Ken 275

Decided to go for a 95 mile walk in Scotland next May to Fort William.

I don't have much tent experience, usually preferring to kip without one, but this will be a serious jaunt.

What I'm looking for are recommendations for single man tents and where is best to acquire them. And as a car forum, this is the obvious place to post a query on this subject...

Any other general camping advice would also be keenly appreciated.

I can feel the midgies already...

K.

Spoon

Camping Suggestions Please!
I suggest you don't do it!

Ken 275

Yeah, and I'll get Scooby withdrawal symptoms, listening for a Scoobysport or a Ninja when I'm crossing Rannoch Moor.

I figure the money I'll save in SUL should offset the cost nicely.

Sometimes these things have to be done though, esp before I get too old.

K.

(36, going on 60, and 30 a day).

SiPie

Ken

In my wisdom, I bought a decent one man tent a year and a half ago, for use on cycling jaunts, used it once and promptly met my fiance and bought more practical summer abode

I don't have it to hand (it's at my parents) but it's made by someone that has since been taken over by Vango (IIRC) and was pretty decent standard. Very light and suitably claustrophobic

I got it in TISO's sale for 99 quid reduced from 200. It can be mated to another similar tent (although not at all necessary) so is effectively half of a 2 man tent if you get my drift.....

If you want some details I can pick it up the next time I'm visiting and you are welcome to it for much cheapness..... no real use to me now.

PM me if you want me to look it out and you can check out the details on it...

Cheers
Si

(edited to say: I possibly won't be on-line until Thursday)

Franx

Personally, I'd get a small, light 2-man tent instead of the single, as they do tend to be pretty tiny...
I know that's the idea, but they don't tend to leave you anywhere to leave stuff either.
I'm not sure which ones to recommend, but that's what I'd do

Another option which I've done in the past, is just to take a bivi bag, and if it rains, seek out a handy barn or a tree, or build a shelter... Works quite well, and you don't have to carry the tent either

Have fun

Ken 275

Cheers Mate,

You forgot to mention if your fiancee was included in the deal...

Only joking, you're very generous in your reply. Could you PM me with a price? The thing is though, I was thinking about purchasing two tents; my walking buddy snores like a snorey thing (with added snores), so I figured I could get a discount for a multiple purchase if bought new.

Thanks Again,

K.

Brit_in_Japan

Some questions:
How much are you really going to use it?
How often will you be hiking and carrying it with you? (as opposed to just unloading it from the car)
Will it always be for just one?
Will you need it for any long stay expeditions?

A one man tent is fine if you only ever need to accommodate one and you don't ever have much gear with you. But if I were you I would be thinking of getting a good size 2+ man tent with plenty of storage area. It will be much more useful in the long term for a small weight penalty.

I bought a top quality 2 (read 1.5) man tent immediately before hiking into the Knoydart. It was perfect for that task, light yet strong. It has sufficient storage for my needs. However ever since I wished I got the tent one size larger. In truth, I've never had to carry it that far since so ultimate lightness hass not proved to be a long term benefit. But double the storage area and a higher dome you could actually sit up in would have been a distinct advantage. This is especially true if you plan a trip where you pitch the tent in one location and stay for several days, not forgetting you can invite someone to go with you if it's a large enough tent.

I bought a Wild Country tent which is still going strong after 10 years. I'm not familiar with their modern range, to me they look like they've gone a bit mainstream instead of aiming at the high end and expedition type stuff. Take a look at North Face tents instead.

Be prepared to take a hit in the wallet if you want quality, but if the weather turns really severe and you are in a remote spot, you'll be glad you spent money on quality. My tent was tested on night 1 in Knoydart, standing up to a force 8-9 gale with no problem whilst other tents were literally ripped to sheds. And my tent is going strong after 10 years, I've probably spent more than 20 weeks in it so the cost/night is pretty low really. And remember that if you buy a one man tent and find after using it once that you really need to buy a two man tent, it WILL have been an expensive purchase.

If you are going to Fort Bill, you have a few places where you can buy a tent, Nevisport and Ellis-Brigham are the two largest. If you're driving up past the Lake District then it might be worth taking a detour to somewhere like Keswick or Ambleside.

Midges shouldn't be much of a problem in May, good time to go. What other advice do you need? Sleeping bag, mattress, cooking gear ????

andys

www.outdoorsmagic.com

Redkop

1 man and 2 man tents are as cheap as chips now. Can be picked up as little as a tenner. Even supermarkets are selling them.

JackClark

I have this one http://www.outwell.dk/uk/asp/telt.asp?id=27 it's supposed to be a two man, but you'd want to be very close mates. Packed size 2.5 kg / 50 x 15 cm

Graz

If your going to carry it for 95 miles you want something small and light. There are some good budget hiking tents available these days, it's up to you how much you want to spend. As it's Scotland and the weather can be foul even in summer you also want a tent that is easy to put up (in a gale!) and should be possible to pitch the outer tent first, attaching the inner after to keep it dry.

Try http://www.cotswold-outdoor.com/index.jphtml or http://www.field-trek.co.uk/ for starters.

minor_threat

Don't buy a pink tent, that's far too camp.

ChrisB

For ten pounds, waterproofing is probably an option Red

Ken 275

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice RE tent choice.

It seems that my best option in this instance is to go for a 1.5 / 2 man tent x 2.

Time for shopping soon.

Does anyone have recommendations as to which sleeping bags are the best value for money these days? It's worth bearing in mind that I have deliberately chosen the Merry Month of May for mainly insect and mud reasons, but I have seen snow at this time of year before, believe it or not, so I guess it would be prudent to err on the warm side.

It's easy enough to enquire at the appropriate stores, but the last time I did this (Millets, I think, a few years ago) all I got was the script on what they had in stock, not what was best for the job.

Personal clothing / catering type things will be a canter, as I do a fair bit of weekend walking anyway.

Last time I'll trouble the community on this expedition thing, best start getting things organised now.

K.

Ken 275

Thanks again mate for allocating so much time to reply to a simple request for uninitiated style camping advice.

But I want to get this one right.

Avon "Soft As Skin" apparently gets the vote these days for the winged blighters.

I digress, but I remember reading a book by an author / journalist named Mike Tomkies who spent a good deal of time living on the Knoydart peninsula with a diesel genny and his Alsatian, "Moobli." A great book, but a wee bit sad, but I would recommend it if you know the area.


Anyway, I'll take the hit you mentioned, I wouldn't want to be cursing saving a few pennies while anticipating hypothermia. Additionally, if I buy a heavy duty, bullet-proof mobile residence, it's bound to turn out tropical, isn't it?!

Deffo last post on this one.

K.

The Chief

Hi Ken

Try this place out mate http://www.wildday.co.uk cheap as chips, i bought a single hoop tent that will fit 2 at a squeeze dead light and only takes about 3-5 minutes to put up, oh and has a fairly big bell-end as well (if your a camper you know what i mean)

Ken 275

Ooer - Missus!

K.

Ta.

Brit_in_Japan

Hi Ken,

Don't mention it.

Paying extra for quality won't necessarily make the tent warmer per se, but it should keep you dry in the worst of conditions and won't let you down in high winds. It also pays for higher quality materials, strong yet light. Flysheets made from light rip-stop style material but with reinforced seams where necessary. Poles made from aircraft grade aluminium instread of more fragile glass fibre, that type of thing. So a quality 2+ man tent from big name is not necessarily going to weigh much more than a cheaper one man tent made from less high spec materials. IMHO definitely look for something with one large storage area or two smaller ones, a tent which 2 people can use.

As for sleeping bags, it's impossible to have one bag which is best for all occasions. I have 2 bags, a 3+ season bag and a ultra lightweight summer sleeping bag. Ideally I would have 3 bags, a full-on 4 season bag, a 3 season and ultra lightweight, but you only learn with experience.

Again the best choice for you depends on the use you put it to. Down vs synthetic filler is the major decision. Down bags compress more, so that's one advantage. Down bags undoubtedly provide the best warmth/Kg. However the problem with down is that if you bag gets wet the down loses it's loft and hence it's insulation properties reduce. So for expeditions if there is a chance that you will encounter prolonged wet conditions with no chance to dry your bag, a hollowfill sythetic filler may be better. I have synthetic, but then I'm allergic to feathers anyway Down bags tend to cost more, but that doesn't mean synthetic aren't up to the job.

Other things to check for, make sure it has internal baffles so you can trap warm air inside. For example you can pull a drawcord and tighten the bag around your neck and/or midriff. Also check it has decent insulation over the zip, both for warmth and comfort.

One last thing, it's easy to boost the temperature rating of a bag with a liner, either a microfibre type or silk. It keeps the bag cleaner too.

Have a great trip!
BIJ