Norway 2013 - the +1 story...

[Andy BB]

Yes - took both chargers - one in Ribz and one in carry-on rucksack - both went through the scanners at security without an issue (surprised me, particularly as your homebrew one looked soooo suspicious, covered in ducttape and with exposed push-button! And thanks to you all my phones, tablets and Palm were kept charged throughout the trip! I am denying categorically that I watched any films whilst in the forest, and no-one can prove otherwise

 

[sasquatch]

Cheers Andy, some useful info there!

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Yes - took both chargers - one in Ribz and one in carry-on rucksack - both went through the scanners at security without an issue (surprised me, particularly as your homebrew one looked soooo suspicious, covered in ducttape and with exposed push-button! And thanks to you all my phones, tablets and Palm were kept charged throughout the trip! I am denying categorically that I watched any films whilst in the forest, and no-one can prove otherwise

Thats good news, I will have to knock up another then. 30amps in the palm of your hand is very useful

 

[Dave]

Great Review. Thanks for sharing. I'd read that those blackspur carbon fibre poles worked remarkably well for the money. Gonna have to buy some wristlets now.

 

[mrcharly]

Sounds like a great trip.

What are the toilet arrangements when group camping in those conditions? Dig individual poop holes and burn toilet paper in them, or did you rig up a communal trench?

 

[Andy BB]

Sounds like a great trip.

What are the toilet arrangements when group camping in those conditions? Dig individual poop holes and burn toilet paper in them, or did you rig up a communal trench?

the former (or if the latter, they didn't tell me!)

THe guys were really good though - they left me alone to do my own thing if I wanted to (hence the +1 thing!), but were there for support and backup if needed. And I took advantage of their hospitality on multiple occasions, and learnt a lot from watching their activities.

My worry on this type of group trip is always a potential clash of personalities, but have to say that I couldn't have had a more pleasant experience. No tensions, no bickering, no fragile egos, just a load of great craic, lots of laughs and generally just a tremendous time (apart from the wet wood, that is )

 

[Chris the Cat]

The Wet wood thing is a killer Andy! lol!
You REALY have to be on your game, and stay focused I found. Man!
First day there on the last BcUK trip, we had freezing rain which got into the zips of my Bergen and froze solid!
Great stuff, thanks.
Best.
chris.

 

[Descant]

That looks like one good trip I hope to copy you someday

 

[copper_head]

I've enjoyed both these threads greatly. Well done to all and Im well jealous

 

[Teepee]

Great stuff Andy and a good write up

You did very well to get that sled that far, I have the exact same kids sled and it will tip with 20kg if its loaded just slightly too high. 50+ Kg must have been tough breaking trail. Its dead now, split in half from hauling

Those Ribz keep appearing and being raved about, Like Paul I'm going to have a good look at one. Glad the Wiggy's stuff worked out, I like his gear too.

Happy days, thanks for the write up

 

[Andy BB]

The sled worked remarkably well - much better than I was expecting, to be honest. Although it is only to be expected that it would be a bit tippy when overloaded and piled high. After the trek out, including dragging it over the gritted portions instead of using the bag wheels cos I just didn't have the energy to separate the bags etc, it finally reached the station in remarkably good nick. to my slight sorrow, thats where it stayed, leaning against the fence whilst I dragged the bags onto the train. I was again so tired by that point that I didn't even untie the rope and straps - just cut them all off with my SAK......

If I did it again, I'd use the same (well, a similar one, anyway) sledge with the same enhancements - just cut down the load carried!

 

[nolightweight]

Cheers for the pics and the write up, Andy.

 

[Andy BB]

One thing that I didn't take, but missed a lot, is a seat. Even a little folding stool would have been great. I took a home-made cover to make a bushchair out of a tripod etc, but couldn't bring myself to chop down a live tree to get a seat for a couple of days!

A couple of other bits of kit re sleeping arrangements. I took a Luxurylite mesh cot, not an insulated inflatable bed like the Exped 9. Main reason is that the cot is very light - not much heavier than the Down mats, and I find it very comfy. The experts say that these are not good in the cold, as you get cold air under you, but my plan to counter that was an insulated sheet. Probably not as effective as the mats for heat retention, but I didn't find the cold a problem. sleeping bag was the superlight from Wiggys - that name again! I didn't take the outer bag which I didn't regret, although might have done if the temps had been nearer to the average for that time of year. The bag kept me warm with plenty of wriggle room which I prefer, rather than the straightjacket of a close-fitting bag. And it dried out wet gloves, trousers etc a treat - just put them in the bag with you at night, go to sleep, and they're dry the following morning. It never got damp inside, although often I woke up to find a light covering of frost on the outside. One thing I really appreciated was the No 10 YKK zips he fits on all his bags - I HATE having a zip jam on surrounding material, and this has never happened with this bag. Not that I needed it, but it also comes with a quick release feature - the zip is jerked up above it's normal top point, and the zip comes completely free.

I took a new Mora robust with the 3.2mm thick blade with me, and it did everything I needed it to perfectly, including battening (admittedly soaking) wood with no problems or damage at all(although I'll need to sand off a bit of rust on the blade tip - oops! I'd also taken along a 6"-bladed khukri, which provided a lot of chopping power in a relatively small knife - great for limbing branches, did a good job of battening, and pretty good for normal bushy-type stuff generally.

 

[PREPER]

Interesting thread, thanks for sharing, enjoyed it a lot,

PREPER........

 

[Andy BB]

A couple of additional thoughts on stuff I should have taken but didn't.

Some Mars bars/Snickers etc - the other lads had this sussed, but I forgot to pack them. Would have been ideal for an energy boost on the walks in and out. I did have some salami which was better than nothing, but a Mars/Snickers would have been better! (And for those who are aghast at the amount of sugar/fat dense products I have been recommending, I lost about half a stone during that week. You burn up lots of calories in the cold, and listening to your body's demands for input is useful. For example, at no stage did I crave a Caesar salad ......)

some flavouring to put into the water - isotonic stuff even better. You will dehydrate rapidly in the cold (even just standing around - my preferred option ), and you need to keep pumping the water back into you. Adding flavour to it helps, and the isotonic stuff is even better.

 

[Chiseller]

Great write up Andy, very envious. Thanks for sharing and views on equipment. Cheers

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Did you find you had taken any kit that was unused. I know you had forgotton something and packed too many knives.

 

[rik_uk3]

Great write up Andy

 

[Andy BB]

Did you find you had taken any kit that was unused. I know you had forgotton something and packed too many knives.

about 4kg of food too much! Softie trousers weren't used as my 20-year-old Rohan insulated bags did a great job, but I'd still take the softie trousers again. I took but didn't use an inner tent - Seekoutside call it a nest - for my 8-man tipi, and never used the Emberlit because of the wet-wood problem. Too many socks, heavy gloves, base layers, duct tape, first aid kit (thankfully), about 6 safety blankets, spare balaclavas/hats/neck tubes, shaving razor!. Strangely enough, one item - the Craghoppers short-sleeved shirt that I only expected to use on the flights there and back, got worn almost every day over the base layer.

 

[Wayland]

Great write up Andy. Looks like you had a good time out there.

Thanks for the kit analysis too, it helps to hear someone else's thoughts on what worked and what didn't.

Last year I tended to sit on my kit bag quite a lot but you can also make a snow bench if you have an insulated sit mat you can use.