im 64 and after 40 years i am getting back in to it and the tips he has made are very good , one more tip is always pack your bag the same way same thing same place so you can find what you need at any time
I'm 65 and got back into it about 4 years ago. Sometimes sit in hammock and realise what I have been missing all these years. Absolutely love it and regret all the wasted years. Love your videos Ben. 👌
You wont regret it. I m in my 30s and did my first wild camp in august in the lakes cant wait to do my 2nd one in late Feb when it's a bit lighter at night. Then hopefully will do it regularly a couple of times a month there after
If you don't make a few mistakes when camping , then wake up. You are still at home and all of it has been a dream. I'm 78 and been camping since I was 13 and still make mistakes. No matter how well you plan everything , something will normally go wrong. There is a law explaining it , "Murphy's Law ". It could be as simple as forgetting the matches , leaving the salt or pepper at home. Forgetting that spare shoe lace or what one friend did at night when brushing his teeth. Mistaking the tube of Preparation H for the Mint Flavored Toothpaste. ( always wondered what it might of been like if reversed in the morning ) One final thought , Mistakes or Bo-Bo's make a trip memorable. IE: Remember when ( fill in the blank ) ________________________?
I like that you hike and camp in places with trees. A lot of British hiking TH-camrs seem to like hills denuded of all vegetation except grass, so the leafy green surroundings in this video are refreshing.
I suffer from ibs, on a trip out I was desperate for a poo, I chucked my new rucksack behind me however the poo projectiles fired further than expected and covered rucksack which I had to abandon! A valuable lesson learned, never put rucksàck behind u when u have Ibs! Mark
Good sensible Video - how about adding take care if you take your rucksack off when resting/sitting on a hill, I have seen a few people chasing a rolling/runaway rucksack down a hill. I am guilty (a long time ago) of tossing my rucksack over a fence I was about to climb as I was a bit knackered, and the burner (on the old style cut the cylinder when you screw it in type, non removeable) was distorted from the cylinder and I continued my hike with a loud hissing coming from my pack! On a short hike, sat down with my wife saying "Lets have a nice cup of tea," got the brew kit out and found I had forgotten the matches!! She told me what se thought of me!! These things happen!
@@DaleyOutdoors Thanks for msg. was going to suggest that for traversing steep ground. If you have all your kit packed in a dustbin bag and tied off could be used for River crossings (hint of military) Got to play the pensioner card I'm 76.
My two tips would be: 1. Don't camp in a dip. If it rains, your tent will get flooded. 2. Don't eat spicy food before a wild camp. Needing a poo whilst wild camping is a right faff.
You've done a few wild camps and you've also made loads of great videos along the way. You have a nice easy style, easy to watch. You also manage to say what you want to say in fairly short videos which is great value for time; important in the TH-cam world.
dont forget to drink plenty of water before setting off - I used to glug half my water not long after setting off if you lose your bearings, retrace your steps back to where you knew, dont keep going looking/hoping for another way round
I was doing the West Highland Way and met up with and started walking with a guy. As we chatted I forgot to drink any liquids and ended up dehydrated. A mistake in itself. To try and rectify it I downed two pints of water and a pint of orange juice and lemonade at the pub we stopped at and had a meal. Shortly after setting off from the pub I threw up most of the liquid. Moral of the story sip little and often to prevent dehydration the body can only take in so much at once.
Here's a tip that it seems only I do, but have done for donkey's years..... I always, but always carry a fully damp flannel on my pack where I can easily reach it. When you get a sweat on, especially when it's warm, or hot, giving your hands, face and neck a wipe over is massively reinvigorating. Keeping it handy round camp means you can remove water from waterproofs, tent before packing, and condensation, and this kind of rinses it for using it on yourself again.... Really handy to have. I keep my tent or tarp well secured on the outside of my pack, as it will get wet at some point on a trip, so no point in wetting the inside of your pack with it.
First hike to Black Tusk, Garibaldi Park with my Mom & sister? (29km round trip, out & back, 1740m elevation gain, 2h from Vancouver 🇨🇦 to trailhead) We only brought 1/2 litre of water each & no way to purify more on-the-go other than boiling. Thankfully, an outbound trail Angel gave us theirs, and we managed ok until we reached the base camp at Taylor Meadows. Now, I carry 2-2L CNOC soft bladders, a Versa Flow water filter system with backup hard container for electrolytes (& pay it forward trail Angel opportunities) and backup tabs if my filter fails. Plus, research & stock up, in case noted water sources on trail are dried up, but water is heavy at 2.2 lbs per litre, so u don't want to hump up more than u need to, if u can purify as u go 😅 You can go awhile without eating (months for me, it looks like LoLz 🤣) but without water, dehydration will kill u in days, just ask my M-i-L R.i.P 🙏 2nd mistake, packing ur fears, the next time me & a buddy hiked Black Tusk, we ate well, but carried way ("weigh" LoLz) too much, easily 50lbs, that was a long arduous slog LoLz 🤣
Good tips 👍, wise advice. My mistakes have included starting too warm and forgetting a lighter, so the check off list is essential. And don't forget fruit in your rucksack..goes off really quick and leaves big mess!
I once packed my tent and had the poles stored seperately because i had previously reduced the pack size for a motorbike trip. I ended up supporting the tent by some guylines ( like a sealed tarp) between a tree and a big rock so i could use the thing ! Lesson learned, mistakes are learning experiences.
Another great vid cheers. My list is laminated and kept in my kit room so is a permanent fixture in there. There's no way I'm driving 3 hours to Wales and forgetting my boots......Not again anyway lol
My first wild camp, as alot of people do, I over packed, I diddnt forget anything ! Now, I'm always forgetting something, probarly the worst thing I forgot was my insulating mat. So making a list is a good idea for me
At first it's good to take everything. See what you use and what you don't! I like buying new stuff packing it and seeing if it fits with or replaces my older heavier stuff
Great video. I've had a master check list (and fading memory) for quite along time. Having a checklist is great. Modifying it to account for each individual adventure is better. Carefully following it as you pack . . . priceless.
forgetting to take cutlery was the worst one for me on a four day hike. making a make shift spoon out of foil paper was at the very least managable, by day two came across another hiker who had a spare spork, a bit of trail magic
Not exactly wild camping. But i did a 22 mile day hike. Learned the joys of cotton clothing that day when it started raining hard 😅. And that my nice down jacket wasn't as waterproof as i first thought. Lesson learned! I now have quick dry, moisture wicking clothes, and a proper waterproof jacket 👌
Thanks for another great vid. I really enjoy watching your very informative videos. I have almost the same gear as you, and have tried to buy lots of stuff on aliexpress, just to realize it was crap, in sted of just getting the real thing from the start. My biggest confession is that I dont use any of my gear. Just buying, planning, and very rare get out on the trail. Promise to change that in 2022. Keep up the good work.
Wool clothing , will keep you dry even when it is wet , is fire retardant , and dry's out quickly , synthetics are not as good in all weather conditions , a good wool blanket is advisable too , many uses , although heavy , worth the weight .
In such a rush to get out on the hills I actually found I had forgot to pack my tent ,result one miserable night sleeping out under the stars. Now I check and double check before leaving
i didnt strap my hammock and tarp to my bag properly, i went out at night for the first time in light rain, decided to take a short cut through the wood different to the one i had planned all of which was well off the main tracks, there wasnt a straight path and i lost my bearings and went round in circles for ages trying to find my spot, then realised i was missing the tarp and hammock, spent ages looking for it thinking it fell in the woods, eventually gave up as it was spitting with rain the whole time. i ended up finding a new spot and setting up a poncho cover and sleeping with my bag as a pillow on a massive patch of super soft moss which was actually great with a tiny fire, in the morning i found out i was litterally 15 steps away from my spot id come in some crazy way. got to the car and my tarp and hammock was on the floor by the car door. as i put it on my back they must have slid off, i actually had a great time and learnt allot. ive done an insane amount of camps since and i havnt made those mistakes again although i still navigate woods off trail at night im just not quite as bold about it, the rain didnt bother me it actually made the woods quite fun to explore as it was kinda drizzly, the moon was bright and it wasnt that dark considering it was so late lol
Had a bit too much vino at a campsite in france went to toilet in dark of night could not find tent!! Also in south of france in thunderstorm found we had camped over a small stream that ran under the tent !!!😀😀 soon sunny again .all fun times
Out camping lat year, the forecast was for overnight rain. As I didn't fancy striking camp with a wet tent, I made up a bevy and packed my tent up before nightfall. Good move - !
Once forgot my main meal for a camp and ended up having breakfast, which thankfully was two porridge sachets, for dinner. Not the end of the world but didn’t go as well with a beer as the curry would have. We live and learn. Can still picture the curry smiling at me when I got back to the car. Atb & hny
I always carry a pad and pencil so that I can note what works, what doesn't, and ideas for making things - life - easier. No matter how often we do things, nature always presents us with opportunities to learn ;-)
Useful tips and different from others as well who might mention things like take a first aid kit or let someone know where you're headed. All the best with your wild camping trips
That's awesome Derek. Essentially, common sense plays a big part, as well as being safe. Learn from others, learn from your experiences. Starting out, you do not need to spend a fortune, just cover the basics and in time, upgrade for durability/lightness.
You can never have enough waterproofing, as I found out to my cost as a very new recruit… Now I: Spray my rucksack Use a rucksack cover Use a pack liner Use different dry bags for all of my systems* Put individual items of clothing in their own plastic bags. Only open one pouch or pocket at a time. * the packing list you mentioned helps with this, as it minimises the time you need to have your rucksack open.
If you get stuck in your tent for any length of time due to rain consider dropping the inner. Thus will give you more room to move around in and create less condensation.
Maybe my 4th or 5th wind camp I forgot my sleeping mat! I was living in Ambleside while at uni there went up loughrigg for a wild camp and whilst setting up at twilight I realised that I had forgotten my sleeping mat. Was with my flat mate who luckily had a waterproof poncho and a spare jumper which combined with my down jacket made a good enough base to insulate from the ground enough to make it through the night and slept surprisingly well as I didn't think I would get any! Would have been a lot worse if we didn't improvise as it got down to 0°c that night but you live and learn. Never forgotten it since 😂
Always take a cap for sunny days and a woolly hat for night time and if it's windy took just a cap once couldn't wear it due to the wind and it was cold Great vid happy New year Ben
1) overestimating your abilities (be it distance, terrain, elevation or pack weight) - it's better to be quicker at your goal with less stress then figuring out that you're totally done 2 days worth of hiking off the next road 2) packing too much stuff - no, you don't 4 sets of undies, shirts and socks; no you also don't need a set of casuals treet wear for when you hit town. Going lighter is a good idea but don't you dare shedding weight by ditching your first aid kit 3) not testing your gear before - really a bad situation finding out your water filter is totally done when you're in the middle of nowhere To some extent I'm guilty of all of those 3. Packed way too much stuff in an obscenely big backpack (90+20l Berghaus Cyclops II Atlas) ending up with >23kg trail weight incl water and food trying to casually hike a section of the Cape Wrath Trail through the Fisherfield Forest ... lucky me I did figure out the massive overconfidence quickly enough to not be stranded in the middle of UK's largest wilderness. And my Sawyer Squeeze was totally gunked up which I've figured out on day 1 so my friend hat to coverr filtration. Don't be naive and stupid like me. Whenever you go out: plan ahead. It's better to have invested a few days too many planning the trip than realizing you are unprepared and now you're in actual danger. Because sooner or later that's what's going to happen if you are careless.
I do a similar thing to you with the list, except mine covers the essential items (shelter, sleeping bag and food etc) then I pack my bag with extras for the trip. Just before I leave I go through the pack and see if there is anything that I can really get away with taking (luxuries) to save a bit of weight. But ultimately there will always be something you wished you'd taken, as long as it isn't a life threatening item it doesn't matter too much.
LOL...oh my nemesis..."It's only spitting!" You see, we get a lot of that here and can go either way, to stopping or torrential downpours! I've been caught in a couple of those! 🌧 A hat, always bring some sort of head covering...good for the cold, keeping the sun of my bald head, and swatting off all those mosquitoes!! Take great care and all the best in 2022!! Bruce and Otis
Agree with all of that, especially the tent in top of rucksack one. I always have the tarp, tent or whatever right at the top so I can grab it and get the shelter up first. Everything else can wait (and stay dry if needed). I put waterproof trousers in stretchy outer pocket of Osprey. Top tips for Londoners or other city dwellers: bury pocket knife in a bag in centre of rucksack.
Between you and I only, I carry a Morakniv (4 inch, full tang). However it is kept at the bottom of my rucksack at all times. When not camping, it is secured at home. I use it for multiple reasons, including battoning, creating guy-line steaks and as a ferro steel. When not in use, it goes back to the bottom of my backpack, which in turn is in my tent, out of sight. This means that a) I can justify why I have this knife and not a pen knife, for example and b) it is not easily accessible so that if I were, for example, in need to defend myself, it would be difficult to ask the assailant to stop whist I go to my tent, unpack my backpack and then present my weapon. I also do not wave my knife around or use it when others are around (I pack it away if I see someone approaching).
As with many people, I over packed way too much! in short, pack like you are going for a walk with a stay in a tent- don't pack like you are going on a camping break!
The mistake I made was forgetting my tent inner and on another occasion forgetting my pegs. I was on top of a fell each time so not much i could do about it.
1969 camping in Cornwall . Pitched my canvas ridge tent on a slope. During the night while asleep my sleep bag slowly slide out of the tent until only my shoulders and head were inside. We then had torrential rain but as I’d had some scrumpy the night before I never woke until the next morning Sponge Bob had nothing on me I was dripping and the sleeping bag never dried out so got binned.
I mixed up my used AAA batteries for my head torch while hiking at night in Dartmoor. I was a mile back from the car . Now I am more careful just to keep the used batteries separate. I lost my compass while night hiking in Dartmoor because the thin lanyard cordage snapped while walking. And my phone wasn't giving me the correct direction. I got back to the car eventually. My new Silva compass I have used para cord and melted the end of the knot so this won't happen again. I will buy another compass as a back up to be packed in the first aid kit for next time on a night hike . I carried a spare head torch luckily that night. My new year camp I was running out of batteries due to using my head torch on the red setting as a light source for my vlogs which exhausted my batteries . So I need more rechargeable ones for next time. I will be researching the best rechargeable batteries before buying for future night hikes and wildcamps. I had a rechargeable go light lantern which I used as a back up torch. Lessons learnt on all of these experiences . Great video and thought provoking as always . Happy new year buddy.
Top tip (this is intended for those who are new, not someone experienced as yourself). REDUNDANCY! Where possible, carry items that are multipurpose and have a backup of essentials. So for fire-making, ensure you have not only a ferro rod and steel but also a lighter/water proof matches. With lighting, I carry a small but high lumen hand torch that I can strap to my back pack to see my way if my headlamp fails. Regarding headlamps. I swap between USB charged and battery based as I am still in two minds about which is the better.
Ay up Ben 😎 HNY Mate, that looked like a very wet walk. Route planning and checking Maps etc is a big one for me as I once thought I'd take what i thought would be a shortcut across a field, only to find a large stone wall and a barbed wire fence at the other end, and had to walk all the way back 🙁
Can definitely relate to the clothing issue having got caught up Kinder in heavy rain wearing a SuperDry coat in temperatures below freezing. Still amazed I survived to tell the tale 🙈
Good film Ben, no matter how experienced we all are everyone still makes mistakes and that's all just part of the fun 😀 👍 my worst early outing learning to navigate in snow I had the map upside down and ended up way off track down a ravine then went left instead of right to try and correct myself. That was a long short day out 🙂😂 Atb for 2022, Steve.
Going off route was my mistake a couple of weeks ago. Same as you ended up in a bog knee deep and on my own so could have gone a lot worse if it was deeper. Won't be doing it again in a hurry. 😂
@@DaleyOutdoors i meant to add " Try all your gear out at home in your garden if you can , practice methods, let them become second nature , a little bit extra weight will give you better options if you can manage it safely .
i under estimated how much fuel needed for my trangia for tea, coffees and breakfast. can i ask, your water bottle holder on chest, where is that from.
Not a wildcamping mistake, but a backpacking one: last day of a 3 day traipse, rained in the night, went over a style without taking my pack off and lifting it over. It had rained in the night. It was a knackered old style on a relatively unused path. Right foot went out from under me, my weight and my pack weight all went on my left foot which also then slipped, until it hit the ground at an angle and made a noise like a shotgun going off. Luckily only half a mile from the road, but it took me an hour to get there😂
@@DaleyOutdoors aye. Wasn't great. I guess my tip would be, remember your centre of gravity is shot to hell when yer carrying 8 or 9 (ahem, or 12 because of 3 litres of water cos your unfit and it's red hot) in a bag on your back. You might only but 3 feet up, but you might also be 10 miles from the arse end of no where. Careful, padawan. Edit/ also do a 4 night solo backpacking trip AFTER you've been on holiday with your wife/husband/partner for a week, cos if you do yourself an injury and have to cancel it, it may cause problems.
HAHA, I've done the same. I managed to bodge together branches and tie-up guy-lines. It wasn't ideal but did the trick, just. Thankfully, there wasn't a good deal of wind, otherwise this would have failed miserably.
Not quite wild camping or did it become that?....🤔 - It was some years ago - and me and a friend decided to do a spot off over night fishing.....I borrowed a tent from a friend...i didn't check to see if the poles etc were in the "tent kit" as I blindly trusted him. We got there and set up - ended up using logs we found around the place, and used bloody black bags as a ground sheet and to give us extra shelter too. lesson was learned and sunk in - ALWAYS check the bloody tent and poles are altogether where they should be BEFORE you head out! lol, looking forward to going camping with the girlfriend in a few weeks and we are going to mix it up with a site and wild camping. (and yes i have triple checked the tent and poles are all together and already attached it to the backpack, ready, and yes will be doing a gear check the day before we leave! lol) Would like to make a suggestion though...take some form of back up comms should an emergency arise and there is no cell signal. "better to be prepared and not need it, than it is to be unprepared and then need it"
I think my worse mistake was not testing the weight of my pack properly to see if it was manageable, climbed Ben Nevis on the CMD route, the last 100m was horrible and I really over estimated my fitness level. I think I could have easily saved myself 2kg in stuff I didn't need.
One of my most ridiculous mistakes, was making sure I had plenty of AA batteries... only to get out to the middle of nowhere and find that the batteries in my head torch were dead - no problem, plenty of AA batteries 😁 all my lights needed AAA 🤦♂️
We know what happened in august, ardennes, Eifel..I was there, saw what was coming...end went home...just in time...but the place i stayed was in principle safe, but so much rain was not that nice... Camp height 360 m... about 1200ft...
First actual wild camp in the woods I went for a ‘little walk’ in the dark after a tipple. Got disoriented and lost for over an hour and returned with a few scrapes. Could have been much worse 🤦🏻♂️
@@danielsingh9415 I had a headlamp on and left a lantern with the hammock. It was just too dense to see or find. I knew there was a trench and my location in relation to it. I guess I hadn’t taken enough notice of the direction I went at first.
Any chance you can share your packing list (or a link if it's available) - I want to start wild camping this year and would love to know what you take - Thanks for a great video.
Eh’ up Ben Lad !! Are you all reet’ ?? Beginning to think you have tripped, fell and suffocated underneath all the excess ⛺️ camping gear in’ back - bedroom !! Give - Mrs Dailey a shout 📣 You - have enough spare 💩 shovels from your collection - she could use to dig you !! Thanks 🙏 Stay safe and well 😷 James ✌🏾
If attaching tents to outside of pack don't just rely on straps, attach with a clip of some sort, walking down from Bamford edge in dark after bailing from bad weather, slipped fell over, did not realise tent had fallen off. Did not realise until bottom, could not go back up too dangerous. Expensive mistake!
Ah sorry wrong vid. I don’t think T he one I’m wearing here is available now. It’s a Karrimor one. It’s been good though I’ll see if I can find a link.
@@DaleyOutdoors weird that link takes me to the Malaysian site and when you click on the UK when asked it just error pages you ?? Anyway great useful vid, even if no one dies camping!! Which I'm sure they do, going Ill prepared up into the hills of the lakes or Scotland has certainly cost people their lives !! Also for the love of god answer the forest brothers !🤣🤣🤣 love to know where their parents are or are they like two wild mogules from jungle book?? 🤣🤣
I personally got nothing from this video, but there maybe some useful tips for novice walkers/campers. There were some embarrassing confessions in this one Ben. I promised never to mention boots again 😉. ATB for the new year bonny lad.
wild camp with pre packet food thats snobbery camping the thing about camping than hill walking camping gives you time to prepare cook good wholesom food not pre heating muckbags
Thanks for the tips....I'm gonna need them! I'm 62 and going for it in 2022
Awesome 👍 You’ll love it Gary. all the best mate, Ben
im 64 and after 40 years i am getting back in to it and the tips he has made are very good , one more tip is always pack your bag the same way same thing same place so you can find what you need at any time
I'm 65 and got back into it about 4 years ago. Sometimes sit in hammock and realise what I have been missing all these years. Absolutely love it and regret all the wasted years. Love your videos Ben. 👌
Good man 👍
You wont regret it. I m in my 30s and did my first wild camp in august in the lakes cant wait to do my 2nd one in late Feb when it's a bit lighter at night. Then hopefully will do it regularly a couple of times a month there after
If you don't make a few mistakes when camping , then wake up. You are still at home and all of it has been a dream. I'm 78 and been camping since I was 13 and still make mistakes. No matter how well you plan everything , something will normally go wrong. There is a law explaining it , "Murphy's Law ". It could be as simple as forgetting the matches , leaving the salt or pepper at home. Forgetting that spare shoe lace or what one friend did at night when brushing his teeth. Mistaking the tube of Preparation H for the Mint Flavored Toothpaste. ( always wondered what it might of been like if reversed in the morning )
One final thought , Mistakes or Bo-Bo's make a trip memorable. IE: Remember when ( fill in the blank ) ________________________?
They sure do Chuck. We all love our stories 😊
I like that you hike and camp in places with trees. A lot of British hiking TH-camrs seem to like hills denuded of all vegetation except grass, so the leafy green surroundings in this video are refreshing.
Thanks 😊I do like a view with trees and a bit of growth 😍
I suffer from ibs, on a trip out I was desperate for a poo, I chucked my new rucksack behind me however the poo projectiles fired further than expected and covered rucksack which I had to abandon! A valuable lesson learned, never put rucksàck behind u when u have Ibs! Mark
Abandon? Leave no trace Mark 😆
Good sensible Video - how about adding take care if you take your rucksack off when resting/sitting on a hill, I have seen a few people chasing a rolling/runaway rucksack down a hill. I am guilty (a long time ago) of tossing my rucksack over a fence I was about to climb as I was a bit knackered, and the burner (on the old style cut the cylinder when you screw it in type, non removeable) was distorted from the cylinder and I continued my hike with a loud hissing coming from my pack! On a short hike, sat down with my wife saying "Lets have a nice cup of tea," got the brew kit out and found I had forgotten the matches!! She told me what se thought of me!! These things happen!
Thanks for watching Mike. Good tip 👍 Also take your pack off (or one arm out and strap open) when crossing rivers 😆
@@DaleyOutdoors Thanks for msg. was going to suggest that for traversing steep ground. If you have all your kit packed in a dustbin bag and tied off could be used for River crossings (hint of military) Got to play the pensioner card I'm 76.
My two tips would be:
1. Don't camp in a dip. If it rains, your tent will get flooded.
2. Don't eat spicy food before a wild camp. Needing a poo whilst wild camping is a right faff.
Thanks for watching Rick! I stay away from spicy stuff so I don’t gas myself in the tent 🤣
always pack your pack the same way with kit in the same place so you know where it is at any time
Good one Tom 👍
You've done a few wild camps and you've also made loads of great videos along the way. You have a nice easy style, easy to watch. You also manage to say what you want to say in fairly short videos which is great value for time; important in the TH-cam world.
Thanks Mark, I’ve been trying to keep the videos a lot shorter and concise recently and just get to the point. Thanks for watching 👍Ben
Try walking with a staff to start with. Precook food for your first lunch, no flame, easy quick simple.
I enjoy the process of cooking outside.
dont forget to drink plenty of water before setting off - I used to glug half my water not long after setting off
if you lose your bearings, retrace your steps back to where you knew, dont keep going looking/hoping for another way round
Mid summer and not enough water. Never a stream when you need one!
Great advice , thanks ! My big mistake was camping on a moor last June and forgot midge repellent - I will never , never make that mistake again !!
I’ve done that too 😬You only ever do it once though 😆
I was doing the West Highland Way and met up with and started walking with a guy. As we chatted I forgot to drink any liquids and ended up dehydrated. A mistake in itself. To try and rectify it I downed two pints of water and a pint of orange juice and lemonade at the pub we stopped at and had a meal. Shortly after setting off from the pub I threw up most of the liquid. Moral of the story sip little and often to prevent dehydration the body can only take in so much at once.
Here's a tip that it seems only I do, but have done for donkey's years.....
I always, but always carry a fully damp flannel on my pack where I can easily reach it. When you get a sweat on, especially when it's warm, or hot, giving your hands, face and neck a wipe over is massively reinvigorating.
Keeping it handy round camp means you can remove water from waterproofs, tent before packing, and condensation, and this kind of rinses it for using it on yourself again.... Really handy to have.
I keep my tent or tarp well secured on the outside of my pack, as it will get wet at some point on a trip, so no point in wetting the inside of your pack with it.
Good tip! Thanks Neil!
First hike to Black Tusk, Garibaldi Park with my Mom & sister? (29km round trip, out & back, 1740m elevation gain, 2h from Vancouver 🇨🇦 to trailhead) We only brought 1/2 litre of water each & no way to purify more on-the-go other than boiling. Thankfully, an outbound trail Angel gave us theirs, and we managed ok until we reached the base camp at Taylor Meadows. Now, I carry 2-2L CNOC soft bladders, a Versa Flow water filter system with backup hard container for electrolytes (& pay it forward trail Angel opportunities) and backup tabs if my filter fails. Plus, research & stock up, in case noted water sources on trail are dried up, but water is heavy at 2.2 lbs per litre, so u don't want to hump up more than u need to, if u can purify as u go 😅
You can go awhile without eating (months for me, it looks like LoLz 🤣) but without water, dehydration will kill u in days, just ask my M-i-L R.i.P 🙏
2nd mistake, packing ur fears, the next time me & a buddy hiked Black Tusk, we ate well, but carried way ("weigh" LoLz) too much, easily 50lbs, that was a long arduous slog LoLz 🤣
Good tips 👍, wise advice. My mistakes have included starting too warm and forgetting a lighter, so the check off list is essential. And don't forget fruit in your rucksack..goes off really quick and leaves big mess!
I once packed my tent and had the poles stored seperately because i had previously reduced the pack size for a motorbike trip.
I ended up supporting the tent by some guylines ( like a sealed tarp) between a tree and a big rock so i could use the thing !
Lesson learned, mistakes are learning experiences.
Another great vid cheers. My list is laminated and kept in my kit room so is a permanent fixture in there. There's no way I'm driving 3 hours to Wales and forgetting my boots......Not again anyway lol
My first wild camp, as alot of people do, I over packed, I diddnt forget anything ! Now, I'm always forgetting something, probarly the worst thing I forgot was my insulating mat. So making a list is a good idea for me
Haha yes I remember my first pack - everything but the kitchen sink! Thanks for watching mate, Ben
I forgot my tent and boots - Luckily it was the height of summer and I managed to hike in my flip flops and sleep under the stars without any rain!
At first it's good to take everything. See what you use and what you don't! I like buying new stuff packing it and seeing if it fits with or replaces my older heavier stuff
@@teenoltae yes i love looking up at the stars, now the leaves are all fallen off the trees I can see alot more of them at night when I camp out
@@bushmandan8645 and less bugs!
Great video. I've had a master check list (and fading memory) for quite along time. Having a checklist is great. Modifying it to account for each individual adventure is better. Carefully following it as you pack . . . priceless.
forgetting to take cutlery was the worst one for me on a four day hike. making a make shift spoon out of foil paper was at the very least managable, by day two came across another hiker who had a spare spork, a bit of trail magic
I was enjoying. Walking chating and nice shots. I'll listen
Not exactly wild camping. But i did a 22 mile day hike. Learned the joys of cotton clothing that day when it started raining hard 😅. And that my nice down jacket wasn't as waterproof as i first thought. Lesson learned! I now have quick dry, moisture wicking clothes, and a proper waterproof jacket 👌
Thanks for another great vid. I really enjoy watching your very informative videos. I have almost the same gear as you, and have tried to buy lots of stuff on aliexpress, just to realize it was crap, in sted of just getting the real thing from the start. My biggest confession is that I dont use any of my gear. Just buying, planning, and very rare get out on the trail. Promise to change that in 2022. Keep up the good work.
Wool clothing , will keep you dry even when it is wet , is fire retardant , and dry's out quickly , synthetics are not as good in all weather conditions , a good wool blanket is advisable too , many uses , although heavy , worth the weight .
In such a rush to get out on the hills I actually found I had forgot to pack my tent ,result one miserable night sleeping out under the stars. Now I check and double check before leaving
i didnt strap my hammock and tarp to my bag properly, i went out at night for the first time in light rain, decided to take a short cut through the wood different to the one i had planned all of which was well off the main tracks, there wasnt a straight path and i lost my bearings and went round in circles for ages trying to find my spot, then realised i was missing the tarp and hammock, spent ages looking for it thinking it fell in the woods, eventually gave up as it was spitting with rain the whole time. i ended up finding a new spot and setting up a poncho cover and sleeping with my bag as a pillow on a massive patch of super soft moss which was actually great with a tiny fire, in the morning i found out i was litterally 15 steps away from my spot id come in some crazy way. got to the car and my tarp and hammock was on the floor by the car door. as i put it on my back they must have slid off, i actually had a great time and learnt allot. ive done an insane amount of camps since and i havnt made those mistakes again although i still navigate woods off trail at night im just not quite as bold about it, the rain didnt bother me it actually made the woods quite fun to explore as it was kinda drizzly, the moon was bright and it wasnt that dark considering it was so late lol
My biggest failing is buying 'must have' gear, then a week later finding a cheaper alternative or free hack that is actually better.
Had a bit too much vino at a campsite in france went to toilet in dark of night could not find tent!! Also in south of france in thunderstorm found we had camped over a small stream that ran under the tent !!!😀😀 soon sunny again .all fun times
Oops 😆
Out camping lat year, the forecast was for overnight rain. As I didn't fancy striking camp with a wet tent, I made up a bevy and packed my tent up before nightfall. Good move - !
Once forgot my main meal for a camp and ended up having breakfast, which thankfully was two porridge sachets, for dinner. Not the end of the world but didn’t go as well with a beer as the curry would have. We live and learn. Can still picture the curry smiling at me when I got back to the car. Atb & hny
Oops 😆 I haven’t done that but have forgotten my titanium pot to boil water in for a meal 🤦♂️
I always carry a pad and pencil so that I can note what works, what doesn't, and ideas for making things - life - easier. No matter how often we do things, nature always presents us with opportunities to learn ;-)
Useful tips and different from others as well who might mention things like take a first aid kit or let someone know where you're headed. All the best with your wild camping trips
Thanks 😊 I’ve covered first aid and safety tips in other videos 👍
Mug was my last thing I forgot, having to use the pan to drink my tea from was interesting 🙃
I bet it was 😆
Great video very instructive
Great insight, found this video really useful. Just at the beginning of my wild camping and trying to work out the do's and dont's. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Cheers, Ben
That's awesome Derek. Essentially, common sense plays a big part, as well as being safe. Learn from others, learn from your experiences.
Starting out, you do not need to spend a fortune, just cover the basics and in time, upgrade for durability/lightness.
You can never have enough waterproofing, as I found out to my cost as a very new recruit…
Now I:
Spray my rucksack
Use a rucksack cover
Use a pack liner
Use different dry bags for all of my systems*
Put individual items of clothing in their own plastic bags.
Only open one pouch or pocket at a time.
* the packing list you mentioned helps with this, as it minimises the time you need to have your rucksack open.
Good tip Bob 👍
If you get stuck in your tent for any length of time due to rain consider dropping the inner. Thus will give you more room to move around in and create less condensation.
Ah good one! 👍
Maybe my 4th or 5th wind camp I forgot my sleeping mat! I was living in Ambleside while at uni there went up loughrigg for a wild camp and whilst setting up at twilight I realised that I had forgotten my sleeping mat. Was with my flat mate who luckily had a waterproof poncho and a spare jumper which combined with my down jacket made a good enough base to insulate from the ground enough to make it through the night and slept surprisingly well as I didn't think I would get any! Would have been a lot worse if we didn't improvise as it got down to 0°c that night but you live and learn. Never forgotten it since 😂
Yep - you only do things like that once 😆
Always take a cap for sunny days and a woolly hat for night time and if it's windy took just a cap once couldn't wear it due to the wind and it was cold
Great vid happy New year Ben
Good tip David 👍Have a good one mate 🎉
Really enjoying the channel mate.
Thanks mate! Appreciate it 👍
1) overestimating your abilities (be it distance, terrain, elevation or pack weight) - it's better to be quicker at your goal with less stress then figuring out that you're totally done 2 days worth of hiking off the next road
2) packing too much stuff - no, you don't 4 sets of undies, shirts and socks; no you also don't need a set of casuals treet wear for when you hit town. Going lighter is a good idea but don't you dare shedding weight by ditching your first aid kit
3) not testing your gear before - really a bad situation finding out your water filter is totally done when you're in the middle of nowhere
To some extent I'm guilty of all of those 3. Packed way too much stuff in an obscenely big backpack (90+20l Berghaus Cyclops II Atlas) ending up with >23kg trail weight incl water and food trying to casually hike a section of the Cape Wrath Trail through the Fisherfield Forest ... lucky me I did figure out the massive overconfidence quickly enough to not be stranded in the middle of UK's largest wilderness. And my Sawyer Squeeze was totally gunked up which I've figured out on day 1 so my friend hat to coverr filtration.
Don't be naive and stupid like me.
Whenever you go out: plan ahead. It's better to have invested a few days too many planning the trip than realizing you are unprepared and now you're in actual danger. Because sooner or later that's what's going to happen if you are careless.
Great tips and advice mate. Thank you 👍
I do a similar thing to you with the list, except mine covers the essential items (shelter, sleeping bag and food etc) then I pack my bag with extras for the trip. Just before I leave I go through the pack and see if there is anything that I can really get away with taking (luxuries) to save a bit of weight. But ultimately there will always be something you wished you'd taken, as long as it isn't a life threatening item it doesn't matter too much.
True 😊My list is mostly because I’ve got a brain like Swiss cheese, and I wouldn’t want to forget my tent poles 😆
LOL...oh my nemesis..."It's only spitting!" You see, we get a lot of that here and can go either way, to stopping or torrential downpours! I've been caught in a couple of those! 🌧 A hat, always bring some sort of head covering...good for the cold, keeping the sun of my bald head, and swatting off all those mosquitoes!! Take great care and all the best in 2022!! Bruce and Otis
Good tip! Thanks for watching, and all the best! Ben
Agree with all of that, especially the tent in top of rucksack one. I always have the tarp, tent or whatever right at the top so I can grab it and get the shelter up first. Everything else can wait (and stay dry if needed). I put waterproof trousers in stretchy outer pocket of Osprey. Top tips for Londoners or other city dwellers: bury pocket knife in a bag in centre of rucksack.
You have to keep the knife handy up norf 🤣
Between you and I only, I carry a Morakniv (4 inch, full tang). However it is kept at the bottom of my rucksack at all times. When not camping, it is secured at home. I use it for multiple reasons, including battoning, creating guy-line steaks and as a ferro steel. When not in use, it goes back to the bottom of my backpack, which in turn is in my tent, out of sight. This means that a) I can justify why I have this knife and not a pen knife, for example and b) it is not easily accessible so that if I were, for example, in need to defend myself, it would be difficult to ask the assailant to stop whist I go to my tent, unpack my backpack and then present my weapon.
I also do not wave my knife around or use it when others are around (I pack it away if I see someone approaching).
Why ? what’s the matter with the pocket it always lives in ?
@@treubuchet : You might find things work out better if you create guy line stakes! You can cook the steaks later
@@CrimeVid Because in the UK, carrying a knife of that type is illegal. Sorry for the late reply, I've only just seen this.
As with many people, I over packed way too much! in short, pack like you are going for a walk with a stay in a tent- don't pack like you are going on a camping break!
That’s a great way of looking at it 👍
The mistake I made was forgetting my tent inner and on another occasion forgetting my pegs. I was on top of a fell each time so not much i could do about it.
Doh 😬
What do you suggest for when walking in very wet muddy conditions? What’s the best water proof shoe / boot?
I usually go for my leather boots if I want to keep dry. Always be prepared to get wet though unless you’re in wellies 😆
Hey buddy, great video. I’ve just hit that subscribe button. Ben here from Uk wild camper 👍🏻
Thanks for watching Ben 👍
1969 camping in Cornwall .
Pitched my canvas ridge tent on a slope.
During the night while asleep my sleep bag slowly slide out of the tent until only my shoulders and head were inside.
We then had torrential rain but as I’d had some scrumpy the night before I never woke until the next morning Sponge Bob had nothing on me I was dripping and the sleeping bag never dried out so got binned.
Oh dear. Must have been decent scrumpy! 😆
I mixed up my used AAA batteries for my head torch while hiking at night in Dartmoor. I was a mile back from the car . Now I am more careful just to keep the used batteries separate. I lost my compass while night hiking in Dartmoor because the thin lanyard cordage snapped while walking. And my phone wasn't giving me the correct direction. I got back to the car eventually. My new Silva compass I have used para cord and melted the end of the knot so this won't happen again. I will buy another compass as a back up to be packed in the first aid kit for next time on a night hike . I carried a spare head torch luckily that night.
My new year camp I was running out of batteries due to using my head torch on the red setting as a light source for my vlogs which exhausted my batteries . So I need more rechargeable ones for next time. I will be researching the best rechargeable batteries before buying for future night hikes and wildcamps. I had a rechargeable go light lantern which I used as a back up torch. Lessons learnt on all of these experiences . Great video and thought provoking as always . Happy new year buddy.
Thanks for watching mate and happy new year to you 🍻 I always have a separate light for filming as I’m paranoid about losing head torch power 😆
Top tip (this is intended for those who are new, not someone experienced as yourself). REDUNDANCY! Where possible, carry items that are multipurpose and have a backup of essentials. So for fire-making, ensure you have not only a ferro rod and steel but also a lighter/water proof matches. With lighting, I carry a small but high lumen hand torch that I can strap to my back pack to see my way if my headlamp fails.
Regarding headlamps. I swap between USB charged and battery based as I am still in two minds about which is the better.
Thanks for making these mistakes so I don't have to 😂. I am going to have a go at wild camping this year and picked up a lot of tips from you👍
Any time! 🤣 Sounds good - enjoy! 👍Ben
Ay up Ben 😎
HNY Mate, that looked like a very wet walk.
Route planning and checking Maps etc is a big one for me as I once thought I'd take what i thought would be a shortcut across a field, only to find a large stone wall and a barbed wire fence at the other end, and had to walk all the way back 🙁
You too mate 👍 Hope you had a good one 🍻 I’ve been stuck in a field before too 😆
Can definitely relate to the clothing issue having got caught up Kinder in heavy rain wearing a SuperDry coat in temperatures below freezing. Still amazed I survived to tell the tale 🙈
We’ve all been there 😆Thanks for watching Anthony, hope you’re well mate 👍
Ah SuperDry. Possibly the most misleading brand name ever.
Good film Ben, no matter how experienced we all are everyone still makes mistakes and that's all just part of the fun 😀 👍 my worst early outing learning to navigate in snow I had the map upside down and ended up way off track down a ravine then went left instead of right to try and correct myself. That was a long short day out 🙂😂 Atb for 2022, Steve.
Oops 😆 Thanks for watching Steve, All the best mate 👍Ben
It’s always white side down mate. Even in snow!
Going off route was my mistake a couple of weeks ago. Same as you ended up in a bog knee deep and on my own so could have gone a lot worse if it was deeper. Won't be doing it again in a hurry. 😂
Ah we live and learn 😆
Tent poles was mine, had everything including daughter and grandchildren …. but no tent poles for “my” tent 🤣
Oops 😆
4:37 done it👍😁
Brilliant advice !
Thanks Daz 👍
@@DaleyOutdoors i meant to add " Try all your gear out at home in your garden if you can , practice methods, let them become second nature , a little bit extra weight will give you better options if you can manage it safely .
What we all want to know is how long did it take until you broke the lighter out!?
Haha I stuck at it, took ages so cut it out. I had to cut the swearing out too 😆
@@DaleyOutdoors hahaha not as easy as it looks on TV is it 😜
i under estimated how much fuel needed for my trangia for tea, coffees and breakfast. can i ask, your water bottle holder on chest, where is that from.
Sure, it’s a Mammut one. I got it from Amazon amzn.to/3FVfLRr
Not a wildcamping mistake, but a backpacking one: last day of a 3 day traipse, rained in the night, went over a style without taking my pack off and lifting it over. It had rained in the night. It was a knackered old style on a relatively unused path. Right foot went out from under me, my weight and my pack weight all went on my left foot which also then slipped, until it hit the ground at an angle and made a noise like a shotgun going off.
Luckily only half a mile from the road, but it took me an hour to get there😂
Ouch! 😬
@@DaleyOutdoors aye. Wasn't great.
I guess my tip would be, remember your centre of gravity is shot to hell when yer carrying 8 or 9 (ahem, or 12 because of 3 litres of water cos your unfit and it's red hot) in a bag on your back.
You might only but 3 feet up, but you might also be 10 miles from the arse end of no where. Careful, padawan.
Edit/ also do a 4 night solo backpacking trip AFTER you've been on holiday with your wife/husband/partner for a week, cos if you do yourself an injury and have to cancel it, it may cause problems.
Yep I can relate to a few of those , I have even managed to leave my tent poles once 😂 glad to say it hasn’t happened again ⛺️👍
You're not the only one looking at the comments 😆
HAHA, I've done the same. I managed to bodge together branches and tie-up guy-lines. It wasn't ideal but did the trick, just. Thankfully, there wasn't a good deal of wind, otherwise this would have failed miserably.
Not quite wild camping or did it become that?....🤔 - It was some years ago - and me and a friend decided to do a spot off over night fishing.....I borrowed a tent from a friend...i didn't check to see if the poles etc were in the "tent kit" as I blindly trusted him.
We got there and set up - ended up using logs we found around the place, and used bloody black bags as a ground sheet and to give us extra shelter too. lesson was learned and sunk in - ALWAYS check the bloody tent and poles are altogether where they should be BEFORE you head out! lol, looking forward to going camping with the girlfriend in a few weeks and we are going to mix it up with a site and wild camping. (and yes i have triple checked the tent and poles are all together and already attached it to the backpack, ready, and yes will be doing a gear check the day before we leave! lol)
Would like to make a suggestion though...take some form of back up comms should an emergency arise and there is no cell signal. "better to be prepared and not need it, than it is to be unprepared and then need it"
2:53 thought you were going to have a wee lol
Trust you 😆
@@DaleyOutdoors haha I thought it was going to be one of the mistakes to avoid
Don't forget your hiking pole(s) is you've got a Lanshan!!! (I speak from personal idiotic experience) 😁
Oops 😆
I think my worse mistake was not testing the weight of my pack properly to see if it was manageable, climbed Ben Nevis on the CMD route, the last 100m was horrible and I really over estimated my fitness level. I think I could have easily saved myself 2kg in stuff I didn't need.
I think we can all relate to that. With anything though, we learn from our mistakes (or at least we should). :)
One of my most ridiculous mistakes, was making sure I had plenty of AA batteries... only to get out to the middle of nowhere and find that the batteries in my head torch were dead - no problem, plenty of AA batteries 😁 all my lights needed AAA 🤦♂️
Oops 😆
Ace! Thanks very much. new to the channel,
I wild camped 500 meters from an FM radio tower... 24 hrs later it felt like an alcohol hangover with allergies!
Oh no 😬
We know what happened in august, ardennes, Eifel..I was there, saw what was coming...end went home...just in time...but the place i stayed was in principle safe, but so much rain was not that nice... Camp height 360 m... about 1200ft...
?
and "test drive" every piece of equipment before each trip
Yes definitely 👍
I always without fail check the wether via multiple sauces,I tend to find HP is the most reliable followed by Heinz tomato ketchup
First actual wild camp in the woods I went for a ‘little walk’ in the dark after a tipple. Got disoriented and lost for over an hour and returned with a few scrapes. Could have been much worse 🤦🏻♂️
Oh dear 😬 glad you survived mate 👍
What would u do differently, next time? Leave a light on, so u could find ur way home? Always take ur headlamp with u?
@@danielsingh9415 I had a headlamp on and left a lantern with the hammock. It was just too dense to see or find. I knew there was a trench and my location in relation to it. I guess I hadn’t taken enough notice of the direction I went at first.
@3:33 Did you really start that fire with the fire steel ... or did you have a backup plan, that box of Swan Vestas ?
Yeah I did. It took me ages though so I cut about ten minutes of me faffing about out 😆
@@DaleyOutdoors Great ! well done
@@brianmorrison9168 obviously a dodgy steel. Nothing to do with my missing skills 🤣
@@DaleyOutdoors
I have more luck using a fire steel by holding the striker still and pulling the flint back. Don't know why but it works well for me
Any chance you can share your packing list (or a link if it's available) - I want to start wild camping this year and would love to know what you take - Thanks for a great video.
Found it - apologies - th-cam.com/video/H6Rvsrs9p5c/w-d-xo.html
M
Top Tips Buddy ATVB 👍👍
Cheers Craig 👍 Thanks for watching mate 🤘
Where this particular video was filmed?
Peak District
the boil in the bag meals ,,,,i eat them all the time ,,,,cos ,,i get them free,,,,,,,so im happy
All good stuff...
I hit subscribe and you went up to 5k so looks like I'm number 5000 bro 👊
Boom! Thanks mate! 🤘
@@DaleyOutdoors no worries! congrats
AMEN!
Eh’ up Ben Lad !!
Are you all reet’ ?? Beginning to think
you have tripped, fell and suffocated underneath all the excess ⛺️
camping gear in’ back - bedroom !!
Give - Mrs Dailey a shout 📣
You - have enough spare 💩
shovels from your collection -
she could use to dig you !!
Thanks 🙏
Stay safe and well 😷
James ✌🏾
Nice Video.
Thanks 👍
Forgetting to bring T bags is to date my worst mistake on a wild camp. Pretty big one in my opinion.
Huge mate. I’d have gone home 😆
@@DaleyOutdoors Oh believe me. I nearly did 😂
If attaching tents to outside of pack don't just rely on straps, attach with a clip of some sort, walking down from Bamford edge in dark after bailing from bad weather, slipped fell over, did not realise tent had fallen off. Did not realise until bottom, could not go back up too dangerous. Expensive mistake!
Ah gutted! 😬 Great tip though mate thank you 👍
@@DaleyOutdoors I thought I was also being clever leaving my sleeping mat deflated and rolled up in tent so double doooooooh! £140 mistake !
Camping near water before it rains . You wake up on a waterbed mattress
Nice jacket. You happy with it? I need a new one.
Ah sorry wrong vid. I don’t think T he one I’m wearing here is available now. It’s a Karrimor one. It’s been good though I’ll see if I can find a link.
I think this is the replacement for it: my.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-hot-rock-jacket-mens-442007
@@DaleyOutdoors thanks.
@@DaleyOutdoors weird that link takes me to the Malaysian site and when you click on the UK when asked it just error pages you ?? Anyway great useful vid, even if no one dies camping!! Which I'm sure they do, going Ill prepared up into the hills of the lakes or Scotland has certainly cost people their lives !! Also for the love of god answer the forest brothers !🤣🤣🤣 love to know where their parents are or are they like two wild mogules from jungle book?? 🤣🤣
@@Mickoutdoors that is weird… are you in Malaysia? 🤣 I think I’ve deleted most of the bloody forest brothers 🤦♂️
Where’s ruby 🥰🤭
She was dry and warm at home on this one 😊
Sensible 🤣🤣🤣
I personally got nothing from this video, but there maybe some useful tips for novice walkers/campers. There were some embarrassing confessions in this one Ben. I promised never to mention boots again 😉. ATB for the new year bonny lad.
wild camp with pre packet food thats snobbery camping the thing about camping than hill walking camping gives you time to prepare cook good wholesom food not pre heating muckbags
I like to mix it up a bit. Can’t always be bothered cooking ‘real’ food but it is better if you have the time and patience for it.