Wild camping

[PurpleTurtle]

On the subject of stoves, anyone do any hot-tenting? During lockdown I got obsessed with watching two YouTube channels, 'Simon A Bloke In The Woods' and his mate Andy who does 'Kent Survival'

https://www.youtube.com/c/Simonablokeinthewoods

https://www.youtube.com/c/KentSurvival

All of their vids are pretty much the same: arrive, pitch hot tent, collect and cut a load of wood, get the stove going, cook something nice, couple of beers, bed, depart next morning leaving no trace.

It's something I'd love to try, but wouldn't know where to go local to me that isn't technically trespassing. Perhaps they just go so far off the beaten track that being caught is unlikely, and in some videos they both mention 'having access to this woodland'.

[silentbrown]

PurpleTurtle said:

All of their vids are pretty much the same: arrive, pitch hot tent, collect and cut a load of wood, get the stove going, cook something nice, couple of beers, bed, depart next morning leaving no trace.

[PurpleTurtle]

I think they bury the embers, so no ‘visible’ trace.

[silentbrown]

PurpleTurtle said:

I think they bury the embers, so no ‘visible’ trace.

You've cut the wood!

If you must have a fire, gather small bits of dead and fallen wood. Green wood won't burn well at all.

[PurpleTurtle]

I haven’t cut any wood, because it’s not me doing it.

If you watch any of their channels you’ll see that (as far as I can see) they generally use fallen wood, but you’re welcome to trawl their entire channel to find the one clip where they don’t for maximum PH pedantry points.

[silentbrown]

PurpleTurtle said:

I haven’t cut any wood, because it’s not me doing it.

That was intended as a generic "you"

You've watched the videos, and you specifically mentioned cutting wood. If they're not doing that, fine.

I've no problem with 'stealth camping' with something like a Kelly kettle or a gas stove, but cutting live wood to have an open campfire in woodland without permission doesn't sit well with me.

Edited by silentbrown on Wednesday 25th January 09:36

[Gretchen]

silentbrown said:

That was intended as a generic "you"

You've watched the videos, and you specifically mentioned cutting wood. If they're not doing that, fine.

I've no problem with 'stealth camping' with something like a Kelly kettle or a gas stove, but cutting live wood to have an open campfire in woodland without permission doesn't sit well with me.

Edited by silentbrown on Wednesday 25th January 09:36

Surely most people know wood needs to be seasoned to burn (other than maybe Ash, Birch or a little Cedar?), and therefore no one would cut anything fresh. Especially seasoned (forgive the pun) wild/stealth campers. That and carrying smaller stoves, fallen wood is far more convenient to begin with.

On the subject of cutting wood I bought other half a pocket chainsaw as a stocking filler for Christmas. Chose one with bright orange grips as he has a tendency to put things down. He loves it.

[PurpleTurtle]

silentbrown said:

PurpleTurtle said:

I haven’t cut any wood, because it’s not me doing it.

That was intended as a generic "you"

You've watched the videos, and you specifically mentioned cutting wood. If they're not doing that, fine.

I've no problem with 'stealth camping' with something like a Kelly kettle or a gas stove, but cutting live wood to have an open campfire in woodland without permission doesn't sit well with me.

Edited by silentbrown on Wednesday 25th January 09:36

Are you this pedantic in every aspect of your life?

The men doing the camping thing find big, fallen old branches and cut them with a saw into manageable sized logs which they then split with an axe or knife to power their stove. At no point do they damage anything 'live' (ss far as I can see, in their many videos).

Is that sufficiently detailed for you, or do you want to know how many teeth on their saw?

[superlightr]

yep that was my understanding of what was meant - dead standing wood cut up into smaller logs to burn.

[silentbrown]

PurpleTurtle said:

Are you this pedantic in every aspect of your life?

Probably!

Looks like the Kent guy has a nicely cleared campsite with a fair bit of recently felled timber around, and he's just using some of that. I like the folding chimney

[Bill]

superlightr said:

yep that was my understanding of what was meant - dead standing wood cut up into smaller logs to burn.

Standing dead wood is much less likely to be damp from contact, and clearly not alive.

[redrabbit29]

I've wanted to wild camp for years. I watch loads of videos on YouTube most weeks including

Haze Outdoors
Ash Outdoors
English Woodsman
Londoner Outdoors
WildBeare

Also a bit different is "Girl Outdoors". She is living and travelling around the UK in an old landrover

...

I live right next to Swinley Forest (Berkshire area). It's a huge woodland but haven't the guts to camp there. I have half heartedly explored look for places but most just seem to be between trails or too exposed.

The other idea was the North Downs Way but that has similar issues. My ambition is to walk this - or similar - as part of a multi day hike. 3/4/5 days of 15-20 mile stretches then camp that night.

[MonkeyBusiness]

redrabbit29 said:

I've wanted to wild camp for years. I watch loads of videos on YouTube most weeks including

Easy for me to say but you just need to do it. Pick a spot where you can bail easily if you get uncomfortable.
Once you've done one, its a doddle. My lasting memory of my first one - apart form how much stuff I took - was how dark it gets.
That sounds really daft but without light pollution from towns it's pitch black.

My 'a camp a month' hasn't started well however I am out tonight, on a work night, to get my 'ahem Jan camp in. Will be using the Alpkit Elan as I am not going far and need to be stealthy.

[NuckyThompson]

[quote=redrabbit29]I've wanted to wild camp for years. I watch loads of videos on YouTube most weeks including

Haze Outdoors
Ash Outdoors
English Woodsman
Londoner Outdoors
WildBeare

Also a bit different is "Girl Outdoors". She is living and travelling around the UK in an old landrover

...

I live right next to Swinley Forest (Berkshire area). It's a huge woodland but haven't the guts to camp there. I have half heartedly explored look for places but most just seem to be between trails or too exposed.

The other idea was the North Downs Way but that has similar issues. My ambition is to walk this - or similar - as part of a multi day hike. 3/4/5 days of 15-20 mile stretches then camp that night.

[/

Yeah agree easiest thing is to just get out and do it, pick a night with forecast great weather and close spot so it’s easy to bail.

My first camp was on top of the closest local hill (not quite a mountain) was fantastic, clear weather so awesome clear skies at night and a cloud inversion in the morning. It was about this time of year too and I wasn’t cold.

You’ll probably pack far more than you need first time but it’ll thin out as you get used to it. I’d like a slightly bigger tent but can’t justify it as I don’t get out as much as I’d like too. My last one was on top of pen y fan beautiful clear skies, freezing over night (I wasn’t cold though) and one of the best sunrises I’ve ever experienced in the morning.

Ambition is to do one in the snow.

Also search for sites near you, There’s a place in the Brecon Beacons called wild man woods you can find them on Facebook, it’s basically wild camping on a camp site/woodland so a perfect type of place for a first camp

[MB140]

YouTube wise,

Bushman and Blue,
Paul Messner
East Anglian bushcraft (ex military very good)

good resources as well.

No longer producing new videos but very good for bushman/survival type techniques.

Hidden valley bushcraft (Ex military, so lots of survival type stuff)

[daddy cool]

redrabbit29 said:

I live right next to Swinley Forest (Berkshire area). It's a huge woodland but haven't the guts to camp there. I have half heartedly explored look for places but most just seem to be between trails or too exposed.

The other idea was the North Downs Way but that has similar issues. My ambition is to walk this - or similar - as part of a multi day hike. 3/4/5 days of 15-20 mile stretches then camp that night.

Hello neighbour! I too live right beside Swinners, so am in there almost every day riding, running or walking. A mate of mine would occasionally sleep out in there in his hammock but i never have - like you say its very busy, and you'd need to go south of Lower Star Post i think to find the bits least frequented by dog walkers. Plus, the rangers are pretty hot on anyone starting any kind of fire (even stoves) so that would rule out brewing up in the morning!

Do you mountain bike? If so, getting into bikepacking is a good way to be able to get quite far away from civilisation quite quickly, and if you want to bail after the first night you can get home easily. For example, my first trip was half the Ridegway - got myself to Avebury via public transport and cycled to just outside Goring on day one, wildcamped, and then cycled back to Bracknell (30 miles) the next morning - was home by 10am!
Not done the North Downs Way, but did the South D/W in 2021 over 2 days (by bike). Would be at least 5 walking i assume...

Me and a mate are thinking of doing (at least) half of the West Highland Way in spring, so i'll be starting my training shortly, so if you see someone pounding through Swinley with a big backpack on that might be me...

[Steve Kimberley]

MB140 said:

YouTube wise,

Bushman and Blue,
Paul Messner
East Anglian bushcraft (ex military very good)

good resources as well.

No longer producing new videos but very good for bushman/survival type techniques.

Hidden valley bushcraft (Ex military, so lots of survival type stuff)

Yes! Love Bushman and Blue in particular. Talk about smiling through adversity.
Haze's current series of 100 miles in the Lake District is worth a look too.

[DannyScene]

MB140 said:

YouTube wise,

Bushman and Blue,
Paul Messner
East Anglian bushcraft (ex military very good)

good resources as well.

No longer producing new videos but very good for bushman/survival type techniques.

Hidden valley bushcraft (Ex military, so lots of survival type stuff)

Hidden Valley is probably the best bushcraft youtuber ive come across so far, such a shame he doesn't post anymore

I stopped watching Messner his videos are too samey and I find him very hard work to be interested by

East Anglian is a firm favourite but ive only discovered him quite recently

HazeOutdoors is my favourite outdoors YouTuber and the only one I sub to on Patreon

[MonkeyBusiness]

https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisJB - is a good one.

Unlike most that are are very samey (here's my tent, what's in my pack, etc), you feel like you are actually going camping with him as he points out things and tells a story along the way. Interesting bloke.

[PurpleTurtle]

MonkeyBusiness said:

https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisJB - is a good one.

Unlike most that are are very samey (here's my tent, what's in my pack, etc), you feel like you are actually going camping with him as he points out things and tells a story along the way. Interesting bloke.

What a great channel!

He’s just like a no-nonsense mate of mine from Blackburn, proper down to earth northern bloke. I like his minimalist style, very lightweight camping.