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New and learning North East UK

Just a thought :)

Time is on your side NKari.....choose your kit wisely and at your leisure while continuing to build up your walking/hiking stamina and still enjoying the outdoors.......research your options at length. :)

The most important bit of kit is YOU!!

As far as boots go.....if you can.....make the effort to go to a retailer and arrange a fitting......time well spent...... and may save you money and blisters in the long run.
While there..... talk about socks and foot powder.

Good base layers are so worth the money as are mid layers......avoid cotton if you can.

A good breathable/windproof and waterproof outer shell is a must.....preferably with venting zips and a hood.......waist and hem ties.

Hat and gloves.....peak cap......a good elasticated belt.

Try to avoid cotton/canvas type trousers......nothing wrong with them but they are slow to dry and stick to you in wet or sweaty conditions......consider a stretchy material and quick drying......you will appreciate them while hiking.

As mentioned above a reasonable back pack.....again.....go and try them out if you can.

Big enough at first........ to take your water bottle.....brew kit......snacks......small tarp and cordage......first aid kit etc.......you will more than likely end up with a couple of packs......differing sizes for different applications.

All the other kit will follow on when you decide exactly what you want to do.....and for how long in what conditions.......winter.....spring.........autumn or summer :thumbsup:
 
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Just a thought :)

Time is on your side NKari.....choose your kit wisely and at your leisure while continuing to build up your walking/hiking stamina and still enjoying the outdoors.......research your options at length. :)

The most important bit of kit is YOU!!

As far as boots go.....if you can.....make the effort to go to a retailer and arrange a fitting......time well spent...... and may save you money and blisters in the long run.
While there..... talk about socks and foot powder.

Good base layers are so worth the money as are mid layers......avoid cotton if you can.

A good breathable and waterproof outer shell is a must.....preferably with venting zips and a hood.......waist and hem ties.

Hat and gloves.....peak cap......a good elasticated belt.

Try to avoid cotton/canvas type trousers......nothing wrong with them but they are slow to dry and stick to you in wet or sweaty conditions......consider a stretchy material and quick drying......you will appreciate them while hiking.

As mentioned above a reasonable back pack.....again.....go and try them out if you can.

Big enough at first........ to take your water bottle.....brew kit......snacks......small tarp and cordage......first aid kit etc.......you will more than likely end up with a couple of packs......differing sizes for different applications.

All the other kit will follow on when you decide exactly what you want to do.....and for how long in what conditions.......winter.....spring.........autumn or summer :thumbsup:
Well said Bill! The first thing anyone needs is good, suitable clothing. It's worth spending a bit of cash on it too, quality shows in this field and will repay you handsomely.
 
Now to your specific questions @NKari : You wanted local groups, @Madriverrob may be able to improve on my suggestions as he's closer to you but here are a few:
The Nighthawk Adventurer Knife - This will certainly do you, though I suspect that at 10 inches long it will be a bit big and unwieldy for a lady's hands.
Alaska superior 2 suit - This looks like good kit. A longer jacket would be my preference and I am dubious about it being water 'repellant' rather than waterproof. Following the link you gave you may rue Brexit! There is a strong likelyhood that unless you can find a seller in the UK you will have to pay import duty if you have to have it shipped in.
A good tent - You will get what you pay for in most cases. The ultra-lite tents are usually ultra-priced too. I have outlined my thoughts about size and I do recommend Vango, they're reasonable priced & moderately good quality. If I were in your shoes I would go for this, or something similar:
It is a tunnel tent, which are usually bomb-proof in any weather.
One last thing to think about. Most groups, or group members, have plenty of kit. They can usually be easily convinced to lend you some of their kit to try out. This is certainly true of this forum and if you come to our meet there are plenty of folk who can lend you just about anything you need. This is mostly true of the groups I have been in. So don't lash out on expensive gear until you've had a chance to look around and see, and possibly try out, what others are using. A classic example would be a hammock, until you've tried it you won't know if it suits you. (Try before you buy!) Exception to this, and as Bill has said, the first thing is suitable clothing, it's unlikely that any of us are your size! šŸ˜€ You might want to have your own sleeping bag too.
Edit: I have no idea why one of the groups is showing up in Chinese characters - the link works ok though.
 
I second that about Vango. My big tent is a Vango 5 person which gives me plenty of room to have a chair inside or cook in the porch...Its Waterproof and stays up in whatever bad weather Wales has thrown at it with the help of some big hand cut wooden tent pegs. A lot of the guys upgrade their tent pegs to cope with soft ground or windy conditionsā€¦an inexpensive but worthwhile modification.
 
Gettin dizzy
Anyway from my limited camping experience in my youff, you need to spend the money on the stuff that protects you and keeps you going.
A tent is a tent, until a force 6 gale blows in overnight, then s good tent is still a tent and not a pile of rags pegged to thd floor. And I've seen this happen.
 
Thanks for letting me know about the move. Some good advice given here so thank you! IM mostly just doing some walking for now and trying to save some pennies for the stuff that's going to keep me warm and dry.

Any recommendations for sleeping systems? I have basic foam mats for now but my sleeping back is almost as old as I am. So probably should invest in a new "good" one
 
Thanks for letting me know about the move. Some good advice given here so thank you! IM mostly just doing some walking for now and trying to save some pennies for the stuff that's going to keep me warm and dry.

Any recommendations for sleeping systems? I have basic foam mats for now but my sleeping back is almost as old as I am. So probably should invest in a new "good" one
A good cheap bag would be an ex army one until you can afford something better, My bag is good to well below freezing but is a bit on the weighty side
 
Take your pick! Joe is right, an ex-army sleeping bag is the way to go. Cheap, good quality and rugged, but usually heavy - which is true of all ex-army gear.
MilitaryMart are in Ormskirk, Lancs and I have used them often. Never had a problem.
 
BTW: Did you notice that WYB are having a meet at Hainworth Wood towards the end of this month.
 
If you went for the current issue sleeping bag system youā€™d get a summer bag and an intermediate bag that when doubled up together is a winter bag ā€¦.


Out of stock here but loads about on fleabayand with other surplus stockists šŸ‘
 
Hi NKari, did you find your bushcraft course?

Bushcraft courses don't come cheap, Ben McNutt and Lisa Fenton used to run Woodsmoke up in the lakes which is your neck of the woods (ish) and they were both good instructors but I dont think they run them anymore. Might be worth googling Ben Mcnutt as I think he's moved onto another company.

Woodlore aka Ray Mears is also good and charges top dollar and to be honest most of the basic courses he offers you can learn else where cheaper. I've been out of the system for a while now so I'm not sure who runs course "up north" these days, I know when I worked for Woodlore and later ran my own stuff the south was saturated in bushcraft schools and still is as every tom, dick and harry is an expert these days..

If your interested in learning the basics most of it can be self taught, that's how a lot of people started out back in the day. I used to read a lot of books and then go out and try to copy the things I'd read about, great way to learn i.e from your mistakes. Trick with bushcraft is to remember there isn't any one way to do something, it's what works for you, don't get sucked in to the "Ray Mears does it this way so that's gospel" mind set there's more than one way to skin a cat as the saying goes.

Learning is all the fun with bushcraft, just go out and enjoy.

PaulN's last reply was spot on to - when I first became interested in Bushcraft the ideal was to go out with just a knife, a billy and a blanket, everything else you needed skills provided. In the last twenty years that has become so diluted by kit that bushcraft almost isn't bushcraft any more it's more what I call wild camping (and usually not so wild as you need to be in hiking distance of a car to hump all the kit in) - I like to travel as light as possible and use knowledge to replace the kit I don't need to carry. As the old saying goes, "don't replace missing knowledge with kit, learn to replace missing kit with knowledge!"

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on - good luck.
 
We seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet Gary.
Hi NKari, did you find your bushcraft course?

Bushcraft courses don't come cheap, Ben McNutt and Lisa Fenton used to run Woodsmoke up in the lakes which is your neck of the woods (ish) and they were both good instructors but I dont think they run them anymore. Might be worth googling Ben Mcnutt as I think he's moved onto another company.

Woodlore aka Ray Mears is also good and charges top dollar and to be honest most of the basic courses he offers you can learn else where cheaper. I've been out of the system for a while now so I'm not sure who runs course "up north" these days, I know when I worked for Woodlore and later ran my own stuff the south was saturated in bushcraft schools and still is as every tom, dick and harry is an expert these days..

If your interested in learning the basics most of it can be self taught, that's how a lot of people started out back in the day. I used to read a lot of books and then go out and try to copy the things I'd read about, great way to learn i.e from your mistakes. Trick with bushcraft is to remember there isn't any one way to do something, it's what works for you, don't get sucked in to the "Ray Mears does it this way so that's gospel" mind set there's more than one way to skin a cat as the saying goes.

Learning is all the fun with bushcraft, just go out and enjoy.

PaulN's last reply was spot on to - when I first became interested in Bushcraft the ideal was to go out with just a knife, a billy and a blanket, everything else you needed skills provided. In the last twenty years that has become so diluted by kit that bushcraft almost isn't bushcraft any more it's more what I call wild camping (and usually not so wild as you need to be in hiking distance of a car to hump all the kit in) - I like to travel as light as possible and use knowledge to replace the kit I don't need to carry. As the old saying goes, "don't replace missing knowledge with kit, learn to replace missing kit with knowledge!"

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on - good luck.
 
Hi NKari, did you find your bushcraft course?

Bushcraft courses don't come cheap, Ben McNutt and Lisa Fenton used to run Woodsmoke up in the lakes which is your neck of the woods (ish) and they were both good instructors but I dont think they run them anymore. Might be worth googling Ben Mcnutt as I think he's moved onto another company.

Woodlore aka Ray Mears is also good and charges top dollar and to be honest most of the basic courses he offers you can learn else where cheaper. I've been out of the system for a while now so I'm not sure who runs course "up north" these days, I know when I worked for Woodlore and later ran my own stuff the south was saturated in bushcraft schools and still is as every tom, dick and harry is an expert these days..

If your interested in learning the basics most of it can be self taught, that's how a lot of people started out back in the day. I used to read a lot of books and then go out and try to copy the things I'd read about, great way to learn i.e from your mistakes. Trick with bushcraft is to remember there isn't any one way to do something, it's what works for you, don't get sucked in to the "Ray Mears does it this way so that's gospel" mind set there's more than one way to skin a cat as the saying goes.

Learning is all the fun with bushcraft, just go out and enjoy.

PaulN's last reply was spot on to - when I first became interested in Bushcraft the ideal was to go out with just a knife, a billy and a blanket, everything else you needed skills provided. In the last twenty years that has become so diluted by kit that bushcraft almost isn't bushcraft any more it's more what I call wild camping (and usually not so wild as you need to be in hiking distance of a car to hump all the kit in) - I like to travel as light as possible and use knowledge to replace the kit I don't need to carry. As the old saying goes, "don't replace missing knowledge with kit, learn to replace missing kit with knowledge!"

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on - good luck.
No I never did get round to booking. one. As you mention the process can be high and while I might still try to get to one at some time, I feel i agree with you and Paul. I have been reading a few boos recently and playing about with some simple things (feather sticks, and some ties for taps ect) from them. The two I have for now are SAS Survival Guide and Bush craft 101. Both or Amazon

I haven't been doing much outdoors recently due to work and also trying to get some vegetables and such started for this year and making some ground suitable for planting ect.

I think I would like to get to that level when I can pick up my bag and just build a little shelter and relax but, I'm not there yet. and I very much do like to take anything I learn and do it in a way that usually fits me, mistakes and all. However I will be doing some more glamping trips also when the occasion calls for it. I will be attending one of the local meets if I can get my shifts to fall right and learn form those who are happy to share. But I am more solitary and will be looking to do things solo or with very small groups or just me and another.

Thanks of for you comments and Ill definitely be posting here when I do some more trips or progress a bit more. Im getting a few bits when I can afford d it also and my latest (bit of an impulse by was an axe) may need some sharpening though as it was from a store.
 
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