Camping Advice

Camping in UK in Feb? Your problem is budget v performance. I have a cheapo sleep mat, got it on Amazon for 40 quid or so. By Trekology I think, got a wee pillow too, that was about £14. Wouldn't fancy them this time of year mind. Better ones will have much better thermal properties but cost far more. People like Sea to Summit or Thermarest are the blue chip names. Sleeping bag-same rules apply. If you're not backpacking you can also carry one of those yoga mats with a Bacofoil side to give a bit more insulation.
A good name for decent performance at reasonable cost is Vango, paid about £50 for a three season bag. You will deffo need at least a threee season bag, I'd suggest. Rab make good gear but again, not cheap.
Cooking, just have a little Jetboil. Not cheap but feckin brill at boiling up quick. And all packs away into itself. Emergency only I reckon, it's a caff time of year!
If you are near to a Go Outdoors store, good selection of gear and if you pay a fiver for a membership card you can get discount and access to a pricematch policy.

Happy camping dude!

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...j9h9z6qNX1AhWQTsAKHapHDCwQ9aACegQIARBe&adurl=

 

+ 1 for the Jetboil
https://www.jetboil.com
I can recommend this as a reasonably priced option
https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/ayacucho-sirius-200-sleeping-bag-D2222158.html?colour=2023

 

Great advice from @Smilinjack got to agree with all he says, plus that kinda winter gear takes a lot of packing on a bike, doable cos done it but not easy in all truth, and by God it's cold so cold you beg for mornings.
Enjoy
PS
Buy some decent thermal under gear.

 

A Thermarest is superb, 3/4 one just to keep your upper body warm and bulk / price down (or most of you, if you're on the shorter side like I am). Not cheap, but for me along with my jetboil a game changer. I really rate Snugpak Softie sleeping bags, I have had one for over twenty years that's still in great condition but again not cheap. A silk liner is also fantastic. It really depends how much you're going to use this kit. All of the kit that I like is compact, light to carry and robust but can be horrible on the wallet if you go for it all at once!

 

^ This guy. All day long.

 

I would go for an air bed to get you off of the ground. But do not inflate it any more than is absolutely necessary otherwise you won’t be as comfortable as you could be.

 

Be sure to leave room to pack this, too.

 

They'd be pretty cold in February without taking extra kit to insulate it (and bulky to take on the bike I would have thought).

 

On a more serious note, Ray, have fun, stay safe (and warm!), and let us know how it goes. Remember, photos please or it didn't happen.

 

I did my time sleeping on the ground… and in holes. I'm no prima donna but at this point I want a proper shelter. Nothing fancy required- 4 rigid walls and a roof, some kind of proper bedding up off the ground, rudimentary climate control and ventilation. If necessary I can improvise most creature comforts outside those provisions, to include bathing/showering.

Plus after a day of hard riding you're going to want a proper bed to relax all the kinks and cramps out of you. Sleeping on the ground is for Boy Scouts, bums… and the Infantry.

 

If you are planning on doing a lot of motorcycle camping in the future then this might be worth the investment..........it is definitely something I've coveted for a long while
https://wingmanoftheroad.com
I would probably change out the sleeping bag though or add a silk liner (they are a game changer)

 

Hi Ray,i used to sell camping gear and i've got one sleeping bag liner left in the shop you can have it FOC, if you want to PM me your address i'll post it off to you

 

I've been camping once, never ever again.

 

I love camping, but haven't done a lot in winter, I'm mainly a spring/summer/autumn person who definitely leans towards summer.... However the very few times I camped in cold conditions the two major things that I'd say you need to deal with is insulation from the ground and condensation from the inner tent. My solution was an airbed with an insulation mat on top. The mat is a necessity. Perhaps a lightweight campbed with an insulation mat might be better? The condensation was reduced by using a cotton inner tent which didn't drip like the supposedly high tech north face tent I borrowed for the purpose, first time around and never again. I'm sure there are more technical solutions. The other is a decent down sleeping bag, mummy type with a hood that you can pull closed. These days I've been impressed by those thin fleece blankets that you can get from the likes of QD etc. They pack small but put them in the sleeping bag and they are far better than the cotton liners I've used in the past.
It might be worth packing a few of those activated carbon heat pads, the ones you expose to the air and they give out heat for upto 8 hours. Like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/HEAT-compa...id=1643454432&sprefix=heat+pad,aps,395&sr=8-6
Whatever you take I hope it all goes well. With the changing climate and location Feb can vary a lot these days....
Are you heading off to the dragon rally?

 

It was mainly to insulate from the cold ground and give comfort. I just happened to have one to hand and folded and deflated properly it measures 430x250x25mm so not out of the question.

 

If you insist on "roughing it," one piece of lightweight gear advice I can give you is this…

"A poncho hooch."

Get a USGI or similar rain poncho with grommets, some large and small bungies, and maybe some form of stakes(6" nails will do)and some paracord, and you can hang a poncho hootch between 2 trees. Just hook the bungies up to two nearby trees/bushes and go from there. Take you maybe 5 minutes to put together and another 5 to take down and pack away. Whole thing rolls up to maybe the size of a mason jar. There's several ways to configure them. Just use your imagination and practice it a couple times in your back yard. EXTREMELY handy when carry space is limited.

Keep you dry as a bone as long as the weather doesn't get too-too crazy. The top photo is probably the most efficient and weather-proof method. I've spent days in them under snow.

Just type "poncho hooch" or "poncho tent" into a YouTube search. You'll get a few pages of tutorials.

 

I used to use those then went to the jungle and found these, yet another game changer
https://hennessyhammock.co.uk