Sunday 8 October 2006

Gear used on Dorset trip

I thought I give a run down on the equipment I used on the recent trip to Dorset and how well it worked.

Tent

Terra Nova Solar. This is my favourite tent, more than enough room for one. Planty of porch space and headroom, I can sit up without worrying about my head touching the inner.

Best of all in the way that the porch doorway can be opened and give great views outside.

Backpack

Sixmoondesigns Comet. This pack has now replaced my G4, this a similar design and the three big pockets easily contain everything I need during the day, so I don't need to go into the inside of the pack.

Sleeping Bag

F&T Rolling Clouds 300 down bag. This is only the second trip I`ve used this bag on but so far its performed really well. It weighs just over 800 gms and although I never compress my bags it doesn't take up much room in my pack.

Sleeping Mat

This is one area where I made a mistake for the trip. As this was he first trip out since May, I decided to try a keep the weight down and decide to use my Artiach 3/4 length sleeping mat. The length of the mat wasn't a problem but I could feel the hard ground on my hips through it. In future I with be using my Isulmat Max-Thermo . It's heavier but I always get a good nights sleep on it.

Cooking Kit

My cooking kit consists of a Pocket Rocket Stove, 1 lexan spoon & fork, 2 non-stick pots (althought on this trip I only took one and regreted it), tin foil (to make a lid for the pots) and a plastic mug. The gas canister was a 100.

Other Kit

First Aid kit
Wash Kit
Waterproof jacket & trousers
T-A-R pillow
Spare socks & pants
Monatne windshirt
Fleece
Tikka Torch
1L platypus
Camera
Leki Poles

One other piece of equipment I didn't take on this trip was a MP3 player, which again I regreted.

All of this added up to 8.5 kg, without food and water.

Sometimes I think I get paranoid about the items and the weight I carry. Sometimes carrying the lighter equipment means I`m uncomfortable around camp.

If I was walking 20 mile days I probably find carrying the extra weight a problem but I never walk more than 15 miles, so I think the extra comfort in camp is better for me.

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