A long night out!

If you’re like me and enjoy the great outdoors, going hunting, fishing, camping, or just walking in the country, you’ll know the ups and downs of the country side.

On a recent outing, myself and a good friend went out for a short camping foray, we are writing a book about a week in the wilds of the UK, in which we will carry every thing we’ll need for that time. No shop stops, no army ration packs, no take away foods. We will be taking basic staple foods such as grains and dried meat. This will allow us to travel lightly and make us use what we find while we trek across country to the next destinations, this is some 100+ Km over 7 days.

The most recent outing was a test run with the full weight of all the equipment to make sure we’re properly prepared for every thing a week in the wild could throw at us. Just as well we did as things did go wrong, all because of an unseen problem!

Bumps, lumps, mozzies and sore bits…….

We were only out for 2 days and 2 nights, but the usual comfort we were used to on these outings was far from us, due to the smallest of problems that were virtually unseen. Mosquito’s! The shear number of mosquito’s we encountered the first day were on a almost biblical scale to us. Discomfort was something we try to avoid and we employed the best organic/holistic bug repellent we could, but this seamed to do little to discourage them. I had only packed a half full bottle of a brand we are used to, thinking it would be enough, not so as this was soon used up in the vain hope that a concentrated covering would slow the little blood suckers down.

It appeared we either had repellent that was simply infective or the mozzies in our part of the world were super bugs that could get through any thing, and that is exactly what they did. I was personally bitten through almost every layer of clothing I had on, My back, elbows and ankles were so badly bitten they were swollen for days afterwards. Even though I was covered in long trousers, long sleeved shirt, hat and mozzie head net, this could not keep them away from their dinner, us!

This goes to show that planning is vital to any expedition weather short or long, testing the equipment you have is essential to a comfortable journey. We thoroughly tested every bit of equipment and were only let down by the bug spray, this was the last thing that we thought would fail. This goes to show how the smallest of things, that would be over looked could make such a difference to our lives. The lumps, bumps and mozzies are all long gone now, but the memory will live with us forever, I’m sure that the search for another organic/holistic repellent will take time, but be well worth the effort.

R.

Tags: camping equipment, holistic, Mosqueto