New kit day

[RE8ELD0G]

So after years of wanting.
And a month of waiting yesterday was finally new kit day.

Full warbonnet setup.
Ridgerunner hammock
Spindrift sock
SuperFly tarp 13ft custom
40°f mamba tq
40°f lynx uq
0°f mamba tq
0°f lynx uq
Hammock hang time hook.

Plus Jonbodthethirds blackbird xlc, winter top cover, hang time hook and SuperFly tarp
This lot totalled out to over £2150with Import fees.

Managed to get out to my local woods last night to try it all out.
Was soo comfortable and toasty warm in just the summer 40°f quilts.
Probably won't even need to use the 0°f quilts here in the UK with the spindrift on.
It all packs down so small and so much lighter compared to the DD/Snugpak kit I have.

This should do me for a winter Norway hammock trip and everything the UK can throw at me.

Plus all the other kit I have purchased the last month (thanks to selling my motorbike)
I have spent nearly £3500 on new camping hiking and bushcraft kit.

DD hammock.
DD uq.
Snugpak tq.
Webbing straps.
Kit hangers.
Renovo muv eclipse water filter set.
750ml toaks pot and stormin stove to fit.
1100ml toaks pot and stormin stove.
Petzl e-lite.
TBS Boar knife special edition with stabalised Dutch chestnut #90 of 100.
Rab alpine down jacket.
Luxe sil hex peak tent.
2x leki walking Poles.
Seal skins gloves.
Berghaus paclite jacket.
Dutchwear rain kilt.
Montane gaiters.
Platypus big zip 3L hydration bladder.
Plus loads of other small bits and pieces.

All this and I still have a load of kit to buy.
Inc a Twodogs bushcraft top,
Merino wool base and mid layers
Arctic socks and all other assorted bits for our Norway arctic circle winter camp we are trying to plan.

Just cant wait to get out in it all again.

Thanks

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[Greenbeard]

Very nice collection of gear mate! Well picked.

 

[SCOMAN]

I see you're after some merino, Aldi/Lidl usually have some coming in in the next few months. I've just bought an Alpkit long sleeved top and love it, feels great and looks great quality.

 

[bopdude]

Some very very nice kit there, jealous ? me of course, nice when a plan comes together

 

[RE8ELD0G]

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the Aldi/lidl stuff this year.
But I'm probably going to buy some woolpower stuff as it's always a little better quality.
Just need to start saving again.
Got until Jan 2020 until we do the winter Norway hang so plant of time.


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[Janne]

Good stuff!
Where in Norway do you plan to go to?

 

[Tiley]

Lots of shiny stuff. I hope you enjoy using it all!

 

[RE8ELD0G]

Good stuff!
Where in Norway do you plan to go to?

We're planning a trip next August to hardanger for a long weekend.. Then for the winter trip we don't know yet.
Want to be up somewhere very north artic circle way.
But not sure where to go yet.
Maybe Alta or Honningsvag.
Somewhere there is lots of trees and booths in case of emergency.

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[Janne]

I understand you have been in the Arctic before, both in summer and in winter?

 

[RE8ELD0G]

No.
Never been artic or anywhere in Norway before.
I will however be taking some sort of Artic course before we go.

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[Robson Valley]

Buy a toboggan. Otherwise it will be a grunt to carry all that stuff. Wax the bottom so it rides slick in the rain on wet grass & forest.
Be prepared to add a couple of long skinny aluminum rails as keels so it tracks straight in the snow.

Don't buy a sled with runners = they sink like rocks unless you use packed trails with the city crowds.

Stay out of the wind.

 

[RE8ELD0G]

Yeah I plan on buying or making some sort of pulk to pull.
Good snowshoes are also on my list along with so many other things.

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[Robson Valley]

Lots of people like snow shoes with the rounded tips = the "bear-paw" sort of design. I have those, OK on an established trail.
The sizes are scaled for weight. Hurts my crotch to walk sort of bow-legged for a long time.

To cut my own path, I have 60" trail-breakers with upswept pointed tips that have been my favorites for decades.
They are narrow, 10", and nest beside each other so you walk with a fairly normal stance.

For climbing, I have rebuilt a pair of Sherpa with ice claws. Al tube frame and synthetic webs. Ultra bash-worthy.

And for Gawd's sake, get bindings that you can operate with double mittens on.

 

[RE8ELD0G]

You sound like your well versed on cold camping.
Our plan is to go far north to see the northern lights as I understand its only around - 5ish mid winter due to the gulf stream near the coast.
Then once I have some more practical experience (and tons of kit) I would like to try and get near the coldest hang record.
Around - 48°c.
So need to visit Karasjok area for those temps.

I just remembered I bought a set of brit army snow shoes a few years ago from another member on here.
Will have to dig those out and see what condition they're in.

The plan for going north will be to stay on used trails and camping near booths etc so should not need too much fancy kit.

But for the record attempt I don't even know where to start except the area to be in.........

 

[Robson Valley]

-5C would be a lot of fun. Just nippy enough to keep you moving with
large amounts of luxury high calorie foods. You'll never have a better excuse to go shopping!

I would take all the new kit all the time.
That's how you learn what works well at different temperatures.
It gives you something to do. Have you researched how short the daylight winter hours are going to be?
I'm only at 53N. Solstice sunrise is about 9:30 AM. Sunset is 1:52PM. Got candles? They add heat, too.

Aurora borealis: you are in for a treat. You should be able to find a web site that monitors solar storm activity.
The sun rotates about every 30 days so you can predict high times for ionization.

Even -40C ( = -40F) , you are in for one hell of a dangerous surprise. Things break. The hair in your nose freezes. Your snot freezes.
Freakin' stoves won't light when the petrol gels. You must sleep with your stoves in your bag. Two is essential insurance.
Anything with batteries will die. Spit at a tree. It will be frozen and bounce off.
Go in a group in winter, there's safety in numbers.

 

[RE8ELD0G]

I will be doing plenty of winter camps here in the UK to try the kit out properly.
And myself and Jon are looking for others to join us during the Winter trips so we will have a group of at least 4 hopefully.

Lowest temp so far for me was around -10°c with my old kit.
Can't wait to beat that this year.

 

[Robson Valley]

You're in good shape, as we say.
Living with a whole bunch of new camping equipment in winter will be a lot of entertainment.
Just about like Christmas to play with it, yes?

 

[RE8ELD0G]

I was very excited to get it all.
Been loving going through it over and over.
Weighing it, packing it and trying it out.
This beat every Christmas so far. Lol

 

[Janne]

You need to find a group that is well versed in the ways of the Arctic. Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish.

Would I recommend to go ahead with your plan? No.

Do some practicing in southern Scandinavia during a couple of winters first. -10 to -20. When the weather is good, when it is bad.

Then you can do maybe temperatures around -30. Then below -40.

Your 'ways' must be impeccable in temperatures below -40 .
All equipment must work 100%. Some canned cooking gas do not evaporate properly. Meths do not burn easily. Metals go brittle. Plastics go brittle.

You are welcome to PM me!

 

[Janne]

The trees are not 'trees' as you know it in that area. More like multi stemmed bushes. Arctic birch and other stunted species.
Huts? Yes, along some trails.

Skis are better than snow shoes. Why? pressure on a wider area. You do not know what is underneath the snow layer. Can be the ground 30 cm below. Or 5 meters.

I am not being funny.