how to make a simple tent peg

Wild Camping Part Two - Shelter

Andy Torbet

Extreme adventurer and explorer, presenter and zoologist

What you'll need to wild camp will depend on the weather and how close you want to get to nature. It also depends on how long you're out for. But let's assume it's a single overnighter and you can extrapolate from there.

Your basic needs when you stop for the night is food to recover from all the adventurous activities and to fuel up for more tomorrow. You'll also need some degree of shelter from the elements in order to recover and get a good night's sleep. I'll deal with food and cooking next week but for now let's look at shelter.

The greater the degree of shelter and comfort the greater the weight I'm afraid. Less of a problem when you're using something like a canoe or kayak but if you're trekking into your campsite or parachuting in and weight is an issue then you do not want to be carrying the equivalent of a fruit machine on your back. So at the top end is a tent.

A tent will keep the wind off, the rain off and give a degree of extra warmth and privacy. It's the best option as far as pure shelter is concerned, however, it has disadvantages too. Foremost is its weight. The weight can be shared between your compatriots depending on how big the tent is but it's still relatively heavy, although some very lightweight versions are now available. However, the lighter the tent the weaker it is, usually, which means something that will cope with a high altitude mountain storm will weigh more than something you use on a beach on a summer's night. Tents take time to put up which can be a pain when it's wet, windy, you're tired and just want to go to bed. But the biggest drawback for me is that it removes you from the environment. There is also bulk and I prefer to keep things small and compact, especially if I'm climbing or moving through restrictive terrain (e.g. dense forest or jungle). Although sometimes a tent is essential. If it's minus 30 outside, an eighty mile an hour wind is blowing and it's snowing (which I've experienced) you'll be very grateful for your tent. But normally I like to be out under the stars. So the other option is a bivi.

This consists of a sleeping bag and a bivi bag, which is effectively a waterproof shell for your sleeping bag. This way you can literally sleep under the stars. If it's likely to rain I often take a basha (an Army term) which is just a small tarpaulin that you can set up over you to get the worst of the rain and wind off you. You simply run a line between two trees, lay the tarpaulin over it and secure it to the ground at the corners - so it looks like the roof of a house. The worse the weather the closer you should secure it to the ground to keep drafts out. If there are no trees where you're going you can take two lightweight extendable poles or use your walking poles.

The final thing to cover is the sleeping mat. The more comfortable they are the heavier they are but that extra thickness also insulated you from the ground, making you considerably warmer, allows you to sleep on rockier ground and will allow for a better night's sleep. People are divided on this and it may depend on how long you are out for whether you can cope with less quality to your sleep but I'm a fan of sleeping well when I'm out. A little extra weight is worth the chance to recover properly during the night. The foam, inflatable mats are good. They are comfortable and warmer for their weight but expensive and can be punctured so require more looking after. The simple foam mats are very cheap and won't puncture but are less comfortable, warm and are bulky. My final top tip is, if you're bivi-ing, stick your mat inside your bivi bag. It'll keep it dry and stop you sliding off it. However, a word of caution, if the ground has sharps on it (sharp stones, sticks or bits of wire, rubbish, etc ( I've had to camp on a beach with broken glass over it once while sea kayaking)) put the mat (ideally a non-inflaltable one) on the bottom - they are much cheaper to replace than a bivi bag.

You can also consider a hammock. These aren't just for the jungle, I've used them in Scotland. You can string it between two trees, still rig your basha over the top if it's raining (although you need some extra string to tie to the corners and extend it to your ground anchors) and you won't need a mat to sleep on, thereby saving weight as a hammock weighs much less than a mat. However, the lack of mat can reduce the insulation on your back as you're lying, and crushing, your sleeping bag. I'll often pack the hammock with my clothes to overcome this: wet clothes on the outside of the bivi bag, dry ones on the inside. Obviously if there are no trees of rocks to hang a hammock it's not a great option.

And finally consider your site. Try and get out of the wind, find an area where the ground is not wet or likely to become wet (I knew someone who camped in a ditch. Dry and sheltered from the wind but when it rained during the night it became a stream...). Look for a patch of flat and even ground, sloping ground will have you waking up all night, and clear away any rocks, sticks or debris. A little time in site selection and preparation will pay dividends when you climb into bed.

Oh and one very last point - dry bags. If you only buy one then buy one big enough for your sleeping bag...in fact buy two and double bag it. If every other bit of kit gets a soaking then one piece that must stray dry is your sleeping bag. Trust me.

Next week I'll deal with food and cooking.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andy-torbet/wild-camping-part-two-she_b_16186696.html

jews ear

Hey guys, fancy trying this?

Go down to the woods today - and stay there

Wild camping is a fantastic way to get children out in to the natural world and engage their imaginations. So whether you're interested in a back garden campfire or getting lost in the forest. Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks offer a guide to finding a campsite and building a shelter, and then show you how to make fire and get cooking.

Building a one-person leaf hut

It only takes a couple of hours to build a well-insulated and waterproof shelter using nature's ready-made materials - you don't even need a knife. This shelter is designed to conserve body heat and will even keep out the rain. The smaller it is, the quicker it warms up.

Choose a site - ideally a tree with a fork or notch about 1m (39in) off the ground. Make sure there are no standing dead trees nearby. Prepare the ground by taking a few minutes to clear away sticks and stones. Find three long, reasonably straight fallen branches. Place the end of the strongest branch into the fork or notch, and the other end on the ground; this is the ridgepole. Our boys wedged their ridgepole between the trunks of two trees growing right beside each other. Place the other two branches on the ground parallel to the ridge pole but wide enough apart for someone to lie between. Collect masses of dead sticks and line them up along one side of the frame to make a wall. The closer they are together, the warmer and more waterproof the hut will be, but don't let them extend beyond the top of the ridgepole.

Do the same on the other side, but leave a gap of at least 50cm (20in) near the tree trunk. This will be the entrance. On each side of this gap push two forked sticks into the ground. These will support a roof over the entrance, constructed in the same way as the rest of the shelter. Cover the whole shelter in fallen leaves, starting at the ground and working upwards. If you have a tarpaulin, use it to carry the leaves to the shelter. The thicker the thatch of leaves, the warmer and drier you will be.

A well-made leaf hut lasts for months, so in order to leave the wood as you found it, dismantle the shelter before you go home.

The DIY tent

Our families celebrated the summer solstice by camping out. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so our DIY tent just had to keep off the dew. Once the shelter was up and we had installed groundsheets and sleeping bags, we gathered round the fire on rug-covered straw bales for a feast of curry and smoked fish, washed down with beer and elderflower cordial. Under that DIY tent we could smell the damp earth and hear all the night rustlings, and the following morning we watched the sun come up, accompanied by the dawn chorus.

What you need

Camping like this doesn't require expensive gear and gadgets, just a few basic tools and some simple equipment: an axe and bushcraft knives; large tarpaulin or sheet of plastic; rope or paracord; groundsheet or sleeping mats or both.

Cut two poles of hazel, about 2m (7ft) long. Sharpen one end of each pole. Make some tent pegs out of shorter lengths of hazel about 25cm (10in) long, sharpening one end and carving a notch in the other. Choose a suitable location for your shelter on level ground. Push the sharpened end of one of the poles into the ground and hold it in place. Push the other pole into the ground 2m-3m (7ft-10ft) from the first one, depending on the size of your tarp.

Fasten a length of rope between the poles, tension it and tie it securely on to each pole, creating the ridge. Attach two guy ropes from each pole to secure them firmly in place. Slide the tarp or plastic sheeting over the ridge until there is the same amount of material on each side. Attach short guy ropes along the sides of your DIY tent, and secure them in place with pegs.

How to go wild camping

Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental impact. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively and leave no trace.

Why do you need shelter?

Before you make your shelter, consider the weather forecast and what you need the shelter to do. Does it need to keep you warm or cool? Does it need to keep you dry? Does it need to keep you safe, or keep insects and other creatures away? Even in summer the ground can get cool and damp overnight, so perhaps you need to make a bed to prevent heat loss. Sometimes you won't need a shelter at all; there's nothing quite like sleeping under the stars on a warm, still night.

What sort of shelter?

Don't over-complicate things. Shelters should be easy to construct and they must do the job you want them to do, using what's around you or a tent or tarpaulin you have brought with you.

Finding places to camp

Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organisations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it's fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner's permission, except on some large estates and national parks. Camping is about getting away from it all, sleeping outdoors, experiencing the elements and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully equipped campsite seems at odds with this, so seek out smaller, more remote sites with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure and you may be surprised by how little gear you will make do with when you have to carry everything on your back.

Locating your shelter

Soon after we had pitched our tent one evening, it began to rain, and continued raining all night. Poking our heads out the next morning, we found that we were surrounded by water; our tent happened to be on a slightly raised piece of ground, but the rest of the low-lying marshy field was flooded. Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night's sleep. Choose a discreet campsite with privacy and minimal impact on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new site. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and burrows, and possible sources of biting insects, such as marshy ground. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what impact you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made - altering it should be unnecessary.

Other ways of wild camping

If you don't feel confident about wandering off into the middle of nowhere to camp wild, why not try it out first by joining a trip led by others or by contacting an organisation that runs courses? We found the Wilderness Gathering, held on an English farm over a late summer weekend, particularly inspiring.

Organisations offering camping expeditions in the UK include the Woodcraft Folk, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the Scouts and Guides, Forest Schools or the John Muir Trust.

Some outdoor centres offer opportunities to have a go at bushcraft activities. It's worth finding out what conservation organisations offer - for example, local wildlife trusts, national parks and in the UK the Woodland Trust, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission.

Safe, low-impact fires

"White man make big fire, sit far away - black man make small fire, sit close." The old Aboriginal saying reminds us that you only need a small fire for warmth, cooking and a cheerful glow.

How about a fire in the garden? Fifteen-year-old Jake had invited a crowd of friends round for a party in the garden and felt it would not be complete without a fire.

They lifted turfs and topsoil from an area about 1m (39in) square, leaving it to one side ready to re-lay later, and made a fire on bare soil from wood from the garden.

After a big fry-up the following morning, they dowsed the fire until the ashes were cold. They then mixed and loosened the ashes and soil before replacing the topsoil and turfs and watering them. Although the grass completely recovered after a few weeks, we would only recommend this for rougher areas of garden.

At a bushcraft gathering we saw many small fires being made in a field, but because they were made in a low-impact way, there was no sign of them once all the turfs had been neatly replaced. To improve the recovery of a sward after a fire, make the pit larger than you require and place overturned turfs all around the rim to stop the surrounding grass from being scorched.

Fire without matches

We suggest that young people only try this once they have mastered making a good fire using a match. There are many different tools and techniques for fire starting, all of which produce an ember to ignite fine tinder. Making this ember into a fire involves the following: before you produce the ember, prepare a tinder nest - some fluffy material in a bundle of dried grasses. Once the tinder nest is ignited, lift it in cupped hands and blow softly until a small flame appears. Place the burning tinder on a stone or piece of bark and continue to blow until it is burning well. Now transfer this into a prepared fireplace and gently build a tepee of kindling over it, building up your fire slowly.

Jake tried making fire using a hand drill, one of the world's oldest and most widespread friction methods. He made a long, smooth hazel drill and prepared a notch on a base plate, and then twisted the drill between his hands. Despite great determination he didn't succeed; it is difficult to maintain the friction for long enough. It works best in hot climates with very dry wood. Make a long drill as straight and smooth as possible - rough bits can cause blisters.

Make the base plate or hearth as above, from the same type of wood as the drill, and carve a small notch. Place an ember tray beneath the hearth, as above. Rotate the drill between your palms with a steady downward pressure, working from top to bottom. Spit on your hands to improve your grip and help maintain the friction.

Agnes had made fire by rubbing one dry stick against another along the grain of a piece of wood. To do this, carve a flat surface into the larger stick and then start to move or "plough" the drill along the grain, creating a groove and gradually increasing your speed. The theory is that this produces tinder and then ignites it, but it is not as easy as it sounds.

Cooking methods

Cooking straight on the fire

For cooking, you need a bed of hot coals; flames just blacken food. Light your fire well ahead of time; it takes a while to build up the hot coals. Make sure you have a supply of dry firewood close by. Having built up your fire, use a log or spade to drag a load of hot coals from the middle to the edge; this bed will become your "cooker". Keep the main fire stoked up to create more coals if you need more heat later; you can also increase the temperature of your cooker by fanning it. Make sure your cooking pots are solidly placed on the coals, possibly supported by logs on each side.

Using a potholder

A potholder allows for more even distribution of heat than cooking directly on the fire. Some metal potholders have a chain with which to suspend the pot over the fire; the height of the pot could be varied according to needs. If you don't have a metal potholder, make one out of three sturdy sticks and a chain or piece of strong cord.

Making a dutch oven

We put a cast-iron cooking pot in the heart of the fire and scraped burning wood and ashes all around it to make a Dutch baking oven. The bread we baked was a little burned on the bottom, but we could have prevented that by placing another smaller pan inside to help spread the heat more evenly. Try using a Dutch oven to bake loaves of bread, vegetables, biscuits or even cakes.

Cooking on a metal grill

A sturdily placed grill provides a convenient surface to cook on. Either place the grill over two logs, making sure it is level and stable, or make your fire in a trench and place the grill directly on the ground over the top. Another handy piece of equipment is a double grill with a handle; you can sandwich bacon or sausages inside the grill, which is easily turned over, so you're not likely to lose any supper in the fire.

Cooking on a stick or a spit

Roasting marshmallows on a stick is always popular. To cook bread dough, meat or fish, try using peeled green wood skewers. We rolled this bread dough into a sausage shape and wound it round a cooking stick, which we held over hot coals, turning it occasionally to ensure even cooking.

A friend told us she has cooked sausages on green sticks pushed into the ground beside the fire and tilted towards the heat. Other than turning them a couple of times, you can just leave them to cook. Alternatively, try constructing a simple spit: bang a forked stick into the ground on each side of the fire, make sure the forks are at the same height and then place a third stick across them. You can either hang a pot from this or peel the "spit" and thread your food along it for cooking.

What to cook - basic bread mixture

For a savoury version, add salt and perhaps wild herbs, cheese, olives or sun-dried tomatoes just before cooking. If you have a sweet tooth, try adding honey, dried fruit or chocolate chips.

2 cups of self-raising flour
1 cup of dried milk powder
Up to three-quarters of a cup of water.

Add water a little at a time to the dry ingredients, mixing steadily to produce a non-sticky, kneadable dough that leaves the sides of the bowl and your fingers clean.

Knead the dough on a wooden board, until it is elastic and smooth. Roll the dough into sausage shapes and then wind it around a peeled green twig and cook over the fire for a few minutes. The dough spiral should slide easily off the stick when it is ready. Alternatively, make your dough into bread rolls and bake in a Dutch oven for about 20 minutes.

What to take

There is much conflicting advice, but we feel there are some things you should always carry, and which you may need depending on the season, terrain and length of expedition. Keep your wits about you and use common sense. Know more and carry less.

A few essentials

Water: without it, adventures can be unpleasant at best and life-threatening at worst. A compass: unlike GPS, a compass needs no batteries. A good map of the area. A first-aid kit. A knife.

Other useful equipment

Fire starter, such as flint and steel with dry tinder and matches in a watertight container. Extra clothes and waterproofs. Hats and gloves are particularly important. Children get colder faster than adults, so pack more clothes for them. Sun hat and high-factor sun cream. Torch with extra batteries and bulb or candles or both. Extra food - always take more than you think you will need. Lightweight plastic bivi bag. Sensible footwear, such as walking boots. Waterproof backpack in which to carry your gear. A sleeping bag and sleeping mat; the ground can get cold and wet overnight. Tarpaulin and parachute cord (handy tip: put it in a plastic bottle to keep it neat and untangled) so that you can make a shelter.

Pack for the best-quality experience; if you have a creature comfort you can't do without, take it along - but remember that you will have to carry it. You don't need masses of gear: only take things you will use or which are vital for an emergency.

• Go Wild! by Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks is published by Frances Lincoln, £16.99. To order a copy for £15.99 with free UK p&p go to theguardian.com/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/04/wild-camping

wild camping in the uk 2010 - 2011

Well guys, some pics to inspire you. The peace and beauty of being out there with nature as company is hard to beat. Try it for yourselves!

Wild Camping In England And Wales

Apart from the Dartmoor National Park, there is no policy of open access for wild camping (free camping to some of you!) in the countryside of England and Wales like there is in Scotland.

All land is owned, whether by individuals or organizations, and so the law says that if you want to go wild camping, you should get prior permission from the landowners to avoid trespassing. There's a great article on how to find the owner and ask for permission at Bushcraft UK.

Of course, this may not always be possible and in those circumstances, particularly in remote areas, you may practice wild camping provided that you follow the wild camping code of conduct. However, you should bear in mind that if landowners ask you to leave, then you are legally obliged to do so.

Wild camping is also prohibited on Open Access Lands (shaded orange on Ordnance Survey maps).

Good areas for wild camping are high mountain areas, and national parks such as the Lake District and Snowdonia. Here is our breakdown of the most common areas, roughly in popularity order.

Wild camping in England

Wild camping in Cumbria and the Lake District

There is a tradition of wild camping in the Lake District, so it is well tolerated by landowners as long as you follow the wild camping code, though you aren't allowed to camp on verges or in car parks. That said, there are plenty of organised campsites in most areas of the park too, so wild camping is a better option for when those campsites are out of reasonable walking time.

If you are going to wild camp in the park, pitch your tent at 450m or above and out of sight of any walking paths and any well known tarns. You should keep your stay to a single night for each location, pitch late and leave early, and possibly avoid August when the Lake District gets busier.

Thornthwaite Beacon is one good spot (OS Grid Reference NY 432099), as is Place Fell (NY 405169), though wild camping is all about freedom so generally somewhere higher up and flat is all that you need.

For water, there are plenty of freshwater streams to drink from, but higher altitudes are best. You should still boil and/or sterilise the water before you drink - though there are gadgets to consider such as Water to Go bottles and SteriPEN.

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Wild camping in Derbyshire and the Peak District

Wild camping in the Peak District is discouraged in some areas and banned completely in others. Where landowners might turn a blind eye elsewhere, that's less likely in the Peak District and in summer when the moors are very dry and the fire risk is very high, park rangers will actively move people on.

The National Park Authority don't allow wild camping on any land they own, though bivvying is less objectionable and the rangers are able to use their discretion. If you are a small party, have been discreet, pitched late and are only staying for a single night, you are likely to be left alone. The high fells are your best bet in that scenario.

For most, the White Peak isn't seen as sufficiently wild, and the Dark Peak can be relatively high risk with fires an absolute no-no. Find somewhere well off the beaten track by looking for valleys without marked footpaths - or perhaps try one of the old shooting cabins.

Again, there are designated campsites which should be used where possible.

Wild camping in Devon and Dartmoor

Wild camping on Dartmoor is the exception to the rule in England and Wales and rights for camping are enshrined in the amended National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act.

As a result, Dartmoor National Park is a great choice for wild camping as one or two night breaks are allowed in much of the park. Certain areas, such as Cadover, Haytor, Holne Moor, Roborough and Spitchwick Common are prohibited at all times, as are Dartmoor’s military ranges when in use.

Campers should research the acceptable wild camping areas within the national park, and plan in advance rather than simply turning up and hoping that wild camping is allowed in the area they choose.

As with the Lake District, choose a pitch at least 100m from any road and hidden from roadside and residential view. Do also check the Dartmoor firing times webpage! The army still uses areas of Dartmoor (Okehampton, Willsworthy and Merrivale) for live firing training, though summer weekends are normally clear. You can also watch out for red flags (day) and red lights (night).

Wild camping on Exmoor

Wild camping on Exmoor isn't quite as simple as it is on Dartmoor, but the Park Authority do state that remote single night camping or bivvying as part of a long distance walk is acceptable without seeking permission. As with most National Parks, they are less tolerant of multi-night stays or campers with a vehicle, so that should be avoided.

Some spots to try include Dunkery Beacon (the highest point on Exmoor, OS Grid Reference SS 891415) and Kennisham Forest another (SS 964358).

Wild camping in Cornwall

Whereas other areas tend to be most popular with backpackers, Cornwall sees a lot more campervan and motorhome looking for stop-overs. Many places will turn a blind eye to overnight stays, providing that you're only staying for a single night, and the Cornwall section of the Wild Camping forum has a number of threads with recommendations.

For backpackers, Bodmin Moor (possibly around Gold Diggings quarry, often misspelled Goldiggins, a great area for wild swimming too) is an option, though much of the area is farmland which should be avoided.

Wild camping in Yorkshire, the Dales and the North York Moors

As is the case with the Peak District, wild camping in the Yorkshire Dales is restricted and discouraged - especially during grouse shooting season - however the usual line applies if you are discreet.

Remote and unspoiled Lake Semerwater is one option, but (though previously popular) Kirkby Malham Parish Council have asked us to make it clear that Gordale Scar near Malham is not an appropriate spot. The Parish Council own the land, which is next to a busy footpath and SSSI site, and no camping is allowed there at any time. Instead you should stay at Gordale Campsite.

Wild camping in Wales

Wild camping in Snowdonia

Snowdonia National Park is very wild camping friendly. If you camp high and off the beaten track, pitch late, leave early, and follow the code you will be fine. Use the contours on your OS map to find somewhere flat with water nearby and go for it!

Camping above Aber Falls (OS Grid Reference SH 6685470027) is spectacular.

Wild camping in the Brecon Beacons

As part of visitor management planning, the Brecon Beacons NPA has a list of farmers who allow occasional camping for a small charge. Email them asking for their Camping on Farms leaflet.

Two locations where wild camping is allowed are Melte (OS Grid Reference SN 918084) and Llech Llia (SN 922193), though both locations are restricted to small groups of 10 people or less.

https://www.campsites.co.uk/guides/wild-camping/wild-camping-in-england-and-wales