Sainsbury's are doing whole chorizos in a 2 for £3 deal. Loads of calories, in a compact, dried spicy sausage!
ultra lighters
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I like to keep my kit as light as possible.... Titanium pans, meths stove, the works.
It then allows me to carry more Port and Venison
Simples!
It then allows me to carry more Port and Venison
Simples!I have huge respect for the ultralight guys, because I've tried it, and I just cant do it. It rips the fun right out of it all for me.
Fair play to you lads and lasses who can do it. I'll just hump on with the solid and weighty pack on the back until my knees and back finally give out. Which probably isn't going to be awfully long now really.
Fair play to you lads and lasses who can do it. I'll just hump on with the solid and weighty pack on the back until my knees and back finally give out. Which probably isn't going to be awfully long now really.
I am very keen on going light, but it does mean that I have to test new equipment first before going out in the field with it and when I say test, I mean TEST... I have bought some titanium goods in the past and found they simply do not work as advertised and demonstrated via youtube videos etc...
Just because it is light does not always mean it works... And with titanium it can be an expensive mistake.
The internet is a great medium but if a product has a dozen great reviews online it can make you think it is a worthwhile investment, and I am very wary now of some off the shelf products.
Light is good, and homemade can be light too Titanium is not always the answer. Pegs n forks yes, simplicity is the key (however what is wrong with a wooden fork made in the field?)
I have a small maxpedition vulture which is advertised as 3 days, but in reality lasts me 7 days + and I do feel pleased when I see those 21 year olds walking past me with their 75L jobbies packed to the max.
Spring/Summer is coming and I want to reduce my weight further, only to increase it with a bottle of whisky Every gram counts!
Just because it is light does not always mean it works... And with titanium it can be an expensive mistake.
The internet is a great medium but if a product has a dozen great reviews online it can make you think it is a worthwhile investment, and I am very wary now of some off the shelf products.
Light is good, and homemade can be light too
Titanium is not always the answer. Pegs n forks yes, simplicity is the key (however what is wrong with a wooden fork made in the field?)I have a small maxpedition vulture which is advertised as 3 days, but in reality lasts me 7 days + and I do feel pleased when I see those 21 year olds walking past me with their 75L jobbies packed to the max.
Spring/Summer is coming and I want to reduce my weight further, only to increase it with a bottle of whisky
Every gram counts!It then allows me to carry more Port and Venison
I like your thinking big man
Instead of the meths though, I like those Swiss army gel cookers. A good 3 cooks in them for rainy days and a fire for the days when it is dry. Saves on the meths bottle and tranga which are 5x the weight combined.
I like some light stuff, for example one of my most used bits of kit is a snowpeak ti 700ml pot cup thing . It fits nicely in the side pocket of my rucksack or day pack and a nalgene water bottle rests inside it perfectly , it lives there all the time and you never notice the weight .
When I am treking up and down mountains it is the only pot I bring and I am happy to eat dehydrated food as the weight saving is more important than the taste when I am nakered at the end of a hard days walking also dehydrated meals are quick and easy.
If I am not going up and down mountains all day then I add a stainless steel billy can to my pack and cook proper food in it but the ti cup will always still be there for water boiling and brews .
If can save weight then I do but I still like my stuff to be strong
Here is the cup in question, this photo was taken this morning on a stroll in the woods
When I am treking up and down mountains it is the only pot I bring and I am happy to eat dehydrated food as the weight saving is more important than the taste when I am nakered at the end of a hard days walking also dehydrated meals are quick and easy.
If I am not going up and down mountains all day then I add a stainless steel billy can to my pack and cook proper food in it but the ti cup will always still be there for water boiling and brews .
If can save weight then I do but I still like my stuff to be strong
Here is the cup in question, this photo was taken this morning on a stroll in the woods
I'm not an ultralight hiker, and I don't think I'd ever get to that level. But, I do like to keep my gear light weight within reason. After a couple of trips to Dartmoor carrying far more gear than I was comfortable doing, I decided to start getting lighter. Over the last couple of years, I started buying new gear (all my old gear was cheapo stuff I bought for DofE years ago, and could have done with replacing anyway). Weight definitely became a major factor in the consideration of which kit to buy.
My reasons for doing so are just that I have a much better time because I feel more comfortable carrying a lower weight. I will take dehydrated meals for example, because it just seems pointless to carry the extra water (that is if there is water near where I'm going). At the end of a hard days walking, any thing tastes good. But, I won't take any less food than I need, I'll always take plenty of snacks etc. I also leave behind more stuff that I might have taken before, I only take what is necessary.
For me, there comes a point when weight saving starts to sacrifice other things. That's the line I draw, I don't want to sacrifice comfort for weight, because at the end of the day, that's the reason I started saving weight in the first place.
What's in your ration packs out of interest?
My reasons for doing so are just that I have a much better time because I feel more comfortable carrying a lower weight. I will take dehydrated meals for example, because it just seems pointless to carry the extra water (that is if there is water near where I'm going). At the end of a hard days walking, any thing tastes good. But, I won't take any less food than I need, I'll always take plenty of snacks etc. I also leave behind more stuff that I might have taken before, I only take what is necessary.
For me, there comes a point when weight saving starts to sacrifice other things. That's the line I draw, I don't want to sacrifice comfort for weight, because at the end of the day, that's the reason I started saving weight in the first place.
What's in your ration packs out of interest?
Bushcraft and ultralight hiking are like chalk and cheese, I dabble in both and wouldn't dream of hauling my bushy gear more than fifty yards from the canoe
I've just done a 2 nighter in the Lakes with my lightweight gear, total weight before I left was 6.8kgs including fuel, food (dehydrated sorry) and 1L of water
I've just done a 2 nighter in the Lakes with my lightweight gear, total weight before I left was 6.8kgs including fuel, food (dehydrated sorry) and 1L of water
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My stove I have is a Swedish Aluminium Meths Set, with a burner, 2 pots, and a windshield, it packs down lovely. Only 7.50, but I also bought a kuska and that goes inside the set too.
I do like the UL philosophy but I'm not sure its wholly achievable without spending a fortune or making some big sacrifices.
Cookware is a pretty easy place to reduce weight, as long as you are prepared to make sacrifices in terms of food quality etc. I'm a bit torn really, owning both a trangia and a set of Snow Peak Ti cookware, between gastronomic quality and lightness. Elsewhere I generally choose not to carry much outside of what I consider the essentials, but I guess different people would disagree on what is essential to them.
Cookware is a pretty easy place to reduce weight, as long as you are prepared to make sacrifices in terms of food quality etc. I'm a bit torn really, owning both a trangia and a set of Snow Peak Ti cookware, between gastronomic quality and lightness. Elsewhere I generally choose not to carry much outside of what I consider the essentials, but I guess different people would disagree on what is essential to them.
@bearpark - there is no,need to accept a reduction in quality when going to dehydrated meals to save pack weight. It does require you to make some effort at home. Make your own, Use whatever herbs and spices you feel improve the flavour, then dehydrate and package them yourself. See hungryhammockhanger.com and trailcooking.com for examples and techniques. Save money and save weight at the same time. use freezer bag cooking techniques and save even more weight and clean up time. And, you control the portion size.
Thanks for the links PDA1. I'm going to experiment with some ways to make dehydrated food a bit more appetising, maybe without buying my own dehydrator just yet. Any particular fave UL foods?
Most of BF5 meals are really good. Look at this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO3C...L5D3B8F7A3F5C4820&lf=results_video&playnext=2
I love Cajun style.
He also has a really good meatless one with lentils and caramelized onions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpZpJSo9PMg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5D3B8F7A3F5C4820
Note that they can be dehydrated in a standard oven on a cookie sheet. So a dedicated dehydrator is a luxury.
p.s. You can see that this guy really enjoys his food
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO3C...L5D3B8F7A3F5C4820&lf=results_video&playnext=2
I love Cajun style.
He also has a really good meatless one with lentils and caramelized onions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpZpJSo9PMg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5D3B8F7A3F5C4820
Note that they can be dehydrated in a standard oven on a cookie sheet. So a dedicated dehydrator is a luxury.
p.s. You can see that this guy really enjoys his food
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Here's my rations for 3 days & 2 nights in winter. It's inexpensive, compact, and fun to plan:
Lots of calories in sugars, fats, proteins and carbs.
I mix my own food in ‘soup & sauce’ bags, so I can put boiling water directly into the bags, seal them up, and leave them for 10 minutes to rehydrate. I pop the bags into a jiffy-bag for insulation, so the food stays hot.
The porridge-mix has both sugar and powdered milk, so all I have to do is stir it properly to get it evenly mixed.
Those sachets of tuna and the long-life tortillas make a decent lunch; I might supplement with a home-made peanut-butter and cereal-bar.
The chorizo’s important, especially when it’s cold (Pork scratchings are good too!). The fat from it is a useful way for my body to generate heat in the evenings. A few chunks of that in my dehydrated spicy chili mix (with couscous) is quite tasty.
The hot beverages are important. I nick a few sachets from coffee-shops and service-stations from time-to time - they’re handy. Coffee in the morning, tea during the day and evenings. When it's could, I use more sugar. A bit OCD, but that’s how I am with these things.
Lots of calories in sugars, fats, proteins and carbs.
I mix my own food in ‘soup & sauce’ bags, so I can put boiling water directly into the bags, seal them up, and leave them for 10 minutes to rehydrate. I pop the bags into a jiffy-bag for insulation, so the food stays hot.
The porridge-mix has both sugar and powdered milk, so all I have to do is stir it properly to get it evenly mixed.
Those sachets of tuna and the long-life tortillas make a decent lunch; I might supplement with a home-made peanut-butter and cereal-bar.
The chorizo’s important, especially when it’s cold (Pork scratchings are good too!). The fat from it is a useful way for my body to generate heat in the evenings. A few chunks of that in my dehydrated spicy chili mix (with couscous) is quite tasty.
The hot beverages are important. I nick a few sachets from coffee-shops and service-stations from time-to time - they’re handy. Coffee in the morning, tea during the day and evenings. When it's could, I use more sugar. A bit OCD, but that’s how I am with these things.
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