lightweight walking

Walking to Woodhall Spa – Day Two

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The weather was good when I was packing up – which was lucky as packing the new Golite Jam 2, did not go as easily as it did when I packed it at home. I had put the tent in the large outside pocket but this was a mistake as that pocket has to be packed before the main bag. Both pockets share the same volume – packing the main pocket reduces the size of the outside pocket. This means the tent needs to be packed first – when actually, when packing up, it is the last thing to go in the bag. This morning, I simply piled my gear up on a small tarp I had with me, took the tent down and then packed, but it was dry and sunny. So I need a new packing plan.

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I ended up meeting both Richards in Bardney – one had had walked there from Lincoln city centre the other drove – and we went for coffee. So that was the end of the walking, we got a lift home.

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At the Campsite

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I camped in the same spot as I did a couple of months back – but with no ducks.

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I have added a wing nut handle to my mug lid – it has proved to awkward to lift the lid off with my Leatherman. The wing nut arrangement means the handle can come off for packing, with the wing nut being stored in the same neoprene case I keep my milk powder, tea bags and lighter in.

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To save washing up I made my instant custard in the packet, using the mug only to hold it in and to save burning my hands as I ate it.

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I really like Indian tea, but I like it with plenty of milk in (or better still made with condensed milk) – this means it uses a lot of my limited store of dried milk. Yesterday one of my clients gave me some milk sticks, for use this walk but they have all ended up in the same drink. I make the tea the all in way, milk, cold water, Indian tea bag and two brown sugars all in the mug and bring to the boil – then I take half the tea out to drink top up with more cold water and bring back to the boil. Excellent. However this adds to my washing up as the titanium mug/kettle is a mess when finished and it gets worse if it boils over as it did during my Scotish trip last month.

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This morning the weather is fine – with a nice sunrise right into my tent as I make some tea.

The bad weather did not materialise here, infect when I woke up there was no wind at all and my tent was perfectly still. However I have asked Diana to check the TV weather and call me.

Breakfast is simple here this morning, plenty of tea and granola bars – many walkers have bars for breakfast so I thought I would try it today.

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Walking to Woodhall Spa – Day One

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The pack weight is 11.4kgs – including all food and about 2.2l of water. This note is written after about two hours and the Golite pack is proving much more comfortable than the Karrimor I pushed into service.

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There were a few drops of rain as I approached the campsite but they did not come to anything, so I got the tent up in the dry. However the warden mentioned that later we may get some wind and rain, the leftovers of a hurricane!

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Golite Jam 2

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My new lightweight rucksack came yesterday – I was working last night but I did have a chance to throw a few things in and play around with some packing options.

I got my one man tent in the front pocket with room to spare and my inflating sleep mat in the main compartment without any problem. Getting the mat inside was important to me as when I had it strapped to the top of the previous pack it made the pack very awkward when making my way through overgrown areas.

When I put on the pack it felt very comfortable. The hip belt pockets were a little difficult to use but I am sure with use the zippers will loosen a little and I will get used to them. I could reach the drinks bottle reasonably easily.

Golite Jam 2
Golite Jam 2

In my Karrimor pack I had a foam back pad that included two flexible aluminium strips embedded in it, which gave the soft pack some rigidity which I found useful – I have inserted this into the pad pocket on the Golite. It makes it easier to pack as it gives the bag some structure and I also think it will protect my back from the load and the water bladder and help transfer some of the weight to the hip belt. There is a weight penalty for this stiff pad – 165gms – which I feel is a bargain if it makes my walking more comfortable.

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Speyside Way Equipment

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I am keeping a careful track of the equipment I am using on these lightweight walks, so afterwards I can assess what worked, what didn’t and what I did not need to carry next time.

My rucksack – it was called retro at the campsite last night, and that’s true it is. Using it on these walks is at the limits of its capabilities. It is not comfortable. I added the hip belt (about 25 years ago), it is not padded nor does it put this heavier load load onto my hips. So a new pack is – I really want a GoLite Jam – there was one in a shop in Aviemore but I think I can get one much cheaper online.

The cooking gear is very light and performs well – although if it is very windy it needs a bit more shelter than the wind shield provides.

The tent cost me less than £20 in the end of season sales last year – it performs well, gives lots of space and once I had changed the heavy steel pegs for titanium ones it is not overly heavy. But looking at Emily’s tent last night I can see the advantages of a specialist one man tent. The extra space I get in my tent is because it can sleep two – so I am now looking for a one man tent, that will save weight straight away. Her tent packed away very easily this morning – mine I have to fold exactly right to fit in my backpack. I also want a tent with a much better porch than on the Bedrock 2, in really bad weather it gives no space to use, even, my small meths stove let alone a backpackers gas stove! (I know it can be dangerous to use a stove in the tent, but we all do it – so just take extra care!)

The food was enough for me – but the weather was not cold, I think if it was colder I’d add more.

I did not use the monocular, didn’t use it last walk either so I will not bother to pack that again.

Other than the repair kit, FAK and other medicines, I used all the items in sundries bag.

Replace the steel pegs with Ti ones.

Did I miss anything – not that I can think of.

Update

Yes there were a couple of things that have now come to mind

I must put a couple of my business cards in the iPhone wallet.

Take 50ml less meths

Update – 23/8/2011

I have been using the mug/stove today on the beach near Dornoch – the windshield worked to allow me use the stove in a medium wind, however the stove consumed about twice the fuel for one mug of tea and two instant noodles as it does when used in a sheltered location. I will have to take that into account for “windy” trips.

I think I will look around for a lightweight pot lifter to use with my Ti mug when using it as a pot – the handles can get hot, and using the cloth bag protect my fingers can be difficult. It could also be used to lift the mug lid when it is hot.

Grantown on Spey to Aberlour 17-18 August 2011
Day 1 – 14.5 miles
Day 2 – 12.5 miles

Karrimor Hotlite 30l sack
2x 3l side pocket
Karrimor 1100 sleeping bag
Silk liner
Air mat in black plastic sack + 2x elastic and 2x mini bungees
3x dry sacks
Belt lens case for brewkit – ease of access on the trail

Coleman Bedrock 2 Tent
12 Ti pegs
4 steel
white bin liner – to pack the tent in if wet on the second day (it was)
Plastic sheet/sit mat 60cm x 30cm

Cooking
Ti stove inc copper mug support
2 fuel tablets -emergency fuel
100 ml meths
100 ml meths
50ml meths

Half aluminium wind shield
Stove board/stand
Ti mug and lid
Beaker with lid
Small brewkit in neoprene case – 4 teabags, 1 Indian tea, 15mls dried milk and 2x brown sugar
2x lighters
High absorbent cloth – drying up
Pot sponge
5ml washing up liquid
Small LMF spork
Folding spoon/knife
Wide mug
Cutting board – plastic 5cms x 12cms

Headlamp
iTorch – led wind up
FAK includes hotel sewing kit
Safety pins, gaffer tape, needle and thread, cable ties and paracord
Two clothes pegs

Light weight North Face jumper
Spare walking socks
Spare underwear
Hat, headover and gloves

Small wash kit and high absorbent cloth

Camper SAK
Leatherman P4 Squirt
whistle
LMF fire steel
Compass

2l Camelbak
75ml SIS bottle in belt case
1l Platypus roll up bottle

Nano iPod and headphones in neoprene case

iPhone 4 with extended battery
Booster battery for iPod/iPhone
Aquapak
Monocular
Headphones for iPhone
Swisscard
Money £10
Pencil and notepaper
Personal medicine
Sunglasses
Cricket hat
Compeed stick
Lip balm
Sun stick – factor 50

Trail food for two days
Glucose tablets
1x spice oat cakes
Nutella and Italian crackers
Salted cashew nuts
Banana chips
2x 2in1 coffee for brew stop

Lunch
Can of tuna and sachets of BBQ sauce

Evening meal/Supper
Noodles
Tomato cup a soup
Salami
Instant custard
Tea and coffee
Italian crackers and jam
Hot chocolate

Breakfast
Instant Porridge with dried milk and jam
Cereal Bar
Tea and coffee

Lunch
Salami
Italian crackers
Indian tea with 100mls Rice Drink

SIS Rego – 50g
2x Boots orange energy tablets
SIS PSP Energy- 50g
1oz whiskey

Spare food
2x cereal bars

Wearing
Rohan vest
Lightweight long sleeved polartec shirt
3way Crag Hoppers
Northface Boots
Walking socks
Underwear

High Tech Notes

iPhone 4 – 32GB

Protected from the weather in an older version Aquapac – I was able to use the phone in the rain but unable to use the camera as the reverse of the case is not transparent.

I had two extra power options.

An extended power pack jacket which I kept fitted to the phone and a spare booster recharger which I did not need to use. If I need to use this booster I have to remove the power jacket first.

Things I used my iPhone for;

* Making and taking phone calls, texting and emails – built in apps
* Browsed the web – built in app
* Camera – both the built in camera app and Camera+, and reviewed the photos with the built in app
* Navigation – MemoryMap both 25k and 50k maps with the Speyside Way marked (I downloaded the gpx files from here http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk)
* Writing this blog – using the WordPress app, to which I wish they would add basic text formatting
* eBook reader – Stanza app
* I watched a movie – I have the no longer available VLC app
* Checked the weather – built in app
* Taking notes – built in Notes app
* Reviewed a quote one of our engineers sent me – Documents To Go (PDF, doc and xls files)
* Remoted into a server to discuss an issue with one of our engineers – Mocha RDP app

I used an iPod Nano, third generation, to listen to music, podcasts and a full screenplay version of Isaac Asimov’s Fantastic Voyage whilst walking. I keep it in a neoprene case, in an inside pocket of my Rohan Vest to protect it from the weather. It can be recharged using the same booster pack I use with the iPhone.

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Next Overnight Backpacking Trip

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I have another trip planned for a couple of weeks time in Scotland. I plan to walk from Grantown-on-Spey to Charlestown-of-Aberlour with an overnight stop at Cragganmore, following the Speyside Way. The family are staying in Aviemore at the Scandinavian Village for a week in August so I will desert them, get a bus to Grantown and then get picked up the following day. My son and I will be camping for the week before and week after the family week – so I will only need to take the backpack with me to enable me to overnight as I will have the other equipment with me.

When I started looking for a campsite somewhere between the two towns I discovered there was a free site at Cragganmore – just to be sure we are going to take a drive out to check what the site is like before I commit to stay there.

Food

Today we were stocking up on some camp supplies and so I also have stocked up on some backpacking supplies.

Following the trip the other weekend I needed to add to the food I am taking

  • “No fridge” salami snacks
  • Crackers – eight portion packs of Italian Crackers (I will probably carry four packs)
  • Nutella portion pack – a bit expensive but convenient and can be used with a pack of crackers.
  • Extra bag of cashew nuts

    Backpacking Food
    Backpacking Food

Tomorrow I am going to pick up some dried banana flakes, from the market in the Lincoln, for trail snacks.

Fuel

I will be carrying two 100ml bottles of meths, one bottle will cover the evening meal and breakfast, the other will be for hot drinks during the day – I’m on holiday so I expect to stop several times. I will also pack two solid fuel tablets for spare fuel.

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