Camping Gear

[Lanceman]

This is a fascinating write up XL, great to find a "camper" who is so sensible and passionate. I am in india and do not camp as much as I trek. At 61 my muscles and joints often scream. My back load has, over the years reduced inversely proportional to my age, so now I do a trek from from one to three nights with no more than 5 kg on my back. But as camping is not so popular in India, I trek from tea house to village, most places offer a clean place to sleep and decent food for small money (500 to 1000 rupees a night). Hence my load is as under:
-Decent rucksack and most important, KNOWING HOW TO WEAR IT. Most people carry a laptop bag dangling over their cute backsides, a sure way to get exhausted soon. Many sites explain a good fit and how to wear a backpack. Currently I use a Deuter 22L. With a a wire and mesh frame, keeps my back dry.
-a spare, quick dry (synthetic) set of socks, undies, t-shirt and track pants that can double as pyjamas. In India difficult to get quality quick dry clothes for trekking but I find the sports and fitness type to be great. Like "stay-dri" track pants. But NO COTTON, XL has already said why.
- Rainware is essential, I carry a poncho as it is versatile.
-emergency food like granola bars, chana and gud ( mu Fuji days), trail mix. Keep it concentrated and hi energy. Regular food in India available aplenty. I recently did a light trek to Snowline and Lahesh caves, found the the ubiquitous magi I and omelette bread everywhere.
- similarly most sleeping places offer bedding, so I carry a liner. Else a high quality ultra-light sleeping bag.
-water is vital, so make sure you have adequate reusable containers, two one litre bottles and water sterilisation drops or tablets. Usually tablets take an hour to effect, so with two bottles, you can drink from one and purify the other. Do not depend on stream water, no matter how fresh and clear it looks. Remember, there is always someone upstream and he is doing what he has to near the water!!
- I always carry a trekking pole, a good Leki is what I have, takes a lot of load of my knees when descending.
- binoculars (lightweights) as I love birds, camera, batteries etc.
-Knives, at least two, one multi-purpose folder like a Swiss knife and one sturdy fixed blade, currently a BRK gunny or a Boker Bk 24.
- a first aid kit based on your preference, but care fore head, stomach and muscle pain at least. With a a few band aids and ointments for cuts n bruises.
-always have a personal pocket kit in your pocket, vital in case you are separated from your back pack. See my post link at elsewhere on this site.
http://indiansforguns.com/viewtopic.php ... it#p210051
-shoes and socks, have the most comfortable and durable you can afford. Towelling or trekking socks and good ankle length shoes. I cannot emphasise the importance of this enough.

[xl_target]

Lanceman,
Great to hear that you are a trekker.
Please post about some of your journeys, even if it is just a day hike.
A little write up with some photos would be, I'm sure, appreciated by all here.

I recently did a light trek to Snowline and Lahesh caves, found the the ubiquitous magi I and omelette bread everywhere.

An illustrated trip report on something like the above would be awesome. Please enlighten us about "omelette bread".

Trekking is basically what I do but with the US's low population density, especially in Minnesota, we often end up where there is no way to purchase food or get a room for the night. So we have to carry everything with us; food and shelter. In this part of the country, the weather can be rather mercurial. One has to be prepared if one wants to spend some time out there. Hence the camping part.

....KNOWING HOW TO WEAR IT. Most people carry a laptop bag dangling over their cute backsides, a sure way to get exhausted soon. Many sites explain a good fit and how to wear a backpack. Currently I use a Deuter 22L. With a a wire and mesh frame, keeps my back dry.

You are so correct there. Back pack fit is important, especially when equipment has to be carried over long distance. Even a light load, improperly carried can mess you up. Your Deuter 22L pack seems like a very nice compact pack.
With heavy loads, the weight has to be shared by the shoulders and especially the hips. The load must be restrained so it cannot swing from side to side or hang too far out the back. If not you might overbalance and suffer a fall. If you break a leg or an arm when you are days from civilization, you are in big trouble.

At 61 my muscles and joints often scream. My back load has, over the years reduced inversely proportional to my age, so now I do a trek from from one to three nights with no more than 5 kg on my back.

I have had to invest in lighter gear as I have got older too. I also cannot get a good night's rest on bare ground. It was fine when I was eighteen but no longer. I have to carry an air mattress as well as a sleeping bag.
We usually carry fresh food for the first two days but in the heat of the day, it won't stay fresh long. Hence, the prepackaged dehydrated food. We try and eat the fresh stuff first and then rely on the dehydrated stuff. My daughter loves to cook on the trail so she brings along pancake mix, syrup, mashed Chana and stuff like that. She also brings bread and various fruit fillings to make her fireplace pies. Days can often hit over 80 deg F ( 27 deg C) and nights can be in the 50 deg F (10 deg C) or lower. We also have a persistent dew here in the early hours of the morning so a good tent is important. There are also millions of insects out there that would love to feast on you if they could. Minnesota is famous for its mosquitoes, gnats and ticks. "Bug Juice" is essential.


I have one of these egg carriers. Packed in t he middle of the pack, I have never broken any eggs when carried in this.

- I always carry a trekking pole, a good Leki is what I have, takes a lot of load of my knees when descending.

I carry a trekking pole too. It really helps my, not so tough anymore, knees.

My first aid kit is rather larger than yours but I have yet to use it. However, I still carry it around. Band aids, bandages to bandage wounds or make a splint, pain killer tablets (Tylenol), antibiotic ointment, a small chemical cold pack for sprains, some "quick clot" to stop major bleeding, alcohol wipes, water treatment tablets, etc. Probably too much stuff but I figure that it is not just me who will need it but maybe other hikers too.

We do also do day trips and car-camping trips where we set up camp and then explore the surrounding area with just a light pack on. Car camping is fun because you can bring a lot of luxuries along like a cooler filled with ice and cold water for when we are in camp. We can also then rely on fresh food like eggs and potatoes to make stuff like omelettes and french fries.

Do not depend on stream water, no matter how fresh and clear it looks. Remember, there is always someone upstream and he is doing what he has to near the water!!

So true. We have eColi from animal and human excreta in the water here, as well as parasites likeGiardia and other bacteria. We have to carry water with us, especially in the dry season (June, July, August). I have a 1.5 liter bladder in my pack and I carry a liter bottle. My daughter usually carries two liter bottles. However, water is heavy and we need significant amounts to rehydrate our food so almost all back country hikers and campers carry some kind of water filter.

Many of these dehydrated foods don't taste good or hydrate properly with cold water so a stove is a must. There is also nothing like getting going in the morning after a breakfast of Quaker Oats, pancakes with syrup and a hot cup of coffee. One of the luxuries that I like is a cup of hot chocolate before bed or in the cool of the evening when sitting around a campfire. The stove does a lot of water boiling .

- Rainware is essential, I carry a poncho as it is versatile.

My pack has a waterproof cover that is built into the bottom, so I can just unzip the bottom and pull it over the pack. I to carry a small folding plastic poncho. They are very small when packed and are basically disposable at the end of your hike and I can never get them back into the tiny package they come in. They cost about a dollar for one of them.

Knives, at least two, one multi-purpose folder like a Swiss knife and one sturdy fixed blade, currently a BRK gunny or a Boker Bk 24.

Love your taste in knives


I also carry a headlamp with fresh batteries and a BIC disposable lighter.

There is something especially satisfying about lying in a warm sleeping bag, watching the stars and listening to the night sounds in the woods around you.

Where we have bears, we have to string a rope between two trees and hang all the food up high. No food in the tent at all. So I carry rope and an assortment of carabiners. We also carry a garbage bag and pack all our garbage out. "Leave no trace" is the mantra of most backpackers. As far as predators go, apart from bears, we have Wolves, Bobcats, and an occasional Cougar in Northern Minnesota. In Southern Minnesota, we have mainly Coyotes. Bears can be a nuisance occasionally as they will come into a campsite to look for food. Our Bears are small and relatively timid, unlike the bears in the Western US. I guess we don't think about predators often. Most of these animals won't bother humans and will usually give you a wide berth.

[Lanceman]

Hi XL,
that was a great and comprehensive reply.
Yes I do. sporadically, write about my treks, though I must admit between actually trekking and my work, I have very little time left over for writing. Apart from trekking I am a very frequent traveller, both work and pleasure. You will find some of my writings at my blog here:

http://xerxespa.blogspot.in/

I am planning a trip to the valley of flowers next month . It will be a 4 to 5 day trek apart from the logistics of getting there. will write about it and let you know.

I am a knife collector, only high quality utility knives of which I have over a hundred, will put up pics some time.

[ckkalyan]

Really neat Lanceman, very cool blog you have there!

Off the beaten track and far from the madding crowd is where I try to be, this blog captures my travelogues, photographs, gear that I use and the fun that I have being out of doors.

xl_target - I have seen those (similar) egg trays in India - the only difference is that they don't have that inner protrusion (locking type thingy to one side). In fact there is no protrusion at all on the inside - so maybe that makes a difference in keeping the eggs safe? I wonder?

[kanwar76]

Few things which i use

Timberland White Ledge boots



Bought these in 2004 in US, used in all conditions you can imagine. Rain, slush, rocks what not. Keep my feet dry. After 11 years on my recent Ladakh trip sole came out little but nothing which few drops of Arledite can not fix and its back to new. I am sure it will last another 10 years without any problem. Real value for money purchase.

MSR Whisperlite international



Bought this one in 2013 and used quite a few time. I broke the pump because of my stupidity but no complains on the stove. Heats up pretty quickly in spite of time required for priming. I use this with petrol but it can be used with Diesel and Kerosene. One thing I like most is the real long burn time on petrol. I filled around 250ml of petrol in the can and used it 5-6 times on the trip to heat up water, boil eggs, to make oats and still lots of petrol in the can. Another value for money purchase.

Stanley Adventure camp cook set


I wanted something with a handle coz my earlier canteen was missing one and I just love this one. Its really cool, handle locks in the place and lids have straining holes. Which helps a lot to strain water after boiling eggs. Comes with 2 double wall plastic cups. Love it only gripe I have is it discolors very easily. It had fire marks on it after first use, not a deal breaker for sure and a good buy for $14

One of the place where we camped on my recent trip to Ladakh



Looking for a good 2 person backpacking tent as my current one did not performed as desired. it had lots of dew on the inside in the morning and most of my gear which was touching wall was wet.

-Inder

[xl_target]

Inder,
Good choice of equipment.
I like the Whisperlite stove but the fuel bottle delivery system has let me down before. The O rings went during a trip and every pump squirted fuel out of the connections which then proceeded to ignite when the stove ignited. I also dislike the whoosh and big flame when it ignites. However the stove itself is an excellent device. I would suggest that if this stove is your sole source for cooking, keep a repair kit handy. MSR does sell a repair kit for it.

i have the exact same Stanley pot with the two cups inside and I use it on day hikes for heating meals or for making coffee and tea. it is a handy little item. i do like it a lot. For the price it is a really good deal.

I'm not sure what your budget is but here are a bunch of 2 person tents.

The REI half dome or the Marmot Tungsten is really nice. However, the Kelty Traillogic TN2 would be my hands down favourite because of its packed shape. Most tents are stored in tubular stuff sacks that would be hard to pack in a motorcycle pannier. The Kelty TN2 stores in a flat, rectangular package that would fit better in a pannier. It also allows you to fold the rainfly back for those hot summer nights. If it rains, you can restore the rainfly to its proper position without getting out of the tent. If you're camoing on rocky or stony ground, you might want the additional footprint for that tent.



BTW, awesome camp site in that photo that you posted.

[ckkalyan]

Quite the adventurer kanwar76!

Ladhak - yet again?! Very cool image - bikes and tents in the wilderness!

Very nice detail on your equipment (yeah, and I do remember Araldite - fixes almost anything if you are patient enough to let it cure properly ) - thanks for sharing kanwar76

[kanwar76]

Hi Xl,

Thanks for the advice on tents. Planning to pick up one on my next visit to states, whenever that happens. On the stove, i do have few o rings for the bottles but yet to buy a repair kit. Will pick up one soon. No fuel leaking problem yet. Hope it stays like that. I do like butane stoves but those are not easily available in India yet. For my car trips, I use small LPG cylinder top stove.

CK,

This was my 3rd trip to that side of the country. 1st was in 97 on a 71Bullet Standard. Then in 02 on 98Bullet Machismo and 3rd being this one on the same bike. Yep Araldite and Quickfix are my goto products if anything needs gluing.

This was a real awesome place to camp just before Drass. There was a stream flowing, open grassland, great weather, spell bounding views.What else one can ask for.

-Inder




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