Why the Hills Reward a Lighter Pack

A weekend in the hills is the best excuse there is for spending Saturday night somewhere you have to walk to. But the difference between a magical night under a big sky and a shivering, sleepless one usually comes down to four or five kilos of kit. Get a lightweight tent, a proper sleeping mat and a reliable stove sorted, and the rest looks after itself. This is the kit I would carry for a two-day hill trip in spring or autumn, along with the rules that keep these places worth walking in.

Aim for a total pack weight of around 10 to 12kg for a weekend, including food and water. That is comfortable on steep ground and still leaves room for a decent layer when the wind gets up.

A Tent That Will Stand Up to a Hill Night

For a weekend you want a two- or three-season, two-layer tent weighing between 1.2kg and 1.8kg, with a hydrostatic head of at least 3,000mm on the flysheet. A tunnel or semi-geodesic design handles wind better than a simple dome, and aluminium pegs hold far better than the wire ones that come in the bag.

• Pitch with the narrow end into the wind, and the door facing away from it.
• Look for ground that drains: short cropped grass on a hummock beats flat, mossy hollows, which collect cold air and frost.
• Avoid pitching under lone trees or dead branches, and stay well back from the lip of crags.
• Peg everything out properly, then tighten the guy lines once the tent is up. A flapping flysheet will keep you awake all night.
• Keep at least 100 metres from streams and lochans, both for water quality and for the sake of wildlife coming down to drink at dusk.

Sleeping Warmth Starts From Below

Most people take a sleeping bag that is far too warm for the weight and a mat that is far too thin. Your body loses heat into the ground relentlessly, so the mat matters as much as the bag.

Choose an inflatable mat with an R-value of 3.5 or higher for three-season hill use, or pair a closed-cell foam mat with a lighter inflatable for the coldest nights. A bag rated to around 0°C comfort limit will cover most UK weekends from April to October, and a silk or fleece liner adds a useful degree or two without much weight.

• Inflate the mat fully, then top it up after ten minutes once the air inside has cooled and contracted.
• Sleep in dry base layers. Damp clothing wicks heat away all night.
• Fill a bottle with hot water, seal it, and tuck it into the foot of the bag. It works better than anything else for the price.
• Eat something before bed. Digestion generates heat, and a handful of nuts is worth more than an extra layer at 2am.

Stoves, Fuel and Cooking Sensibly

A small gas canister stove is the simplest choice for a weekend: light, predictable and clean. In proper cold, a liquid-fuel stove or a canister with a preheat coil performs better, and a folding foil windscreen cuts boiling times dramatically.

• One 230g canister comfortably covers a weekend of hot drinks and rehydrated meals for one person.
• Never cook inside a tent or its porch. Carbon monoxide kills experienced campers every year; cook outside, whatever the weather.
• Take 2 litres of water and a filter or purification tablets. Fast-flowing water taken high up, above any habitation or grazing, is the safest source.
• Plan roughly 700g of dry food per day: porridge, oatcakes, nuts, a pasta or noodle meal, and more chocolate than you think you need.

Knowing Where You May Camp

Access rules differ across the UK, and getting them right is part of being a decent visitor. In Scotland, wild camping is a right under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: small numbers, lightweight kit, no fires, and move on after a night or two. In England and Wales, wild camping generally requires the landowner's permission, and while some areas are tolerated by long custom, that is not the same as a right. Check current guidance for the national park you are visiting, and always ask at a farm if you are unsure. Camping on a small, quiet campsite is often the better answer, and it puts money into the local economy.

Whatever the legal position, these habits apply everywhere:

• Arrive late, leave early, and keep a low profile.
• No fires, no wood gathering, no cutting of vegetation.
• Bury human waste 30cm deep and at least 30 metres from water and paths, and carry out all paper.
• Follow the Countryside Code: leave gates as you found them, keep dogs on leads near livestock and during the ground-nesting season from March to July.

Wildlife, and Leaving No Trace

The hill at dusk is the best show in Britain. You might hear curlew and golden plover calling, watch red deer move onto the high ground, or surprise a mountain hare in its grey-white winter coat. Ring ouzel, dippers and hen harriers all live in these places, and all of them are sensitive to disturbance.

Watch from a distance and use binoculars rather than your feet. Keep clear of cliff edges, scree slopes and dense stands of heather in spring, where ground-nesting birds are sitting on eggs, and check yourself for ticks each evening.

Then, in the morning, take a slow walk around your pitch. Rinse the ground where you cooked, flatten the grass, and pocket every scrap of litter, including fruit peel and any stray bits of tape. If nobody could tell you had been there, you have done it properly.