Tuesday 29 June 2010

Pack Choice

Over the past years I've used a very light extending bum bag with a mere 18ltr capacity. I upped the stakes a bit last year and bought an Inov8 15ltr which is tight... very tight. It's a comfortable sac suitable for running with too - designed for mountain marathoners. They also make a 20 and 25litre, so I'm preparing to upgrade this year.
I have bought a 'micro sac' - a Sea to Summit Ultra Sil a nifty 20litre affair that if you lit a tea light in would surely rise into the air like a chinese lantern!! Less it's tiny stuff sac (attached to it's tiny 'haul loop') it's a mere 68grams. It accepts all the kit (as is) but would not be suitable for running without the addition of a hip belt and sternum strap, so until time permits (it's like performing surgery on a butterfly!) I'm sticking with the Inov8 that I used on the recce for now...

Midge Netting...

...has arrived from Point North. The plan is to make a full 'tent' to fit beneath the tarp, then if nights are warm I've got more freedom... Though entry and exit is tricky without a zip (I've got a similar affair that's only really suitable to describe as mosquito netting - mossies are bigger than midges...), but adding a zip will add weight... so ' jury's out on that one.
I bit the bullet Saturday night and cut out the shapes ready for sewing...

Saturday 26 June 2010

It's all Kicking Off...

After such a comfy night then, I was off for a 'kit trial' run this morning. It's a nice route from Creswell down to the Boon Hills and I stopped for a peek into 'Robin Hood's Cave' at Langwith Basset around the 6m point (the gate was open...) Cows use it for shelter these days, but it certainly would have been a good hide-out! There are many Robin Hood references around here and as far North as the Coast to Coast route... interesting!
The main item on trial today was the brolly - as sun reflector this time: went well - certainly worth it's weight (140gms) and the effort of fitting the canopy to the stronger frame!
Who knows - with a UV50 umbrella on last year's attempt maybe I wouldn't have arrived at the Lion Inn with early signs of heat stroke... (but then, of course water consumption played a key role too)

Cloud Nine...

Just borrowed this from the Pacific Outdoor Uber Lite info:
"Our Uber series are quite simply the lightest self-inflating mats available. They provide bare bones insulation and comfort, because your core will be supported, padded and insulated. After a long day you will be thankful for any postage stamp you can park your tired worn out body on and if it is an Uber, well then, you'll be on cloud nine."

well, just maybe I will, combined with the PHD Minim at least...

PHD Minim Down Bag

This lightweight sleeping bag arrived very swifty this week! Ordered it on Monday and told it would take three weeks as they are made to order. Told to send an email if I would like it sooner - so I did, and lo! it arrived by carrier Tues afternoon.
On unpacking, the MX fabric oozes quality, though their stated weight of 345gms must be for the smaller size - I ordered a 'standard' (no zip) and with some modification (swapped their elastic drawstring for some thinner stuff, but hadn't the heart to cut the labels out...) it tips the scales at 399gms. So it's half the weight of the Rab, but lofts as well, due to the higher quality down used.
The temperature dropped to 12 degrees last night (back garden - 2 degs above average) and the only cover was the roll-out awning of the van and a mosquito net. Still using the Ridgrest for ground insulation had a very comfy night. It helped to get the 'pillow' set-up right. Best 'pillow' so far has been to turn the sac inside out with what few spare clothes and socks to hand inside - I did add a half-inflated platypus bottle but don't think it's really necessary - being plastic it was a bit 'crinkly' as well.
A small lightweight sleeping bag that compresses really small is a major step to a small light overall kit sack.
With the bag's minimum temperature rating of 8 degrees I slept well in the buff, but did use the RAB silk liner (65 gms - could be less...)
(from the above I would say that the large size would come in at around 450-460gms)

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Doh... umbrellas!

Well, more for sunshine than rain - I'd bought a trekking umbrella... by EuroSCHIRM (£25 eek ! )- it has a metallised coating rated as UV50... well I broke it in the 1st umbivvy trial didn't I... The name of the umbrella should have given me a clue to its durability though: Dainty... hmm...
Umbivvy? Don't ask... imagine combining a bivvy bag with an umbrella...
As my cheapo Factory Shop 'Grant Barnett' umbrella (£5) hasn't broken yet (though there was an issue with the handle) I bought another and am in the process of attaching (24 hand sewn points, phew...) the silvered canopy to the sturdier frame.
Sod's law dictates that it won't rain - then neither will the sun shine. Could be ideal then: cool and overcast.

Saturday 12 June 2010

Balloons... argh!

I've been in possession of the Balloon Bed for over a month now...
An attractice proposition at 100gms and very small pack size.
For £20 you get a sewn ripstop nylon base for holding the 260q modelling balloons supplied - you also get a small hand-held pump and a safety pin for bursting the balloons next morning...
My intention was to see if it could be adapted for multi-day use, after all balloons don't weigh much. Do they?
To be fair it's designed for mountain marathoners for a single night's use and not intended to rival a Thermarest.
It soon becomes apparent that mountain marathoners - OMM and KIMM etc. - have time on their hands, as you have to blow up 7 balloons (original version) with a small plastic pump provided, one at a time of course, and feed them into the sleeved ripstop nylon base.
As the balloons are intended for single use only, my first thoughts were for re-using the balloons and instead of knotting them, I tried other ways of sealing them so that they could be undone as it's reported that some thrifty MM's undo their balloons next morning...
Wrapping a few times around a curtain hook and tying off with a burst balloon were the most successful, though this can 'stress' the latex, creating a weak spot...
It has to be noted that the idea is quite ingenious and if you don't tend to move about much it's very comfortable for it's 100gms but I found that the the tendency was for the seven balloons to narrow beneath my body weight - in that they 'migrated' closer together reducing the width of the support.
I made an improved version out of taped-together Mylar sheet (Emergency 'Space' Blanket) that kept the balloons in place under tension. But this new design required 8 balloons and I added a shorted sleeve either side to beef up the shoulder/upper arm area requiring yet 2 more albeit smaller balloons - 10 in all.
Well I gave it a proper trial last Friday night... only to have 2 burst within the first 20 minutes, and had to get up again to pump up 2 more...
All was okay till around 4-5am when my hips felt chilly, but it was still relatively comfortable...Well it must've been 'cos the neighbour was going to work when I finally ducked out from under the home-made tarp.
Under pressure the balloons had gradually gone down - they deflate from the end opposite the blowing-up end - hence the cold hips. Though this would help get you up early...
So until I can find a better way of sealing 'em - it's back to the Ridgerest (now further trimmed down to 180gms)
The Balloon Bed does have potential for multi-night use though (if balloons stay inflated that is) but if a supply of balloons has to be carried for each day's use the 100gms (includes base, 7 balloons, pump and pin) starts to become nearer 200gms...
Meanwhile a self-inflating Pacific Outdoor Uber Lite is on order (241gms stated weight)

Sunday 6 June 2010

The quest is on...

The quest is on for a light pack-weight, but still allowing for a good night's sleep.
Bivvy bags are fine when it stays dry - a delight even on starry nights, but when the rain clouds gather and the midges suddenly swarm on unpacking it's another story...
So now it's down to seeing where I could make weight savings on the kit list.