Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => General Chat => Topic started by: simonjones on June 15, 2013
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Hey guys,
I've always camped with 2 or 3 man tents even when camping solo and been used to having a porch. Just got myself a Jack Wolfskin Gossamer for my solo trips this year and I wondered what everyone does with their wet boots/raincoats etc when the weather turns to shite?
I don't mind cooking and eating in the rain (unless it's absolutely pelting it into my face) so I've never used a porch for cooking, just hanging wet stuff in and leaving my wet boots to dry and for spiders to crawl into.
What do you all do with your wet gear? Bin bags and bring it in with you? Spare stuff sacks? Leave it outside with a tarp over it?
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Most of the one man tents I've seen used either have a porch or a little room between the inner and outer to stash gear. Failing that, I'd go with a bit of tarp pegged down over your gear.
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I've just bought a new tent (F10 Helium 200) that I intend to use as a solo tent. I went for the extra size for a bit more sleeping space so I can bring all gear in with me - except boots, they never get past the porch.
I'm used to carrying a bigger tent too, an old Vango Storm 300+ that had loads of room and two porches. With it I have always been able to stash wet gear in the porch so it will be interesting taking the new tent on its first outing (which is going to be next weekend / mournes) and seeing how practical it is to bring wet gear into the sleeping area.
Im hoping it will be ok and being out in the open / heat of the tent; it should all dry pretty quickly. If it doesn't suit I will end up getting a big dry back that it all goes into, though that will mean it won't dry... Only time spent in the field will dictate what happens.
Great question though and has me curious to what other people do?
Ps: Simon, did you buy the Gossamer off me in Cotswold recently?
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I would normally just bring mine into the tent with me, give the waterproofs a good shake to get rid of any water that's gathered on them, turn then inside out and set them at the bottom of my feet. They should be grand for the morning. Boots I leave between the Flysheet and inner.
The Gossamer looks a good wee tent, I saw it today and though it would be a good job in the wind.
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Thanks for the replies.
Hammy - yes I did indeed buy it from you, I appreciate the time you and your colleague took to get me sorted and make sure I was happy with everything.
I'll post my first impressions of the Gossamer, I'm planning a night in the Mournes in the middle of next week. It's the first tent I've bought that came with a few bits of material for patching, a bottle of sealant for the tape-seams, and an aluminium tube for emergency repair of a broken pole.
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I've a wild country Zephyros 2 man which is an excellent tent with plenty of room between the fly sheet for kit.Usally I would store any food stuf inside the tent :-X just to prevent a visit from mr fox during the night.As rumblebum already noted,good shake,turn inside out with the waterproofs.
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http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/wild-country-tents-zephyros-1-tent-71110048?id_colour=98
This Wild Country Tent Zephyros 1 man looks a cracker and has a porch. At £100 its a steel.
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I was planning to go into the mournes on Wed/Thur but now I have to work so my first solo trip with my 1 man tent ( Vango are a little too optimistic calling the Helium 200 a 2 man tent ) will be next weekend. The really good thing about the smaller tents is the light weight. I'm planning on starting out in Donard car park, up to the saddle towards Slieve Donard and then down the other side and heading towards the Annalong wood. It will be the furthest I have walked for a camping spot in the Mournes but should be ok with the massive reduction in weight with all my gear.
As for the Wild Country tents - we have a Zephros 2XL pitched in the shop on the top floor if anyone wants to see it. Looks like a great tent and there is plenty of room in it and the addition of an extra porch essentially gives you a storage room for most of your gear.
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Decathlon have the vango banshee 2 man down to 89 quid i spotted yesterday seemed to have laods off room in in though im not a tent person ..
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If it's the 2013 version that is a great price. We currently have it at £99.
We also price match so if you don't want to drive all the way out to Decathlon come see us in the city centre!
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There was a time when my wet gear and my tent were the same
Item: a poncho. As wet gear it works surprisingly well: the baggy poncho lets
a bit of air circulate stopping condensation on the
Inside. With a few bits of paracord and a little imagination it also makes a little one man shelter/tent. Word of warning tho: only use during the summer time
and camp in a sheltered prefarably woodland area!
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Well a small one-man tent is like a really big bivvy, so my bivvy tips may apply...
I tend to throw my dry/sleep clothes into the sleeping bag (inside bivvy). Then my ruck gets repacked and the wet clothes come off and go in on top of the other gear, usually in the following convoluted sequence:
Push sleeping bag down into bivvy bag.
Sit at the top to remove shoes and bottoms.
Shoes get turned upside down within arms' reach.
Swing legs into bivvy.
Remove top layers and close up rucksack... I just lay it on it's back (straps down) within arms' reach.
Put on new base layer top quickly before sliding right into bivvy bag.
Wiggle around to change undies, put on fresh socks, get into sleeping bag, position pillow, close up opening etc...
If you carry a rucksack cover or bin bag you can cover your pack when you leave it out. I don't bother anymore.
In the morning you put on the cold/wet gear again unless it's your last day and you can sacrifice your dry 'night' layers. If you have anything only slightly damp like a base layer or gloves, some people sleep with them between their thighs or next to their core to dry them out...it is extra moisture in the system though so expect the sleeping bag to suffer over consecutive nights unless it can get a good airing during the day... although about a soda can's worth comes off your skin in a night so it's good to air the sleeping bag anyway.
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It's fascinating to read how much thought we all put into our comfort :) Some great tips guys thank you all.
Totally unrelated but still a tip - I've used this relatively unheard of weather app on my phone for a couple of years now and I have to say I have grown to trust it so much more than Accuweather or the Met Office apps and sites. It's called Yr.No - you can search for it in the Android store, not sure about iPhones. You can select the Mourne Mountains as a location and I swear you could set your watch by it.
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Before I climb into my bivvy at night all clothes except base layer and underwear come off. Much to the distaste of those around me at the time.
If it's not raining I stand in the wind for a minute or two to blow off whatever surface sweat remains on the base layers
Coat, trousers go into a binbag
Boots lay out on their sides, openings facing into each other, with the binbag draped over them
Pair of heatholder socks go over the regular socks
Into the bivvy
Tighten the baffles up and whatever moisture remains in my clothing can evaporate off
If it's dry in the morning the coat etc can be laid out flat to air out