It seems that whatever I do, the answer is 18kg!
When I initially put together my kit list based on equipment acquired over the past few years, my weight estimate for the loaded rucksack came to roughly 18kg'
I could manage this, since I had already acquired a new lightweight Aarn Natural Balance ‘bodypack’ type rucksack, with front-mounted balance pockets (see www.aarnpacks.com), which would enable me to carry the weight more comfortably. I would also be using trekking poles to distribute the load between my arms and legs.
When I initially put together my kit list based on equipment acquired over the past few years, my weight estimate for the loaded rucksack came to roughly 18kg'
I could manage this, since I had already acquired a new lightweight Aarn Natural Balance ‘bodypack’ type rucksack, with front-mounted balance pockets (see www.aarnpacks.com), which would enable me to carry the weight more comfortably. I would also be using trekking poles to distribute the load between my arms and legs.
Some of my gear was inadequate for the task ahead, much of it being heavier than more modern alternatives and quite a bit of it just plain worn out. By replacing some of the heavier items and doing a bit of judicious trimming, I thought the weight could perhaps be reduced to 15kg.
You can imagine how delighted I was when Darren Weeks at Cotswold Outdoor looked at my list and offered to take on the weight-reduction challenge. To give him and his staff due credit, they reduced the weight substantially by replacing much of my clothing with modern, lighter and more thermally efficient items. I am really delighted with the layer system they proposed. They also replaced my heavyweight trekking poles with a pair of lightweight Leki Titaniums.
However, it was me who ended up thwarting their efforts by selecting a tent that was rather heavier than initially considered. I have no regrets about this decision. The Hilleberg Unna is absolutely superb for this kind of trip – an opinion I came to after testing it in the Lake District and on Dartmoor. I also selected a sleeping bag heavier than necessary for the seasons I will be travelling, but comfort is vital on a trip this long, and the very lightweight NeoAir mattress partly compensates for this.
To totally ruin the weight reduction plan, I accepted the offer of a Blackberry Bold Smartphone with an additional high capacity battery pack. With the cables, charger and drybag, this added yet another kilogram. Once again, no regrets, as this hugely simplifies the process of keeping my BLOG page up to date.
Finally, there were a few things I had forgotten when I did my first list. I am now happy with what I am taking, but the weight of my rucksack is – yes, you’ve guessed it – 18kg again. Oh well.
My final kit selection is listed below:
Maximum Total Weight is everything carried, including clothes worn, and assuming a maximum load of food and water. Weights are generally measured rather than read from specification sheets.
Typical Rucksack Weight is the Maximum Total Weight, less the clothes I normally wear, items kept in pockets, trekking poles. Food sufficient for just one day and a litre of water are also assumed.
| Item | Maximum Total Weight (kg) | Typical Rucksack Weight (kg) | Comments |
| Rucksack - Aarn ‘Natural Balance’ 65+10 litre bodypack | 2.00 | 2.00 | The large front pockets on this unusual pack help balance the weight on the back. Several two-day mountain walks with it fully-loaded have convinced me it will be ideal for the job. |
| Tent - Hilleberg Unna | 2.16 | 2.16 | Not the lightest tent in the world, but incredibly well made, easy to erect, self-standing and versatile. Have included two additional aluminium 'hook' style pegs. |
| Sleeping bag - Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20 | 1.45 | 1.45 | One of the lightest -7°C synthetic-fill bags available. Probably overkill for this mainly summer trip, but I need to get good sleep over a 3-month period. |
| Inflatable mattress - Therm-a-Rest NeoAir, small | 0.26 | 0.26 | The latest thing in lightness and comfort. I look forward to reporting on how it performs. |
| Foam sleeping mat - Thermarest RidgeRest inc. stuff sack. | 0.30 | 0.30 | Using the RidgeRest below the NeoAir improves comfort and protects the latter from puncture. |
| Quick-release straps - HiGear (3) | 0.09 | 0.09 | I like to roll the RidgeRest around the tent pack and strap the combination on top of my rucksack. |
| Trekking poles - Leki Makalu Ultralite Titanium Antishock (pair) | 0.44 | Light, strong and well-balanced. | |
| Underpants, inner socks and outer socks (3 pairs of each) | 0.45 | 0.30 | A pair to wear, a pair to wash and a pair to spare. Socks are a mix of Bridgedale and Smartwool for comparison. |
| Icebreaker Ultralite T-shirts - two short sleeve (0.16kg each) and one long sleeve (0.21kg) | 0.53 | 0.37 | One to wear, one to wash and another spare. First layer of insulation, although Merino wool is good for hot as well as cold weather. The long sleeve T-shirt keeps the sun off my arms. |
| Fleece jacket - Mountain Equipment Shroud | 0.33 | 0.33 | 100 weight fleece with stretch hood. Will normally be used as a second insulation layer or as camp wear. |
| Rab Generator Vest - synthetic filled | 0.23 | 0.23 | Emergency third layer of insulation (and a good pillow) |
| Waterproof, windproof, breathable jacket - Rab Bergen | 0.53 | Comfortable over just a T-shirt or with all my insulating layers underneath. | |
| Craghoppers Nosquito walking trousers (0.41kg) and leather belt (0.16kg). | 0.57 | Zip-off at the knee enabling them to convert into shorts. I generally find a worn leather belt to be more comfortable under a rucksack hipbelt than the common plastic ones. | |
| Waterproof over-trousers - Berghaus Packlite | 0.22 | 0.22 | A very lightweight quality product using Gore-Tex. With leg zips, they are easy to put on without removing my boots. |
| Gaiters - Trek Mates Gore-Tex Pro Shell | 0.32 | A good compromise between ruggedness and weight. | |
| Boots - Scarpa Ranger GTX with removable Superfeet footbeds. | 1.62 | I expect these to be well worn by the time I get to Edale. I will then switch to Brasher Hillmasters with removable Orthaheel Sports footbeds (slightly lighter at 1.51kg). | |
| Gelert Baseball Cap with roll-up flap to protect ears and neck from sun. | 0.05 | Great for those lovely sunny days. A clip and cord keeps it attached to me should the wind catch it. | |
| Acrylic beanie hat, fleece scarf, waterproof, fleece-lined gloves and bandana | 0.30 | 0.30 | Even in summer it can be cold at higher elevations, especially at night. |
| Nike jogging bottoms | 0.20 | 0.20 | An ideal change of trousers for camp use. Very light. |
| Plastic sandals | 0.35 | 0.35 | Cheap 'Croc' copies. Suitable for camp wear and for wading streams. |
| Swimming trunks | 0.05 | 0.05 | Sleek Speedo’s - only required if there is anyone else around. |
| Sunscreen – Lifesystems SPF25 | 0.10 | 0.10 | Being fair skinned, I wouldn’t wish to use a sunscreen with an SPF any less than this. |
| Avon Skin-So-Soft. | 0.15 | 0.15 | Midges apparently hate it. |
| DEET spray | 0.10 | 0.10 | Mainly to deter ticks. |
| Midge net | 0.05 | 0.05 | If you have spent summers in Scotland then you will know why you need this. |
| Maps, guidebooks and waterproof A4 map case (Ortlieb) | 1.00 | 0.90 | Three map cases needed - one to use and another two in rucksack to keep additional maps and paper items waterproof. Map-load after Edale reduces to 0.45kg. |
| Compass (Silva Ranger 3), stainless-steel mirror and magnifying lens. | 0.10 | 0.10 | Packed in the same stuff-bag as the GPS. |
| GPS (Garmin eTrex H) | 0.20 | 0.20 | GPS takes AA-cells. Only switched on when I need to check my location. |
| Waterproof watch | 0.03 | Cheap 30m Chinese made thing costing £5 that wouldn’t upset me if I lost it. | |
| Wrist compass | 0.02 | Made this myself - crude but really useful. Saves me having to get the main compass out most of the time. | |
| Mobile phone, Fuji Finepix A500 camera, Sony personal stereo, 4 spare AA lithium cells and an Exped XS drybag in case it rains. | 0.60 | 0.60 | Sony stereo requires a single AA cell and the camera requires two. |
| Blackberry Bold Smartphone, HumanEdgeTech HET50 Battery Pack, charger, connection cables and Exped XS drybag. | 1.05 | 1.05 | Quite a bit of extra weight for this, but makes communications and sending photographs so easy. Has been set up with Sanoodi SMap software to track my journey. |
| Cash/cards/cheques/stamps/etc. | 0.20 | ||
| Reading glasses with neck cord. | 0.04 | A sad consequence of age. I can barely read a map without them. | |
| Sunglasses with neck cord and case | 0.08 | 0.08 | It will be summer, after all. |
| Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, toothpicks, facecloth, all-purpose soap (can be used as shampoo and for washing up and) and talcum powder | 0.30 | 0.30 | All packed together in mesh sack. |
| Trekking towel | 0.20 | 0.20 | Has it’s own nice little mesh sack. |
| A T, TP, a L(Turboflame) and ABHG | 0.25 | 0.25 | Experienced wild-hikers will guess what is meant here. |
| First aid kit, kept in XXS drybag with whistle, Swiss ‘Sportsman’ penknife with tin opener, bottle opener and corkscrew, Gerber clutch mini plier tool, spare reading glasses and spare torch | 0.50 | 0.50 | First Aid kit includes various plasters, Zinc Oxide plaster tape, Melolin dressings, TCP, Savlon, tick removal tools, sharp scissors, a needle and lighter for treating blisters, soft pads and foot balm and various remedies for toothache, headache and tummy ache. Torch is LED type and takes a single AA battery. |
| Head torch (Gelert), kept in Exped XS drybag with monocular, waterproof notepad and various pens. | 0.35 | 0.35 | Head torch has 0.5W LED and takes a single AA battery. Pens include an indelible marker. |
| Food – Fresh and dried fruits, nuts, energy bars. dehydrated pasta and rice meals, oat biscuits, Primula cheese spread, tea, coffee, chocolate drinks sachets, boiled sweets, and anything else I pick up along the way. | 5.00 | 1.00 | 1kg/day minimum, which may give me up to 3,000 cal/day. Since I will probably be burning more than 4,000 cal/day, I will be starving myself a little. I will make up for that when I connect with civilisation. |
| Lightweight Rucksack – Exped Drypack Pro 25 | 0.30 | 0.30 | Essential if I leave the main pack to do day hikes. Doubles as a 25 litre drybag. I can normally keep the food in this. |
| Primus Expresstove, two 125 ml propane/butane gas canisters, plastic stand, Wind shield, Swedish Steel firestarter, 0.75 l titanium mug, titanium spork, sponge scouring pad. | 0.75 | 0.65 | This home-concocted arrangement packs down into an old Regatta pac-a-mac net bag - 4” dia by 8” long. Gas usage is roughly 50 ml per day, so need to replenish as opportunities present or live on cold food. |
| Water (inc. containers). | 2.40 | 1.35 | Two 1 litre 'Lucozade' bottles, easily accessible, plus a further one litre Nalgene wideneck bottle in the rucksack. |
| Water filter - Katadyn Mini. | 0.31 | 0.31 | Long life, field cleanable, but don't drop it or the ceramic filter could break. After Edale, I will swop this for a Pure Hydration Aquapure Traveller bottle. |
| Water sterilisation tablets and flavoured electrolyte tablets.. | 0.03 | 0.03 | 150 chlorine tablets, 1 required per litre. Not bothering with the neutralising tablets, as the taste of chlorine doesn't bother me. |
| Closed-cell foam sit-mat | 0.06 | 0.06 | |
| Paper kitchen towels in polythene bag. | 0.10 | 0.10 | |
| Assorted polythene bags for storing rubbish, etc. | 0.05 | 0.05 | |
| Duct tape, mattress repair kit, needle plus heavy-duty thread, UHU glue, mobile phone charger, USB cable for camera, portable shaver, four spare AA lithium cells, Arno straps - all in plastic food storage container. | 0.70 | 0.70 | Like all my gear that requires replacement batteries, the portable shaver uses AA cells (two). |
| TOTAL WEIGHT | 27.47 | 18.09 | kg |