|
|||||||||
|
|
Towards the Light
Finally,
ultra-light gear suitable for UK conditions is here - Òthank youÓ! Four thousand
years ago, when a stone-age man hiked across the Tisenjoch Glacier, he
carried only the minimum of tools and provisions. On the one hand, this makes him the earliest recorded
example of an ultra-light traveller, someone whoÕd worked out that travelling
light meant covering longer distances with less effort. On the other hand, we only know about
his journey because scientists excavated his frozen remains and named him
Òthe icemanÓ, so heÕs also a warning that safety margins shrink with pack
weight. Light is right. Too light and youÕre a popsicle. It has
taken more than four millennia, but finally light and ultra-light backpacking
equipment, suitable for UK conditions, has arrived. The reason, dear reader, is you. Oh, we writers have banged on about it, but you have made
the real difference. You have
carried your kitchen scales into outdoor shops to pick the lightest
tops. Unless you asked for
rucksacks without lots of zips, and heavy adjustable back systems, thatÕs all
thereÕd be. Make no mistake -
your demands that manufacturers lighten up have worked. So may I take this opportunity to
say, Òthank youÓ, and add tartly, Òabout time tooÓ.
ÒThanks Ð what took you so
long?Ó From the
1970Õs onwards, gear was getting heavier, not lighter. Next years model had to have an extra
feature, and no-one bothered if that extra pocket / strap / back system added
weight. And we bought it. Faced with a choice between a simple
sack-with-straps, and the latest engineering marvel, we bought the shiny, heavier
one. After all, it had more
features for our money. ÒI could
have made a really light rucksack years agoÓ, says Mike Parsons, a driving
force behind Karrimor and Kimmlite gear, Òbut IÕd have only sold fiftyÓ. MikeÕs been designing weight out of
products for years, such as the KSB boot, the Alpinist rucksack, and the
classic KIMM sack, backpack of choice for the Karrimor International Mountain
Marathon. So what changed? In a word
- convergence. Enough people, in
enough sports, started demanding light gear at the same time as new fabrics
became available. ÒLook aroundÓ,
said Mike. It was the evening
before the 38th KIMM, the grand daddy of mountain marathons and
adventure races, and the large marquee near Ullswater was crowded with
competitors. ÒThree thousand
people are taking part this weekendÓ, explained Mike, Òand they donÕt just do
this Ð they go climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, adventure racing, and
moreÓ. Adventure Racing is key
sport in this list, because those who take part have to bike, run, climb,
hike even ski, using the same gear.
If something works for adventure racing, then itÕll work for the all
rounder who can use it cycling one day and backpacking the next. In short,
the market has grown. Now Mike
has ditched the name Kimmlite in favour of ÒOriginal Mountain MarathonÓ. One sack has grown into an entire
range of ultra-light clothing, sleeping bags and packs, one of which Mike
gave me to use on the KIMM. I
rarely rhapsodise about gear, but picking up the 45L Alex MacSack was like
greeting an old friend. It has enough ÒextrasÓ like mesh pockets, ice-axe
attachments, compression and a rope carrying system to make it more than a
sack-with-straps, but cunningly these can all be stripped off for the
purists. Yet
something else has changed, something more than market size. Perhaps weÕve started to see our
equipment as a whole, rather than individual components. There was no point in shaving a few
grams off your waterproof jacket if your pack and tent sat on your back like
a pile of bricks. Rarely will
one manufacturer praise another, but Mike Parsons believes credit for this
change goes to an American company.
GoLite
was first to produce an entire system of lightweight gear, and TGO was first
in the UK to test it. For the
September 2001 issue, I spent a couple days backpacking in the Ben Alder area
carrying a 12lb pack of GoLite gear (tarp, waterproofs, wind-proofs and
belt-less pack) while Deputy Editor John Manning carried a ÒtraditionalÓ 26lb
backpacking load. While I
revelled in the freedom of the lighter load, I was all too aware the pack was
unusual, the tarp would have been hellish in midge season and the waterproofs
seemed too flimsy for an extended trip.
TGOÕs Equipment Editor Chris Townsend wrote, ÒÉthe question is whether
American ultralight gear is suitable for British conditionsÓ. With hindsight, the answer was no,
not yet. GoLiteÕs
founders Kim and Demetri (ÒCoupÓ) Coupounas arenÕt too keen to admit their
gear has changed. ÒWeÕre proud
that weÕre still making and selling six of the twelve items in our original
system. WeÕve stayed true to our
rootsÓ, Coup told me on the phone from Boulder, Colorado, ÒWeÕre still
ultra-light. In-fact we now have
a waterproof breathable thatÕs even lighter than those early designs. But we know some people prefer to be
light rather than ultra-light.
It may be a question of confidence; or they may spend ages hanging on
a belay; or they may operate in climates with persistent bad weather. So we havenÕt changed, weÕve expanded
our range to provide light gear for those people tooÓ. British
backpacking presents a significant challenge. Mountain marathon gear only has to work for two days and
one night in the wilds.
Multi-day Adventure Races demand tougher, more protective gear, but
suffering seems part of the sport.
Faced day after day or driving rain, British backpackers want two
shells, one to wear during the day and one to crawl into at night. Coup is
aware of this, although he admits he has no experience of UK hiking. ÒMy people left Europe, and the more
I hear about the weather, the more IÕm comfortable with their decisionÓ, he
jokes. But the
company has responded to feedback received from users and reviewers. The result is the Phantom jacket and
Shadow trousers, both in PacLite Goretex; the Galaxy pack, which recently won
the TGO Best Big Pack award; and shelters to which floors and vestibules have
been added. IÕve recently been using the Eisenhower Tunnel tarp, nicknamed
the Ike, a single skin tunnel tent with impressive side and end ventilation,
and a lot of space for just 1800g.
ItÕs named after the worldÕs highest tunnel-with-a-major-road, which
cuts through the Continental Divide in Colorado at 11,100ft. However, unlike the real thing, the
Ike shelter has a tendency to sag if not pitched perfectly.
The GoLite Ike So what
next? The next stage in
ultra-light is to combine systems.
ItÕs only possible because we now have the phenomenal luxury of
choice, between light, ultra-light and even super-ultra-light! When Liz and I want space on a
multi-day backpack through Scotland, we might take the Ike (1800g). If we can predict good weather, we
could use our Henry Shires TarpTent (720g), or in bad weather a Hilleberg
Nallo 2 (2200g). For the
Karrimor Mountain Marathon, we endured one cramped night in the OMM
competition tent, which is like a large bivi-bag, because it weighs just
970g.
OMM / KIMMlite Competition Tent Likewise,
I ran the KIMM with a 300g OMM Kamelika smock and 250g pants as waterproofs,
which wouldnÕt survive a winter backpack over Cairngorm plateau, but then, I
wouldnÕt take them there.
However, Liz and I would use a 400g GoLite Phantom or Berghaus PacLite
jacket on any UK backpacking trip, winter or summer. And unless weÕre out for more than a
couple of nights weÕll wear light Innov8 running shoes. WeÕll get wet feet, but the shoes
drain and dry fast, and when combined with Smartwool socks, we donÕt get
cold. Come winter, we have
fabric boots which take crampons. The
obvious problem is cost. Like
most people, we canÕt afford to buy entire systems in one go. However, after many years choosing
only the lightest gear, particularly for our 2002 Pacific Crest Trail hike, we
can now combine different elements to suit conditions, terrain and length of
route. IÕve just listed what
works for me, there are many options out there. The trick is finding what suits you best, and then keep
pushing to go just a little lighter.
Mike Parsons describes this as Ògoing lighter than makes you
comfortableÓ. Incremental
change, he reckons, is relatively safe and, once youÕre comfortable at one
level, you go lighter still. Beware of
bandwagon jumping. Manufacturers
will call their product Òultra-lightÓ when itÕs patently not. Until the retailers provide them,
youÕll still need the kitchen scales when you go shopping. Check-out |
||||||||
L