Camping

Coleman duel fuel featherweight. Also runs on unleaded petrol. Made coffee and scrambled eggs on the wall by Brighton beach using one of these

Heading to the Peak District for some camping next weekend with children and mates and their children. Anyone recommended any specific sites? At least need a functioning toilet block.

We camped in North Lees campground at Easter a couple of years back. Despite the frost it was a nice spot and a mile and a bit from Hathersage, which has some lovely pubs - I think it was the Scotsman Inn which did music in the evenings. The campsite not only had toilets but showers as well.

A good family one at Holmfirth if you are north. Often go past this small one at Hurdlow and it tends to have a few campers in it next to the Tissington trail, close to Buxton. Similarly Hulme End, not stayed at but always looks fairly busy / a nice spot near the Manifold paths.

Wonderful! Thanks both, great suggestions. Will let you know where we end up and report back with results :)

Off on a weekend camping with a mate and two sets of kids, thinking about sharing one large tent.

Any recommendation or ideas to anywhere these can be hired? Don’t fancy taking the plunge on something that might not get used that much.

Camping stove recommendations?

Been pretty happy with this, but only lasted two years worth of camping.
So ideally something similar, without breaking the bank.

Alpkit Koro?

https://www.alpkit.com/products/koro

Have used a MSR pocket rocket 2 before for backpacking. Tiny and effective.

Looks super, but also twice the amount I'd like to spend.. I know, buy cheap buy twice..

I've used one as well, but I am looking for one that stands on its own rather than having to balance the gas canister

Planet X have a wide selection of Fire-Maple stoves from £20 for alloy and steel to £40 for titanium. There's a 20% off code at the moment.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/outdoor/cooking/stoves?sort=price-asc

The vango version has done me well for 4 or 5 years. Did TMB with it too.
https://www.millets.co.uk/equipment/114380-vango-folding-gas-stove.html/555251/?utm_source=Google

Question....

I see all the blackout fabric tents and I am jealous.
Is it possible to buy a blackout bedroom pod/insert to fit in an existing tent?

I have a Vango 500 Icarus. It feels like it should be an accessory upgrade.

I'm not sure...but an eyemask works well, unless you've already tried that and it's not for you

What is this majic you talk about?! Black out tents?! Someone finally had sense?

I just bit the bullet yesterday and bought a new 5 person blackout tent. Seems a little silly when I already have a decent big tent, but happy to throw money at getting extra sleep when camping with a toddler.

This in bucket loads.

Fuck the sun while Camping at 430am.

relevant meme

It's not the light that wakes me, it's heat - do the blackout ones stay cooler somehow? I bet they'll be warmer if anything

I am going for a 2 week solo bikepacking trip, and I was thinking of buying a jetboil to sort out my cooking equipment, I mostly eat rice/porridge/soups anyway when camping on cycling trips..

Any drawbacks to using a jetboil?

where you going? :)

Jetboil pros: it's probably the quickest way of boiling water.

Jetboil drawbacks: whatever you eat or drink needs to be based on boiling water. So that's coffee, tea, rehydrated stuff like noodles or boil in the bag. You can't really cook real meals on it.
You can't 'gently simmer', it has two settings: off and 'rocket flame'. Look at the Pocket Rocket etc if you want more versatility.

There's different capacities - the 0.8 is probably fine if it's just you, or the 1.0 litre if there's 2 of you.

Thanks for the extensive reply.

I treat rice/porridge/noodles all like boil in the bag food, as in no real need to simmer them, at most cook on medium/high flame for a minute or so.

I love cooking, but while camping on bike trips I never have the ingredients nor the cooking utensils to cook anyway, so I downgrade to survival mode: food = calories = pedaling power.
Or just eat somewhere if I want nicer food.

The pros of the jetboil for me are: quick and efficient (read: less concern on sourcing gas canisters), single assembly mug+burner.. I started this thinking of more points, but I think this is it.

Have you tried one yourself?

Exploring the Pyrenees, from side to side. I only have a flight into Girona and one out from Biarritz 12 days later at the moment.

Yep, I have the Jetboil Zip. I've never used it for any lengthy trips, more as a 'make a cup of tea without having to get the proper stove out' fix when we're putting the tent up when I go away with family. It all packs down small enough to fit in a bar bag so I've done the odd overnight trip on the bike with it.

It takes canisters you can find anywhere, and they're the 100g ones so not much weight on the bike. I think I'd get depressed if I ate from it too much over two weeks ; ), but spaced between a few 'proper' food stops it wouldn't be a bad solution.