Adventures in the great outdoors Camping | Hiking | Fastpacking | Mountaineering | Trail Running | Bushcraft
Hello! Thanks for stopping by. I'm just a Kiwi guy who enjoys being outdoors. I love getting out on big trips to push myself aswell as small micro adventures. I like to film my adventures as it gives me something to look back on in the future and hopefully gives people something to enjoy now! I hope to inspire and entertain others and appreciate all the support.
One memorable night under my tarp, I had just dozed off when I was woken up by a furious scratching by my ear. The headlight revealed a baby rabbit, which promptly bolted. Later that same night I was woken again with strange noises. This time it was a hedgehog intent in getting into my food bag. It did not want to leave and had to be forcibly removed over a bank. These are just some of the joys of tarping.
I'm a car camper so my weight sensitivity is the opposite of yours. :) I always set up a tarp (shelter from sun & precipitation, both for sleeping and daytime resting) and what I do under it depends on the season. During winter I usually set up a Morepork 1 Deluxe swag for ultimate wind/rain protection. Otherwise an appropriate sleeping bag, Alpkit Hunker XL bivvy bag, inflatable pillow and inflatable mattress does the trick. I find high temps harder to deal with than low temps!
@@danielayers sounds like a great set up! And yes I like the cold aswell. Much easier to get warm than it is to cool off when it's hot. Sounds like you've got a great set up suited to your needs! Thank you for sharing.
Cool seeing different clips from your previous videos, a lot thought and info put into this for sure. I’m definitely not ultralight, I like being comfy but you did inspire me to try a hiker fly off the back of my ute for shelter and I’m really happy with it - cheers!
I’m using a happy medium between tarp and tent: Hyperlite Ultamid 1, I can get two people in it in a pinch. Weight is in between. Protects from windy rain well. Keeps bugs out mostly, I burn an incense stick to keep bugs out. Works with one trekking pole. By adding a center top tie-in point you can open both sides of the vestibule. I liked your video, I would like to see a bit more added at the end about storm pitching. I see how you can bring the foot end and sides down to the ground. What about the open head end? I suppose the tarp should be pitched foot into the wind. Cheers, great video.
@@chuckburr517 thanks for the comment! Sounds like you've got a good set up that works well for you! As far as bad weather goes, I'll typically put a low a frame with the foot end angled into the wind. I can always lower the foot end more that the head aswell. Cheers
Great kit. Well thought out. Everything you’re going to need. Nothing you don’t. If i might add a suggestion. A heavy duty 55 gallon contractor trash bag is just so versatile and compact and light… it’s something I will always carry. You can use it to store massive amounts of water by digging a hole in the ground a lining it with the bag (theoretically 55 gallons worth lol). Filled with debris to create a mattress. Cut the top and sides and it makes an impromptu rain poncho. Waterproofing gear. If you get an obnoxious blue color it can be used to signal in any climate or place. From coniferous forests, deciduous, desert, snow. Ground sheet. Waterproof shelter material. Stuffed with grasses for a flotation device. Collecting ants or rain for water. Carrying things santa clause style. Sledding down snow covered hills as a slick sled. Great video.
@daviddrzewicki1254 sorry but where do I recommend spending thousands of dollars? Most of these tips are free or cheap. The most expensive tip would be to try a tarp instead of a tent but that doesn't even have to be expensive and is generally alot cheaper than a tent! Cheers
Thanks for the vid and the blast from the past. It used to be my favourite solo trip in the early 1960's but up the stream rather than the tiresome track. Friday evening train, dropped off at Mt White Bridge, and walk to Riversdale Hut (on the Riversdale Flats, but think it has gone now). Sat am up the stream to Andrews Biv that used to stand on Hallelujah Flats, then out the following day (you could arrange to be picked up by the train/railcar at Mt White Bridge by previous arrangement, but once I walked to Cass along the railway line and had a lovely afternoon sunbathing on the Cass "platform". Flagged down the train, and bob's your uncle! Cheap as chips for a solo tramp. You must try the stream bed instead of the track in the future! I admire your light weight approach, and love that tent, which I suspect is better than a bivvy bag.
That sounds like an awesome time! Catching the train would be super cool but I'm not sure if you can still do that these days? Yes I definitely need to try the walk up the river next time! Thank you for sharing your memories!
@@BackcountryKiwi It was an awesome time looking back. Japara parkas, homemade pack, later some flash boots from Bevan Napper (Mountain Equipment), no edible dehy, so porridge, saveloys and eggs on my first AP trip! The train in those days was for us, not tourists. Cheap for a school and uni student. Some free trips too, cos the guard was often drunk coming back from the Coast on Sunday evening - if he didn't clip your ticket you could use it again! Quite often a group of us were allowed to sleep in our bags on the floor of the guard's van on the way home. No thermarests in those days tho.
Thank you! I can use this set up for most 3 season temperatures. If I know it is going to be particularly chilly I might pack an extra insulating layer like a puffer jacket. Cheers!
Thank you! Fair enough, I actually find this relatively comfy and sleepy pretty well on it but definitely not for everyone. Campsite selection makes a big difference! If you are looking for a comfy mat, give the sea to summit ether light mat a look! Cheers
Definitely one of the more sensible lists of ultralighting advice I've seen, every point worthy of consideration even though they won't suit everybody.
Great video, ace spot to camp up in beside that lake/tarn Bit of a change from NZ hiking, not having to battle thick bush, and monkey scrub, to reach the tops I bet ..... fellow Kiwi here (I liked and sub'd ya) Any fish in that pond?
Thanks for watching! It was really cool to hike in a different environment. Alot different than New Zealand that's for sure! Cheers for the support. Not sure if there are fish, I'm no fisherman!
Some great tips and definitely packing for the conditions will help keep it to the minimum. In my younger days I went with no sleeping pad at all to save weight and bulk. Now in my 40's I really value the comfort of a lightweight pad! And slightly controversial - try leaving the heavy phone & charger bank at home. I swear by my GPS watch when every ounce counts
@@jconcah thank you! Yes I'm sure my preferences for what I carry will change as I get older haha! An interesting point, I haven't really used the map function on my gps watch too much, only for a few runs. Maybe I'll have to give it a proper go some time! Cheers
That's what I thought when I first employed this strategy. But I always wear a cap which helps to keep the sun off my face. My legs don't burn easily and are normally so covered in dirt and sweat it creates a nice barrier haha. I haven't used this system in a desert environment so I can't speak to that, I'd probably pack a small bit of sunscreen for an environment like that. Pack for the seasons/environment! I appreciate your input. Cheers!
Some time ago we had been debating where you had been 🤔. My husband said, ahh, he will have a girlfriend 😁👌❤️. So right. Great to see you out there living life to the full and having found a special person to enjoy it with. Bless you Zeb, thanks for your great videos 👍😎, cheers Kath and Lou
Awesome! Sunset - Sunrise - with the stars in between....nice! I'll be under the stars tomorrow on Mt Charleston peak, NV. ...with a sleeping bag, though, as temps are expected to dip down to around -2 c. (28f)
Thanks for the useful tips. Except, I found it troublesome to stuff my sleeping bag into my pack without a stuff sack. Wishing you good fortune and happy trails!
Whilst I accept much of this is down to preference, there are a few which seem increasingly common which I find somewhat concerning - a set of spare clothes is in my view essential, not for comfort, but safety. When you’re drenched and absolutely freezing, you need to be able to get into your sleeping bag in warm dry kit. You can’t get into it in wet kit, and in many conditions even with a good sleeping bag, those extra layers can be what prevent hypothermia. Simple wet/dry drills. Same goes for the stove - if someone is coming down with cold injury, besides getting them in warm dry kit, the other thing to do is get them a hot drink, as this will raise the core temp. So many cases of cold injury could be prevented if these two were followed. Finally the first aid kit - even if you are hitting SOS, you still need to wait for them to get you. A first aid kit doesn’t have to be incredibly comprehensive or extensive, but just a few extra things like some butterfly stitches, some wound dressings, alcohol wipes and maybe even a tourniquet could be the difference between saving or losing a limb, or worse
Hi there! You do make some good points, these are just my opinions and what works for me. In regards to no spare clothes I still have all my insulating layers which are nice and dry in my pack. I can easily get out of my wet hiking clothes, into those and in my sleeping bag. You make a good point with the stove and in colder conditions I will most likely bring one. Like I said, pack for the seasons :). And with the first aid kit, a torniquet would be useful if I know how to use one, I don't have any recent or in depth first aid training (something I plan to fix in the future). But yeah this is what works for me, I appreciate your input! Cheers
@@BackcountryKiwi ah ok fair enough, I hadn’t taken the insulating layers into consideration. Fair point re the stove too, I had forgotten this video was predominantly about 3 season conditions. Great video either way and thanks for the reply!
@@randomuser1911 thank you for the conversation! It's great to chat about it and everyone will have different opinions. Thank you for sharing yours! Cheers
Everyone starts to heavy. What worked for me .....Go on a trip. when you get back make three piles of gear. 1. what you used all the time. 2. what was used now and then. 3. what was not used. before the next trip leave pile 3 at home. Do the same when you get back from another trip. Now when you can ( might take years ) switch the everyday used items for lighter weight ones but just as good. Camping gear is always evolving into lighter and better items. I started with an external framed pack (1970's ) that weighed almost as much , empty , as the pack I use today , ready & packed ( non consumables ) for a trip . Then use the principal of take what I need , not the what. It worked for me.
Yes! That is excellent advice, especially for people who don't know where to start when it comes to shaving weight, doing that an having a list of your gear individually weighed is a great start to getting lighter. Thanks for sharing!
Yes that's a good point especially if you are a cold sleeper or in really cold conditions. My kit for winter looks different to my 3 season kit. Cheers!
You trip on a rock up a mountain in fog. You smash your phone. Its unlikely that your map or compass is now useless, but you didnt bring it because you saved the 300 grams it cost you in weight. Thats a quater of a poo for reference
You raise a good point. Alot of people who go out in the backcountry don't know how to navigate with a map and compass. Also a compass can be smashed and broken, and a map can blow away or get wet. I'm looking at this from a standpoint of saving weight, while it's great to have back ups, if I can get by with less then I will. Thanks for you input! Cheers
Another (more expensive) option is getting a GPS watch. The lowest end ones will let you load in your routes even if they don't have a map. And any of them will have a "go back to the start point" option.
Sure if you’re going reindeer hunting in December in Sarek you should bring a map. I do however find myself following a pretty well defined track from hut to hut most of the time and have never actually looked at the paper maps that I brought. Don’t pack your fears.
? Sorry what do you mean, I had a few tips on carrying water in there! Plan where there are water supplies along your route and carry accordingly, don't carry heavy water bottles and use your water filter pouch to carry extra water. Cheers!
Good idea but sometimes I might need to leave my shelter in the rain and then I don't want to pull my groundsheet out from my sleep system. Thanks for your input! Cheers
Personally, I feel the cold out there so if I'm dragging an extra bit of clothing or a warmer jacket, that's ok. But I never, ever, go into the bush without my favourite ceramic mug straight from the kitchen. Tea just doesn't taste the same in anything else. Thanks for sharing your tips BK.
@@CitizenJane- absolutely! Everybody feels the cold differently. There is no point in saving weight if you don't have adequate warmth. Pack for the seasons! A ceramic mug is brave haha. But fair enough, we all have items that are very personal to us. I bet that cup of tea tastes great out in the bush! Cheers!
