ULA Catalyst Pack
Hilleberg Akto

The Catalyst weighs just over one kilo but has a full suspension system and carries weight superbly. After picking-up food drops I was walking with five days food and wanted the extra comfort that a good carrying system gives you. I prefer this to (say) those Go-Lite packs, such as the Gust, where you are carrrying all of the weight on your shoulders; these would be fine for a short hike, but I'm not sure about a two week hike.

I bought the Akto last October. I seriously considered a Laserlite but couldn't find a store that would let me set it up and so stuck with Hilleberg as I've used their tents for years. On the Challenge I met Malcolm Griffiths whose dealer had led him take a Competition home for the weekend. As a six footer Malcolm found that space was very tight and he changed this for an Akto. I took a good look at the Competitions I saw in Scotland and they seem shorter and have less vestibule space. Most happy owners were shorter than either Malcolm or me. But there is no doubt that the Competition is up to the task. I prefer to carrry the extra 500 grams for the space. The Akto is very easy to set up, remarkably stable, bomb proof and very roomy - something you do appreciate when driving rain forces have to retreat into the tent at 6.00 in the evening! No surprise, really, that the Akto seems to be the most popular one-person tent on the Challenge.

I wonder whether I could have coped with a lighter pack, say the ULA Circuit which is about the same weight as the Vapour Trail (see hike-like). Perhaps, this might be an option in the future, but this load was light and very comfortable to carry. I could walk for hours each day without feeling that the pack was making me tired.