I served alongside bootnecks in Helmand as a young US Marine! Having worked with Royal Marines, ROK Marines, Thai, Mexican and Philippine Marines, it really does seem like Marines worldwide have a particular sense of fraternity. Being in the AF Reserve now, it isn't the same. Small wonder we seem to be attracted to similar occupations when we leave the service! Cheers, bootneck!
Stay strong my brother during the storm. I’ve found getting back to God, Jesus, the Bible and bushcraft as rescuing me from the storm. Cheers from an American Army brother!
Forgive those who let you down, God can protect you. You don't have to fear anymore - ever again! You can have no more fear, no more anxiety, no more PTSD. Be blessed Cameron
He explains absolutely everything, what can't you not like about his advice. Remember he's been there in hostile situations,life and death so for me I'll definitely take.his advice on board..
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 - From my 22 years, I still appreciate the use I get from my Thinsulate poncho liner, the cheapest sleeping bag out there when rolled in a rubberized poncho itself or a tarp. Mstrdiver ~~ Us Army - 1973 to 1995
Always a basha for me, many memories out on exercise in the backside of nowhere in October, pouring rain, freezing cold; had to make it work for the sake of sanity… moral was a luxury at that point 😂
That then I guess is a relic from the days when we actually had a poncho (with a hood in the middle) to make our bashas, still well into the 1990s. The ''new'' basha is palatial in comparison.
Hi, I'm ex Army (Inf then AGC) and just touching 61 so old school 58 pattern poncho myself. Its used as a backup or as a ground sheet but its also part of my wet weather gear; use a DD 3x3m tarp as my primary. Was thinking of getting 2 IRP kits and sewing them together and then putting grommets in multiple around the outside (corners and along sides) thereby giving me a approx 10'x 7' tarp for about £20. Atb Malcolm 🏴
Dutch army hooped Bivvy is a decent alternative to that OEX one, though the Carinthia-made versions can be expensive. The Fecsa-made versions can be bought for around 100 quid, but they are known to occasionally have dodgy zips.
Remember KISS? You do Keep It Simple and Succinct! You have tackled a vast subject with a huge product range to choose from providing the viewer with "food for thought." There is an army producing these presentations on Utube; all with their own agenda but not as good as your production. Experienced based learning, not forgetting the dits! I enjoy watching your videos; as I have stated before. B.Z!
great video mate ex kob here you call it a poncho but i remeber the poncho and was much smaller my head or feet would pop out one end and remeber tieing up the hood
just started using the snugpak stratosphere...light, small, basically a bivvi with poles to keep it away from the body...not had the pleasure of using it in any heavy weather as yet...I do have a DD 3x3 to accompany it though.
Have a Terra Nova Jupiter bivvy. Used it in UK in Autumn, Spring, Summer. In pouring rain, dense cloud in Lakes and fairly brisk temperatures. Never had a single drop of moisture overnight, zero condensation. OK it's expensive. But worth it in my opinion. As an aside I seriously hope this proliferation of outdoors advice following Covid Open Up does not end up with less tolerance to wild camping. Tips: Leave nothing behind. Be stealthy as possible. Aim never to be seen or heard, on your way in or out of camp. And please, if you do find somewhere that makes a great base camp, don't make a video about it and put it on RU-vid!
Deploying a tarp (or a tent, for that matter) over a ditch might be ok in a desert, but in normal tropical weather you WILL end up pickled in a rain. The ideal sleeping spot is a mellow hump that prevents water from getting near you in the first place.
Great Video Nick. £20 basha’s long gone. The link you shared now £41 I’ve got a woodland DPM basha. I’ve also got some flectarn poncho’s not military grade but can be used as a Poncho and a shelter. Two will snap together.
I'm going to sub on the basis you can get a pop-up tent back into it's bag without setting fire to it first. Just kidding, though I was surprised to see it.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 WOW!! You managed to pack that thing back?! You Sir, are a Genius. I have one of these & I am considering leaving it erected & HOPE someone steals it. LOL. o7 *Salutes*
@@nigelgregory4777 Have to say the Pot Noodles are better than Ramen except they don't put a large enough vinegar packet in the blasted thing for taste!
Great stuff thanks for the upload!. I get super cold at night when camping in general. Do you think keeping warm is mainly on the sleeping bag and mat, or can a good tent have a big effect on the cold too? (I've recently invested in some high quality bag and mat so hopefully next time will be better!)
Thanks for a good video. I tried the Salamander bivi tent last year, I do not understand why the entry zip is horizontal - when you open the door the rain falls straight on the groundsheet. If the zip where vertical - as it is for most?? other designs - then you could open the door a bit for ventilation & not let the rain in so much, especially if there is a generous flap over the door. The pole for mine seemed too long for the sleeve, and I broke the pole on first use in the wild. On top of a hill. I got quite wet that night.
That eurohike pop up tent was my first tent, endless condensation and I freezed my tits off! Mind you it was a rainy night in March.... not used it again other than a sun shelter for the kids on the beach 😂
Isn’t it strange how so many people benefit from being in nature , getting fixed by society , being torn away from nature and ultimately how many people suffer because this connection is being lost. Love hearing your marine story’s. Keep up the good work.
The systems GenerationX are inheriting were set up to assist very rich families, these people run governments, they need a free workforce, that's us taxpayers, they not only get us for free from our mothers who aren't paid a penny for giving birth to the workforce, they take our best years and tax us for existing. This "Society" is unnatural. It's why everyone is depressed and 13 year old are ending it all.
These camping/bushcraft videos are the only thing that helps me sleep, PTSD is a hard thing. I applaud you for supplying me with some help overcoming my sleep issues. Thank you!
it probably works because you are intaking new information that you are interested in, and your brain has to process all that, which causes sedation afterwards, and lying down reinforces it by your body slowing down and sending signals to the brain that it's time to rest. i figured this out after 20 years chronic insomnia
As an American veteran I want to thank you for your service. I was very fortunate to have served in your country twice, total of nearly eight years. My wife and three children were all born in Chelmsford. I worked alongside RAF fellas who used to "drag" me to the local pubs...what great times! Although I have tents, I prefer to hammock camp with tarps including a 3mX3m DD tarp, my favorite. I usually set up one side as an awning with the backside protecting me from the wind. While stationed in the UK, I often camped and fished all night with my kids. We used a white parachute one of my mates gave me and it covered a huge area. My twin boys usually invited their school mates with them and the 'chute would shelter me and six kids. However, by the evening the white parachute was nearly black with all of the insects that were not invited. Anyway, thank you for showing some of the shelters used by campers. I love to stealth camp now as the nearby state park has been closed due to the health climate. So I use the DD tarp (dark camo version) as low to the ground as possible or shelter under huge fallen trees with the tarp set up on the windward side.
Remember this patrol base very well, funny as hell watching guys screaming after the camel spiders crawl over them. Great video mate & we call it a Basha.
I love stealth camping channels, dunno why, awakens a sleeping child within my old old soul. I don't think I would ever go stealth camping myself, I'm more of a glamper but man I love watching other people creep around.
Realistically your going to be pairing the OEX (which is really a pimped up bivvy bag) with a Poncho or Basha anyway. Good thing about it is (as you pointed out) is the superior thermal and bug protection.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 i was thinking of starting a channel myself. I haven't bothered much with my music channel for a long time now because I can't get the background noise of screaming kids down anymore when I'm recording lol. My other love is outdoors and bushcraft type of thing. Was thinking of doing a budget backpacking and camping channel. One that shows how it really is when you use crappy made gear. It would be mainly me pissing and moaning about how cold it is or how badly made the gear is. Haha I've got a bit of a fxxcked up sense of humor so I probably will offened people along the way ......on purpose. Probably won't be as well spoken as you because I'm a taff haha
I love how he talks about how fast the weather changes. Here in Ontario, Canada you can have four seasons worth of weather in a week. In April we had weather warm enough to be in shorts, then freezing rain, then snowfall, then just heavy rains, we understand weather changing quickly and feel your pain here. Now we are in the month of May, and as we say here , it May be warm, It May rain, It May snow, the weather May change from morning to afternoon, prepare for anything, lol. Cheers!
I've used tarp tensioners for decades and you can get your tarp taut, and it will stay that way through storms. I have a couple videos on how to make them. The simplest version is just to use shock cord loops at each tie out point. 1 to 4 loops depending on how windy, I just larks head them on as needed. With tensioners, the wind blows and the tensioner flexes and then returns back to taut. Have a great day
In Australia a "Poncho" is something that you can throw over the top to keep you and your gear dry, generally with a hood in the centre and can be used as a shelter. We call the 2.6 x 2.3m tarp shown a "hutchie" (pronounced hootchy). I would prefer to put an inflatable sleeping mat inside the pack. Nothing worse than getting to camp and finding your sleeping mat has been holed by a thorn or bramble along the way.
This here is a basha. There's also a poncho (not in this video) which can be worn like you say but also opened up and used like a tarp to create a shelter.
Awesome video, I love the basher/poncho specially the handles so it can be used as an emergency carry system.. I have just subbed and look forward to watching some more of your videos... Take care all the best 👍
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 Got there Jan 1, 2012. Marines, so I was there for ~6 months. I couldn't recall the name of the road for the life of me. The one that went all the way up to the Kajaki Dam.
Basha is the designation here, old school 58 pattern back in the day! I had a catoma Badger given to me by a friend in the USA, so I've experienced your mesh Afghan sleep setup. The badger has a flysheet if required, although not sure you'll find me using it on the side of a UK hillside in winter. Anyone who can deploy and repack a festival tent is a top bloke. Enhoyed the video and like hearing your tips, sometimes it's a reminder of skills parked out of sight in the old grey matter other times it's a new idea to try out. All the best.
I'm hoping one day someone will create a hybrid military shelter utilizing the best features of a British army BASHA (British Army Standard Hotel Accomodation) & an Australian army hootchie. Unfortunately, you can't snap BASHAs together,like you can with hootchies. Disappointingly, hootchies can't be employed immediately for use as a litter / stretcher because they don't have carry handles sewn into the reinforced seams like BASHAs do. I really enjoy the content mate. Keep up the good work!
Spent 7 months out in Afghan on herrick 11 based in FOB wishtan. I spent 2 months in PB Tangers and lived like a king, we built a oven which we name a ( Govan) out of a small Hesco section and mud / clay. We mad pizza, roast chicken and bread in it, also made one at PB chakaw. You can rough it or you can make the best of a situation. B COY , 1 SCOTS op herrick 11, 3 Rifles battle group.
My best ever buy was a 9.99 tent from lidl, I used it for ten years all across Europe and UK including the top of Scotland where the wind tore a really expensive tent to ribbons. I gave it to a homeless charity a few years ago with utter believe in its usefulness as a shelter from the elements. Pound for Pound one of my best buys ever.
I used to have a bivy tent similar to the one you showed first. Except with a separate rain fly. Yes, not only "snug" but the reason I tossed it is because of the way the door opens. To the sky. So, anything falling, including rain, will immediately get on your head rest area.
Are you not afraid of animals at night? This is the main thing keeping me from outside camping. Deer, boars, wolves - no bad experiences so far? I would of course avoid areas with bears so those are not an issue, but everything else... Thanks! :D
You're welcome. US Marines def. travel light and are VERY used to roughing it, not like you Royal Marine ladies... 😁 I'm generally ok with spiders, but those bastards... whoa. Semper Fidelis, Mate.
I HATED THOSE FESTIVAL TENTS!! They are easy to deploy but if its raining hard and the wind is blowing that tent can get very uncomfortable very quickly. I also found that though it was a bit spacious come morning after sleeping inside with my wife the condensation made everything damp and cold. We woke that morning of what was supposed to be a 3 day weekend bikers rally with some close friends and just packed up and drove the 65 miles back home. That tent ruined what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway filled with live bands crazy bikers activities and a lot of alcohol, just what I needed after my third cycle of chemotherapy.
I've camped in many different places in the world, from the tropics to the Alps, hitchhiked across N USA, Scotland in Winter, Ireland & Wales in Atlantic driven RAIN, there is NOTHING to beat a proper TENT with sewn in groundsheet & flysheet. If in hot countries, the flysheet can be used as a tarp for shade, but tarps useless at keeping out insects, dust, and above all wind chill. Any challengers? Come join me in stormy N Wales or Scotland in Winter, tarp vs tent, let's see who gives in first.
Guday from WA! (Western Australia) The first "coffin" is called a 'Swag'. The versatile sheet Army issue we called a "Hoochie" and I used them but in the 70s (standard Aust Army issue).
Love how you called the DPM basha old school ! When we used them they where called a ponch when you wore it and a basher when you slept under it and they where green!!! Great video though !
The wind and a small storm would beat the shit out of the second blue slinky tent. Probably great for kids in the back yard. Why doesn't your military poncho have a head hole?
As a former Marine, I really enjoyed working around you guys in Afghanistan. It also helped that you were “allowed” beer on your camp! Camel spiders! They say they are harmless. But , no thanks!
I'm gonna be picky here, a Poncho has a hole in the middle for the head to poke through, ask a Mexican, a Basha is a military term for a sheet of material that can be used in many configurations to provide a shelter from the weather. I like the hooped bivi, I have a double hooped GoreTex bivi bag which I use in conjunction with a DPM Basha for woodland, I took the grab handles off the basha so it's a bit lighter and packs a bit easier, I use my 4x3 tarp for hammocking and occasionally I use my Terra Nova Solar 1 tent for hikes like Hadrians Wall and a bigger tent with separate sleeping / living quarters for the wife and I, the kids are now in their 20's so they don't partake no more, but the hooped bivi and basha is what I prefer to use. Good video Nick.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 Back in 79/80 we were issued ponchos, the smaller OD green rain cover with a hood in the middle, issue basha sheets weren't out back then, many a wet, cold and uncomfortable night up on the wooded knoll on Woodbury Common under those thing's 👌🏻👍🏻
Great video Nick thoroughly enjoying them. Reading other comments it makes me think of my career as a Psychiatric Nurse and also Qualified in CBT. I am no longer registered as a Nurse and hearing your story of the PTSD you suffer from makes me regret leaving my career. Unfortunately I retired due to health issues mainly, orthopaedic . Looking forward to seeing future vids and possibly booking some time at happy valley when I get a new pair of knees. Great stuff.
Kept my poncho for ages but it got torn one year so just replaced it with a cheap ground sheet from go outdoors still use the old tarp between too trees with bungee chords or guide ropes an pin the back to the ground as a shelter with a 180° view when I'm out stealth camping sometimes... old military training never leaves us lol
I have the Terra Nova version of the first one, mine’s described as a bivvy and that’s what I bought it as, my one man tent, also Terra Nova, is bigger and more spacious?
nice video, i have a question, i have a 6ft wide by 6ft long by 4.92ft tall, single wall tent, what is the best tarp in terms of size to cover my tent and protet it from the heat of the sun?
ah - pop up tents... Back in the day when they were a complete novelty my brother was camping and hang-gliding with mates - one of whom had one of these pop-ups. After boring them all with how wonderful it was everyone went to bed. In the night a storm came in ( if your hang gliding you tend to set up camp in more unusual places than most, apparently!). People were woken by sounds over the wind of 'SLAP' 'nuf nuf nuf' repeated for some time. Turns out the pop up tent was collapsing on the chap with the Sind and the 'nuf nuf nuf' was him been woken before popping his tent back up. Needless to say, he was found asleep in his car in the morning............ I believe he went and bought himself a new tent as soon as he could.