What is must for camping and how to select right equipments? Everybody who plan to start camping will face these questions. Even if you did camping in the past, but your last time was some time ago. For experienced campers these questions are valid as well because sometime we buy things which are not must. Therefore it is always good to ask if you really need the equipment before you buy anything.
The Internet, magazines and books are full of instructions and advices which give an answer to these questions eventually. I will try not to repeat same and I will try to approach these two questions from a different angle. I use experiences and challenges that I faced when I was selecting my new gears. The article is divided into two parts. This part focus on the first question, what is must for camping. The second part focus on the second question, how to select your equipments.
Camping equipments have developed significantly during the past years and the selection has expanded considerably. This is not always good because you might end up to use lot of money if you do some mistakes when selecting your equipments. In worst case such mistakes can lose your desire for camping. Or you might unnecessarily over dimension your equipments which is also very expensive. The wide selection can lead to that you buy something that you don’t really need. In another hand wide selection gives you possibility to select equipments which match better your criteria.
Naturally the must have list varies from person to person. If we exclude minimalist and extreme camping, I do believe you find some equipments from every list. My list includes equipments that you should be able to camp in the camping area and nature. The list include only equipments for camping and exclude for example gears you need to carry your camping equipments into nature, food, clothes, etc. The list contains only necessary equipments but you can easily complement it with your own preferences.
The list include following equipments:
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Cooking equipments
The tent
The main function of the tent is to provide a shelter against bad weather. More extreme or longer your trip is more important it is that you have a place where you are safe from the rain and wind. Another function, not so important tough, is protection against insects, animals and from the eyes.
Naturally you can camp without the tent even in the winter by using your sleeping bag only, sleep under warp or sleep in a wicket. In Finland wickets are quite popular but I have not seen many in Germany. I don’t recommend to camp without the tent if you didn’t camp before because it requires some experience especially in the winter, spring and autumn when weather can change fast and drastically. Also it requires more from other equipments. Some of you might wonder why I don’t mention huts. The reason is that I count huts to same category with hotels.
The tent is the most expensive equipment in the list. You can easily spend over 1.000€ for a tent if you want. You can save lot of money if you select right and not unnecessarily over dimension it. But you can also make big mistakes which can be costly. There are various type of tents which you can choose the right one for you. Each type has its benefits and drawbacks. The internet is full of information and you should explore all types before you lock your choice. You should select the tent based on how you plan to use it.
If you have a friend who owns a tent you should try to borrow it for few trips. When you use a tent you will find easily things you like and dislike. And remember that it is not your tent so take care of it. Your friend will not be happy if he finds that you destroy his expensive tent by not taking good care of it. Accidents happen but that is different story. Also exhibitions are good places to compare different tents and manufacturers. So visit some outdoor exhibitions if you are not sure about the model and manufacturer.
I own a tunnel tent (Fjällräven KEB Endurance 3) because it provides more space for gears and cooking. The big vestibule provides cover and I don’t need to change clothes under the rain. It also helps to keep sleeping area clean and dry.
The sleeping bag
The tent doesn’t keep you warm at night and therefore you need the sleeping bag. At warm summer nights you might not need it but for sure you are going to miss one when temperature drops much at night. Some of you might say that the sleeping pad is also important, and that is right, but it doesn’t warm you much. Surely it helps, but mainly it does provide insulation between ground and sleeping bag.
The sleeping bag is the second most expensive equipment in the list. You can easily spend same amount of money for a sleeping bag as you spend for a tent. The same as with the tent, you can save lot of money if you select right and not unnecessarily over dimension it. However it is more save to over dimension than under dimension the sleeping bag. You don’t want to wake up at night to find out that temperature is below the comfort limit of your sleeping bag. I did over dimension my sleeping bag a bit to be on the save side but also that I don’t need to buy the new bag if I extend my traveling period.
With sleeping bags you have some chances to recover your mistakes. Many times people are buying a sleeping bag which is not suitable for weather that they are camping. To clarify, many times people try to save money and buy a sleeping bag which is not warm enough. You can recover this mistake by using a liner and additional clothes. Surely it is not the same as using the sleeping bag which is warm enough but it is better than nothing.
I own a down sleeping bag (Mountain Equipment Helium 800). I don’t see important whether filling is down or synthetic material. Both filling materials have their benefits and drawbacks. Differences are anyhow not significant.
The sleeping pad
The sleeping pad has three functionality, it increases comfort, insulate and protect. Very seldom you find a place, even in the camping areas, which is suitable for sleeping without a sleeping pad. Even you find an even ground the sleeping pad has two other equally important functions. The sleeping pad insulate cold and moisture from the ground which is important when ground is cold and wet. The third function is that the sleeping pad protects your sleeping bag from unnecessary wear and tear. If you have a membrane sleeping bag then you don’t need to care moisture so much, but even more wear.
Sleeping pads are not very expensive compare to the tent and sleeping bag. You have to select from two main types, foam or air. I refer material used for filling. Some sleeping pads combine foam and air and are called self-inflating pads. I would say that the sleeping pad is the equipment where you have to make some compromises. Basically you have to select between good R-value, size/weight or price. The pure air pad doesn’t provide good insulation but is light and small. The Self-inflating pad is not cheap but small and provide good R-value. The foam pad is not small but provide dissent R-value and competitive price.
I own a self-inflating pad (Therm-A-Rest LuxuryMap) mainly because of size an R-value and I don’t need to carry a pump. Although some manufacturers integrate a pump into their air pads. I don’t need very light weight because I don’t hike very long distances when weight is one of the most important thing to reduce. I don’t recommend a pure foam pad because other pad types are many point of view better. You should select a pure foam pad only if your budget is very tight.
Cooking equipments
It is quite obvious what is the main function of cooking equipments :-). Even the main functionality might be obvious there are some functionalities which might not be so obvious. Cooking equipments have another important function and that is to clean water. Sometimes even melt snow to get water. Less important function is that you can use a stove to heat the tent or water or remove moisture. Hot water you can use to warm up your sleeping bag before you go to sleep. Of course in emergency cases this function is not less important anymore.
You don’t need many equipments to be able to cook your food. A stove and pod is basically minimum if you don’t care eating from the same dish you use for cooking. Although I recommend to buy a pan, plate and mug. And of course if you drink coffee or tee you might find a kettle useful.
Cooking equipments are not very expensive. The main cost is the stove. Of course the price increase if you need a multi-fuel or light weight stove. The multi-fuel stove might sound very “creditable” but a gas stove is just enough for most of us. For me selecting dishes for cooking it is just how lazy I am to clean the pod etc. Coated dishes are a bit easier to take care than pure aluminium. But of course coated dishes are more expensive.
I own a multi-fuel stove (Primus MultiFuel) even I mostly use it with gas. I do recommend to buy a stove with a separate burner but not necessarily a multi fuel stove. If you use it only with gas then the multi fuel stove is only waste of money. You might be familiar with solid fuel stoves but if you don’t own one already I recommend to buy something else. Other stove types provide much better usability, safety, cooking experience and functionality. I do not recommend canister stoves either if you plan to do more than just heat water. Additionally I own a cooking set (Primus LiTech Super Set) and utensil kit (Jetboil Jetset Utensil Kit).
I have to say that I am extremely happy with my equipments. I can unconditionally recommend any of these equipments. I will write some thoughts about equipments even in the earlier articles I wrote that my blog will not contain lot of product reviews. I do own equipments which are not must but I do feel they are nice to have and make camping more comfortable. I own following additional equipments:
- Travel pillow
- Mummy liner
- Gas lantern
- Mug, bowl and plate
- Coffee kettle
In the next article I explore questions you should answer before you are selecting your equipments.
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