What is a British Army Basha?
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- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- In this video I will try to give a basic introduction to the British Army Basha, the standard issue tarp for the British Army. I'll show the construction and materials and go through what I consider to be the pros and cons.
If you would like to know more, please ask a question via the comments. I would be happy to help if I can. Likewise, if you can think of additional pros & cons for the British Army Basha, why not leave a comment and let me know!
Correction - as pointed out by one keen eared viewer DPM = Disruptive Pattern Material
Videos mentioned:
Bivi camping without a tarp: • Solo Wild Camp in the ...
British Army Basha Setups: • British Army Basha Wil...
British Army Basha wild camp: • Peak District Solo Wil...
Many thanks for watching!
#tarpcamping #wildcamping #outdoors
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I've been using one of these to cover up my push-bike in the garden for about10 years and it still looks like it did when I bought it👌
Hi Simon! An unusual use for a basha, but if it can stand up to the elements day in day out for 10 years, it shows what a tough piece of kit it is 😁 Thanks for watching, much appreciated👍
@@DesGreene yes it certainly out lasts for poly tarps however I think some of the silicon has worn off it. I did try Sleeping under it once I tied it between some trees in a forest the trouble is all the midges attacked.
wonderful for those of us who mainly are out on fells and moors up here in the North.
So many woodland and tree set ups on yT.
Very true! Not that easy to find woodland camping spots in the norther part of the country. Cheers for watching👍
The modern Basha is a far cry from the old fashioned shelter-halfs I used as a conscript 25 years ago in the Norwegian Army. I think it is a useful piece of equipment and it is more robust than many civilian lightweight items. You just have to learn the ways to use it - so thanks for an informative movie Des:)
Thanks! Yes, such a versatile and tough piece of kit. Just need to be freed from lockdown now so I can give it some use 😁 Well, at least when the weather improves a little! All the best & stay safe👍
Thank you for that thorough review, it helped me immensely!
Hi Paul. Great feedback👍 Thanks very much👍😁
This is something we should get!! Lol we have been trying so many new things lately, I think camping should be on the list😆I love your honest review, this is very helpful😃
Thanks! Much appreciated 😁 Have you done any tent camping previously?
Good honest review well presented. I do prefer the smaller size than the 3x3 I find it easier to pitch and big enough. The army basha is certainly a robust well made bit of kit that will last along time. All the best Pete 👍
Thanks Pete, much appreciated! Stay safe👍
Very comprehensive review Des and something I have thought about for a while but always looked at the more expensive ones but to be honest, this looks great and if it is good enough for the army, it is good enough for me! Cheers Alan
Thanks Alan! Definitely worth a try, and even if you end up wanting a more lightweight and compact tarp, you'd get your outlay back again on eBay. All the best!👍
Just the video I wanted to see.
Cheers mate👍 Just for your info, I did make one small mistake conerning the camo pattern. Check the video description for the corection👍
Great sharing! It will do for me because in the summer ahead my program is to hike on much higher altitudes! Lot of love and respect from a solo mountain hiker from Chitral Pakistan!
Thanks Sana! I look forward to seeing those hikes. The distant mountain peaks in your videos look amazing👍 Hopefully once we are out of lockdown again I can share some more of our own countryside 😁 Stay safe!
2:33 distributed pattern material? DPM stands for DISRUPTIVE Pattern Material.
Many thanks for watching! DPM already corrected in the video description👍
No nonsense information
Keep up the good work
Mo
Wiltshire
Cheers Mo! Much appreciated👍
Thanks for that Des. Interesting. I see what you mean about that pattern being good on the fells and moors around the peak district etc. Cheers
No problem, thanks for watching! I think a lot of bushcraft campers prefer the DPM, but it's pretty dark. For me the MTP blends in great. All the best👍
Looks a good tarp Des. Might be something I’ll consider myself if I get into this camping lark. Does sound like something worth experiencing at some point
Hi Anthony. Yes, weather conditions need to be right, but it's a great way to camp. And when you can pick up a basha and a British Army bivi bag for 50 or 60 quid, it's not a huge outlay to give it a try. Hope you are keeping well👍
Good video des, I normally use a 4x4 for my hammock rig, but my bashas do have a special place in my heart, for a stealth wild camp, be it in the peaks, woodland or beach, it certainly has it place, I use my desert basha for the beach camps, my dpm for everything else, though will be getting a mtp one soon, have camped all year round in it ,but getting older ,I prefer my hammock, but for moorland, stealth wildcamping, it's brilliant, matched with a bivvy bag, or hooped bivvy, cracking setup, good health and safe travels my friend ,cheers craig
Hi Craig! I don't get to do very much woodland camping, but I think for a moorland setup the smaller size of the BA basha is actually and advantage (easier to manage in the wind and tends to make a lower profile shelter etc). Only real downside is the weight. Which is definitely a consideration as I get older! 😁 Cheers for watching and commenting👍
They are good bits of kit .Good vid des .
Cheers. Just looking forward to getting out and using it again! All the best👍
Great info Des. We still have an old tent (partly broken) that we manage to mount, but we've been thinking about upgrading to a tarp maybe. Thanks for the honest tips. Fabien
Hi Fabien. With all the forest around you, tarp and hammock camping could be a great option! Have you got plans to do some camping videos? All the best👍
@@DesGreene We would love to, but there is still a curfew in France because of the Covid, 6pm no one outside, so it's quite difficult. We hope regulation will soften about this. fabien
@@TheWindyBurrow Ah of course, I meant once we are allowed. It's the same here at the moment. We can do garden camps, but nothing more exciting. Look forward to seeing some of your camping adventures later in the year👍 😁
Thank you for sharing 👍
Thank you for watching! 😁👍
Great vlog as always, Des Really enjoyed it.
Thank you! Much appreciated👍
Must admit ive been thinking about a surplus basha,recently purchased a dd 3x3,not had the weather up here to even set it up.
Thanks for the review.
Hi Ivor. Yes, definitely not a setup for Winter. Mind you, I have been thinking about testing out a basha & Dutch Army bivi setup in the garden 😁 Watch this space!
@@DesGreene nice one Des,its been white here in n/e Scotland since xmas eve until a day or so ago,i can now see green fields again.
Nice review
Thanks!👍
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching👍
Been meaning to pick one up for a while, just waiting for one at the right price to come along.
Yes, they vary quite a lot in price and some of the surplus dealers on ebay only use generic photos. But at least the dealers should give a reliable description of the condition. Great piece of kit if you get hold of a good one. All the best👍
I have one it's getting old now could do with getting a new one . Nice upload
Thanks Colwyn! They're a great piece of kit to have around. All the best👍
Was in the infantry for 10year, ponchos are a good bit of kit, as long as u got a decent sleeping bag and roll mat that will keep u dry all year round, there of loads of different shelters you can make out of them, good vid mate👍
Yes, they're definitely a really versatile piece of kit! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave a comment👍👍
@@DesGreene no problem mate
Im not ex military but a friend is and he gave me a basha (what military call poncho) while I was bushcraft camping for over a month. With that alone, using my burgen as a wind blocker, mat and decent sleeping bag I was perfectly warm, dry and comfy all night(s) except beetles getting in my sleeping bag.
Good to see up close how this actually differs from the DD 3x3 for example which I have. I am impressed with the quality of the material and stitching. I think the other pro as you say is price point for camp type patterns, the DD versions are expensive.
Yes, they're certainly a decent piece of kit. I've never owned a DD tarp, but they certainly seem popular and get a lot of good reviews. Hope you are keeping well👍👍
great info thanks for sharing this video godbless
Thanks very much for watching!👍
Des, fun video that takes me back. In the US Army we had a similar kit. Ours had snaps along a side so that we could combine two for a 2-man system. I really like the hand loops in the British model. Great explanation! Stay on the path! Monk
Hi Dan. The system for combining two sounds good. I think the Polish Lavvu is similar. I think I've seen it somewhere that the handles can allow it to be used as a water carrier as well as a stretcher. Anyway, a versatile piece of kit 😁 Hope you are well! Not long now until your departure! 👍
Good review, and you asked for any comments from people who have them.
I've had one for about 6 or 7 years, a grade 1 desert DPM version from British Military Surplus (the retail section of the main wholesale disposal firm, Field Textiles, for the MOD). It was in such good nick, I couldn't tell it had been used. £15 with p&p taking my outlay up to £20... a bargain for something that will last decades. I got that version because they let more light through than the woodland DPM version. The MTP ones were double the price, so instead I added some more camo colours to it to blend in a little better, my own version of MTP.
My tips are, for summer use, to get a single mozzy net with a suspension point above the torso/head area and use one of the underside centre seam loops to hook it onto. I have one that fits easily into a pocket (sausage shaped and about the same volume as a tennis ball packed up) which I bought when I backpacked around India and SE Asia for 8 months.
Unless you think you're going to use the stretcher handles, then take a craft knife and carefully cut through the stitching to remove them. This cuts the weight by about 100g and makes it easier to roll up and less bulky.
Some excellent tips there! Thanks for passing them on. I'd seen someone mention about removing the handles, but I can't bear taking a knife to mine 😁 The mozzie net sounds a great idea for the midge season in the UK. Thanks for watching and commenting👍 All the best👍
@@DesGreene No problem, I used to use two British Army 58 pattern ponchos for backpacking which I bought in the early 80s for £8, the poncho being the infantry's heavy rain and shelter up until breathable rain wear came out and the change to the shelter sheet. They wore out, the backing flaked, tapes came off the seams, but I couldn't decide whether to go with a basha or replace the ponchos., so I got two genuine USGI ponchos, because they were lighter (one 58 weighs about the same as the basha, the USGI about two thirds) and pack up a lot smaller, and the basha as it was cheap enough to compare them.
My preference, only just by a small margin, is the ponchos for their flexibility. I can take just one or a day hike or a minimal shelter overnight, and I can wear it over a lightweight wind/waterproof if there's a downpour. On a several day trek I take two because, studded together, they make a 3.5m x 2.2m basha, or stake them down, suspended from a ridge line (strung from guyed trekking poles or trees) and they're a super hooch for one that's fully enclosed to the elements in foul or cold weather, the studs forming a doorway from whichever side I want to enter/exit. The only con is condensation, but sleeping bag in a lightweight bivvy bag negates any dampness getting to my bag.
The other thing about both of these types of genuine military surplus shelters, is that as well as being camouflaged, they have anti-thermal imaging coatings for the best stealth you can get (gamekeepers are using drones and thermal imaging cameras to spot and move on wild campers). Never wash your basha or poncho in a washing machine with detergents. Damp sponge or cloth to remove mud etc.
You don't get that with a DD Tarp. ;)
@@blackboardbloke I was joking with someone the other day about the thermal imaging properties with the recent wild camping situation 😁 I've never tried the ponchos. I'll take a closer look👍
@@DesGreene I've done a few videos on both, but I've never done one on my suspended fully enclosed shelter, or seen anyone else's video using the same double poncho set up as me.
There's also the 'Alpha Tent' set up that is a great single enclosed shelter poncho (the USGI utilises two 282cm flexible poles crossed at the hood to make a mini dome tent) for emergency shelter in gale force wind foul weather or as a super low level stealth shelter (Google or UA-cam search).
I still have one of my old 70s surplus 58s which I siliconed to reproof it. If I set the two USGIs as half pyramid ends with trekking poles, then the 58 (being NATO standard) mates up with their studs and provides a great base camping hooch with cut stick poles, flap out awning for cooking/admiring the view etc.
Keep a good relationship for a long time. Thank you, good friend^^.
Thank you for watching👍
Universal piece of kit 👍 atb Taff 🤠
It is Taff! All we need now is the all clear to get out and use it 😁 Hope you are well mate👍
Good tarp des. I've used MTB for some years but not this pattern. Looks like it could be versatile as mentioned. The weight isn't mammoth so no bother. Well, good going. Hope you enjoy it. Mark
Thanks Mark. Yes, definitely a great piece of kit. Hope you are keeping well👍
@@DesGreene A pleasure des. I'm doing alright.
Good job. Only thing to note is this is all year round it don’t matter what the weather is if ya tactical or total field discipline this is what ya got haha it’s the set up as a whole a lot of surplus kit out there supports this stuff to make it go anywhere any season case in point the army arctic sleep bags (not Modular one) “oh it goes to -12” yeah but not on its own you need the arctic liner and the goretex bivi bag and thermal sleep mat so all together then ya can do to -12 etc so it’s all in all how it’s applied a lot of that is over doing it for the Uk but not so for me I use all the above in now times been out twice over the last couple weeks and I been fine. Again the tarp that looks great may not be the best to keep the wind out also with these bashas there is often a shellscrape dug underneath it to the depth of the diggers knee to keep you lower and allowing you to keep the basha down low to the ground you encapsulate yourself we all like looking good but it’s practicality that wins with this I only go with a 1 pole ultralight 1 man tent in reserve if it’s un-ideal to dig a huge square haha so it’s ways n means guys hope this helps it’s just notes to add as every time I go I set my basha up to suit my sleep not aesthetically pleasing at all all about comfort and wind out
Cheers for the detailed comment and additional info, Mr Clarksonite!👍 Yes, I personally tend to save the bivi/basha camping for the warmer months, but I agree, if you use the correct kit and technique it's doable all year round. Thanks again, and all the best to you👍
@@DesGreene it’s by no means a correction you covered it perfectly good sir I took a lot away from it. Thank you
Wow they have been improved since I was last issued one.
Ha ha, so what were the ones you used like? 😁 Was I not too far wrong with the Landrover tarp?
@@DesGreene More like a builders tarp LOL They did improve after 1982 though. The ones we had only had islets no hoops or webbing.
@@DesmondsDonders Interesting! Thanks Dave👍
I left the Army in 1993 and these still hadn't been introduced as far as I know. We had what was known as the 58 pattern poncho, which was a lot smaller than this.
@@simonh6371 Hi Simon. Thanks for the info. They definitely make a great setup along with a bivi. I can't remember seeing a date stamp on mine, but I'll check next time I open it. The silicone sealant along the seam is all good, so I'm guessing it's not that old. All the best👍
Just to correct you on the DPM its disruptive pattern material, good video tho
Thanks John👍 Someone else pointed out my error a while ago, so I put a correction in the video description. All the best👍
The U.S. Marine Corps came out with something similar long after I retired from the Corps. I bought one, but was I’m not pleased with its durability. I would love to lay my hands on a British Army basha. How can I get a good one without being taken to the laundry, because I’m now on a fixed income! Thanks!😊
Hi. I think the main issue would be postage costs to the US. On Ebay over here, the tend to sell for around £25 or £30. But as they are rather heavy, it might not be worth paying for postage.
They are very tough piece of kit, but as I get older I do find myself veering towards more lightweight gear 😁
I was always told DPM stood for Disrupted Pattern Material when I was in the infantry...great bit of bullet proof back up kit to have though 👍
Hi Jason. Yes, I put a correction in the description below. Point a camera at me and I spout rubbish 😁 As you say, they are a great piece of kit. Thanks for watching and commenting👍
@@DesGreene Great video though mate. You ex forces ?
@@jasonhill6304 Thanks! No, not ex forces. Just appreciate the quality of the gear 😁
Disruptive Mate!
DPM 'Disruptive' Pattern Material.
Cheers mate👍 It's already been corrected down in the description. All the best & catch you soon👍
Its the best tarp of the world
Can't argue with that, Michael! Many thanks for watching👍
And the MTP only came out when Afghanistan started that was the reason for this pattern
Thanks John. Interesting additional info👍 Were the DPM and Desert patterns stopped when MTP came out? Some of those bashas must have quite an age to them by now!
Many thanks for watching & commenting👍
@@DesGreene yeah they are what they are robust and strong tried and tested by the MOD some kit gets issued but it was never used so it gets through the channels ends up on ebay lol some kit is wrecked as you know but 9out of 10 still useable but yeah there is some age to some of it 😉
@@DesGreene yes dpm and desert patterns stopped when the mtp came out
@@johnrutherford4042 Yes, not too difficult to find ones that look unused. Great piece of kit 👍
Is it recommended to have seam seals up OR down?
Hi Russ. No idea on official recommendation, but I always use mine with seam seal up (ie outside). It seems odd compared to a seam sealed tent, but from how the basha is constructed that has always felt correct to me. Cheers for watching👍
Silicone seems side up , if u do the other way rain can get into the seems causing damp and eventually loosen , for longevity silicone side up . X Infantry.
DPM means DISRUPTIVE 😂
Des, "Disruptive" pattern material = DPM. :)
Thanks Rachael👍 Already been corrected in the video description. Cheers for watching!👍
✨🧸✨🙂👍
Thanks for watching, Muri👍👍
After 20yrs of spending many miserable nights under one...the best thing you could do on this video was burn it...🤣🤣
Ha ha 😂 I guess it makes a difference choosing to use one rather than having to 😁 All the best!👍
These weren't around when I was in, we were issued ponchos, this is huge in comparison and with a bivvy bag and good sleeping bag & mat it's the lap of luxury.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching, Naomi👍