As some of you know I have been trying to lighten my kit.I thought one day "Do I really need my kit to be so tough and heavy,and does it really need to be so hardwearing?"
Well no,it needn't be so tough and heavy but it really does need to be hardwearing.
If it isn't hard wearing then it could fail when you really need it to be working to its best.
In view of the above I have searched around a bit and changed some of my kit for lighter yet still hardwearing kit.
The first thing I changed was my pack,I had what I still consider to be the best and most hardwearing pack in the world(some may disagree) The Berghaus Vulcan.This pack will carry everything you could possibly need for weeks in the woods.Probably why many soldiers the world over buy them.
The biggest and only problem with it is.........IT WEIGHS SIX POUNDS WHEN IT'S EMPTY.That's an awful lot of weight to carry about just to carry other stuff,if you see what I mean.
So the Vulcan was sold and after a lot of research including what I carry,where I go and what I do,I decided on a GOLITE JAM 2 PACK it's a 50 litre pack in medium and 53 litres in large,the difference in size is the back length.I needed a large because of my excessive tallness.The pack weighs in at 1lb 15oz which is good.It's made from recycled materials which is also good , and comes in 3 posh colours which I call green,blue and grey.The manufacturer has some really strange names for these colours.
The pack has 1 main compartment and 3 outer pockets.There is a large pocket on the front of the pack which will hold a full set of water proofs and a bit more,on the side of the sack there are two pockets for holding water bottles,walking poles,tent poles or what ever you can fit,they are pretty big pockets with drain holes in them.
On the waist belt there are also pockets with zips ,for those things you need whilst on the move,they easily hold my cigarettes which I have now given up and have to find something else to put in my pockets.The other pocket holds my camera.
There is no lid on this pack!!!!!!
It has a roll top that is secured with a strap that works very well.
When the pack arrived I thought I had made a mistake as it was so light and felt very flimsy,not to be deterred I filled it with all my kit and tried it out it sits really comfortably on my back and feels quite sturdy.There is a crossweave of dyneema running throughout the whole pack,this is a very strong material but also very light and thin.
On the whole the pack looks very flimsy and without anything in it ,it feels the same.but I get the feeling it's just as strong if not stronger than the Vulcan.
So, the first step to lighter kit has been to shed over 4lbs of excess weight just by using a lighter and maybe stronger pack.
Next I'll tell you how I saved loads of weight by changing my sleeping kit.
Well no,it needn't be so tough and heavy but it really does need to be hardwearing.
If it isn't hard wearing then it could fail when you really need it to be working to its best.
In view of the above I have searched around a bit and changed some of my kit for lighter yet still hardwearing kit.
The first thing I changed was my pack,I had what I still consider to be the best and most hardwearing pack in the world(some may disagree) The Berghaus Vulcan.This pack will carry everything you could possibly need for weeks in the woods.Probably why many soldiers the world over buy them.
The biggest and only problem with it is.........IT WEIGHS SIX POUNDS WHEN IT'S EMPTY.That's an awful lot of weight to carry about just to carry other stuff,if you see what I mean.
So the Vulcan was sold and after a lot of research including what I carry,where I go and what I do,I decided on a GOLITE JAM 2 PACK it's a 50 litre pack in medium and 53 litres in large,the difference in size is the back length.I needed a large because of my excessive tallness.The pack weighs in at 1lb 15oz which is good.It's made from recycled materials which is also good , and comes in 3 posh colours which I call green,blue and grey.The manufacturer has some really strange names for these colours.
The pack has 1 main compartment and 3 outer pockets.There is a large pocket on the front of the pack which will hold a full set of water proofs and a bit more,on the side of the sack there are two pockets for holding water bottles,walking poles,tent poles or what ever you can fit,they are pretty big pockets with drain holes in them.
On the waist belt there are also pockets with zips ,for those things you need whilst on the move,they easily hold my cigarettes which I have now given up and have to find something else to put in my pockets.The other pocket holds my camera.
There is no lid on this pack!!!!!!
It has a roll top that is secured with a strap that works very well.
When the pack arrived I thought I had made a mistake as it was so light and felt very flimsy,not to be deterred I filled it with all my kit and tried it out it sits really comfortably on my back and feels quite sturdy.There is a crossweave of dyneema running throughout the whole pack,this is a very strong material but also very light and thin.
On the whole the pack looks very flimsy and without anything in it ,it feels the same.but I get the feeling it's just as strong if not stronger than the Vulcan.
So, the first step to lighter kit has been to shed over 4lbs of excess weight just by using a lighter and maybe stronger pack.
Next I'll tell you how I saved loads of weight by changing my sleeping kit.
