Expedition virgins looking to do Pyrenees - any advice?
Morning All,
Been plucking up courage to do one of these tours for ages, we're not campers so would all be new to us. Had a chat to the kids last night and they are up for it so we're looking to do the treasure hunt that Freespirit are organising end of August.
Decided we need a full length rack, roof tent with "shower curtain" and a jerry can holder on the rack. Any advice on what make to get without it costing silly money would be much appreciated.
Any advice on what other gear we would need?
Idea is we sleep on roof, 2 kids in back of the car and one in the awning/room thing.
Bit nervous about it so would welcome any feedback.
Cheers
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17th Feb 2011 12:58 pm
leeds
Member Since: 30 Aug 2010
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 4314
A decent roof rack, roof tent etc could cost you £2-3,000.
For a roof tent you don't need a roof rack, 2 or 3 roof bars will be fine.
Get yourself off to the RGS overland weekend at the end of May and talk to experienced travellers.
Think very careful about your NEEDS rather then what you what.
If you go to a show, leave your plastic cards at home at first! So you do not get carried away! There is a lot of kit on our overland vehicle we do not recommend! Reason being a lot of people don't need that level of kit for a convoy trip to the Pyrenees.
Brendan
23rd Feb 2011 7:53 am
discocuzzy
Member Since: 02 Feb 2008
Location: surrey
Posts: 2752
You can do the whole trip in a standard vehicle, maybe put some all terrain tyres on but that about it.
Tent wise again, as Brendan stated, you dont NEED a flashy roof tent, nice to have but not essential, a quick errect ground that is good quality is fine, get a decent burner and some decent outdoor clothes and your away.
I would suggest a Fridge may be a better investment than a roof tent, nothing worse than eattin out of tins whilst away, this way you can live semi civilised!!"you cannot teach stupid people to do clever things"
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23rd Feb 2011 10:34 am
Stu
Member Since: 08 Feb 2009
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2423
Don't forget you can hire fridges. Better than forking out £800 to find you never want to go again. I don't know how old you children are, but having them kip in the back of the D3 probably isn't the best idea. If you do that then you'll need to empty the car so they have enough space to sleep. You'll generally want them to be in bed before you and its a pain if you need to get in and out of the car.
I'd suggest a couple of pop up tents might be a better and significantly cheaper option. They pop up in seconds and can be quickly taken down. That would leave your boot free for all the kit you need. I'd suggest some decent boxes for packing all the kit are a sensible buy. Also get a reasonable stove camping gaz is good.
If you're going to the pyranees you're not going to the Sahara and you dont need the same amount of wilderness travel kit. I'd take a strop and a couple of shackles should you need to be recovered or just to use for a tow, but that's probably about it in terms of off road kit. If you go in the summer it will be very hot so water is probably more essential than a jerry can of fuel.
A decent head torch is a worth while investment - Petzl will always get my vote.
A fold up or tripod bbq might be an idea, as it's nice to have a bbq but even nicer to sit round a fire at night.
A decent first aid kit and knowing how to use it is also sensible.
A solar show might also be an idea (about £5) as you can chuck it on the bonnet when you arrive in camp and an hour or so later have a warm shower - good if you are wild camping.
I'm on the forum that Ray (RLD) suggested and there is some good discussion on there about this. It's all too easy to get swept up into the shiny expensive gear discussions without thinking about what you actually need. We have a really big tent, but we hardly ever use it as our small lightwieght (cheaper) tent does what we need and is quick to pitch etc.
Have fun!
I'd be interested to know the ages of your kids as we are looking to do something similar but I need it to be very family friendly with plenty of "down" time.D3 HSE MY05 Auto
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23rd Feb 2011 10:52 am
Ent
Member Since: 12 Oct 2007
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Baz
I can lend you a fridge if you want.
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23rd Feb 2011 11:29 am
ruggedpeak
Member Since: 10 Jun 2010
Location: UK
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It's all too easy to get swept up into the shiny expensive gear discussions without thinking about what you actually need.
Stu is absolutely right. There is a whole industry out there trying to flog you expensive stuff you don't actually need, unless having the best there is is a "need"! Nothing wrong with that if you can afford it!
However over the years I have found many cheap items are perfectly satisfactory.
e.g. Fridges. Bought a Halfords one in a sale for £45 some years ago. Does the job, keeps stuff cool, works. Yes, an Engel will keep it cooler etc but at 20x the price I can live with a slightly warm beer or leave it in a stream for a while! However if you need meds keeping cool then a different decision.
Air pumps - used to get laughed at for my £10 tyre pump by off roading buddies with their Viairs etc. However it did the job, lasted 6 years beign used in all sorts of mud before dying. Again 20x more for the big brand. I only used it for reflating punctures in 1 tyre at a time. If you need desert reflation for 4 tyres on high temps then a pukka one makes sense.
Tents - £1000 rooftop set up or £200 pop-up Khyam ground tent. Experience of watching others fall off rooftent ladders and break ankles makes me go with the second option! Works fine exept where lions etc might eat you. But even then they can climb on the car, as a trip to the safari park will show!
Standard but decent quality kit will generally work fine for a Pyrennees trip, and cost much less. Don't however go down the Lidl/Aldi route, at least not for camping kit!
Anything with the potential to cause injury/damage should be the best - first aid kits, recovery gear etc. do your trip and if you plan to do lots more then start thinking about the more expensive stuff.
BTW the Overland Journal does excellent hardcore trials/reviews of kit. www.overlandjournal.comTony
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23rd Feb 2011 11:58 am
Stu
Member Since: 08 Feb 2009
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2423
On the tent front, I'm a bit of a snob and I've got a lot of tents - but I do a lot of camping. However although I have some expensive tents I find I use my pop up Quecha (From Decathlon) more than anything else. I've used it terrible downpours and it's a great bit of kit and only £30. If it gets trashed I'll just buy another one.
Regarding
Quote:
Experience of watching others fall off rooftent ladders
You've see Ent try and get in his after a few beers as well then!
You'll find that the art of having an enjoyable time if having everything easy, no point in having £1000 tent if it take you two hours to pitch everynight. Simple and well organised is the key.
One thing worth spending some time choosing though is your chairs and beds. Chairs need to be comfy to slouch in at the end of the day and a bed needs to at least stay inflated overnight. I've bought some cheap airbeds over the years and they've all been rubbish. I now use a camping gaz one (not exactly expensive either) and it's much better. I also use thermarests when camping on my own and they are good but I think there are other cheaper makes out there that will do the job you need.
Definitely try and avoid the really cheap camping kit, it is a false economy, go for known brands:
Vango, Outwell, Kyham, Quetcha, Wild Country, North Face, Mountain Equipment - For tents
Camping Gaz, MSR, Primus, Trangia, JetBoil, Coleman - For Stoves
One slightly luxury I take is a coleman petrol lamp - yes you can get cheaper LED lights etc, but the coleman last for ages, is cheap to run, heats the tent and best of all gives off a nice soft light to sit round in the evening wihen the kids have gone to bed. Although it is a bit big and has a glass surround, so possibly not the best decision.
Also a £7 air bed pump that you run from the car will be just fine for blowing up airbeds, no need for a big compressor.
I think the overland show that others have mentioned will be good, although I think a lot of that will be aimed at longer expeditions so it could be al to easy to get swept up in shiny things. Don't worry I'm not perfect I get very easily swept up in shiny things, espcially camping kit, but try and keep it under control!D3 HSE MY05 Auto
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I have been in the Pyrenees in summer (end-August) and ended up in storms and cold weather - decent tent and sleeping gear made the difference.
Sleeping - don't go cheap on sleeping bags or mats. A good night's sleep makes the difference. Flip side is there is no need to go for super-expensive stuff either. But I would think you will want to budget 150 GBP per person for decent kit (bag/sleep mat). Try Alpkit for great kit and prices (www.alpkit.co.uk)
(Alpkit also do other good gear such as head torches, stuff sacks and water proof bags - all at excellent prices).
Carrying/packing - Last time I went south with camp gear I put all the sleep bags, sleep mats and tent in Ortlieb waterproof bags on the roof rack. These are the bulky items and you will be surprised how much boot space they quickly consume. But they are relatively light (good for loading on the roof; center of gravity eyc); first thing off/last thing on; and are easy to attach and strap as they compress (as opposed to boxes).
Roof tent vs ground tent - I think the comments in the thread cover this item. But to reiterate what has been mentioned, go for a quality brand that is not a "festival" tent and has good design and materials. However, quality does not need to mean very expensive.
Maybe consider an awning mounted on the roofrack for shade or (if raining) shelter for cooking etc ?
Stoves - depends on when you will use the kit again. But try and look at decent burners that give off a good heat. Nothing wrong with Campingaz range for standard use.
And don't forget to take a table Makes the diffeence for sitting around, eating, preparing food etc. Just make sure that whatever chairs you get are compatible with the table height
Depending on where you will camp - a small shovel/trowel. just thinking of burying number 2's
And something I haven't seen mentioned - good quality waterproofs (trousers/jackets) and boots/walk shoes. This can also be expensive but it is kit you will keep for years and can be used on a country stroll or in the Pyrenees. I would not skimp on this simply because (and just like my view on sleeping kit) if you are cold and wet the trip will be miserable. Quality waterproofs can be expensive but worthwhile. You can get cheaper "waterproof" outerlayers but are generally plastic/rubberised and as they don't breathe then sweat/condensation will quickly make you just as wet on the inside than if you hadn't bothered wearing them...
I'll leave it for the next person now...The next American ex-pat that calls it a "truck" is going to find out what 2.7 tons feels like on their foot...
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23rd Feb 2011 12:46 pm
Stu
Member Since: 08 Feb 2009
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2423
I think John and I have very similar views. Just to add to his point about the waterproofs. There are a lot of decent waterproofs around now that are £60 - £100 so it doesn't need to cost a fortune, again go for well known makes, Berghaus, North Face, Mountain equipment and check they are breathable. I very rarely wear waterproof bottoms as I tend to wear lightweight walking trousers or shorts and these dry very quickly. I personally wouldn't bother with boots unless you're going walking, some "approach" shoes will do you well. Meryll, Salomon, North Face, Scarpa etc.D3 HSE MY05 Auto
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23rd Feb 2011 1:11 pm
Bodsy Site Sponsor
Member Since: 06 Nov 2006
Location: In the Clubhouse
Posts: 21361
Bazza,
All of the advice above is very useful. BUT the biggest peice of advice after taking all the other stuff into consideration, is to GO CAMPING HERE FIRST.
That means either a) Just you so you can get used to the gear before you expose the kids/SWMBO to it or b) All of you so you can do the same, but depending on SWMBO/Your atitudes, you may become a little fraught if neither of you know what you are doing (with the greatest of respect of course!)
You need to practice using all the kit and even if you just put the tent up & down again in your garden 1/2 a dozen times, it WILL make the camping bit less stressfull if you know what you are doing.
Like JF Lux & Stu, I'm also a seasoned camper (hi de hi...) but still like to know what I'm doing with everything.
The other tip is to get the kids involved so they know what tasks are expected of them, try to make it fun instead of a chore It also keeps them occupied instead of you trying to watch them and do everything else. Bodsys Brake Bible
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23rd Feb 2011 1:22 pm
discocuzzy
Member Since: 02 Feb 2008
Location: surrey
Posts: 2752
Went to the Pyrenees early summer a couple of years back, on the Spanish side it was still chilly so good waterproof gear and tents essential.
Ive had both a howling moon and an Oztent and there are pros and cons for them both, howling moon was more comfy but putting it up and down with the annex everynight became an and you get filthy putting the cover on every morning to pack up.
Oztent took about the same time to erect but was no way 30 secs! but mine leaked ever so slightly and is obviously quite bulky and a bit of a pain to set up when putting additional side panels on."you cannot teach stupid people to do clever things"
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05 plate D3 HSE in Zermat- Gone
11 Plate D4 Landmark in Fuji white- Gone
08 Plate D3 Hse in Buckingham Blue- Gone
58 plate D3 HSE Silver- Gone
10 Plate D4 HSE Stornaway Grey
23rd Feb 2011 1:26 pm
roamingman
Member Since: 25 Jun 2008
Location: aberdeenshire
Posts: 525
Baz have a word with kieran, his Mum & Dad used a pop up tent when we did Landy Rally last year and a few more.
We did a hunt in the Peak district with him and his crew, in january, great roadbook + outher info, backup crew were parked up at all the places to give information on the clues. organised meals and stop over places at the right time. If he does not know the answer he knows a man that does.
Maybe do a hunt with him in the peak district or the lake district, if you can first to get a idea.
My only comment re: pop-up tents is that they are generally (if not exclusively) single skin. That means increased condensation. And an almost certain risk of getting soaked by water when you brush up against the tent skin. You cannot avoid doing that when sleeping or even entering the tent. I also question their stability and water resistance in strong winds etc.
Saying that, they are popular and many people have bought them.The next American ex-pat that calls it a "truck" is going to find out what 2.7 tons feels like on their foot...
Club "yes, I too have had the EGR's replaced..."
Club "yes, I too have had the compressor replaced..."
Club "yes, I too once had the car at the dealer for a couple of weeksnearly 4 weeksover 4 weeks...5 weeks"
Club "yes, I too have had EPB failure..."
Club "yes, I too get mysterious bings and bongs..."
23rd Feb 2011 5:01 pm
Andy Foster
Member Since: 27 Dec 2009
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 6551
As others had said a few trial runs putting the tent up and down is a must. Not only will it be "easier" when you do it for real but you will find out if everything is in the bag that should be, the last thing you need is to be miles from nowhere and find out it came without pegs etc. Also would spend as much as possible on waterproofs Go Outdoors always have great offers on. And speaking of water this may sound stupid but have a think about putting the tent up and down in the rain. Over the years I can count on one hand the amount of times it has been dry for the set up/take down but lost count the times it has rained. And at the end of a long day if you do need to set up in the wet you want everyone to know there jobs. But the most important thing to do is enjoy yourself.
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and you get filthy putting the cover on every morning to pack up.
