UKC

Myself and two friends are planning to go to Snowdonia next year probably in June. We have been before but only for three nights. This time we plan to go for seven nights with one night at the beginning and one at the end in a campsite, the other five nights we will be wild camping. All three of us are bringing our own tents. I plan to use a Berghaus Vulcan rucksack to carry everything I need. I need advice on the tent situation as I have a Vango Banshee 200 however I just didn't like it on the last trip. I'm currently looking at the Vango Mirage 200 for this trip but is 2.95 Kg to much weight to carry for one person? Also any advice on Meindl Vakuum GTX walking boots as I had an awful blister experience with my Brasher Felmaster boots last time. I still have scars on my heels from the last trip over two years ago :S

Any help is greatly appreciated

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:
Great name. I don't think it's possible to advise you on boots over the Internet, except to say try on as many as you can and buy the ones that fit. Good socks can help too.

As for tents, 3 kg sounds heavy to me, but it depends what else you are carrying and how you want to balance weight carried with tent preference. If you have decided not to share tents then why do you need a 2 man tent? Are you sharing cooking equipment? How far are you planning on going each day?

As a general rule you shouldn't aim to carry more than 1/4 of your weight, maybe a little more if you are fit and strong.

What was it you didn't like about the other tent?

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:

If you are wild camping anywhere with a hike to your pitch then taking a 2 person tent just for yourself is pretty extravagant. If you share then that's an extra 3L of water you could carry.

Alternatively suffer on the hike in and try not to camp miles from the car.

In reply to marsbar:

The Banshee was too low and the porch area was small too. The Banshee is also 2.65 Kg so the mirage is 300g heavier

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

With a 1 man how would I fit my boots and my rucksack and there's no porch area

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:

Your rucksack goes in with you and your boots go in the porch. I have always managed.

In reply to marsbar:

If you want light and loads of space take a look at the Zephyros 2, I can sit up at the central point and there is space to fit my rucksack and boots in the porch comfortably, all with it only weighing 1.6 kg.
This said, I've done plenty of stuff with 3 blokes in a 3 man or 2 in a 2 man, if you're wild camping there is really no need to have that much space.

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:

The Vakuum boots are great. They have a special pump that you use to make them 'suck' to the size of your feet. Hence I've never blistered in them.

In reply to spenser:

I'd agree with that. I have an older wild country tent and it's great.

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:

Something like this would be very suitable in my opinion. http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=647971

In reply to spenser:

That tent seems to be very similar to the banshee. If I was to go lightweight I would probably go for snugpak ionosphere

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:


Take black bin bag to keep your boots and rucksack in and put that just outside the door flap. That will give you a lot more room in a small tent.

In reply to Trangia:

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why anyone needs lots of room in a tent when wild camping and backpacking. Especially if there is only 1 person in it.

When I am car camping for a couple of weeks and taking the teenage child then obviously we take the monster tent with electric hook up for the damn hair straighteners, but if I'm carrying my tent then small and cosy is the way forward. Tents are for sleeping in. If you need a bigger porch, you probably have too much stuff.

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:

I really like my Meindl hiking boots - had them a couple of years now and done a fair few miles in them and even the odd bit of climbing. I've come across a few other people who've had them and they say similar things about them.

As for the tent, you'll probably be warmer if you go for a smaller tent or if you double up in a 2-man. We had ice on the inside of our tents earlier this year and that was at Fontainebleau and at the very end of April! (Something in the region of minus five someone said and I can almost believe it) Even June can be a bit cold in the small hours if you have a spell of chilly weather.

In reply to Professor Meow Meow:
Scarp 1: https://www.tarptent.com/scarp1.html

Very roomy (could fit two people at a pinch), 2 large porches, strong in bad weather (camped for a week in almost constant heavy rain in it and stayed dry), crossing poles for free standing design providing extra strength in winter or particularly bad weather at a small weight penalty, very well ventilated, can modify the size of the porches to add/remove space inside the inner. All this for only 1.36kg (+340g if using extra poles).

Only disadvantage is you have to import it from the US so you get hit by high shipping costs and import taxes. Worth it though, I spent a long time deciding which tent to upgrade to but couldn't avoid the fact that this tent was by far the most suitable for my needs!

In reply to marsbar:


Personally I like as much space as I can get without compromising lightweightness. If it's raining you have more space to try and dry off wet cag, clothes etc. There is more room for cooking if it's raining, and using a bin bag to put your rucksac and boots in just outside the tent flap involves no significant weight increase in return for greater comfort. But it's a personal choice.