Ok, this isn’t something for the Winter months, but i’ve got to have something to look forward to once there’s no chance of snow.

Looking online for a rough definition of what pack weight is classed as i’ve found the following. <9.1 kilos is lightweight (this is probably around what i carry on a winter camp!) <4.5 Kg is Ultralightweight <2.3 Kg is Superlighweight

These are base pack weights - so they include all your carried equipment (tent, spare clothes, stove etc.) but exclude what you’re wearing and consumables (food and fuel)/ Of course, one can wear all of the clothing and cook the books in that way (unless you leave the stove at home). Walking poles are often counted as ‘worn’ as well - so there’s a lot of number juggling involved.

So my mission, if i choose to accept it, is to superlightweight in Snowdonia sometime in the spring/summer. With that sort of packweight though, something’s got to be sacrificed be it cooked food, comfort or a lot of money. I’m determined to do so without spending a fortune as i could easily buy a sleeping bag 300g lighter than mine. The weather’s also got to be pretty fine, as I’ll not be carrying much in the way of spare clothing. So around 4 degrees at night should be OK.

The pack’s been bought, only £15 and a decent little thing at 305g. I’m getting my shelter next, for not much more. So far I’ve got the pack weight to just over 2kilos, to which I’ll add a few odds and sods (i can fit all those into the 200g I’ve got spare!). The weight also assumes that I’m not sharing any gear - it’s going to be a solo weight. Splitting it in 2 is far too easy! Likewise, I’ve got to be able to prepare hot food.

To test this - i reckon that a 3 day trip - medium level, in late spring should be a sufficient test. Something like the Eryri Way from Penrhyndeudraeth to Conwy, around 75km should do the trick. In fact, if rain is promised then I’ll be even more comfortable as I’ll just wear Paramo waterproofs for the duration (worn = don’t count!)

The forecast last weekend appeared benign. So the decision to bivvy in the Moelwynion was taken. May as well take the tarp, in the unlikely event it rains.

We started off in Bethania and thought we should follow the Ron Turnbull method of eating at whatever hostelries that make themselves available. So we had a hearty breakfast at the Caffi Gwynant. This place comes highly recommended as it''s got very good service and uses quality local produce. You can tell that the eggs are free range, they have flavour! From here we went past Llyn Gwynant and our April bivvy spot before ascending to Bwlch y Rhediad in glorious sunshine. Summer might have arrived!

Now let nobody tell you different, but the walk over (or rather alongside) Cerrig Cochion is a pig. It may only be a couple of kilometres but it feels twice that and a little more. The first bit is nice and grassy, if a bit damp. But beyond this the path follows undulations in the terrain and inside each dip lies man eating bog. Ok, it may not be that bad, but once we''d passed the first few, we though we were clear of the problem. After all the rain we''d had the ground was quite sodden and a full soaking was on the cards.

But were we clear? NO. Did we use the stiles that took us to the left and past the bog? NO, well, not until my walking companion had found himself waist deep in mire and unable to free himself. Unfortunately, the camera was not on and i thought i''d better pull him out and keep a friend rather than get a corking shot to put on here. Once free, a bit more poking saw my walking pole disappear with no resistance into what was essentially a pool and probably deeper than the one already encountered.

\n

\n

We did finally get to Llyn Edno, and soon after the sun disappeared and the wind picked up. We started wishing we had our tents and our usual ration of alcohol, which we''d gone without. Of course, one the tarp was up, and we were quite happy with the storm pitching to the ground, it began to rain! However, we found it was quite cosy inside, with loads of space up in the end for gear. Playing with the rear pole gave us some headroom.

\n

\n

\n

Once the evening set in, we were quite comfortable, but could have done with a groundsheet of some sort as i kept getting my elbow wet on the grass. The alcohol would have helped me sleep too and i had quite a restless night, kept losing my sleep mat and i was moving to the end of the tent in my sleep. I kept waking with a mouthful of silnylon and drips of condensation falling on my face. It was soon light though, and then i fell asleep till well after eight (strange).

The next morning was no better than the Saturday, with a thunderstorm passing a few K to the south. So we decided to climb Moel Meirch and return to Bethania for breakfast swearing i was never going to use the tarp again. Looking back on it, it wasn''t a bad night. I''ve had worse in a tent and this pitch was quite bumpy so it was no wonder i didn''t sleep until i was completely exhausted. What i do know is that i''m not skimping on the luxuries next time i bivvy as they can be essential to keep morale up.

\n

I did go on that 3 day walk. I took my tarp, and it was a fine trip. But something cut it short.

Read more »

See below a pic of my new tarp, i still need to work on my knots i think. The 3x3m tarp is a lot larger than you''d imagine, and the pitch i''d chosen was a lot smaller than i''d first guessed - so the tarp was pitched in a rather cramped position.

I forgot to put the weights for my new toys in.

Pepsi can stove, weighs less than 30g, with the plastic box it lives in, wire pot stand and foil windscreen.

The Tarp weighs 650g, not including 600g for my walking poles and the pegs that are needed.

So, how do these compare to my usual gear? The alcohol stove is 60g lighter than my MSR Pocket Rocket, plus the fuel bottle weighs less than an empty gas cannister. You can also see exactly how much fuel you''ve got left. No amount of weighing gas canisters seems to get me any closer to finding out ther ultimate dilemma for an overnight camp. Is there enough gas in here? Fuel is also very cheap, £12 for 5 litres of the stuff. I''ve paid £3-4 for a gas canister - with the savings becoming much more apparent for short trips when i''d carry a 100g canister (expensive, if you can find somewhere that sells them). On the down side, i wouldn''t want to use the alcohol stove in the porch of my tent and the stove does seem to be rather heavy on the meths - but i reckon that''s more down to operator error than the stove.

The case for the tarp is a bit more complex. Total weight for the shelter will be about the same as my Laser tent. 650g for the tarp, 600g for the poles plus pegs and so on. Add 350g for a Rab Survival Zone bivvy bag and you''ve gone over! A bit of jiggery pokery with the stats, like all backpackers who claim their pack weight was "THIS LIGHT!", means that i get the walking poles for ''free'' as they're effectively worn. So, the weight is just about a kilo for a servicable shelter. I could easily cut the tarp down to a few hundred grams and have enough shelter to cover my torso in a bivvy bag, but how low do I want to go? I''d just skip the tarp altogether for ultimate lightweight, or take a tent if the weather looked a bit iffy on multiple day trips.

Share the tarp with another and the weight savings really become apparent. You could easily sleep 3 or 4 in bivvy bags in there, who would probably just sleep in the open if it was fine weather.

The main thing for me with the tarp is that it''s not just about weight. It''s a lot about the way we approach sleeping in the outdoors. I can''t see it replacing my tent, but it''s definately going to be used as shelter for a few select trips this summer.