Casual Camping Podcast
Camping. Campfires. Gear. Bad weather. Great stories.
Every week, brothers Ade and Tim get together to talk about the hobby they love most. From honest gear discussions and campsite reviews to camping mishaps, outdoor adventures and listener stories, nothing is off limits.
This isn’t an influencer podcast. It isn’t packed with sponsorships or paid promotions. It’s simply two brothers sharing their love of camping with a community that feels more like friends around a campfire.
Casual Camping Podcast has become a favourite for campers looking for practical advice, genuine conversation and plenty of laughs along the way.
Whether you’re a seasoned camper, a weekend warrior, or someone dreaming about their first night under canvas, pull up a camp chair and join us outdoors.
New episodes every week.
Casual Camping Podcast
Before The Weather Turns…
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The long summer evenings are fading, temperatures are dropping, and many campers are about to put their gear through its toughest test of the year.
This week, Tim and Ade discuss how to keep your camping kit performing at its best as the shoulder season arrives. From muddy boots and waterproof clothing to tents, guy lines and everything in between, they share the simple habits that can help extend the life of your equipment and save you money in the long run.
Whether you’re planning autumn adventures, preparing for winter camping, or thinking about storing some of your kit until next season, this episode is packed with practical advice to help keep your gear in top condition.
Because looking after your equipment now means it’s ready when the next camping opportunity comes calling.
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
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Welcome to season four of Casual Camping Podcast, your home for the best camping discussion both in and out of the field. Here are your hosts, Tim and Aid.
SPEAKER_05Hello and welcome back to another casual camping podcast. I'm Aide.
SPEAKER_02And I'm Tim, your second favourite presenter. It's um how are you doing? Yeah, not too bad.
SPEAKER_05Um yeah, still looking at all the there's loads of things out there that are saying buy me, buy me, buy me.
SPEAKER_03I keep going. Sorry, gone.
SPEAKER_05Uh I've even downloaded uh a Japanese app uh because it's a bit like Japanese Kickstarter starter.
SPEAKER_01Is that is that a Jap app you downloaded a Jap app?
SPEAKER_03We've downloaded a Jap app.
SPEAKER_05Um and uh yeah, in order to they've got like uh a tent on there that they're like you know, oh it's like Kickstarter, but in Japan, and I can't I can't understand any of it. They don't they don't have a section that says um translate to English.
SPEAKER_01Oh no, oh god.
SPEAKER_05I've had a few things in my basket quite a few times. It was like, nope, that's not what I was after. Going on to a converter to go, how much is that in British pounds?
SPEAKER_03Oh my god.
SPEAKER_0579,000 yen? What uh what does that turn in?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so danger, Will Robinson. Yeah, total danger. You are you are gonna either spend a lot of money or uh at the worst get a load of stuff in about three years' time when their version of Kickstarter you know finally fulfills it's um yeah, proper danger, proper danger.
SPEAKER_05Milwaukee or something it's called. I yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Don't they do don't they do drills?
SPEAKER_01I'm wacking here, Milwaukee!
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna have to find what it is now, uh otherwise I I'll be uh Oh god.
SPEAKER_02I keep going in the garage and looking at stuff that I keep meaning to sell, and then I think I won't get anything like what I paid for it, so I put it back, but it's like I've got loads of stuff in there that I'm just not using anymore, and I think it's gotta go, it's gotta go something, it's gotta have another life for someone else.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I think that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so uh makuwaki makuaki that's um oh yeah, makuwaki M-A-K-U-A-K-E Makawaki. Um that's Japanese for Kickstarter is Japanese better than Chinese?
SPEAKER_05I think so. I think it probably is. They've got a bit more style, I reckon.
SPEAKER_02Certainly for camping. Yeah, true, true. It's um yeah, well, snowpake, your uh your second love.
SPEAKER_05Well, yes, it's uh it just yeah, it's beautiful.
SPEAKER_02How how are you getting on with those enamel pans plates?
SPEAKER_05Well, so this is the thing, Tim. The heart wants what the heart wants. I've not used them yet. I did take them camping.
SPEAKER_01I don't want to get them dirty.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I did take them camping, but they only made it to the motorway and then had to come back.
SPEAKER_01So the other week. Oh god, that's funny. Oh yeah. Oh were they uh were they gutted?
SPEAKER_03Uh I mean the plates probably, you know, if I don't dirty us, we're snow peak, don't you know?
SPEAKER_05Um but yeah, it was uh yeah, they're they are beautiful.
SPEAKER_02Uh they are they are really beautiful, really, really beautiful. It's um oh god.
SPEAKER_05It's uh and what I like about them is they have that little handle uh so that when you put hot dinner on stuff, you don't have to then go, Oh, I've got a hot metal plate on my lap that's burning me, so you've got a little handle that can yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, I um I I like that, and I clutched that you'd got two handles, one for Mrs. Sweet, too.
SPEAKER_05Yes, although she did say um oh, are they different colour? Because I got uh one of each colour, uh so two two dinner plates, but one of each colour, two bowls, one of each colour, two side plates, one of each colour. And um, yeah, after I'd done that, I thought, why didn't I just buy? So, you know, maybe I'll just have to buy some more.
SPEAKER_02Why? What's wrong with getting different colours?
SPEAKER_05I don't know. Oh she she was like, Oh, we're not matching. It'd be like we're eating different things. I was like, Well, we will be because you're vegetarian.
SPEAKER_03This is the colour to not be confused with this has real food on it.
SPEAKER_01This has oh god, we're going full out to offend people tonight, aren't we?
SPEAKER_05I mean, we really are. We don't we don't try Tim, it's just easy.
SPEAKER_02It could it comes it comes a la naturale.
SPEAKER_05Oh gosh. Um and has anything been uh tempting your eye?
SPEAKER_02Um I was gonna make a joke then about Japan and my eye, but I won't. Don't uh insert own joke. Um uh no, to be honest, I've been thinking now you know, let's let's assume the people from Van Gogh aren't listening because uh I want to cut a hole in my uh three-meter airbean tent. Oh Tim Tim it's it's it's the tent I want to take hot tenting because I've got the four-meter bell, but on my own it's too big. So I now don't have a solo hot tent, and it's it's hot tenting season.
SPEAKER_05So Tim Tim Hul cool cool your jet. Wait on a second. Maybe the planets are aligning. So uh if I just uh move uh my camera over there. Oh, you still of course I didn't make it to Newcastle, so your three-metre bell is now with me.
SPEAKER_01Oh of course.
SPEAKER_02So I had gifted the three-metre bell to one of our Geordie mates, uh Barry, but of course, you never got to Newcastle um because of the motorway. So it's it's now in your house. It takes up a lot of room, doesn't it, in your house?
SPEAKER_05Honestly, like the the way that uh tents are at the minute, uh I've just got tent corner. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02Wow, wow.
SPEAKER_04I'll have to take a picture and put that on socials.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's like a tent showroom, really, isn't it?
SPEAKER_05Where are we putting all the uh of these tents? Thankfully, we're we're also doing stuff on the house as well. So we got a new uh column radiator fitted the other day. That's expensive.
SPEAKER_02Gosh, gosh, but it will keep you warm in uh in winter. Yeah, it will do. Hopefully.
SPEAKER_05Um well the thing is we weren't expecting to do that, but uh she bought some carpet. Oh, weren't we changing that radiator? And she was like, Well, yeah, we'll do that. I was like, You change a radiator after you uh before you put carpet in.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, yeah. So yep. Oh gosh, gosh. Yeah. I will um you know, at least at least you got a radiator and a carpet in your house to be nice and warm. It's um and I will uh I'll probably have that tent back off you then and maybe use it this winter.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, maybe.
SPEAKER_02Oh, because you see, I was thinking of because the the three the um the the Sierra Air is an awesome tent and I I absolutely love it. Um but it's got an inner in the sleeping area like a sleeping pod, and I thought if I just took that sleeping pod out, it's still got a fully sewn in ground sheet. I could put a stove in the far corner, um, and uh and either vent it out the roof or vent it out the sidewall and um and it'd be it'd be it'd be a hot tent.
SPEAKER_05But um Well I've I've got so I've got some angle uh joints if you need to use some before actually having to put if you want to go out the side.
SPEAKER_02Oh bet you don't have them for the um the the nomad though. You do? Oh okay.
SPEAKER_05Oh they're three inch, they're three inch.
SPEAKER_02So oh my nomad's only small though, it's like two two.
SPEAKER_05Oh, sorry, yeah. Yeah, god, yeah, yeah, no, I don't.
SPEAKER_02I mean I could put the Mars fire in it, but I think the Mars fire would cook in that tense. It's it's so huge.
SPEAKER_03Broiling. Yeah, broiling. Broiling weekend. Not to be confused with uh Josh Brolin weekend.
SPEAKER_02You mean Josh Brolin with his tiny arms? Once you realize Josh Brolin's got tiny arms, you can't unsee it. He's got really tiny arms.
SPEAKER_01What is it with you with tiny arms? It was Jeremy Beadle last week.
SPEAKER_02Welcome to the Tiny Arm Podcast. It's very, very, very niche. Next week we've got Warwick Davis.
SPEAKER_01Oh God, we'd have Danny DeVito, but we can't afford him.
SPEAKER_05He's too hot right now.
SPEAKER_01Oh god, oh my god. Oh the oh where where do where do we go?
SPEAKER_02Where do we go from that? What are we talking about this weekend?
SPEAKER_05Um, we uh are talking about looking after your kids. So uh yeah, that's why you're talking about different uh tents and stuff. As the seasons are slightly changing, whether you're you know in the southern hemisphere or the northern one, certainly we're in the northern, and it's um getting colder after a wonderful, wonderfully hot summer. Um it's quite nice to have a little bit of uh see the nights drawing in a little bit. I like the change of seasons. I know some people don't like winter and stuff, but I do. I like I like autumn, I like all the seasons for different reasons.
SPEAKER_02I love I love living in a country that has seasons because I know a lot of you know some of the some of the warmer countries they they really just have have summer. Um, and some of them just have summer and winter, and they don't have the shoulder seasons. I love the fact that we've got four seasons and it really feels like you know they're quite unique, aren't they? It's um it's it's really quite lovely. And and I I love autumn. Uh I love all the seasons like you do, but I do love autumn because it it's it's the prelude to winter camping. Um the the camp campsites get much quieter, and um the weather gets a bit more extreme, so you've really got to think a little bit harder about what what are you taking, and you know, every everything you take has to have a purpose. I um I I I do love it, I do love it. But you do have to make sure at this time of year that your gear is ready for that change in weather, because it's um you know it's it's it it can be a bit relentless with wind, with rain, hail, hopefully some snow. It's um you've got to make sure that your gear's ready for it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. And I I think I don't think we've ever really I know we've touched on it in bits and pieces really, but you know, everything from the expensive jackets that everybody wears to you know all your kit, um that you know, wherever that is, wherever it's kept, you know, is it being stored uh correctly in the first place? Is it insured? Our neighbour got his garage broken into and lost out all his bikes and a few other things, and it made me kind of go, well, you know, actually uh I better uh make sure that uh my camping stuff uh is um yeah on the insurance. Yeah, it's um I mean I've got to rags out there everywhere, but you know, just you know, one is it protected, could you replace it? I you know, I I could I I couldn't replace the the value of uh all of the things that I've got, as well as you know, the collection of stuff, you know, whether it's new or old, it's things that I've come across at certain times that you know might not be available anymore.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And it's not just about theft. I mean, I I I think I think it's highly unlikely that a burglar's gonna kind of come in and carry off a you know 15 kilo tent. You know, some of these tents are really, really quite massive and and hen and heavy, but it's um you know, protecting it against you know damage from from fires, you know, it's this summer people's houses burnt down near me. Um it's um accidents happen, stuff happens, doesn't it? And uh yeah, yeah. See, I was thinking, you know, protecting as in waterproofing and and you know making sure your down stuff's been stored properly. But you're right, actually, protection includes everything, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I mean it really does. I over the summer keep my tents in the shed. Um I'm pretty good uh at making sure that you know they're there, but actually in the winter, I've just shown you or actually all my tents come in because I don't want uh moisture getting to them, I don't want um mildew on them and bits and pieces. You've also got to watch out for things like mice and rodents and stuff.
SPEAKER_02Um that that's interesting because my stuff all lives in my garage, which you think would be great because it's a garage, it's really dry, it's it's absolutely brilliant, does have some airflow through it, um, and it's a new house, brand new house. I've had to set rodent traps because I've had some mice in my camping snack box um eating eating my mini rolls and me um and my chocolate digestives, would you believe it? Oh god. And uh how dare they! But my worry was that they made a nest in like my new down sleeping bag that I've been out there for ages that I'm in love with, and um, so I had to set some humane traps um and uh and I did manage to catch catch it. I haven't had any more evidence, so I think it was just solo mouse, um solo camping in my camping stuff.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and and uh you know that that is the thing, you know, all of those things sort of you have to think about. Um obviously uh the protection of through wear and tear of keeping. We were talking to the guys from Grangers uh at a couple of the shows, and we we meant to uh go back and have an interview with them, but we got trolley the night before, didn't we?
SPEAKER_02Do you know what? Two shows we both set up on both shows to have an interview with them. Both shows we got a bit trolley and just needed to just get ourselves home on the second day. So apologies to Grangers. I'm sure at some point we will talk to them. They are really, really cool guys, but they do a great range of of stuff to protect, whether it's your walking boots, your your clothing, um, your um your your bags, your your small equipment, and then uh they're part of the same group, aren't they? And they do FabSil, which um which is for waterproofing like your big stuff, your tents, and things like that. It's um they do a little bit of everything, so they're definitely worth having a look at.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and I think uh, you know, just as well as you know, uh waterproofing and things, which are really important in the UK and uh uh a lot of other countries, but also that washing and cleaning. I you know, for years I I've kind of like had seen jackets that once were brilliant uh and waterproofed, uh over time uh you know have got a bit filthier and I've not taken care of them as much. You know, it's part of learning around these things, isn't it? You know, what how can you do it? Can you put it in a washing machine? Do you have to do it separately and all of those things? They've got an absolutely brilliant range, and there are other uh people out there, Nick Wax and various others, that do very similar but very easy to use stuff, you know, from like you say, boots to uh wash for waterproof jackets for down jackets and then re-waterproofing for them. Uh you know, I was kind of blown away by and it taught me quite a little quite a lot. We also did get some free stuff from them, which was great.
SPEAKER_02We did, and I used it. So I I I used it too. Yeah. My um uh one of my um North Face waterproof jackets that I keep for hiking. Um it's um it it's been out in some torrential rain and it and it doesn't really bead on it anymore, and it doesn't get through, but it's not beading on it anymore. So I um I used some of the the samples that they gave us and um and washed it uh oh you're on the beer. I um I haven't got a drink. This is this is this is bad. Um but I used it, washed it with it, and then washed it sort of put it back in the machine and waterproofed it, and it was great. I was I was I thought, oh well it, you know, it'll just give it an extra bit of time before it, you know, it's it's properly done in. But no, it's um it was great. Water's beading off in it off it again. And I was like, that is that is brilliant, and just something to do, you know, every year at least, really, of of just getting your waterproofs and and actually washing it with a proper technical thing, whichever brand you want to go for, um, wash it with a proper tech technical wash, then wash it again with a waterproofer. And um and it it was absolutely brilliant. I was really impressed. So I've done my waterproof trousers as well um this year already, because uh I uh now I have some new waterproof trousers after my last one's completely failed when I was in the late district. Um must be I don't know whenever that was earlier this year, or was that last year? All the camping trips merge into one eventually, don't they?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they do, they do.
SPEAKER_05Um yeah, I think that's the thing, isn't it? That you you have the and it's like with any new kit, you know, it's new, it works, it performs, you're so happy with it, and then over time you you know you it's it's not new anymore, so you almost relax with it and stuff, but you can get it back to optimum performance, you know. Um you know, you you can spend an awful lot on um trousers, jackets, um you know, down jackets, uh especially. And you know, I didn't realise that you could waterproof those as well.
SPEAKER_02No, I didn't I didn't realise that. I've always seen them as a thermal layer, and uh if they get wet, they're they're a bit useless, really, because the thermal property goes quite quickly with down, but um no, I didn't I didn't I didn't realise that.
SPEAKER_05It's um I have there was a downwash and waterproof, wasn't there? Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was there was I mean there's loads out there that I didn't and once again it's not the sexy stuff, is it? So you don't really go and look at it.
SPEAKER_02Um no, no, but it's the stuff that gives you longevity. So if you spent quality, you know, a decent amount of money, you know, something's not cost you nothing, something's actually cost you a decent amount of money, you do want to look after it properly and you want to get that longevity out of it, you know. You want you want it to last you years and years and years and lots of adventures. Well, part of that is washing it properly and and re-waterproofing it if it if it's you know if it needs to be waterproof. You can't expect something that you buy, you know, year one to still be waterproof and go through all the elements and all the adventures you've done in year five. It's um you know, you can't be upset if you've not done anything to to maintain that. Do you remember that Vauday tent that I I bought? That old, old, old one that I um stripped down and rewired and restrum and everything. I put that in the washing machine, washed it properly. And then I put it back in the washing machine and waterproofed it with an in-wash one because it's a small tent, it could go in the washing machine. It's um it's uh and then I did when I got it out and it was fully dry, I then got a waterproof spray and went over it again just to just to really um really test it. That said, I've not taken it out in the rain, so it could just be crap.
SPEAKER_05I don't think so. But but this is this is the thing, apart from longevity of you know the good money that you spent, because let's face it, you know, while we might buy second hand tents and secondhand gear, or you know, it not everything is is brand new. Actually, with the clothes, that primarily is, you know, yeah, you know. Um I've worked in charity shops and stuff, no or very little. Um uh walking stuff, you know, branded North Face, Patagonia, whatever ever gets donated, people hang on to that and resell it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05And so, you know, but the the other thing about longevity is it also gives you longevity out in the field, you know, performance where you need performance so that you don't go and get hypothermia, you don't get soaked to the skin, even in uh mild cold weather, like you know what I mean, not like up a mountain or whatever, but it gives you longevity out there then that you can you know go that extra mile, you're not sort of suffering because you're soaked to the skin in the first mile.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, that's really um that's a really good point. That that trip that I did solo to the Lake District where I I literally was soaked to the skin, everything failed. My waterproof jacket, I hadn't looked after it and re-waterproofed it. I I had very old waterproof trousers that I hadn't checked over and actually the seams were split. I um I was just completely um I just made so many errors. Go back and listen to that episode, you'll hear all the errors that I made, but I hadn't looked after my gear and and I paid the price. And you know, even though I still went out to try and walk in what was horrendous weather that I probably shouldn't have been doing, um I couldn't get very far before I was like literally, I just need to turn around and go back. This is completely stupid. And um had I properly checked my equipment, had I properly cleaned it all, properly waterproofed it all and put it away properly, I um that wouldn't have happened. I'd have had a full day out on the hills and um I wouldn't have had to turn around. So it was um my own stupidity, you know. We um we as we say we're we're casual camping podcasts, we're not expert camping podcasts, we make we make mistakes just like you do.
SPEAKER_05We're we're still learning, and you know, in another ten years you'll be caught out and you'll kind of go, Oh god, why didn't I did this before? You know, that's the thing, it it it just happens, you know. You you realise that the performance that you thought your gear had l went a season before, you know, unless you you I always uh uh remember going up to Scotland and um my our brother-in-law Tom, who uh was out on the boat and actually fishermen are really good at going, yeah, every six weeks I re-waterproof everything.
SPEAKER_03Really?
SPEAKER_05Wow, yeah, and it uh and I was amazed that he was just shoving stuff in the washing machine because I didn't realise you could do that. I thought, you know, oh, does that contaminate your washing machine, or does that what you know, what what does it do to you at your washing machine? But you know, that they are meant to be doing that these days, so uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's really interesting. I um wouldn't have thought they'd have done that as as often as that, but I suppose they are on the boats, they are in the elements, and um and the last thing, you know, that's their livelihood. So if they get cold and wet, that's um they don't make as much money, do they, I suppose.
SPEAKER_05Well, wait on a second. Now now that you've sort of uh uh pulled me up on oh, I didn't think they'd do it as often as that. That was one of AIDS facts, so don't know if we do it. It was just a roundabout thing that he did it quite often, I thought maybe it lasts longer than that. I don't know. It's uh you don't come here for facts, Tim.
SPEAKER_01We don't come here for numbers. This isn't a numbers game.
SPEAKER_02That's funny. I didn't mean to call you out on that.
SPEAKER_05Sorry, no, but it's like as soon as you like, oh that's interesting. I didn't think they'd do it that quick, and I was like, oh god and her. That was one of my rough kind of things. 80% of the time, it's correct, okay. 100% of the time.
SPEAKER_02Oh, funny, funny. It's um so what do you do for your tents regularly or at least you know every six weeks?
SPEAKER_05Um, so and and it depends on your your tent, really, doesn't it? So I know that my robins, which I've had for four years, I haven't waterproofed that at all. I've just had it since day one. That was my first um canvas tent. So I was like, oh right, okay, this is fine. I know that that will need waterproofing, but I've not used it this year. Okay, interesting. Uh just because you know, my new bunker style tent, the air beam, yeah, I've been using that. I've been using the Vango uh small tent, and I've also been using the um roll out swag Birkham Wells swag. So yeah. Um but yeah, I I will get into the uh Van Gogh one. I might be selling my uh well, I might be selling all of them. Seeing the new tent I want to, you know. What tent do you want, Ed? Well, there's uh that that one that I was on the Japanese site.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_05So you know, I was like, oh well, maybe I need you know, because it'll cost nothing if I sell something to a pirate.
SPEAKER_02But we'll see. We'll see, we'll see. It's uh yeah, no, that's uh gosh. Always, always, always the next tent, always the next tent.
SPEAKER_05I uh there's always the next tent, and I love the vango. I don't think I can uh sorry, I love the vango, definitely, and uh we're gonna do some uh adventures with that, you and I. Yes, the Rubens is brilliant because it's uh canvas, it's great with the stove, and actually, if uh me and she go away, it's also like if if it's just for a night, that's quite a nice small one that we can both fit into, so it's good. Um but yeah, so so yeah, we'll see. I always like tents, Tim. It's a problem I have, you know.
SPEAKER_02I know you have you have so many, you go through so many.
SPEAKER_06God damn them.
SPEAKER_05If you uh haven't listened to last week's episode, go and uh have a listen, because that was a good episode, I thought.
SPEAKER_02I uh I thought it was a good a good episode, a really good episode. It's um I um I I've you know that three-metre bell tent that's now standing in in your house, that was uh that was like my COVID gift to myself during COVID. You know, a lot of people bought themselves a gift during COVID, and um so that was mine. So that that tent's six years old now. Well, that's a six-year-old tent, and I've never re-waterproofed it.
SPEAKER_05It's um and I I think that's canvas though, isn't it? And they do need it, uh they do, you know, obviously for sun protection and and other things, as well as water, you know, the there's a lot of things in there, but I was just thinking, you know, that you've gifted that to uh Barry.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_05How uh annoying would it be just to send him pictures going, you know that tent I've given you? I'm camping in it. Here's me in the lakes, oh, near Newcastle.
SPEAKER_02That would be quite funny. That would be quite funny. I'm on tour with your tent.
SPEAKER_01Oh, funny.
SPEAKER_02No, it's um I think it probably does. I mean, I haven't used it since that epic fail at um uh in the lakes. Uh the tent didn't fail, the tent stove failed because it it it brought in a load of water down the down the chimney. Um so it got quite wet on the inside, but it wasn't from the tent failing. I um but I do think it got so wet uh there that it probably does need re-waterproofing at this point. It's um and uh and a and a bit of a a bit of a clean up, really. But um I did put it, I packed it away dry, so uh so it should be fine. It's um it got thoroughly dried, but um, and that that's probably the thing, really, as well, isn't it? Is is making sure that when you have been out in the elements in in sort of the shoulder seasons that you actually do properly dry your equipment before you put it away, whether it's your boots, whether it's your coats, your waterproof trousers, or your whole tent, you've got to make sure that the stuff's properly dry before you put it away because leaving moisture in any of those those materials just degrades them really quickly, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. I think what what do they say that mildew starts within 24 hours or 24 hours?
SPEAKER_02Is that an is that an aid fact or is that a fact fact?
SPEAKER_05I think it's something I've read. 24 hours, yes. I think it's a fact fact.
SPEAKER_02A fact fact. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist.
SPEAKER_05It's um No no, you made me think that I was like, oh, oh no, I have I have read it somewhere, you know. So yeah, you're right, and and no no matter what protection you give to a tent, clother or whatever, you wrap it up uh in a ball and put it away and don't dry it out properly, you that's just not gonna last half as long as uh it should do.
SPEAKER_02No, no, and um and mould and mildew and that is really hard to get out, and some tents it's actually just it's not economically viable, particularly actually with canvas tents, because the chemicals they use to try and get that stuff off actually breaks the weave in the canvas, so it's actually not cost effective to to clean that stuff off because the tent just won't it won't have any longevity left in it. It's um it it's uh it's it's it's rubbish. I think um listener of the show Matt Nye when he was before he bought that massive big hollow wild Matchu Picchu. They were looking at he was looking at some second hand um like uh Emperor Um bell tents and things like that, but they um and and was asking for advice about them. He was sending sending some of the stuff he was looking at, and a few of them had got quite a lot of of mildew damage and a lot of mould, and um and it just wasn't it wasn't going to be economically viable to to actually do it. He did um he spoke to a company and they they said actually the chemicals we use on that level of damage, the chemicals would just wreck the tent, so it's um but that that's totally avoidable if you just dry it properly and put it away properly.
SPEAKER_05Well, I so I I think that you know at this time of year, sites that offer glamping, so they pitch up a bell tent or a um uh tepee tent, canvas tent, whatever, and they're out there for the season. Yeah. And you know, e even in leaving them set up, you know, they tend to be in secluded areas, so you will just still get mildew from actually it's been out for three, four, five months.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And and at this time of year there's a lot of those tents, you know, they just go, Right, I'll spend six, seven hundred quid on that tent, I'll hire it out all summer, and then we'll just sell it and we'll get new ones in for next year. So they sell them off at dirt cheap kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_02And they, you know, the UV damage from being out, you know, all day, every day, week after week after week, is quite massive. You you think you think most tents, you know, UV does damage all tent materials. Um, but if you you know most tents they they go out for a weekend, so they go out for a few days, a few times a year. Um, so it's quite limited of how much UV damage they get. They still get damage from UV, and it and and that does the the most damage and it's unseen. But those tents that have been pitched all summer long, they're a real false economy, they're not worth buying, even if they look nice, because they've had so much UV radiation on them, UV light on them, that that um it's really damaged the material and it and it weakens it massively. So it's um you know, you can get you can get um things to coat your tents in and paint your tents in that gives um increased UV protection, which is worthwhile doing for everybody, but I wouldn't be buying one of those tents and then trying to backtrack the UV damage by trying to coat it and stuff because you the damage is done.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, something something that has been out for you know all summer long. What what what's the difference? So for you and I, even if we were just camping each uh weekend, which it did feel like we were doing that to start uh with this year, feels like I've not been out for ages, even though it's two weeks. Um but you know that over the course of year, my tent, and because I've got different tents and stuff, might only have ten days exposure over the course of a year.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um whereas those tents have got six months exposure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. You know, for and if we're if we're you know we're lucky, and we know that we're lucky, we've we've bought a lot of tents, we've got a lot of different tents. So actually, although we might be camping often, we're very rarely camping in the same tent all year long, are we? We're we're we're mixing and matching different adventures. That's why we have different tents, because we need different tents for different different adventures. Um those tents have just that's one tent, it's been out the whole of the summer, and it's just had so much, so much damage.
SPEAKER_05It's um Yeah. Shall we uh go for a minute mindfulness, Tim?
SPEAKER_02Go for it, go for it.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the casual camping minute mindfulness. Let the sounds of nature take you back to the camping field.
SPEAKER_02Ah I do love that. I do love that. I do love uh I do love the sound of the rain. Sound of the rain coming down. It's um I always uh that is the sound of of camping in uh sort of autumn. It's uh the sound of the rain on the tent puts you to sleep really quickly.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and and other than massive downpours, and it's just gonna be. I do like getting out even camping. We were out with uh Mr. Chaz Chasington uh uh a few weeks ago. That was a lovely camp. That was it rained most of the thing, but you know, actually we were dry most of it, I think. It was it was great. He had a great awning uh um that we were under. We had a fire, it was brilliant.
SPEAKER_02An amazing awning, and um and I uh I'm gutted I haven't I haven't bought one. He he bought it at a bargain price and it and it has uh it has gone up in price, but I um it it was a great awning. I uh I do uh I I am I am envious of it. It's um I'm trying to find it was an ob there we go, an an Oberlink, Oberlink. Um Brilliant Massive sale, it was great. But um so yeah, look after your equipment and it will look after you. Wash it, waterproof it, re re waterproof your tents, and you'll have loads more adventures and hopefully things won't catch you out.
SPEAKER_05I'll be in A.
SPEAKER_02I'm in Tim. Check us out on the socials, send us a send us a message.
