Camping techniques are the acquired skills of good and efficient camping. It will include many facets such as tents, cooking, hygiene, packing rucksacks or panniers, looking after oneself or team, first aid and many more.

The best tents are two-man dome, hoop or ridge tents with fly sheets extending to the ground. These give room for cyclists and their panniers. A tent must be pitched properly with the fly sheet clear of the tent to prevent water from getting in. They must be dried and aired before finally packing them away for storage.

Sleeping bags are an important item to enable you to sleep comfortably. The best ones are those that can be packed into a compression sack or stuff sack quickly. Domestic sleeping bags are not suitable as they won’t compress into a small area.

As a lot of body heat can be lost from sleeping on the ground, it is a good idea to use an insulating roll mat as it keeps you warmer. Some people also like to use pillows, but these can be very bulky.

When camping you need to eat well. From experience, the best stove is the Trangia Methylated Spirits stove. This type of stove provides good heat in the wind and includes pans for different uses. It also contains a burner which must be regularly cleaned so it provides a good clean flame.

The Meths should always be kept in a silver ‘Sigg’ bottle. When setting up camp try to ask permission to camp there and always do a litter pick and final check of the camp before leaving. You should always maintain the highest possible standards of hygiene, tidiness and organisation in order to enjoy camping.