I’m not sure about you, but whereas my pack was getting lighter when solo backpacking, I found that when I was heading off with the family, I was actually taking more and more stuff. Two burner stoves with a grill that could just about cook a marshmallow. A full set of table and chairs. The solid, niche, canvas frame tent that are legends to longevity and stability. A box of toys that would put a small nursery to shame. Whereas at work I would gaze in rapt admiration of the Nemo Obi tents, at home I was looking at the portable kitchen station with space for a washing up bowl.

The end result of this was that I simply could not be bothered to go camping en famille. It meant getting together a load of stuff, putting a load of stuff up, taking a load of stuff down and finally putting a load of stuff away again afterwards. So last August, me and the better half sat down and had the following plan which we called stealth camping.

Our aim was simple. Make camping as a family easier and lighter. Our new mantra was to just leave it all behind. Not to go and buy a load of lightweight gear, but instead just focus on the basics. So unless something was utterly critical, it got binned. We decided that we were not allowed to camp for a long time (weekends only) and could only decided to camp on a Thursday night, to leave Friday night. This, more than any other choice,  has had the trick of really making us focus on the gear that was important.

In the end this is what we got down to, it’s not an exhaustive list, but it pretty much sums it up.

Lightweight family tent. – We’re currently having fun with the Limestone 6P, but we also have a Robbens Double Dreamer.
Trangia Stove – nothing big or fancy thanks very much
4 bowls and 4 spoons, a sharp knife and a spare plate
Cool Box
4 x sleeping bags, 3 sleeping mats and a cot.
1 outside toy for each boy.
Child Carrier for Ellis
Torches, duct tape, penknife, first aid kit
Clothes
Maps, compass and map case

Erm thats it I think.

We tried it out for several weekends at the end of last summer, and just had some of the best outdoor weekends we have ever had. The boys ended up going nuts outside and playing with natural stuff they found, rather than the toys they brought. We no longer stressed about what we had forgotten or not having stuff, and instead just got out and about and enjoyed ourselves. We felt free. We felt liberated. We fell in love with camping again as a family.

This does have it’s limitations, we are limited to camping realistically within a 3 hour radius of home, but hey that means we don’t cream cracker the environment. Occasionally, you may suffer the pitying looks of people who gaze at you from their portable decking with the BBQ and camping chairs, but it’s a small price to pay.

It’s a Thursday today. Nobody has said anything yet. We’re not allowed to you see, but the diary tells me I haven’t got anything on this weekend. Game on?

The material the sleeping bag is made from, either synthetic wadding or down clusters plays a huge role in deciding the weight, warmth, size and protection that the bag offers.

Synthetic

These sleeping bags are much cheaper than down and can be washed and dried with greater ease leading to easier overall care of the bag.  If a synthetic bag gets wet it will still keep you warm as it will not lose as much insulation as a down bag would. Synthetic sleeping bags are bulkier and heavier than their down counterparts and cannot be compacted as much so they take up more space whilst not being used. They have lower warmth to weight ratio than down and the synthetic material tends to break down and lose its insulation properties faster than a down sleeping bag would. “Vango” make a range of synthetic sleeping bags that are lightweight and offer the ability to be compacted to a small size, these are ideal for backpackers who are limited on space but want a comfortable night sleep.

Down

Down sleeping bags are very light and can be compacted into a very small space. They have incredibly high warmth to weight ratio and usually have a softer feel to them. Choosing down will incur a greater cost than choosing a synthetic bag and when choosing a down bag you should also look for a high goose down percentage, this can come at even higher cost. If a down bag gets wet it will lose insulation as the clusters will clump together and can provide less insulation than no sleeping bag at all! This can be rectified by a spin in a tumble drier and will restore the bag to its original state. Down bags are, however, more difficult to clean, you can’t just whack them in the washing machine. Ideally, you should get your down bag professionally cleaned by someone like WE Franklins of Sheffield (0114 268 6161) . If you do decide on a down bag then you must look at the “fill power”, this is a measure of how much space a set amount of down occupies in cubic inches and therefore how much insulation it will provide. The higher the fill power the better performance of the bag. “Mountain Equipment” makes a great range of high down ratio sleeping bags that have water resistant shells to keep snow and moisture out, these bags are perfect for extreme mountainous or sub zero adventurers.

In general if you are on a budget, allergic to down or will be using the bag in wet or damp conditions such as in a rainforest, caving or sailing then a synthetic bag would be the right choice for you. If you are going to be in extremely cold conditions, want very high warmth to weight ratio or want a durable and long lasting and compact bag then choose down.