Welcoming in a new year of camping

So as proper outdoors men Ali and myself try to spend as much time camping; be that in a tent, slung in a hammock or just on the ground- we're not that fussed. So last night Ali thought he would put himself to the test and decided that the end of December is a suitable time to be sleeping in a hammock under a tarp. But this is his story so I'll let him tell it:

We are both going to sleep outdoors for a minimum of one night, each month for a year so to get ahead of Luke I decided to use my favourite method of camping, the tarp and hammock.

I had been given a new “DD XL Tarp” for Christmas so had to try it. The weather was a bit stormy which made rigging the tarp interesting but the strong tie down points seemed more than adequate. Using a good quality sleeping bag with a couple of extra blankets it was more than warm enough.

After spending a night in the DD XL Tarp I can't knock it, it stayed up in high winds, kept me dry and more importantly I comfortably fitted (all 6ft inches of me!)

I still personally prefer using my home-made hammock (more of that later) because it is more personal than a shop bought one. We will be posting a “how to - make your own hammock” video on the web site soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

Result: A good nights sleep. Bring on January! (I’ll regret saying that if its snowy all month).

We will be camping at least one night of every month in the coming year, so look forward to lots of kit reviews, camping stories and bush craft advice.

To close here is a quote to hopefully inspire you and get you out in the wild:

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin

Good Camping to you all for the coming year

-Luke & Ali- Ravine Outdoors