Camping gear

[Pala]

I've seen those camping threads around, so I'm hoping this'll be a fruitful place to ask. I've managed to accumulate some basic hiking gear over the years without actually knowing how to buy. A friend is looking to buy a bag (for overnight treks and such), a sleeping bag, and maybe shoes.

I know he's been going around stores, getting all sort of advice, but it's quite hard to know what's what. And sometimes it's hard to know when the salesperson is being helpful, or when they're just trying to get u to buy the more expensive model for money's sake.

Advice. Please.

[twich]

This doesn't exactly answer the question but after a years of camping my best advice is don't go camping if it is going to rain! Wait for the next W/end to go. Camping is best with the least amount of crap, try to get everything you need in one backpack. That's half the reason I don't bother going if rain is imminent (go bushwalking instead).

But if you have to go in rain, prepare for mud! I never go without a roll of news paper to dry my shoes at night -Wet shoes really suck! And don't drag any chicks along! (I think that was on a beer add) The only chicks worth having on a camp will bring themselves i.e. they won't need any persuasion and they'll have their own stuff (they're a scarce few!) Don't get me wrong here the right chicks are great, but the wrong ones are a nightmare! and try to learn from all the things that go wrong, making the same mistakes for a second time is really a stupid thing. And flares! Buy at least a dozen flares! (party tricks).

[naja naja]

Petzl DUO BELT LED 8 or 14 headlamp. The single best thing I own. Water proof, 100's of hours of light. Halogen bulb aswell, multi brightness modes for led battery saving and lots more!

[nabraxas]

seeing as how the ground is baked hard, a mallet to knock in tent pegs (spare pegs are also handy) & a foam bed roll to lie on.

[Tripitaka]

Weight is usually the governing factor when thinking about camping/hiking gear. You will payb a premium for quality equipment, but remember that "quality remains long after price is forgotten".

For a bed roll, Thermarest's are the bees. Lightweight and amazingly comfortable.

Trangia stoves have much better thermal efficiency than other open air styled gas burners and offer a host of features. Go the duossal (Stainless) over the Alum. or Teflon.

Dont get a pack that is too large. My personal opinion is that iif you cant fit everything you need for an O/s trip or trekking adventure in to a 40 litre pack than you have way too much stuff.

Layers for clothing including a thermal (dont get cotton - they stink), polar fleece and than an all weather outer shell should do it in most climates.

Good boots with ankle supports are a must, especially for downhill when you are more likely to do an injury.

Trekking poles are great for extra endurance and weight distribution/stability.

Should definetely look at Blackwolf, they are an Australian Co. as far as i know and their range keeps getting better and better.

Kathmandu has their sale on at the moment and you will save 50% storewide on most of these items.

Oh yeah and as Naja Naja mentioned a kickass headlamp will provide hours of entertainment, especially if they have a strobe function

Edited December 12, 2006 by Tripitaka

[occidentalis]

As far as sleeping bags go, you have a choice between down and synthetic. Down is usually preferred, as it has a better warmth:weight ratio than most synthetic materials and packs down better. However, once it gets wet, it's fucked, unlike synthetic, which still keeps you warm when wet. The other problem with down is that it is made out of dead birds, so if you're mate is a vegetarian he might not like sleeping surrounded by it. Personally I go with synthetic.

When you're shopping for sleeping bags you'll notice they all have a 'loft' rating. Loft is the distance the bag puffs up from the ground when you lay it down. More loft=more warmth. The other things you definitely want are a hood, with a collar if possible, and a well designed bottom area to keep your feet warm. There are many other technicalities, such as the type of baffle design (baffles are the latitudinal compartments that stop the filling from moving around the bag), the way the seams are sewn, and so on. I don't quite understand all these things, but as long as you make sure you think about down vs. synthetic, get a bag that lofts well for it's weight class, and check the seams and zips are quality, you'll be right.

Tripitaka gives some good advice -

Trangia stoves have much better thermal efficiency than other open air styled gas burners and offer a host of features. Go the duossal (Stainless) over the Alum. or Teflon.

I have a trangia and love it but there are these new "jetboil" stove systems which are high on my shopping list. Check this out http://jetboil.com/.

Dont get a pack that is too large. My personal opinion is that iif you cant fit everything you need for an O/s trip or trekking adventure in to a 40 litre pack than you have way too much stuff.

Although I agree with you in theory, I know I would have trouble going on a 5+day walk with only 40 litres of stuff. My usual hiking pack is a 65+15.

Layers for clothing including a thermal (dont get cotton - they stink), polar fleece and than an all weather outer shell should do it in most climates.

The best thermals are Icebreaker merino wool. They are also really expensive - but in winter I wear mine 4 days a week without any stink problems. Definitely worth it.

Kathmandu has their sale on at the moment and you will save 50% storewide on most of these items.

Kathmandu sales are great but you have to question how great the quality of their products is when they sell things at those prices regularly... and after having a pair of kathmandu pants literally fall apart on me 6 months after I bought them, I wouldn't use kathmandu products anywhere where anything remotely important depended on them working. Beware with cheap stuff, if you are doing anything 'serious' or remote, ie more than a couple of hours away from help, don't use crappy gear.

Oh yeah and as Naja Naja mentioned a kickass headlamp will provide hours of entertainment, especially if they have a strobe function

My Black Diamond headlamp is the coolest little piece of technology I own. I love it. It has two lights, LED and xenon. Each have three brightness settings and the LED has a strobe. It also has a little flashing 'find me' light, so you can find it in a dark tent. And even cooler, the find me light changes colour to indicate how much battery power you have left - green at full, orange at 50%, and red at 20%. I love my headlight Only problem is it's a bit heavy for long walks.

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/vectra_iq.php

[AndyAmine.]

If you want a nice quality, powerful, lightweight headlight that lasts a long time try the energizer ones available at coles etc, they are about $30 and kick ass, make sure you tilt it at an angle or switch on the red light when talking to people or in a group, I usualy blind everyone I talk to on the camping trips by mistake..

[naja naja]

If you want a nice quality, powerful, lightweight headlight that lasts a long time try the energizer ones available at coles etc, they are about $30 and kick ass, make sure you tilt it at an angle or switch on the red light when talking to people or in a group, I usualy blind everyone I talk to on the camping trips by mistake..

Lol, yeah I always blind every1 too. But asfar as a quality headlamp goes, I don't think ur gona find one at coles.

The beauty of the DUO BELT is that the 4 C size batteries are on your belt or in ur backpack, so there's only a tiny amount of weight on ur head. By keeping the batteries close to your body they stay warmer and produce better power for longer.

It doesn't have strobe feature or any other colour lights, just the led's and Xenon. The halogen has just one brightness level, but the LED has 3 and a survival mode of just 1 leds worth of light for another 100+ hours or so once all the other batteries are dead. No find me light, but I can vouch for it's water proofability. Both the battery pack and headlamp are 100% water proof. I've snorkelled in salt water and washed off with fresh afterwards with zero leakage. Infact, thats why I upgraded from my original DUO BELT that I got before led's and waterproof battery pack. I found a few caves which required a waterproof headlamp to negotiate/swim Spare bulbs inside lamp.

It does cost ~$160 for 8 LED and $200 for 14 LED. My mate got the 14 and it is alot brighter! Don't get the LED 5, the battery power is not regulated in the 5, whereas it is in the 8 and 14 providing consistent light until a sudden drop off.

Edited December 13, 2006 by naja naja

[Pala]

twich: Yeah, I've had my share of rain hikes. They're nice for a while, and then water seems to seep in somehow, and before you know it, you feel like you've just had a shower with your clothes on.

naja naja: Those lights sound nice. But 160$, and I've got other priorities with equipment. I don't really do any caving, although I see how they could be useful in other instances. Hopefully next year.

nabraxas: Yeah, I know all(!) about the need for knocking in pegs. For some reason, trying to (find, and then) use rocks to do the job just isn't fun.

Tripitaka: That's right, forgot about that, he was after a mat as well. As for the stove, I've been borrowing those forever off people, and am looking to buy one for myself. Are they good for carrying for o/n treks? Re. the thermals, I've got a pair that always stink after a day, so I'll be looking at getting a new one. What do I ask when I'm looking for them in the store? Are they just called "polar fleeces"?

Re. Blackwolf, how's their quality? My friend was looking at their bags, but I was a bit suspicious because they're so much cheaper. Btw, Oneplanet is australian as well. (Their factory is in melbourne).

Creach: I've passed on the info on the bag. He's already bought and returned a sleeping bag that was leaking down. The jetboil does look sweet. :drool: What sort of price range is the "Icebreaker merino wool" you mentioned?

That's been extremely helpful!!! I've been taking down notes for future reference as well. Thanks guys.

(Feel free to keep 'em tips coming)

[AndyAmine.]

Naja naja, yeah you wouldnt think it would be good but it is, for $30 I dont think youll find any better, in fact I doubt youll find better for $40-$50. and I have tried a few, in fact I thought it was so good I bought another one after lossing my last one in Nimbin some place. LOL.

Its not a super-duper ultra bright headlamp but it certainly does a good job for your average camping situation and when your concerend with quality to price ratio and dont have much to spend its a very viable option.

http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlig...?cat=4&id=3

Edited December 13, 2006 by AndyAmine.

[apothecary]

I will testify to being blinded by that thing!

[occidentalis]

Re. the thermals, I've got a pair that always stink after a day, so I'll be looking at getting a new one. What do I ask when I'm looking for them in the store? Are they just called "polar fleeces"?

Sorry to reply for you trip ;). Polar fleeces are mid to outer wear, not underwear. I think the thermals tripitaka was talking about are the same as what I was talking about - Icebreaker. There are a couple of other brands including Rammit, that are a bit cheaper, but I don't know how the quality holds up.

Creach: I've passed on the info on the bag. He's already bought and returned a sleeping bag that was leaking down. The jetboil does look sweet. :drool: What sort of price range is the "Icebreaker merino wool" you mentioned?

The Icebreaker thermals come in a few different weights and styles. The one I have is a 200g weight long sleeve thing. It retailed for around $100. The heavier ones can be worn as outerwear if you want, or you can buy the whole set, layer them, and never know cold again .

[Tripitaka]

I reckon wool thermals are an essentiala if you are not allergic. My main concern was that it would itch, but the micron size seems to be small enough not to cause a problem.

Cotton is definetely a no-no for trekking, it has no wicking unlike specialised synthetics and wool and doesn't breath, hence the smell. Even socks should be synthetic IMO.

I went with Sherpa HERE and like the feel of them. Yet to be field tested but I like that they are Australian.

The Jetboil looks great! :drool:

How sexy is trekking gear?

Yeah I have the same headlamp Andy and I really like it, especially the infrared setting I just wish it had a strobe function.

[Pala]

Re. stoves. I've been looking around at stoves, and the Trangia's look alright. Maybe a bit heavy though, but that probably also means durable (I would think). Then I was also looking at two Korean brands (MSR, I think, and Kovea) that make the ones that attach directly to the gas canister. They appear to be pretty handy (considering their tiny size). Has anyone used any of those?

[occidentalis]

Re. stoves. I've been looking around at stoves, and the Trangia's look alright. Maybe a bit heavy though, but that probably also means durable (I would think). Then I was also looking at two Korean brands (MSR, I think, and Kovea) that make the ones that attach directly to the gas canister. They appear to be pretty handy (considering their tiny size). Has anyone used any of those?

The MSR ones you are talking about are probably mixed fuel type stoves. They come with a pressuriseable bottle that you fill with the hyrdocarbon of your choice - usually petrol - and then pump to pressurise. They are much faster than a meths stove, and they are especially good when you go travelling overseas in places where you may not be able to get clean meths or other fuels - you can always get petrol. MSR is a Canadian or US brand I think, they make excellent quality stuff. However, I don't particularly like cooking with petrol ;), and they can also be really fiddly to get going. You also have to buy all the pots and pans you want separately, which isn't such a bad thing, but in terms of value, a Trangia will set you back about the same amount and comes complete with everything you need. The pots and other bits will be the biggest weight factor also, so the trangia probably ends up being similar.

As for butane stoves, they are also pretty good in that they are light and fast, but the gas tanks don't last that long (a few days on the trail) and are not refillable which (for me) excludes them on environmental grounds. You have to constantly throw out these pieces of metal. You also have to continue carrying them around once they are empty if you are in the bush. And once again, you have to buy all the pots and other bits separately. However, if you do go for a gas stove I have used and can recommend the MSR PocketRocket - it's tiny, light and easy to use.

A lot of people go for gas stoves because they like the speed, and I have met some serious outdoor type people who have scoffed at my trangia because it takes a whole 10 minutes to boil some water. I can see this would be an issue if one was doing some really extreme stuff like multi-day climbs or serious mountaineering under difficult conditions. But for me, the main reason I go into the bush is to escape the mentality of clock watching, speed worship that is enforced on us in the city. Although I am being physically active, my mind is slowing to a natural pace structured only by the rate of my footsteps and the natural processes ocurring around me. It is a form of meditation. When I stop for a break, I don't mind waiting 10 minutes for my cup of tea!

[DuG]

Ok I'm biased because I work there, but I do think kathmandu has a good range of quality stuff. I've worked in other outdoor stores as well.

The new harness system they have just brought out kicks! it is the most comphy harness out there, and belive me i have tried lots, I would trade in my macpac genisis for one of the hybrid packs, but it has a great deal of sentimantal value.

Merino thermals are great I wear them all the time. There is a problem with merino though. don't get it wet! it will still keep you warm but it can carry 30% of its weight in water, compared to 2-5% for synthetic thermals.

Go the MSR stoves, they are great, just have a wind shield for it.

get a goretex or some other breathable type jacket and pants.

ps if any of your kathmandu gear breaks take it back to the shop, we almost always replace peoples gear with new stuff.

[RonnySimulacrum]

what state you in Pala

i work in a camping shop too

well 60+ hours a week anyway

Edited December 21, 2006 by RonnySimulacrum

[Tripitaka]

You are so CAMP Ronnie!

[Pala]

Creach: I quite like the Trangia stoves, esp. something like the 25-7 which comes with Doussal containers. But I don't need a pot desperately, and also considering price (from what I've seen there is quite a bit of a dif. btw. the small MSR models and the 25-7) and size and I'll probably go (at least at this point in time) with the MSR WindPro (http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/windpro.asp). For a windshield, I'll just get a sheet of soft metal.

I also looked at the PocketRocket MSR, (since I've borrowed/used that in the past), but I'm hoping that the windpro will be A) easier to set up a shield for and B ) anyway be less in the path of the wind.

Thanks man.

Ronny: I live in Melb/Vic.

I showed my friend the Thermarest, but I told him to get the 4$ blue mats (you know the ones) from Aussie Disposals. I reckon he should start with that, and see how he goes. No point in forking out another 60$ just now.

Edited December 19, 2006 by Pala

[ramon]

I showed my friend the Thermarest, but I told him to get the 4$ blue mats (you know the ones) from Aussie Disposals. I reckon he should start with that, and see how he goes. No point in forking out another 60$ just now.

No thermal insulation from those blue mats so can spend a very uncomfortable night in your tent trying to get to sleep.

Not sure if mentioned already but silk inners are great. I haven't found the need to use a sleeping bag in Queensalnd. Just use my silk inner which is so compact it is not funny.

[RonnySimulacrum]

You are so CAMP Ronnie!

Only you know just how camp

that is why you come see me when you are in town

[thunderbird]

No thermal insulation from those blue mats so can spend a very uncomfortable night in your tent trying to get to sleep.

Not sure if mentioned already but silk inners are great. I haven't found the need to use a sleeping bag in Queensalnd. Just use my silk inner which is so compact it is not funny.

long long time ago, i did six years in an infantry battalion in NQLD and silk inners are insider trading when it comes to camping.

Cool when hot and warm when cold.

A funny story.......

One time we went on an exercise in the high range training area (west of townsville). It was an air force exercise and we were just sandbags that they moved from one place to the other for a couple of weeks to get their logistics act together. So our time outside of being moved around was basically free (a very unusual situation back then).

Well late one day we got dropped off on a hill covered in gold tops (thats what we called them back then anyway). It was just near dusk and those in the know grabbed as many as humanly possible without raising suspicion before it got too dark.

So that nite we lit a fire and went visiting every planet in the known universe laughing our heads off, it was one absolutely unforgettable, unplanned (by mere humans anyway), gem of a nite .

Edited December 21, 2006 by thunderbird

[Pala]

Outa curio:

Re. petzl headlamps, as per http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=507

What do the different times mean:

14 Leds regulated

Optimum

26 m → 10 h + 138 h*

Maximum

34 m → 3h30 + 180 h*

Economic

15 m → 63 h + 47 h*

???

It might make more sense on the page. Just scroll down. The link is for the Duo Led 14.

[occidentalis]

What do the different times mean:

All explained here http://en.petzl.com/petzl/frontoffice/Lamp...erentiel_en.jsp

Looks like a nice light, Petzl makes good products, but that one will be really heavy for long trips.

I would suggest you want something more like this http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?P...5&Critere=0 unless you are planning to do some caving, mountaineering, or other serious exploration stuff. That one weighs 95g.

[Pala]

Ah thanks. That clears things up.

Also, I'm not really planning on getting a headlamp any time soon. Only looking because it's all so pretty. :drool:

However, (still just browsing ) anyone familiar with Princeton Tec. Or more specifically this one which is 50 bucks at paddy pallin?