One of the nice things about the TGO Challenge is that it is (nicely) old fashioned. After the event we even get a final report. The report came through the post yesterday and was interesting reading. But I was very surprised to read:
This was not a Challenge for the ultra-lightweight brigade: May in Scotland is now very unpredictable and you do need really good gear to help you through as well as a strong attitude.
I’ve temped to reply, “rubbish”. I spent time with most of the lightweight Challengers this year. All of those I met had a great time, finished and were having a great time in Montrose when I last saw them. Maybe there was someone who had a bad experience but in general the lighter-weight approach seemed to prove itself again.
The TGO Challenge does offer an interesting insight into the kind of gear that mainstream backpackers are using in the UK. After each Challenge so far I’ve written a piece on this and this quote prompted me to do the same.
Role Models
There’s no doubt that Colin Ibbotson has caught the attention of many and the imagination of more than a few. Colin is now well known by Challengers who gather round his tarp and campsites in wonderment! There’s also some fun around this. Gordon Green and his rather irreverential mates had a great gag going through the latter stages of the challenge, producing a tiny stuff sack and claiming they’d got Colin beat! Colin takes this all in good spirits!
Few of us are going to read Colin’s stuff and head out to the Scottish Highlands in a tarp, although a few first timers did just that this year. But there’s no doubt that folks like Colin make us think and reassess our gear.
I saw some terrible blisters on this year’s Challenge, and heard about many more. I’ve no doubt that many of problems would have been avoided or far less painful if people had made sensible decisions about kit. However, it is not my job to preach. The Challenge is a personal event and part of that Challenge is choosing your gear. However, these are some of my observations from this year.
Tents and Shelters
I missed that Challenge last year. During that time there has been a definite move towards lighter shelters.
On my first Challenge the Hilleberg Akto was king. On my second I began to see a few more Laser Competition tents, which are half a kilogram lighter. This year I reckon the Laser was pushing ahead. It now seems to be the tent of choice for new, solo, Challengers. And when the time comes to replace the Akto it’s clear that the Competition is the main choice. The Akto may be more reliable up high in strong winds but on the other hand Competition is cheaper than the Akto.
John Manning started out with a Laser Photon which is even lighter than the Competition. He switched for last week to his Henry Shires tarp tent, a single skin tent. Alan Slowman was using his Stephenson Warmlite tent which is also single skin but a monster size for one and still lighter than the Akto. Also using a Henry Shire tent was Chris Townsend who was using the Scarp, a similar tent to the Akto but one which is more roomy and lighter. Phil Turner was using a Golite Hex tarp tent.
US backpacker couples Rob and Lisa Hausam and Nigel Ellis and Lyn Paquette both opted for the same arrangement, a Lunar Duo tent from Six Moon Designs. At just over 1 kilogram the Lunar Duo is half of the weight of a Hilleberg Nallo of a Terra Nova Super Solar 2.2. The Lunar Duo is a very roomy tent and apparently coped very well with wind. As Stirling begins to climb against the Dollar I wonder if we’ll see more of these in future years.
The Six Noons Lunar Duo
And there a few other tarps.
Alistair Hunt was using a large two person tarp. He’d had little time to practice configuring the tent but found that he had so much room to play with that it was easy to keep dry without any difficulty.
Jon Hancock was using a Golite Tarp. I liked Jon’s attitude. He was using lightweight gear but gear that didn’t cost a fortune. Much of his gear had been collected over the years but selected for lightness, comfort and effectiveness.
Tarps in Bramaer belonging to Colin Ibbotson (left) and Jon Hancock (right)
And, of course, we had Weird Darren who used his tarp occasionally!
To be honest, I can only see this trend continuing. I think we will see more tarp tents and yet more Competitions on future Challenges.
Packs
There has also been a move in this department as well. The Golite Pinnacle is now quite a popular pack on the Challenge. Although this is a ‘backless’ tent it is cavernous, indeed, I sometimes think it is too big. With that much space you’re going to be tempted to fill it up. I reckon the Golite Jam is capable of a Challenge crossing and I noticed more that one or two of these as well.
Kate and I both use ULA packs and as usual there were a sprinkling of these around the trails. But I noticed this year that those I saw were the Circuit and the Ohm, lighter than the Catalyst than I used on my first Challenge.
To this we’ve also got to add a few Gossamer Gear Mariposa packs and a few OMM packs.
I think there’s change in the mainstream department as well with Osprey’s lighter packs being particularly popular, especially the Exos range which are reputed to be more comfortable than the Atmos range. These packs still seem to me to be heavier than they need to be but I guess that they are more than half the weight of what you would have used ten years ago.
You can only use a smaller pack if you’ve begun to get your gear list down. Most problems I reckon are caused by just carrying too many things. The use of down gear and a determination not to take three pairs of everything will help a lot. I noticed — with my cunning powers of observation — that even some of the cynics are carrying suspiciously small packs. They’ve been cutting down their loads 
Stoves
I didn’t really get a chance to go into this is any depth, but from chats I reckon there are more and more lightweight meths stoves being used these days.
Boots and Shoes
Back to those blisters. This was a very wet Challenge. The people I met all got their blisters the same way; water got into their boots and they became impossible to dry out.
However, I think more and more people are using lighter, boots that are more breathable — especially those without Gore Tex linings.
Of course, I use Inov-8 shoes. Quite a number of the first timers were using them this year, indeed, for a few days we walked in groups where everyone was wearing the Inov-8s. We splashed through streams and bogs happy in the knowledge that the shoes would dry out quickly.
Inov-8′s are not everyone’s cup of tea. But other brands of trail shoes were well represented on the Challenge.
It would seem that more and more people are trying out lighter footwear and that once they do the boots stay in that cupboard under the stairs.
I’ve no doubt that there is a clear trend towards lighter gear. I do believe that this makes hiking more pleasant and leads to fewer foot problems and injuries.
I’m sorry that the TGO organisers feel the need to have a pop at lightweight hikers. They did this after the last Challenge I was on. It seems unnecessarily provocative to me. Light hikers crossed Scotland as well as the others, high or low. They all professed themselves to be happy with their kit and most chatted openly about how they could go even lighter.
If you are worried about the comments quoted above and are thinking twice, remember. These comments are nearly always made by people who have never, ever, walked for any length of time with modern, lightweight, gear!
You should have told them rubbish. It is still the trust in heavy kit thinking.
Skill, navigation ability, decision making and good old determination weigh nothing and make or break a Challenge. Deciding to change a route based on the weather. To drop down from a storm into a glen, navigate correctly and saving time and energy are every thing. Light kit was used by the founder of the event on his Munro walk so why is it so wrong now if he went light in the 70s? Hamish used a single skin tent then.
On tents I will say it again the Akto is no better than a Laser Comp. I have used each in bad weather and the Laser will stand up to any thing the Akto can if pitched correctly and at half a kilo less with more porch space makes it the number one choice for me. Trail shoes rock and light packs work.
Good points Andy and don’t stop saying it. I just had a trip to Scotland with all sorts of weather and used light lit and trail shoes. Most of the miles were off path on boulders, tussock, heather and the like. I never twisted my ankle, slept cold or got wet. I did some of the highest mountains in the UK and came to no harm. Tent was 1 kilo, pack 780graames, sleeping bag 700 grams. Says it all. Light works. What fails is lack of skill, experience VS the trip aims and the wanting to keep at it when your tired, hungry, and it seems a long way to go and your pack weight is 40lb and breaking your back.
Have to say I had the same reaction when I read that comment. It seems ot be made from a personal prejudice rather than from someone with the experience of using said equipment.
As Martin says it isn’t new concept and the gear Hamish used then and now would only differ in the materials they would be made from, I bet. The result would be the same. A greater benefit from carrying less.
Many people were carrying 65lt+ and 15kg+, which for me makes for hard work. They managed though, however every single one of those complaining about bad blisters were carrying such pack weights.
So if nothing else I rest our case. Carry less and enjoy it more. More faster and with less tendency to stumble. Choose your footing and be able to look up and enjoy the view. We saw a soaring Golden Eagle, and THAT was worth carrying very little for!
Agree with everything Andy, Martin and Bob have said and I wonder what the organisers based that comment on? Out of the 40 odd Challengers that failed to finish how many of those were travelling ultra-lightweight or even lightweight? Certainly all the lightweighter’s that I encountered made it safely to Montrose and appeared to be coping with the testing conditions better than the average Challenger. That said I did hear one story of what appeared to be a woefully underprepared individual that was using a tarp but had not brought any poles or pegs. I didn’t personally meet this individual so I cannot guarantee the accuracy of that story but if true then I find that worrying for the future of lightweight on the Challenge. Personally I’m even more determined to carry on proving the doubters wrong. I may only have 3 Challenges to my name but I’m in it for the long-term. Certainly among Challengers there is still a long way to go and I got a 50:50 good/bad reception from fellow Challengers over my kit which still really annoyed me at times.
Colin keep at it. I ain’t convinced about tarps but: light packs, sleeping bags and the like I am all for. Walk your walk and ignore them. I checked out what the average weight Hamish Brown used in his book. He said 23lb. He used Bill Tilman’s view in “It is rather a problem deciding what you must take and what you can leave behind, but it is amazingly simplified when you know that you have to carry it all your-self” As PTC said on going light – “it gives us back the hills” It gives us as Bob said time to pick our foot placements and take in a view.
Andy,
As a first timer I agree with your wise words:
Packs. Before the Challenge I purchased a Golite 2009 Quest from Uncle Bob too big for the challenge. (Its for sale for £70) I hasten to add everything else I purchased from Uncle Bob and Aunie Rose is fantastic.
Also Footwear as you know I did the whole Challenge in Terrroc`s no problems so comfortable (and no waterproof socks) brillant.
Now do I have to mention Paramo Stretch Pants !!
I noted those comments in the Final Report with surprise too. Was there a Challenger who had problems with lightweight gear? Maybe.
The lightweight gear I used this year was just as functional as the gear I used on the first Challenge back in 1980. I don’t have a record of the weight of my pack then but it wasn’t that heavy. My tent weighed 4.5lbs (Ultimate Tramp), my sleeping bag 2.4lbs (Pointfive Orion) – both would be lighter today with silnylon and Pertex fabrics. For insulation I had a small piece of 3mm Karrimiat – I carry more than that now! I did carry far more clothing than I do today (a change of base layer, a change of trousers) and a petrol stove, though by the next year this had become a gas stove and the clothing had dwindled.
I still reckon the Akto is an excellent tent for the Challenge, especially if, like me, you want to camp high. There’s no reason why the Akto can’t be part of a lightweight load. The Scarp 1 performed okay but I’d rather have had the down to the ground flysheet of the Akto. My pack weighed 13kg when I set off, including six days food and camera gear. The Akto wouldn’t have added much.
Spot on Cbris and Windy.
I received a lot of comments about the size of my pack. It may have been smallish but I carried a two person tent in it. I was still warm and comfortable.
I’m pondering a new project at the moment which would use open source software to create a small social network for UK lightweight hikers – but are there too many sites already?
Seems like a strange comment from the organisers. I would expect them to be more enlightened. Was it the wet weather that caused problems? A 170g waterproof is just as waterproof as a 670g one.
As long as your new project is able to be used by non-techie types like me, go for it Andy. I still think a spreadsheet is something you lay your dinner on!
Mike fae Dundee
I just hope that spreadsheet is made of Spinnaker Mike!
This new idea would use a series of software modules that WordPress are developing which allows anyone to set up groups, cluster friends and provide status updates rather like Facebook.
It would only work though I reckon if we fiercely kept it to lightweighters.
As for the Challenge don’t worry about it. This is the echo of an age when there was a bit of a military feel to it and where some reckoned they weren’t real e unless they had carried a tank across Scotland!
“This is the echo of an age when there was a bit of a military feel to it”. I must have missed that age Andy! It certainly wasn’t there when the Challenge began. Hamish Brown wouldn’t have stood for it! His pack weight for his round of the Munros in 1976 – starting in early April – was lighter than most Challengers carry to day. A pack with no frame,padding, hipbelt or pockets, a single-skin tent, no insulating mat, no hat, no gloves, no poles ……
Oh, and I think a social network for UK lightweight hikers is a great idea.
Yeah, interesting and unnecessary comment. From my point of view the Challenge was almost a trade show, permitting me to view lightweight kit actually in use in a UK context, rather than on an (often) American website in (often) Californian sun. I generally walk solo, so I don’t get the opportunity to network with others pursuing an ultralight approach, so some form of social network would be most welcome to me. It seems that there’s an informal online community that liaises via various Web 2.0 technologies (Darren Christie is a committed Twitterer for example), but a one-stop-shop can only be a good thing. On another note, I’ve been chatting to Joe Valesko at ZPacks.com recently and he’s supplied me with his kit list for an upcoming CDT thru-hike. It’s WELL worth a look, particularly if you’re interested in MYOG. I’ve put it up at phil-turner.net .
I’ve not read the Final Report yet, but I too would be interested to know what provoked the comment referred to above. Has somebody already asked? If not, I’ll email Roger to enquire.
After the Challenge I heard that it had been suggested that those with bad blisters had been the people wearing trail shoes. It seemed to me that the comment (i.e. the one about the trail shoes) was based on ignorance and prejudice.
Clearly there are some people who still don’t feel it’s safe to go out in the hills without heavy leather boots on. Having seen my little puppy dashing up and down rocky outcrops in the Lakes this weekend, with nothing but her pads and the strength that regular walking has developed in her ankles to keep her safe, to say nothing of my own experience of cross-country running and quite a few fell races in very lightweight Inov8s, it’s obvious to me that that’s rubbish. Ultimately, though, people with closed minds are happy to ignore the evidence in favour of bolstering up the same old prejudices.
….. which is relevant as MYOG is where I see ultralight backpacking in the UK
progressing.
There’s a problem with Twitter. I’ve just stopped following Darren as I don’t like Big Brother. I’ll still read his blog though.
Chris: I take your point but I’ve also me some early Challengers who seem to pride themselves on carrying massive weights. Some of these folks can be quite obnoxious, giving you the benefits of their views without any prompting.
I suppose that all life is on the Challenge! Each to their own butt I wish people would keep comments to something they have tried!
I’ve just stopped following Darren as I don’t like Big Brother. It’s a phase he’s going through
.
I like the idea of a social network for UK lightweight hikers, as long as newbies can ask stupid questions and not get shot down, which seem to happen on a few of these social network/forums.
I’ve been hanging out at the bushcrafters forum lately as there is more info over there on stuff like hammocks, bivvy and tarps.
It would be good to have a place to pull all this type of stuff together.
I think the lightweight movement in the U.K.is big enough and strong enough now to have its own forums.
Andy, I’m happy to say that I’ve managed to avoid those people. Mostly. I was once told by a Challenger on the summit of Mount Keen that I shouldn’t recommend Brasher Boots because they were too light for hill walking. He was horrified to discover I was actually wearing a pair and had done so all the way from the west coast.
I have emailed Roger to ask about the comments in question.
For my part, I’m no fanatic about lightweight gear but I know that a lighter load suits me well without compromising comfort or safety. Were I taking a higher, more difficult and exposed route then naturally I would choose gear suitable for it, but even so I’ll not return to the sort of weights I was lugging around when I was new to hiking. For the route I took and the weather I encountered my gear worked very well, trail shoes, tarp, wood-burning stove and all. Indeed, the only thing I wish I could have changed was my relatively heavyweight sleeping bag; a newer model would have offered much greater warmth for half the weight. Light does not necessarily mean inferior.
It’s all relative isn’t it? On the Challenge I met a guy in Kinlochleven who’d been wandering about the Highlands for five weeks carrying a 60lb pack. He’d started off with an 85 lb pack. And this with a TN Laserlite.
He seemed happy enough with what he’d got, and as he’d done five weeks compared to my four days who was I to tell him he didn’t really need an axe or a saw?
Those who know me will know I told him anyway
He didn’t take any notice
John
By thye way, I shouldn’t take to much notice of Roger’s comments. I have a sneaking suspicion he’s a bit of a leg puller.
>I have emailed Roger to ask about the comments in question.
Ta, Chris. I’ll be v. curious to know what he says, particularly now that I’ve read the Final Details and see that only 8 (from memory) of the 48 people who dropped out reported terminal blisters.
This is a very interesting debate. I suspect much of the antipathy towards lightweight gear simply reflects the conservative nature of many outdoor enthusiasts in the UK. The ‘not invented here’ syndrome is also apparent in the anti-GPS mentality that pervades a great deal of the outdoor ‘establishment’.
One of the joys of life is to embrace new ideas and new ways of doing things. As Henry Ford said:
‘Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.’
Excellent comment Neil, absolutely correct. The outdoor industry is often very conservative and doesn’t like new ideas. At the same time it’s also forgetful. I can remember when synthetic base layers (called thermal underwear back then) came in and people were saying it would never replace wool (which in those days was more itchy and thicker than merino). Then after synthetics had become the norm and merino wool appeared people were saying it wool would never replace synthetics! And on an outdoor course in Snowdonia I remember being told my nylon tent which had already been used for many weeks in the Scottish Highlands was not suitable for the hills as it was too light and that only a cotton Vango Force Ten was adequate.
Always being open to new ideas is indeed exciting and wonderful.
I do not care if the comment was a bit of humour it reflected a attitude held by many towards light kit. I thought about it a bit more after my last comment. Consider Waterproofs used by claimed ultralight Challengers weighed more than a lot of the others who carried the so called acceptable heavy kit I think. Andy Howell used a Paramo jacket which would be around 800g in weight. So did Colin Ibbotson with his 40L pack and tarp. Alan Sloman with his 46L pack and 1 kilo tent. So the light weight kit using Challengers there kept warm and dry. There is no grounds to criticise those who carried light loads in regards to waterproofs.
Andy mentions Trail shoes. I always wonder why they are acceptable to run in over a mountain on a Mountain Marathon carrying a tent, sleeping bag, stove etc – but if you walk and have time to look were you are placing your feet it is wrong?
So too assume that the light weight backpacker wrapped up in his Paramo jacket in the rain having to pitch his 950 gram tent at the end of day to crawl into his 650gram 0c rated down sleeping bag resting on his Neoair mat which weighs 260 grams and cooking his meal on a stove that weighs 16g and still boils the water or heats the food like a 400 gram stove stove at the end of the day is a Challenger using unsubtle kit makes no sense. Just like the comment and attitude it reflects.
Martin, the comment certainly reflected the received wisdom regarding lightweight gear in much, probably most, of the outdoors world – you see it in books and magazines and from shop staff and outdoor instructors.
Your comment on trail shoes gives the reason I started wearing them a long time ago. I asked myself why I wore running shoes for mountain marathons but boots for backpacking and decided the only reason was habit. I’ve worn Inov8 Terrocs (same pair) on the last three Challenges.
Whatever the reasons behind the comment, the fact is, is that it has now been made and broadcast to at least 300 people. Some of whom now feel smug they have Uncle Rogers approval to carry 20+kg and ache for the whole 2 weeks, and others who feel they were irresponsible having the audacity to enjoy themselves and only carry half that weight.
Comments aside, there was no one I met whose gear failed no matter the weight. Yes there were folks (myself included) who were dissapointed at the features of certain pieces of kit. However it all did the job, no matter the weight. People were fascinated by Colin’s handbag (Kates term I understand) but he seemed to fine and well when I saw him in Bramear.
There was no judge and jury among the challengers themselves, only it appears, from those sitting in a warm hotel listening to the weather reports and incoming calls.
I still find the whole thing bizarre. Such an odd thing to say, displaying ignorance and prejudice steeped in an entrenched viewpoint, which is stated every year for the last 5 years (if you have a look), in the concluding paperwork. Sorry Shirl, I don’t think it is humour or a wind up. Personally I think it is just simple inexperience combined with a lack of grasp of the outdoor industry these days. Go into any shop and everything is lighter than it was 5 – 10 years ago. Every brand is striving to produce lighter products. So it is inevitable that people will buy and use those products on forthcoming trips.
Such a strange thing to actually commit to print methinks!
Sensible comments Bob but I don’t think it’s just recently that lightweight loads have been possible and perfectly safe. And again I’d refer people to Hamish Brown, the founder of the Challenge, and the lightweight gear he used on his round of the Munros in 1976 – before most of the materials we take for granted. In the 29 year history of the Challenge it has never been necessary to carry 20+kg.
I have to agree with you all here. Despite having never undertaken TGOC (yet), I get the impression this attitude will continue for years to come. For some its the mental attitude that holds back a lighter approach – that classic belts and braces approach everythng.
We do have to remember though that going lighter isn’t as easy for some as others. Its a change in mindset as well as gear. As Chris points out, lightweight/multi-use gear isn’t new and yet in 30 years attitudes haven’t changed all that much. I think we’re all just better off getting on with it enjoying what we do share in common – the hills.
It was a rather silly comment to commit to print, but surely its inevitable that us ‘lightweights’ will only increase in numbers on the TGOC (and backpacking in general) thus making these attitudes seem even more short-sighted and unfounded?
Andy I love the idea of this lightweight forum. I’m interested in how this will work and how you intend on restricting it to ‘lightweights’…
Bobs said:
“Sorry Shirl, I don’t think it is humour or a wind up.”
Try to keep up, now, Bobs! It was John Hesp who thought that, not me
Seriously, though, I don’t think it’s funny to put that sort of comment in the Final Report. As I said above, I think that sort of comment arises out of ignorance and prejudice.
Just a thought.
Could the organisers be trying to protect themselves legally?
Mike fae Dundee
Mike fae Dundee asked:
“Could the organisers be trying to protect themselves legally?”
I don’t think that can be it, though I see where you’re coming from. The place for that sort of attempted protection would be in a suitably worded warning/disclaimer on the application form, rather than in the Final Details.
I’ve thought for a few years that it would be a good idea to have such a disclaimer on the application form, and to require all applicants to sign to confirm that they’ve read and understood it. (I’ve volunteered in the past to write one, being a lawyer in my other life.)
I´m only wondering if anyone of the tarptent or tarp users spent that wind-swept second Friday night under his silnylon or elsewwhere?
Spent that ferocious night inside my Akto. The temporary inhabitants of Ryvoan Bothy were fairly surprised next day to see me and another Challenger who was also using an Akto still alive.
Markus
The one who shamefully didn´t make it to Fraserburgh
Whilst I appreciate that TGOC organisers have abused the captive audience with this statement, what can be achieved by challenging it? The best result is that Roger formally retracts his statement (doubtful) but this would achieve nothing in terms of moving forward.
The likes of Bob and Rose, lightweight bloggers, and retail outlets like Winwood are where the future is in terms of educating the heavy brigade and giving people a choice. I also strongly believe the presence of you guys on the Challenge has to make a difference to attitudes/resentments…eventually!
Anyway best go as my new Inov 8 Roclites have just arrived….no really – what a coincidence!!
Markus,
Don’t panic. An Akto can take anything!
There were two tarps up at Braemar on Friday night and they seemed to cope OK. Colin’s tarp doesn’t even flinch in the wind!
As a general rule, tarp users will camp lower down the hill if things look really bad. They might even sleep in the bothy but that’s there choice!
It’s worth noting that the term “ultra-lightweight brigade” is used, generally referring to a sub 10lb/4.5Kg baseweight as opposed to ‘lightweight’ which would be sub 20lb/9.1Kg. Of course ‘super ultralightweight’ would be below 5lb/2.3Kg…..
Hey, Markus! We were VERY pleased & impressed to see you & your Akto intact after that wild Friday night at Ryvoan!!!
‘Nearly light-weight David’
(who spent the night in the bothy!)
“Could the organisers be trying to protect themselves legally?â€
Surely that goes both ways; carrying to much heavy equipment can damage your back and your enjoyment
I take Andy’s word for what was in the report but how many of us non-challengers has see the report (it is usually up on the tgo challenge website but not as yet.) It would be nice if Roger did come back and gave a valid answer to whay the comments was made, as it seems as most lightweight challengers made the crossing O.K.
G
The Dude Abides (interesting name!) said:
“Whilst I appreciate that TGOC organisers have abused the captive audience with this statement, what can be achieved by challenging it? The best result is that Roger formally retracts his statement (doubtful) but this would achieve nothing in terms of moving forward.”
I’m not sure that anyone is thinking of challenging it in any sort of formal way, and I confess that my heart sank at the very idea of anybody attempting to get Roger to retract the comment. Least said, soonest mended, ISTM. (Just my opinion, of course.)
I would like to know, though, what provoked the comment.
George pondered:
“I take Andy’s word for what was in the report but how many of us non-challengers has see the report (it is usually up on the tgo challenge website but not as yet.)”
Here’s what it says.
“This was not a Challenge for the ultra-lightweight brigade; May in Scotland is now very unpredictable and you do need really good gear to help you through as well as a strong mental attitude.”
The clear implication is that ultra-lightweight gear is not ‘really good’ gear.
It seems to me that what’s important is that the person using the gear has the expertise to get the best out of it, safely. For instance, I consider myself pretty safe with lightweight camping kit, but I wouldn’t have a clue how to put up a tarp, even on a sunny, windless day. Colin, on the other hand, knows exactly what to do with a tarp, and he’s always going to be safer in his tarp than an inexperienced person who hasn’t done his/her homework would be with a sturdy tent, in foul conditions.
So, the gear we choose carry is only part of the equation. What’s more important is that we know how to use what we decide to take, and–perhaps most importantly–when it’s time to bug out and make for Braemar
Hi Peewiglet, I should clarify.
I wasn’t hinting that this should be challenged (or retracted), quite the opposite in fact as, it’s the successful challenges under your belts that best stand a chance of promoting the success of lighter crossings (in this case but also backpacking in general).
I doubt it. If they are thinking that way they are mad. People do this at will – there’s no legal authority of any mind to be signed.
To offer a legal defence you would have probably had to offer real guidence before the event.
This has happened before, certainly at the end of my last Challenge.
Personally, I don’t really worry about this. But it is sad really.
Can you imagine:
The TGO Challenge: sponsored by RAB (heavy weight gear only) and break-your-back-gear.co.uk
It’s just a little sad really.
Careful now, RAB do an ‘ultra lightweight’ range – here
Hello, The Dude Abides.
I know what you mean, and I agree
Sorry Phil. I was trying to be ironic!
I am struggling to see what the problem is here. OK, the comment was a little below the belt but I’ve also read several slightly snide/superior comments about ‘the heavyweight brigade’ on various blogs and how they need educating. There are just 2 different mindsets here – one is not better than the other, just different. Isn’t the ability to exercise a personal choice why we go into the hills anyway?
The problem here is really, I guess, that these comments are not true !!!
You are right James this is a personal choice. Notice there are no snide comments on this long thread.
All of the criticism comes from people who have never used this stuff and therefore have little idea what they are talking about!
All seems a little odd to me.
James said:
“I am struggling to see what the problem is here. OK, the comment was a little below the belt but I’ve also read several slightly snide/superior comments about ‘the heavyweight brigade’ on various blogs and how they need educating.”
The other problem is that the Final Report isn’t a Blog. That sort of comment in the Final Report is meant to be read as fact, rather than opinion, and to inform people’s choices of kit on future Challenges.
Andi,
The ultra-lightweight philosophy has its benefits and limits. At least for the average backpacker. In my view going ultra-lightweight in the Tartan Boglands (Scottish Highlands) performs best when used by well-trained and skilled hillwalkers. I agree that weight matters but not at the cost of safety. Maybe a salomonic advice for Challenge participants would be going lightweight instead of going ultra-lightweight. Without any compromise for safety. I´m trying to go lightweight. Nevertheless I´m interested in the innovations brought to us by our ultra-lightweight brahmens.
Markus
Live from the Alps … still a slackpacker´s paradise …
Markus I agree with you. The reason these comments have led to so much reaction is that they seem to have been made in ignorance. They may be more than a little provocative.
Personally, if someone wants to carry 20 kilograms on their back that’t fine by me.
But to say ” This was not a Challenge for the UItralight brigade” is completely over the top. This is not the first time this has happened.
They could have said this:
“Scotland in May is now very unpredictable and you do need really good gear to help you through as well as a strong mental attitude. We appreciate that many Challengers are looking to reduce the weight of their kit. It is important that kit is properly trailed and that users are comfortable with using it in poor weather conditions.”
I don’t think anyone would argue with something along those lines.
As I say, I’m getting tired of criticism from those who have never tried gear out! Personally, I like to feel that I have at least a little knowledge of what I’m on about!
Still, the Challenge organisers do a great job and deserve all of the compliments they inevitably receive.
“This was not a Challenge for the ultra-lightweight brigade; May in Scotland is now very unpredictable and you do need really good gear to help you through as well as a strong mental attitude.â€
Markus I was agreeing with what you wrote until I read this “Maybe a salomonic advice for Challenge participants would be going lightweight instead of going ultra-lightweight. Without any compromise for safetyâ€. I personally found that as offensive as the original comment from the organisers! As far as I’m aware I was the only Challenger travelling ultra-lightweight (though I could be wrong) so that comment must be directed towards me. Assuming it was then I guess you have also looked at my kit list? So Markus please explain what safety compromises I made? My gear choices are never at the expensive of safety which is why I choose heavyweight Paramo waterproofs and have spent years perfecting my Challenge shelter.