Gear Breakdown | Part 2 | Shelter & Sleep

Shelter & Sleep

British outdoor adventurer Alastair Humphreys has started a microadventure trend in the UK and it's something I fully intend to jump on the bandwagon with. Travel somewhere, throw down a bivy and a sleeping bag, then journey back. With future adventure in mind I decided to stump up and get some proper kit for sleep and shelter.

Shelter

Outdoor Research Helium Bivy

After researching the available options I ended up going for an Outdoor Research Helium bivy for a sleep shelter. The groundsheet is pre-weave polyurethane waterproofed and anti-fungal treated thin strand, high density nylon. The upper is an even finer strand Pertex Shield coated nylon weave. Along with the solid construction and seams it should hold up to be a decently waterproof and breathable bivy bag. But what really sold it to me over the close competition was the bug net and the flexible pole that keeps the net and door flap off the face when sleeping. I've also invested in some Gram Counter titanium micro pegs: five to secure the ground sheet and one for a guy rope.

Sleep System

Yeti Passion One

I love my sleep so I've invested in a good lightweight sleeping bag, a quality liner and a well rated mattress that should last me for years to come. The durability and warmth of the 320g Yeti Passion One sleeping bag with a RAB silk liner laid on top of a Thermarest Neoair X-lite mattress should hopefully do the trick. The Neoair mat came with a free battery powered pump and, although I was initially dubious about it's use and efficiency, I've been converted by what I've read. Apparently using outside air avoids the temperature disparity caused by warm exhaled air that can cause the mattress to lose its firmness as it cools. Avoiding blowing up the mat by mouth also prevents moisture build up inside the mattress that can be difficult to remove. Saying all this I'm probably just fooling myself though and in reality it's just that I'd prefer not to be huffing and puffing to blow a mattress up after walking all day.

EXTRA: Gear List

I've just started my gear list over at Lighterpack.com. Head over there to check it out.


Addendum - Interesting reads:Textile & fabric technology Q&A

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Gear Breakdown | Part 1 | Tech Stuff

Gear Breakdown | Part 1 | Tech Stuff

I'm going to need some technology with me on this little adventure... Blogging along the way, using GPS for directions, recording my GPS route and geolocating photos. Some music wouldn't go amiss, I need to keep in touch with friends and family and I'd like a lifeline in case of emergency. Throw some social media access and a newsreader into the mix and serve with chips. These technology requirements have physical weight (and cost) that I will need to balance against my aim to travel as lightly as possible.

After much research and thought I decided to go with the following:

Communication, connectivity & GPS: iPhone 6S

The latest iPhone update replaces my fading iPhone 4. This will be my go to tool for just about everything I need on the journey but I'll need backup plans in case something untoward happens to it along the way. For protection I've added a Griffin Survivor Journey case, which will protect it from drops up to 2m, and I'll also get a waterproof pouch.

Backup Power: Anker Powercore & Solar Charger

I'll probably be able to charge at some stops along the way but as I intend to sleep out in a bivy bag as much as possible and the constant GPS tracking will rapidly drain the iPhone I'll need a backup battery. Efficiency is key so weight, power, physical size, capacity and cost will need to all weigh up. Having looked at a number of battery suppliers I settled on Anker being the go to brand and made comparisons of their models.

Anker Powercore 20100

The Anker Powercore 20100 ticked all the boxes, had the best reviews, and came up top in my calculations of power & capacity vs weight & size. It's the second heaviest battery in the list but I figure that I'd rather stomach the weight and have the peace of mind that I can keep my iPhone charged and tracking for a few days without recourse to mains electricity. To top this all off it was on sale on Amazon.

In tests I got 6-7 full iPhone 6S charges out of the Anker Powercore 20100 but it needed a good 10 hours to fully charge up on mains electricity.

Powercore Mini

Powerport Solar Lite

I also picked up an Anker Powerport Solar Lite solar charger and have a smaller Powercore Mini that I may take too - I'm undecided as to their real usefulness at the moment given I'm already lugging a large battery pack and should find reasonable access to mains electricity along the way. My final decision will come when I get out for some field testing when the weather improves based on how much the GPS apps drains the iPhone battery.

Tracking & Emergency GPS: Spot Gen 3

Spot Gen 3

To put my family's minds at ease, allow backup recording of the route and people to track me - especially useful if I decide to try and do some charity fund raising ahead of the trip - I've opted to hire a Spot Gen 3 for the month of April from their Turkish distributor Globalstar Eurasia (contact Omer Soner omer.soner[at]globalstar.com.tr). Not cheap at $79.90 plus tax and I probably won't get full access to the account but I will have live online tracking links to share and peace of mind if I end up solo and going as quickly as possible.

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And So It Begins... Reasons & Rules

And So It Begins... Reasons & Rules

Reasons

My love of the great outdoors has been on the back burner for years but was rekindled by my three year foray into running - from the couch to 5K plan in 2012 to running the 2015 Berlin Marathon - so I'm signing up for a month of head space with a run/walk/crawl along the famed Lycian Way from Fethiye to Antalya in April 2016.

I'm looking on it as a solo, semi-self supported exploit, but it's likely I could be joined by numerous people for parts or even all of the route and I may well end up in a pansion on some occasions, with days off from travelling here and there to rest, recuperate or just drink a bottle of raki.

Hopefully this will be the first post of many detailing the adventure as I record my preparation, blog along the route and end with some endorphin filled debrief that crashes into darker post-adventure depressive missive.

Rules

To kick this off though, some aims and rules of this gig:

• Travel from Fethiye to Antalya using only my legs (and occasionally hands)

• Complete the route in 3-4 weeks

• Camp out and remain unsupported as much as possible

• Cook out whenever possible but don't miss out on enjoying the local cuisine - stay fuelled and energised to make sure I enjoy the month to the full

• Don't die. Also avoid injury. Rest & recuperate when required. It's not a race...

• ...saying that, run as much and as far as possible - chip along to get the travel time down

• Don't miss out on the views. Regularly stop to take it all in Chat to locals. Accept invitations

• Leave no trace. Clean up the route along the way

Post #1 done. Lets see how that looks on the blog! Next up, preparation and anticipation...

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