Bare minimum: What would you pack?

[dannyboy87]

Knife, loincloth AND condom then..

Note to self: Never go camping with Relin

[Martyn]

No, its the older 4-season model, the AO Mountain. Bought it in 2008 and never had a single problem with it.

Here it is strapped to the outside of my pack...not ideal, as its almost double the weight of the Z-lite. That's a Z-lite seat pad next to it.

Ahhh, different animal. The PE is only 396g. It looks a perfect kip mat, but some people have had problems with them deflating. I guess that's the risk you take when the kit is right on the edge of what is possible...

[PropThePolecat]

'

Thats the same I have then. Well, apart from mine being the Thermarest in the non-updated version (coyote).
Just to confirm, thats the only mat you use when out, the single mat is enough?
I used mine over the weekend. I thought it not as comfortable as some other mats, but then it was very bumpy ground....

Yep, its the only mat. Insulates just fine. Haven't tried the reflective side yet, that'll have to wait till late fall. It's relatively thin, but if the ground is level I sleep just fine.

Ahhh, different animal. The PE is only 396g. It looks a perfect kip mat, but some people have had problems with them deflating. I guess that's the risk you take when the kit is right on the edge of what is possible...

That thing packs small!

Yeah, you can't go ultralight and keep gear tough and robust.

[Martyn]

That thing packs small!

Yeah, you can't go ultralight and keep gear tough and robust.

I think that is the 3/4 at 300g. I was thinking it would be a good partner to one of the new ridgerest Solites. Super comfy and warm if it stays inflated and if it does deflate, then at least you still have the ridgerest - but you'd be looking at nearly 600g for the both of em.

[Nice65]

I have this problem. If space allows I take a Multimat and my rather hopeless Akpkit offering. If both stay inflated then it's a superb nights' sleep, but I usually lose one of them to a passing bramble.

I think I'm going closed cell next.

[Danzo]

I reckon bog roll and nailclippers should be in even the lightest of packs

Nailclippers?





Surely you have scissors on your SAK?


Danzo

[presterjohn]

yes that would be perfect if you were going into the woods to slit your wrists and hang yourself

ROFL I just spat my cider out reading that one!

[Martyn]

I have this problem. If space allows I take a Multimat and my rather hopeless Akpkit offering. If both stay inflated then it's a superb nights' sleep, but I usually lose one of them to a passing bramble.

I think I'm going closed cell next.

That's what I was trying to say. The ridgerest SoLite is closed cell, a thin one that rolls up and gets stashed on the outside as brambles wont hurt it.





The Peak Elite is all air bed (bit like the neoair), but it's uber-light and packs small so goes inside the pack or in a pocket. It also gets protected from spikes and wotnot when sleeping by the ridgerest underneath.

[BladeScout]

Bare minimum: What would you pack?

[Nice65]

That's what I was trying to say. The ridgerest SoLite is closed cell, a thin one that rolls up and gets stashed on the outside as brambles wont hurt it.





The Peak Elite is all air bed (bit like the neoair), but it's uber-light and packs small so goes inside the pack or in a pocket. It also gets protected from spikes and wotnot when sleeping by the ridgerest underneath.

Quite like that air bed idea. Certainly packs down well. The self inflating mats almost always have to be packed on the outside and are really at the mercy of thorns. I've had a couple of miserable nights on deflated ones. The internal structure of the Alpkit is hopeless if it deflates. The Multimat less so, and fine in a hammock if it does.

[Martyn]

The peak elite is just airbed mate. They have some kind of "biomass" insulation, which is basically just a piece of tinfoil glued inside at roughly center mass. But if it deflates, it's just a sheet of nylon, hence the addition of a foam mat for insurance as well as added comfort.

[Samson]

When you say the bare minimum, for a few days in the lakes, it could probably be reduced to a poncho, a swiss army knife, a billy can, a water bottle, some matches and some food. If you include a small bag to carry it in, that's just 6 items.

yeah, that pretty much sums it up I'd say.

I wonder what amounts/sorts of kit the woodsman of the early american colonisation carrried when hunting/long stays in the outdoors?

[Danzo]

yeah, that pretty much sums it up I'd say.

I wonder what amounts/sorts of kit the woodsman of the early american colonisation carrried when hunting/long stays in the outdoors?

As almost all of them would have a horse and a pack mule I suspect rather more than we might think nowadays. Certainly if heading for a long fur trapping trip which would involve a long stay they would have axes, saws, mauls, wedges, plumblines and that's just the stuff for building shelters. Then they would have a lot of cooking gear, including Dutch ovens. Flour, salt, lard, sugar, dried beans, tea/coffee and of course tobacco all took up a lot of space.

The horse and mule could carry a lot of stuff out and were needed to carry pelts back, so you'd be an idiot not to take as much as you could afford with you.

Danzo

[Noddy]

I wonder what amounts/sorts of kit the woodsman of the early american colonisation carrried when hunting/long stays in the outdoors?

Here's a nice little read to start off with, but the literature is seemingly oceanic

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/downloads...nd-camping.pdf

[Martyn]

yeah, that pretty much sums it up I'd say.

I wonder what amounts/sorts of kit the woodsman of the early american colonisation carrried when hunting/long stays in the outdoors?

If you are interested in such things, I can highly recommend a film called "Happy people - A year in the Taiga", narrated by Warner Herzog, it follows the life of an old school trapper in Siberia...





Available on DVD and well worth a punt just for the photography.