Here is this year’s gear review – always looking for something lighter!
Backpacking Kit 2012
Sleeping Bag
With Blacks and Millets having a knock down sale I have bought a new sleeping bag, a Eurohike Adventurer 200, for £15! It is 200g lighter, has more loft than the current bag and came with a lightweight compression sack.
This bag will take up less volume in my backpack and should be a warmer.
This bag did not work out – see here.
Plastic Beaker
I have replaced the small plastic beaker that I rehydrate my food in – swapping it for a larger beaker with a more secure lid.
one of my small LMF spoons is in the beaker with a cup-a-soup
I can now add some extras to the noodles when I rehydrate them in this mug. I use my sleeping bag as a pot cosy, when “cooking” the noodles, the previous beaker only had a push on lid, the new screw on lid will ensure no leaks (although I did not have any leaks with the previous pot).
Another benefit with this beaker Is the collar, as it makes it easy to hold when the contents are hot.
Having used this for a couple of trips I have decided to use a 600ml bowl with a lid for backpacking trips and use this beaker for day hikes – I am still looking for a larger beaker to add to my kit.
First Trip of 2012
See the post here for the preparations for the first overnight trip of 2012.
Tent Pegs
To save some weight I have bought two longer alloy stakes to peg out the guylines, that hold up the vent cover and the foot of the flysheet. This saves carrying three heavier pegs and gives a better angle to the guylines.
Compression Sack
I have got a better quality compression sack to hold both my sleeping bag and spare clothes.
I looked at several different models of compression sack but opted for this Lifeventure model as it was the lightest, but with a design that distributed the compression evenly. My Eurohike sleeping bag came with a lightweight compression bag but it only used straps rather than a cap for the compression so there were bulges in the final compressed bag so adding to the size – and I needed a smaller size.
I chose a 15l sack, when a 10l sack may have been large enough, as I was thinking ahead to the multi-day trips I have planned for the future, when I will have to pack extra clothing. On testing it still made a smaller packed size with the sleeping bag and overnight spare clothes than the original sleeping bag compression sack and it weighs the same as the original sleeping bag stuff sack.
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
I am very happy with my meths burner brewkit, it is light and compact and will boil a mug of water in 5 minutes or so. However if the weather is very windy the meths stove is much more difficult to use. Also there is no safe way to use a meths stove inside the porch of my one man tent.
Diana has bought me an MSR Pocket Rocket stove to supplement my Ti meths stove when backpacking in bad weather.
I could not buy a 100g gas bottle, in Lincoln this morning, so I got a 220g one so I can use/test the stove today. For my lightweight trips I’d prefer the smaller/lighter gas canister – but as the canisters are removable, I can have both styles on the go at the same time.
My MSR Titanium mug sits securely on the pot stand as does the my MSR Titan kettle.
The red plastic carry box is useful to protect the stove and to protect my other kit from it’s sharp points when the stove is packed in my rucksack.
Inflatable Pillow
When I am backpacking, I do not carry enough spare clothes to make a resonable pillow, so I have bought an unflatable pillow from a Pound Shop. It weighs 50g – worth carrying for the comfort.
The valve on this leaked so I dumped it at the campsite – however it is a good idea so I will be looking for a replacement.
Update June 2012
I have bought a camping pillow from Aldi – and used it on my trip to the Brecon Beacons and it was very comfortable.
600ml Bowl with Lid
Having tried the beaker, above, it was still not big enough so I swapped it for a bowl with a water tight clip lid.
The bowl is also useful for packing food in whilst walking.
Pots for Peanut Butter and Jam
I have seen in other backpacking blogs that in the US peanut butter, in single portion packets, is easily available in supermarkets – I have found it online in the UK but not for a price that makes it a viable purchase here.
I have been on the lookout for some small containers to portion jam, honey and peanut butter in to, and last week I found these in Boyes, in Lincoln at 89p a pack of four. I filled one with smooth peanut butter and this was enough for three to four crackers.
10Ah Power Bank Charger
This this battery pack should give me about 4 to 5 charges for my iPhone, allowing me to use it for extended periods away from mains electricity.
It is about the size of a small external hard drive – I am storing it in a light padded case that used to hold such a drive – and weighs about 250g, so it is convenient for carrying on lightweight backpacking trips. For extra protection I plan to use a Aquapac 100% waterproof case.
The Power Bank is easy to use – I charged it, overnight, using a charger I had in the office that came with an HTC phone I no longer use. The Power Bank does not come with a charger. The Power Bank has overcharge and shortcircuit protection. If you press the power button four LEDs light up indicating how much charge remains in the unit.
To use plug your your device in using one of the supplied plugs and USB cable or just plug in your own device USB cable – I used an extendable iPhone/iPod cable.
See some notes here from the first time I used the unit.
2l Platypus Roll-up Water Bottle and Drinking Tube
I have bought this to give me extra water carrying capacity for wild camping trips. The drinking tube will convert either of my Platypus bottles into a bladder for my backpack.
MSR Hubba Tent
A very lightweight replacement for my trusty Coleman Bedrock 2 (which I have given to Jeremy – he sold his to Richard!) – but just the tent cost ten times what I paid for the Bedrock and then I spent more to add a footprint to protect the very thin ground sheet and a gear loft as the storage space is very limited.
But it is very light and compact.
See my first impressions here.
Some things I have Stopped Carrying
Spare Torch
I still carry a spare torch/light but I have replaced the AAA Maglite with a mini LED key ring light attached to my SAK and Leatherman.
2l Drysack
By starting from a scratch, the other weekend, when I was packing my GoLite Jam I reorganised how I carry my gear. By putting the spare clothes, and other overnight items into the sleeping bag compression sack and then packing everything I needed to keep dry into the 5l Drysack, I now no longer need to take the 2l Drysack – saving some weight.
Water Bottles
I had been using my Camelbak and a 750ml sports bottle, for drinking whilst walking, and carrying an empty 1l roll up water bottle for the convenience of having extra water when at the campsite. By hanging my Camelbak on the frame of my tent between the inner and the fly I can now easily use this for water on the campsite – I had simply been leaving it empty in my tent overnight. I also got a sports top for my roll up bottle and I am using this as a replacement for my sports bottle which I no longer carry. The roll up bottle is lighter than the sports bottle it replaces.