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.
Now, we are on the final installement.
Colin, talk usthrough your cooking selection.
I used an MSR Titan Kettle which weighs in at 118 grams.
I keep meaning to replace this with something lighter such as a Tibetan 900 which at 96g is very similar, but never quite get round to it. Why? Well, it works perfectly, is very tough and well made, my stove was designed round this pot and any weight saving is minimal. I do use one of the larger Tibetan pots with my Bushbuddy stove and that though very light and functional looked from new slightly battered due to the very thin grade of Titanium used. One day the Titan will go but not just yet! The Titan at 850ml is the perfect size for simple one person camping meals and it’s the only cookware I ever take with the Esbit stove, the shape also makes it a very handy mug. The lid is a perfect fit but overly complicated (cosmetically) and therefore heavier than it need be. I removed the lid handle because it rattled constantly in my pack and replaced it with cord. The Titan has two large and quite comfortable folding handles that are very useful and remain cool. If I was to suggest improvements then it would be to add some volume markings as getting the right amount of water for re-hydrating food is guesswork (I have added marks on the spoon and use that as a depth gauge).
Star Rating 8
Optimus Titanium Spork 18g
Originally I planned on taking a simple lightweight plastic spork but I do prefer Titanium for its strength (you can even use one as a tent peg if needed). My standard Terra Nova spork is very light but quite long and hard to store and I didn’t want anything loose in the pack that could potentially damage the Spinnaker or eVent bivi material. Just before the Challenge I saw this folding Titanium spork in Aviemore and thought that it could be idea. When folded it lives protected in the MSR kettle where it can do no damage. The Optimus is quite heavy for a Titanium spork but it is a good size. The only minor problem is that just occasionally it will self fold when in use if you do not set the locking bar sufficiently. Overall I like it and will take it again.
Star Rating 7
Turboflame Turbostick lighter 69g
I’m a big fan of Esbit stoves and I’m surprised how few people in the UK use them. One of the few problems with Esbit can be lighting of the fuel if it’s particularly cold or more significantly, windy. Wind is a challenge when using a tarp in the UK and I have struggled many times to light my stove when the wind has been howling through my self-made wind tunnel of a tarp. This gas lighter makes lighting Esbit in all conditions very easy. The Turbostick was originally designed for lighting barbecues and has no problems reaching my fuel in the stove. Turboflame describe the lighter as windproof and while it’s certainly not fully windproof it does take a lot to blow it out. Lighting is simple and quick with the built in igniter as long as it’s not that cold. Below zero the gas needs to be warmed up, I leave it for five minutes or so in my sleeping bag should I be in there or stuff it down my sock should I be around camp. It’s made out of Aluminium and is quite heavy for what it is, I’m certainly on the lookout for something similar in design but lighter. I don’t rely on this lighter as my only means of lighting the stove as the igniter could fail so I always carry a few weatherproof matches as well.
Star Rating 7
Stove 17g Pot cosy 29g
I have written about these two before so I won’t go into detail again. Both are cheap to make, simple in design, work perfectly and in my opinion are better than the commercial alternatives.
What I will briefly talk about is the cooking process I go through as that if done properly will save you weight with whatever type of fuel you choose to use.
A pot cosy is absolutely essential, if you ignore everything else I have written please do give one of these a try. The stove protected by a windshield is only used to bring the water and contents to the boil, then the pan is immediately transferred to the pot cosy and any further simmering or cooking is done fuel free within the pot cosy. A good pot cosy (I prefer foam) will keep the water hot enough for the cooking process to continue for at least 20 mins which is more than enough to re-hydrate your meals, cook your pasta etc. Even after 20 mins I generally find the food is still too hot to eat. Done this way I get away using only 23g fuel/day. One big advantage of my pot cosy design is that the lower half remains fitted to the pot even when eating the food and therefore keeps the contents hot that much longer.
Stove Star Rating 9
Pot cosy Star Rating 10
Platypus 1L 25g
My 500ml waterbottle isn’t enough for use around camp so I also have this 1L Platypus rollup waterbottle as well. I have had this one for many years and it shows little sign of wear. It folds up to nothing so takes up no space in the pack.
Star Rating 8
Now, let's have a look at clothing; I know there is a lot of interest on which collection of clothing you selected and how you thought the sleection worked.
Base layers - top (230 grams) boxers (85 grams)
Merino has been my favourite base layer material for the last few years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Merino remains comfortable through a wide range of conditions and is noticeably warmer than synthetics when wet. Very importantly for us backpackers it remains almost smell free even after a weeks use. I only take a long sleeved top, if it’s warm then I roll the sleeves up but having the option to cover my arms from the sun or wind at a moments notice is enormously useful. I got this Oasis Icebreaker skin 200 top whist cycling round New Zealand in 2006 and have used nothing else since. I like the fit of the Oasis top, it reminds me of the old skin tight Helly Hansen lifa baselayers but with a much more effective material and a lot less smell. A tight fitting base layer is vital, if it doesn’t touch the skin how can it work? After many washes the merino is no longer as soft as it used to be but the performance hasn’t been compromised at all and I expect to be using both of them for a long time yet. Icebreaker has recently released a finer Skin 150 range in a similar fit and I would like to try that for warmer conditions but for the Challenge I think that Skin 200 is ideal.
Star Rating top 9
Star Rating boxers 8
Montane Terra Stretch Pants 414g
I only wear trousers in Scotland whatever the weather as ticks are a problem throughout the summer. Keeping covered up does help to keep the little buggers at bay. These trousers are used in combination with the shorts and when paired together are waterproof. Because nether layer is waterproof by itself condensation is never a problem much like Paramo. The Pertex stretch equilibrium frabric used is quite warm (even when wet) and highly wind resistant but still very breathable. This fabric doesn’t wear as well as some and fluffing has occurred wherever anything has rubbed for a while. Features are minimal with just a couple of pockets, adjustable ankles and a simple but useful short vent for each leg. Fit is good for my long legs and I don’t see me changing these for next year. Looking at the Montane website it doesn’t seem that they are producing these anymore in men’s fit which is a real shame so get them now while you still can.
Star Rating 8
Royal Robbins Extreme Expedition Cap 73g
Last year I suffered sunburn when the sun did finally come out. This year I wanted something that provided a little more protection and with the weather we had that was a good call. I bought this after it received a glowing report from Chris Townsend in the TGO magazine. I have a lot of respect for Chris’s reviews and I haven’t been disappointed with this cap. It’s a simple but very comfortable baseball style cap made from Coolmax with an adjustable elasticated draw cord and a removable neck flap. The neck flap’s use is limited as it just blows up in any wind, what it needs is a neck strap adding which is what I’ve done to mine. But why didn’t Royal Robbins fit one?
Star Rating 8
Paramo 3rd Element jacket 740g
This jacket has certainly caught a lot of people’s attention and I have had more emails about how I got on with this than for any other piece of equipment I have ever used.
I suppose this was a strange choice for an ultralighter but then weight isn’t everything. Performance and comfort have to be balanced with any weight savings and certainly for general UK conditions Paramo works better for me than anything else I have ever used. The beauty of Paramo is that it is worn rather than carried and also replaces at least two layers of a conventional layering system. That means less weight carried (in the pack) and less bulk (get away with a smaller pack). It still overall works out heavier than a conventional ultralight layering system (about 300g) but I cannot feel those extra grams on gear I’m wearing but I can certainly feel the extra grams removed from the pack. As a bonus comfort and protection provided is far superior to that of the ultralight alternative.
I know Paramo waterproofs well having used them throughout the cooler months since they were first released to the UK in the early 90’s, but like many I found them just too warm for the rest of the year. That was until now…..
Paramo’s 3rd Element jacket isn’t a new idea in fact it was launched in 2001and I remember at the time thinking it was interesting, but a little weird. It certainly looked quite fiddly and unfinished but when the MKII was launched in 2006 it got my interest again and this looked a much more polished and useful piece of kit. I did consider getting one for last years Challenge but in the end went for the lighter conventional layering system.
What makes the 3rd Element unique is that the arms/upper back/hood can be zipped off as one unit leaving a simple gilet, that when combined with the full length front zip and mesh back upper allows for ventilation like no other waterproof on the market. However should the weather turn nasty then you can very quickly refit the removed parts and enjoy the protection and comfort that Paramo is famous for. With ventilation like this it is now possible to keep wearing the jacket on most days throughout the warmer months in the UK. On the Challenge only on one occasion did I find the jackets limit and that was very briefly when I was climbing a very steep hill shortly before Fort Augustus in blazingly hot mid afternoon sun. Only then did the jacket have to be removed and carried (once you have to carry a Paramo waterproof in your pack then for me all its advantages are lost), once on the top the gilet was quickly put on again and never came off for the rest of the Challenge.
The removable section is held in place by a combination of two chest zips and four underarm poppers which looks very neat when done up but is quite fiddly to do in practice. Certainly zipping on the arms/hood section is very hard when still wearing the gilet but also it isn’t really necessary as the jacket is still waterproof with the arms just poppered on. In a strong headwind though you do need to zip them on or slight leakage and drafts can occur. Practice does make it a lot easier.
A handy storage pocket for the “arms” is provided at the rear of the jacket which worked well with my belt-less rucksack but would probably be unusable with a conventional pack with hip belt (not tried it). The jacket design is otherwise simple with two chest pockets that are only just big enough to take my A4 printed maps, standard Paramo velcro adjustable cuffs, a longer scooped rear (useful for cyclists) and a wired peak hood. This hood is more basic than that found on most Paramo jackets but I still found it effective, the peak isn’t so pronounced but as I always used it in conjunction with my Royal Robbins cap I didn’t notice any problems. Do have a look at that if you are interested in this jacket though.
The 3rd Element does have another couple of issues, it’s shorter than most other Paramo jackets and I would certainly have liked it to be a couple of inches longer (I’m 6ft 2” so that might not be so much a problem if you are shorter) and it’s also a slim cut. Finally like all Paramo garments it requires more maintenance to keep it working well than with other waterproof materials, by that I mean it needs to be kept clean and reproofed with Nikwax regularly or it could end up leaking.
Overall this jacket performed brilliantly and I think it has found a permanent place in my Challenge kit. If like me you like Paramo but find it just too warm then take a long look at this jacket.
Well done Paramo for trying something different.
Star Rating 9
Some good stuff here obviously, but not so much luck with the socks!
Inov-8 Merino debris socks 73g
Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish.
You can probably tell I didn’t like these socks. They did have good points. The fit was excellent, the merino was comfortable and worked well, the debris gaiter did its job BUT… they fell apart after less than 50 miles! The merino wool came out in huge clumps leaving them bald and consequently totally useless as a sock. I have already mentioned about the quality of Inov-8 products and these are by far the worst yet. Don’t waste your money on this expensive piece of junk.
Star Rating 0
But the shoes from Inov-8 were still fine?
Inov-8 Flyroc 310 645g
I only wear trail shoes nowadays. I like Inov-8 footwear as it fits my foot shape well, I have narrow heals and quite a wide toe area and can have real problems finding comfortable footwear. Comfort and grip are the most important factors for me when choosing footwear and it’s here that the Flyroc’s excel. The Flyroc’s have little underfoot padding so aren’t idea for hard trails but are perfect for the kind of off-road walking I enjoy, for harder trails the Roclites would probably be a better option. Having such little padding makes you feel more connected to the terrain and therefore more confident when placing your feet, that along with the phenomenal grip of the Flyroc’s on all but smooth wet rock gives you confidence on tricky terrain. Inov-8 footwear isn’t perfect and I find that the quality of the products isn’t all that great. Stitching of the uppers has failed on every pair I have owned (I must remember to keep receipts in future) after only around 300 miles or so. It has never been so bad that I’ve had to throw them away at that point and I estimate I get around 500 miles out of a pair of Roclites and 700+ miles from the Flyroc’s which isn’t bad for such a light product.
Star Rating 7 (9 if the quality was improved)
And, finally, what about other key accesories?
Gloves
I get cold hands easily so carry two pairs of gloves on the Challenge, the first pair are Coolmax liner socks that I’ve modified to be liner gloves when not being used as my dry socks around camp. They work as well as any other synthetic liner glove I’ve used but look a little daft. But hey who cares? I will probably make a pair out of Merino as I think they will work even better when wet but will also most likely be slightly heavier and slower to dry. My second pair is from Mountain Laurel who make a very light eVent glove that is fully waterproof and work really well. They do look very fragile but after two Challenges I don’t see any reason why I won’t be using them for another two. The combination of both pairs is effective and keeps my hands warm in the coldest weather expected on the Challenge.
Star Rating Coolmax liner 30g 8
ML eVent 34 9
Gossamer Gear Lightrek II Poles 188g
Yes that is the weight of both poles! At less than half the weight of normal carbon fibre poles surely there has to be a compromise? Well actually none that I’ve found. Last year Bob from Backpackinglight.co.uk asked me what my favourite piece of kit was and he was surprised when I said it was these (thought it would be the Bushbuddy). This is the one piece of kit that goes with me on every trip without ever any thought of alternatives.
John Manning commented on day one of the Challenge whist on the Five Sisters ridge that he didn’t think I should put much pressure on the shafts because they looked like they would snap. However in use they have proven to be very strong and have saved me from many falls over the time I have used them, they do flex but without problems and I have total confidence in them. The light carbon/glass fibre shafts are fairly stiff and as said very strong, after over two years and thousands of miles use I don’t see them needed replacement anytime soon. A simple cork effect but very comfortable synthetic handgrip is used without any wrist straps which some won’t like but when carrying such light loads and with such light poles I don’t find that a problem. Gossamer Gear has since upgraded these poles with the Lightrek III model which have full carbon fibre shafts and they say are even stiffer/stronger. Being of one piece construction keeps the weight down and strength up but makes travelling with then a little awkward. I would like to see a folding pair made like Titanium Goat has done.
Star Rating 9
Nokia N95/case/spare battery with Viewranger software 145g
Viewranger mapping software has been around for a while but until phones came with built in GPS receivers I didn’t bother using it. Now GPS is quite common in mobile phones you really may as well turn your phone into a full colour OS moving map device. Having your route and real time position displayed on a real OS 1:50000 or 1:25000 map can be a very useful navigational aid and made finding the tricky Shielin of Mark bothy that much easier. You shouldn’t use a device like this to make up for poor navigational ability but use it like any other navigational tool you have. The Viewranger software has a very useful facility for broadcasting your position called “Beaconbuddy”, this allows anybody to log on to the Viewranger website and see your position in real-time (assuming you have mobile coverage). This can be handy for friends/family back home.
The N95 has a good GPS receiver in that it will lock on pretty fast but when I compared it to a Garmin Geko standalone GPS unit in a steep sided valley the Garmin locked on much faster than the N95. You do also have to open up the keyboard on the N95 as the receiver is located under the keypad which is a pain should it be raining. I have since used a Nokia N82 and the GPS in that is way better than that in the N95. That’s not to say the N95 is bad but like everything improvements are made with every generation of devices. Sounds perfect? Well battery life can only be described as poor on all these phones, used constantly you are looking at about 4-5 hrs use before needing a new battery. I took one spare battery on the Challenge but no charger and found that even with the odd phone call that was more than enough for a two week trip and the amount of time I actually used the GPS.
Star Rating 9
Colin, Thanks for that. You've given us a
very comprehensive assessment of all of the gear that you carried on the 2008 TGO Challenge.
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