Walking Forum
Main Boards => Welcome => Topic started by: TOMHOWA on 21:19:24, 09/05/19
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Hi all,
Decided to join the forum to rack your brains! Always been into hill walking and trekking however this year decided to do a few long distance ones and get away from the smog and hectic city life.
My first one went down like a lead balloon, essentially due to poor quality kit. Up in the Carneddaus and it got a bit nippy in the night, luckily I had spare warm clothes!
I have a decent three season two man tent from Alpkit however I went out with a cheap “three” season sleeping bag and half decent inflatable mat. I also went out in a new pair or altbergs defenders (MOD model) to find they have no ankle support at all. Which isn’t great with a 25kg pack on your back!
So I am looking for advice on suitable sleeping bags that are lightweight yet warm. Earliest I’d be going would be end of March and latest back end of October. So far I am looking at Alpkits range of down season three bags or Robens Icefall 2 to 4. Also new pair of boots so far considering Salomon Quest 4D based on reviews or a decent pair of Hanwags or [censored].
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
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Haha censored the well known Spanish boot maker B e s t a r d s
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welcome to the forum! Im sure youll find all the answers your after and more!
We do have a section for gear questions so if you havent yet id post in there (it gets more eyeballs there)
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Welcome to the forum from Orkney. I used to live almost in the shadow of the Carneddau - 7 years in Trefriw. Close enough to have a long day out on Carnedd Llewelyn. :)
My first advice would be to take less stuff - 25kg is way too much. My pack weight on a one night wild camp in the Cairngorms last year was 11kg (excluding food and water), and I don't have expensive kit.
Regarding boots - always try them on before buying. And my preference is for leather - fabric boots have always let me down - and they stink after getting wet a few times!
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I have a pair of Salomon Ultra 3s and really like them, so very comfortable. I had a pair of Salomon Quest 4Ds, again very comfortable, but they always rubbed and bruised that area just above my ankle bone. I always buy midi boots now.
Every pair of fabric type boots I've bought always leaked, I don't know about my Ultra 3s yet, so far its never rained when I've been wearing them.
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Yup. You'll enjoy it so much more if you're carrying a lot less weight. Its quite easy to get a sleeping bag and a pack which are no more than 1kg each these days. If its just one of you then you really don't want a tent that's more than 2kg, and you can find something closer to 1kg without too much difficulty or expense. That leaves a sleeping mat (500g) and a bit of clothing - which can be more or less what you're wearing to walk in, plus a down jacket or fleece for when you stop, and waterproofs obviously - another 1kg altogether? And food. For one night its not hard to have less than 10kg on your back, and well worth aiming for - it all gets much more enjoyable when its less of a struggle!
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Thanks guys,
My backpack was 25kg as I had planned to be out for three days however due to my boots having no ankle support and my sleeping bag being crap called it off early. So I had three litres of water in my backpack bladder (now buying a sawyer filter so I can cut down on that) and my dogs were with me so about three days worth of dog food and basic food for me. A lot of my outdoor kit is shooting clothing which weighs a fair bit, so looking into mountaineering brands to cut down on weight.
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Interesting the number of people who have come out in favour of leather boots. I've always worn leather with no membrane and very rarely had damp feet but I thought I was a bit of a dinosaur.
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I've built up a collection of light weight kit over the years but I'm not an ideologue of the ultra-light. It is perfectly possible to get your basics down to 1.5 kilos or less each. That is, your rucksack, tent and sleep system (sleeping bag and mat). Cooking kit is easily made lighter nowadays using using gas or meths and can come in at less than a kilo. Once you've done that your starting point is 5.5 kilos or less and you can then start to trim the accessories. It's not done by finding one or two items that make your pack a huge amount lighter. First, take only what you really need. Then it is a matter of making everything a bit lighter and the benefits come from this incremental process. Don't rush out and buy everything at once. Take your time and build up your kit as you get to know the market. You do seem to be starting in the right place by looking at companies like Alpkit.
The lighter your pack the less you will need Robocop boots. I tend to walk in shoes in the summer if I can but I also use leather boots quite a lot.
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Interesting responses from everyone.
I must admit when I first came across this group (for some reason) I didn’t think there would be so many members that were wild camping, so the additional info on what they were using and weights has been great to read. :)
Fully agree that the 3 basics, tent backpack and sleep system, should be as light as possible, yet they can be so expensive. It does depend on where and when you’ll be heading out I think. I know I carry too much weight and need to reduce my base weight but like astaman says don’t rush out to buy it all at once.
I’ve tried backpacks in shops but when I’m 4 hours into a walk and it’s loaded up it feels so much different to the shop trial!
Boots, I feel, are much more personal and different feet shapes and walking styles are better suited to different shoes/boots. I tried numerous boots when getting my last pair and due to my Achilles problem and over pronation (my podiatrist states they are connected), the best boots for me were Scarpa Trek GTX.
Take guidance but definitely try for yourself. Please let us know how you get on.
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Thanks guys,
My backpack was 25kg as I had planned to be out for three days however due to my boots having no ankle support and my sleeping bag being crap called it off early. So I had three litres of water in my backpack bladder (now buying a sawyer filter so I can cut down on that) and my dogs were with me so about three days worth of dog food and basic food for me. A lot of my outdoor kit is shooting clothing which weighs a fair bit, so looking into mountaineering brands to cut down on weight.
Food for THREE dogs!
The solution is simple - https://www.pettastic.uk/dog-backpacks-1-c.asp (https://www.pettastic.uk/dog-backpacks-1-c.asp)
I'm going to try a dog backpack on our Springer Spaniel, see how she gets on with it, as some appear to be pretty cheap.
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I think the obsession with going as light as possible is over the top. Does a kilo or two really make that much difference? Not to me. The lighter the product, the higher the price and like most things the price increase is not linear with increased benefit. 25kg does seem heavy for a 3 day trip. That was about the weight of my pack for 2 weeks hiking and camping in the Alps 25+ years ago. I would have thought that in the intervening period kit would have become somewhat lighter.
I should point out that I am not a stick insect and am just over 6 feet tall, so backpack weight may be less of an issue for me - even now in my mid 50s.
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Just regarding weight, 25kg is very heavy for 3 days. I did 8 days walking entirely self sufficient (had to carry all my own food and was carrying enough for 10 days) and was 20kg at the heaviest. I don't have overly lightweight equipment either, the weight will be even less when I do the tour du mont blanc Inna few weeks
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Food for THREE dogs!
The solution is simple - https://www.pettastic.uk/dog-backpacks-1-c.asp (https://www.pettastic.uk/dog-backpacks-1-c.asp)
I'm going to try a dog backpack on our Springer Spaniel, see how she gets on with it, as some appear to be pretty cheap.
No only two but both need about 500g of kibble a day! I do like the sound of the dog backpack might have to give them a go!
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Just regarding weight, 25kg is very heavy for 3 days. I did 8 days walking entirely self sufficient (had to carry all my own food and was carrying enough for 10 days) and was 20kg at the heaviest. I don't have overly lightweight equipment either, the weight will be even less when I do the tour du mont blanc Inna few weeks
Yeah I think half the problem is I bought a wisport Cordura backpack which is heavy before you even put anything in it. Plus my outdoorsy kit is all shooting stuff for example my Gore-Tex jacket weighs just shy of 4kg! I’ve went a bit mad and bought all lightweight waterproofs and warm layers from alpkit so I don’t think it will be an issue next time around.
What do you do for food? I had like flavoured rice, cous cous, bags of mixed nuts and tins of sardines. I need to streamline before going on longer ones that’s for sure.
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Alpkit stuff is good at a good price, I just got the new soloist tent.
For food I dehydrate a lot of my own meals, cheap chicken noodles, I had a bag of cheese, powdered mash, some chorizo, packet pasta mix
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What are your first impressions of the Soloist tent, dank?
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First impressions of it are really good, quick easy pitch, havent found a stitch wrong, with the footprint you can pitch outer first (though it is fiddly and not actually designed to do it so happy accident I guess)
Pitched it is stable have to test it in wind and rain soon though.
I do have a video I've uploaded about it on my channel
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I do have a video I've uploaded about it on my channel
Tried to find the video Dan but think the YouTube link is invalid :(
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Going to have to double check the link, this should work though
https://youtu.be/oX2wd1dp2FE
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Going to have to double check the link, this should work though
https://youtu.be/oX2wd1dp2FE (https://youtu.be/oX2wd1dp2FE)
Don't worry I found you manually. Subbed too good content.
Andy
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The link worked for me, Dan.
Good review. O0
Wonder how the Soloist performs in a strong side wind.
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The wind is definitely going to have to be considered when pitching, something I've not had to do for a while. Will have to wait for a windy day and put it to the test
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The link worked for me, Dan.
Maybe it was just my browser?? Nevermind, all sorted now.
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And101 I did have to change it a bit I got a error 404 when I tried it
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And101 I did have to change it a bit I got a error 404 when I tried it
Yeah thats what I got. I didn't realise until after I had subbed that I'd already watched some of your vids. The Phoxx 1 video and what you pack wildcamping O0
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Thanks 😊 I may have to re do the what I take video, or I'll do one of what I'm taking to France