The camping essentials - I've found a bargain which you all need to know about thread...

[dondo]

28 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Irrespective of the weather I never hill walk up here wearing shorts. Its long trousers tucked into socks. Most of the places I walk have lots of sheep, deer and other assorted wildlife. Can also be quite boggy and grass is long.  It’s not just ticks but also horse flies, right evil wee bastards. Oh, and the midges as well. Sensible dress is essential and there’s no problem. 
but it’s worth it when your up in the hills on a beautiful day. 

 

11 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Ive hiked the West Highland Way and the Speyside way in the last four years, and they're amazing - didnt have any tick action, thankfully, and even avoided any midgies as well - go in march/april/may and you'll get pretty temperate weather, in my experience. Decent set of waterproofs and you're golden! 

When we did a mini tour of Scotland back in 2014 the lady that ran the B&B we stayed in on Skye said midges don't like weather that's too anything- too hot/cold/windy/wet and it's when it's just the normal weather expected for the time of year that they'll be out. 

[Alvoram]

2 hours ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Irrespective of the weather I never hill walk up here wearing shorts. Its long trousers tucked into socks. Most of the places I walk have lots of sheep, deer and other assorted wildlife. Can also be quite boggy and grass is long.  It’s not just ticks but also horse flies, right evil wee bastards. Oh, and the midges as well. Sensible dress is essential and there’s no problem. 
but it’s worth it when your up in the hills on a beautiful day. 

Definitely, even around here, the Peak District, and other places in England I cover up, never walk in shorts and use plenty of good strong Deet. 

Horseflies are nasty little gits, we get more than our fair share of them here in Derbyshire, but thankfully the Deet keeps them away too. I forgot the Deet once last year on a walk around Three Shires head. Coming up the back of the hill from the head, before passing over Wolf Edge and down into Flash, the hill side was full of heather, looked beautiful, but it was also full of something nasty. No idea what they were but they bit the hell out of me, arms, neck, face, everywhere that was exposed, I looked like I'd done 12 rounds with <Insert Well Known Boxer Here>. I won't make that mistake again. 

Kendal Calling was bad for flying bugs too. We camped in Haye Parks North, near the tree line, as we thought we'd be clever and use it as shelter from the wind. That actually worked out well, lots of tents seemed to get flattened by the wind that weekend, but we barely got a breeze up there. However, we were also swarmed with all sort of flying bugs, including flying ants, the skin of the tent looked like it was alive at times. 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

54 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

Kendal Calling was bad for flying bugs too. 

I'd recommend bringing Citronella incense sticks for when you are around the camp area, should you attend again, and in that location. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

5 hours ago, Alvoram said:

Definitely, even around here, the Peak District, and other places in England I cover up, never walk in shorts and use plenty of good strong Deet. 

Horseflies are nasty little gits, we get more than our fair share of them here in Derbyshire, but thankfully the Deet keeps them away too. I forgot the Deet once last year on a walk around Three Shires head. Coming up the back of the hill from the head, before passing over Wolf Edge and down into Flash, the hill side was full of heather, looked beautiful, but it was also full of something nasty. No idea what they were but they bit the hell out of me, arms, neck, face, everywhere that was exposed, I looked like I'd done 12 rounds with <Insert Well Known Boxer Here>. I won't make that mistake again. 

Kendal Calling was bad for flying bugs too. We camped in Haye Parks North, near the tree line, as we thought we'd be clever and use it as shelter from the wind. That actually worked out well, lots of tents seemed to get flattened by the wind that weekend, but we barely got a breeze up there. However, we were also swarmed with all sort of flying bugs, including flying ants, the skin of the tent looked like it was alive at times. 

We’ve never had any problem with biting stinging things at Glastonbury compared with other festivals, I agree with Kendal, think it’s the damp conditions that attract insects.  Been in the Peak District more that a few times. Walking dove dale and the manifold trail was always the deal I did with our kids if we agreed to take them to Alton Towers! 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

7 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

We’ve never had any problem with biting stinging things at Glastonbury compared with other festivals, I agree with Kendal, think it’s the damp conditions that attract insects.  Been in the Peak District more that a few times. Walking dove dale and the manifold trail was always the deal I did with our kids if we agreed to take them to Alton Towers! 

Why punish them, after they walked all that distance!?

[deepkittycaz]

On 12/14/2023 at 7:06 PM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

They look funky - and very comfortable.  Out of weird curiosity, what colour?

Mine's orange!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

1 hour ago, deepkittycaz said:

Mine's orange!

Thank you for answering. 

It certainly looks like the colour orange is winning in the 'Sw*nky Airbed Stakes' (100%, taking into account @moogsterresponse, also). 

[IBCanon]

On 6/14/2023 at 12:49 AM, clarkete said:

No, the bottle is going into the poncey bag I bought earlier in the week, which is half cool bag and half day bag.

The carabiner will enable me to clip stuff onto the top - I'm hoping a tiny chair I've got.

Do you have the link of these 2? Looks awesome!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

7 hours ago, IBCanon said:

Do you have the link of these 2? Looks awesome!

There's an Amazon li here;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Backpack-Lightweight-Insulated-Leak-proof-Perfectly/dp/B09127WMT6?th=1

 

[clarkete]

9 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

There's an Amazon li here;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Backpack-Lightweight-Insulated-Leak-proof-Perfectly/dp/B09127WMT6?th=1

 

That's the badger 👍

[philipsteak]

Can't remember if I did this at the time but I'd like to give a general shout out to Osprey.

I bought a Talon backpack second hand for £30. The full price is about £150 but you could probably get one for closer to £100 or so. The reason this one was so cheap was the belt buckle had broken. I knew Osprey were really good at doing replacement parts so I figured even if I had to pay for a buckle I'd still got a bargain (I thought as I wasn't the original purchaser and had no receipt I'd be charged). But no, entire buckle and webbing sent out to me free of charge. Didn't even have to pay for postage. 30 seconds to change it over.

It's also an excellent pack. I've never spent anywhere close to the full price on a pack before. You can very much see the difference.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

7 hours ago, clarkete said:

That's the badger 👍

I tried to find it cheaper elsewhere, but to no avail. Might just be an 'Amazon' thing. 🙂

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

22 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Can't remember if I did this at the time but I'd like to give a general shout out to Osprey.

I bought a Talon backpack second hand for £30. The full price is about £150 but you could probably get one for closer to £100 or so. The reason this one was so cheap was the belt buckle had broken. I knew Osprey were really good at doing replacement parts so I figured even if I had to pay for a buckle I'd still got a bargain (I thought as I wasn't the original purchaser and had no receipt I'd be charged). But no, entire buckle and webbing sent out to me free of charge. Didn't even have to pay for postage. 30 seconds to change it over.

It's also an excellent pack. I've never spent anywhere close to the full price on a pack before. You can very much see the difference.

Excellent customer service. I guess they can afford to take the hit. 

[Alvoram]

On 12/15/2023 at 7:21 PM, Ayrshire Chris said:

We’ve never had any problem with biting stinging things at Glastonbury compared with other festivals, I agree with Kendal, think it’s the damp conditions that attract insects.  Been in the Peak District more that a few times. Walking dove dale and the manifold trail was always the deal I did with our kids if we agreed to take them to Alton Towers! 

Alton Towers and Dove Dale... Win Win. Dovedale and Manifold area is nice, think we've spoken about it before? Have you visited the high peaks too? Winnats pass definitely reminds me of something I've seen in Scotland, but I can't remember where or what.

 

[clarkete]

4 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I tried to find it cheaper elsewhere, but to no avail. Might just be an 'Amazon' thing. 🙂

As this was of course a wet year it thankfully did a great job keeping the wet separate from the dry

[Neil]

On 12/15/2023 at 10:24 AM, not worthy said:

Elephant's scrotum

mouses's ear.:P 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I have no idea how sturdy these seats are, but some people might find them useful for Glastonbury;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334702735801?var=543857663073&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=PxnJeCIcAAAAQu66wHlCxaRGwtcvAAAAAA

[incident]

Just now, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I have no idea how sturdy these seats are, but some people might find them useful for Glastonbury;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334702735801?var=543857663073&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=PxnJeCIcAAAAQu66wHlCxaRGwtcvAAAAAA

They're sturdy when used on perfectly flat ground.. They do become a bit shaky when the terrain is uneven though. I bought one for festivals last year, and ended up getting no use out of it after the first hour or so.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 hours ago, incident said:

They're sturdy when used on perfectly flat ground.. They do become a bit shaky when the terrain is uneven though. I bought one for festivals last year, and ended up getting no use out of it after the first hour or so.

Thanks for the enlightenment. I just happened to stumble across the product earlier today, and thought that they might be of use. However, I can now see that they'd be crap in battle conditions. 

[Alvoram]

On 1/29/2024 at 2:01 PM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I have no idea how sturdy these seats are, but some people might find them useful for Glastonbury;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334702735801?var=543857663073&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=PxnJeCIcAAAAQu66wHlCxaRGwtcvAAAAAA

Swear by these... packs up tiny, super light, and has lasted me for multiple festivals and countless hiking / camping trips. 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/low-folding-camping-chair-mh500-brown/_/R-p-173601

I did buy the base plate thing separate, for uneven ground, as without it the legs dig into soft ground, but it can be stored in the same bag, and makes the pack no bigger or heavier. 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/stability-mat-for-chair-mh500l/_/R-p-340946
 

Edited January 31 by Alvoram

[sedra]

On 1/29/2024 at 2:01 PM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I have no idea how sturdy these seats are, but some people might find them useful for Glastonbury;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334702735801?var=543857663073&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=PxnJeCIcAAAAQu66wHlCxaRGwtcvAAAAAA

Fine for solid flat ground but not particularly comfortable and it broke pretty quickly - I fell backwards on one on uneven ground in 2022 in Bellas and it broke the locking system. 🙁

[Lakey91]

Bumping this thread as I'm on a tight budget this year so I'm hunting for bargains!

 

Also, while I'm here, can anyone recommend any decent power banks? The bigger the better without breaking the bank. I'm taking my one year old this year so I'll have loads of additional little gadgets that might need charging.

 

I bought about 6 different reasonably priced ones off amazon last time and almost all of them under performed. I even got one which was advertised as a 20,000 mAh but I later discovered was actually 10,000 mAh with some weights added to make it feel like higher capacity. And that was was thousands of reviews at 5* so clearly the reviews can't be trusted.

[Toilet Duck]

14 minutes ago, Lakey91 said:

Bumping this thread as I'm on a tight budget this year so I'm hunting for bargains!

 

Also, while I'm here, can anyone recommend any decent power banks? The bigger the better without breaking the bank. I'm taking my one year old this year so I'll have loads of additional little gadgets that might need charging.

 

I bought about 6 different reasonably priced ones off amazon last time and almost all of them under performed. I even got one which was advertised as a 20,000 mAh but I later discovered was actually 10,000 mAh with some weights added to make it feel like higher capacity. And that was was thousands of reviews at 5* so clearly the reviews can't be trusted.

Stick to Anker power banks and you can't really go wrong. Generally a bit more expensive than the various cheap ones on Amazon, but one of mine is a good 10+ years old and still gong strong. I have a Belkin one as well that seems to be pretty reliable and lasts well, but that was more expensive again. 

 

A quick search on Amazon threw up this one, which looks like an updated version of my old Anker...pretty reasonable. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Portable-PowerCore-High-Speed-Charging/dp/B0BYP4Y1N8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1B5FF0WMJ9YMQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_KWTgqjQIT6f90LLAQu7cLbz-DMhSIjCp0J24Aq8Y7RUSUwd2t_Drj2qicJfLnnqBKVF5UMkD7U4yidCbHuK1yADg2tpke78yTZhjkd9i1GFKA1xoYc6azALGrWhlwjQaYEG4pnHyuhij7CiQ9uGp3OGdB0dW_xsjp3bLKA8g8ycOA7n3fFJj5LurQpYLi2B7u7WWkmlfEhsF5rfqDKyJEhrsbJxjzG6csZzPZx1O8.ZX8bvsYi57BbvyM4P8MCC4tjG3RthQiMYeHtD91T-dA&dib_tag=se&keywords=anker+power+bank&qid=1713193923&sprefix=anker+%2Caps%2C52&sr=8-3

 

 

[clarkete]

22 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

Stick to Anker power banks and you can't really go wrong. Generally a bit more expensive than the various cheap ones on Amazon, but one of mine is a good 10+ years old and still gong strong. I have a Belkin one as well that seems to be pretty reliable and lasts well, but that was more expensive again. 

 

A quick search on Amazon threw up this one, which looks like an updated version of my old Anker...pretty reasonable. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Portable-PowerCore-High-Speed-Charging/dp/B0BYP4Y1N8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1B5FF0WMJ9YMQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_KWTgqjQIT6f90LLAQu7cLbz-DMhSIjCp0J24Aq8Y7RUSUwd2t_Drj2qicJfLnnqBKVF5UMkD7U4yidCbHuK1yADg2tpke78yTZhjkd9i1GFKA1xoYc6azALGrWhlwjQaYEG4pnHyuhij7CiQ9uGp3OGdB0dW_xsjp3bLKA8g8ycOA7n3fFJj5LurQpYLi2B7u7WWkmlfEhsF5rfqDKyJEhrsbJxjzG6csZzPZx1O8.ZX8bvsYi57BbvyM4P8MCC4tjG3RthQiMYeHtD91T-dA&dib_tag=se&keywords=anker+power+bank&qid=1713193923&sprefix=anker+%2Caps%2C52&sr=8-3

 

 

 

@Lakey91 note that there's a deal on this for a third off, so if you're interested don't delay and get stuck with full price. 

 

Hats off to @Toilet Duckfor getting the biggest url possible too 😉

Edited April 15 by clarkete

[incident]

52 minutes ago, Lakey91 said:

Also, while I'm here, can anyone recommend any decent power banks? The bigger the better without breaking the bank. I'm taking my one year old this year so I'll have loads of additional little gadgets that might need charging.

Juice brand, available from Argos.

 

Tend to be a bit lighter and cheaper than Anker, while being just about as trustworthy & reliable. Though may not have flashy features like fast charging or be able to run a laptop off it.

Edited April 15 by incident