Off again...

It's been a bit hectic of late what with finalising the kit list. Extra phone memory hasn't arrived in time, but the 4gig card should be enough... Basic kit is just under 8.5 lbs with just 670g of food - mainly pre packed cereal/dried milk with on emergency meal of 100g dried mash pot. Less weight carried = more distance covered and less for the feet to bear, yet still better equipped for wet weather this time...
hoping to post on twitter this time - as 'lightweightmick'
bed time for me, phew...

The Uber Lite night...

...was fitful. Like the early Thermarests, the Uber (at least the one I've got) has no anti slip surface... and the poly-io groundsheet is slippery, so everytime I turned over, the pad went sideways... and in the night when you're half-asleep with chilly legs...
As I haven't used a self-inflating pad for some years now, I may have over-inflated it a bit too much though but that 1" of air filled foam does offer more for the hips fo'sure.
Yesterday I laid out the plastic film groundsheet on the kitchen floor. Placing 2 gel pads in the centres of the shoulder and hip areas of the Uber seemed to do the trick (the gel pads are from the footcare kit, so no extra weight is incurred) - for lower legs it makes sense to put the reflecting foil pad back on the list...
This puts the final choice 50gms over the original target of 250gms:

Uber Lite: 225
Foil Ins.: 39
Poly-Io : 36

Total 300gms

Uber-Lite arrives at last

Lightest available self-inflating pad for ground insulation and the good news is, for me at least working on a sub 8lbs kit list is that the stated weight includes the stuff sac and a repair kit. Nice when something weighs less than you think on the scales! Rolls (or folds) up quite small and I think it will fit on the back of the pack like the Ridgerest, thus allowing room for some food inside, so the 15ltr Inov8 should be big enough after all.
Offers just that bit more for the hips - I'll be giving it a try tonight.
It was quite chilly out last night, so it'll be interesting to see how warm the bag is too...

New Map of Route

This is a useful map of the Coast to Coast route that can be zoomed in to 1:50,000 OS map:

http://cms-stu-iis.gre.ac.uk/km44/map/

Superglue Update

Finally got some of the surgical superglue - there are several trade names - Dermabond etc. the one I got is called LiquiBand... I think... the bloomin' tube is so small I've gone and lost it already! No change worth mentioning out of a tenner either... and the pharmacist has had to order a box full of the stuff at collossal expense... I didn't have the heart to open it! - and will use it more to seal blisters than add a protective layer... if I can find it that is...
On this week's longer training run (13m +pack) I've again tried the gel type superglue - easier to apply..? Certainly less chance of any surplus running between the toes and sticking them together at least!
As super glue crazes, the idea is to find a more flexible type - next on list is Band Aid's Liquid Bandage...

Midge Net Tent

Got this finished this weekend - final weight of 152 gms - though I've only left an overlap for the closure. A zip would be relatively heavy, but could be added to centre or to one side of the 'A' entry. I've enough left for a full floor - but I'm thinking that the 'skirt' will be enough under the poly-io groundsheet which I've cut to size with about a 2" overlap (36gms).
Considering putting some velcro or pop fasteners to the opening - but if it gapes then a zip may be the only option...