New/first time backpacking/wild camping

[u/Alert_Addition9364]

Hi all!

First time poster here & I'm after as much advice as possible.

I'm a keen hiker (10+ years) & very confident on the mountains no matter the weather.

I'm now looking to branch out into wild camping (just one night stays probably) but only during the good weather seasons.

My largest reason for this is; I've recently had a child & when she becomes of appropriate age I'd love to be able to make those sorts of memories with her, if she's interested of course.

I'm currently collating a list of gear that I'm ready to purchase & was hoping for some feedback. At the moment this gear is just for myself as I want to ensure I'm confident enough wild camping by myself before even thinking of introducing it to my kid.

Anyway, here's my list so far:

Type	Item Description	Price	Weight (g)
Water	Sawyer Squeeze	£60.00	89
Backpack	Vango Sherpa 65l	£45.21	2350
Tent	Mongar 210T	£119.99	2140
Sleeping mat	Naturehike Tuye 5.8R	£94.99	560
Cooking	Heiro Solo Stove	£55.00	370
Sleeping bag	Forclaz MH500	£79.99	1600
Pillow	Aeros Down Pillow	£49.00	70
Dog	Forclaz Foam Sleeping Mat	£16.99	350

I'm sure this question has been asked plenty before so I apologise for that.
I greatly appreciate any advice you could give, not just on gear but in general.

Thank-you!

[u/lovesomelibertycaps]

Everything looks good but if I was you I would rather spend a bit more money on the tent and not have to buy another than spend 220 quid on a mediocre tent and decide you want an upgrade after a few camp outs. I’d recommend NEMO or MSR as they aren’t too pricy but great quality.

[u/Frosty-Jack-280]

Two pieces of very general advice that I think are especially important when starting out:

1. Look at the weight of everything. That doesn't mean spend lots to save grams, but make considered choices and that will save money in the long run. It's very easy to end up with a whole load of heavy items that are then costly to replace.

2. Buy your rucksack last. That way you'll get something that's the right size and will hopefully carry the weight you need it to comfortably.

[u/davemcl37]

I’d say the rakoon 2 is a bit on the heavy side at close to 3kg. For around the same money you can get a Naturehike mongar 2 that will save you close to 1kg and take up 3/4 of the space of the rakoon, which comes in at close to a quarter of your rucksack. Also check out a lanshan 2 tent if you think you might be taking hiking poles with you. It’s a very popular choice and there are loads of reviews and tips on you tube.

Your sleeping bag also comes in at 11litres. You could save 1.5 L and 300 to 400 grams and a little money and go for the oex fathom ev300 if you can find one and your not taller than 6 ft 2. I’ll admit the mh500 may be better made though but I’ve been fine with my ev300.

Conversely for a tiny bit more weight but a decent cash saving you can get a warmer sleeping mat with a Naturehike r5.8 which should be much better for the odd colder night in spring or autumn.

For cooking a lot of people just get a titanium mug about 700ml and an msr pocket rocket which again would save some space and weight over the heiro.

Other things I’d recommend is a flextail tiny pump or similar. Useful for blowing up your mat and a pillow and will protect your mat from mold were you to blow it up yourself. It will double as a tent light and in a pinch a battery charger for your phone.

You’ll need a good headlamp in case you get caught in the dark or need to abandon camp during the night. A flextail tiny helio is hard to beat.

A water filter will also become vital if you do more than an overnight trip away from civilisation. I’ve got a sawyer squeeze but again do some research and at first maybe just carry your own .

I’d recommend looking at Ali express for the titanium pots, pumps and head torches, but just make sure you are buyers by from buyers with lots of positive reviews and watch the delivery dates as some items will be a week and some a month. Sportpursuits are good for hiking stuff and have some great value clothing.

Thing is we are all different and like our own things so who knows what’s right for you. You don’t need to be obsessed with weight or volume but a few decisions upfront may be the difference between carrying a chair or a couple of beers or not or maybe even just getting through a day without feeling fatigued.

When you start out you’ll probably take too many extra things you don’t need and by the time your kid comes you’ll need to carry some of their stuff too for a few years at least.

Have a play around on osmaps and all trails. Whilst it’s good to have a map and compass as back up it’s quicker using an app on your phone or your watch. I find is maps in particular is helpful to find some potential sites in advance. I always plan one a bit before and a bit after my proposed stopping point.

Hope that helps.Avoid the temptation to get everything at once

[u/Alert_Addition9364 → u/davemcl37]

This is excellent info, thank you! The tent, sleeping bag & sleeping mat are going to be a straight swap to your recommendations.
I already have a decent headlamp as I already do a lot of night-time hiking.

How does the MSR Pocket Rocket stand up to wind with the flame being so exposed?

Appreciate the need to avoid to get everything at once, my hiking gear has been built up over the years & I understand the overnight gear would be the same. I'm just looking to get a good head start with the necessities.

[u/davemcl37 → u/Alert_Addition9364]

I’ve never had a problem with the pocket rocket personally as if it looking like it will be windy I’ll bring one of those folding metal screens to put around it.

For a small amount more the pocket rocket 2 offers a bit more of a lip. There is also a deluxe model which is the most windproof but it’s getting quite pricey at over £70.

The soto wind master is available for a little over £60 and might also be worth looking at. Or you can get the Soto Amicus which still has the Piezo igniter for £38.58 or with a 1litre pot for £68.58 on amazon at the moment.

[u/Altruistic-Cost-4532 → u/Alert_Addition9364]

I'd recommend not getting the Mongar 2 but the Mongar 2 pro.

The main difference being the inner - on the M2 it's basically all mesh, on the M2 pro it has a higher bit that isn't mesh.

Even in generally good weather this is simply more appropriate for UK weather when nights are never actually hot. On the M2 full mesh inner it'll be very draughty.

The M2 pro is like £170 at full RRP, wouldn't surprise me if you can find sales or get it on Ali express for less.

Ignore the "upgrade to an MSR" - the Mongar is almost as good and it's cheaper to buy it twice than a single equivalent MSR.

[u/Altruistic-Cost-4532 → u/Alert_Addition9364]

Also, don't be scared of second hand. I personally wouldn't spend £95 on a naturehike sleeping pad - I got a Nemo Tensor All Season barely used for that price.

[u/OneEyeRabbit]

Best and greatest thing I can tell you is to have fun, don’t let the little things bother you.

Put a small chunk of tape on each item. If you use the item, remove the tape. Whatever has tape left on it at the end, leave home (except emergency supplies).

Make a small first aid kit in a baggy, nothing fancy, but something that gets you by before you can seek help if needed.

[u/spambearpig]

I think you should be very weight conscious. You’ll be carrying lots of stuff for your kid as well. So I think maybe you should consider buying higher end gear, often secondhand after some really careful calculations on a spreadsheet about weights.

It’s very efficient if you geek-out about all items and do lots of research before you ever spend any money at all. Then pick up an awful lot of the stuff gradually secondhand.

You can get some great bargains and you will be buying things once and only once.

I think you need a very lightweight, fairly strong rucksack that has plenty of room, much more than you need for just a small solo camping trip. That will give you plenty of room to carry the kids stuff and some luxury bits.

So if you do the main camping gear very lightweight, it won’t kill you to bring a load of luxuries so you have a really fun trip.

But I think it’s important to visualise all of the kinds of trips you’ll want to do over the next 5 to 10 years. The kind of routes, distances, seasons.

Buy gear that is absolutely specifically suitable for what you’re going to use it for.

As someone who does an awful a lot of outdoor activities throughout the year, I have many different items and can pack all kinds of different sets of camping gear.

But as someone beginning with a very specific mission, you clearly don’t want to have to buy lots of different types of gear, so what you do get should be absolutely ideal for what you’ll be using it for.

I feel like I could talk about camping gear for hours on end so ask any specific questions. Feel free to snoop through my posts in this sub, I’m sorry in advance about all the ridiculous sci-fi posts :)