Instant Upgrades: Wild Camping
Planning a few nights under a canvas roof? You don't have to take the formal approach
Forget designated pitches, toilet blocks and campsite rules: if you want to take your tent-bound adventures to the next level you’d best prepare to go back to nature.
You’re going to need some specialist kit though… such as the six items we’ve assembled below.
1. Osprey Atmos AG 50
The new Atmos rucksack features the first fully ventilated hip belt. Made from a seamless mesh, the back is suspended over a cavity so that it sits away from your body to allow the air to flow freely, preventing you from getting too sweaty on your walk-in.
The shoulder straps and hip belt itself curve around your body like a big hug and spread the pack weight well. As you’d expect, there’s also plenty of pockets, bungee cords and a removable lid to further cut down weight.
Buy the Osprey Atmos AG 50 (£160) here
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2. Hilleberg Anjan 2
When camping wild, you need a tent that’s lightweight but can stand up to any weather. Made from a robust ripstop fabric, once secured with guy lines the Anjan holds up well against the wind.
Courtesy of ladder lock adjusters it pitches easily fly first – to allow you to keep the inner dry in the rain. The high-sitting fly offers great ventilation and the porch easily stores two people’s gear. Hitting the scales at 1.7kg, it can easily be split between two or carried alone for a palace-sized sleeping option.
3. Katadyn Gravity camp 6l
Sourcing safe, clean water is vital in the wild; and although there’s a range of filters and purification contraptions around, this is the least labour-intensive. With no pumping or stirring required, you simply fill the bag from a stream, hang it up and let gravity do the work for you.
The filter element removes any bacteria, cysts and sediment: you simply open the valve and in a matter of minutes your bottle or stove is full – there’s even a shower adapter you can buy too. Genius.
Buy the Katadyn Gravity Camp 6L (£88) here
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4. Petzl Zipka
Forget a regular torch – when out in the wilds you’ll need your hands free as night falls, so you can secure your tent, unpack your rucksack and cook your camp meal. For that reason, a headtorch is the only way to go.
Petzl’s brilliant Zipka has just been upgraded: it still boasts the retractable Dyneema cord/headstrap, and weighs a respectable 68g (that’s just 17g heavier than a Mars bar), but now it offers 80 lumens of power over a distance of 50m and two lighting modes to shed light on all your adventures.
5. Jetboil MiniMo
Following hot on the heels of its more famous cousin – the Jetboil Flash – the MiniMo has the easy-to-use features and impressively fast boil time of its predecessors (approx 2min 15sec per half-litre). However, its shape has also been adapted so it’s not only good for heating water, but for cooking too.
An added simmer control means your food will cook evenly without sticking and its handles make it easy to pick up for eating straight from the pan. The whole thing packs down with a gas canister into one pot.
6. Kelty Backcountry Bed 3 Season
For those of you who think a mummy sleeping bag is the enemy, here is the alternative.
With no zips – the shock of cold metal on your face in the middle of the night will be a thing of the past – it instead features an oversized duvet sealing the opening, giving you extra room to allow you to sleep on your back, your side or even your tummy without feeling restricted. There’s also an opening to stick your feet out and it weighs in at 1.4kg – not bad for a comfort rating of -2°C.
Buy the Kelty Backcountry Bed 3 Season (US$330) here
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Mark Wilson
Features editor 
