Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Specifically for cycle touring subjects & questions
bealer
Posts: 376
Joined: 1 Apr 2010, 1:16pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by bealer »

+1 on the Platypus and +1 on the silk sleeping bag liner. The former is great for carrying additional water, and the latter stops your sleeping bag getting all stinky, it's much easier to wash the liner. Plus it'll add 2C to the comfort level.

On the talk of lightweight clothes. A light pair of flip flops, or if you're feeling really alternative some Vibram Five Fingers. Instead of regular trainers which will weigh typically 600g+, they weigh 240g. And they pack flat. I'm taking a pair with me on a tour to Oz. I'll get quite a few stares, but they save me half a kilo over my North Face trainers, and they've worked so far on mini tours.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/produc ... a-Mens.htm
Make sure you try them on though. I ended up with a size 7, when I'm normally a 9. It needs to be an exact fit.
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by simonineaston »

Buy a Gamma head-torch from Alpkit - so cheap you won't have to tap into your Cotswold vouchers! :wink:

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?tar ... ory_id=253
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
durhambiker
Posts: 166
Joined: 6 Jun 2010, 12:59pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by durhambiker »

+1 for icebreaker tops.can wear them for days without stink!
Wander Wheels
Posts: 5
Joined: 7 Jun 2011, 9:17pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by Wander Wheels »

A gas Trangia - had ours for over 20 years now and it's still going strong. Together with a Pocket Rocket - you've got all the pots and burners needed for a trip.
Wander Wheels
Posts: 5
Joined: 7 Jun 2011, 9:17pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by Wander Wheels »

Durham Biker - Yes agree with you with regarding Icebreaker tops - just got myself another one for my cycle touring trip to the Picos and getting a bit worried on the temperature at night as Mr Wander Wheels has purchased himself some merino wool leggings! The 15% off with CTC membership at Cotswold Outdoors pays for the membership with all the items I purchase every year from there.
nikruth
Posts: 34
Joined: 30 Jun 2009, 6:52pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by nikruth »

thermarest prolite made all the difference in the deluge last Sunday ,dry soft bit so warm....have the chair converter too which I love .
User avatar
horizon
Posts: 11275
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Cornwall

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by horizon »

I suppose that the £125 means that it should be for something special under that limit. However I would personally put the vouchers towards a really good sleeping bag.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
sloe
Posts: 14
Joined: 18 Nov 2007, 12:38pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by sloe »

+ for Icebreaker.

Earplugs.

Crocs.
User avatar
stephenjubb
Posts: 674
Joined: 20 Jan 2008, 12:23pm
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by stephenjubb »

an omnidawg for 118. makes my primus omnifuel silent and not sound like a jet aircraft.

and my outback oven for 45. it means anything you need to cook in an oven I can do in the field.
llayercake
Posts: 127
Joined: 18 Jan 2011, 8:52pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by llayercake »

Thanks people :D .

I've completed my maiden voyage, Lowestoft, Ness Point to St Davids Head, Whitesands, in Wales. I did 585 miles over 13 days with 2 rest days. I already had quite a bit of the kit (or equivalent kit) suggested.

The only things I wished I'd taken were a pair of Flip Flops and a bar end/handle bar mirror as I'd like to look death in the face when the God of HGVs eventually smiles on me rather than cringe along waiting to get it in the back :lol: .

I did a kit list in my journal on 'http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/firsttrip2011' and a Chocolate Teapot Award section in the conclusion for the most useless item.

The vouchers went on the 'Jetboil Flash Water Heating System' which is colonial speak for 'a mug on a burner'. Worth every penny when I wanted a coffee on my own terms.

Thanks again for all your input.

Kev.
User avatar
bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by bikes4two »

Maybe 'cos I'm getting older but I now prefer an Exped Synmat to the Thermarest as they are for me, a lot more comfortable although heavier and much better insulation from the ground. The Synmat chair is rather heavy duty so I use my Thermarest Trekker chair instead. It's a bit of a squeeze to get the Synmat in, but the Trekker chair is so much lighter than the Exped one.
+1 for the 'wait until after the 1st trip to spend'
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
ossie
Posts: 1793
Joined: 15 Apr 2011, 7:52pm

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by ossie »

llayercake wrote:The only things I wished I'd taken were a pair of Flip Flops and a bar end/handle bar mirror as I'd like to look death in the face when the God of HGVs eventually smiles on me rather than cringe along waiting to get it in the back :lol: .
Kev.


I took a mirror on my 10 day blast back from Spain...it was brilliant, especially on the busy roads with HGV's up behind you. Its amazing how quiet they can be when they slow and coast up to you waiting for the overtake. With a mirror i could see them approach, give a little wave to acknowledge their presence and thanking them for their patience and 99% gave me massive clearance....all praise to French lorry drivers, even French white van man was giving me miles of clearancec... a brilliant tool that I will swap over to the other side now and use on my commute to work.
User avatar
matt2matt2002
Posts: 1126
Joined: 25 Oct 2009, 7:45pm
Location: Aberdeen Scotland UK

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by matt2matt2002 »

ossie wrote:
llayercake wrote:The only things I wished I'd taken were a pair of Flip Flops and a bar end/handle bar mirror as I'd like to look death in the face when the God of HGVs eventually smiles on me rather than cringe along waiting to get it in the back :lol: .
Kev.


I took a mirror on my 10 day blast back from Spain...it was brilliant, especially on the busy roads with HGV's up behind you. Its amazing how quiet they can be when they slow and coast up to you waiting for the overtake. With a mirror i could see them approach, give a little wave to acknowledge their presence and thanking them for their patience and 99% gave me massive clearance....all praise to French lorry drivers, even French white van man was giving me miles of clearancec... a brilliant tool that I will swap over to the other side now and use on my commute to work.


Lets hear it for mirrors!
I've just started using one - and can't think what i was doing cycling without one for so many years :?
2017 Ethiopia.5 weeks.
2018 Marrakech 2 weeks.
2023 Thailand 8 weeks.
Always on a Thorn Raven/Rohloff hub.
alicej
Posts: 1301
Joined: 14 Oct 2010, 10:16pm
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by alicej »

I tried a couple of different designs of mirror when I first started cycling, but I just found they got moved all the time and got in the way. Not sure I have anywhere to put one now - what kind do people use?
User avatar
al_yrpal
Posts: 11537
Joined: 25 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
Location: Think Cheddar and Cider
Contact:

Re: Best bit of camping equipment for under £125?

Post by al_yrpal »

Gelert Plastic Mallet - 113g . What it lacks in weight it makes up with momentum

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?a ... d=10787661

Complete with a nice hook in the handle to easily extract pegs.

4 ounces of sheer convenience for only 3 quid

All the people with expensive horrid little light tents kept borrowing it :mrgreen:

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Post Reply