Our "Basha"

 This trip we solely used our basha, leaving our Hilleberg tent in the car. We like the basha because it is spacious, light weight (1kg) and compact and gives an excellent view.

It is now quite a sophisticated and versatile design. The outer is made of a rectangle of 36g/m2 silnylon, with 2 triangular side wings to increase the shelter it gives.   On this trip we brought a pair of light weight walking poles to support it, but if we were somewhere with more trees, we'd probably leave the walking poles at home and just find some dead branches to use.

Critically important for Scotland, it now includes a zipped inner made of  midge proof netting, with a sewn in groundsheet.

On a calm evening, the midge protection is vital!

Theres a front "porch" that can be rolled down to increase protection from rain or dew.  For this trip we'd created some additional "awnings" (one is visible in grey in the lower photo) that can be attached to the sides to increase protection from rain or wind if needed.

 

We use paddles, (or nearby trees, or fallen branches or even bikes) to create a "skyhook" to hold up the rear.

If we want to cook in showery conditions, we sometime also add a paddle at the front to lift up the porch and create a nice sheltered area for cooking.

 

It works really well, unless the winds are strong (>Force 4) from the front, at which point one needs to turn it round or re-pitch somewhere more sheltered.

The fabric came from our favourite supplier, Extreme Textil in Germany. Sadly, because of Brexit, theres now a 160Eu minimum order value for shipments to the UK, and we know of no UK stockists.