Cycling UK Forum

I always camp ‘at home’ on returning from travels.

Inspired by this thread and the hooped bivi thread, I've set my latest toys up in my back garden. It's a terra nova Jupiter hooped bivi - second-hand off eBay but as-new and i've never used it - along with a down sleeping bag which I have used at the music festivals last year, but that wasn't a proper test in that boiling weather. I do a bit of spontaneous wild camping from time to time to test out kit, and the reality is never as good as you imagine. If nothing else, I'll wake up tomorrow morning feeling more enthusiastic about being forced to sleep in my proper comfortable bed for months during this lock-down.

matt2matt2002 wrote:I camped outside in my new Hubba Hubba 2 man tent for four nights last week.
On the last night the kids from next door lobbed a few stones over the fence, one of which put a small tear in the fly sheet.

Indoors now.

A member here has promised to send me a tape for the repair.

Stay safe folks. - Watch out for stones..

The wee b+%£ards

Jan Marten wrote:Although camping only 20m from my garden, I'd actually loaded the bike and ridden about 10kms to get here. Carried tent, stove and sleeping gear from home, called into local shop en-route for that night's comestibles. Glass of wine at sunset, coffee and granola at sunrise.

had to cross the river? why the detour?

No, didn't have to cross river, there's a Right of Access servitude alongside the river. The bridge is no longer functional, central arch collapsed many years ago.

"Why the detour?" All added to the sense of adventure

Jan Marten wrote:No, didn't have to cross river, there's a Right of Access servitude alongside the river. The bridge is no longer functional, central arch collapsed many years ago.

"Why the detour?" All added to the sense of adventure

dont think the plod would agree

On another forum there's a group buy going on so I saw a nice XL pyramid tarp for little over a hundred quid. Suggested to the other half that we got it ready for a wild camp when we're allowed out. Got told that we don't need a new tent. Told her it's a tarp that's halfway between tent and tarp as a way to get our son into proper tarp camping. Apparently we don't need a 690g shelter that could possibly fit us all in costing a hundred pounds.

Besides there's nowhere to try it out so I'm stuck with our 7 tents, three tarps, one single skin tent and a beach shelter. I feel tentily deprived. I follow the n+1 philosophy with camping shelters. I never have enough. I might get be a driveway awning for the van once it's converted though. That'll get past the financial controller (Scrooge)!

PS tarmac backyard = nowhere to camp out during lockdown. Wish I'd bought that house with the 100 foot garden now. I didn't need a garden when I bought it because the lakes was my backyard. Sneaky camp outs were easy. It's times of pandemics when you realise just how important that time stealing piece of waste ground called a garden really is!!

TM, you sound like a tentaholic, rather like me and pal Sweep.

Having given up ground sleeping I now wishfully use Rusty, my VW T25 for which I purchased a Decathlon Air Seconds Base inflatable awning, works brilliantly. What sort of van are you converting? Couldnt be a better time to get it started.

Al

dont think the plod would agree

Plod, around here? Another of the advantages of living in ruralshire. Anyway I can justify (to myself anyway) the trip since it started and finished 'at my property' and the purchases were essentials.

Tangled Metal wrote: . . . tarmac backyard = nowhere to camp out during lockdown.

That's a very negative attitude Surely one of your tents is freestanding, or with a bit of ingenuity could be made so. Face away from the house, couple of pot plants at the entrance, bit of plastic grass (or liberate some of the real stuff from a neighbour) in the porch, sounds of nature and/or animals emanating from an Walkman (or similar). Voilà. Camping (en peu) sauvage.

Jan Marten wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote: . . . tarmac backyard = nowhere to camp out during lockdown.

That's a very negative attitude Surely one of your tents is freestanding, or with a bit of ingenuity could be made so. Face away from the house, couple of pot plants at the entrance, bit of plastic grass (or liberate some of the real stuff from a neighbour) in the porch, sounds of nature and/or animals emanating from an Walkman (or similar). Voilà. Camping (en peu) sauvage.

I have a balcony 3 floors up. Not very wide but long & it have been toying with the idea of putting a tent up there. Has to be a tent as it can get a bit windy. If the cops look down from the drones or suveillance helicopters would give them a chuckle?

well Mitcham Common woud have been a nice place to have camped out today. Made a short visit as part of my exercise/supermaket run. A lidl on the way back even had some flour in!!

ossie wrote:...about this time of year I get the tent out in the garden and test the gear on an over nighter, all the animals join me so that's two Jack Russells and a cat..

Same here if the weather is like this cos weather could be awful cold in May here and I like to get the tent out, tested and aired. The two Jack Russell's would be two more cats in my garden -- this I discovered is a bad thing cos some years ago I looked out and the cats were taking it in turns to jump up on the tent, sliding down using claws as brakes!
It was only a cheap Tesco tent I used for chucking spare kit into when I travelled by old camper van to a campsite. -- my expensive back packing tent was out that day too but mercifully they didn't touch it.
I now get the tent tested and down again ASAP staying with it all the time.
No trip this year -- was really looking forward to it too.

al_yrpal wrote:TM, you sound like a tentaholic, rather like me and pal Sweep.

Having given up ground sleeping I now wishfully use Rusty, my VW T25 for which I purchased a Decathlon Air Seconds Base inflatable awning, works brilliantly. What sort of van are you converting? Couldnt be a better time to get it started.

Al

IMG_20170827_173235307.jpg

Great van the T25 -- I have a mate who bought a T5 and wishes he had his T25 back.
Our old vw bay that takes us everywhere, most reliable vehicle I have.

Up to date figure for the Great British Campout is over £150,000. Gift Aid to be added

Lovely sunny ride this morning then put the tent up in the garden. Almost a perfect day!