During the build up to Offa’s Dyke, Phil Turner (@Lightw8Outdoors) was very helpful with advice on how to lighten our backpacks (I think he was horrified how heavy they were going to be!)
In the end we managed to get our backpacks down to a non-horrific weight, about 15kg each – but this is how the master does it:
Having a good, well worn in, pair of boots is pretty damn important when it comes to hiking – let alone attempting a 13 day, 185 mile, epic hike across the hills and valleys of the Wales / England border.
The Brasher Supalite II GTX Walking Boots were ideal boots for Offa’s Dyke – they are comfortable and lightweight, but are still water proof and offer sufficient support. They are available from White and Bishops for £111 (they are also available for Women)… Read the rest of this entry »
Orikaso (meaning “to fold plastic”) are lightweight flat pack folding cups, bowls and plates made from Polypropylene.
During my two week Offa’s Dyke hike, I found two sets of Orikaso an absolutely ideal solution for both me and the dog (using the plate for food, and the bowl for water). Orikaso are lightweight, durable and really easy to clean – available in red, blue and green sets, they are a bargain at £2.99 per set on Amazon.… Read the rest of this entry »
Here is draft pack list of everything I am planning to pack for our Offa’s Dyke camping / walking challenge. Weights are given for all items in the backpack.
I would love to hear any comments or suggestions for how I can reduce the weight!… Read the rest of this entry »
There is one fundamental problem with modern “Social Hiking 2.0″ is battery power – on a single device you have gps switched on, you are navigating using Viewranger (which is also updating your position online and updating the position of your Viewranger buddies on your phone), you are also sending, reading and replying to Tweets, uploading photos, reading and responding to Facebook comments and updating your blog.
All this leaves your average phone dead by the end of the day (by teatime if it is a touchscreen phone) – and that is where Powertraveller’s excellent portable power device the powermonkey comes in!… Read the rest of this entry »
Our weekend camping and walking in the Surrey Hills gave us the opportunity to make sure we have the right equipment for Offa’s Dyke (now just over a month away), and to see how physically prepared we are.
Equipment-wise we have done quite well – there are a few little tweaks, but in general we have everything we need. The one key learning point for me though is the importance of caring for your feet when hiking for multiple days in a row.… Read the rest of this entry »
Now I have started putting together my kit for Offa’s Dyke, it has occurred to me that there is something fairly fundamental that I have completely failed to take into account… my dog.
Now I wouldn’t even think about going on a walk without my dog, let alone a trip like this – but I had not really thought about the implications, in terms of weight to carry, that having my dog with me would have.… Read the rest of this entry »
It would seem that the curse involving me and tents is (hopefully) over – I have, safe in my possession, The North Face Tadpole 23 kindly leant to me by @fergycool.… Read the rest of this entry »
Next weekend we are off camping (yes in February!!) in the North Downs (just South of Godalming) to get some training walks in and to get some practice camping light. I don’t have any OS maps of the area, so I decided to “nip” into a local outdoor shop to pick a few up. I should have known better – an hour later and my wallet feeling considerably lighter, I left the shop with a huge bag filled with goodies.
Having put together an equipment list for Offa’s Dyke before Christmas, and crossing off a few items friends and family kindly bought me, I took advantage of the sales (and in some cases a VAT freeze) to pick up a few items I needed.… Read the rest of this entry »
