent that used thicker diameter poles. It still worked well.

Different pole production methods will have different risks. Sizing down one end to fit into the other does cause stress to the alloy. Others insert smaller pegs and either press fit or glue. Others crimp with typically three small crimp marks to hold the peg in. Those are very much prone to failure so avoid any tent with those poles.
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Cowsham
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Cowsham »

profpointy wrote:A piece of 1/4" plywood around A4 size to use as a chopping board. Round the corners off so it doesn't wear through your luggage. Doesn't weigh much and is much better than cutting your fingers or blunting your knife on something unsuitable. Surprisingly using a cardboard sheet (cornflakes box) as a chopping board blunts the knife. I also take a proper kitchen knife despite it being heavier than my Swiss Army knife. My kitchen knife originally had a cardboard and duck tape scabbard, but since got a nice leather one for it. I might skip the knife if weight was an issue and I didn't expect to cook that much, but would always take the board.

board.JPG


Weight is always an issue so I keep one knife one fork and one spoon. The knife is an ordinary dinning knife but has a good serrated edge and just enough of a point to do most culinary things without being so sharp it's hard to pack. A small cutting board is a good idea but when I'm camping/ touring I don't do much in food prep.
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mercalia
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by mercalia »

Vorpal wrote:
mercalia wrote:hammock. These can be got quite cheaply if so called parachute silk and great for lounging around a campsite ( as long as there are some trees. )

Yes. I got one last year. Mine closes & has bug net at the openings. I was planning to use it with my rain fly when camping in the woods. I figured that would give me camping opportunities in Norway when I couldn't find a good place to pitch a tent. I was planning on trialling it last year, but my tour was cut short by a mechanical after two nights, both above the tree line.


not sure I would recommend sleeping over night unless you have an under blanket for the hammock. I tried without last SUMMER at tanners hatch just a few miles out of south London( I use for testing things) ( so was very warm day ) and my back was cold, esp where the back touches the hammock, there was no wind either, that would have made things worse, wicking out any perspiration and cooling you further. not a very comfortable night, I ended up going into my tent. Even wearing my thermal jacket made no difference as my back just compressed the material. I have tried putting one of those cheap dense foam mats INSIDE, between me and the hammock but it just wont stay in place. So heed my comment. A hammock is though nice for lounging in during the day when it is really warm, and they dont take up much space.

Image
eg


How does it work?
In hammock camping, the majority of heat loss is from below due to your body weight compressing your clothing or the loft in your sleeping bag. The DD Hammock Underblanket combats this by hanging below your hammock so the loft is not compressed, creating a pocket of air warmed by your body heat. It should be hung with a little slack to gently 'hug' the hammock when you're inside, to achieve the warmest insulation.

https://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/hammock-under-blanket

or https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-underblanket

but then this defeats the object of just some thing small extra for the pack?
Last edited by mercalia on 11 May 2020, 6:41pm, edited 1 time in total.
iandriver
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by iandriver »

I use a collapsible bowl that has a base suitable for chopping. Only realy used it with bread and cheese for chopping, wouldn't do raw meat on it, but it's dead handy. Don't know the brand of mine, but like this https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Sea_to_Summ ... 7MQAvD_BwE
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
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nick12
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by nick12 »

If your going to sleep in a hammock you really need a double skin hammock and you can sandwich insulation in between so that it stays put. I use a length of foil coated foam insulation I believe is used behind radiators. I have a full body length piece about 45cm wide which folds and rolls up really small and weighs about 100grams. I often use it in the tent as a mat in summer too. The underblanket is really just for winter. In which case I'm in the tent.
mercalia
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by mercalia »

nick12 wrote:If your going to sleep in a hammock you really need a double skin hammock and you can sandwich insulation in between so that it stays put. I use a length of foil coated foam insulation I believe is used behind radiators. I have a full body length piece about 45cm wide which folds and rolls up really small and weighs about 100grams. I often use it in the tent as a mat in summer too. The underblanket is really just for winter. In which case I'm in the tent.


I think DDHammocks are double skinned where you can put in such a layer. But if you dont have such a hammock you have no option but to use a underblanket?

eg

https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/camping-hammock?from_cat=1

thats their cheapest.

I dont know what its like in Norway where Vorpal is based & its intended use
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Cowsham
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Cowsham »

I carry an airbed for inside the tent and an essential ( for me ) hot water bottle for inside the sleeping bag ( I need to be warm to be able to sleep properly )
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hamster
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by hamster »

nick12 wrote:If your going to sleep in a hammock you really need a double skin hammock and you can sandwich insulation in between so that it stays put. I use a length of foil coated foam insulation I believe is used behind radiators. I have a full body length piece about 45cm wide which folds and rolls up really small and weighs about 100grams. I often use it in the tent as a mat in summer too. The underblanket is really just for winter. In which case I'm in the tent.


Agreed, I similarly use a 3/4 length self-inflating mattress when using my hammock. The biggest advantage of a hammock is that it's still usable on very uneven, soggy or sloping ground.
Oldjohnw
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Re: Handy stuff to have in your camping kit

Post by Oldjohnw »

I've never used a hammock. I like open spaces to camp in and I assume you need trees. I can see the merits, though.
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