Gear Overview

There were no real great gear discoveries this year as most of the kit used was tried and tested. But here is a fairly honest account of how things worked.

Shelter

Terra Nova Super Solar 2.2

A great tent, not super lightweight but weighing no more than a Laser Competition when split between two people. The two vestibules make this one of the most practical two person tents around. This tent has now seen a fair amount of service in often very poor weather conditions and has taken everything that has been thrown at it. The Super Solar is now showing some signs of wear and tear but it has a few more outings in the Highlands and high mountains left in it. The vestibules make this a very roomy tent in which to sit out bad weather. I'd thought my Nallo 2 was a great backpacking tent for 2 but I think the Super Solar now has the edge.

Sleeping

The sleeping bag was a Minimus mummy bag from PHD. This is now looking a little worn and I worry that it has lost some of its fill. But it performed superbly in the field keeping me comfortable when the external temperature was at freezing or just below. The Minimus provides great warmth for weight and, when you consider its performance, is great value for money.

For both of my previous Challenges my sleeping mat was a Torso Lite mat from backpackinglight.com. On a training weekend in Snowdonia I realised that the mat had developed a crafty leak, probably in the Pyrenees last summer. I didn't really want to fork out for a new mat and so I took with me my Gossamer Gear Night Light Torso mat, an egg shaped foam mat that I used for shorter sojourns in the hills.

Much of the talk on this year's Challenge was about the new mats from Thermorest, including the NeoAir. I found my mat more than comfortable all the way across and surprisingly warm. I never suffered from cold creeping through the floor of the tent. This foam mat keeps its shape well and the egg shell pattern seems to effectively trap a layer of warm air between sleeping bag and mat.

The Night Light mat weighs next to nothing and costs £16.50. I shan't be hurrying back to inflatable mats in a hurry.

Pack

ULA Conduit

This pack from the USA is now my first choice. It weighs about half a kilo and has an internal capacity for 32 litres. Large pockets on the side and front allow you to stash another 10 litres or so.

You can find lighter packs but these are made of dyneema which is probably the most robust of the lightweight pack materials. My Conduit has taken some knocks and is showing wear in a couple of places, but it remains perfectly useable. This is the lightest pack that I'd trust through French baggage control.

The Conduit has no back system and the sleeping mat is used in the back to provide rigidity and to support weight transfer to the hip belt.

This is a pack to work towards. While it may be small it happily coped with my Challenge load which included the Super Solar 2.2. When hiking solo this pack can comfortably take an Akto (1.5 kg) and four or five days of food, provided the rest of the load is light and no luxuries are carried.

ULA packs are designed and manufactured by Brian Frankle who is himself a keen thru hiker and this shows in the design. The pack handles well and all of the pockets are in exactly the right place.

If the exchange rate with the US is in our favour than ULA are worth checking out. If you live in the USA you've no excuse!

Cooking

Solo I'd have used another system but on this Challenge we used gas canister with a lightweight Peak Ignition stove which I bought from Backpacking Light UK.

We carried two single skinned titanium mugs from MSR and one MSR titanium cooking pot.

We ate using foldable plastic plates and titanium sporks.

Clothing

My waterproof jacket was the superb 3rd Element jacket from Paramo. This is a full waterproof jacket but one in which the hood and the sleeves can be removed to create a gilet. The jacket was often used in gilet mode when walking and indoors it saved bringing with me a separate mid layer. I'd go as far as saying this was the perfect Challenge jacket.

I carried two pairs of trousers. Lightweight Stretch pants, also from Paramo, are great in cooler, wet, weather. While not being waterproof this stretchable fabric can cope with a lot of water and dries out quickly. For warmer weather — and for use indoors — I wore a pair of Paramo's summer weight trousers which besides being light are silky comfortable, and feature effective thigh vents.

For extra rain protection I carried a pair of very lightweight windproof trousers from Montane. Treated with Nikwax these form an effective waterproof system with the stretch pants almost a lightweight version of Cascada trousers. There was a lot of rain on this year's Challenge and the waterproofing only wore off on the penultimate day.

My two base layer tops were both made of natural fibres.

The long sleeved Silk Body baselayer is my preferred cool weather base layer. I reckon these to be more effective than merino wool. These do initially shrink and so it is best to order a larger size than usual. Mine , while fine, is a little short in length these days.

My other top was a short sleeved Polo shirt from Icebreaker, effective on the trail and comfortable around town without looking like a hiking top.

Both of these base layers were effectively anti pong. They were both washed half way through the Challenge and again in Montrose.

My base shorts were of merino wool and came from Icebreaker, 200 weight I think. I've been a late convert to these but they are very comfortable in both cool and hot weather as well as coping well with pong. This pair were a year old and they began to fall to pieces during this Challenge which I found a little disappointing. I think the hot, sweat, of the Pyrenees last summer had weakened the fabric quite a lot. Still, these have had a lot of wear and I immediately went out and bought a replacement pair at the end of the Challenge.

Feet

I took only one pair of shoes, Inov-8 Terrocs. These worked as wonderfully as ever. This new pair was bought for the Challenge and they still have a lot of life left in them after 200 miles of so of Scottish peat bog.

I walked in X Socks, trekking Lite. While being a synthetic sock these are the best match with trail shoes that I have found. The are shaped for left and right feet and don't seem to stretch or get mis-shapen during the walk despite the soakings they regularly receive.

I carried a pair of Smartwool socks for camp and for backup. A pair of Sealkskinz were used in the evening to keep my feet dry while wearing waterlogged Terrocs. I'd never walk in these as I find them uncomfortable and cold, but they worked well for thee purposes.

Walking Poles

These were Pacer Poles which really are excellent poles working in a very different way to other brands. Mine are aluminum which while being a little heavy are very robust. I caught one badly in a crevice and bent the lower section quite badly, but I was able to straighten it out and I'm still walking with them after the Challenge. I may trade up to carbon fibre but met one person who'd had the same crevice problem than me and his pole section simply shattered!

Gloves

A complete disaster. My favourite gloves developed a hole prior to the Challenge and I took with me a pair of Sealskinz gloves that I used on my first crossing. I found then that these gloves were useless if water got inside them but I reckoned this was probably my fault. However, they were useless again. Condensation builds up as you walk and once wet it is impossible to get them dry when out on the trail. When wet these gloves are uncomfortable and cold.

I threw there away in Braemar and replaced them with a simple micro fleece pair from Diamond Lite.

And finally, hats ...

I carried a Paramo mountain hat for high winds which is a great hat. But for all other conditions I relied on my trusty Tilly hat. UV rays have hit this hat hard and it is now well worn, but still tough and effective. This is a great hat for walking in warm weather. The Tilly also makes a great cushion to sit on when the ground is wet. It finished the Challenge grimy and soiled from earth and from sun tan lotion but it soon scrubbed up well in the washing machine.