You old bag
I don’t want to bang on about kit in this blog. For reasons explained in the previous post, I think gear (especially the newest super lightweight stuff) has become an obsession for some people, virtually to the exclusion of the hills. However, in the interests of anyone else wanting (mad enough) to do the Cape Wrath Trail in winter, I’ll outline what I’m going to take, and tell you what works and what doesn’t when I get home.
The bit of kit that I will miss the most is my trusty old Buffalo sleeping bag. This is the sleeping bag you really want in your pack when the British weather does what it does best. I’ve lost count of the times it has kept me warm and comfortable while others have been drying their expensive down bags over a 2 watt radiator in the campsite shower block.
This is the sleeping bag that laughs at rain. The downside is that it is rather heavy and bulky and weight is going to be at a premium on this trip. Also, on a recent trip to Knoydart when the temperatures dropped unexpectedly, it didn’t quite cut it in terms of warmth.
North West Scotland in mid December and January is not a place to be caught out, so I have recently acquired a PH Designs Minim 500 down bag. I was not influenced in any way by the fact that the company made Ran Fiennes’ expedition suit for his recent attempt on Everest - how dare you suggest it. This is my first ever down bag, such has been the sterling service the Buffalo has given me over the last 15 years.
The new bag weighs under 1kg, packs down very small and has a drilite cover which (I’m promised) makes it very water resistant. All I can say is that when a January storm whips in off the North Atlantic and I’m huddled in my tent - it better be!
P.S PH Designs kit is brilliant but very expensive. I was lucky and got a superb deal in their summer sale. Move quick as there are some real bargains.
