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Snowdonia Backpacking
Equipment
Most books or websites about backpacking that I've looked at include equipment lists. I always like to read them, too. So, if anyone wants to see mine, click on this link for My Gear List.
Backpacking equipment and other ramblings:
Right from the start in 1981, I read everything I could find in books and in specialist magazines on the subject of backpacking, one aim of which, coupled with the experience I was starting to gain, was to refine and upgrade the clothing I wore and the equipment I carried. As examples, my stiff and weighty ex-police wool trousers were replaced by lightweight, windproof and quick-drying walking trousers, while my smelly and temperamental Optimus stove was replaced by a clean and easy-to-use gas one.
Virtually every single thing I carry has been chosen with light weight in mind. Before you select some gear you fancy in a shop, stop and ask yourself if there is a lighter alternative. For example, plastic flasks, plates and cutlery are lighter than the metal ones which are available, but even some of the former are lighter than others. Use one of the little bars of soap you find in hotels; look in Body Shop for tiny tubes of toothpaste. The smallest penknife will cut open your foil food packs just as well as a big one. Waitrose instant soups are slightly lighter than Batchelors Cup-a-Soups. I weigh on kitchen scales the exact amount of muesli I will need, and I count out the number of spoonfulls of dried milk to take with me. I have even removed the sewn-on labels from my rucksack, and shortened the surplus ends of its straps. Don't laugh when you hear tales about backpackers who drill holes in the handles of their spoons; these guys know where it's at, honestly! Every individual bit of weight saved adds up to a noticeable amount.
Why do some suppliers list tent features (or other items, such as stoves) without including any weights? This should be one of the most important points! Some of those that do list the weights do not stock any that I would regard as light, while others claim theirs are light when they are anything but. It suggests to me that they have not seriously considered this side of things or, worse still, that their main interest is taking your money. After all, they will not be the ones carrying it. Do remember that you will be.
Many years ago I used to go fishing, and it was said that a lot of the gadgets on sale in tackle shops were designed to catch anglers, not fish. I don't think things are quite like that in walking stores and catalogues, but caution has to be applied. Do you really need lightsticks, multi-tools, special bags and wallets? Then there are sets of cookware, different sized pans that nest together, sold complete with detachable handles and a storage bag. Great, if you're going to be cooking gourmet meals and you have porters to carry everything. All I need is just one little pot to boil water in! While you are looking, feel how much lighter the alluminium ones are compared to stainless steel, while titanium is lighter still (but unfortunately rather pricey as well).
Chores:
There is no doubt in my mind how much longer things take to do when you are camping wild. Getting dressed or undressed inside a dog kennel-sized tent is a laborious procedure. Then, at home you stand in your kitchen with worktops, utensils, sink, taps and electric kettle all within easy reach, and in the bathroom too everything is at hand. You do not have to unpack each item ready for use and balance it on uneven ground, before levering your tired body off the floor to clamber down to a stream and fill something with water, afterwards picking bits of grass and little insects out of it. You do not have to drop purifying pills into water and wait for them to take effect, or slowly squeeze water through a filter. Between getting out of my sleeping bag and setting off with my rucksack each morning, everything accumulates into two hours
I recently read of someone whose "backpacking nightmare" is washing up pans and plates. What washing up? That is one reason I use freeze-dried dinner packs, they can be eaten directly from their foil bags. My sum total for a day is a plastic mug, spoon and microwave bowl , that's all, and they need little more than a rinse in warm water after use. Here is my menu, which leaves me wanting for nothing else, except maybe a pint or two of beer!
Meals per day:
Breakfast: 1/2 pint energy drink (from powder), 3oz muesli with mixed in sugar, 1/2 pint "milk" (from
powder), 1/2 pint black coffee with sweetener.
Lunch: Cup-a-Soup, energy bar, 2/3 Yorkie bar.
Dinner: 1/2 pint energy drink, freeze-dried dinner pack, energy bar.
Bedtime: remainder of Yorkie bar.
With meals and through the day, I drink at least three and a half pints of water.
Clothing:
Over the years I have gradually upgraded my walking clothing from natural fibres such as wool, to the extent that practically everything now is of the best quality synthetic materials. I am a fan of the oft-quoted layer system, although with the exercise of walking just my microfleece shirt is sufficient on my top half, and maybe my fleece hat; my rucksack keeps my back warm and shields it from breezes. It is only when I stop for breaks or camping that I need to add my fleece pull-on and/or insulated jacket. My thermal underwear is rarely used other than as sleepwear on colder nights, and my mittens are the least used item of all.
I don't often encounter other walkers in the hills, but when I do, the majority of them seem to be wearing big, stiff and heavy-looking GoreTex jackets, however mild and gentle the the weather conditions might be. I can only assume that, having paid large sums of money for them, they feel obliged to use them.
Sleep:
When backpacking in September, 10 to 11 hours out of every 24 are spent in my sleeping bag. Work it out: dark at 8pm, read with a lantern till 9, then it's not light till 7am, and too chilly till 8. In my youth I could "die" for 9 or 10 hours at a time, but over the years I have become a lighter sleeper. In a tiny nylon tent that is usually on uneven or slightly sloping ground, I tend to drift in and out of sleep all night. Any running water, from a nearby trickle to a distant fall, is plainly audible, you hear the wind in the grass, rain splatters or drums on the flysheet, and aeroplanes drone high overhead. Then there are the noises you cannot define (made by sheep, probably), that leave you laying there with the hairs raised on the back of your neck.
It took me some years to realise that much of my sleeplesness was due to the caffeine in the mug of coffee I used to drink after my dinner. Cutting it out made a big improvement.
Equipment list:
Click here if you want to see My Gear List.
Web hosting by FreeVirtualServers
Most books or websites about backpacking that I've looked at include equipment lists. I always like to read them, too. So, if anyone wants to see mine, click on this link for My Gear List.
Backpacking equipment and other ramblings:
Right from the start in 1981, I read everything I could find in books and in specialist magazines on the subject of backpacking, one aim of which, coupled with the experience I was starting to gain, was to refine and upgrade the clothing I wore and the equipment I carried. As examples, my stiff and weighty ex-police wool trousers were replaced by lightweight, windproof and quick-drying walking trousers, while my smelly and temperamental Optimus stove was replaced by a clean and easy-to-use gas one.
Virtually every single thing I carry has been chosen with light weight in mind. Before you select some gear you fancy in a shop, stop and ask yourself if there is a lighter alternative. For example, plastic flasks, plates and cutlery are lighter than the metal ones which are available, but even some of the former are lighter than others. Use one of the little bars of soap you find in hotels; look in Body Shop for tiny tubes of toothpaste. The smallest penknife will cut open your foil food packs just as well as a big one. Waitrose instant soups are slightly lighter than Batchelors Cup-a-Soups. I weigh on kitchen scales the exact amount of muesli I will need, and I count out the number of spoonfulls of dried milk to take with me. I have even removed the sewn-on labels from my rucksack, and shortened the surplus ends of its straps. Don't laugh when you hear tales about backpackers who drill holes in the handles of their spoons; these guys know where it's at, honestly! Every individual bit of weight saved adds up to a noticeable amount.
Why do some suppliers list tent features (or other items, such as stoves) without including any weights? This should be one of the most important points! Some of those that do list the weights do not stock any that I would regard as light, while others claim theirs are light when they are anything but. It suggests to me that they have not seriously considered this side of things or, worse still, that their main interest is taking your money. After all, they will not be the ones carrying it. Do remember that you will be.
Many years ago I used to go fishing, and it was said that a lot of the gadgets on sale in tackle shops were designed to catch anglers, not fish. I don't think things are quite like that in walking stores and catalogues, but caution has to be applied. Do you really need lightsticks, multi-tools, special bags and wallets? Then there are sets of cookware, different sized pans that nest together, sold complete with detachable handles and a storage bag. Great, if you're going to be cooking gourmet meals and you have porters to carry everything. All I need is just one little pot to boil water in! While you are looking, feel how much lighter the alluminium ones are compared to stainless steel, while titanium is lighter still (but unfortunately rather pricey as well).
Chores:
There is no doubt in my mind how much longer things take to do when you are camping wild. Getting dressed or undressed inside a dog kennel-sized tent is a laborious procedure. Then, at home you stand in your kitchen with worktops, utensils, sink, taps and electric kettle all within easy reach, and in the bathroom too everything is at hand. You do not have to unpack each item ready for use and balance it on uneven ground, before levering your tired body off the floor to clamber down to a stream and fill something with water, afterwards picking bits of grass and little insects out of it. You do not have to drop purifying pills into water and wait for them to take effect, or slowly squeeze water through a filter. Between getting out of my sleeping bag and setting off with my rucksack each morning, everything accumulates into two hours
I recently read of someone whose "backpacking nightmare" is washing up pans and plates. What washing up? That is one reason I use freeze-dried dinner packs, they can be eaten directly from their foil bags. My sum total for a day is a plastic mug, spoon and microwave bowl , that's all, and they need little more than a rinse in warm water after use. Here is my menu, which leaves me wanting for nothing else, except maybe a pint or two of beer!
Meals per day:
Breakfast: 1/2 pint energy drink (from powder), 3oz muesli with mixed in sugar, 1/2 pint "milk" (from
powder), 1/2 pint black coffee with sweetener.
Lunch: Cup-a-Soup, energy bar, 2/3 Yorkie bar.
Dinner: 1/2 pint energy drink, freeze-dried dinner pack, energy bar.
Bedtime: remainder of Yorkie bar.
With meals and through the day, I drink at least three and a half pints of water.
Clothing:
Over the years I have gradually upgraded my walking clothing from natural fibres such as wool, to the extent that practically everything now is of the best quality synthetic materials. I am a fan of the oft-quoted layer system, although with the exercise of walking just my microfleece shirt is sufficient on my top half, and maybe my fleece hat; my rucksack keeps my back warm and shields it from breezes. It is only when I stop for breaks or camping that I need to add my fleece pull-on and/or insulated jacket. My thermal underwear is rarely used other than as sleepwear on colder nights, and my mittens are the least used item of all.
I don't often encounter other walkers in the hills, but when I do, the majority of them seem to be wearing big, stiff and heavy-looking GoreTex jackets, however mild and gentle the the weather conditions might be. I can only assume that, having paid large sums of money for them, they feel obliged to use them.
Sleep:
When backpacking in September, 10 to 11 hours out of every 24 are spent in my sleeping bag. Work it out: dark at 8pm, read with a lantern till 9, then it's not light till 7am, and too chilly till 8. In my youth I could "die" for 9 or 10 hours at a time, but over the years I have become a lighter sleeper. In a tiny nylon tent that is usually on uneven or slightly sloping ground, I tend to drift in and out of sleep all night. Any running water, from a nearby trickle to a distant fall, is plainly audible, you hear the wind in the grass, rain splatters or drums on the flysheet, and aeroplanes drone high overhead. Then there are the noises you cannot define (made by sheep, probably), that leave you laying there with the hairs raised on the back of your neck.
It took me some years to realise that much of my sleeplesness was due to the caffeine in the mug of coffee I used to drink after my dinner. Cutting it out made a big improvement.
Equipment list:
Click here if you want to see My Gear List.
Web hosting by FreeVirtualServers