Some people look for maximum comfort and luxury on vacation. Priority is given to the pool, foreign cuisine, exclusive rooms and the number of stars of your hotel.
And then there's us. Passionate lovers of ponds and rivers, dinner cooked in a kettle or on a stick and served in a mess tin. Our senses aren't pleased by the sound and smell of a big city, but by the quiet rustle of trees and fresh mountain air. As for accommodation, we want the highest standard. Billions of stars of the Milky Way overhead and sunsets and sunrises bounded only by the horizon itself.
„Those who are awake have one common world, but each sleeper returns to his own.“ Heraclitus
I remember times when I knew absolutely nothing about camping. The contents of basic gear were a great unknown to me. Of course, you have some idea, but if you chose correctly, you'll only find out at camp or directly on the hike with a backpack on your back. A wise person learns from their own mistakes, a genius from the mistakes of others. I have therefore prepared for you a simple and inexpensive set for a pleasant weekend sleep in nature, for one person.
It has always been true that sleep is an extremely important thing. It doesn't only serve for recovery after the previous day, but also affects your performance on the next one. I don't even need to elaborate on its direct effect on good mood. Personally, I really like bivouacs and hanging hammocks. However, if you have no or only minimal experience with camping, I recommend starting rather from the absolute basics.
Sleeping pad - simple, but important
For the beginning, I chose a model from one, affordable and proven brand - the German Mil-Tec.
The dimensions of the sleeping pad are 50x200x1 centimeters. It is a single piece of Eva foam. Eva foam has excellent thermal insulation properties and absorbs moisture poorly. It thus forms an ideal insulation from damp, cold grass or bare ground. At the same time, it is light, the whole sleeping pad weighs barely a quarter of a kilogram.
For a foam sleeping pad it has relatively compact dimensions. In folded state it measures approximately 50x17 centimeters, so it doesn't take up much space on the backpack. A width of half a meter is more than sufficient for me personally, since I'm used to sleeping on my side. A thickness of 1 centimeter may seem little. That is the price for smaller dimensions. If that isn't enough for someone, 3 cm foam sleeping pads are also available or straight away inflatable and self-inflating ones. The price of inflatable and self-inflating pads is of course significantly higher than the price of a classic foam sleeping pad. However, if you lay it on a thick layer of grass or sand, 1 cm can be absolutely sufficient. Especially, when we're talking about warm summer nights, not about a damp autumn.
You can safely consider the sleeping pad to be one of the most useful items in your inventory. It has more uses than just lying down. You can create a windbreak with it, it serves as an improvised blanket or folded into a cube as a great seat. Smaller items are ideally laid out on it. This way you have everything at hand and there is less chance you'll lose something when unpacking from your backpack in the grass or get it dirty from the ground. A piece of cut foam, works in an emergency, as excellent tinder. Or a larger piece creates denser smoke for signaling.
A mummy from the fox - the Mumia Advance sleeping bag from Fox Outdoor
Just as important as the sleeping pad is the sleeping bagitself. For my basic budget set I chose the Advance from the well-known German brand Fox Outdoor, which is a child of a more famous name. The company Max Fuchs, which you mostly know as MFH. Similar to Mil-tec, it offers a good price-to-quality ratio.The Advance has solid parameters while costing around 5 large pizzas (I can't forget my favorite unit of measurement :-D).
The Advance is in the classic "mummy" design. It opens only from one side, the part at the head is elongated, with the option of tightening the hood-style headrest. The foot section is tapered. In terms of length it's no small thing, it's 225 centimeters, and is therefore also suitable for people around 195 centimeters tall. The width in the upper part is 80 centimeters and 55 in the lower part. The zipper is two-way with a sturdy closure.
The outer and inner layer is mostly made of 230T nylon. I really appreciated the treatment of its bottom part, which is in contact with the sleeping pad. The bottom part is made of a thicker layer and it has a anti-slip liningon it. It takes the form of small rubber drops, which grip perfectly when in contact with the sleeping pad.
The filling consists of hollow fibers. You can imagine a hollow fiber as a coiled hollow spaghetti. Thanks to the cavity it retains more air, which improves thermal insulation. Once rolled up it takes up less space and is more flexible. This also has a positive effect on weight. The Advance weighs just 1.9 kg given its dimensions, and the comfort zone ranges from -10 to +15 degrees. It is ideal for summer evenings, even in cooler weather and you can handle light ground frosts or damp mornings with it.
A small tip. I sprayed the Advance with Nanotextil impregnation. This way I increased its water-repellent properties in case I were to bivouac with it or run outside the tent in damp weather. Nanotextil has no color or smell. It therefore doesn't disturb the surrounding animals that I observe in nature. At the same time, dirt sticks to the sleeping bag less easily. The Advance has ideal thermal insulation propertiesfor the warm spring and summer. This way I have greater assurance that they won't be unnecessarily reduced by unwanted moisture that could penetrate into the core.
A given is the compression sack. It has 4 tightening straps so you can reduce the size of the sleeping bag to the maximum extent possible during transport. I also appreciate the compression sack for other things. I keep during camping small itemsin it that I need to have at hand, but for some reason don't want to have on me or in my backpack. I store things in it for the night such as a headlamp, a small first-aid kit, a phone, or tissues.
My tent is my fortress - the Hochstein tunnel tent
I don't like carrying huge heavy tents. That's why I chose the Hochstein from the already mentioned German brand Max Fuchs - MFH. If I told you that for the price of 4 pizzas you get a German castle, you'd probably look at me with astonishment. With a good dose of exaggeration, though, that's actually the case :-). Hochstein isn't just the name of the tent, but also a castle and a town of the same name in Saxony, Germany.
I also chose the Hochstein because of its design. I wanted a change from the classic A-frame and igloo tents. Hochstein has a tunnel construction, which means its shape is formed by two half-circles. One larger at the entrance and one smaller at the rear. It's therefore easy to pitch and at the same time forms an oval silhouette that blends discreetly into its surroundings.
The tent is made of 190T nylon with a polyurethane coating. You'll encounter this fabric on most simpler and cheaper tents. The floor is reinforced, made of purely polyurethane fabric. The tent is waterproof with a water column of 1200 mm. That's not a lot. It's therefore more ideal for summer, where there's a lower chance of heavy rainfall than in autumn. I'll mention the popular Nanotextil again. It won't increase the water column, but it will improve water repellency, so water droplets will run down the tent wall more easily and quickly.
For two, little space for little money. For one person, though, ideal
The tent is very compact. Packed, it measures just under 60 cm in length, so it fits into my Ranger backpack from Miltec. The weight is also nothing drastic, weighing a bit over 1.5 kg. The size when unfolded is 220x130x100 cm. The tent is labeled as a two-person tent. As it usually goes in practice, always subtract one person and you get the real capacity. After placing a sleeping pad with a sleeping bag inside, I only have room left for a backpack and a few small items. Physically, two people can fit inside. But it's like having a dog on the couch. You're both on the couch, sure, but the furry one makes it clear that there's room here for only one of you and it probably won't be you.
Construction and details
As I mentioned above, the Hochstein is made of polyurethane and nylon fabric with two semicircular reinforcements. Two tensioning cords at the entrance and one at the rear above the ventilation opening secure the tension of the walls. The floor has 8 evenly placed attachment points for stakes. Given its compact dimensions, this is more than sufficient for stabilization even in stronger wind.
The main entrance doesn't have a vertical wall, it's slightly slanted. The entrance is designed with a main flap that can be rolled up and fastened at the top with two fabric loops. Underneath it is a spacious mosquito net. Both parts of the entrance have a sturdy zipper. I would welcome a small cord attached to the zipper for faster handling. That's a minor detail, though, which you can solve yourself in a few seconds.
The top flap has a wider edge on the sides. This covers the zipper against greater leakage. The floor at the entrance is raised by about 10 cm. Personally, it has never bothered me and the entrance is large enough. I also appreciate the mosquito net covering the whole entrance, since I like to sleep with the entrance open, but without pesky mosquitoes. This also ensures great ventilation.
Let the tent breathe
Ventilation is at tents of smaller size, it's important. Air flows through them differently than in larger tents, where you can even stand up, and moisture from breathing can condense on the inner parts of the wall. That's why I like the idea of a rear ventilation opening. Air can flow freely through. However, the ventilation opening does not have a firmer reinforcement. So take a small stick and brace it between the vent and the small canopy of the ventilation window. Problem solved. Above the ventilation window there is a rear tensioning cord. It is attached to a piece of fabric, so it creates an additional canopy above the ventilation window.
A useful accessory for a few cents
The last thing I'll add to the setup is not directly for camping, but I shouldn't leave it out. A small handy knife.
We could talk about knives for hours, and it's more than clear that everyone will prefer a different one. So I'll mention one inexpensive hard worker. Neck knife with a gut hook from Fox Outdoor, although it doesn't have a name, you can find it under the company code number 44513.
The knife is not intended for splitting wood, digging holes or butchering large game. Its greatest advantages are appreciated precisely in finer work such as cutting food, cleaning fish, making small pegs or working with rope. It fits a smaller hand, but that is the price for compact dimensions and lower weight. The blade type is spear point, so it forms an evenly wider point at the end. On the top side of the blade is a gut hook. It can also be helpful when cleaning fish or working with thin rope.
The knife has no clip, it is worn around the neck. I like neck knives. It is always at hand and doesn't get in the way on a belt. The entire knife with sheath measures just under 18 centimeters. The sheath is made of harder ABS plastic and at the end is shaped into a whistle. The neck cord has a drawstring, so I can adjust the length as needed. Its full length is about 80 centimeters and it's suitable for replacing torn shoelaces, carrying thin wood or building a wooden drill.
The blade material is economical stainless steel 440 SS. It sharpens easily and is fully sufficient for everyday tasks while cooking and minor jobs. However, it is not intended for tough treatment. The design is full tang, the steel plate does not end at the blade but extends all the way to the end of the handle scales. The knife fits perfectly into the sheath. The sheath is shaped at the entrance so that the plastic protrusion from the knife's handle scales fits into it. The handle scales are made of ABS plastic and are secured with three screws. At the end of the handle there are 3 holes in the steel. By adding a cord with a charm, you can make handling easier and at the same time give the knife your own individual design.
If you're just starting out with camping, it's not necessary to put hundreds of euros into your gear right from the start. So start simply. This way you'll most easily find what suits you and save time and resources for more important and essential things. Camping is not about how expensive things you have or how luxurious brands. It's always only about how well you know how to use your gear and above all enjoy the moments and places for which you actually put a backpack on your back. As Confucius once said, Confucius "The journey is the destination"".
