Wild Camping • 5
WHY WILD CAMPING? • LEGALITIES • CHOOSING A CAMP SITE • LEAVING A SUPPLY CACHE • SAFETY • RUCKSACK • TENT • BIVVY BAG • SLEEPING BAG • SLEEPING MAT • CLOTHES • BOOTS • COOKING EQUIPMENT • WATER CONTAINERS • FOOD • NAVIGATION • LIGHTING • UTILITIES • FIRST AID • LUXURIES
NAVIGATION
A compass and a 1:25000 map of the area (plus knowing how to use them) are essential. However, the best skills in the world are no help if you're holding a soggy mass of paper so some sort of waterproof cover is essential. I've never found a map case I've been happy with and of late I've been using clear plastic bags with no problems, other than the occasional printed warning about not suffocating your kids obscuring the contours of Martcrag Moor. It is possible to get laminated waterproof maps, though they're about twice the price of a normal map. I've got one of Snowdon but it's only been used twice so I've no idea how durable it is yet. I normally get about four trips out of the standard map before it needs replacing, so I suppose that if I to get eight trips out of the laminated map then it will be good value for money. Because the 1:25000 map covers a smaller area of ground, some trips may require two adjoining sheets. They usually overlap so you can change over maps when it's convenient.
The compass really comes into it's own when the mist comes down. Many a time the compass has got me right to were I want to be when my gut feeling would have taken me in a completely different direction.
I've recently bought a GPS unit, but haven't really tested it enough to be able to give any firm opinions on it. Using the traditional map and compass still seems easier and quicker to me, though the GPS has distinct advantages in poor visiblilty, such as in mist, darkness, or in forests.
A good guide book can help. In the Lake District the Wainwright guides show the route almost as a 3D plan, filling in some of the details that the map doesn't show. The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges by Roy Clayton and Ronald Turnbull does a similar job for parts of Snowdonia.
LIGHTING
A torch with spare batteries is essential for camping, and is recommended even on a day walk outside the summer months when being caught out after dark on the fells would be disastrous. The most useful type is the head torch, such as the range made by Petzl. These allow hands-free operation for the many chores that need to be done in and around the tent.
I also carry a couple of candles, which are more economical for general background lighting than a torch, and help save batteries. Candles also provide a little heat in the tent. Of course, the dangers of a naked flame inside a tent can't be overemphasised - I only use them in the porch section. It's possible to find holders which skewer into the ground, rather like birthday cake candles. A 'tray' can be devised from silver foil to catch melting wax which would otherwise spoil the grass. It's possible to get small candle lanterns, though they add a little to the weight and bulk on a backpacking trip. They're quite useful when bivouacking in the open.
UTILITIES BAG
It's convenient to keep all those spare bits and pieces that may come in useful around camp in one place, so I carry a small bag with me - a toiletries bag or make-up bag is useful for this purpose. Inside are such things as:
- Elastic bands
- Extra guyline
- Repair kit (for tent / sleepmat)
- Plastic bags
- Spare batteries
- Small metal rod - this can act as a splint inside a broken tent hoop
- Spare lighter (wrapped in a coin bag) / waterproof matches (standard safety matches with their heads dipped in wax - store inside a film container).
FIRST AID
Hopefully it won't be needed, but a first aid kit should be carried, preferably packed where it will be accessible on the walk. Amongst the articles that I carry:
- Plasters
- Bandage
- Antiseptic cream - useful for burns and scalds (the commonest camping injury), besides the usual cuts and grazes.
- Painkillers
- Indigestion tablets
- Cough sweets / cold relief
- Ralgex
- Small pair of scissors
- Safety pins
- Insect repellent (summer)
- Sun block
Much of the above can be repackaged into various small receptacles (coin bags and film containers are useful, though the contents should be clearly marked). Also, try to estimate how much of the above you may need on the trip to keep the size of the kit down. Remember to keep the kit topped up between trips, replacing any out of date products.
LUXURIES
Some backpackers do become a little obsessed with how lightweight they can travel, and unless an item is completely indispensable then it doesn't get taken. I suppose it depends on the person, but I would hate to travel without a few luxuries. In some ways, they're essential because they're good for morale, which in turn is an important survival quality. In the winter particularly the nights are long and there is much time to kill, so here's a list of some of the luxuries I may take along, although it would be rare for me to take everything on this list on a single trip:
- CAMERA - I always carry a camera. The smallest and lightest that I use is a Pentax Auto 110, an SLR type with interchangeable lenses which uses 110 film. (The photo of the tent on this page was taken with it). The main disadvantages are the separate flash, which doubles the size and weight, and having no self-timer. I leave the flash at home. Though bulkier, on some trips I like having the flexibility of a proper SLR camera, a Canon EOS 500. I just take the one lens, a 28-80mm zoom. The wide angle of a 28mm lens is perfect for landscape shots. The compromise between the two is a Nikon compact camera, it's just about pocket size, has a self-timer, and the angle is fairly wide at 35mm. Looking around at what's available today, the Canon Ixus APS series are incredibly tiny cameras, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and have a flash and a self-timer and many other features, though I've not tried one yet. I'm still not sure about digital cameras. The quality is improving all the time, but I'm not sure how they reliable they are with batteries and the like on a week-long backpacking trip.
- BOOK - Besides the usual guidebooks, it's nice to have something to read, particularly in the winter when there's a lot of free time because it gets dark early.
- CASSETTE RADIO - I usually take a small cassette radio on trips - it's basically a walkman but it has a speaker so I don't have to wear headphones. It's mono and the sound quality isn't brilliant, but it's not heavy on batteries and it's nice to have along. I usually take three or four compilation tapes along. I don't bother with cassette cases - one of the tapes can even travel in the player.
I have a tiny 'watchman' TV but I don't usually take it camping. It's quite hard to get a signal in mountainous areas, though I did spend a night on the summit of Scafell Pike and got an excellent picture (including the best Channel 5 reception I've ever seen). Generally though, I go to the hills to get away from the television.- DRINK - After a long day on the hills, the one thing I miss when I'm camping wild is being able to spend the evening at an inn. There have been occasions when I've been camping wild at the head of a valley and I've hiked several miles to a pub, returning by torch and moonlight. But most of the time this is impractical, so I take something with me. Beer cans are heavy and bulky when compared unit to unit to wine and spirits, so I tend to take the latter two. Wine can be bought in cans at many supermarkets. They're usually sold in 25cl cans, so three of them are equivalent to a bottle of wine. I usually find one per night is about right. This gives me a glass of wine with my evening meal and a glass with a late supper. I also have a small flask of whiskey if I feel like a bit extra. Obviously, it's not a good idea to drink so much alcohol that you can't deal with any emergencies that may come up. Alcohol lowers body temperature and causes dehydration which could increase the risk of exposure should the tent come down during the night. Incidentally, the wine cans aren't very strong and I've had them spring leaks in the rucksack. I now pack them in plastic tubes (Nikwax cartons are perfect). The tubes can be sliced in half so they can be packed efficiently and be re-used (using elastic bands to keep them around the can).
- PSION PALMTOP - I've recently started carrying a small handheld computer, a Psion Series 3c, which has all kinds of uses. It links up to a PC which means I can write a lot of stuff in the tent or the pub, or on the train home, and then download it straight into the website. I can also download text off the web (bus timetables, weather reports, mountain info, etc) and read up on it later. It's also got an alarm clock, a couple of decent games, and I can get up to 20 hours out of the two AA batteries. It should go without saying that there are limitations to using anything electrical when out in the wilds and it is a good idea not to have to rely completely on such equipment (including GPS). It's interesting to note that when I bivouacked on top of Scafell Pike I had a TV, a cassette radio, and a computer, all of which could fit into my fleece pocket. Forty years ago it would have been next to impossible to carry a tape recorder up Scafell Pike, let alone a TV set, and the lorry carrying the computer wouldn't have got past Seathwaite. If only a comparable level of miniaturisation could be achieved in camping equipment...
WHY WILD CAMPING? • LEGALITIES • CHOOSING A CAMP SITE • LEAVING A SUPPLY CACHE • SAFETY • RUCKSACK • TENT • BIVVY BAG • SLEEPING BAG • SLEEPING MAT • CLOTHES • BOOTS • COOKING EQUIPMENT • WATER CONTAINERS • FOOD • NAVIGATION • LIGHTING • UTILITIES • FIRST AID • LUXURIES