rualexander wrote:Well, you don't need a mallet that's for sure, so spend the £6 on something else. In 35 years of cycle camping I've never used a mallet for anything. There's always a rock or lump of concrete lying around somewhere.
My plastic mallet saves me looking around for rocks and also has a handy bit for pulling the peg out... worth its weight, which is minimal.
Yes. Was doing some tarp practice in the woods the other day. Lots of knarled wood and general mulch. No rocks. No concrete strangely enough. And why ruin my nice pegs!
rualexander wrote:Well, you don't need a mallet that's for sure, so spend the £6 on something else. In 35 years of cycle camping I've never used a mallet for anything. There's always a rock or lump of concrete lying around somewhere.
disagree. My plastic mallet is a life/sanity saver.
leftpoole wrote:A mallet is not required at all for any reason! A simple Methylated spirit stove is obvious for cooking, followed by cheap (and nasty) pans from a Supermarket! John
you can do better than that - use of those wood burners that work nicely with twigs. I was trying one out last summer and quite inpressed. meths still costs money, twigs dont
mine came with a little dish for those I think solid fuel things
I've got one of these half the price of the above and folds flat. So far have only used it for a brew in the back garden and seems OK other than making your pot sooty.
leftpoole wrote:A mallet is not required at all for any reason! A simple Methylated spirit stove is obvious for cooking, followed by cheap (and nasty) pans from a Supermarket! John
you can do better than that - use of those wood burners that work nicely with twigs. I was trying one out last summer and quite inpressed. meths still costs money, twigs dont
mine came with a little dish for those I think solid fuel things
I've got one of these half the price of the above and folds flat. So far have only used it for a brew in the back garden and seems OK other than making your pot sooty.
I have seen one of them working and seem to work fine. Maybe one advantage ( or maybe necessity ) with mine is that the inner bit is double walled with numerous vents around the edge at the top, and air is sucked up from the bottom like a chimney and almost looks like a flame from a proper gas burner around the edges. It is also thus fully enclosed so no flame can escape.
I had some spare hamster bedding wood shavings and also wood cat litter pellets. And both work well, the shavings as a starter.
whoof wrote:I've got one of these half the price of the above and folds flat. So far have only used it for a brew in the back garden and seems OK other than making your pot sooty.
I've got a simpler 4 sided one. Not overly impressed. It makes everything filthy with soot as you said. First thing I do when pitching camp after a long ride is make a cup-a-soup. I don't want to be running about looking for suitable dry twigs (good luck with that on the average campsite) to get a fire going just to save tuppence.
whoof wrote:I've got one of these half the price of the above and folds flat. So far have only used it for a brew in the back garden and seems OK other than making your pot sooty.
I've got a simpler 4 sided one. Not overly impressed. It makes everything filthy with soot as you said. First thing I do when pitching camp after a long ride is make a cup-a-soup. I don't want to be running about looking for suitable dry twigs (good luck with that on the average campsite) to get a fire going just to save tuppence.
I was going to use mine as a back-up as I've occasionally not been able to find fuel and as a dual cooking system so I can cook my curry and rice at the same time rather than consecutively. Also most likely wouldn't be on a campsite and therefore sticks more readily available.
leftpoole wrote:It’s all very well and good being a cheapskate , but you cannot best quality equipment. Hilleberg tent, thermarest mat. Down sleeping bag and a decidedly expensive stove. Do what you want but each to his own. Johm
Whilst I agree with you about not being a cheapskate, there is a law of diminishing returns with camping equipment as with everything else. Yes Hilleberg tents are superb but IMHO they're overkill for most cycle tourists unless they make a habit of camping on a mountain in a winter gale. Most of us don't do that and a more modestly priced tent will serve well for many years. Having said that I wouldn't feel confident touring with a really, really cheap tent but I've also been bitten by expensive ones. In 1998 I paid about £300 IRC for a Saunders tent which was utter junk. It leaked like a sieve and the inner's ground sheet wasn't even remotely waterproof.
About Saunders tents. I agree they were overpriced and not very well made. John
Just bought a macpac minaret on Facebook market place for £55.00, posted. It’s approx a 2005 model but hasn’t had a hard life and macpac are up there with the best of them for longevity and durability. It’s in fabulous condition and all I’ve done is gently clean it with warm water and re- proof it with Graingers.
There seems to have been a lot of good used tents and gear for sale recently as people have lock-down clear outs. Get a good strong tent for low cost and you’re well on you way to meeting the challenge!
Weight about 2.4kg...not the lightest but totally bombproof. I’m looking forward to some wet, windy nights to snuggle down!
Macpac minaret (see above) ...£55 Snugpak travelpak 2 sleeping bag .....£31 Alpkit aero 120 sleeping mat ....£35 Mini Trangia cookset/stove ....£22.50 Spork ....£2 Plastic mug ....£1
Total..£146.50
Weights, respectively:
2400g 1100g 450g 330g 20g 50g
Total.....4.350kg
Quite pleased with that and even got change for a pint and a packet of crisps
This is all my kit, but I recently splashed out on a decathlon forclaz 900 down bag, which was a budget-busting £119 !!
The Alpkit mat is brilliant. Very warm and comfy and long enough for me at 5’7”. The snugpak bag is great for summer, but a bit thin for cooler weather. The mini trangia needs no introduction but works best with a wind shield, although there is plenty of safe room to cook in the tent porch, out of the wind (the inner tent folds back to increase the porch space).
Macpac minaret (see above) ...£55 Snugpak travelpak 2 sleeping bag .....£31 Alpkit aero 120 sleeping mat ....£35 Mini Trangia cookset/stove ....£22.50 Spork ....£2 Plastic mug ....£1
Total..£146.50
Weights, respectively:
2400g 1100g 450g 330g 20g 50g
Total.....4.350kg
Quite pleased with that and even got change for a pint and a packet of crisps
This is all my kit, but I recently splashed out on a decathlon forclaz 900 down bag, which was a budget-busting £119 !!
The Alpkit mat is brilliant. Very warm and comfy and long enough for me at 5’7”. The snugpak bag is great for summer, but a bit thin for cooler weather. The mini trangia needs no introduction but works best with a wind shield, although there is plenty of safe room to cook in the tent porch, out of the wind (the inner tent folds back to increase the porch space).
Well done - i'm still working on mine, just added an Aldi self inflate mattress for £12.99 weight 800g, just need to sort the cooking element now!
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
whoof wrote:I've got one of these half the price of the above and folds flat. So far have only used it for a brew in the back garden and seems OK other than making your pot sooty.
I've got a simpler 4 sided one. Not overly impressed. It makes everything filthy with soot as you said. First thing I do when pitching camp after a long ride is make a cup-a-soup. I don't want to be running about looking for suitable dry twigs (good luck with that on the average campsite) to get a fire going just to save tuppence.
Yes, this put me totally off the idea as well, despite the romance of free. I imagine they aren"t exactly compact either. And wood is very often damp. Far better to use meths or gas - those tall gas cartridges can be had for between £1 and £1.50 each.
No, I don’t think macpac have the ‘prestige’ of Hilleberg, so go cheaper second hand..a similar one to mine has just gone on eBay for £132...yet I’ve read a review from someone who owns both a macpac and a Hilleberg, saying the macpac’s more robust than the Hilleberg.
hoppy58 wrote:No, I don’t think macpac have the ‘prestige’ of Hilleberg, so go cheaper second hand..a similar one to mine has just gone on eBay for £132...yet I’ve read a review from someone who owns both a macpac and a Hilleberg, saying the macpac’s more robust than the Hilleberg.
I’ve owned Macpac tents. Your friend has a strange idea about quality! MacPac once upon a time were great tents made in New Zealand. Not longer. They are certainly not in a par with Hilleberg