UK glorified day hiking list

I saw that you have a few RAB items so you must be a fan. Just in case you are not aware, there is a RAB outlet store in Alfreton, Derbyshire. May be worth going to check it out sometime.

Anyways I thought the TBD’s would be the best place to start. For trousers…sorry, pants, can I suggest some Rohan Ethers in case you want to buy from a UK brand. They are 200g and are durable, windproof, sun protecting, fast drying etc. and also include a belt for that weight.

Shoes. You could try Merrell trail gloves (176g per shoe) which have a mesh upper. My thinking is that water will undoubtedly get into your shoes anyway so it’s best that they dry out faster. You can then take waterproof socks and extra wool socks if needed. If it is colder/windier there are Merrell sonic gloves (210g per shoe). They use a softshell type upper. A bit less breathable, but windproof and water resistant.

Your backpack is really very heavy at 1250g so I would consider maybe finding an alternative – try here . The one I use is this patagonia one which weighs around 300g. It is frameless, but very comfortable and does all I need it to do. For more rigidity I cut a small rectangular shaped piece from a rollmat which acts as a backpad when needed. This also doubles as a seat pad for rest stops. If your emergency survival bag is one of those tall orange lifeventure ones, this could also be used to firm up the backpad.

It seems that you are taking two very excellent, but also very heavy jackets with you. In my opinion a baselayer+RAB Cirrus (150g) would do exactly the same job as the Boreas, but be lighter and far more versatile for summer or higher levels of activity. You could take a RAB Spark (250g) or Montane minimus jacket (215g) instead of the stretch neo.

For your meds, get some very small plastic containers so you don’t need to bring the whole tube/pack of anything. Also don’t take the whole roll of tape

You might want to bring a very light knife which might come in handy like the leatherman style (23g). You could bring chlorine dioxide tablets and carry less water. Also I don’t see a compass on your list which you might want to include.

In total I think you could quite easily save 1.6kg+.

Anyways hope this helps!

Thanks Loren. Taking things in order…

Rab: I'm mostly a Rab fan because they sometimes fit me (I'm the thick end of XXL). Montane/Haglofs/Patagonia/Berghaus/TNF mostly don't. Plus, Rab being quite successful, I can actually try their gear in shops.

Shoes: As it happens I have a pair of light Merrel road runners, and I like them. So I was already thinking I'd see if they have something similar with a bit of tread…

Pants: That's a really good weight, but I expect they won't have my size. I'll treat it as a target.

Backpack: tell me about it. The Deuter pack, which has enough mesh to make a MLD InnerNet and enough padding for Ryan Jordan to sleep on, is very comfy and pleasant to use. And it was cheap. But I suspect the sheer weight of it takes a few percent off how long I keep going each day. It served me well for five mile hikes, but…

Windshirt: I do have a Cirrus, but it doesn't really fit (same slim cut as Boreas but no stretch). I'll try it if I can shrink a bit. Also I *really* like the Boreas, I'm a conoisseur of breathability and the Boreas is downright excellent.

W/B shell: I love the Neo, it does to eVent what eVent does to Goretex. But yes, I could drop around half the weight. I think, since changing shell jackets is expensive and I also want to investigate the whole poncho thing, I'll save that for later.

Knife: makes sense.

Water treatment: I got the impression there's not a lot of water along the trail to purify, you mostly have to find a tap. I'll have another look at the map. But chemical water treatment is very light, it wouldn't take much to justify. Perhaps I should put a little in the medical/emergency kit on principle, even if it's not for every day.

Compass: I do feel happy about the idea of a backup.

What is all the starred stuff? Blister stuff yes, but B&B's aren't deserted refuges! Toilet paper, soap etc included :) Toothpaste tends not to be.

I wouldn't dream of laundry soap either. Esp for this sort of fairly short duration on somewhere that'll be as dry as the south downs must be likely to be.

The breakfasts will of course provide a crazy amount of fuel each day.

Starred stuff is things I wouldn't normally take on a single day hike, but thought I might want on a "chain day hike" for want of a better term. E.g. a bit of Nikwax TechWash for my baselayers that smell horrible after 2 days and don't like being washed in detergent.

Toilet paper and handwash was for use on the trial. There are some long stretches on the SDW.