Colin Ibbottson - one of the UK's most high profile ultralight hikers - chose to tackle the 2008 TGO Challenge with his lightest kit selection yet. Here - in the second of two contributions - Colin talks about how his kit performed through a two week walk across the Scotland Highlands.

So, on to sleeping gear?

The sleeping pad was a Gossamer Gear, Nightlight pad which weighed 91 grams.

This is the simple non egg-box version cut down to my torso size which looks and performs just like a standard Karrimat. It's lighter than a Karrimat and the egg-box version of the Nightlight I took last year but also not quite as comfortable, as a side sleeper I found it adequate. After many months of use it shows little sign of wear and hasn't compressed like the egg-box version does. It will mark quite easily, but when left for a while it does self heal. Stored in the pack this pad had two jobs, first is to protect the pack material from anything in the pack and secondly as a simple padded back.

Star Rating 7

I also took with me a bubble wrap pad, weighing 56 grams.

I brought this along not for comfort but as I knew that the Silnylon base of the bivi was a magnet for condensation. This was supposed to isolate the down bag from this base. Unfortunately because of the cold weather I didn't test it before the Challenge having only used a longer Nightlight pad before, this was a mistake and I paid for it! I have no doubt that my minor condensation problems around the foot area was caused by this bubble wrap. I certainly didn't have as much when I used the full length Nightlight. The bubble wrap was however comfortable and quite warm but I would not take the stuff again. I will look into a suitable replacement (underlay for wooden floors MIGHT work and would be even lighter). I suppose I should have practiced what I preach and test, test, test everything before the Challenge.

Star Rating 3

The sleeping bag was from PHD and weighs 487 grams.

I like a light bag that will cope with the average temperature expected at that time of year (0C is about right) if it's colder then I will wear some or all of my spare clothing.

My bag is impossible to review because I'm not even sure what it is! Also I've since made some major modifications to it.

Why don't I know what it is, after all I ordered it?

Well it's a PHD bag that¡¯s for sure and I ordered a Minimus in MX fabric but when it arrived it looked and weighted like a Minium Ultra. Now PHD is not known for their customer service and they yet again lived up to their poor reputation. They completely ignored my emails and even phoning didn't help. Now liking ultralight kit I loved the weight (369g) of whatever it was so I kept it. As the Challenge loomed it was obvious that it wasn't going to be warm enough so it underwent a transformation. I removed the hood which I find next to useless on all summer bags (I prefer an insulated hat or hooded jacket), redistributed the down and also added extra down from an old bag I had laying around.

So now what I'm left with is what I think is the perfect Challenge bag. It's hoodless, has great loft, no side baffles (so I can shake the down around), will keep me warm down to 0C without extra clothing but can cope with temperatures in excess of -5C when combined with my down vest/trousers and yet it still weights under 500g. The bag is a simple design with box wall construction and is made using PHD's lightweight MX fabric which is similar to Pertex Quantum. I estimate that it now has about 300-350g of 800fp (European) down.

I don't want to put people off from using PHD because their products are actually excellent. Construction/design and materials are absolutely first rate. Whoever designs and builds this stuff truly knows what they are doing, it's just dealing with customers where PHD is lacking somewhat. Sort it out PHD!

Star Rating n/a (would be 9)

I'm always interested n the way lightweight hikers mix and match the few clothes that they take with them. How did your system work this year?

First off I carried a Nunatak Shaka down vest 220g

I like down, it still has by far the greatest warmth/weight ratio and this vest is certainly very warm. This is the hooded Pertex Quantum version that in a size medium has an advertised weight of 170g. I was more than a little disappointed when mine arrived weighting 220g or some 30% more and also had a broken hem cord lock. Tom at Nunatak was very apologetic when I questioned him about this and was keen to make sure that I was happy with my vest, in the end I decided to keep it, liking the extra loft and after all it¡¯s still very light for what it is. The cord lock was easily replaced.

The Shaka is the only down vest I know of with full box wall construction and I think that makes a significant difference to its warmth. Loft varies from over 2i± near the hem up to nearly 4¡± around the chest/hood area. Features are none existent other than a short front zip and a hood. The hood really does make a huge difference to the warmth and it also has a very effective draw cord system which seals any gap round the face. Fit is generally good but is sized for Americans so I think I would have been better with the small width and medium length. Being a custom made piece of kit this and any other modifications you could want would be possible. The only real improvement I think that could be made would be to add some elastic around the arm openings to close the gaps, I could certainly feel a draft sometimes.

Nunatak talk a lot about the quality of the down they use and I'm not convinced it's as good as they say. This vest leaks constantly indicating to me that there is a high percentage of feathers in Nunatak's down, only the feathers can force there way through the Pertex fabric. It's not that big a deal I just spend a few minutes pulling them back in from the opposite side and of course having an extra 30% of down means I can afford to loose a feather or two! I did see a couple of other Nunatak products on the Challenge and they all leaked down like mine did so I think it's something to watch with Nunatak¡¯s products. Certainly the down used in my PHD bag appears to be of higher quality with that bag rarely loosing any down yet it has a similar outer fabric. That said it does have an amazing loft for a garment so light so the down can't be all that bad.

Star Rating 7 (because of the problems, would have been an 8 otherwise)

You've also tried some of the new Montbell range (well, new to us in the UK anyway). How did that work?

I took some Montbell Down Inner Pants weighing 193 grams

These have a simple stitched through construction to hold the down in place and have a nice slim cut (which suites me). They are made from a very light fabric which feels thin and I'm sure it would be easily damaged if caught but for around camp use they are ideal. The pants are only 50g heavier than the base layer pants I took last year but must be at least ten times warmer. Getting up on a cold frosty morning was made a pleasure when wearing a combination of these trousers and the down vest. They were certainly worth every one of the extra 50g carried and will be a permanent fixture on any trip at that time of year. Being a mass produced product they are very good value for money. I don't think they are yet imported into the UK but with the internet that's not a problem. I cannot think of anything I would change about these trousers, they are really that good.

Star Rating 10

And you have also become an advocate of waterproof shorts!

These are my Mark II shorts and they weight 68 grams

Last year I used a pair of fully waterproof homemade shorts and really liked them but I wanted them even lighter for this year so looked at making a second pair. These MK II shorts aren't really waterproof but when combined with my Montane Terra stretch pants (both of which are treated with Nikwax TX10) they are effectively, it's very much like wearing a Paramo garment but in this case it spits into the liner or outer. They are made from a cut down pair of Montane Featherlite windproof pants to just below knee level. I find the combination of these with my stretch pants to be very flexible and they will cope with any weather experienced on the Challenge. Like Paramo it's important to keep them clean and well proofed if you want to stay fully dry.

Star Rating 8

Kit Part (including a review of the Paramo 3rd Element Jacket)