Pack and Storage

My pack was the GoLite Quest I’d used two years previously on the Pacific Northwest Trail. The 70 litres capacity was a little more than I needed, even with the six days food I had at the start, but I prefer a large pack for ease of packing under cover in stormy weather. As I expected the pack proved comfortable (I twice carried ten days food in it on the PNT). I like the features too – a big front pocket in which I stuffed my shelter so I could pitch it without opening the pack when it was raining; a lid pocket that held accessories like hat, gloves, GPS/phone, snacks, camera batteries and memory cards; stretch side pockets that held water bottle, map and fuel bottles; hipbelt pockets that held binoculars, compass and trail mix; and side straps that held my foam pad in place.

To protect my sleeping bag and spare clothing from rain (the Quest, like most packs, isn’t waterproof) I usedExped Dry Bags, which have taped seams and roll tops, packed inside an old Outdoor Designs pack liner. Given the rain of the first week I’m glad I chose this double layer system as my gear stayed dry. For items like smartphone, map, camera accessories and Kindle I had Aloksak, Aquapac and SealLine transparent waterproof cases. 

Shelter

This was my first trip with the Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar, a shaped tarp that has become popular with lightweight backpackers in recent years. After the Challenge I can see why as it’s very roomy, easy to pitch, very light and, most important of all, extremely stable. Because there’s no fixed shape, the five-sided shelter can be pitched at different heights - low profile for strong winds, high profile for easier access, better ventilation and bigger views. The Trailstar can be pitched with trekking poles with one in the centre and one to create a door. I used a 90-100cm centre pole for the low profile pitch and 120-125cm for the high profile one. Both worked well. With pegs and stuffsack the Trailstar weighed 770 grams.

The Trailstar performed astonishingly well. It’s one of the most stable shelters I’ve used, regardless of weight. On the wildest, wettest nights I felt completely secure and had ample room to live under cover. Indeed, there were always large patches of empty ground in the shelter even when I spread out wet gear. In calm conditions condensation did form but it was never a big problem. I carried a Terra Nova Moonlite Sleeping Bag Cover in case of serious drips or leakage but although I used this once because there was so much damp gear inside the Trailstar I didn’t really need it.

The Trailstar doesn’t come with an inner tent or even a groundsheet. However these are available from British cottage manufacturer OookWorks and I used a silnylon OookTub floor. This trapezium-shaped groundsheet can be pitched either side of the door or at the back. It can be attached to the Trailstar pegging points but I found that using pegs made it easier to vary the position (as I always carry a few extra pegs anyway this didn’t add to my load). There are tiny supports at each corner and when the short pegging/attachment points are tightened these stand up to form walls along the sides. The OookTube protected my gear from wet ground and was far better than a flat groundsheet. It weighs 190 grams.

Sleeping Bag & Insulating Mat

My old Rab Quantum 200 bag, which has been on several Challenges, being in need of cleaning and perhaps not being quite warm enough for the forecast cold temperatures I took a bag I’ve had for seven years but haven’t used much (i.e. it doesn’t need cleaning), the down-filled Valandre Mirage, which is ultralight at 630 grams but which kept me warm at -2°C without need of clothing. On the last night when the lowest temperature was +11°C I was slightly too hot even with the short zip and hood undone. Overall though the Mirage was ideal for this trip.

Having used it a few times and grown to like the comfort, low weight and packed size I started out with theCascade Designs NeoAir XLite mattress. However after a few nights I heard a loud crack, soon followed by another, and the head end of the mat swelled up. Two of the welds holding the internal walls in position had snapped. Initially this just meant I had a built-in pillow. The next night more walls gave way though and soon I had this huge bulge at the end of the mat. I ended up sleeping half across the mat to avoid this which was quite uncomfortable. Luckily friends passing through Newtonmore offered to drop off my old Therm-A-Rest Ultralite ¾ mat at the hostel for me. This mat was bit heavier and bulkier but it stayed intact. I contacted Cascade Designs after the walk. Their response was that this was an early production mat and that the problem was one of that batch rather than a design fault. The company also pointed out that problems can be caught early because they manufacture the products themselves (in the USA and Ireland). A failure like this would be replaced under warranty of course – but in the middle of a trip this isn’t of immediate use. Cascade Designs are sending me another XLite. I’ll report back on how this one does.

I also carried a short, thin foam pad, the OMM Duomat, to use as a sitmat – I wouldn’t put any inflatable mat directly on the ground. This also gave me a seat or kneeling pad inside the Trailstar when pitching the OookTub and was useful when the XLite began to fail and I could only use part of it.

Stove, Kitchen & Water 

Hoping to use wood at times I took the same Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno stove unit I’d used on the Pacific Northwest Trail. It worked fine but the wet weather of the first week precluded finding any dry fuel so I stuck to methylated spirits. The second week I camped away from trees and had plenty of meths left and so never bothered with wood then either. I used the stove in the doorway of the Trailstar and it worked well regardless of the weather, the cone being an excellent windshield.

The Ti-Tri Inferno cone is designed to fit my now 21 years old Evernew 0.9 litre Titanium Pan, which was as good as ever. For a mug I used a not quite so old MSR 0.6 litre titanium pot, which nests inside the Evernew pan.

Footwear 

My favourite footwear for several years how has been Inov8 Terroc shoes so I again wore a pair of these for most of the walk. Light, comfortable and with good grip I find them ideal in all but the hottest weather. They’re not water or windproof though and on the first day over a snow-covered Beinn Liath Mhor my feet got very cold as the shoes were soaked when I reached the snow and the bitter wind whipped through both the mesh and my wool socks. However, knowing that there was snow on the tops and more forecast I had brought an old pair of SealSkinz waterproof socks and I wore these for the next few days. They were no longer waterproof but that didn’t matter. They kept the wind out so my feet stayed warm and comfortable if damp. Without them I wouldn’t have ventured onto snowy tops again.

I also carried a pair of Hi-Tec Owaka sandals, which seemed really unnecessary during the first week. I knew I might need them though. Twice on long walks I have ended up buying sandals because my feet swelled up in the heat and my shoes became too tight and uncomfortable to wear. This happened again once the hot weather began. Then the sandals were invaluable and I walked the last four days in them.

When I didn’t need the SealSkinz I wore Teko Light Hiking Socks in the Terrocs, which were warm, comfortable and fast drying. I also had a Pair of Teko Midweight Hiking Socks, which I kept for campwear so I always had dry socks to put on my wet feet once I stopped walking.

Clothing

Clothing is where I made most of the changes to my original kit list. On previous Challenges I had relied on a thin windproof and ultralight waterproof to protect me from the weather. Given the forecast I decided that a more substantial and breathable waterproof jacket would be a good idea, as it would mean the wind would flatten it less against me and there would be less condensation to dampen my inner layers. I was also interested in trying Polartec Neoshell in extreme conditions. This would be a real test for this new material. I was offered a Westcomb Switch LT Hoody to test but this didn’t arrive in time so I set off with a marginally heavier Westcomb Apoc and this was the jacket that had to deal with the snow, wind and rain of the first week. I was very pleased to discover that it did so superbly. The Neoshell fabric provided excellent protection and stayed very breathable even on the day of constant torrential rain and stormforce winds. The only dampness was round my neck and the top of my chest, which came from rain blowing in the sides of the hood, and under my hipbelt where condensation couldn’t escape. I swapped to the Switch LT Hoody at Newtonmore but didn’t need to wear this jacket much. The Switch has a better hood though that comes round the sides of the face and would probably have kept out the rain that entered the Apoc. Both jackets are very good and reasonable lightweight.

I also had a Montane Litespeed windproof jacket, which seemed superfluous during the first week, when I wore the Westcomb jacket every day. During the second week it was useful however and I wore it whenever it was breezy. Given the breathability of Neoshell I think I could have managed okay without it though.

Next to my skin I wore a Rab MeCo zip neck base layer, made from 65% merino wool and 35% Cocona – a recycled fibre containing activated carbon from coconut shells. This was my only base layer so I wore it all day every day, both when walking and in camp. It’s over a year old and has had plenty of wear, which hasn’t affected the performance at all. It kept me comfortable throughout the trip.

It has to be pretty cold before I wear more than a shell jacket, windproof jacket and base layer when walking. However the first day this combination was barely enough to keep me warm so for the next four days I swapped the Litespeed jacket for a Rab Micro Pull-On Polartec 100 fleece and wasn’t too hot. After that the fleece went back to being camp wear. I didn’t expect such a light fleece to be enough to keep me warm on its own in camp even in usual Challenge temperatures and I had always planned to carry a light insulated jacket as well. Due to the forecast I decided the ultralight top I was going to take might not be adequate so I changed it for a thicker Berghaus Mount Asgard Hybrid Jacket, filled with a mix of down and Primaloft. The fact that the down is water resistant also attracted me to this garment as I suspected keeping it dry might be difficult. As it was, it never became more than slightly damp, which didn’t affect the down at all, but I did find it psychologically reassuring as I didn’t worry about having to keep it dry. The combination of the fleece and insulated jacket kept me warm in the sub zero temperatures and proved a versatile combination.

On my legs I wore an old pair of Montane Terra pants that were as comfortable as ever. They’re not waterproof of course and in the coldest winds the thin fabric wasn’t warm enough either so much of the first week I wore a pair of ultralight GoLite Reed overtrousers over them, which cut the wind and most of the rain. They did leak in places though and examination afterwards showed a few holes in the knees and seat and some places where the coating was wearing off. They’re many years old though so I have no complaints. A late addition was a pair of Woolpower Long Johns, which were a luxury to change into in camp on the coldest days.

On some Challenges I’ve never needed gloves and have only worn a warm hat in chilly camps. This year I wore a hat and gloves every day the first week. On day one I discovered that the Terra Nova Sticky Thickygloves, which were all I had intended bringing, were not adequate in the cold wind and I was very glad I’d added some Terra Nova Guide Tuff Bags, which are simple unlined overmitts. The gloves and mitts together kept my hands warm even in the spindrift and snow and subzero temperatures I encountered high in the mountains. My head was kept warm in the coldest weather by a Smartwool Cuffed Beanie, a simple merino wool hat that has been a favourite for many years, worn under my jacket hood. When it wasn’t quite so cold I wore an Original Buff instead, either as a hat or a wide headband.  

Trekking Poles

My carbon fibre Pacerpoles, the same ones I used on the Pacific Northwest Trail, proved invaluable in the strong winds of the first week. Without them I would probably have been blown over several times. They also gave me security on slippery snow and wet moss. Stability wasn’t a problem on the firm snow on the summits, the difficulties came on the wet thawing snow at the edge of the snowline and the sodden moss just below it. I skidded several times on this stuff.

The Pacerpoles also held up the Trailstar, which they did very well. On the night with the strongest winds I did wake to discover the centre pole was five or six centimetres shorter, the wind having pushed two of the sections together. I guess I should have tightened them more.

Kindle

I’ve always carried paperback books on backpacking trips. Long evenings in the tent sheltering from the rain or the midges can be boring without something to read. Paperbacks are heavy though, especially when two or three are needed for a long stretch between supply points. They’re also not waterproof. This may seem insignificant but I also sometimes read during long dull road walks. A few years ago I started reading e-books on my smartphone but this was only a limited success due to the small screen, short battery life and difficulty seeing the screen in sunshine. Doing this did encourage me to get a real e-reader though, a standard Kindle (it’s the lightest one). This was great success and I am now very enthusiastic about it. With no extra weight I had a large choice of books and the battery lasts for weeks. I also found I could read it in the rain by using it in an Aquapac Whanganui Case. Using this I read all the way over the Corrieyairick Pass, which I crossed in low cloud and drizzle. When weight is no concern I still prefer actual books but for backpacking an e-reader is ideal.

Photography

This was my first long trip with my new Sony NEX 7camera, which has replaced a much bigger and heavier DSLR. The camera is small, light and easy to use. The images are better quality than those from the DSLR and I’ve saved weight and bulk so I’m delighted with it. For backpackers wanting high quality images that can be printed at large sizes or cropped heavily this is undoubtedly one of the best cameras currently available.

Navigation 

On the last few Challenges I’ve done I printed out A4 map sheets. This year, suspecting I might need to change my route a few times if the weather forecast was correct, I carried the actual 1:50,000 OS maps. This turned out to be sensible. If I hadn’t I’d have had to buy a complete new set in Newtonmore. Mind you, given that some of my maps date back to 1979 perhaps I should do so anyway! I did haveViewranger with a full set of up to date OS maps on my Smartphone, which I used several times to pinpoint my position (including twice to find out exactly where I’d camped). Planning routes on a smartphone is difficult though due to the small screen, hence the need for paper maps.