CAMPING EQUIPMENT 

Here is a (non-exhaustive) summary of our camping equipment, which we usually take with us.

 

Tent MSR elixir 3 pp

This MSR has been our tent since 2021 and we are happy with it, especially compared to its predecessor, the Exped Gemini. Against many pluses there are two minuses: the tent is heavier than the ultra-light nylon ribstop tents: it weighs about 3 kg, or at least 1 kg heavier than the UL variants. Second flaw: the groundsheet is limited to the surface of the inner tent. The two vestibules where you put all kinds of things, therefore, do not have a ground sheet. Tip: even if there are two of you, always opt for a 3-person tent!

 

Sleeping mat  Exped Synmat UL Lite Medium

The mat from Exped  is comfortable, good insulation, easy to inflate/deflate/fold and a good pack size and weight. We inflate super quickly and easily with the pump sack Exped Schnozzel UL Medium. Very satisfied with it!

 

Sleeping bag  Cumulus Light Line

Bought early 2017 and still very satisfied with it! Good enough to at least 4 degrees Celsius and, in combination with the sleeping bag mentioned below, for temperatures down to freezing point

 

Liner Sea to Summit Traveler silk+cotton mummy

Top stuff, very nice, expensive and also quickly broken. Small repairs have been carried out repeatedly and if that is no longer possible, we will buy the same new one again.

 

Travel pillow Sea to Summit Aeros Premium

Easy to wash, nice and small, light, fits easily in its pocket, the valve is practical and it sleeps wonderfully.

 

Stove  SOTO StormBreaker

What a genius multi-fuel burner from the Japanese! Reasonably insensitive to wind, a lot of power and just very cleverly designed. Absolutely recommended.

 

Cookware SOTO + GSI cutlery + Sea to Summit X-bowls

We always had a pan set from GSI Outdoors. After four years, we replaced the dented pans somewhere in SE Asia with exactly the same set. Still, we found it quite disturbing that the non-stick coating is peeling off and we don't feel like ingesting any more PFAS. In 2022 we replaced the GSI set with a lighter and (even) more compact set from the Japanese brand SOTO. This fits in Harry's frame bag, which contains all the cooking equipment. So far very satisfied with it. The titanium cutlery has been indestructible since the purchase at the beginning of 2017. As far as plates are concerned, we opted for the foldable silicone locks from Sea to Summit in 2023. Now the plates also fit in Harry's frame bag.

 

Knife Victorinox Swiss army knife

A pocket knife is indispensable because it has a sharp blade, but also because of the can opener and the corkscrew. Unfortunately, one is often lost or has to be handed in to customs for a flight. We now have a larger, heavier version that also includes scissors and a saw blade.

 

Headlights Black Diamond Cosmo 350 lumens

One is still good after more than six years of use. This is powered by batteries. The other was replaced after five years by the same type, but rechargeable with USB. With the old Cosmo you have to be careful when storing them in a bicycle bag: they go on quite easily and it has therefore often happened that they were on all day while cycling. The new Cosmo has a digital lock that allows you to prevent this.

 

Chairs Helinox Zero

We had already used our set in the Rocky Mountains. We can but don't want to do without them, they are comfortable, strong and ultra-light. However, you should keep in mind that they can break after a long period of intensive use. But within the warranty period of 3 years, Helinox will send you a new chair! Super service thanks to Bever and Helinox.