Highlander Basha - 8ft x 5ft Tarp

Highlander Official Specs:

MA100

Colours: DPM Camo onlyBasha is made from 100% Nylon with a double sided PU coating and fully taped seams, waterproof to 2000mm, double stitched loops. Ideal as a versatile shelter, sleeping bag cover or emergency stretcher.Size: 8ft x 5 ft Approx.

What is a basha?
A basha is another word for a tarp, and both the word and object originated from Britain’s colonial times in India.

Disclaimer
This isn’t the first Highlander product I’ve reviewed here, so I should mention that I don’t work for them, and they certainly aren’t paying me to write good reviews. Although if they wanted to, I wouldn’t say no.

The first important point to mention with this basha is that is weighs 480-500g. That is lighter than any competitors I’ve seen - the Australian Hootchies at £60+ is 680g, and the British Army version 960g. The Highlander bashas come with stuff sacks that are big enough to fit 20m of paracord, and four guy lines in them along with the basha itself. The weight is the key, because in many situations where you intend to use a basha, you’ll probably be travelling light, and you never know when that extra 500g of C4 you can pack with this basha will come in handy. Because they are small and so light, the natural question is to query the build standard of the item, and its water resistance.

The build isn’t bombproof. I’ve had mine pitched in numerous shapes in various strengths of wind, and some of the stitching in the loops came out. For this reason I can’t say this basha is the most solid you’ll ever find, but I must add that it never threatened to blow away or come apart. Basically, it took winds with gust speeds of I think over 30 mph to cause any damage at all, which isn’t too bad. Half an hour with a sowing kit and you can fix it up so that a force ten gale won’t break the stitching.

Water resistance. The actual fly sheet itself does seem to be waterproof, I haven’t found any leaks to date. However, the seam running from side to side, half way down, has. Cleverly, the seam doesn’t run along the length of the basha, so water won’t drip onto your face while sleeping. As it runs across the width of it, drops will land on your waist instead, which is definitely preferable. Saying this, it is to be expected that in heavy rain the seams on something that is 2000HH leaks a bit. It’s possible that my leakage is down to something uniquely wrong about my basha, but I couldn’t tell you for sure.

A nice feature of the Highlander basha is that there is a row of poppers down the sides. This gives two options. You can either pop two bashas together to get a bigger shelter, or pop one to itself to get a semi-waterproof bivi bag, stretcher, or sleeping bag cover. I haven’t actually tried any of these, and although useful sounding, most people probably won’t either.

One reason for the feather-like weight of this basha is that it is 5 feet wide. This is a foot thinner than many bashas on the market, and does mean that you’re that bit more exposed out in the field. If you know how to pitch your basha however, this isn’t much of a problem. Here are some suggestions:

When you have two or more tents:

This simple set up provides cover for two people using two walking poles, with some paracord to tie them down. If the walking poles are at the right angles, this shelter will prove shockingly wind resistant. It could easily be made with four walking poles, but having something rock solid to anchor to makes it easier to pitch.



When you have one tent:

I used this to sunbathe in Iceland, and keep the wind off at the same time. The picture nicely illustrates the seam position on this basha. It was also here that the stitching broke, but as you can see it is pretty much a sail, so perhaps it shouldn’t be much of a shock. If you want to do this, take spare tent pegs to stake the basha into the ground at its bottom, otherwise the wind might sneak underneath.

This was a minor construction project to get into place, but luckily I didn’t have anything better to do at the time. What it shows is that someone who previously had no idea how to pitch a tarp can do something very useful with one spare guy rope, and 20m of paracord. This gives you somewhere to sit up straight if your tent isn’t really tall enough to do it easily. Again, spare tent pegs make this sort of lunacy possible.

When you have no tent:

To start with, I must apologise for the shaky photography, but it was 4:01am (no, really) and I was seriously tired putting this up. When put up properly, this is a bivi shelter, and I did go on to sleep in this with my bivi bag. Although shockingly pitched, I got a good nights sleep. Ideally, you would want to do this in a wooded area where you’d use trees instead of walking poles, and raise it off the ground a bit on one or both sides. In the pictured situation, I could have done with an extra foot of width as it was a bit cramped, but raised off the ground it wouldn’t be a problem.

When you want to have the best nights sleep in the world (and still have no tent):

See my beginner hammock article for more on hammocking, and yes, this picture was taken in a pub garden. It also demonstrates one vital aspect about using a basha between trees. Don’t pick ones that are too close together, or you won’t be able to get the basha taught and nicely set up. In this instance, these trees were the only ones I could use, but you can see how much the basha is dipping. This did mean in the stormy night this picture was taken after, it flapped around noisily. It did kept 85% of the rain off somehow though. Was a fun night, it was like riding a rollercoaster in your bed while people tip buckets of water over your head.

How to pitch a basha:
You don’t actually need to know any fancy knots to put up a basha – if you can tie your own shoe laces you will manage. I did learn the Evenk quick release knot, as seen on Ray Mears (google it) to tie one end, but you wouldn’t need to.

Before you even get to your place of camping, pack the basha so it’s ready. That means putting your paracord (or whatever you’ve got) through the loops going down the middle. You can also attach guy lines to the corners if you want.

Of course, the number of way you can use a basha are limited only by your imagination, so I’m not going to tell you how. That’s what the internet is for.

I paid £25 from an eBay shop for mine, don’t go over £30 ish. This makes it cheaper than the British Army basha, and exactly half of the weight.

Conclusion
If you’re in the forces, you might want the heavier issue basha. But if you won’t be using it every night, or need room for that extra 40mm UGL round, then this is perfect. It’s light, versatile, and will give you some peace of mind when off the beaten track. Highly recommended.

If you want a top of the range basha, get an Australia Hootchie. It’s almost identical, but will make you feel smug and important.

Mammut Inflatable Pillow

The Mammut inflatable pillow costs £8 from Millets, and was my attempt to find something other than piles of clothes to put my head on while camping. Deflated, it packs down extremely small into its own little stuff sack – its 2/3 of the size of a tube of Pringles.

It is also fairly comfortable to sleep on, its shape does fit your neck if you sleep on your back. The problems are twofold.

One: £8 is a lot to pay for something you don’t need, especially when you can get similar pillows at half the price. When I bought this I didn’t see a price tag, but if I had, I wouldn’t have bothered. That’s not an excuse by the way, it’s just the reason…

Two: when you’re lying in your tent trying to fall asleep, the last thing you want is noise. If the fat guy in the tent ten metres away is snoring, he’s probably keeping you awake. What won’t help, is if every time you so much as think about moving your head, your bloody pillow squeaks and groans like a rusty gate. If you have industrial strength earplugs or happen to sleep deeper than the wreck of the Titanic, this pillow will do you well. If you are a normal person however, stick to sleeping on folded up t-shirts and jumpers. Or alternatively, bring a proper pillow.

Highlander Hydration Source System - 3 Ltr Water Bladder

NATO Stock Number: 8465-99-842-7034
Capacity: 3 ltr
Compatibility: Highlander TT bergen

You are probably thinking that this looks like a DPM’d (Disruptive Pattern Material, or camouflage…) Camelbak, or an expensive looking hydration bladder. Firstly, this is a Source system, which is different to Camelbak. The difference appears to be that you get no taste tainting as you seem to get with Camelbak, and that Source is cheaper. Also, the German and Irish armies have switched to Source systems rather than Camelbak, and it originates from Israel – where they know a thing or two about exercise and hydration issues in the heat.

The advantage of this piece of kit over your cheap £5 bladders is that these are often clear or that blue colour. The sun can warm them up and cold air can cool them down, and eventually they can spoil. With the Highlander though, a cold drink will stay cold for hours and hours even in heavy heat, while if you fill it with warm tea (although don’t put anything boiling in it) it will stay warm even if the outside temperature is freezing. The cheap bladders also have to put in something, while as I’ll mention below, this doesn’t. On top of this, the instructions state that it will clean itself by the movement of water within it. I’ve had mine for over a year and used it very often, and it still remains taste neutral and clean.

The three litre capacity is handy, and the hose is very easy to use. You twist the cap and pull it out to get at the water, which can be done simply with your teeth. One very minor point is that the water in the hose is exposed to the elements, and can heat up and cool down in a way that the main part of the system won’t. There is a sort of dust cap that slides onto the mouthpiece to keep it clean and stop it leaking, and this is very useful indeed. Personally, I can’t be bothered with the twisty part of the mouthpiece, and leave it in the ‘on’ position, so I just have to pull the bit in and out to get at the water.

I have seen one of these at a music festival (presumably containing beer), but as it’s very difficult to completely empty these in the short term at least, you should be careful what you do put in them. Unless you want a faint taste of beer in your water when you’re half way up Ben Nevis, I suppose.

At the top of this review I said that this piece of kit of compatible with the Highlander TT Bergen. It can clip onto the side of the bergen just as a daysack would, and the hose is long enough to reach your mouth from this position. Review of Highlander TT bergen. Alternatively, it comes with straps so that you can wear it like a backpack. There is Velcro on each strap that you can use to secure the hose into place, and the straps can be hidden inside the back of the system’s case to keep them out of the way. There are also two carry handles that make carrying it when full easy.

Mine cost me about £15, but I can’t seem to remember where from. If you want one, google the NSN at the top of the article. There is a newer version out:
http://www.highlander1.com/military/PLCE/TTH2C-DPM-BLADDER-PACK.html
but I suspect its 99% the same as the one pictured here. If you see something similar with a Camelbak sticker on it, expect to pay £40+ for the privilege.

Conclusion
Fantastic. Costs more than the cheapest alternatives, but with the extras it has I think its value for money, while it is better than its more vaunted rivals. It’s an item that you can do without, but nonce you’ve got it you’ll wonder how you managed before. I only got mine after a sixteen hour slog, through ankle high water in the rain, over the Brecon Beacons… where I had to stop every five minutes to get my bottle of water out – annoying the people I was with who didn’t have to stop as they had water bladders.

Highlander TT Bergen Review

Available Models:
TT100 = Olive model
TT100C = Camo model

Official Specs:
120 Litre capacity. (100L in the main bag, 10L each for the day sacks (the side pocket attachment thingys))

900D fabric.

Two large zipped removable side pockets.

Adjustable chest and waist stabilisers.

Padded hip belt.

Airmesh funnel back ventilation system.

From the Highlander website (forgive their grammer):
“These packs has been designed and tested in conjunction with the British soldiers that use them. We drop tested the fully loaded bags onto concrete from ten meters. Strategically placed bar-tacks provide exceptional construction strength. Infra Red Reduction treatment applied to the polyester Kodex fabric and Nylon webbing. Thick Polyurethane lamination adds unparalleled strength and makes the fabric highly waterproof. Designed to allow the easy attachment of accessories and kit.”

My Experience

While I haven’t dropped my bergen from a two storey building to test its strength, I have used it enough to say something about it. Firstly, for people new to bergens, they are not waterproof. They are quite resistant to rain, and it takes a good three hours of torrential Peak District deluge to get through mine, but it will let the water in eventually. If this does happen, don’t expect it to dry too quickly, but this is why people use waterproof bags inside their bergens, or covers over them.

I took this picture of my nearly full bergen with a 2ltr bottle beside it to give you an idea of scale.

One big positive for this piece of kit is the comfort factor while carrying heavy loads. The shoulder straps are a bit wider and more padded than a number of civilian style packs I’ve seen, and it’s easily adjustable to get a good fit. The airmesh system does actually mean your back won’t get as sweaty as you’d expect, as the padding is thick and effectively works by keeping contact between back and bergen to a minimum. The waist strap is also chunky, and far wider than the thin little strips you often find on civi packs. This spreads the weight of what you’re carrying (it should be on your waist and not your shoulders/back) over a wider area, which makes it easier to haul loads.

A partial view of the airmesh system & some of the straps. Not a great picture, but it was 1am on the morning and I was tired. Lets just say the Arctic Circle was under 100 miles away.

All the adjustable parts and buckles are big, and therefore friendly to freezing cold hands, which is important for those using this right around the year.

Airports have a reputation of chewing up and spitting out rucksacks, and the many straps on this bergen mean its vulnerable to being torn apart by a rogue conveyor belt. I bought a massive, thick bag to stick my bergen in when I fly, which means it will arrive in one piece. It can also help to hide your bergen if its in camo, as some people might think you’re some sort of redneck gun nut. If you’re going to certain countries though, I wouldn’t take anything that’s camo - unless you are actually taking part in a military coup, in which case you’ll probably be wanting it.

The place where I got mine from for £55, http://www.theblackpaw.co.uk/ is currently being renovated, so I can’t see if their price is still this low. This site: http://www.campingandmilitary.com/acatalog/IRR_Rucksacks.htmlis selling them for £115 which is quite a lot higher... For a rucksack of this capacity a hundred quid isn’t particularly unusual, but the £55 I spent made it a 100% bargain. I’ve seen this Bergen for between £70 and £90 which I think is reasonable. Also, I so far haven’t actually seen the olive version anywhere, but that’s probably because I’m not looking very hard.

I also bought the Source Hydration System (basically a camelback water carrier) that is designed to fit with this bergen. I fit mine to the side of the bergen, where a day sack would go, but it can go wherever you want really. A review for this is here.

Conclusion:
My overall recommendation on whether or not you want to buy this bergen will largely depend on the price you can buy it for. It will, 90% of the time, be cheaper than the “standard issue” bergen, but then if you’re a cadet it might be exactly what you are after. You should check, if you are buying online, whether the day sacks are included, as these can cost you £15 - £20 to get separately (mine came with them - and the yoke to stick them together). Essentially though, this is a very solid piece of kit that does its job very well, and if you can find it at the lower end of its price range, it offers insane value for money.