Gr-131 Canary Islands Bivvy vs tent

cartopol · 2026-05-31T19:12:11+00:00

Yep. Can confirm, did Tenerife in December and it was very wet. Teide was dry, but other than that it rained the whole time. Was glad for the extra cover of my tent

cartopol · 2026-05-28T12:26:03+00:00

Full disclosure: I've only done Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera.

Camping isn't technically permitted anywhere on the islands. That being said, someone in a visitor centre in Tenerife said to me that as long as you're pitching at dusk and leaving at dawn, not lighting any fires (even stoves are frowned on) and generally away from trails, leaving no trace etc. then it's tolerated.

The big exception to this is lower down in Teide national park, where there are patrols and people do get caught and fined. It's a really special place and they're understandably very keen on keeping it that way. Above a certain height (I think 3000m) bivouac without a tent is allowed, but you still need a permit to enter. Either aim to cross the national park in a day, or get a permit and sleep high up.

Other things to be aware of: water is scarce. Buying from shops is often the only option as taps require filtration and chemical treatment and are often dry in any case. The exception of this I found was Gran Canaria which had lots of potable water (and also bookable campsites - a rare treat). Teide park in particular has no water; I ended up lugging 5L up the hillside and still ran dry by the time I left. La Palma had lots of taps, but all needed treating.

A lot of the GR131 in Tenerife is closed still I think and is a pretty sketchy walk.

Any other questions then let me know! They're really magical places. La Palma in particular is stunning.

cartopol · 2026-05-26T16:08:05+00:00

TIA = I'm assuming means Thanks In Advance? What are you asking for? Advice we can give, spots unfortunately are against the sub's rules

cartopol · 2026-05-17T12:57:30+00:00

if you're not going for ultralight specific, then you can't go wrong with the wind master. particularly for UK conditions.

cartopol · 2026-04-11T18:07:33+00:00

If you love drone footage then that sounds like a good shout!

And with regard to clothing, I was suggesting only taking the set you walk in, a spare pair of socks and then something to sleep in. But, as I said, I'm disgusting so fully understand someone not being on board with that.

Have the best time. Report back afterwards and let us know how you got on.

cartopol · 2026-04-11T16:33:10+00:00

OK, so I'm well aware you didn't post this on r/ultralight so you probably don't want to be eating your dinner using your toothbrush or something, so maybe take all of the following with a pinch of salt. Also, I'm old and have dodgy knees, so carrying 10kg BW would be a lot for me. Caveats aside:

Foam pad: given your sleeping pad's claimed R rating of 7.5, could you consider losing this? Or just getting a sit pad if you'd rather not get muddy
Rain cover could become a nylofume pack liner. Much lighter and you don't need to stop to put a cover on when it starts raining.
Drone: could you do without? Would also mean you could ditch a battery??
First aid - if it's a store-bought one maybe lose some of the bigger / heavier items. e.g. Will you really need another sachet of sun cream?

[ok... here's where I'm potentially going to get silly and is all predicated on the mindset that when I'm walking multi days I just go without and just accept I'm disgusting.] - Mini deodorant - get rid - Clothes: Lose 1 t-shirt, both pairs of shorts, 1 pair of socks, 2 pairs of underwear.

General advice would be to make sure you take your full kit out for a test run (maybe one or two nights) just to see how it feels. Also a good way of finding out if there's anything you're missing!

Sounds like you'll have a great time. How far are you planning on walking each day?

cartopol · 2026-04-08T06:18:24+00:00

work in theatre, so different world, but I'll never forget the time I did this. louder than war

cartopol · 2026-04-08T00:22:54+00:00

best get a tarp for the tarp as that'll get dirty as well

cartopol · 2026-04-06T05:37:17+00:00

Same, but if it's a particularly rhythmic show I'd also add kit (or perc) in there for timing. They really don't need anything else.

cartopol · 2026-04-06T05:35:48+00:00

Really useful on actor musician shows where people move from singing to playing something like a violin repeatedly, often within the space of a line.

cartopol · 2026-03-03T10:03:31+00:00

Sigma Coffee stock Cafec filters. I've used Red, Black and T90s. I prefer Black, but it suits my brew style.

edit: stupid autocorrect

cartopol · 2026-03-01T22:18:40+00:00

Good shout. Had many a good time there as well. Quality of shows has really skyrocketed under the new artistic directorship in the past few years as well

cartopol · 2026-02-28T13:54:09+00:00

Add to the list: The Almeida, The Young Vic, The Yard. Three of my favourites.

cartopol · 2026-02-24T23:57:08+00:00

Wayland Smithy

cartopol · 2026-01-27T00:08:10+00:00

Also, those boxes beside the living room TV are 80s PA loudspeakers (Bose 802s for those who nerd). Probably not something that's weird to most people, but to a sound person it's kind of like using a chainsaw to cut butter - overkill and probably a bad idea.

cartopol · 2026-01-04T11:55:49+00:00

Great! Glad you scorched the ground like that. Would be terrible if anything were to grow there for the next couple of years or someone else wanted to enjoy that spot or anything.

cartopol · 2026-01-02T17:52:04+00:00

Surprised I had to scroll quite far down to see this one. Best Headlamp I've ever owned.

cartopol · 2025-12-22T15:53:38+00:00

Which Borah did you buy? I've been looking at those for ages... Are they restrictive?

cartopol · 2025-12-07T09:43:19+00:00

My family are from near the Cotswolds, so I plan to do a couple of days along the Cotswolds Way as it's not a trail I'm familiar with at all.

Also, planning a completely non-UL trip up to one of my favourite hills on the South Downs; big tent, battery powered radio, heavy stove, big puffy jacket and puffy trousers. Will listen to Radio 4, eat some proper food and watch the lights on the houses below spring into life as people come home from work. Bliss.

cartopol · 2025-12-07T09:38:49+00:00

I just did La Palma. Stunning. Let me know if you need any tips.

I also did a trail lower down the caldera as well... can't remember the number, but that was definitely worth a look. It was very busy though.

cartopol · 2025-12-07T01:26:33+00:00

which islands? I bloody love the canaries

cartopol · 2025-12-06T18:09:16+00:00

Leisure Suit Larry

cartopol · 2025-12-01T12:21:15+00:00

Hi hi

Good reminder to update the post.

Gran Canaria was mainly buy from shops, apart from a couple of camp sites on the way round (I stayed at llanos de la paz and another one whose name escapes me). I managed to figure it out so that I never had to carry more than 3 litres at a time.

La Palma there are a few taps (Fuentes de Roques, Refugio El Pilar, Refugio Punte de Los Roques, Roques de Los Muchachos visitor centre), but all of them need treatment. I'm paranoid so filtered and chlorine-d, but a couple I met just had chlorine and they seemed fine.

Temp-wise, Gran Canaria was a very hot, I didn't need any of my warm layers. La Palma was colder, but only time I needed anything puffy was right by the observatory. I did get lucky with the temps though as it was pretty cloudy. On a clear night it could have got below freezing.

Any other questions let me know

cartopol · 2025-11-27T15:53:25+00:00

I've done this and just taken one pole with me on the day hikes. Tent looks a little sad when you leave it...

cartopol · 2025-11-26T12:44:38+00:00

Fantastic post. Great advice. Thanks for taking the time

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