Tent

Southern Uplands, Scotland, April 2008

Our tent is fab. It’s a Hilleberg Nallo GT (with the extended vestibule, for all our gear) which we’ve used for a few years. The vestibule is spacious enough to accommodate 6 panniers, and - on the rare occasion when my paranoid H&S alter-ego is sleeping - to cook in. The only down side is that it is fully nylon, which reduces weight, but increases condensation dramatically.

All the gear for 2 years - apparently.

Sleeping bags

Because of the above issues, we opted for Marmot sleeping bags, which have very water resistant outers - apparently. They are down filled with a -9c rating, which should be (really really) warm for the summer across the States, but comfortable in most other conditions. Joy gets cold quickly, and as I don’t want the hassle of changing gear half way through, I was happy to get the same one as her. Anything for a quiet life

We both use Rab silk mummy liners for extra warmth when needed. On a more regular basis they also keep the bags clean for longer.

Bedrolls

Our bedrolls are, of course, Thermarest - what else..? Supremely comfy and long lasting. Joy’s is a three quarter length 4 season, Joff’s a full length 4 season.

Both the rolls and the bags were bought at www.theoutdoorshop.com. Service was excellent and we’d recommend them every time.

Cooker and pots

We’ve had a spot of bother with selecting a cooker. Joff’s old MSR disappeared during one of his 113 house moves, and at the mo we are relying on a new Markill gas canister burner which has rather natty little pivoting arms and weighs less than an old ha’penny. It’s really that small…. The canisters themselves will weigh slightly more… In time, we’ll make a more informed choice over cooker, as we understand that obtaining these canisters in parts of Central and South America is quite difficult. And of course, they’re not refillable. Or returnable. Which is not good. 

The 0.9l and 1.3l pots with lids are a titanium set by Vargo. Great quality and so far so have proved pretty good. Gentle hands are needed to clean them without scratching the finish, so Joff’s delicate office hands work beautifully.

Clothes

Merino wool features on a major scale. 4 layers from thin t-shirt to jumper will enable us to remain warm and cool as necessary, but most importantly, smell-free. When we sweat - pushing our bikes up some hill - we won’t get clammy and cold. With Merino, we’ll remain warm and comfortable. Fleece is just so passe, darling. And it smells. And it makes you cold when you sweat. Which makes sleeping in a tent - unwashed - an even more unpleasant experience than it might otherwise be.

2 pairs of trunks/knicks each. Merino - unless it itches.

After much tooing and froing, we opted for waterproof jackets by Rab, called Drillium. The eVent fabric they use is fantastic. They’re amazingly waterproof but let the sweat out in buckets. They make my old Gore tex Paclite look like a plastic bag. Our waterproof trousers are also the same material by the same manufacturer. Brilliant.

We bought this gear from www.Joe-brown.com in north Wales. They have a great shop and an equally good internet service.

We’re both taking fleece hats and Joy is also taking a fleece neck tube by Berghaus.

Footwear

As we have both chosen to go for clipless pedals, we opted for Shimano SPD shoes with a Vibram sole unit and goretex lining to ensure our feet stay dry - well, that’s the theory. They are very comfortable and support the foot.

 Our spare shoes, for use while showering and pottering about in, are those lovely open toed things popularised by Teva. Joy has had hers forever, Joff bought his Merrell version in 2007.

2 pairs of socks each. No more.

Other stuff

Cameras

We both have digital cameras. Joff’s is a 7.1mp Pentax Optio which is entirely waterproof. we bought this for kayaking, and it has proved very successful. It even takes good quality video. It’s pretty small and in a hardened carry case is worth its weight.

Joy’s camera is a 10mp Canon SX110. It’s not waterproof, but is good quality and we like it.

Water bottle

We are also taking a water purification bottle, which has yet to be tested - but if it is as good as the hype says it is, it would seem to a couple of laymen like us, that (all things being equal….) cholera and other nasties could be effectively eradicated in a matter of years.

First aid kit

Our first aid kit comprises the usual stuff, but with the inclusion of an Epipen for Joff, who doesn’t like wasp stings very much (This pen has a one-shot injection of adrenaline to combat anaphalactic shock). We’re also taking penicillin, again because Joff is a bit of a weakling and suffers from the occasional chest infection, as well as a couple of sterile needles.

 …….and

also fitting into our tardis are headtorches by Petzl, battery chargers, a notepad (a real, paper one, not a small computer), Latin American Spanish phrasebook, 2 reading books - the Penguin History of the USA is heavy going, but interesting - an electric shaver by Wahl, sunglasses, bandana and a small SW radio bought for Joff by his friends in 1991 before he went around the world.

Tool kit and spares

This is for us an interesting area. We could have taken a  lot more tools, but we wouldn’t know how to use them - and besides, major things are not going to go wrong…. Alright, they might not go wrong, and if they do, we’ll cross those bridges when we come to them. In then end, we decided to bring along the following:-

• Topeak Alien 27 multitool
• 4 spare 260mm spokes
• spare Raleigh inner tubes x 2
• puncture repair kit with (lots of) patches and 1 extra nylon tyre lever
• spare metal bodied Zefal pump 
• small allen key set.