First Solo Wild Camp: What I Learned

If you had asked me a year ago whether I had any interest in camping, I would have said a very emphatic no. The last time I camped would probably have been Glastonbury in 2004. I was still in my twenties then, and in the intervening 16 years, like most people transitioning into middle age, I'd become accustomed to a certain level of comfort and convenience. My idea of a holiday for most of the last decade or so has been pretty much the polar opposite of camping: luxury hotels, definitely not sleeping in the middle of a wood.

And yet. In the past couple of years I have started to crave being outdoors more, and have taken great pleasure in long country walks, thus the existence of this blog. I had until recently been quite happy with doing these as daytrips - or occasionally staying in a hotel where necessary to get an early start or to facilitate two days of walking.

I'm apparently not alone though in reacting to the house arrest many of us found ourselves under for much of the first half of 2020 with a strange new desire to sleep under the stars. Perhaps some seed of this predated that - I had bought a Biolite Campstove back in December, without really giving much thought to where and when I would use it, other than my back garden. Although that thing is a novelty item really, it seems to have fed into a yearning to not have to be so dependent on all the trappings of modern life - mains electricity, gas, water and domestic appliances.

From there I started to get into bushcraft videos on YouTube. I've been really enjoying channels like Simon, a bloke in the woods and Camp life bushcraft. These made for great escapism when actually escaping the house wasn't physically possible, and I guess brought me round to the idea that maybe it's time to give camping another go.

So finally, once all the restrictions were lifted, and I had a bit of of free time, I planned to finish off my walk along the Ridgeway, with a two day walk and a wild camp in the middle.

I would say this was to be my first time wild camping, but I actually have done it a few times before. In my late teens I did a couple of walks involving a wild camp with my Dad - one across Dartmoor, from Two Bridges to Belstone, and another in the Brecon Beacons. Also on family holidays to Bardsey Island it was a tradition to go out and sleep on top of the mountain one night of the holiday, with just a ground sheet and a sleeping bag. However the last holiday to Bardsey had been 20 years ago, and with the exception of a night in a VW Camper Van on Exmoor (not sure that counts), and a night slept in the car on Dartmoor because we couldn't find a hotel (not sure that counts either) I don't think I've wild camped since then. Nor have I ever done it solo.

I probably spent more hours researching and planning this trip in the weeks leading up to it than I did on the actual trip itself. I didn't own any camping equipment, apart from that Biolite Campstove, and it turned out that was far too heavy and bulky and generally impractical to seriously consider taking. So I was starting from scratch. It turns out there's a lot of things you need, and with every item a myriad of choices available.

The first thing I decided though is that I would try and use my existing daypack, rather than buying a new backpack. This would both cut down on unnecessary expenditure and also hopefully force me to keep what I take down to an absolute minimum. It's an Osprey Stratos, and has a 26 litre capacity. I'd only take with me what I could squeeze into it.

As many people who get into backpacking and camping seem to, I then started obsessing over how much everything weighs. I was a little disappointed to discover that even the bag itself weighs 1.35kg, but I suppose that's in part because it has a frame to keep it off your back, so you don't get too sweaty.

One of the first things I then had to think about was a sleeping bag. I was aware that the most lightweight and best performance sleeping bags were down filled, but being a vegetarian who doesn't wear leather etc I wasn't really comfortable with this. So I looked to synthetic bags. After some deliberation I settled on the Snugpak Softie Solstice, which at 900g was one of the lightest synthetic bags I could find, with the added benefit that it was made in the UK. Unfortunately the company I ordered it from sent the wrong one - I got a Twilight instead, which weighs in at 1.2kg and correspondingly goes down to lower temperatures. I couldn't be bothered dealing with all the faff of returning it so decided in the end I should just keep it and suffer the extra 300g of weight - it would mean I could use it for more of the year, whereas the solstice was only really a summer sleeping bag.

The sleeping bag also came with a pillow, which was an extra 233g, and was a bit on the bulky side. I think I might eventually replace that with an inflatable one.

It was interesting to see how some of the technology had moved on since I had last owned any camping equipment - those bulky foam roll mats people used to have tied to the bottom of their backpacks seem to be largely a thing of the past now, instead most people seem to go for inflatable sleeping pads which pack down smaller, weigh less, are more comfortable, and provide better thermal insulation from the ground. So I got a Thermarest NeoAir XLite, in a fetching shade of yellow (errr?), and officially weighs in at just 340g. However in practice with the bag and the pump sack is more like 430g.

I wasn't really keen on getting a tent, both from the point of bulk / weight and again the potential for spending a lot of money on something I might only ever use once if I decide camping isn't for me. I also liked the idea of genuinely sleeping out under the stars rather than being all hemmed in inside a pokey tent. So I thought I would try for some kind of bivvy bag and tarp setup.

After some time deliberating over the various options, I went for the Alpkit Hunka XL, having read that this larger version would probably be better suited if you wanted to get your sleeping pad inside the bivvy bag too. Indeed this did seem to comfortably fit both my sleeping bag and Thermarest inside, and I practiced on the floor of the lounge wiggling into it, which was a bit tricky but I managed. So this seemed like a good solution in that it acted as a ground sheet for the sleeping pad, to give it a bit of extra protection, and then everything but my face would be kept dry, but in this breathable liner. Presumably it would be slightly warmer than just the sleeping bag itself, and on a night where there's no prospect of rain you can just sleep out like this and you're done. The downside though is that it didn't have a zip at the side - not only did that make getting in and out a bit fiddly, but I assumed if you actually felt a bit too warm in the night, you couldn't really do much about it. Also like everything else it added weight (480g) and bulk, and I wasn't 100% convinced it was essential.

A bivvy bag, though waterproof, seems to be considered insufficient if there's any chance of rain: based on watching a bunch of YouTube videos I got the impression most people also take a tarp. I'd got rather excited about these a couple of weeks prior to starting to plan my camping trip in earnest, and bought one without really thinking about the weight or the bulk - the DD 3m x 3m. I practised with it in the garden, and it made a very nice awning / sun shade for hotter days, as well as a handy rain shelter for wetter days. However I eventually realised it was much bigger than I'd need for solo camping, not to mention not being particularly lightweight, at 790g excluding the pegs and guy lines.

So I ended up buying a second tarp - the DD Superlight Tarp S. This measures 2.8m x 1.5m and was much lighter: 260g excluding the pegs / guy lines, or about 330g all in. The second photo above shows the two packed bags side by side - the superlight would just about fit in a coat pocket.

In theory, given the right pitching conditions - conveniently placed trees and so on - I ought to be able to set up some kind of basic tarp shelter using just the tarp and included four pegs and four guy lines. Of course the tarp itself though doesn't have any poles like a tent would, and so it seemed like it might be prudent to get a trekking pole, which would give me more pitching options, and, as it proved on the second day of my trip, might actually come in handy for the walk itself. So I bought an Alpkit Carbonlite which weighed just 169g.

You might have thought at that point I'd call it a day in terms of my sleeping arrangements / shelter but I started to go through a series of "what ifs", and also having weighed just about every item of kit I was planning to take, considering I'd also need a fair amount of water (I decided 4 litres for two days walking including water to cook), I was currently looking at about 12kg to carry. I suspected that might start to be draining after a few miles, and tried to figure out how I could cut it down a bit.

Knowing it was likely to rain, I had included my Barbour waterproof jacket in my kit list, which I'd bought for my walk on Dartmoor in March 2016, but had never given any thought to how much the thing weighed. It turns out it was half a kilo, which seemed like rather a lot for a waterproof coat, and might be something I'd only use for a few minutes if there were just light showers. When I looked down through my kit list, it occurred to me the tarp, the bivvy bag and that waterproof coat where all kind of peforming a similar function - keeping me dry - and they were all basically sheets of waterproof fabric in various different shapes. Did I really need all three? 

So instead, I looked into ponchos, and ordered a cheap one from Amazon made by Terra Hiker. It may not be the most stylish article of clothing I've ever owned, but including the bag it came in, this weighed just 300g. I decided I could use this both as a raincoat, and a ground sheet for my tarp shelter, and in the end came to the conclusion I should just ditch the bivvy bag, so this allowed me to save about 700g. In fact in theory I could economise further, and remove the waterproof backpack cover which is normally stowed away in a pocket at the bottom of my backpack, because the poncho was big enough to cover, and maybe cut down another 50g or whatever it is that weighed.

A further "what if" was some sort of protection against bugs. As much as I liked the idea of an open tarp shelter, and being properly outdoors, the thought of waking up in the morning covered in insect bites didn't really appeal. So I got this Sea to Summit Nano Mosquito Pyramid Net, which was extremely lightweight at only 90g (including the bag).

I did wonder at this point whether I was just trying to be too clever - rather than straightforwardly buying a tent I'd made four separate purchases to almost recreate the same thing - a tarp, a poncho to act as a ground sheet, a trekking pole to support it, and a bug net. In total these four items weighed around 890g and cost about £130. There certainly are ultra light weight tents which weigh less than that, although they'd cost several times what I paid for my piecemeal version. Plus at least two components of my shelter were dual purpose - the poncho doubled as a raincoat, and the trekking pole was also useful as, well, a trekking pole.

Next, water. I'd bought a metal water bottle some time back when suddenly the whole world was up in arms about plastic bottles. It has a capacity of 750ml, and I was horrified when I weighed it to learn that even empty it was 480g. I estimated for two day's of walking I was probably going to need about four litres of water, and I wasn't really sure whether I'd be able to refill along the route or not, so whatever happened I would need some new means of carrying water. I bought the Osprey Hydraulics LT 2.5L Reservoir, which was very space efficient and lightweight (only 175g), plus I liked being able to sip with relative ease while I was walking along. On the downside I found sipping this way was never quite as satisfying as taking a gulp out of a bottle, there was a bit of a plasticky taste from the mouthpiece, and I was constantly worrying about how to keep the mouthpiece clean. Oh and the whole thing was a pain to clean and dry properly after using - I just couldn't get the longer tube fully dry. I see they sell cleaning kits for them and a bite valve cover, so I guess you can address some of the hygiene issues, but obviously at further expense.

I also got a Nalgene 1.5 litre bottle - thinking more of storing water for cooking - and this just about fit in the side pocket of my backpack. This weighed 200g, which was a big improvement on my metal water bottle, which was only half the capacity.

As an emergency measure I also bought a lightweight water filter from Alpkit, but didn't really want to rely on this for water, particularly as I would hardly be passing any running water along the route, and would never be that far from civilisation. It only weighed about 100g though so this seemed like a good thing to take along just in case.

For my cooking setup I went for:

1. A BCB Firedragon stove - these are incredibly cheap, under £5, lightweight (120g) and very compact - I can just about fit it inside my billy can. This seemed like a lot less bulk than carrying a conventional gas camping stove (it's more the gas canisters rather than the stoves in fairness). You can fit three of the FireDragon solid fuel blocks inside the stove itself when it is folded closed, and I found one fuel block is enough for a meal - I can just about get 500ml of water to a rolling boil with one. The fuel blocks weigh about 30g each, and I found them at The Bushcraft Store for £1.95 for a pack of 6, so about 32 pence each.
2. A StrikeFire Ferro Rod. Yes I could have just taken a lighter or some matches, but this felt slightly more bushcrafty, and one of the nice things about the FireDragon fuel blocks is that they light easily with a spark from a ferro rod. This weighs 62g including the pouch it came in.
3. A 750ml stainless steel billy can cup from The Bushcraft Store. This weighs 240g including the carrying pouch and it seems like a good size for solo camp cooking. I probably could have saved a few grams if I'd gone titanium here instead. I think it's nicely designed, having three different handles (a bail handle on top, mug like folding handles at the side, and a small handle which can be made to stand up on the lid) and also ventilation holes in the lid. Measuring lines inside are also convenient. On the downside I found it's nigh-on impossible to clean if you're careless and let something burn on the bottom, as I discovered to my cost when trying to cook some rice in my garden.
4. An Alpkit concertina windshield. This weighs 122g. I could probably have managed without this on the first trip, as both times I cooked I was in fairly sheltered spots. However it helps improve burn efficiency, and presumably makes any flames a bit more contained, perhaps reducing the risk of a fire a bit.
5. A Vargo Titanium Spork. A mere 11g, this was my combined cooking and eating utensil. 

For food, on that first trip I was initially a bit reluctant to buy specially designed camping food - the dehydrated meals in pouches - thinking they were a bit overpriced for what they were, and I could just take along my own pasta or whatever, which would feel a bit more like genuine cooking rather than the equivalent of boiling a kettle and pouring it into a Pot Noodle. However I eventually caved in, opting for the extreme convenience of meals where I knew all I needed to do was bring some water to the boil, and there would be no washing up to do. I was fascinated to learn there's a whole website specialising in these kinds of meals - Base Camp Food - and from there I ordered two from Summit To Eat and two from Firepot. The Summit To Eat meals are a bit cheaper at £5.50 each, whereas Firepot seem to be a slightly more ethical / health conscious brand, with meals around £7 each.

In the end I only ate two of these during that first trip - for lunch I had the Fireport Orzo Vegan Bolognese, which was decent, albeit ever so slightly crunchy in places after the recommended 15 minutes rehydration.

For dinner I had the Summit To Eat Macaroni Cheese which I was actually pleasantly surprised by - the cheese sauce came out impressively well considering. Although that said it was late, starting to rain, and I had walked 15 miles with a backpack that day - so I probably would have enjoyed just about anything.

I also took along some Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky and some Nature Valley Crunch bars for snacks between meals.

Finally a few items of "toiletries" and other miscellaneous things:

• An Alpkit Folding Trowel. This weighs 133g including the carrying pouch. This is apparently what one needs to use should one be required to do an al fresco poo. Fortunately I didn't need to use this during my first trip.
• Compressed Towels. These appealed to me because they were very space efficient : they start not much more than the size of a pound coin, but by adding a few drops of water they expand into a 20 x 22cm cloth. I bought these primarily to use as toilet paper - apparently they're biodegradable - as it says on the Amazon product description "Natural, ecological, compostable, soft, unbleached, undyed and unfragrant". However I was still slightly sceptical - biodegradable over how many years? So I took all the used ones home with me and disposed of them there. Fortunately I didn't have to use any for anything too unsavoury, but they did come in handy for just general hygiene - they were good for getting rid of the residue from hand gel, and removing sun cream at the end of the day.
• Alpkit Solo Adventure First Aid Kit. Although when this arrived it was a lot bulkier than I imagined, so I just took a few plasters etc from it.
• A Leatherman Juice C2. I've had this for ages, I was given it at work, so it wasn't carefully selected for this purpose, but I thought it would be handy to have a pocket knife / multi tool. Didn't end up using it.

So, in summary, what worked well, and what didn't work so well?

• I think my final backpack weight was somewhere around 11kg, I walked about 15 miles each day with it (which is about the limit of what I seem to be able to do unloaded anyway, without getting very sore feet), and actually I think it wasn't too bad. By the end of the second day's walk my feet were very sore indeed, and my enthusiasm for the activity had waned considerably. However, I had walked 30 miles in a 24 hour period (midday on the first day to midday on the second day), which is more than I've ever done in that short space of time before, and I'm fairly sure even without the backpack I'd have experienced some amount of discomfort after that.
• Broadly the tarp did keep me and most of my stuff more or less dry. Which feels like an achievement, considering it rained pretty much non stop throughout the night. Even when it stopped raining it was continuing to drip from the trees. It was quite a faff to set up though - I probably spent over an hour on it, and it still wasn't quite perfect. This was made more difficult by only bringing along the four pegs and four guy lines the tarp came with (plus the trekking pole). That limits your pitching options a bit, plus I am new to this whole lark, so I just stuck to the one style of shelter I had practised at home. I naively thought - "Why do I need extra pegs? I can just use twigs!", but of course your average twig picked up off the ground is already rotten and breaks easily, plus doesn't have quite the right shape. It probably also didn't help that I had limited scope to practise at home - our "garden" is a patio really, so you can't really do much there with pegs, and it's also a bit narrow.
• I think the main thing I got wrong was being on a slight slope. I naively assumed this would be fine - obviously my head would be higher up, and that it would in part compensate for my rather meagre pillow. The reality though is that the sleeping pad is quite slippy, particularly combined with the sleeping bag, and I was constantly sliding down and ending up with my feet jutting out from under the shelter. That would probably have been fine if I'd been in the bivvy bag, but I hadn't brought that along in the end to save weight / space so the foot end of my sleeping bag did end up getting a bit damp. It didn't soak all the way through, and thankfully synthetic fill sleeping bags aren't so easily damaged by getting wet as a down filled bag would be, but I think that constant sense of "Oh, am I actually getting wet here?" was one of the things which kept me awake most of the night.
• In hindsight, I wish I'd pitched somewhere more out in the open. I was right in the middle of a pretty dense bit of woodland - in an attempt to be inconspicuous - but that also meant no real visibility of the sky - so no hope of seeing the sunset, or the sunrise, or the stars. Given the rain it wasn't at all a clear night, so maybe I wouldn't have had much to look at even if I had a clear line of sight to the sky, but even if I'd only had fleeting glimpses of the stars between clouds that would have been a big improvement.
• I don't think I'd taken into account how noisy it was going to be! Not just the constant sound of rain through the trees, but also birds, and possibly other local wildlife. Again I think a more open spot might have been better here. This combined with the slope and the constant worrying that all my stuff might be getting soaked (which it wasn't really) meant I couldn't really sleep. I snatched a few minutes here and there at best. Some time around 4am, as it was starting to get light, I became convinced I was being stalked by something! I think it was perhaps the lack of sleep playing tricks on my mind, but what was probably just the sound of rain water dripping off the trees somehow sounded more like footsteps that were getting closer. It was over the side of the tarp shelter I couldn't see out of. Eventually I decided there was no hope of getting any more sleep after that point, so started to get up, pack up and move out.
• I had set up the bug net rather half heartedly - I just looped it over the top of the trekking pole which was holding up the tarp and then made a vague attempt to tuck some of the bottom under part of my sleeping pad. Presumably this was too little, too late, and I ended up with quite a few insect bites - perhaps 20 or so.
• It was a mild night in July and the sleeping bag was definitely warmer than I needed - I ended up with it half unzipped for much of the night, which probably didn't help the bug situation.
• Oh and a few small slugs crawled onto my ground sheet, under the gaps in the tarp. This wasn't really a big problem, but it was a bit yucky, and made me wonder if they had crawled over the mouthpiece of my water reservoir, which I couldn't find a good place to put when I took my backpack off. I really need to get a cap for it if I'm going to use it again.

So finally, things I would do differently next time:

• Take at least one more long piece of cordage so I can create a ridge line.
• More pegs! I think I'd have done better if the ground sheet (poncho) was properly pegged down.
• Similarly the bug net also needed to have been properly pegged down.
• Don't pitch on a slope!
• If possible, try to find somewhere with a clear line of sight to the sky.