Test Camp 1: Battle of the Camping Mats: Light Tour vs XTherm

A rare thing, like the old times, a chilled solo wild stealth camp near me, a shakedown camp before Scotland. In this video I am testing a new secondhand purchase of the Therm-a-rest NeoAir Xtherm R5.7 - a long promised face-off with my Windhike/Naturehike/Flame's Creed Light Tour R5.8 mattress. Which one wins?
Also testing some new Outlery stainless cultery, attempting a live stream ahem and seeing if one of those oven-ready supermarket ready meals can really work with an alcohol stove and a pot....
Also finding weird dens in the woods, trying a new spot I've never camped before locally. Beware of the glass!
There is a second video in this, a review of the Qidian Pro backpack, which will be up shortly - at this URL when it's live: • Test Camp 2 - 3F UL Qi...
11:06 Therm-a-Rest vs Light Tour Face Off - Pumping Up
14:04 Outlery review
17:53 Therm-a-Rest vs Light Tour Face Off - Changeover
19:48 Therm-a-Rest vs Light Tour Face Off - Results
#stealthcampingalliance #stealthfamily #wildcamping #wildcampinguk #campinggear

[@JimPugh2014]

we love you Tim

[@harduphiker]

Thank you 🙂

[@AnIdiotOutdoors]

Enjoyed this. I've got to get me a new mat that packs down smaller than my OEX Traverse 5.0. One with a pump sack ideally.

[@harduphiker]

Yeah it's a real hardcore search for a good one...I recommend one of the mylar/crinkly ones if you can afford, that pack down flat, rather than that one which is like my old Trail Pro, foam mats take upma LOT of space.

[@tomsco7]

Chuck the light tour in the bath and find where its deflating

[@harduphiker]

Yes I need to do that. I suspect it might be from the classic failure point of all that type of mattress, the little bobbly bits

[@tomsco7]

@@harduphiker For a 2 minute job its worth doing, you might just have a basic puncture that just needs covering over

[@jaspurr6173]

Is this turning into a 'Gear' Review channel?...I have abandoned so many of them, there are far to many giving 'their' opinion on gear. I look for 'content' beyond product placements. There are also many channels I have abandoned of people going hiking and camping and all they do is show their cooking and eating. And all those putting the tent up 'all of it' and taking it down 'all of it'. Get 'real' people make camp then show the tent erected, your home for the night at least you do that. If this turns into a 'Gear' review channel then I will be bidding it farewell.

[@harduphiker]

No, but gear has been always part of the channel (look back at my older videos, reviewing gear is how I started) so it will likely be there somewhere...if you watch the second of these videos I explain that I'm not going back to pure gear reviews anymore, that was a one-off.
But I use the gear I buy, so it's not one of these things where you see a new rucksack or new tent every week. But Thames Path will continue, my Scottish hikes will go up after, there's nearly always a point of my videos (even if it's testing stuff - this was a test camp for my 170 mile Scottish hike I've just completed - West Highland Way & Great Glen Way).
This was an attempt at a hybrid of the two, but no, there will be always a mix of trips and gear, it's never going to be one or the other. And tbh the bias is mostly to trips nowadays, the gear stuff is just as I find new things I need.

[@harduphiker]

Oh and I buy all my stuff, no product placements here. I don't get any freebies, sponsorships or anything. Nor do I want them.

[@CampingRulesOkay]

I'm a thermarest man through-and-through 🫡👍