Tundra sleeping bag has arrived.....!

My new sleeping bag has arrived (postage free) at my daughter's house in Yorkshire.....

That means I've only seen it on Skype. It looks good. Very lofty, and (she says) very soft to touch.

We're heading back home the last week of March so it won't be long till I get my mitts on it..............

It came with two bags, a small one made of nylon and a larger cotton bag. I've asked her to put it in the cotton bag so as not to crush it for the next few weeks.

If the skiing wasn't so good at the moment I'd be keen to get home and play with it. However, the sun is very warm here and the snow perfectly groomed - what more could I ask for?

Sleeping bag..........decided!

Well, it's all been decided now. Who said Librans couldn't make decisions?

I've ordered a short version of the Tundra Pure -5.

Chris from Tundra says it'll be 2-3 weeks.......so I'll have to wait a bit............

.

Which sleeping bag............part 3

Looking at the length of the Tundra sleeping bag I have my eye on it seemed too long for me. It didn't take me long hunting on the net to find an email address for them. So I took a chance and emailed to see if they could make a bag slightly shorter for me.

Response this morning - YES, THEY CAN - and it won't cost anything extra! It'll take about 3 weeks (no problem) although I haven't worked out the details of how it happens yet. The short version of the Pure -5 will be for someone 180 cms tall so as I'm not even 160 cms, it should be fine. That's customer service for you!

As you can imagine, I'm quite excited now.

WOOO HOOO!

Which sleeping bag.......part 2

First of all, a big THANK YOU to all of you who've taken the time to try and help me with the sleeping bag decision. I've had loads of good advice and recommendations. What a great community this is!

However, here's an update.

The 'feather' thing keeps raising its head with me. My ethical conscience has gone into overdrive. So for that reason I've been investigating the 'down' business a bit more deeply. There's some interesting stuff on the net about it, though it doesn't always make easy reading.

During my search for information I came across 'Tundra, ethical down sleeping bags'. Now the Pure -5 gets a good crit from Trail and this bag weighs in at a respectable 850g. No, it's not as light as some of the others. But it does have a full length zip and water-resistant head and foot.

Seems like this could be the answer for me.

{Tundra Pure -5}

I haven't bought one yet but I'd be interested if anyone has experience of one?

Which sleeping bag....................?

I've been busy making a list of the down sleeping bags I am considering to replace my Vaude synthetic bag.

There's nothing really wrong with the Vaude bag - it has served me well. It's warm and cosy but it's not lightweight (maybe 1.4 kg, more with stuff bag) and it doesn't compress very small. In fact, it takes up the whole space of the bottom compartment of my rucksack.

{Vaude Kiowa 200 sleeping bag}

So here is the list of candidates. They are all 3 season down bags. Now I do have a bit of a problem with feathers, after all they really belong on birds! I don't like the idea of supporting the meat-eating industry nor do I like the idea of live birds being plucked. However, I have to admit that if I could save a good deal of space in my rucksack, and carry 500g less, but still be warm and cosy, I might be tempted to buy one of these bags.

• Mountain Equipment Xero 550
• RAB Neutrino W 400
• Mountain Hardwear W Phantom 15
• Golite W Adrenaline 3
• PHD Minim 400 (short, with zip)
• PHD Combi bag (short, with zip)

So how do I make the decision? Should it be by price, size, compressibility, durability, or even colour?
After all, I am a Libran - HELP!.............

It seemed such a good idea at the time......

....gear review!

This is my 60th post since I started writing this blog so to celebrate I thought I'd have a look at gear that promised so much and then disappointed me. (I don't mean to make a connection with how I feel about blogging by the way...................)

Silk Sleeping Bag Liner

This promised to give me a little more warmth and protect my sleeping bag so I didn't have to clean it so often.
As you do, I did quite a lot of research before finally parting with the cash.
There was nothing wrong with the liner as such. Lovely and smooth, comfortable silky silk, in a great lilac colour.
That is until I tried to use it!
First of all it 'stuck' to the inside material of my bag and once I had fought my way into it I then discovered I couldn't easily get out again. Turning over in the bag was a nightmare as I struggled through the night trying to get to sleep. By the morning we had all parted company, and there was a rip in the silk.
I do look at it from time to time but I've never been tempted to try sleeping with it again.

Buffalo Pertex and Pile Shirt

Oh dear!
From the moment it arrived we didn't get on.
I found it too hot and didn't like the way it unzipped, exposing more skin than I would like but not really controlling temperature very well. Also the neck zip seemed too short to me.
I then thought it would be great to carry for an emergency but it wouldn't compress well enough.
And it didn't have a hood, so the cold, sleety day I did wear it and felt comfortably warm, I soon had freezing air whistling down my neck and round my ears.
Its one redeeming feature, the colour, a bright purple.

Orange Plastic Toilet Trowel

I have carried and attempted to use this for the past 3 years.
I find trying to dig a hole with it is virtually impossible, especially on heathery moorland or rocky hillsides.
Until I find an alternative I suppose I'll have to keep trying, but it's now dangerously close to being left behind in the shed!

Compeed Blister Plasters

I have had mixed success with these.
Either they stick too well and become so lumpy I can't get them off without tearing skin or they migrate around my foot and then stick tight to my sock. They are then impossible to remove without leaving a nasty sticky mess which never properly comes off.
I would love to find a good alternative but I suppose the best thing would be to walk without getting any blisters!

Two Person Bothy Bag

In the way of all emergency kit I have never had to use this.
But I have lugged it all over Scotland, The Lakes and parts of Yorkshire.
Now if I'm carrying a tent I leave it behind believing I can always pitch the fly for protection.
I do still take it along if I'm likely to get into bad weather in Autumn.
It could be possibly the most uncomfortable way to spend a lunch time break - sitting on an increasingly numb bum, eating slightly crouched over and breathing in stale air.

Knife, Fork and Spoon Set

A great idea these, unless you actually want to use them to eat with!
I've got a nylon spork (or is it a foon?) now which is much better.

(added later) Wind-up Phone Charger

Lightweight, small, low-tech - and 20 minutes winding hardly made any impression on the phone battery!
I just bought another battery and make sure they're both fully charged when I get the chance.

Well that's my list so far. There may be more after I've had longer to think about it.

What would you put on the list?

Getting Organised..................

Now my place on the Challenge is a reality I have to get myself organised.

Route
Fortunately I had spent some time in January working out a route from Mallaig to Lunan Bay. The first time I did the Challenge in 2008 Maryann and I started from Dornie and finished at St Cyrus. Last year I chose Torridon (as I'd not been there before) and had planned to finish at Bervie (Inverbervie). However when I had to re-route because of the bad weather and didn't go to Charr Bothy but walked from Tarfside I came across a sign post which told me that Edzell was only 1 mile away so I headed for North Water Bridge Campsite instead and finished directly on Montrose beach.
I finished off the details of the route, transferred it to the computer forms and sent it off to Roger last night. I fully expect to get it back full of mistakes and to have corrections to do!
I also booked a night in the West Highland Hotel in Mallaig. As I intend to mostly camp all the way across I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of luxury at the start. It wasn't cheap but not overly expensive either.

Kit
I replaced my trusty Osprey Aura 50 L pack at the end of last year. I had used it for two Challenges but last year I found it wouldn't adjust enough for me round the shoulders so decided to get something else. As I use a synthetic sleeping bag (don't like the idea of feathers) a pack with a separate compartment at the bottom seemed a good idea. So I found a Deuter 45 + 10 L which seemed to fit the bill. It has quite a few different pockets (I like that!) and is a slightly shorter back-length than the Osprey so it should work better for me.
Sitting here in the Alps while it and all my other 'stuff' for backpacking is in Scotland is rather frustrating. But I'll have to be patient until I get back home.
As for the things I'm seriously thinking about buying they are:- Trekmates Goretex socks for river crossings and as I'll be wearing lighter, fabric boots this year maybe for any very wet days too, Kahtoola Microspikes for security on any icy tracks. I don't anticipate going high enough for crampons but some extra grip might be a good idea.

Food
Last year I made and dehydrated most of my meals and either took them with me or sent parcels ahead. This year I'm going to be short of time to do that (the dehydrating machine is at home). I also found the parcels ahead rather a worry when I had to re-route. So I'm going to try and dehydrate only a few major meals or just vegetables and re-supply on the way with bought basics like couscous, cheese and bread.
TVP mince and soy chunks don't take too long to rehydrate and are light to carry. I'll have enough room to take a supply of packet mashed potatoes, packet soups and oats, for breakfast.
Again, until I get home and start weighing things out it's difficult to make final decisions right now.

Training
This is the most difficult thing to organise. There's still a lot of snow here so a lot of the available walking is not so easy. Now the skiing is finished we usually go home but this year we're staying over Easter. I've started walking every morning now for an hour or two and I will increase the distances I do in the next couple of weeks. I'm exploring the forest tracks and paths behind the house here. It is quite steep in places so that's good for me. Once home I'll be able to get a few longer days in with more to carry.
In the meantime there's always the stairs!

Of course the best way to get organised is to write lots of lists. You won't be surprised to know that I've started several of these already!

Number 20 - Time for another Gear Review...........

Here's a brief look at a few more of my favourite things............

Vaude Kiowa Basic 200 Sleeping Bag
Now this is not the lightest bag - nor is it a very trendy down filled thing BUT it is COSY..........

It doesn't compress as well as a down bag but it does fit (eventually) into the bottom of my rucksack quite neatly. I believe it weighs about 1.3 kg which is quite respectable.

I bought it for last year's Challenge. The Lafuma down bag it replaced was rather thin and a bit prickly. So although it packed small it was also not very warm or comfortable.

The Vaude bag came with an internal pocket with a zip which I have carefully removed. It also has a good hood and baffle. The material on the inside is very smooth, warm and lovely to snuggle into. The shorter length means my feet stay much cosier.

And I find the synthetic filling much more to my liking than the down I had before.

{Photo of a sleeping bag exactly like mine}

Ridgerest Sleeping Mat

This year for Christmas I was lucky enough to get a new Neoair mattress. Despite this I think I will probably still carry my Ridgerest mat with me. I find it to be a brilliant insulation against cold ground. It fits perfectly into the sleeping space inside my tent. Along with the mattress it should help me get a good night's sleep when camping.

I like to use it for lunch stops too. Being able to sit with my legs on the heather or ground without getting chilled or wet is a great advantage. The weight on the outside of the rucksack is negligible. The only downside in carrying it is that it makes my pack a bit wide for narrow spaces!

{Photo of a Ridgerest mat like mine}

JetBoil Stove with stabiliser

I didn't actually buy this stove nor even ask for it. It came as a surprise Christmas present from my eldest son, Sam. At first I thought it would be difficult to carry as it's not tiny nor very light. However I was wrong and it fits well into the rucksack. So thank you Sam.............

{Photo of JetBoil Stove }

And it works a treat.

Lights first time (up till now!) and boils water super-quick. I found it uses a very modest amount of fuel. One 125g cannister of gas lasted me about 10 days on last year's Challenge walk.

I did buy a folding stabiliser thing to steady the stove in use - it does seem top-heavy when boiling a full cup of water.

{Photo of JetBoil accessories}

The gas cannister stabiliser folds up and tucks away inside the stove. It comes with a pot support which apparently converts the stove so it can take a larger pan - but I've never used this.............

Well next time it'll be number 21 - will that mean I'm a grown-up at last................?