New gadget

I never used to be much of a solo traveller. I went on holiday on my own once; in Denmark. It was great! But I was on bike so I could bring an awful lot of stuff. I had a 3 person tent at the time, and it was fine to have that to myself. I wasn't bothered by the extra weight and volume! When that tent needed replacement I got me a similar sized one. If I am hiking it of generally with fiends, so then one shares. It was always quite OK to have such a big tent! But now I live in Wales, and I have the most amazing landscapes right at my front door, but as it happens I only sleep out in the wild if I have hiking friends over. I suppose one of the things to keep me back is that on your own, you need to bring a lot. Especially if you have a big tent. Whether you are with three of with one, you still have to bring a stove, fuel and pots and pans! So if you have to carry all of that on your own it gets heavy.

Then Jitske showed up, tent and all. She has a 1 person tent, of course, as she does the wildest mega-hikes on her own. And I had to use the big one! We couldn't leave her tent behind. And Jitske is very strong so it wasn't a problem to carry it, but it was a bit silly. (Although for cooking in the rain it was nice.) So I figured it was time I get me a 1 person tent myself. And I intend to sometimes pack the bag and scoot off on a Friday after work, just walk into one of the nearby valleys, and sleep there. Walk back the next morning. Nothing spectacular, but I am sure it will do a great job detaching your mind from work! I'll be needing it. And of course I can also do proper hikes with it. But just a small escape into an empty valley would already be quite a gain!

I saw a rather snazzy 1 person tent advertised on internet. Second hand, so not too expensive. My guess is that the previous owner became a parent and that upon that shift happening, all the hiking went out of the window! I had bought a lighter sleeping bag last year, so with these two additions I should be able to have a rather light bag. And then I need a moonlit night (pun not intended!) to go and try it out! Will be magic!