New Dawn Fades

My childhood has given me a great love of camping, and recently when we were choosing a new two man tent I picked up a Vango 100. Given that it weighs less than a bivvy bag/tarp combination, and straps perfectly to the top tube it was a no-brainer. Some say that a tent is less social than a bivvy bag, but the point of my venturing out into the wilderness is to be out there on my own listening to the curlews. It has been a great impulse purchase and I’ve loved just riding out into the wilds on a Saturday night. Nothing to think about except when light fades except whether to head down to the pub, big meals and pints of beer in the village in the valley, or kip down behind the nearest wall?

Since I wrote the above I have moved to warmer climes; less curlews and more Red Kites. It is noticeably less wet down here, so I have started to use a bivvy bag on those nights I know that there is no rain forecast.

The choice is easy, especially when I’m carrying a couple of measures of home-made blackberry gin.

Not shown: tent, mat, sleeping bag

The List

On the way home from SSUK. I’m even carrying dancing pants and casual clothes

For completeists, and as an aide-memoire to myself when packing up – I have no wish to repeat the trip where I discovered halfway round a rocky trail that I’d left the minipump at home, thereby increasing the thrill factor of the rocky descents a little more than I had intended – here’s a list of the items I take:

• Vango 100 or Rab Storm bivvy bag
• I recently replaced the Kimm sac (see below) with a Viscacha and Harness from Epic Eric
• Thermalite 3/4 length military sleep mat. Small. Light. Cheap.
• Coleman sleeping bag
• Camping Gaz stove & butane – cheap, as light as more expensive stoves, and it gets lighter every trip
• Camping Gaz lightweight aluminium pan & handle
• Turboflame – not light but I feel I could weld a cracked frame back together
• Titanium spork. Just because. A plastic fork does the job just as well.
• Outdoor Research down gilet.
• Endura Stealth waterproof jacket
• Road Rash Kit first aid kit + 2 squares bog roll
• Leatherman Wave
• 1 helping pasta, kids helping of pasta sauce
• oats for breakfast
• pack of nuts/raisins
• miniature of blackberry gin
• Chewing gum for cleaning teeth
• Breo sports watch – to tell the time when the mobile is switched off
• Wallet with cash for a cafe breakfast
• Mobile for emergencies. The rest of the time it’s off.
• Whistle – some things are so drummed into you by the Polaris challenge that you can’t shake them. Survival bag? I’ve got a tent.
• Contact lens case – optional

The whole shebang comes in at under 13lbs according to the Wii Fit.

I have used everything bar the Leatherman. I can only reduce weight and volume now by spending silly amounts of money.

For those who are still interested in lugging the load on their own back I can recommend the