What three things: First Camp Out

Everything you need for a first night under canvas. The Jaran 2 tent, Pipedream sleeping bag and BruKit stove make a complete, lightweight sleep and cook system.

The first night out is the one you'll remember, so keep your kit simple: a shelter that pitches in minutes, a sleeping bag that earns its weight, and something to cook on. These three pieces form the core of a lightweight camping system for spring and summer camping.

What three things in this guide

• The tent: Jaran 2 spacious tent
• The sleeping bag: Pipedream sleeping bag
• The stove: BruKit

Lightweight shelter: Jaran 2 tent

The Jaran 2 is a two-person backpacking tent built around a twin hooped design that gives you a proper amount of living space without carrying a proper amount of weight. Two porches mean two people can keep their kit dry and separate without arguments at the door.

It pitches double-walled: inner first, then outer, giving you oodles of liveable space. The inner is clipped to the poles making pitching faster and more reliable in the dark or when your fingers are cold after a long day.

Good for backpacking and cycle touring, meaning it packs small enough to strap to a bike or fit in a 40-litre pack. For a full breakdown of what to look for in a tent, see our tent buying guide.

Sleeping bag: Pipedream 400

The Pipedream range uses responsibly sourced down fill, which gives better warmth-to-weight performance than synthetic. The 400 is the right choice for spring and summer: warm enough for a cold April night, compressible enough to leave room in your pack for everything else.

Pair it with the Radiant sleeping mat. The ground will drain heat from your body faster than cold air does: a sleeping mat's insulation is what your sleeping bag rating assumes you have beneath you. Together they form a complete sleep system.

For guidance on picking the right fill weight for your trip, see our guide to choosing a down sleeping bag.

Cooking stove: BruKit

The BruKit is a stove and pot system in one. The gas canister screws into the base, the pot sits on top, the whole thing packs down into a compact unit that weighs very little and does everything a first camp out needs: boil water for a meal, make a brew, and not take up half your pack doing it.

The integrated design means no separate pot to rattle around and no stove to lose in the bottom of your bag. One system, one item to remember. For ideas on what to cook, see our backpacking food planning guide.

Further reading

• How to choose a tent: a complete buyer's guide
• How to choose a down sleeping bag
• Lightweight camping kit for multi-day adventures
• Wild camping: a complete guide
• Backpacking food planning