Review: Outwell Cloud 2 Tent

I bought my Outwell Cloud 2 tent about five years ago now, primarily as a solo tent for occasions when I was using campsites as a base for hiking (so, where weight wasn't an issue), but also for one-to-two night camps with the wife where it isn't worth setting up the big tent.

It serves both purposes admirably; as two-man tents go it's pretty roomy, with an inner floor area of 140 x 210cm, so you don't feel too cramped up next to your sleeping partner. As a solo tent you've got more room than enough and can easily fit all your gear inside with you. The 210cm length is only marginally too short for my 6'3" frame (it probably isn't too short but I like to lay with my head away from the top end a little bit), but I can stretch out nicely if I lay on a slight angle, which the generous width easily facilitates.

The tent is very quick and easy to pitch, and while Outwell say it's a two-man job I've done it on my own without much of a struggle.  

The tent features a front porch which provides ample space for a couple of rucksacks (I've had two 65l bags in there with plenty of room to spare) while still allowing easy access, and the groundsheet of this is separate, making it optional if you do want to shed a bit of weight and also makes cleaning very easy after you've thrown your muddy boots in there. 

Once the fly is pitched, hanging the inner is a two-minute job (this can also be left attached and pitched as one) and there's plenty of space between inner and fly to prevent the two touching, and I have had no condensation issues at all since owning it. If pitched as one, I reckon pitch time is no more than five minutes.

There's a lot of nice little details to the Cloud; mesh pole channels allow the wind to pass through rather than buffeting the main support structure; the bathtub porch has a fold-flat front to make access easy, and then folds back up and toggles to the main door from inside when closed; inner storage pockets; roll-back curtains. It manages to offer more internal room than many two-man tents while still maintaining a fairly compact footprint. 

Outwell make the Cloud in three and five-man variants as well, and as they all share the same design presumably they all take the same time to pitch - a five-man tent with a five-minute pitch time is quite impressive. The Cloud 2 is the most generous in terms of space-per-person, however, offering 70cm of width per-person as opposed to 60cm per-person in the Cloud 3 & 5.

At 4.5kg it's certainly no lightweight - in fact it's downright heavy, and there are certainly lighter (and cheaper) options available - but it's manageable if divided across two packs and roughly the equivalent of carrying two average one-man tents*, which, thanks to the reasonable internal space, is definitely a viable option. With that said, I don't think this would ever be anyone's first choice as a hiking tent and it's definitely more suited to campsite camping, which in fairness to Outwell is where they market themselves.

From what I've seen of Outwell tents they've always been well made and well thought out, and the Cloud 2 doesn't disappoint, though in a crowded market its heavy weight and relatively high price point set it apart from the competition for all the wrong reasons, and while it's a solid tent it wouldn't be my first choice if I was shopping for something similar today.

Outwell Cloud 2

*As mentioned before, when I talk about one-man tents I'm generally referring to tent's like the Vango Banshee 200, Wild Country Zephyros 2, etc, which although sold as two-man tents are really only big enough for one.

Review: Jetboil Zip + 1.5l FluxRing Ceramic Cook Pot

Preface:

I do love my spirit stove, there's no denying that. But I recently got to thinking that I would be better running it on gas, not so much from an efficiency point of view but from a safety aspect - even when the fire bans aren't in place here everything it still pretty dry, and one overzealous movement could result in burning fuel pouring over dry pine needles and the like. I'm definitely a "better safe than sorry" kind of guy.

Anyway, if you've read the review of my spirit stove (see here) you'll know it's a sort of Trangia / Optimus clone that takes a Trangia burner and so any Trangia-compatible gas burner should fit. However, they're few and far between; the choices seem to be limited to the genuine Trangia version, the Robens Fire Tick (which may or may not be discontinued - it's certainly out of stock everywhere I looked) or any number of no-name variants on Aliexpress.

With neither the patience to wait for the Robens to come back in stock nor the justification for spending 50% more again on the Trangia version, I started to look at other options......

Review:

When I reviewed my Alpkit BruKit some years ago I mentioned that I had been prompted into buying it after my Jetboil Zip never arrived. Well, having decided that the BruKit wasn't best-suited to my needs, I sold it on to Bob, and eventually bought the Jetboil. It's had more use than I ever thought it would - and not just for camping. It's my go-to water boiler when we have a power cut and it came in our hand luggage when we emigrated and was our main cooking source until we I put the new kitchen in.

As with the BruKit, cooking isn't its forte, but we managed. These kind of stoves are designed primarily for rapid water boiling, and at that they excel, but the pot height and diameter makes cooking with it a bit more challenging. Unlike the larger BruKit, the Zip's compact 0.8l pot also rules out boil-in-the-bag cooking. So in the main the Jetboil has been used for making a brew (and has accompanied me on many a day out) or boiling up water for instant noodles.

The burner, gas and stabiliser pack into the pot, while the cup sits underneath

Until now, that is, when I discovered that Jetboil make a pot support to take pretty much any stand-alone pot or pan. Again, sourcing one was a challenge. I think I managed to find about the only place in Spain that still had stock, and promptly ordered one up along with the matching Jetboil 1.5l cooking pot.

The Jetboil Zip is the most compact of the Jetboil stoves, with it's 0.8l capacity pot. Out-of-the-box it comes with the burner, pot with neoprene sleeve, stabiliser support, lid and bottom cover. The cover doubles as a bowl/cup and the lid has both a pouring spout (which can also be used to drink from) and strainer holes. The burner, stabiliser and gas (100g) pack away neatly inside the pot for transport/storage. It runs on any EN417 butane/propane gas cartridge, but while the stabiliser will accept 100g and 230g cartridges only the former can be packed away into the pot. There is no piezo ignition on this model, so it has to be lit with a match/cigarette lighter.

The Jetboil boils water fast. There may be faster stoves out there, but at 2 minutes 30 seconds for half a litre it's no slow coach. As I tend to only boil a mugs-worth at a time, it comes in even quicker. This is thanks in part to the built-in heat exchanger, or FluxRing as Jetboil call it - a feature present throughout Jetboil's range. A coffee-press attachment is also available to turn the Zip into a cafetiere.

The optional pot stand locks securely to the burner in place of the standard pot, and allows use of the Jetboil cookpot, frying pan or other third-party pots (Jetboil say not to use pots with a diameter greater than 23cm or a capacity greater than 2l).

The Zip burner with pot stand fitted

While the Jetboil Zip is a great piece of kit, the cook pot is a massive disappointment. For a start off, the price is extortionate for what it is, even if it was designed and built well - which it isn't. The lid is ill-fitting with a good 5mm of lateral play, and though one can only assume this is by design, I've no idea why - it isn't to let steam escape, because the lid has strainer holes in it.
The handle, while serviceable, is underwhelming for a product at this price point (I've seen far better designs on products costing a quarter of the price), and it's also in the wrong place - it sits below the half-way mark then angles back upwards, which serves to make the pot top-heavy when handling and downright awkward to hold when eating directly from the pot. On top of that, it isn't even fitted straight - the bracket is riveted to the pot off-centre, and the bracket itself isn't square either, so the whole handle is on a twist.

Though obviously intended to be used with the pan support, it's no more secure in place than any other pot. It does have a slight lip around the bottom to (in theory) prevent it sliding off the stand, but this has rounded edges and is so shallow that it doesn't actually achieve anything (one of the reasons I opted for the Jetboil pot over a third-party one was that I assumed it would be designed for purpose and thus a better and more secure fit). I certainly wasn't comfortable stirring my food without keeping a firm grip on the handle. 

If I was to sum it up, it has the feel of an existing OEM product that has had the Jetboil name slapped on it rather than something that was designed from scratch to integrate with the Jetboil system.

At 1.5l, the Jetboil cook pot is way too big for a single person and more than ample for two (in fact you can probably fit the contents of five packets of Wayfayrer food in it) - 1.2l to 1.3l is plenty big enough for two people, so this pot is better suited to group cooking. The latest version features a non-stick ceramic coating, which while nice in principle does mean extra care has to be taken when packing the gas, burner, etc into it to avoid scratching the coating. Basically you're going to have to find a suitable bag to put them in first. This also limits you to using plastic utensils for the same reason.

A 400g can of chilli and 125g pre-cooked rice just disappear in the 1.5l pot

On the plus side, the included pot lid is transparent so you can keep an eye on your food without having to lift the lid and let heat escape, which is a nice touch though hardly a unique feature. The non-stick coating does its job, and food does heat up/cook very fast. My obligatory chilli con carne was cooked in a matter of minutes. I have yet to test a conventional third-party pot to see how much difference the FluxRing makes, but Jetboil claim 2x faster boil times and from my experience of using the Zip pot I'm inclined to agree.

If you were setting out to buy a Jetboil for cooking on, the better option in my opinion would be the MiniMo; its 1l pot is more suitable for single-person use and less bulky, as a system it weighs less than the Zip burner & 1.5l pot combination, and it works out roughly the same price. It's also worth mentioning that pretty much every Jetboil component is available as a spare part, so if you particularly wanted this set up the cheapest option would be to buy the Zip burner, stabiliser, pot stand and 1.5l pot individually. 

As it is, I now have a flexible system that can cover a multitude of options, from day-trip coffee making to two-to-four-person camp cooking - though it's unlikely I'd take the pot on solo trips due to its size. 

In conclusion, the Zip is an outstanding bit of kit (even more so with the added flexibility that the pot support provides) and an almost must-have, while conversely I honestly wouldn't recommend the pot at all on the basis that the design and quality is poor (especially for the price) and there is no shortage of alternatives. 

NOTE: I sent Jetboil a link to this review as I was interested to hear their thoughts on my observations and comments regarding the cook pot, and did eventually have a conversation with them, but ultimately their customer service turned out to be as good as the pot I was complaining about.

Review: Stanley All-In-One Food Jar (First Impressions)

With the Summer fire bans now in place in Spain I've been pondering ways in which I can still have a good meal while out and about without falling foul of the law and/or risking setting the countryside on fire.

While it could be reasoned that the semi-concealed nature of my Jetboil Zip's flame means it doesn't constitute an "open flame" - and indeed it seems other countries do allow the use of such stoves during fire bans - I decided I didn't want to take the gamble on it being OK. So I started looking into flameless cook systems, but of the few I found to exist, most had been discontinued without replacement which made me question their effectiveness and/or safety. This left me at somewhat of a dead end. Then I realised maybe I was over-thinking the issue.

As I tend to only do over-night camps due to time constraints, I started wondering whether I even need to cook at all. I mean nothing beats the simple pleasure of cooking up a meal in the wilderness, but how essential is it on a one-night stay? Not essential at all, I reasoned, so I started looking at vacuum food jars (basically vacuum flasks but shorter and wider, specifically designed for storing and consuming food from).

There are several reputable offerings, all in a similar price range, from the likes of Thermos, Esbit and Stanley, and even more offerings from some lesser-known brands. I decided to stick to a big name on this and even then it was a tough decision - there are almost too many different options:

Stanley do several different sizes, including a 400ml and 530ml version (both including a spork); Thermos do two models that fit between the two Stanley offerings in terms of size, at 470ml (which is cheaper and only marginally heavier (40g) than the smaller Stanley model), and 500ml (at the same weight as the Stanley but more expensive), both including a spork. Esbit do a 750ml model at around the same weight (and price) as the larger Stanley model, and then Thermos do a 710ml version which at 400g weighs in considerably less than both the Esbit and the larger Stanley, but neither include a spork. In fact it was so difficult to chose that in an ideal world I would have bought one of each.

I decided the 400ml Stanley was too small, given that it would hold a can of chilli but nothing else (i.e. no rice), and I thought the 470ml Thermos might also be a bit on the small size for the same reason. Initially the Esbit, with an extra 50% capacity yet same overall weight as the larger Stanley, or the lighter but more capacious 710ml Thermos seemed to be the most viable options, but then I reasoned that unless I filled them, they would be less effective at doing their job of keeping the food warm; with that said I'm strongly considering purchasing one of these at a later date for when the wife and I next camp, as at that size it will hold enough food for two - albeit slightly smaller - portions. Ultimately, the 530ml Stanley seemed to be the ideal compromise between capacity and weight.

The Stanley jar arrived with virtually no packaging of it's own (a good thing), save for a cardboard wrap upon which it mentions that Stanley flasks have survived speeding bullets, 4000-foot drops, etc; not Amazon's couriers though, being as it arrived with a massive dent in the lid. I have that many problems with Amazon deliveries that I decided just to keep it, rather than mess around with a replacement - given that it's the lid rather than the flask that is dented it shouldn't effect functionality. 

Bulletproof......

....but not Amazon/courier proof.

As the product name suggests, it really is an all-in-one system; the lid, as anyone who's ever owned a flask will know, acts as a bowl. In this case it is a stainless steel outer with a plastic liner, giving an element of insulation to prevent burnt hands. With that said, the mouth of the jar is wide enough to eat straight out of and it's more likely I will use the lid as a cup, if at all.

The top of the stopper has it's own little compartment with lid to store - well, I'm not sure what you would put in there, but it's there anyway. Attached to the side of the jar is a spork holder and spork. I intended to replace the included spork with my titanium Sea To Summit version on the presumption that the latter would be lighter, but it actually isn't. And just as well, because it doesn't fit the holder. 

Despite the courier's best efforts, the jar does feel solid and built-to-last and it's easy to see why Stanley offer a lifetime warranty. With no other brand's offering's to hand I can't make comparisons, but I have absolutely no complaints from a build perspective.

At 520g, the jar comes in a shade under the weight of my Jetboil plus gas canister, and weighs less than my spirit stove excluding fuel. So for a single-person, single-night trip it actually makes more sense to take the jar unless I was using dehydrated food and near a water source* (in which case the Jetboil would become the lighter option overall), and it also presents other benefits; if for whatever reason you found yourself unable to cook (bad weather, as one example), with this you've already got your cooked meal, ready to eat. I'm amazed it's taken me this long to think about it to be honest.

With that said, there is of course one major down-side; food will only stay hot for so long. Stanley claim 12 hours, though some real-world reviews disagree. I've yet to test this out - if the food is still hot after 12 hours then there is no issue for one-night trips. If, in fact, it starts to get cold after 6 hours, that could be a problem. Time will tell on that front, and I'll be sure to report back with my findings.  

Stanley All-In-One Food Jar

*The dry weight of dehydrated food plus the weight of the water needed to activate it is generally more than the food weight of a can of chilli, soup, etc; dehydrated food is really only meant for long trips where a lot of food needs to be carried and access to water is plentiful - there's certainly no argument for using dehydrated food on one or two-night trips. 

Review: Tesco 65L Rucksack

Preface:

I originally wrote this review in 2015 but never published it. While I now have the advantage of having used this bag for many years and can testify to its build quality and longevity, it's unfortunately somewhat irrelevant now as - from what I can gather - it has long being discontinued and without replacement. Indeed, even several years ago they had discontinued this model and replaced it with a not-quite-so-good alternative (the quality was still there, but there were evident cost-saving changes to the design, and removal of certain features - though even then it was still a great bag for the money). 

However, six years on I have decided to publish the review as it still holds true as an example that higher price / big brand name doesn't always equal better. I've replaced a lot of my equipment over the years for better / lighter alternatives, but this £15 rucksack is still my go-to bag and I expect to get many years use out of it yet.


Original Review:

Terra Nova, Trangoworld, Snugpak, Jetboil, Force Ten; just a few of the more well-known names adorning some of my kit. And what do I keep all this kit in? A £15 rucksack from Tesco.

I can already see the look of dismay and disgust on the faces of die-hard gear enthusiasts and brand fan-boys alike. Cries of "It'll fall apart!" "It'll be made from rubbish materials!" and "This guy hasn't got a clue what he's talking about!" are echoing around houses up and down the country.

In response, I've learned two things over the years; One- that in this day and age, a brand name and higher price tag don't in any way guarantee a product's quality and longevity. Unfortunately there are too few products still made in former manufacturing powerhouses like the UK, USA and Germany; most companies farm their production out to the Far East, where your £200 rucksack is likely to be made on the floor above the £20 rucksacks in the same factory. While a product may be designed on Western soil, the design is only as good as its execution. And even the best manufacturer has an off day.

And Two- the more someone spends on a product, the more they will try and justify their expense by slating anything cheaper than it, even if the cheaper product does the job just as well or better.

And so, if you can bring yourselves to read why the Tesco rucksack is my bag of choice, here is the review:

When Bob and I first decided to go camping, I really didn't know what I was getting into. I certainly didn't realise how much gear I needed to buy, and how much of an expense it would be, and as such my budget was very tight. So I was rather chuffed - having accepted the 25L rucksack in the loft was nowhere near big enough for everything I needed to take- when I walked into Tesco and saw they had a 65L (actually, 65L + 10L- it came with a detachable 10L daysack) in the sale for around £15.

The rucksack is from their own-brand camping gear range, which seems to have been slimmed-down tremendously over the last few years, but doesn't feature the Tesco name on it, rather a non-descript logo.

The bag has an adjustable back system, as you'd expect from any decent rucksack of this size, and both the back and waist straps are very well padded and of a breathable construction.

The main compartment and lower compartment have a zipped divider, allowing you to open this up to provide one big space. At the top of the main compartment is an extending cover to allow over-filling, so really there's more space than enough in here, and it also has a section for a water bladder, with the obligatory opening to allow the tube to pass through.

You then have a top (head) compartment, which will comfortably fit a Trangia 27 stove, and on the sides two elongated, zipped compartments with load-balancing compression straps, and two elasticated mesh pockets.

The outside of the bag doesn't disappoint either, with plenty of molle-type attachments points, a central elasticated lashing that will easily take a roll mat or slim tent, and lower straps to sling a tent/mat/dry bag from.

The pack comes with a rain cover, stored in its own compartment at the bottom of the bag, and this compartment thankfully has enough room to store an additional after-market rain cover if you find, as I did, that the inbuilt one wasn't big enough when you've got a load of stuff hanging off your bag.

In short, this has all the space, organisation and features that you could ask for and would expect of any decent rucksack.

Its made from 600D ripstop polyester rather than nylon, which I've seen many people count as a downside in other "budget" bags, but polyester isn't a bad material. It also weighs in at only 1.7kg- try and find another sub-£100 bag of this size that weighs less; I haven't been able to, which is part of the reason I've never replaced this pack.

The stitching seems solid throughout and overall the pack appears well made, and after several outings in the field I have no doubts about its durability and the pack is comfortable in use.

Of course, there are better bags out there, but for the money this is a very good pack, and this comes back to my philosophy of buying the best I can justify; I haven't seen a rucksack under £100 that I could say justifies the extra expense over Tesco's offering.

So while I have no doubt that people will continue to go out and drop infinitely more money on brand-named rucksacks, I would say go and take a small gamble on this pack; I did, and I was that impressed that not only is it the one item in my kit that I've never replaced, I've also bought a spare. 

Where has the time gone?

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since we've updated this blog. 

A lot has happened in the time - I moved to Spain and Bob grew a massive beard. For various reasons - being extremely busy, actually living in the countryside now and not having my upside-down-headed camping partner here with me to name but a few - I haven't really been into the wilds much despite a wealth of places to explore. 

In regards to the latter, however, I now have a Bob-alternative in the form of the full-head-of-hair sporting Janine, and after a year of procrastinating we finally got out for our first over-nighter a week ago. We didn't travel too far, so as to break ourselves back in gently, and I didn't get any photos unfortunately so I won't be doing a blog post on the trip, but I'm now back in the groove as it were and hopefully it will be the first of many.

Being in Spain has its own set of pros and cons; the (generally) reliable weather allows for travelling light, but the summer fire ban presents its own hurdles in relation to cooking, so I'm currently working on solutions to that - which will inevitably involve new gear and a re-think on my pack. The plus side to that is I'll be able to post some more gear reviews soon.

I'm very much looking forward to many a trip from here on in, and a resurrection of this most excellent blog!