Essential gear for wild camping

Don’t go without your…

GAS STOVE

The quickest way to get a brew on the hill or boil up enough water for a dehydrated meal is by using an integrated gas canister stove, like the

Jetboil Flash (right, £115, www.jetboil.com). Coming with an insulated, FluxRing pot (big enough for wet meal pouches, and stowing the burner/gas canister), this incredibly efficient stove system boils halfa-litre of water in around 2 minutes. Simpler upright stoves, like the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 (£33, www.msrgear.com) can cost much less and take up very little room in your rucksack, but they aren’t as stable as remote cartridge stoves, like that included in the Primus Prime Tech Stove Set 1.3L (£115,

www.primus.eu). These better support larger pots and offer superior heat control, letting you cook up more exciting dishes.

TENT

Potentially the bulkiest and heaviest bit of kit in your rucksack, it’s worth investing in a tent with the optimum formula of low weight, generous space and durable parts. Weighing 1200g, the Hilleberg Enan (below, £600, www.

hilleberg.com) belongs in a league of super-light, one-man marvels. This threeseason tunnel tent employs lightweight fabrics and a single pole design, yet is remarkably roomy and strong. The Wild Country Zephyros 2 (£150, www.

terra-nova.co.uk) may be heavier and bulkier, but it proves you don’t have to spend a fortune on a decent tent for wild camping. Geodesic or semi-geodesic tents, like the MSR Elixir 2 (£230, www.msrgear.com) are a more stable design for gusty mountain conditions, but generally aren’t as light or compact as tunnel tents.

SLEEPING BAG

Wild camping demands a sleeping bag with a high warmth-to-weight ratio – i.e. it should be as light and compact as possible, while keeping you as warm as possible. At just over a kilo, with a comfort rating of -8°C, the Rab Neutrino 600 (below, £410, www.rab.equipment/uk) excels in this role. An efficient, mummy-shaped bag, its baffles are filled with goose down (high-loft, insulating under-feathers) that traps heat and is treated with a hydrophobic coating to retain its loft when damp. Synthetic fill bags, like the Mountain Hardwear Lamina Z Flame (£140, www.mountainhardwear.com) generally cost less and won’t lose their insulating loft when wet, but are heavier and bulkier.