My Backpacking Kit 2013

With the winter here, it is time to check my backpacking kit for the coming season, clean it, repair it and see what worked last year and what didn’t and decide what to do about that.

One other thing to do is to weigh everything again and check how much I am planning to carry – I keep a track of this on a spread sheet, which you can download for free from this page – Backpacking Gear List

Backpacking Kit 2013

Sleeping Bag

I bought a sleeping bag in a sale before the 2012 season, which having looked at the specifications on the bag, I thought would be ideal for backpacking. Unfortunately it was no where near as warm as was advertised – although it lofted well, had a good hood and neck baffle and was comfortable, it was just not warm. It was not so useless that I froze in it, I was just not warm in the bag, even with long underwear and thick socks on. So the Eurohike Adventurer 200 is now dumped and I am looking for another bag. (Save your money don’t buy one.).

I think I will get a down filled 2-3 season bag – which should be warm enough for my spring/summer/autumn backpacking trips and save me some weight and volume in my rucksack.

Robens Down Lite 500

Updated January 2013

Yesterday one of the outdoor shops in Inverness was having a sale – and I found a sleeping bag to replace the rubbish sleeping bag I bought last year.

In the shop, I was able to get into the bag to try it for size and comfort.

It is filled with down, weighs just less than 1kg and is warm to about zero centigrade. It is lighter than my previous backpacking sleeping bag and it packs smaller.

packed and compressed

The specification looks to be just what I was looking for. I hope it is made well enough to keep the down inside the bag and that it is warm. The real test will be during my next backpacking or camping trip.

Updated April 2013

I used my down bag this weekend, it was below zero overnight and the bag kept me warm enough, so under regular circumstances it should be good.

Another big benefit of this bag over my previous one is that it compresses much smaller so saving space in my 50l Golite Jam backpack – this made packing easier and will give me some extra equipment space for longer trips. (See the entry below about my Alpkit Numo sleeping mat.)

Plastic Beaker with Lid

For a number of years I have been using a small beaker with a lid as a second mug, when backpacking, walking and camping. It is useful for rehydrating noodles in but it is only just big enough for the job. When packing it slides neatly inside my titanium mug but it fits below the mug lip so the lid cannot fit on. For a while I have been looking for something a little larger.

I tried a larger beaker with a screw on lid but it was not exactly what I needed.,

Whilst in Cornwall, last October, Jeremy and I found this beaker.

It is larger then my previous beaker, but still packs inside my titanium mug and the beaker lid can be used.

I have cut a wind shield from a heavy duty aluminium foil cooking tray, which wraps around this beaker – and it will still fit inside the Ti mug.

Updated April 2013

I used the beaker during my recent overnight trip to Woodhall Spa. The larger size was great for tea and coffee and for making my noodles in. I probably will not carry a bowl anymore and use this instead.

making tea at sunset

Travel Tap – Micro Purification Water Filter Bottle

Jeremy bought me this bottle for Christmas – the specs are here.

This is a really simple, lightweight, way to produce safe drinking water whilst I am backpacking or wild camping. No moving parts, batteries or pumps – I can drink straight from the bottle or use it to fill another water container or pot. When I was wild camping in the Lakes last year I carried 3 litres (or 3kg) of water, my pack without the water weighed less than 9kgs – in the future I can top up along the way and save weight.

Walking Socks

Since I walked the Wainwright Coast to Coast, I have been wearing Bridgedale heavyweight walking socks. I have had no problems with them but in my new boots, I bought last year, they were just not as comfortable as they had been in the previous boots. So after some shopping around and asking friends what they used I bought one pair of these lighter Bridgedale socks to try out.

Having tried them out these were just what I was looking for – very comfortable in my Berghaus boots, so I bought a another pair for spare.

Nalgene Medium Travel Kit

I bought this selection of bottles primarily for the two screw top jars, to use for jam and peanut butter and the red topped bottle for dried milk.

There are two “squirt” caps included in the pack

Last year I bought some small pots to put jam and peanut butter in but they did not seal properly – I still use them for chilli flakes and ground coffee. I had a small bottle for dried milk in my brew kit, which is good for two or three hot drinks but for a weekend trip I need some extra.

I am sure I will find uses for the other bottles.

iPhone 5

I will be using an iPhone 5 this year for:

Navigation – Memory Map and GPS (I also carry paper maps and a compass in wild country)
Camera
Blogging
Notebook
Trip planner
eBook reader
MP3 player
… as well as a phone, text, email, web, etc, etc

The larger phone still fits in the waterproof pouch I use.

I have bought a lightening to 30 pin adaptor so I can still use my battery recharging devices and roll up cable.

waterproof case and charging accessories

Ultra Sil Travel Day Pack – Sea to Summit

I was going to buy a lightweight stuff sack/dry sack for using to carry some extra kit strapped to the top of my Golite Jam. However I have bought this day pack instead as it will probably be more useful.

here it is packed with my Swiss Army Knife for comparison

It is a 20l pack for 68g. On longer backpacking trips I can use it for groceries or for day walks out from campsites – when I was away last May Day I used my Golite Jam when day walking, this will be more suitable.

Alpkit Numo Sleeping Mat

Although I try to carry the lightest backpacking kit possible (affordable), I do not skimp on comfort. I had been carrying a self inflating sleeping mat which weighed about 900g, but it filled a lot of space in my 50l pack. I do not want to carry my mat on the outside of my pack to save room or get a bigger pack which I will be tempted to fill and so it will be heavier.

In the quest to save weight I came across the web site www.alpkit.com. I would have bought a sleeping bag from them in the end I bought a Numo sleeping mat – their lightest full sized mat.

I used the mat on my recent overnight trip to Woodhall Spa.

The mat is exceptionally comfortable to sleep on, but it does not offer very good insulation from the ground compared with my previous mats – however it was a very cold night. Hopefully the light filling in the tubes will work better in less extreme weather.

This mat packs much smaller than my self inflating mat, saving space in my backpack and is half the weight. To save weight I do not take the stuff sack or the repair kit, I already have a patch kit in my “bits and bobs” pouch.

comparison of sizes

The mat fits nicely in my small MSR Hubba tent, leaving enough room at the bottom to store my backpack and along the side for other gear. I was careful not to over inflate the mat, a little give in the tubes made it more comfortable.

One problem I had was that my inflatable pillow now rolls off this mat, so that will have to be addressed.

Vango Self Inflating Camping Pillow

As mentioned above, I struggled with my inflatable pillow on my new sleeping mat – so after a trip to Blacks in Lincoln I bought this camping pillow.

This pillow has a lower profile than the previous one so hopefully it will not roll of my mat, like the previous one did.

The down side is that the Vango pillow weighs more – 265g compared to 140g – but as I kept waking up as the previous pillow slipped off my mat I think it is worth the extra weight.

It packs down reasonably small and to save some weight it has attached elastic loops rather than a stuff sack.

I’ll test it next time I am away.

Update

This pillow was a great success, comfortable and does not roll off the Numo mat.

Alpkit MyTiMug

I have a comprehensive, lightweight cook set with which I can boil water and cook simple meals for one. But from time to time I want a larger pot or boil water for two people – as I did the other weekend when I was backpacking with Jeremy – so I bought this larger mug/pot.

As with other Alpkit equipment the price was excellent and the functionality well thought out and executed. The MytiMug comes with a lid to shorten boil times and save fuel, and is large enough to cook a 400g tin of food or a larger dehydrated meal. A lightweight draw string bag is supplied to keep the mug and lid together and makes it a useful container to pack other things in.