Kit – what to wear at camp Friday, Jul 15 2011

This isn’t a check list of specialist kit, but more of a share of information. If you also have any special tips, please add the comments to the bottom.

The starter for what to wear is to think layers rather than having one super-warm jumper. If you get too hot you can control the temperature better.

Hat and gloves (especially for colder camps) are also a good thing to have – but think about what you may need to do over the camp – will the fleece lined mittens really help you?

Wellies are great for sploshing about puddles, but they generally don’t retain the heat and being solid rubber aren’t designed to be worn all day. Better still is to invest in a reasonable pair of hiking boots and liberally apply Nikwax or Dubbin (more about this on the Boot Blog published July 1)

Waterproofs should be an automatic consideration for camp. In addition during colder camps the waterproof trousers can give an additional layer of warmth.

If you’re skiing – wear a ski-jacket. If your camping – DON’T wear a ski-jacket (unless you also have a waterproof jacket to put over it). Ski-jackets are good for keeping you warm, but they are designed to stop snow – not rain – so in a downpour they will get wet and will take a long time to dry out. Once the wet material cools down, the next morning it is a horrible feeling to put on a cold wet jacket to face the world…

Jeans are quite good and robust for camp – but remember they are an open-weave material, so once wet they will get heavy and let the cold in (which is why they discourage using them for the swimming personal survival badge).

Unless you’ve bought specialist outdoor equipment, save the expensive designer gear for Harrow High Street. D&G may have the bling, but covered in mud they don’t have the staying power. Typically most Scout Leaders don’t think very highly of anyone who says “I can’t do that, these are my best trousers” – the thought being “why bring them to camp then?”

 

What I have found – and this must be the Scouting top tip! – is that the activity Scout Trousers are FANTASTIC camping trousers, so even if you pack one for “smart” and one for camping it’s a worthwhile investment.  I discovered a couple of shops in Camden that sell the old german army shirts – these are very hard wearing and very cheap too.

 

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kit – plates and cutlery Friday, Jul 8 2011

Whilst this may seem like the simplest of things, plates and cutlery can create some of the largest problems at the washing up bowl at camp.  Typically because everyone buys their camping plates from the same outdoors shops, we tend to see a lot of plates that are the same.  So here’s a few tips to consider when shopping for plates

 

1. How hard is the plastic?  Some camp plates are quite brittle and don’t flex especially well.
2. You may want to consider using metal plates – or even using “mess tins” (a favourite of mine as you can just pile in the food without it spilling. However you don’t get a nice presentation on the plate though).
3. How “common” is the colour?  Orange used to be a standard colour.
4. On mug shopping, look at the handle – how flimsy is it?

 

Once you’ve made your purchase, you need to consider marking it in some way.  My suggestion (if you have one) is to use a Dremmel to cut the name into the plate.  I would not use nail varnish because:

1. You’d be surprised how many people have the same colour nail varnish
2. Even the most flexible of paints will chip off the plate when Scouts wash them

 

Some people have used sellotape and plasters – and if you’ve ever taken a bath, or had a shower with a Band-aid on you’ll know how effective that is.

 

 

Cutlery (the K-F-S or Knife-Fork-Spoon) is a little favourite of mine.  There are many different types of cutlery that you can buy, including ones that clip together.  I like these as they are great for packing – but again, you need to make sure that they are properly marked or drilled in some way that allows you to identify yours over the other 5 similar items in the drying rack.  However, you may decide to just use “normal” cutlery.  That’s fine – but watch the knife (I’ve managed to cut myself getting my dinner knife out of my rucksack before).  A surprising success for me has been using “children’s cutlery”.  Whilst the knife isn’t especially sharp (at all) I have yet to not be able to identify my brightly coloured K-F-S from anyone else’s!

 

 

Finally – and I need to state this – DO NOT give your child paper plates or disposable cutlery to bring to camp.  This teaches them nothing about camp hygene, it is not “green”,  it does nothing for team building (the “why do I need to wash up your plates” question) and if they are more likely to break in transit.  They are also rubbish at holding hot wet food for any length of time.

 

Also, for similar reasons,  there’s little point in giving them a hybrid device such as a Spork (a combined fork and spoon) unless they are doing something really specialised such as expedition hike.

 

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Pathfinder Weekend Monday, Oct 19 2009

Our largest camp for sometime… 15 Scouts headed up to Lees Wood for a walking weekend.  When I arrived, the site was already buzzing with Scouts from all over the District pitching tents on the difficult soil of Lees Wood, but all in very good spirits.  Shortly the tents were up and the Scouts were being scouts.  Hot dogs were cooked and with hot chocolate the evening passed quickly (for the leaders, the 17^th Harrow had cooked a really nice stew!)

It was a slightly cold night, but Saturday morning came quick enough and the Scouts cooked their breakfasts.  Each camp patrol had decided their own menus for the weekend and had gone shopping for it, making this quite interesting to watch as they endeavoured to cook for themselves, with the leaders just offering guidance rather than taking over. 

After breakfast – and washing up – the Scouts made their lunches and prepared to leave.  Ash’s group of older Scouts were walking from the campsite to Chalfont & Latimer, Ivor’s group were walking from Heronsgate to Lees Wood and David’s group were walking the reverse of Ash’s route – Chalfont & Latimer to Lees Wood.  Alan (the driver for the day) walked with David until we met up with Ash then walked back to the bus.

The walk was quite pleasant and interesting.  In David’s group, James “Dragons breath” Zoel manage to trip over his shoelaces (twice!) quite early on in the walk; this gave him quite a sore, grazed knee to deal with.  As David’s group was walking along the Chess Valley Walk they heard a loud splashing sound – a small herd of longhorn cows were running alongside them along the River!  David and Ash’s group met up and decided it was a suitable occasion for lunch.  After lunch, we carried on with a short pause at Sarratt for a Coke and a comfort break.

Ivor’s group took a little longer to return to site – their navigation had led them to walk a large circle early on rather than following the route!

Once all were back on site, the evening meal was cooked.  Later James “Dragon Breath” Zoel demonstrated his ability to keep a fire going; Oskar entertained us with imitations of many of Doctor Who’s cyber enemies; and Jamie demonstrated what happens if you put too much pine leaves on an open fire (slow burn, then whoomf!)

Sunday morning was at a much slower pace.  The Scouts cooked their breakfasts, washed up and the leaders took the vehicles up to Phasels Wood.  Today we would walk as a single group with 3 map readers to confirm directions, turns etc.  Unfortunately the previous day’s efforts had depleted any energy and map reading skills – and as Leaders we found ourselves walking quite slowly (average speed of 2km/h!) and waiting near footpath junctions as the Scouts wandered off in the wrong direction.  Luckily the weather was really nice for the time of year, so it wasn’t too bad.  At Phasels we got in the bus and car and headed back.

On return to Lees Wood we found that Bruce had already dropped the Scouts tents for them, so there wasn’t much else to do (the other Troops had also long gone, so it was just the leaders tents to sort out.  We loaded the Scout trailer (I loaded my bicycle trailer!) and we all headed for home.

It had been a weekend of two long, challenging hikes but the scouts had completed it.  It had been a walk with a purpose – all those attended had planned the menu and the walks; they had then successfully shopped and cooked and completed the routes without any major hitches.  It was an achievement that they should be proud of.

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Purchasing Equipment – torches Wednesday, Dec 31 2008

 

Torches

Another mainstay item for the well-prepared Scout.  Also probably the hardest to write about as there are so many options out there now.

 

LED Torches / winding torches

 

 

(From www.watchbattery.co.uk)

 

Rather than use a traditional bulb, LED torches use a non-replaceable Light Emitting Diode (the LED bit).  This has the benefits of being more power efficient, but the negatives that if (for whatever reason) they get broken, they can’t be replaced.

 

The example above also shows a winding element to it.  About a minutes winding will produce about an hours light – which is great, but over about 10 minutes the power of the light will sometimes fade (especially if it’s a bright torch) and so across the campsite you’ll hear the Rrr-rrrr-rrr sound of the torch being wound up again (this is something I’ve yet to hear done quietly… like eating crisps at the cinema).

 

Whilst the above are great (no worries about batteries running out) I do find that in order to use one I need to either hand it to someone else, or just work with one hand. 

 

Head Torches

 

 

 

(from www.armynavy.com)

 

 

Unlike the torch above the head torch, will mean that both hands are free.  You can get all kinds of varieties to these and they tick many boxes.  Most are now sold with the LED lights – and batteries – so they are quite adaptable.

 

Benefits are that being head torches they will shine a light where you are looking – a downside for the person that you’re talking to as that will mean straight into their eyes.  It also means that you will need to carry spare batteries with you for when they run out…

 

 

Mini Maglites

I will admit that this a proprietary brand and that I have tried wherever possible not to point out a favourite, I can’t help but rave about the Mini Maglite with the 2 AA cell batteries.

 

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(From www.maglite.com)

 

As a standard it uses a bulb (so yes, you will need to have a spare – but Maglites helpfully put a spare at the bottom of the battery compartment) – but as you can see from the above you can screw in an LED instead; it also uses batteries – so you will need spares for that too.

 

However, I have found that the maglite also makes use of rubber “O” rings in multiple places, so it is pretty waterproof.  I don’t know if it would work underwater (can’t see why it wouldn’t to a shallow depth) but have never tried.  However, being a small size, I can pop it in my mouth leaving both hands free to do whatever (and giving everyone else some peace and quiet).

 

You can get a headband that you can slot the torch into as well – so apparently ticking all the boxes… except the windy thing.

 

 

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Buying kit and equipment – Hike boots Tuesday, Dec 30 2008

This has been (and should remain) the staple item in every Scouts camp kit bag!  Over the years, technology has moved on to make boots more specialised and so buying these more challenging (and in some cases more expensive, that’s true) – but this guide should enable you to identify what is useful and perhaps what you won’t need.

 

So let’s get an idea of what we need the “camp shoe” to do:

1. Stop water from getting feet wet – first thing in the morning (even in summer), UK grass is wet and will soak trainers quickly
2. Be comfortable – these shoes will typically be worn all day
3. Be adaptable – they will be worn summer, winter, spring and autumn
4. Be supportive – they need to be worn when on hikes over rough terrain
5. Be protective – especially if using axes, saws and knives
6. Be grippy – especially on obstacle courses and on hilly hikes
7. Be tough – these will need to last the whole week!

 

Linked from www.abc-of-hiking.com

 

Whilst the image is of quite a technical boot, it does details what a typical hike will look like, and some of the reasons for the extra twiddly bits.

 

The most important items in the hike boot are:

1. A sewn-in tongue.  This gives the boot more waterproof-icity (you will need to maintain the waterproof nature – more on that later)
2. A knobbly base.  This gives the grip to the boot.  Vibram is a good name to look for in terms of boot soles.  Years ago, when I was a Scout I was told “DMs are good for kicking people, but rubbish for hill walking”.  Having now seen someone not be able to scramble up a slope because they were wearing DM boots I understand this)
3. A good leather upper.  Apologies to anyone who is vegetarian but (as yet) I’ve not seen any reasonable Scout-proof hike boots that don’t have a decent leather upper.

 

The boot should come above the ankle as this will reinforce the support to the ankle.  There is a whole discussion on how much a boot should twist as you turn it between your hands – but as a simple rule it should be reasonably stiff – too loose and it won’t support anything.

 

 

When you are trying on hike boots, you need to go prepared – more so than buying normal shoes.  This is because you should always wear two pairs of socks inside your boots (the jury is still discussing whether it should be two the same thickness or one thick, one thin).  The reason for this is due to the length of time that you may have these on your feet, especially hiking.  The outer sock will move with the boot, the inner with the foot – and you won’t get blisters.

 

Once you’ve bought your boots, you should walk around the house with them on for a weekend.  As a note to anyone with light carpets in their house – ONLY wear them in the house when breaking them in!  This will start to get the foot bed to mould to your feet and to get the leather to warm to the shape of your foot.

 

Additionally, you can also rub in NIKWAX or DUBBIN.  This is also the stuff that will make the leather more waterproof.  This is really gunky stuff to work with and you need to make sure that it’s rubbed well into all the seams.  If you’ve been wearing the boots, or have made them warm then the stuff will soak in much better – it is effectively an oil.  You won’t need to use leather polish (and to be honest, for these boots its not as much fun either!)

 

 

So okay, that’s a quick run through the boots.  Some other questions that you may have:

 

How high should the boots go?

In this case, you don’t need calf high boots (such as the classic DM or the Rock Boot).  They do offer good protection, but after a point they are just keeping your ankles warm.  Also, just because the leather goes further up your leg won’t mean you can stand in deeper puddles – you need to check where the tongue stops getting sewn to the boot.

 

But what about Wellies?

Ah yes, wellies.  The most waterproof boot going.  These are reasonable for sploshing through puddles on a Sunday morning when walking the dog, but because they 100% waterproof and are not breathable, aren’t laced to your foot / ankle and typically are one piece with a thin sole they will make your feet sweat, will not support your feet and early morning will be cold and will not keep your feet warm.

 

My dad’s got cross country trainers – could I use similar?

Early on in this post, I noted that technology has advanced.  There are now some quite decent cross-country trainers on the market – but at £50 for a cheap-ish pair you won’t save much – if anything.  Additionally you need to remember that these trainers are designed that they will shed any water getting in – that means holes – which means they’re not going to be waterproof.  Also the trainer is designed for someone who will be moving their ankle a lot – so won’t offer the same protection.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: cross country trainers do have something that normal trainers don’t have – a decent grippy, knobbly sole rather than a road-based shoe.

 

I’ve heard of things called “Monkey boots” – any good?

Monkey Boots seem to sit to one side of fashion in regard to footwear.  They do have a reasonable grip on them and would tick most of the boxes.  However at the time of writing these are difficult to find on the high street, so it’s unlikely that Millets or Blacks will be stocking them any time soon.

 

What about steel toe caps?

Aha – the solution if you’re using axes and saws.  These are quite useful, especially for this purpose, but you shouldn’t go out of your way to buy boots with these (and typically you won’t get proper hike boots with these anyway)

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Sleeping bags Tuesday, Sep 30 2008

So, you’ve bought a decent mat to sleep on, the next thing to think about is the sleeping bag.  Again, like so much modern camping equipment, a lot of time and effort has been put into making these things more technical – so having an idea of what you’re going to do with it will save you a cold night (at the September camp the nights were freezing, catching most out)

Things to think about when buying a sleeping bag:
- where are you going to use it
- when are you going to use it
- how is it going to be transported there.

Where are you going to use it?
Sleeping bags really fall into two shapes – rectangular and “mummy” shape.  You can now buy jumpsuits which are made as sleeping bags, but this is the exception – and is quite expensive for what it is (in my opinion).
Rectangular bags tend to have a zip that runs down one long side and across the bottom.  Mummy bags have a single zip.
The where are you going to use it will decide the type of bag used.  If you’re only going to use it for indoor (heated) useage, then having a bag that will retain heat will be overkill.  However, if you are camping, then having a bag that you can draw to your body and retain heat, then the mummy bag is better.

When are you going to use it?
This is more about the time of year.  Bags are measured in “seasons” – a 1-season bag works in summer, but will tend to not retain heat (so will typically be either very thin, or rectangular).  A three-season bag should work Spring to Autumn (temperatures +0 degrees) and a four-season bag will work to a varying rate of -0 degree temperatures.
A four-season bag in the height of summer is rarely zipped up!

How is it going to be transported?
Many sleeping bags pack down to a small bag that is easily transported.  Cheaper bags seem to forget the whole bagging thing, or are quite complex in stuffing the contents in.  If the sleeping bag doesn’t have a decent stuff bag, you can purchase “Compressions Bags” which can be used to stuff the bag in, then strapped down to reduce the size.
Sleeping bag construction.
I’m not going to worry here about the rectangular bags as (in my opinion) they are ok for sleepovers at friends houses, or as additional duvet covers on the bed, but they are less good for most camping – and with the prices as they are, you can easily buy a more robust mummy bag for a few extra pounds.

The Mummy bag zip is typically on one side rather than down the centre.  This means that they may be sold “left” or “right” sided, so you will need to check how you zip yourself in.  The Mummy bag may also have a hood and drawstring, so you can really shutdown the amount of cold air that gets into the bag.
For those who get claustrophobic – I would suggest getting a larger bag, although it will mean that there will be more air in the bag, making it less warm at the start (but you can put additional clothes on!)

I won’t go into stitching, but a poorly constructed bag will have stitching that runs through from outside to inside, leaving cold spots.  However, this again has changed over the years and it is less likely that you would find such a bag.

Cleaning
Finally a word about Cleaning the bag.  If used for any length of time (i.e more than a weekend) you should look at turning the bag inside out and airing it.  If you are going to wash it, it may put a strain on your home washing machine, so typically most people do this very rarely!  You can prolong the period between washing by using a liner – a thin cotton bag that slips inside the sleeping bag.  As well as containing the “smells of camping” (and making it easier to keep clean) it also provides another layer in the bag – making it a little more toasty!

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The sleeping mat Wednesday, Sep 17 2008

Possibly one of the most important purchases for a good nights sleep is the “kip” or sleeping mat.  This will insulate you from the ground, so that your body warmth is not taken away from you – in more extreme situations being bad for you!
So what’s out there – and what should you buy?

Probably the most common mat is the Li-lo.  These are not expensive, you blow them up and sleep on them.  There are several downsides to them though.  For one, they are quite bulky as they never pack down to what they once were.  Another is that by nature of their construction, you may need to repair them if they get punctured. Most importantly, they are almost ineffective when uninflated… and being at Scout camp, waking up with a let down Li-lo seems to be a common thing.  One fact that is often overlooked is that you should cover the lilo with a blanket as even though it will provide you with some comfort, that layer of air will take your heat away – especially if your camping in less than warm situations.
The next common mat is the closed-cell foam mat.  These are also quite cheap to buy – they just unroll and off you go.  They provide insulation, they can’t be let down and they’re pretty indestructable.  Depending upon their thickness however will soften the ground, but won’t make it “lovely”.  That said, you’re camping, not sleeping in a hotel.  They also don’t pack down particularly small as they roll up, but they can be used to protect the contents should you roll something into it.

Everything else is pretty much a derivative of the foam mat and the Lilo.  You can mats which “self inflate” providing you with the best of both worlds, but these can be ten to twenty times more expensive.
Another option is the Camp bed.  These are a canvas and metal construction – and lightweight ones are surprisingly cheap.  As a plus point they are robust, but they can be difficult to transport – and you do feel a little “higher” off the ground than everyone else. Also, if you’re a “chunky monkey” then you may find that these don’t last a long time either.  More heavyweight options do exist, but these are more for long term camping than just a weekend away.

So what should you spend?  At time of writing, the closed cell foam is about £5.

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Hog Wild Snap Watch II Thursday, Sep 4 2008

snap watch image

http://www.hogwildtoys.com/funfashion.html#surfwatch

Following on from the (apparently necessary) addition of the wristwatch to the kitlist, I’ve been looking around for a second watch to pack in my kit (working on the Be Prepared motto - and a need to know the time, all the time!).  I did have a similar “rubber band” watch, but the battery died and I wasn’t able to replace it.

This watch is available in the UK from a number of places and costs about £6.  Some websites allow you to buy the watch bit and the strap separately – and you can buy additional straps as well.  It all “poppers” together quite simply, so replacing the strap isn’t difficult (unlike putting a velcro strap on a Swatch watch for example).

From a distance it doesn’t look like a watch, but more like a friendship bracelet (great if like me you don’t have any friends. )  Being a digital watch it isn’t complicated to work out the time – although it does have a day/date function but you need to do some mucking about to see it.

The other thing – which is great for camping – is that it’s waterproof.

The watch is available in three strap sizes - small (6.5 inch), medium (7.5 inch) and large (8.5 inch).

So, if you’re looking for a watch that  doesn’t look like one, or you need a second “spare”, or you don’t want to take your best watch, this may be a neat alternative.

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Buying stuff… Day sacks Tuesday, Sep 2 2008

I thought it would be quite useful to use the blog to help you when you decide that you need to buy some new kit or equipment.  As we move forwards, so technology in all markets has moved forward to… and sideways.  Just looking at the Argos catalogue quicky reveals how many options there are for just one thing – the Daysack.

This item of equipment will provide you with the ability to carry your lunch, your waterproofs, a map a compass, drinks and a torch – and possibly the spare jumper, the camera, the cuddly friend too!

So what should you look for?  Probably the first thing is the size of the bag.  Experience shows that if you have a big bag, you’ll fill the big bag (and it will be heavy) - but if you have a small bag you won’t get everything in and you’ll feel silly.  Rucksacks are sold in “litres” – a daysack will be between 10-30 litres.  Anything bigger and you’re looking at a more full blown rucksack.

The second thing to look for is the straps. the shoe bag type “thing” is only good for carrying lightweight things short distances – after a couple of hours they will dig into your shoulders and hurt a lot (the shape of the bag will also affect your posture too).  Good straps will be about 5cm across, and be reasonably padded.  They will also have adjusting straps to allow you to ensure a proper fit. Some day bags also have chest and waist straps – to be honest, unless you’re going to be using your bag whilst running the chest strap will serve little additional benefit – the same is also true of the waist strap (this is designed to put some of the weight of your rucksack onto your hips).

The material is always an important consideration.  Lightweight, thin material will not last – especially if you are walking in more challenging conditions.  It will also let water through quicker (generally you should not consider your rucksack to be waterproof – after time any waterproof lining will wear out).  The zips should be quite robust too – when you stop for lunch, or don’t quite cross the stream in a single jump, the bag will get mud in the zips – and a flimsy zip will snag and cause problems.  In some cases, daysacks have a drawstring top with a flap held down with buckles – much simpler with less chance of failure.

External pockets are quite nice and some bags have one or two which make getting smaller things like compasses and torches much easier.

Some daysacks are starting to use technology to prevent “soggy back” – with the bag on your back you will sweat and that will sit there between your rucksack and your shirt.  Not nice, but fairly typical on a long day if you’re prone to perspiration.

Very little has changed in the Day sack market place for many years; typically the changes have been technical and small rather than radical (and successful).  The “one-strap” has come… and for walking pretty much gone in the more serious bags; Jack Wolfskin brought out a rucksack with a single central buckle which was an interesting use.

The key point though, if I had to offer one piece of advice in buying a day sack, would be this – don’t be swayed by the label.  There are many companies out there that specialise in outdoor equipment – and a quick squint at the prices could make you think that you will need to spend a fortune – which is ok if you’re going to make it last for a few years (I have a rucksack that is now coming up to it’s 15th year!) – but similarly opting for a cheaper one may not be a good move – even if it does have a popular sports fashion name on it somewhere.  Check the quality, check that it works for you – and check that you are happy with the price.

 

Oh and by the way – any rucksack that has wheels and a handle should not be considered suitable for a day hike….

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