Brecon’s was fun, but the weight and the messing about with my tent was not. When I brought my Vango Soul 200 I was really happy with it, and the first couple of camps were ok. But I quickly noticed that if it rains, the way the tent entrance is setup means that you can’t sit in it with the door open, as it will drip into the inner sleeping area of the tent.
To solve this we purchased a tarp 2.8M X 3.0M, which has been brilliant! It is big enough for two people to comfortably sit under and be sheltered from the rain and wind. It is quick and easy to set up, with guy ropes and my 2 trekking poles. We have also had a small campfire underneath it, which kept us lovely and warm and enabled us to dry our boots off.
So I have been looking at new backpacking tents, and to get something which is good enough and light enough for my needs I am going to be spending £100 or more. But this will still take up a lot of room in my pack, and weigh approximately 2Kg’s. Then I stumbled across this guy’s blog www.alastairhumphreys.com and his idea of “Microadventures” really hit home. He is a massive fan of Bivibags and from reading his blog I really want to give it a go. From a weight saving and price point I am already converted! But the part that I am really keen on is the feeling more connected with the environment, being able to look up at the stars (if it is warm enough). The whole idea of being really outside and exposed appeals to me. I mean we have the Tarp to sit and chill under as the world passes us by, why not just stay under there for the whole night?
Why not indeed!
So I am looking into buying an Alpkit Hunka XL as recommend on his blog. This is I think a good price point to start out at and if I actually do enjoy the experience, then look to upgrade later down the line.
Here is to planning the next microadventure!
Escaping Ordinary 