Summer holidays are here and in keeping with the season, we are hastily prepping for bicycle based adventures. With that in mind, we thought we'd invite Bullitt based bushcraft enthusiast, Matthew AKA Beautyandthetour to advise with some tips on wild camping with your Bullitt, trying to keep a low profile visually, and making campfires responsibly.
Tips for first time wild campers:
Water
Lots of water. Having enough water is good and having too much water is great… Forget about the weight you are carrying and remember that water is life.
Not only for hydration, but if the nights get to cold, you can boil some hot water and pour it into an uninsulated stainless steel water bottle, wrap this bottle up in a handkerchief or pop it in a sock. It works as an amazing hot water bottle that will keep you toasty for most of the night.
I’ve actually used it the opposite way round and put icy water into an uninsulated bottle to cool myself down on those muggy nights.
Shelter
Some kind of shelter, tent/tarp if it rains or gets too windy, one of the two is good. As with any new gear, first time use in your local park or your back garden is best.
So get familiar setting it up, you’ll find that you’ll save so much time when you have to do it for real.
Knives
A multitool with a decent sharp blade is a good start. These tools usually come with a saw, pliers, screwdriver etc...
You’ll find that most multitools that are reasonably priced will do the job.
You don’t need fancy knives, you just need a decent sharp edge, stainless steel blade, that can be used for food & camp duties. Have a go at making some tent pegs or some feathered batons.
Lighting
A decent head torch, preferably one that has a red light setting/mode.
The red light will be handy for stealth camping
Camp fires
I don’t want to preach so I’ll keep it simple. Take a gas fuel stove to cook and prepare your meals on.
Campfires are romantic, but also quite technical, and you don’t want to be burning down the forest/field. Just remain conscious of what’s around basecamp and what could easily burn.
If the weather has been particularly warm and dry, you’ll find even a gas stove can burn up dry grass and quite easily get out of control. Not to mention that you could also be doing damage to trees roots.
The Swedish candle is hands down my favourite campfire it’s simple once you get your head round how it works and the impact on the environment is super low.
I personally found the Swedish candle to be one of the safest campfires. For the simple fact that it’s not burning the ground and can easily be extinguished, picked up or moved. This helps tremendously when worried about visibility of your fire whilst stealth camping.
Sleeping Mat
The warmer months of the year can be deceiving. Once the sun has gone down, the ground can become cold very quickly … nobody likes a sleepless night.
If you don’t have a sleeping mat, try using the roll of styrofoam that comes with your brand new Larry vs Harry Bullitt. You’ll be so stoked by how warm and practical it is.
Any insulation like this is ideal for kneeling and and sitting on.
Bullitt packing is:
· Camping with no limit.
· Not getting stressed about packing too much… It’s definitely worth packing everything that you think you might need.
· Being able to be as comfortable as possible.
Once you do a few more trips you’ll soon know what to leave at home.
Matthew makes some really good points regarding campfires and his argument for using the swedish candle method is pretty on point. Here is both a pdf guide to making your own swedish candle and a video link if you fancy having a go at making one during the course of your Bullitt tour this summer.
Head to Matthew's instagram @beautyandthetour, as his Bullitt camping adventures really are very inspirational and his Bullitt is wild as hell in itself.
