Stand Up Camping

In this week’s episode of Casual Camping Podcast, Ade and Tim are talking about Stand Up Camping — making camping easier, smarter, and far more practical when squeezing into tiny tents and crawling around on the floor just isn’t cutting it anymore.

This isn’t just about getting older or chasing extra comfort; it’s about camping smarter right now so you can keep enjoying the outdoors for years to come. From choosing gear that’s easier to live with, to creating a setup that works with you rather than against you, we share plenty of ideas and tips to help make camping more accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable long term.

Because the goal isn’t to stop camping — it’s to keep camping for as long as possible.

DISCLAIMER: Casual Camping Podcast accepts no liability and does not officially recommend any products or endorse any techniques discussed in an individual podcast episode or shown on Casual Camping Podcast social media accounts. Individuals should make their own informed decision and risk assessment of any products or advice prior to any purchase or use

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to season four of Casual Camping Podcast, the home for the best camping discussion both in and out of the field. Here are your hosts, Tim and Aid.

SPEAKER_03 0:27

Hello, you fine people. You're back with us again, I see. Well, welcome to another Casual Camping Podcast. I'm your host, Aid.

SPEAKER_04 0:37

And I'm your host, Tim. Thank you so much for coming back. I uh there must be something wrong with you to keep coming back this often, but um welcome. Welcome back to the um the uh the casual camping podcast um podcast Tim's on form already, I see.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

Tim, stick one of them snacks in your gob and leave this to me.

SPEAKER_04 1:06

It's been a busy day. I haven't had a lot to eat today. I think I'm on a sugar downer. I need um where's the haribo?

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Where's the haribo? Get some beer down you, Tim. Get some beer down ya.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

Oh, true. I'm on a cup of tea. Yeah, just yeah, I needed something really refreshing, so I made a cup of tea. Yorkshire, obviously.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

Americans everywhere are going, what that doesn't compute. Refreshing cup of mid water. I hear you, don't get me wrong. I get but I also know that there'll be people going, no. So what are you drinking, Ed? I'm uh uh the finest uh Budweiser. Bud. Yeah, it's been a very sunny day here in the UK, and it's just after Easter weekend, and it's been lovely. It's kind of one of those evenings that you just want to be down the pub having a couple of beers, a nice spring, you know, it'll be still a bit chilly, so you might need to have a pub with a fire.

SPEAKER_04 2:17

Yeah, yeah, it is that perfect evening, really, isn't it? I'd love right now to um to ditch this and uh and go to the pub. Should we just put out a really short episode and just go yeah? So if that if thanks for listening, thanks for listening. We're joking, we're joking. Strap yourselves in, you're in for a full episode. Oh gosh, I'm not sure I'm ready for that, Tim. I'm not touching or tapping anyone up this week. I listened to the episode the other day driving uh to and from work, and I have to say, made myself laugh quite a lot.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

Uh yeah, I thought it was uh good, but yes, I do the same. I get my uh metaphors middled up. What can they do?

SPEAKER_04 3:14

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:16

Uh so what have you been up to this week?

SPEAKER_04 3:19

Um, I have been uh uh working really hard. It's um long days. I mean, Easter, Easter weekend was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Felt like it went on forever. Should have been camping, but we had too much other stuff on. Um, but it was a really, really great weekend. Um and then it's straight back into straight back into work, and it's been it's been busy as anything because we've got a doctor's strike in the UK, so uh no doctors anywhere. So um I've been pretending to be three doctors, but it's been alright, you know.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

Which one of them wears the dress though, Tim? Well, me, myself, and Irene. Yeah, I was like, I've been three doctors. Ooh, what are the names? Anyway, before we digress any further, yeah, it's been great. And I have loved the socials this weekend with people that have been sharing where they've been up to. So if you haven't joined the socials, get on there, share your pictures, and uh, we I mean it just really inspires people, and just seeing people set up, we all camp differently. There's a couple of people that were like, uh uh don't don't have a go, but this is my setup. We know we all camp differently, and you know, obviously, I think in my mind that I camp the best, and why would anybody not do it my way? But maybe we're all a little bit like that. We all have our own little idiosyncrasies that go, you know what, and we're all on that journey.

SPEAKER_04 5:04

I totally agree, totally agree. It's um it was great that people actually felt confident enough to put stuff on the group because um and on our socials, because it it it it's just really great to see people out in the field doing stuff, whether it's lighting fires, making a brew, you know, camping for the first time, camping for the hundredth time. You know, it's it's just lovely to see it all shared. So please people keep um keep doing that. If you haven't joined our um our Facebook, our private Facebook group, um it's over there on Facebook. It's a private group, it's casual camping podcast. Ask to come in, we'll probably let you in. It's um and it's it's a friendly bunch in there.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

It was a really friendly bunch. Uh and I I think that's that's the thing, isn't it? It's like we were talking about purchasing, so there was a lot of chat this week about uh event sales, so Snow Peak had a sale, like the conversations about what people have uh uh been looking at. You know, sometimes you don't get a spring sale in camping world generally, no, so you know, Snow Peak did. Uh I purchased something, other people purchased something. Uh you know, it was uh there was a lot of stuff going on there, and when one per pe sorry, get my words out. When one person purchases is we all purchase, we all get that little glow of ooh, yeah, is there something I want? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:36

Because if I've seen somebody else buy something, it makes me immediately think, Well, I could get something too. And kind of you see you instantly feel less guilty because someone else has already, you know, pulled the trigger, and and you're like, Well, I'll I'll get myself something then. It's um although I'm I've managed not to. I uh I haven't purchased anything in the uh in the spring sale.

SPEAKER_03 7:00

Yeah, well, I uh purchased something for somebody else, so uh which I feel good. Uh it was 45 quid down to 36, and then they charged me six quid pushing. So I save three quid, but I saved three quid, Tim. There you go, there you go. Yes, uh, but yeah, it it's a funny old thing, is that? Um, but it's just really nice to have that conversation, and I wasn't out, I am out for the next three weeks. Uh, so I've got camping Friday night, I've got camping uh for two nights the following weekend, and we're up in uh uh Cumbria uh for a couple of uh nights the weekend after. So it's you bit a dude. Spring a sprung.

SPEAKER_04 7:55

You are literally um you are you know it's almost like you do a camping podcast.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Uh honestly, I I love it so much. I'm sort of already thinking of what's the food that I'm taking, what's the setup I'm taking. I've even been messing around with stuff for the barter barn and going like, ooh, do I really want to give this away? Do I really want to sort of barter it away for uh other things?

SPEAKER_04 8:21

So yeah, but it's got to be done. We were having a good chat about that on the way on my um my way home from work. It's uh believe it enough, people. We um we actually talk to each other outside of this podcast, which is you know, yeah, bizarre.

SPEAKER_03 8:35

But um, I mean there's a rumour going around the internet that we're not even brothers, Tim. I mean, I think it was circulated by our mother, but it's just all for sure for the podcast.

SPEAKER_04 8:52

Oh god, well, well, I look like dad, so are you the milkmans?

SPEAKER_03 9:02

Let's just say I'm not getting one of them genealogy flipping things, you're three quarters Spanish.

SPEAKER_04 9:18

I wondered why you always had a nap in the afternoon.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

Can I even do it?

SPEAKER_04 9:27

You're gonna Italian again.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

I know the baby civil play. It's civil play French, uh it is, isn't it? Ah, I really mix me languages then. Oh my god, people don't come here for for languages, Tim.

SPEAKER_04 9:44

No, no, this isn't linguisto.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

A campaign linguisto. Scotty, it's a tent. Oh my god. I know we're not allowed to sing for tunes, but can we also probably we shouldn't be stealing uh the fast show's catchphrases as well?

SPEAKER_04 10:09

Yeah, probably, probably. Up-to-date TV reference, though. You can always do one of them. You can always do one of them.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

Yes, but yeah, so uh we are on the socials. Please follow along, please ask to join, please subscribe wherever you're listening to us, so that you know we just get that little hit. Gives us information and we know that we're doing things in the right way. I was watching some YouTube stuff the other day, and um I think it's Kent Survival, who is excellent on the socials, um, not our socials, but on his. Uh, but he does some videos uh online, and he did one about Lego, and it's his most watched thing, and it's like up to a million views now, and like he's doing when he does just regular camping stuff, it's sort of so low numbers. Um, and you just think, yeah, I kind of really feel for you because I think we all go through this when you're putting out content and you're trying to look at the numbers to go, hey, has this one hit down? Oh, that one's a good one, oh, we got a lot for that. You know, it it's uh so subscribing is uh the main thing and participating, give us a like, give us a comment, share what you're doing, it all helps.

SPEAKER_04 11:31

Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I um you know, I can never make head to tail of the blooming algorithms that are going on because I um you know we you can put a lot of time into making like a reel, and it'll get like a few thousand views, and maybe about you know thirty likes or something like that. And then we literally, like with that cool box at the show, we literally just went record, did it really quickly to camera, all in one take, shoved it straight on there, hundred and hundred and thirty thousand views, is it, or something that once had? And it's like, why? Someone tell me why. If I could bottle that and do it every time, it'd be great, but um yeah, no idea.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Well, I've got a fair inkling, it's the uh snap and go cooler that we were showing the world, and nobody showed it better than we did.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

That's very true, that's very true. It's a very good reel. Most of you, I'm sure, have seen it because you know the internet has.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

The algorithm took us and we were on that wave, we were cresting it for a little bit, but you know, um Coleman uh didn't even uh want to uh partake with that. So I think we did better than there.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

We absolutely did because I've been watching. So uh so yeah, 133,000 views on that uh on that one rail. That is our most successful, but you know.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

We did get a couple of comments on that as well, where people were like, Oh, and how many days will that not keep my eyes? And it was like, listen, you've got to forget forego something. If you want something that'll pack away small, yeah, you're not gonna get eight days worth of ice in it, are you?

SPEAKER_04 13:14

No, it's designed as a two-day cooler, you know, it's um it is it is what it is, but it's uh it's a it's a great piece of kit. Yeah, I um just going back to the um the old um socials and subscribing and leaving us comments in particular, wherever you're listening to this podcast, leave us a five-star mediocre review. You know, just take two minutes at the end of the show and just write why you think we're mediocre and give us five stars. And um and as as this one is, you uh you could end up on this segment of the show. So I've got I've got a five-star mediocre review from uh Sarah Delaney. Sarah I thought you were gonna Sarah's Sardog. No, no I was waiting for you then.

SPEAKER_03 14:14

Yeah, I know. I I I don't think I I should uh um give people nicknames anymore. People have had words.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

Well so well Sara says um loving so much this podcast makes me laugh, gives me ideas, and just reinforces how fab the camping community is. Keep the podcast coming, boys. Oh we haven't been called boys in a long time, but we'll take it.

SPEAKER_03 14:43

Take it any flipping chance I can get it. Um but yes, no, thank you, Sarah. I Sarah. I just loved the camping community as well. I think there's people that are just so lovely, and essentially, you know, we're all out there in very thin fabric kind of things, so we have to be nice to each other because you can't hide behind a big wall, because it's canvas, very true, very true.

SPEAKER_04 15:12

And you know, none of us are axe murderers because as we talked about before, axes go through tent walls really easy.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Yeah, wouldn't you be annoyed if you had an axe and you caught like one of those new fabric kind of things that bounce back a little bit? Caught the pole, like what?

SPEAKER_04 15:33

Oh god. No, so um, what are we talking about, Ed? Because uh what are we what are we talking about?

SPEAKER_03 15:41

What are we talking about? Let's just have a chat, Tim. I um so we're talking about um off some of the comments that we've had this weekend about people that are getting out there, and uh I guess it's kind of the access, uh, what enables you to have the access and continue doing your favourite thing, which is camping, maybe longer than you thought you would be. You know, I'm I'm 55 now. I was watching something last year, and it was uh the gone fishing thing with Bob Mortimer. Oh yeah, and they decided that they go around like fancy places and uh uh have uh lovely lunches and then they go to a swanky little house. And one night they went, We're actually camp fish camping, you know, with so they they had tents and stuff, and I think Bob got up the following morning like aches and pains, like, oh my god, that's uh you know, I'm not doing that again, and it it made me think about actually when do I think I can camp tell?

SPEAKER_04 17:03

Yeah, yeah. And it's it's interesting, really, isn't it? Because I I can remember the time when I I decided I needed I needed a stand-up tent. You know, I was I was in the the the north face tent and I was I was doing like morning yoga just to try and twist and contor myself to get my pants on.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

It's um that's undercrackers to you Americans, not your trousers. Undercrackers.

SPEAKER_04 17:33

Oh god, but you know what it's like, you kind of you you're in this like coffin little tent, and and the my Northfest tent isn't that small, it's a two-man tent, but it's you know, you can't you can you can't properly sit up in it, and uh and you're you're just crawling in and out and in and out, and I'm on my hands and knees, and it doesn't have a car in like a floor in in the porch area, so you're literally crawling into the tent and your knees are dirty, and I just thought this this is a real pain in the ass. I um I need you know, I wasn't, you know, I'm on I'm only going back about six or seven years. It's um, but I was literally like I can't I can't keep doing this, I cannot keep doing this, this is just ridiculous. I uh and it wasn't that I wasn't comfortable because I had a couple of Sims that I always took and and I had a reasonable night's sleep, but it's just the it's just the absolute convenience of crawling in and out on my hands and knees, and um and and I just thought, yeah, I've had it, I've had enough, and uh that's when I I I bought the first bell tent and thought I've gotta have I've got to have a tent I can stand up in to give me that longevity, otherwise camping's gonna potentially become a little bit a little bit miserable in areas, and and I don't want it to do that because I love camping and I want to keep going out in the field, so I I switched to a stand-up tent.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

And yeah, I I mean I I remember the same sort of thing, and I don't know whether it's age, inactivity, you know, trousers getting a bit sort of tight when you bend over and uh things needing a comfortable chair to sit in, or whatever those things are, yeah. But you're right, there comes a time when uh lying down trying to get closed uh becomes just a little bit more difficult. It just does, you know. I think you could be the fittest person in the world and you just lose a bit of those things. But interesting there, you know, I was thinking, well, I don't know, Bob Mortimer's what is he, 60, 65, you know, something like that. Not that much older than me, you know, and he's quite a bit older actually, but you know. Um, but I was thinking, actually, would I not be camping in 10 years' time? Yeah, yeah. And and I I was like, well, I I just can't imagine that. Because I mean, other than the amount of stuff I take, having to slim it down because I don't want to take it to the thing, uh, to the campsite, or you know, carry it all in and stuff. But I was thinking, actually, I've got a really comfortable bed when I go away. I've got, you know, I'm not on the floor anymore, I can stand up, I've got a chair in the tent, you know, I've got all the convenience, and I can still get out there. And you know, I I I can afford some of those things. Yeah, it's just uh it's a real interesting thing as we all get older, you know, maybe um I I don't necessarily think it's it's just about age, though.

SPEAKER_04 20:40

I don't think it's just an age thing. I think it's I think it's a camping smarter thing. I think it's about camping a bit more sensible sensibly. I um sensibly wait on a wait on a second. Down in his beer. Oh yeah. No, I I think I think it's about camping smarter. Uh I think it's um, you know, I am I'm the young spriteful age of of 50 and um and I'm reasonably fit and healthy. I know, I know, my heart's rubbish. To be honest, Tim. Yeah, this argument's not working, is it?

SPEAKER_03 21:24

And with one single phrase, Tim sunk the argument.

SPEAKER_04 21:30

But I I don't think I don't think it's about I don't think it's an age thing. I think I think it's about you know s if I'd have if I'd have had the the money and and thought really years ago to have bought a bell tent um when actually they weren't that common back then, so they were a bit harder to get, you know, and I'd have gone and got one, I'd still be camping in a bell tent now because it's a it's a stand up, it's a stand up. tent.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

They're common now.

SPEAKER_04 22:06

They are a bit, aren't they? They are a bit, are they? You nasty, you nasty, you nasty bastard.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

He's just using you.

SPEAKER_04 22:16

You know, you know I've fallen out of love with that three meter belt. You you're just you're just poking me there. You know I want that Vango tent.

SPEAKER_03 22:26

Go the Vanguard. Go the Vango route. Either pop pop the tent on the fire next time or I mean it's cracking it could go to the barter barn. Exactly. What Tim it's dead to you. It's dead to you. I've got to watch my back when I'm at the barter barn because you know I'm almost dead to you sometimes I can see it when we're doing this podcast and you go you better do more this week. Otherwise that's it he's going on the barter barn.

SPEAKER_04 23:11

I wouldn't get much for you Ed. It's um you know it'd have to be one of those four fits on a slice of pizza job I'm thinking sort of Manuel from faulty towers.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

It helps around the camp there.

SPEAKER_04 23:34

You're on fire with your up to date TV reference things I tell you what you know I really am. Yeah you know you you talk about your your sleeping system all the time and uh and actually I read I read somebody else going on about the exact same sleeping system today on on one of the groups I follow. You know the the decathlon airbed thing and a big thick sim on top you know that too is about camping smarter isn't it it's um it's it it means that you you're not crawling on the floor and and and you know putting your clothes on on the floor and and having to sleep on the floor and then get all all the way up you kind of already raised up at normal bed heights.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

But because that's the other odd thing when you're in a tent that you can stand up in I think it looks really odd when you're just lying on the ground on a little sim.

SPEAKER_04 24:28

You know I was like what do you what what you doing with all that space there and stuff you know get and and you know if you if you want to caveman it out caveman it out by all means uh but if you got the height you know make full use of it I thought that when we went to E-Dale for the winter camping episode and I shared the tent with Matt. I said to him have you got like a camp bed to get you off the ground and he went oh no I've just got a a sim and it's like oh that's fine but it's like you're laying closest to the floor and we've got a we've got a tent stove that's heating all the air that's like up at the top of this really tall nine foot tent.

SPEAKER_03 25:09

So it's like get yourself up into the into the warm air and um you know it it does it does look weird it does look a bit funny when you're just sort of uh on a sim in a in a in a stand-up tent and and so that's the thing it it it's the difference about the fact that you know be being comfortable you replicate it you're you're travelling you're on a site you're like but you know those luxuries that you have at home shouldn't be less so um so years ago and and I I've I've come to this I and I would say and I've said on the podcast previously the last thing I spent money on was my sleeping system I'd had loads of tents I'd had this and I'd had that and they were all good and I love them all and it was I had great times with them and then it was when we couldn't camp when COVID happened that I bought a different sleeping system and I you know I got a lovely tent I didn't need a new tent I wasn't going out so I had a bit of extra money I was like you know what maybe now's the time I invest in a good sleeping mat a good under thing to get me off the floor and I've not looked back and you know even similarly I mean we were up in EDL in January and we were talking to that guy with the airbeam tent um and he was like it was brilliant his setup was great but he had the cheapest double bed thing that he was sharing with his partner and it went down in the night so at like three in the morning he was trying to pump it back up again and stuff and I was like you know actually you're out camping you don't need you know yes you want to maybe be together but you know I've got two separate single ones that means that you know you can uh they're hooked together um but yeah you know we're we're independent of each other so you get a better night's sleep that way uh yeah and that that prolongs your your your lifespan of camping doesn't it because we've we've both talked about actually do we you know at what point do we bite the bullet on moving to a camper van and um and do that I mean not that either of us can afford to do that but we've talked at length of well at some point I won't be able to go camping anymore and I'll have to get a camper van.

SPEAKER_04 27:47

Well actually if you make these changes early enough where you can stand up in the tent you've got a decent bed that you you kind of you can sit on you get a decent chair you use a proper table you know you you get all those things in place that that actually negates that thought of oh at some point I'm gonna have to get a van well you don't need to get a van if you if you if you camp smarter and and get all those things in place way before it's a struggle you're you're gonna be camping camping for donkeys years yeah and I I think that's the thing isn't it that you may maybe the people that we hear about that are going oh god uh I camped last night and oh my back and all of this and they're trying to camp like they did when they were 20. Yep absolutely that's that's the point I'm trying to make is like yeah and and yet you know what I've noticed is you know you lose a bit of muscle mass you know so things just hurt in a different way kind of if you've been but actually you can protect yourself okay sometimes that costs a bit of money but it doesn't have to you know you could get double up on your your sleeping mats you know my my mate who I'm going camping with he's got um uh a foil one for the underneath he's got uh uh blow up one for thing and then he's got like a little down quilt thing that he puts on top of that to protect there and give him a bit of extra heat so he's got three things together you know I don't think any of them cost him that much money yeah yeah it's just it's just being a bit smarter isn't it with um with your aches and pains and but actually that the advice really is think about it before you get the aches and pains make those changes make some of those suggested changes you know it's great if you want to you know have a if you're in your 20s and you want to have a little tiny one man coffin and go climbing hills and mountains and stuff and if you want to do that into your 40s and your 50s and your 60s you know and beyond great but I don't think that's sustainable for every camping trip every weekend. I think I think having the mix you know I've got a little a little one man tent and it's brilliant it's absolutely brilliant but there's no way I'm camping camping in that every time I go camping because it's too restrictive and I've got the crawly in and out of my tent thing again and and you know contort my legs to cut my undercrackers on.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

I don't want to do that and nobody wants to see that you know silhouetted against the side of the tent I've seen you when you camped in a flipping tarp and a uh hammock I tell you what that was the best night's sleep I've ever had and not not related to beer at all but um but isn't isn't it um what you've taught me with that because I I like hammocks don't get me wrong I love uh falling asleep in a hammock on a hot sunny day and kind of thing not sure I would choose one however much you've said oh it's the best night's sleep I've ever had I'm not sure that I uh I'm ever really tempted by it and I I kind of come back to Uncle Ray at the Bushcraft show a couple of years ago who um somebody was trying to tell like say oh yeah um hammock camping he was like well no you hammock camp in appropriate seasons you can hammock camp in the summer why are you trying to do that in the winter it's not designed for it and he and he said you end up having to take an under quilt and an over quilt and extra stuff which actually weighs twice as much as a small two man tent that you're naturally going to be warmer in anyway.

SPEAKER_04 31:45

Yeah yeah yeah which does does make complete sense I think you should try it because you know in summer I you know the last time I went it was cold you know it's um it was too cold for hammock camping um I haven't got rid of it it it might make it onto the Barter Barn actually because I'm probably you know if you're not gonna use it again I'm probably not gonna because I was proper cold and a bit spooked to be honest because it's just so open I was a bit I was a bit freaked out in the woods with uh just like staring out at the woods it was it was a bit weird but um with Rambo rat staring back at you I know I know it was the same sight as Rambo rat only I didn't know Rambo rat was there definitely not doing that this time no way no way I mean blum and eck that was a that was that was a big rat that was a really big rat but um it was though it was it was an incredibly comfortable night's sleep and um and actually maybe maybe moving into you know we've got some we've got some bushcrafters who who listen to the show and on the and on the socials and I am thinking of Ian over in the Isle of Isle of White uh sorry Isle of Man sorry Isle of Man don't shout at me Ian don't shout at me offended a whole country there Tim no I know I know that's somewhere else I'm not allowed to go but he um he you know he's definitely an oh you know we I say this in respect but he's an older gentleman and uh but he does an awful lot of hammock camping and uh and makes himself very comfortable and from that comfort point of view of of being able to still go out in you know when I'm much older than I am now actually a hammock's probably not a bad shout because it's it's as you make you hang it as high as you want it to be so it's a comfortable height to get in and out of it's really good for your back. It was like so comfortable um and it wears nothing so you're not carrying a lot of stuff because that's the other issue is you know as I get older there's you know I'm I'm I'm annoying myself at the moment with the amount of stuff I'm having to carry out into the field and um you know the the bulk of it all and the weight of it all you know a hammock tent literally wears nothing it wears it's the lightest stuff you could you could even you could ever camp with it's um wears nothing at all so from that point of view actually it's probably not a bad shout yeah you know but I as I was saying before it it's appropriate kind of stuff isn't it you know because you know midsummer you know certainly in the UK you can get overnight showers you can get you know um so you're always gonna have to have a tarp with it setting up all of those things but you know you're right I think it it's that comfort level versus you know this is what I need to do now and you know we take an awful lot of stuff we are going to sites where we have to walk that stuff in sometimes which uh I think is crazy that's that for me will change in the future yeah I think so I um I can do that now um it's a pain it's actually a bit of a challenge it tends to uh I I think already it takes me an extra trip that it probably wouldn't have done 10-15 years ago um I mean that's probably the volume of stuff I'm taking more than anything else but but in the future I'm I'm not gonna be going to sites where I've got to carry stuff in you know even even with a trolley or a wheelbarrow or something like that. I ain't I'm just not gonna do that. I I want to camp next to my car. I want to be able to get stuff out of my car and put it up even if it then means I've got to move the car and go park it somewhere I um I want to be unloading the stuff I don't want to be carrying my little you know my all all my stuff somewhere so that I think that'll change that'll change for me yeah I think that will certainly change for me because we we've started to see it maybe it's just the sites that we're going to and they're lovely sites uh don't get me wrong but there's one that we uh went to as a family uh just after COVID and it sticks with me that we obviously the crossover kind of thing it was a lovely site that overlooked sort of Oxfordshire and it had a a little shed with its own toilet and as a family we kind of went and everybody goes that was such a lovely weekend oh that was great oh it was great and all I can ever think of with that site is you gave us wheelbarrows on like a divity kind of grass lane that would like just shook everything so everything kept on falling off and yeah it was just 200 yards from the uh car and I kind of think with the amount of stuff I'd I've just always gone no I'm not going back there you guys don't take as much stuff as I do what's the point you know at least make it smooth for us or or whatever and uh there's so there's those kind of things and I think well we we went to we went to Baxby Manor didn't we and we've been we've been a couple of times you know near york beautiful site lots of privacy where wherever your pitch is but the first time we went they put us down in the sort of adults only section down in the woods miles away from everyone else which was great we were in we were in what I I would say is probably the best part of that campsite but it's a long way from where you have to park your cars and they've got wheelbarrows and it was it was it was a hell of a long way wasn't it and it was two or three trips you know for for me just to get my stuff there it's um you know so we we did learn that the next time that we went we actually booked a pitch that was literally right next to where we were going to be parking the cars and um and it was it was an awful lot better not as pretty a pitch as as down in the woods next to the stream and everything but actually it was it was a really lovely pitch and we just kind of thought again camp smarter think about you know if you can book a pitch a specific pitch somewhere you know book a pitch that's next to the parking so that so that you haven't got as far to go have you got a dog have you got a dog I've got a got a cold is what I've got um yeah we did talk about actually booking two pitches the one that's near the car park and then a party pitch in the woods so that we could uh make a little bit more noise and nobody'd get offended with us but in the end we was just like sod that it costs an extra bit for that we're not doing it no we just had fun anyway well we bring the party Tim we bring the party but you know getting back to you know what as a roundup what what are those things that elongate uh your camping experience you know I I I do think I'm 55 uh I still enjoy camping I get a good night's sleep I you know still party quite hard um when we're uh there and I I just think yeah uh nothing seems to be changing uh for me and I can't see that it uh will but you know I would say you've made a lot of the changes though already you know we've been talking about get a stand-up tent sort out your bed your sleeping system so it's good for your back and get a good chair think about where you're camping and how you get your stuff you know the volume of stuff you're taking so that you know how much are you carrying and try and make some of it a bit more lightweight so you're not having to carry as much you've made all of those changes already so you've kind of future proofed yourself to the fact that actually with your current setup you can you could still be camping in 20 years time quite comfortably as a 75 year old man jeez we're still going to be doing this podcast then I mean we won't have any listeners but you know we'll still be doing it hello Tim how's how's your scientific how's my apple pie's people going it's a little bit like that now actually I I have not future proof myself like you have um and uh I haven't done that yet yes I've I've got some stand up tents my sleeping system's all right but it's not when I sleep when I when I when I sleep with my other half when I when I when she let you oh god please let me uh she's not listening oh my god oh my god oh dear um maybe this is the show we edited but when I when I camp with her we use a a a thick double sin that sorry he's gone he's gone he's gone use a white move on move on quickly oh god I use a monster mat it's a good looking monster mat it's um oh man you filth you're such a filth monster it's um so I use this empire monster mat but it's a it's a thick um sin that's like 10 centimetres thick but it's on the floor we've got nothing to to um to put it on so um you know I haven't future proof myself as as well as you have I need to maybe rethink that and put get something that's a a bit higher that we don't have to crawl around on the floor because we are in the four meter bell tent crawling around on the floor um which is a bit stupid really but uh so yeah I think I think you've done better at as always you absolute swine you've done better than me at this it's um I think you could be camping in your existing setup for years to come whereas I'm gonna have to go shopping for a better a better tent.

SPEAKER_03 42:45

I think that van that Van Gogh tent is it it's a good tent I can stand up in it it'll take you know it's got big straight sides to it so it'll um it'll take a decent um sort of raised bed I uh yeah I think I'm gonna have to gonna have to phone Chris at Vango yeah um what I'm gonna what I'm gonna do for you Tim right is I'm gonna loan you one of the decathlon underbass things when next time we're camping together at the end of April. Okay you've got a sim haven't you that you can put on it? Yeah it's only a thin one it's only um does it need a thick one well you know I mean probably uh you we could put something else down and uh and do it but I uh I'm gonna loan you it and and just see.

SPEAKER_04 43:42

So the because you generally have I normally use the the outwell metal um camp bed which I have to say is really heavy. It's a heavy piece of it to take out so that that's what uh

SPEAKER_03 44:00

I was gonna say because you you've lent you've given me a bed frame that I uh use with my uh the swag. Swag. Yeah. And what I find with those is that you kind of ru if you lay on your back, you round your shoulders a little bit because you you sit in the hollow of them. Whereas what actually happens with the uh under frame from decathlon is that's got struts that kind of pop up a little bit. So you're it it's kind of the opposite, but you've also got give in them as well. Whereas actually with beds and you know though those frames that you've got, it's taut fabric, it's like sleeping in a camp chair almost, but flat.

SPEAKER_04 44:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:49

You know, it's so so that there's very little give to that, there's very little spring. Whereas you get that with the underwear. So I'm gonna learn you it and we're gonna talk about it afterwards, uh, just to see.

SPEAKER_04 45:02

Okay, no, I I um I'd really like to try it to be honest, because there's that many people that go on about it. I um I was like I say, I saw someone's post today and I thought I think I probably need to switch to this, but how do I do that without AD finding out?

SPEAKER_03 45:21

Well, uh the the thing is that it works for me. Yeah, I've I've talked long and hard about it to a lot of people, and I think it's just that thing of I think one time we went camping when we first uh when I had the tent TP and we sat on my bed most of the night. Yeah, yeah. Just and it's just a very nice pitch, uh, like you know, just it's a good footer.

SPEAKER_04 45:52

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:54

And and and you know, that was brilliant, really, really good. So uh so yeah, I'm gonna loan you it and just see whether or not you're um you you notice the the difference. I've probably even got yeah, I could I could loan you the whole sleeping system, to be honest. I think you should.

SPEAKER_04 46:10

I think you should. I think you should carry it as well. I suppose the the last the last top tip to to keep yourself camping when when it might be a struggle in years to come is to um camp with someone who's younger than you who can uh take it all and put it all up for you. You uh you've had a son for that, you know. I'm uh I'm I'm I'm out of luck, really. But you know, you uh you need to train Nye, don't you, to to get him uh yeah doing your knife, cousin knife, cousin uh get him uh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:44

And the thing is that he does like camping, but um he's at a yeah an age where he's like, well, you know, can we go into town?

SPEAKER_04 46:56

Yeah, yeah. It's gotta be a pub nearby. It's gotta be a pub. Should we go to a minute mindfulness? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

Welcome to the casual camping minute mindfulness. Let the sounds of nature take you back to the camping field.

SPEAKER_04 48:17

There you go. Get yourself out in nature. Go on. That's inspired somebody, at least one of you out there has listened to that and thought, you know what, I need to get out. I need to get out and go camping. So go, go.

SPEAKER_03 48:31

Go. Make those what's your local campsite? Where do you want to go? You know, it might not be your best one, but as we were saying last week, it might be just the difference between I've got a night, I'm gonna go there. I'm gonna take my smallest setup, I'm just gonna go. So, you know, do it, do it. Yeah, you heard it here. Tim and Aide gave you permission. Tim and Aide gave you permission.

SPEAKER_04 48:58

Yeah, if you get any pushback from anyone, just say Tim and Aid said it was alright, and uh and they'll go, Oh well, yeah, I suppose it is then. Yeah. Yeah. No one can argue against us. This is so one last thing, I suppose, to say is um obviously you've mentioned the Barta Barn earlier on today. We uh we're gonna keep plugging this because we really want people who are going to the bushcraft show to know about it and to bring some stuff to Barta with us. So we're gonna have a load of stuff on this table, no cash involved. Bring your items that um are still you know have have inherent value in them and uh and come and come and play swapsies with us and see what we can we can exchange for it. It's um uh and if you're thinking about coming to the Bushcraft show uh that's in the second bank holiday in May here in the UK, then uh use our code CCP15 for 15% off day tickets and weekend tickets, and uh we will be there. So come and come and find us and say hello.

SPEAKER_03 50:01

Yeah, and if you think, oh bushcraft, I like camping, but bushcraft isn't for us. Me and Tim are not hardy campers, and they made us feel welcome.

SPEAKER_04 50:11

And we're really did, really did. I mean the last we we tried a bit of bushcrafting and they they kind of laughed at our bushcraft skills, but you know, they also taught us a lot of stuff, and um and that was really that was really nice. Very friendly bunch of people, so um, so come along and um and and just have a laugh. Have a laugh. Be great to see people there. But um, as always, find us on the socials, subscribe to to the podcast wherever you're listening, and uh and leave us a mediocre five-star review.

SPEAKER_03 50:42

Tim, you're on fire. You've hit all the flipping uh tags there.

SPEAKER_04 50:49

I'm I'm I'm learning from the master. I normally completely forget.

SPEAKER_03 50:55

Well, uh, I think all that's left to say is we've been casual campers, and we'll catch you on the next one. I've been aid, and I've been said, bye bye.