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Microadventure kit list

A simple post because this is a simple subject. If you want to go and sleep on a hilltop this is all you need. The links will help you with buying options. The Microadventures book gives more detail on all of this stuff. You should probably buy it!

Tell somebody where you are going and when you’ll be back. And then go!

  • Sleeping bag. Don’t buy anything special. Just go with what you have and as many jumpers as necessary. 
  • Sleeping mat. If you suspect you will not do a lot of camping just buy one of these cheap ones.
  • Bivvy bag. There are cheap, medium and expensive options. This explains everything you need to know.
  • If you’re worried about rain take a basha too – it’s definitely a worthwhile addition.
  • Wooly hat, even in summer.
  • Waterproof clothes.
  • Warm clothes. It’s better to take too many than too few! You want a close-fitting base layer (thermals, running leggings, even pyjamas), and loose baggy layers on top of that. Loose thick socks (wearing too many socks that feel tight will make your feet cold)
  • Torch.
  • Toothbrush (put the toothpaste on at home and wrap the brush in clingfilm) and  toilet paper.
  • Food and water.

If you do head off on a microadventure, please let me know. Tag it on Twitter with the hashtag #microadventure or pop something on the new Microadventures Facebook Page.
If you’d like to come on a microadventure with me sign up here.
If you have any friends who could benefit from a microadventure, please send them this link.

I’mve been working hard to encourage people to get out and try a microadventure. Microadventures are a refresh button for busy lives.

But I’mm very aware that the hardest thing is getting out there for the first time. So I have produced a few infographics which hopefully will serve to give people the prod necessary to take that first step. (Thank you, Andrea, for all your hard work!)

Click on the image you prefer to open a PDF file that you can then download and keep (Right Click, Save) or share the link with any friends who need a gentle kick up the backside to get out there and do stuff! A lot of the text on the PDF infographic is clickable, leading you to relevant web entries.

Please feel free to use, distribute, print, put on your Facebook page, edit or hack as much as you wish.

Microadventure infographic

Microadventure infographic

Microadventure infographic

Microadventure infographic

If you do head off on a microadventure, please let me know. Tag it on Twitter with the hashtag #microadventure or pop something on the new Microadventures Facebook Page.
If you’d like to come on a microadventure with me sign up here.
If you have any friends who could benefit from a microadventure, please send them this link.

Some Other Useful Microadventure Posts

Thank you to the many people who have kindly “bought me a coffee” for just £2.50 as encouragement to keep this blog going.

“Yes, I too would like to donate a couple of pounds to this site..!”



 

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Do you have any thoughts on this article? What have I forgotten or got wrong? Please have your say in the comments below…

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Comments

  1. Not that I have much experience… But, I have recently bought a Tatonka meths stove ( http://intranet.tatonka.com/infosys/infocgi/artinfoe.dll?4126&0 ), which is tiny, light and cheap! We used it recently for the first time, and I was amazed at how great it was, cooking dinner quickly and was very efficient with fuel (which can be stored in the stove if you’re only away for one or two nights).

    It seems ideal for a walking/cycling trip where weight/packed size are vital.

    Reply
  2. dexey Posted

    I cycle and don’t have all the weight restrictions of a walker but I couldn’t leave my Exped Down Mat behind. The comfort it gives for an enhanced night’s sleep is well worth the weight penalty.

    Reply
  3. My parents got me a trangia stove for camping and it is such an easy for me to go camping with such equipment. I cook anywhere in the wild with it. In case you guys are wondering about gas canister or cylinder explosion it is totally safe and never felt down once.

    Reply
  4. Love the microadventure series – it’s got me off my backside and itching to get out there as much as possible.

    Personally though, I’d have to add a few extra items to your list. None of the below items add much cost – most are available in Poundland for…ahem…a pound.

    – First Aid Kit
    – Emergency whistle
    – Space blanket
    – Mini LED torch as a backup (£1 on eBay)
    – Spare batteries
    – Duct tape (never leave home without it!)
    – Lighter and/or matches

    Things go wrong sometimes and it’s never a bad idea to have a few extra bits and bobs just in case.

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      Hi Jonathan,
      I’d certainly agree with this for any trip that is heading up into the mountains / somewhere remote and wild.

      Reply
    • Mary Mulvehill Posted

      Make sure you don’t get the cheap duct tape, which won’t stick in damp weather. NASCO makes the kind that holds people up on walls. Get heavy duty matches, don’t just bring a matchbook from your local pub.

      Another REALLY IMPORTANT item to bring out into the wild… Bear Spray. Get the XXL can. It hardly weighs anything at all.. and if you are truly in the mountains, you should wear it on your hip belt, or on a biner looped through your pants. Keep it next to you when you sleep.
      It only takes a bear 20 seconds to cover the span in which you would try to outrun it. You can’t outrun a bear or a mountain lion or a wolf, but the spray will blind them long enough for you to have a chance to get away. You may be injured before you spray them but having it might be the difference between living and dying.

      Bear spray.

      Reply
  5. What a brilliant concept and site. Count me in. You will be hearing from me pretty soon.

    Reply
  6. I would recommend, for anywhere even slightly remote (eg. Peak District -ish); a map and compass, plus the knowledge how to use them. The English weather is still to unpredictable and can come down on you and shroud you with very little warning. In low visibility, a trip on a wrong path, too close to a cliff or gully, can end badly.
    Know where you are and make sure someone else does, too.
    As for equipment, if your bivi bag can double as a survival bag, then good, but if not, a silvered survival bag or ‘space blanket’ would be a good idea. Some of them fold really small into a pouch.
    Other things that have multiple use, such as a large bandana that can be used as a sling or tourniquet, or thin but strong sarong that can be used as a towel, wrap, tie for a splint or sling, too, might be worth having.
    And of course, if you’re still allowed to pack one in UK, there’s ye olde trusty Swiss army knife. Just in case your horse needs something removed from its hoof. ; )

    Reply
  7. Fernando Hidalgo Posted

    Something to add to the list if you are going to hot climates: Mosquito net.
    I spent a week cycling from Prague to Vienne last week and the first two days with a wave heat, mosquitoes got me mad! One day I put the basha over my head to keep them away and they kept coming in through the gaps between the basha and the ground!

    After that it was a great experience and I am looking forward to repeat.

    BTW, I loved a campsite that has a especial low price for “sleeping under the stars”, amazing.

    Reply
  8. Will Posted

    Please pardon this really obvious question: is there any advice on what to look for in a bag to pack this stuff in?

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      I would just use any old rucksack you have lying around: it’s a pretty unimportant bit of kit. If you do want to buy, I can recommend Osprey very much.

      Reply
  9. Robin Posted

    In the spirit of ‘Kaizen’ (small, incremental steps creating improvement & happiness), I’m going to focus on #microadventures going forward as a means of prepping for & accessing the bigger stuff.
    Life is just too busy now to devote 25+ hrs/week to specialised training & lots of detailed prep!
    Micro skills-embedding and micro-technique tuning – while microadventuring – is the way forward!

    Reply
  10. samantha Posted

    i love camping but i do not have the stuff. so i just want to say thanks this was so help ful

    Reply

 
 

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