low budget camping challenge

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st599_uk
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by st599_uk »

whoof wrote:
mercalia wrote:
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

one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-Outdoor-Wood-Burning-Camping-Stove-and-Blowtube-Set-Picnic-Backpacking/303572525094?hash=item46ae552026:g:uAUAAOSwsqdexCvS

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.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Outdoor-Ligh ... 0005.m1851
Rub the outside of the pot with washing up liquid, then the door just rinses off.

Now that hot tenting is a thing (as it always was until the advent of plastic tents), I want to see the first canvas solo tent with a wood burner.
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Vorpal
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Vorpal »

I might spend half to 2/3rds of the budget on a good sleeping bag and mat, then do a tarp tent. Cooking stuff, etc. can be purchased from charity shops and boot sales which often have nearly unused stuff at good prices from people clearing out their sheds & what have you. As above, a stove can easily be made, for either meths or wood. Especially if you got more time than money.
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PaulaT
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by PaulaT »

Jdsk wrote:
Cowsham wrote:I find those micro fibre towels a bit useless...

Me too. I'd be interested in what others use.

Jonathan


I take a smallish microfibre towel and a couple of pieces of pertex which I bought years and years ago. They're not as good as a big fluffy bath towel but are quick drying, weigh virtually nothing and pack down very small..
Jdsk
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Jdsk »

Thanks.

Just ordered a piece of Pertex to play with.

Jonathan
PaulaT
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by PaulaT »

Jdsk wrote:Thanks.

Just ordered a piece of Pertex to play with.

Jonathan


I found it works better to use it more like blotting paper than as a towel.
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simonineaston
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by simonineaston »

sensible campers split into 3 - yes, you've guessed it... camps.
* Those who wouldn't dream of carrying a heavy mallet (and what is the point of a mallet that's not heavy?)
* Those, like me, who are heartily sick of treading on ally pegs in the hope that one day, they will simply sink straight into the ground without bending. These folk often secretly wish they'd brought a mallet... they can spend ages hunting around their camp site for a suitable rock.
* The third group, who just give up and take a heavy mallet with them, however if they continue along those lines, we will recognise that they do not belong to the sacred group, "Lightweight Campers". Next thing you know, they're be thinking it's OK to take a proper D lock with them, as well as one of those collapsable washing up sinks... As we know, there is also fringe group of campers who take with them a pointless plastic mallet that has no mass... & although I'm sure they're very nice people, they must be regarded as fantasists, who live in a dream world.
So, for years, I've been thinking of this: There's an object that we all have with us that has high mass and is roughly the shape of a mallet head - what is it? Answer: a water bottle. Even I know that water is quite heavy - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds. So, a pint of water must weigh one & a quarter pounds, or if your water is metric, say, half a kilo, roughly. That's plenty enough to make a good mallet. So all you need is a tough enough cup-like object into which you snuggly pop your water bottle (assuming it isn't tough enough already) and you have a perfectly useable club-hammer, weighing over a pound, with a base that's tough enough to wack in tent pegs. That's A Bingo! Dragons' Den, anybody? Sticklers for tradition may attempt to insist on a handle, but that's a step too far, in my view...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
SA_SA_SA
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by SA_SA_SA »

Jdsk wrote:Thanks.

Just ordered a piece of Pertex to play with.

Jonathan

The non calendered stuff is better for towels.
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Jdsk
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Jdsk »

simonineaston wrote:So, for years, I've been thinking of this: There's an object that we all have with us that has high mass and is roughly the shape of a mallet head - what is it? Answer: a water bottle. Even I know that water is quite heavy - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds. So, a pint of water must weigh one & a quarter pounds, or if your water is metric, say, half a kilo, roughly. That's plenty enough to make a good mallet. So all you need is a tough enough cup-like object into which you snuggly pop your water bottle (assuming it isn't tough enough already) and you have a perfectly useable club-hammer, weighing over a pound, with a base that's tough enough to wack in tent pegs.

Water's dense enough, but bottles and cups are optimised for forces other than transverse impacts on the wall... I look forward to seeing the design.

Jonathan

PS:
simonineaston wrote: - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds.

Not since 1976. : - )
PaulaT
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by PaulaT »

simonineaston wrote:sensible campers split into 3 - yes, you've guessed it... camps.
* Those who wouldn't dream of carrying a heavy mallet (and what is the point of a mallet that's not heavy?)
* Those, like me, who are heartily sick of treading on ally pegs in the hope that one day, they will simply sink straight into the ground without bending. These folk often secretly wish they'd brought a mallet... they can spend ages hunting around their camp site for a suitable rock.
* The third group, who just give up and take a heavy mallet with them, however if they continue along those lines, we will recognise that they do not belong to the sacred group, "Lightweight Campers". Next thing you know, they're be thinking it's OK to take a proper D lock with them, as well as one of those collapsable washing up sinks... As we know, there is also fringe group of campers who take with them a pointless plastic mallet that has no mass... & although I'm sure they're very nice people, they must be regarded as fantasists, who live in a dream world.
So, for years, I've been thinking of this: There's an object that we all have with us that has high mass and is roughly the shape of a mallet head - what is it? Answer: a water bottle. Even I know that water is quite heavy - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds. So, a pint of water must weigh one & a quarter pounds, or if your water is metric, say, half a kilo, roughly. That's plenty enough to make a good mallet. So all you need is a tough enough cup-like object into which you snuggly pop your water bottle (assuming it isn't tough enough already) and you have a perfectly useable club-hammer, weighing over a pound, with a base that's tough enough to wack in tent pegs. That's A Bingo! Dragons' Den, anybody? Sticklers for tradition may attempt to insist on a handle, but that's a step too far, in my view...


Some interesting observations there :) I've never actually had a problem pushing pegs in. I suppose it's down to where you camp. I can imagine thin mountain soils being a problem and also if you ever camp on chalk but everywhere I've ever pitched in the UK and Ireland has been fine. Perhaps that's down to me favouring lowland campsites with deep soil? Or maybe it's because until recently I've been using the shepherd's crook type peg?
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simonineaston
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by simonineaston »

me favouring lowland campsites with deep soil?
camped last week-end in the Vale of Pewsey - oh the joy of lovely sandy soil, pre-prepared by cooperative moles. Mallets appeared from the back of the support vehicle and wack, wack, wack we went - needless to say, on the tent pegs, not on the moles!
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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Cowsham
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Cowsham »

Jdsk wrote:
simonineaston wrote:So, for years, I've been thinking of this: There's an object that we all have with us that has high mass and is roughly the shape of a mallet head - what is it? Answer: a water bottle. Even I know that water is quite heavy - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds. So, a pint of water must weigh one & a quarter pounds, or if your water is metric, say, half a kilo, roughly. That's plenty enough to make a good mallet. So all you need is a tough enough cup-like object into which you snuggly pop your water bottle (assuming it isn't tough enough already) and you have a perfectly useable club-hammer, weighing over a pound, with a base that's tough enough to wack in tent pegs.

Water's dense enough, but bottles and cups are optimised for forces other than transverse impacts on the wall... I look forward to seeing the design.

Jonathan

PS:
simonineaston wrote: - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds.

Not since 1976. : - )


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Cowsham
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Cowsham »

Think I'll buy a nice light nylon folding mallet.
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Oldjohnw
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Oldjohnw »

Cowsham wrote:Think I'll buy a nice light nylon folding mallet.


I thought I'd order one of those trendy inflatable mallets.
John
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Cowsham
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by Cowsham »

Oldjohnw wrote:
Cowsham wrote:Think I'll buy a nice light nylon folding mallet.


I thought I'd order one of those trendy inflatable mallets.


That's something else entirely John!
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foxyrider
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Re: low budget camping challenge

Post by foxyrider »

simonineaston wrote:sensible campers split into 3 - yes, you've guessed it... camps.
* Those who wouldn't dream of carrying a heavy mallet (and what is the point of a mallet that's not heavy?)
* Those, like me, who are heartily sick of treading on ally pegs in the hope that one day, they will simply sink straight into the ground without bending. These folk often secretly wish they'd brought a mallet... they can spend ages hunting around their camp site for a suitable rock.
* The third group, who just give up and take a heavy mallet with them, however if they continue along those lines, we will recognise that they do not belong to the sacred group, "Lightweight Campers". Next thing you know, they're be thinking it's OK to take a proper D lock with them, as well as one of those collapsable washing up sinks... As we know, there is also fringe group of campers who take with them a pointless plastic mallet that has no mass... & although I'm sure they're very nice people, they must be regarded as fantasists, who live in a dream world.
So, for years, I've been thinking of this: There's an object that we all have with us that has high mass and is roughly the shape of a mallet head - what is it? Answer: a water bottle. Even I know that water is quite heavy - indeed I can recall that a gallon is defined by being that volume of water that weighs ten pounds. So, a pint of water must weigh one & a quarter pounds, or if your water is metric, say, half a kilo, roughly. That's plenty enough to make a good mallet. So all you need is a tough enough cup-like object into which you snuggly pop your water bottle (assuming it isn't tough enough already) and you have a perfectly useable club-hammer, weighing over a pound, with a base that's tough enough to wack in tent pegs. That's A Bingo! Dragons' Den, anybody? Sticklers for tradition may attempt to insist on a handle, but that's a step too far, in my view...


i've got a good deal on dehydrated water if you want to keeo it lightweight :lol:
Convention? what's that then?
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