If there’s one thing better than a day on the hills, it’s a night on the hills. Andy Callan talks camping gear.
Gear
RichCanvas
We all love getting out into the hills, whether as climbers, walkers or something in between. The exercise, the feeling of space and the company (or lack of it!) releases loads of endorphins, hopefully just enough to leave you champing (hope that’s not a pun – Ed) at the bit in anticipation of your next trip. Days out are great, but the best way to get a real outdoor buzz going is to take a couple of days in succession; better still to immerse yourself in that feeling of “getting away from it all” by camping in the mountains. Nothing else stimulates the spirit of self-reliance like packing everything needed into your sack and getting into somewhere really remote so you can knock off a couple of those hills you’ve been planning for ages. Imagine the feeling of walking up in an isolated spot, unzipping the tent door and being greeted by the sight of a herd of deer grazing idly less than 100metres away, or watching a
raven circling above your chosen corrie. Sometimes it’s even better when you look out and see or hear absolutely nothing at all. So this time around we’re looking at camping gear, specifically tents, stoves and cookware. Mountain camping became very much a niche activity during the boom years but now that fiscal rectitude has taken hold of us, I reckon that the cost of B+Bs, hotels etc may encourage hill-goers to try something much more basic and a lot cheaper. Even hostel rates can be fairly steep considering you’re only looking for a bed for the night. Of course the initial outlay for a your camping gear can be quite expensive, but properly maintained and stored it’ll last for years, I know of a couple of people who inherited their first tent from parents!
Choosing
a Tent
In order to make an informed choice about the tent you should consider three questions: Where and when are you camping? How many are there of you? How much weight are you prepared to carry?
Seasons and Conditions
Firstly, don’t bother with anything less than a 3 season tent for any sort of ‘wild’ camping. You can buy something cheaper, but quality materials will pay for themselves in the long run and they’re less likely to let you down. Three Season Tents are real all-rounders offering good ventilation in late spring, summer and early autumn combined with sturdy shelter in all weathers with the exception of heavy snowfall and very high winds. Many 3 season models use large areas of mesh in the inner, this reduces condensation and in hotter climbs they could be
used without the flysheet (outer) as a bug-proof shelter. Such tents will be noticeably colder when temperatures drop however, but their versatility and lighter weights makes them ideal for backpacking. Four Season Tents are built to protect you in bad weather. They use heavier poles and low, curvier profiles to shed snow and deflect wind, with extra guylines to give more security. All this extra protection comes through the use of heavier fabrics and thicker waterproof coatings, this certainly makes for better weatherproofing but condensation can become a problem. Obviously fabric choice etc has a knock-on-effect on weight and packed size to the extent that a four-season model might be too much tent for anything other than winter camping or mountaineering. Single Wall Tents are designed for expeditions or fourseason users. The lack of a conventional fly means the weight per person is similar to that of a bivi sack, and no inner means the maximum amount of interior space and headroom. These tents are made of waterproof/ breathable fabrics so they work best in cooler, drier conditions i.e. above the snowline, rather than in the heat and humidity of summer or sea-level sites.
Tent Site Selection – an Idiot's Guide Away from habitation, above the last fence, close to water.
Check for stones, bracken etc. You want to be comfy and not have a broken twig come through your ground sheet.
Pitch end-on to the wind behind a windbreak if possible, place pegs at 45 degrees to the ground.
On sloping sites sleep with your head uphill.
Avoid hollows, which tend to be damp and hold cold air or frost.
Pack your tent at the top of your sack, this saves having to pull all your gear out and possibly getting wet or lost.
I usually pack the tent last feeding it into the gaps between the other items. When breaking camp it’s the last thing into my sack again – if it’s wet I slide it between the rucksack and its liner bag.
Site your toilet area downhill from your tent and at least 60m away from any water source. Bury your waste 15-20cms deep – a small trowel is ideal – and burn or bag toilet paper etc.
When you break camp collect all rubbish including biodegradable such as fruit peel, matches etc which can take years to break down in a mountain environment. Replace any rocks you’ve moved so the pitch looks as if you were never there.
Gear
39
Size and Shape
If all you want to do is crawl in at bedtime and back out again first thing in the morning then a 2 man tent fits 2, in fact it might be more efficient to think about using bivi bags rather than a conventional tent. But if you want a convivial camp or you end up spending long periods inside your tent due to bad weather then a “2 man coffin” will test a friendship all the way to its limits and beyond! A bit more space than necessary can be a real blessing so think about a tent with the capacity for 1 more person than planned. Free-standing tents assume their shape (usually dome-like) as soon as you fit the poles. Their design allows you to move them short distances, say to avoid rocks or prevent killing vegetation underneath if using the same site for an extended period. They also provide more usable space than tunnel tents. A free-standing shape is inherently stronger, so it flaps about less in the wind and should shed rain or snow better too. Tunnel tents hand from hoops or arch-shaped poles and need their ends tensioned to keep their shape. Generally speaking, they’re lighter and take up less pack space than similarly sized Dome tents. In mild conditions they may need as few as 3-4 pegs, ideal if you’ve a reliable forecast, but when conditions worsen you may have a lot of relatively unsupported fabric which can get quite noisy and sway about alarmingly. Tents with similar floor area will feel markedly differently on how this shape is laid out. Tunnel tents have efficient elongated shapes whereas Domes allow more room to sit and socialise.
Weight and Features
Tent specifications often refer to “minimum” and “packaged” weights. Minimum weight includes the tent and frame and the least number of pegs required to pitch the tent in ideal conditions. Packaged weight includes the full tent,
instructions, stuff sacks, repair kit, all pegs and guylines. In the race to get the lightest tent on the market, manufacturers often quote minimum weights rather than a more usable figure. On top of that to save weight they also use thinner fabrics, smaller pegs and a tiny porch so your tent may be lighter but how long will it last and does it provide liveable space? The further you intend carrying your tent the more weight becomes an issue. If you intend car camping or you’re taking the tent a relatively short distance and then working form a fixed base for a few days then a bigger, heavier tent might be worthwhile. If you’re going to carry your tent all day, everyday then you’ll want a lighter shelter. Features like dual doors and porches make life more comfortable but add weight (and euros!) so you’ll have to decide what’s most important to you.
Features
Porches (vestibules if you’re on the far side of the Atlantic) really make a tent much more liveable, great for storing gear, putting on boots or making a brew – if you keep the stove well away from the fabric. Porches that are supported by poles are larger and more weather proof but also heavier. Pole sleeves create less stress on the inners canopy than clips; continuous sleeves make life much easier when you’re putting the tent up in a hurry, especially if both poles and sleeves are colour coded. On the other hand clips allow a bit more air to circulate between the inner and flysheet for better ventilation and less condensation. Hooded vents let air circulate in any weather conditions. Last but not least the eternal question – Inner or Flysheet first? A tent that pitches fly first means once the fly is up you can sort out the rest under the cover. But those that pitch inner first generally keep greater tension on the flysheet making it more weatherproof and less inclined to flap about. If it’s raining then obviously your inner-first tent will get slightly wet while you’re putting it up – all the more reason for plenty of practice before you do it for real.
Tent Tests
GoLite Eden 2
?375/£300
A very strange tent when you first see it erected, the GoLite Eden 2 is a “sort of” Tunnel design with the larger middle pole slightly askew. As the name suggests it’s a 2 man model weighing 2.29kg. I was surprised to see that it weighed that much, when I passed it around during testing we all reckoned that it would be less than 2kg! This is a fairly spacious tent; plenty of room for two people with massive porches on each side so separating wet kit from dry won’t be a problem. The inner is mostly mesh which makes it very airy, great in summer but noticeably chillier on cold nights. Ventilation is very good through covered vents at the doors and either end at ground level. These end vents work particularly well and there’s more than enough cover from the outer to prevent windblown rain from getting in. Pitching is simple;
put the poles into the colour coded sleeves and peg out the ends – up she pops! The flysheet is permanently attached to the inner which makes it a very stable and weather proof unit. It does however make it awkward to dry out and packing in your rucksack by squeezing it in around other gear isn’t an option as I suggested in the intro. This isn’t a major problem however; just redistribute the shared gear between you and your companion so neither feels like they’re being saddled. As I said, it only takes two pegs to get the tent up, 14 are supplied and they’re sturdy v-section ones with nice rounded tops that don’t hurt your hands. The Eden 2 will stand up to all but the worst weather and provides plenty of usable space; it’s made from good quality lightweight materials and is great value at this price.
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GoLite Eden 2
MSR Hubba Hubba HP
?465 / £335
The middle variant of the Hubba high performance series the Hubba Hubba Hp weighs a measly 1930g packaged, but still provides enough headroom for its 2 occupants to sit up inside. Again the inner is almost all mesh so it can be used as a freestanding insect proof shelter should conditions permit. Pitching is straightforward, stake out the inner, secure the spider-like poles in their grommets, clip the inner to the poles and then drape the fly over the top. Simply peg out the rest of the outer and you’re done. Sounds good so far and in fairness the Hubba 2 is light and spacious but it does have a few problems. Firstly ditch the Titanium nail pegs provided, too hard on the hands and they’ll pull through soft ground. It’s also quite hard to get the guylines to stay on the pegs and they’re easy to miss when you’re breaking camp. The other issue is also a weight-saving one in that the flysheet only has a Hydrostatic head of 1000m, less than the other tents tested, even if it is silicone coated its likely not to last as long. Lastly the flysheet doesn’t come as close to the ground as others tested, not great it you’re in one
of those storms where the rain is almost horizontal. This an ideal tent if travelling light is your major worry, but I have a few concerns regarding just how 3-season ready it is in Irish conditions, plus all those weight saving features are expensive.
MSR Carbon Reflex 2 ?480 / £350
Similar to the Hubba in its floor plan etc, but with some more weight saving changes, the Carbon Reflex 2 shaves its packaged weight to 1490g. The main differences are its Carbon Fibre poles and only having 1 door, meaning a “3am crawl-over” if you’re furthest from the door! My other comments re the Hubba Hubba still stand and it’s hard to justify the extra expense when you’re sharing the weight between 2. Makes you wonder how light tents could possibly get in the not too distant future though…..
MSR Asgard
?580 / £440
That clunk you just heard was your jaw hitting off the coffee table when you saw the Asgards’ price. But hold on, before “Angry from Crossmolina” sends something suitably vitriolic to the editor enquiring as to my mental state, this is not a run-of-the –mill back packers portable shelter. The Asgard is a 2 man expedition tent suitable for the worst conditions a remote location can throw at you. When I say 2 man, in truth it’s spacious enough for 3, making the cost a bit more justifiable and allowing plenty of space for tons of gear, games of fullcontact snap and delaying the onset of cabin fever. With a supported porch and doors at each end, there are acres of elbow room and the steep sides mean that it’s not just in the centre of the tent either. All this has a downside of course – price obviously, but weight also increases to a sizeable 3.36kg. Pitching is reasonably easy (it would be simpler if the shorter middle pole was colour coded), just fit the poles into the continuous, closed-ended sleeves and then fit the Asgard’s secret weapon the Bow frame, a pole which runs around the upper part of the tent supporting the porches and making the tent much more rigid. The rest is easy enough to make 1 person pitching possible with a bit of practice, when erect you can sit a 45 pound rucksack on top according to one review I read and yes; I’ve tried it and its true! Once inside there’s ample storage and the groundsheet feels almost bullet-proof with a Hydrostatic head of 10000mm. This negates the need to carry a separate “footprint” or groundsheet protector again to help justify the cost and weight. One of the things that really grabbed me were the groundhog stakes supplied, ideal for anchoring the Asgard in any soil conditions. Did I like the Asgard? It’s fairly obvious that I’m more than impressed, I wouldn’t be recommending it for a quick 1 night camping trip but for serious stuff or as a fixed base option it’s up there with the best. Might have to make MSR an offer on this one methinks…..
Wild Country Aspect 2 ?180 / £150.00
A 2 person Tunnel tent weighing a respectable 2.2kg, the Aspect 2 pitches fly-first and has 2 sidefacing doors. One door has no porch and is purely to allow access without having to climb across the other occupant. The main full length door can also be turned into an awning if you buy the separate poles. Out on the hills, I found the Aspect 2 a bit strange, there was plenty of space inside but it still felt cramped – a bit like a tarids in reverse! Maybe I’d been spoiled by some of the other tents on test, but I thought whoever ended up away from the
Gear
porch side was getting the rough end of the stick. The porch itself runs the length of the tent but is quite shallow so room for both of your sacks is at a premium. Ventilation is good through the wide roof vents and half mesh doors, unusually the inner is made if fabric rather than mesh so it’s quite warm inside. Given a 3-4 season backpacking rating by Wild Country, the flysheet has a Hydrostatic head of 3000mm while the groundsheet is 5000m. I see it more aimed at the cycle touring market than as a mountain tent, there are only 2 guylines fitted so it’s not meant for exposed sites. Outer-first pitching allows you to get your gear out of the weather while you clip up the inner, the use of fastex buckles or clips at the corners of the inner would have made this easier. My major gripe was the number and type of pegs given 10 are needed but only 7 supplied and while the spec says they’re alloy v-channels mine were all skewers. Despite that the Aspect 2 is well made and decent value at this price, just remember to bring extra pegs.
Robens Voyager 2 ?170 / £140
A neat little Tunnel tent with a sloping foot, the Voyager 2 weighs 2.8kgs (packaged). Headroom is reasonable at the door end and porch space is good but don’t expect this to be a party tent. Pitching is quick thanks to the colour coded poles; once you spot the colours on the tips slide the pole into the ? length sleeve and pop it into the big receiver at the open end. Then swap on the sturdy clip, tension the sleeve and then you can start pegging out. Fitting the inner is easy thanks
to the clips and fastex buckles. The Voyager 2 is fitted with 4 guylines which are well anchored to the outer and it comes with the right number of pegs, but they’re all skewers so I supplemented them with a few channel pegs of my own. This is quite a sturdy tent; given that you only have two poles supporting the fabric, the flysheet comes right down to ground level and this helps make it very weatherproof, especially with a hydrostatic head of 5000mm on the flysheet.
Robens Kestrel 3 ?300 / £250
The Kestrel 3 is a spacious 3 person dome tent that pitches inner first weighing 2.8kg packaged. Pitching this tent is very awkward because of the number of fiddly clips and is certainly not a one man job. You have the advantage of 2 doors, but porch space is limited even if internal space is quite good. In fairness, the Kestrel 3 is a valley tent and accordingly doesn’t have the same specs as models suited to higher more exposed sites, but I thought it was quite expensive for what it offers the backpacker.
€41.95 / £35
MSR Quick 2 System
€89.95 / £70
A 20 piece kitchen set complete with everything required to turn out a-la-carte meals, the MSR Alpine Kitchen set weighs in at 15oz/425g. Contents include folding spatula, spoon and strainer, scrub pad, chopping board, salt/pepper shaker, 3 ziplock bags, plastic organizer bowl with zipped pouch and lid, and a total of 9 plastic bottles of various sizes from 0.67-3.0oz, some with squeezy caps. This is as comprehensive a set as I’ve seen anywhere, ideal for a base camp, longer trips or car camping. If you’re going light, then pick the bits you consider necessary, put them in the neat little zipped pouch and leave the rest at home. The range of plastic bottles supplied are really handy, more than sufficient for any combination of spices, olive oil, washing up liquid or travel wash – just remember to label everything clearly - grub with bubbles in it isn’t too appetising!
The Quick 2 System is a high quality 2-person cook set comprising a 1.5 litre non-stick pot, another 2.5 litre hard anodized pot, strainer lid, 2 insulated mugs, 2 “DeepDish” plates/bowls and a pot handle. Again it’s a pick-and–mix affair; you can bring what you want in line with the length of your trip and the amount of hardship you’re willing to bear. The pots are sturdy, the strainer lid makes life a lot easier and the “Talon” handle is great, it locks in place so there’s no fear of it tipping the wrong way. Both mugs and plates are coloured red and black for those who are obsessive about using their own utensils. I’ve seen comments elsewhere complaining that these aren’t graduated for cooking purposes, but their volumes (0.4, 0.75l) are clearly marked on the base and anything smaller can be judged by eye, or why not add your own marks? The Quick 2 System isn’t something I’d be carrying on every trip as it weighs 795g complete, but its individual components are well made and give you loads of options depending on your needs. My only gripe is the lack of a frying pan for my favourite camping breakfast - banana-topped cinnamon pancakes...
Camping Accessories
MSR Alpine Kitchen Set
NewGear
GoLite Peak Rucksack
£85.00
Gear
New for 2010 the the GoLite Peak sack comes in 36, 38 or 40 litre capacities depending on your backlength. This should make it ideal as a weekend or winter sack, but its main advantage is its weight of only 840g. Features are fairly standard, walking pole/ice axe loops, wand pockets, compression straps, and a hydration sleeve but you can also remove the hipbelt to strip away even more weight. This sounds great in theory and many alpine climbing sacks have a similar feature so you can have unimpeded access to your climbing harness, but here it leaves all 40 litres worth of weight sitting on your shoulders to no good effect. Making the hipbelt removable has made it useless for anything other than stuffing small things in its zipped pockets and the test model had an annoying tendency to pop open if you tried cranking it tight enough to bear the load. The Peak has no lid you pull the top drawstring, roll it over and secure it with a strap, not a completely weatherproof solution especially if it’s slightly overfull. This lidless design has the main zipped pocket on the bag’s front, the pocket is massive but it’s hard to see what’s inside which can be a real nuisance. I reckon GoLite need to ditch the hipbelt and top closure and go back to something more reliable to turn the Peak around into a sack that’s suitable for Irish/ European users.
Stoves
A hot meal at the start or end of a day in the hills is a great morale booster and vital if conditions are inclement (for “inclement”, read chucking it down), so a stove that works efficiently is a must. Stoves fall into 3 categories - Pressure, Gas and Meths and here’s a quick guide to their pluses and minuses.
Pressure Stoves
Burn hot and very fuel efficient on pressurised petroleum in various forms. Some expedition stoves also burn diesel, kerosene white gas and vodka, allegedly…. Can be a bit complicated and may need some “field maintenance” so keep the instructions handy. They don’t light instantly and any petroleum product tends to be very volatile. Always use the cleanest fuel available (i.e. unleaded) for performance and long life. Always carry petrol in an approved container and don’t assume that the aluminium bottle that looks the same as the expensive pressure tested bottle supplied will so the same job. It’s very easy to make a homemade selfengulfing fireball.
As you can see from all the above, gas cartridge stoves have significant advantages over the other types available, once you’re confident about the availability of replacement cartridges. As a result, all the stoves tested are variants on this theme.
StoveTests
MSR Reactor ?160/£110
Gas Cartridge
Lights instantly and very controllable making it a very safe fuel, especially if using modern self-sealing cartridges. Output/performance decreases as pressure drops within the cartridge, this also occurs in freezing temperatures. Cartridges with a 70/30 Butane/Propane mix work better in the cold but should still be insulated from the ground – a spare hat or big glove does the trick. Use a fresh cartridge to bring water to the boil and then quickly swap it with an almost empty one for simmering.
Cartridges are easily obtained in the western world in camping or hardware outlets and often in grocery stores in mountain areas. It may be more difficult to source them elsewhere and not all cartridges may be compatible with your stove.
Meths
I reckon most people’s first camping meal was probably cooked on the ubiquitous Trangia an almost idiot-proof, maintenance-free stove. I say almost idiot-proof, but a Meths flame is hard to see in bright sunlight so it’s easy to burn your hand on an “unlit” stove. Check by dropping a dead match into the burner before refilling it. Meths only gives off about half the heat of other fuels so boiling times are twice as long and twice as much Meths is needed. Figure on 500ml per person per week for summer backpacking. Meths can be bought through chemists, camping and hardware stores but availability can be very dodgy. Just like petrol make sure it’s carried in a leak-proof container; meths-soaked sandwiches don’t figure on too many gourmet menus.
Gas cartridges work really well at altitude, the lower air pressure forces out the gas quicker even in very cold conditions.
“And now for something completely different” to quote Monty Python. MSR’s Reactor stove arose phoenix-like as the dust settled in the wake of Jetboil’s PCS launch. Instead of coming up with a variation on the same theme, however, they developed a true alpine stove that delivers heat directly to the base of its own dedicated 1.7 litre pot. The pot itself has a proper folding handle with a see-through, easily lifted lid. It’s a heavier unit than the Jetboil but can be used for more than just noodles etc. Its flame is housed in a metal casing in a Metflame metal/foam layer under a protective grille. This Metflame lets gas burn inside its structure, so there’s no naked flame which can be affected by wind. The pan slots onto the burner and also uses a heat exchanger for even greater efficiency so the maximum amount of heat is directed at the pan’s base and up to about 3cm above, unlike conventional stoves where a lot of heat just escapes around the sides. Boil time for 1 litre of water was about 3 mins, much faster than the opposition but it is heavier on gas, going through a canister in about 2/3 the time of the Jetboil. On the plus side though, boil times are consistent until the can is almost empty due to the Reactor’s internal pressure regulator. With a total weight of 564g, it’s a fair bit heavier than the PCS (433g) but it’s also a much bigger unit and cooking for 2 or more at once is no big deal. In the long run the Reactor isn’t a normal backpackers stove, it’s aimed at alpine or extreme situations and this is reflected in its price. High performance costs both in shekels and weight, but it shows where stoves and outdoor cooking is headed and is much more adaptable than some of the 1 man units tested. On top of that, it’s the ideal stove for winter or more extreme conditions, due to being virtually windproof and its consistent performance.
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Primus TiLite
?110 / £90
Coming complete with its own 0.9litre Titanium pot/mug, big enough to hold a standard 230g gas cartridge, the Primus TiLite weighs 198 and will boil its 0.9 litres of water in 3 mins. Unlike the Pocket Rocket it’s fitted with a Piezo Igniter, though I still carry the Firesteel just in case… This is also a cartridgemounted unit so the provisos re. tipping over still apply, Primus also make a Footprint kit for stabilising the cartridge. It’s also worth looking at their Windscreen, this fits around the cartridge neck and significantly reduces boiling times and fuel used. When packed away the windscreen fits inside the TiLite’s pot. All-in-all a very handy combination for lightweight freaks.
MSR Pocket Rocket ?40 / ££30
Weighing a ridiculously light 94g the Pocket Rocket boils a litre of water in just over 3 mins and a cartridge will give you almost 2hrs of cooking time or 35+ litres of boiling water if my maths is right. It’s a beautifully simple design with wide pan supports and an easy-grip regulator. It has one disadvantage in that it doesn’t have a Piezo Electric igniter so keep a lighter or Firesteel handy. Like all other cartridge mounted stoves it can also be a bit tippy so either dig it in to the turf or place it on a flat rock to prevent spills. Better still, several stove manufacturers make small plastic tripods that clip onto the bottom of standard gas cartridges, the Pocket Rocket is an ideal candidate for one of these and exceptionally good value for money.
Jetboil Personal Cooking System ?82.50 / ££70
When Jetboil’s PCS burst onto the lightweight camping scene 3 or 4 years back with its 70-80% efficient heat exchanger it forced other manufacturers to rethink their designs. For that alone Jetboil deserve a big vote of thanks but they’ve also developed a range of accessories that turn this one-pot stove into something that should suit most users. The insulated mug holds 1 litre but you should only half fill it if you’re boiling water, this ½ litre will take 2 mins to bring to the boil. When packed away the whole thing fits inside the cup, but only if you’re using the smaller gas cartridges. The system can be upgraded for group cooking by buying a 1.5 litre cooking pot which makes it more versatile if you want something more than noodles or dehydrated meals. when assembled it’s a very tall unit so the additional cartridge stabiliser is vital and those who can’t start the day without a cup of java will be delighted to know that a coffee press is also available.