Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 19 hours ago
I have experienced every phase of wild camping, starting from lugging a monstrous 100-liter Bergen up a hill to meticulously counting every gram in my pack. Today, I am breaking down the seven levels of evolution that most wild campers go through, ranging from the makeshift beginner to the comfort-seeking veteran. Join me as I explore the gear and mindsets defining each stage, and find out exactly which level you are currently at on your own journey.
Big thank you to Ultralight Outdoor Gear for supporting us in 2026 geni.us/UltralightOutdoorGear
Gear shown in this video
Tent geni.us/UOGEnan
Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGS2SUltralightXR
Jetboil Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilTrailcook
Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Last chance to WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP messner.co.uk
I've started sharing my routes over on Hiiker. They've kindly given me a discount via my affiliate link
https://hiiker.app/paulmessner?via=paul and then you can download to my routes here https://hiiker.app/users/6h3F8tE4psSp4WtyBUP5MUy8Bo22/hikes and use the app to navigate you. I'll be uploading all my future hikes here.
My Gear
Trail Running Shoes geni.us/UOGLonePeak
Tent geni.us/ULOGHyperliteUnbound2
Backpack geni.us/UOGHyperliteUnbound55
Quilt zenbivy.co.uk/pages/curated-complete-bed-bundles
My Favourite Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGNemoEclipse
Lantern geni.us/ULOGFlextailLantern
Powerbank geni.us/ULOGFlextailPowerbank
Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilFlash
Mini Inflator Pump geni.us/UOGgigapump
Sambob Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Outdoor Research Helium Waterproof Jacket geni.us/UOGORHeliumUL
Pillows geni.us/UOGNemoFillo & geni.us/UOGNemoFilloElite
Little sit pad geni.us/UOGLittleSitPad
Mug geni.us/UOGS2Smug
Powerbank geni.us/UOGNitecorepowerbank
Charging block amzn.to/4ecLzUz
Water bottle geni.us/UOGThrubottle
Rab Down Jacket geni.us/UOGRabmythicjacket
Darn Tough socksgeni.us/UOGDarntoughsocks
First aid kit geni.us/UOGLifesystemsfirstaid
Little towel geni.us/UOGTowel
Wilderness Wash geni.us/UOGWildernesswash
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
Multi-day Hikes Playlists
Cumbria Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49lK5YCmgcZRT1Q3_cIjR4o
West Highland Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49qFqV3d99ATSR6T6bAL92U
Peak District Multi Day Hikes youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49WHWTNtRYD5r2nkiwdNUch
Cairngorms youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa48Wxn3MGLWl3PJyEyV89Q5_
Timestamps
00:00 Intro to the 7 levels of wild camping
00:47 Level 1: The Makeshift Mountaineer
02:39 Level 2: The Enthusiast
04:46 Level 3: The Tinkerer
05:52 Level 4: The Gram Counter
09:24 Level 5: The Glutton for Punishment
11:25 Level 6: The Extremist
16:00 Level 7: The Veteran
18:31 My current wild camping level
patreon.com/paulmessner
Join our Patreon community for additional videos, community WhatsApp style chats and more. MASSIVE thanks to YOU. I couldn’t do this without your support.
messner.co.uk
WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
I have experienced every phase of wild camping, starting from lugging a monstrous 100-liter Bergen up a hill to meticulously counting every gram in my pack. Today, I am breaking down the seven levels of evolution that most wild campers go through, ranging from the makeshift beginner to the comfort-seeking veteran. Join me as I explore the gear and mindsets defining each stage, and find out exactly which level you are currently at on your own journey.
Big thank you to Ultralight Outdoor Gear for supporting us in 2026 geni.us/UltralightOutdoorGear
Gear shown in this video
Tent geni.us/UOGEnan
Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGS2SUltralightXR
Jetboil Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilTrailcook
Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Last chance to WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP messner.co.uk
I've started sharing my routes over on Hiiker. They've kindly given me a discount via my affiliate link
https://hiiker.app/paulmessner?via=paul and then you can download to my routes here https://hiiker.app/users/6h3F8tE4psSp4WtyBUP5MUy8Bo22/hikes and use the app to navigate you. I'll be uploading all my future hikes here.
My Gear
Trail Running Shoes geni.us/UOGLonePeak
Tent geni.us/ULOGHyperliteUnbound2
Backpack geni.us/UOGHyperliteUnbound55
Quilt zenbivy.co.uk/pages/curated-complete-bed-bundles
My Favourite Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGNemoEclipse
Lantern geni.us/ULOGFlextailLantern
Powerbank geni.us/ULOGFlextailPowerbank
Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilFlash
Mini Inflator Pump geni.us/UOGgigapump
Sambob Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Outdoor Research Helium Waterproof Jacket geni.us/UOGORHeliumUL
Pillows geni.us/UOGNemoFillo & geni.us/UOGNemoFilloElite
Little sit pad geni.us/UOGLittleSitPad
Mug geni.us/UOGS2Smug
Powerbank geni.us/UOGNitecorepowerbank
Charging block amzn.to/4ecLzUz
Water bottle geni.us/UOGThrubottle
Rab Down Jacket geni.us/UOGRabmythicjacket
Darn Tough socksgeni.us/UOGDarntoughsocks
First aid kit geni.us/UOGLifesystemsfirstaid
Little towel geni.us/UOGTowel
Wilderness Wash geni.us/UOGWildernesswash
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
Multi-day Hikes Playlists
Cumbria Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49lK5YCmgcZRT1Q3_cIjR4o
West Highland Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49qFqV3d99ATSR6T6bAL92U
Peak District Multi Day Hikes youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49WHWTNtRYD5r2nkiwdNUch
Cairngorms youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa48Wxn3MGLWl3PJyEyV89Q5_
Timestamps
00:00 Intro to the 7 levels of wild camping
00:47 Level 1: The Makeshift Mountaineer
02:39 Level 2: The Enthusiast
04:46 Level 3: The Tinkerer
05:52 Level 4: The Gram Counter
09:24 Level 5: The Glutton for Punishment
11:25 Level 6: The Extremist
16:00 Level 7: The Veteran
18:31 My current wild camping level
patreon.com/paulmessner
Join our Patreon community for additional videos, community WhatsApp style chats and more. MASSIVE thanks to YOU. I couldn’t do this without your support.
messner.co.uk
WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
