Wow, here's me cutting about the hills with 20kg+ (incl. 7kg photography kit) & you're gliding along sub-6kg! Definitely need to make some changes, haha! Very interesting watch sir, all the best to you & Moss :)
Cheers Scott 👍 Aye, it's quite specific kit with a specific purpose in mind right enough. I don't normally use my UL gear for general backpacking: for that I use my Osprey backpack, Alpkit tent etc. Normal gear really; when you use the UL stuff after that it feels like you are not carrying anything! In fact 13ish kg would be about what my normal load out with food for a couple of days would weigh I think. 7kg of camera gear though?! What are you carrying? A load of full frame gear? Cheers! 🙂🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate That’s good to know, I’m still using winter kit as well as it’s been Baltic, but I’m looking forward to getting the more lightweight 3 season gear on the go & get myself & the pup a wee Lanshan 2 🙂 Aye, full frame gear with the focal range I need. 80-200 is a kilo in itself! My mirrorless setup is much the same weight when you look at the batteries etc too!
Wow! John great info got me thinking a lot for the summer of 2020 even thou we have 12 feet of snow yet in Labrador Canada snow should be gone by end of May fingers crossed give me time to get my weight down on my pack thanks again Dave from Labrador City, Labrador Canada
Thanks Paul! 👍 I used that filter setup on my winter hike: ruclips.net/video/6DgiRSSLIxw/видео.html And review it more in depth in this vid 'My Favorite Water Filter': ruclips.net/video/08e9XMngAaw/видео.html Hope that helps, Cheers! 🐾👍
Really interesting, but.....I too have a border collie called Moss :-) . He occasionally backpacks with me. He has small Ruffwear panniers but I still have to carry some of his gear. I'd be interested to know what you take for your dog and what it weighs! Perhaps we should have some UL vlogging advice for dog owners!
Another cracking video mate. My set up is at least 4 times heavier. Maybe I like my luxuries to much. Well done you for getting the weight down tho. I admire people like you who do ultralight stuff. I would be afraid to snag and rip the pack. It all seems a bit delicate and I don't get adding all the pouches to hold your kit - surely it would be better to have a larger pack. Sorry not having a go at you. Just me I don't really get ultralight weight. I know carry less = going further. Maybe I just need to try it some time. Anyhow all the best and thanks for sharing with us
Thanks! 🐾👍 Haha, aye, I was exactly the same: I literally hated seeing folk cutting about with things hanging off everywhere from their pack. I think I'm a bit OCD so it used to crack me up...until 😱.... Basically I got an Osprey Exos and it has a mesh back bit to jam thing in and mesh sides that you could grab your water bottles from while on the move: jeez-oh - I loved it! Next thing I know I have crap hanging all over the place but it is just so convienient when you are living out of your pack for an extended duration! Having to stop and take off your pack and root around became a real annoyance. I think it's probably more specific to folk doing like 3+ day long distance hikes: having to root about your pack becomes a real pain real quick! The pack material is more durable than folk think. My ex showed me Zpacks stuff about 2 years ago. First I was all like 'that's just daft', 'You will destroy that in 2 mins' etc. Fast forward to now and I have the stuff I slagged aff! The backpack I have is made of the same stuff the travel pouch I mention in this vid. I literally wear that every day like a mad bum bag guy: but it's held up super well! I have been wearing that every day for a year and seeing how durable it actually was that made me go down that material pack route.
Totally. It's basically all about whatever meets your needs and the style in which you want to hike in. Like the Zpacks stuff and this lightweight setup is because I want to start doing bigger mile days. I can do 20-22 miles a day with my old setup but I want to get to doing 30's. It's at that point you really need to start cutting weight to do consecutive 20-30's. If I was doing 10-15 miles a day with someone I would bring a lot more luxuries etc and not worry about the weight as much. Plus the pack itself would be heavier and more durable as you can't load up these UL packs like you can with the likes of the Osprey. I mean I was even able to carry Moss and all my gear when she hurt herself in my Osprey Exos. It was crazy overloaded and all that happened was the chest strap popped off one side (which I can repair). No way would my UL setup be able to handle that. Swings and roundabouts, ken. I really think Osprey have nailed it with the Exos in terms of weight, features, durability and price. They now have the Levity too, which is even lighter but that is getting into sacrificing durability territory of weight, like all the UL stuff is. Yeah, the Exos is damn good. Cheers! 👍
Ok so you and I have just about identical items ... I use the Arc Haul though ... I’ve consciously added extra weight with full frame camera and carbon fibre tripod ... Gping to do the Hebridean Way in late April or Early May ..so extra weight to hopefully get good images is worth it . Big issue for me is Food weight .. Still not got balance right ...
You are talking sense good Sir! 👍 Full frame camera=Nice! Defo worth it for good video and images. What are you shooting with? Aye, the food conundrum: I'm currently working with slow release carbs in the morning with protein and wee fats to keep me through the day, quick release carbs/sugar snacks when hiking for the energy dump when I'm flagging, then eating a quick release carbs with lots of protein and fat in camp of an evening to keep me warm and build back up the spent glycogen. Crazy combo in normal life but it works for me on the trail: especially the high fat at night to keep me warm. When I was just eating carbs at night I was cold AF.
Hounds of Howgate Canon 6D Mk2 stills mainly and back at the learning to improve .. instagram is man_shoots_snaps ... I gave you a location tag hint there weeks ago . I will sacrifice speed to capture image/memories ..that said , WHW 20mile days last Summer, I only had energy for iPhone 8 snaps ..they were none too shabby .. Food. I hate porridge ! But normally eat that for breakfast on trail.. thinking about making up a weetabix/powdered milk/raisin mix from now on.. Dehy main meals at dinner ..the odd noodles and pepperami at lunch and similar day snacks as yourself .. True story WHW one day I was wrecked in evening and simply ate a Mathesons Smoked Sausage from its wrapper before head hit pillow .. fatty , salty and protein ... I slept well..
On your on Insta now. ✔ Yeah, flapjack's are basically ideal for breakfast. Oats for a trickle and a quick release dump from the syrup. 500 calories too to keep you going. I can't be bothered cooking in the morning so that's what I'm rocking now. Yeah, I'm really tempted to start taking my 77D out hiking but I'd be worried about it's size eventually annoying me. Just now I'm filming with my Sony FDR-X3000 and Canon G7x Mkii for pics and vids. Often use my phone too as it's just so convienient. In fact I filmed all my WHW up to the Skye Trail vids on my S7 on a gimbal!
I'd probably say around 300g dry and 350g in a fully groomed state. Fully groomed we would be looking at a weight of around 350 g and thus the moustache able to exert a force of approximately 3.5 N: essentially providing me with an extra 0.443% of force over that of an average adult (who can exert a force of roughly 790 Newtons). Note- Groomed would, of course, include the weight of my favourite Bounder Extra Firm Moustache Wax (rum scented obviously).
Thanks Mike! ✔👍 Yeah, I'm kinda saving it just for longer thru hikes. It's ideal and has all the features I want. I particularly like the air back. It's not a problem in the cold not having it but it makes such a difference when it is hot. I don't know if I could go back to normal packs after having used air gap backpacks. I really liked my Osprey Exos. Good price, great back system and I really like all the features on it. I do hate the 2 colour schemes they have though. Pretty nasty. Unfortunately I bought the exos in a size too big after seeing it for a really good price and kidding myself on that it would be okay. It would start getting uncomfortable after about 10 miles. Hat's off to it though, it seen me through the WHW, Skye Trail, CWT and all the other hiking I done in between last year and performed admirably. Cheers! 🐾👍 P.s. I like that 'StayCornish' bit. 🙂✔👍
Hounds of Howgate Some of my camping buddies have frameless packs and love them, I don’t think I could use them after my haul it’s so comfortable. One thing that did fail was my Zpacks pack liner, first time I used it in the rain 🌧 (see my last vid) it let in water in one corner and got my quilt wet. Zpacks sent me some tape 😕 to fix my brand new $40 item?? But apart from that I’m very happy with it. ATB Mike StayCornish😬
Thanks Steve 👣🐾👍 Costly right enough and only really needed if you are trying to push beyond consecutive 20's. Or if someone has a bad back/knees or something. Like I still use my Osprey Exos as a go to backpack as it has a great combination of cost/features/weight/durability. If someone was to ask me to recommend a general backpack I would feel happy pointing in that direction for sure.
@@HoundsofHowgate it's funny John but in this type of pursuit "less is more" if you know what I mean...lol I have an exos amongst other stuff, not sure of its load capacity/weight is though, do you think that's why yours started creeping after poor moss had been in it? Over weighted it 🤔 ATB
@@steverichardson5817 oh yeah, if you are wanting to do long distances then for sure. Weight really does matter. There are a few: the large is a 58L and weights about 1.2kg. The load rating is 7kg to 18kg. As Moss weighs about 15-16kg, carrying her with the rest of my gear meant that the EXOS was severely overladen. The fact that the only thing that went wrong with the pack under these circumstances was that the chest strap pulled off was really impressive actually. I reattached the chest strap when i got home after a bit of messing about. So nothing actually broke. Aye, hat's off tae that!
Great video again. Love your new intro cut. Really like how you support cottage companies, seems like there are more uk based ones popping up. How durable have you found the Z packs arc zip?
Thanks David! ✔👍 I've not used the Arc Zip enough to comment on it's durability but can talk about the durability of the DCF it's made out of. See that travel pouch I put my phone into in the vid? Thats a Zpacks Travel Pouch made in DCF that I bought about a year ago. I wear it every day and it's my phone holder and wallet plus I use it on all my hikes. As I'm constantly touch it, closing and opening it, putting stuff in and out, putting it round my neck or putting it down and also with it rubbing up against me it has had quite a lot of use on the material and it has held up brilliantly. It was actually my experience with that that made me get the pack in DCF. If I hadn't had that experience I would have probably got it in the Gridstop fabric as it's meant to be tougher, but heavier and not as waterproof (or holds a bit of water when wet, can't quite remember) and play it 'safe' as it were. I'm really please with DCF actually. If you want to see me show and go into more detail about Cuben Fibre and DCF I made a vid all about it and you can see close up for yourself. Check it out: ruclips.net/video/1TAlEfUuM-M/видео.html There is also a guy in the UK making ultralight packs. He has hiked the AT and stuff like that and really knows his stuff. US thru hikers are even buying his packs and they are being rated quite highly. What is cool as he will make you anything you want pack wise so if you have an idea you can talk to him and he will look at it. Plus his packs you can see on his website are fully customisable with whatever you can dream up. Pretty cool. I'll need to get a pack from him. I was thinking about getting him to make my winter pack but I had already got my Mountain Hardware waterproof pack with ski carry capabilities. So, I might get one of his packs to replace my daypack. Anyway, it's 'Atom Packs' check out his site: www.atompacks.co.uk Cheers! 🐾👍
Good vid mate 👍 Is this the kit you took on the CWT? If so, I'm impressed you trusted the Duplex on such a trip. Been looking at the Solomid XL but never thought of the Duplex cos to me it just doesn't seem so naturally weather resistant. I've yet to check out your other vids but will do soon. We'll done for getting your base weight that low. Mine is currently at 7kg. Atb. Elton.
Thanks Elton! 🐾👍 Yeah, it was the Duplex I took on the CWT. I also have a Duomid with a solo mid XL inner and that's my winter tent but the Duplex is my tent of choice for all other seasons. You do have to be more mindful of campsite selection but I've never found it to be a problem. Considering I hiked the length of Scotland last year with the vast majority of it in the Duplex it is totally my fav tent for sure! I've made quite a few vids about the Duplex and Duomid so hopefully it will give you ideas about which to pick. Any questions the five me a shout, Cheers! 🐾👍
Thanks! 👍 I'd only use the solar charger if I was out for weeks and didn't have a chance to top up my power banks. Other than that I'd just take another power bank. I suppose it depends on how much stuff you need to keep charged up too. I have a 10,000mAh, a 26,800mAh and the solar charger. Depending on the length of hike I'm doing I'll take the relevant powerbank or a combination. On the CWT I took all 3 but I could only really use the solar charger to keep my phone, not topped up, but not loosing power either. So the solar panel is a bit hit and miss for this environment really. 🙂🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate thanks for that mucker, it's kinda what I thought anyhooz but good to hear it from from someone who's actually tried it? Someone needs to invent a kinetic charger that work with every step you take? :P
Weight saving definitely worth the effort. My C2C pack was 6.5kg (no camping stuff though). I just cut down on everything, and weighed every item, and chose smaller lighter versions. Half emptied containers of stuff etc.. Also spent time learning how adjust the straps properly. Made a massive difference and really took away any pain or discomfort from carrying a pack for 11 days. WHW prep going very well thanks, been walking 6 miles every day now for 3 months plus a few longer day hikes. Have uploaded those to YT. Just re-did stage 8 of my C2C yesterday, 21 miles, will upload soon! Keep going big fella! 👍 🍺
Hope so. Looking like Easter, around 22 April. Am also planning a few detours on the way, weather permitting, but I’ll keep those as a surprise! Well done with your new editing techniques and rendering. Looks good, especially cutting in the old footage bits. You’ve got quite a back catalogue now!
Hi John, I see small fortune here. ;) Isn't crazy how much we buy? Spend thousands to live like a homeless - this what hiking is all about. Haha... Nice intro, well put together and ideal duration. Did you do it by yourself? Cheers, Seb
Haha, yeah, it's funny isn't it and it seems kinda counter intuitive in a way as you are spending money (a lot of it!) to buy essentially more flimsy gear. It's hard breaking out of that mindset and thinking about less is more style. Thanks for the comment about the intro. Yeah, I made it in Adobe Premier Pro. That's what I edit all my videos in. The effects and the bit at the end are made in Adobe After Effects and I made my logo on Logomakr and bought the vector file so I can scale it to any size I need without loss. It's been a steep learning curve with learning all the software use and there is still so much potential in them that I've not even scratched the surface of. It's actually really enjoyable I find: camera gear, filming techniques, lighting, editing, effect use, audio etc. All good stuff. I think I'm getting better at it but it's hard to tell from my point of view as by the time I'm finished editing I'm so sick of looking at it I tend not to watch any of my stuff back after upload, haha! Like on the Cape Wrath Trail I took 30 hrs of video in total and I wanted to get it down to 30 minutes per day, so that's reducing it by 1/4. As I had to watch that 30hrs through to do the first edit and then go through again for a second edit I think I probably spent more that 60 hours+ editing that series. Quite a commitment and it took a lot of effort so that's why I'm really grateful for all the kind comments I receive on any of the content I upload. Cheers! 🐾👍
Working on your workshop and techniques is fun - everything is new and interesting. From viewer point of view - the biggest asset of your videos is you and your personality so do not change it. :) Of course we cannot forget about Moss. I feel you about the emotions towards the video after hours of editing. I believe the love will come with passing years, at least in my case. You're doing good videos, not only as documentary but it's great entertainment, too. Thanks for that! Atb, Seb
Hi Alex, yeah, Moss has her own gear. I have a little series on YT about hiking with dogs including one about her gear: ruclips.net/p/PLTqMObKVS3bF3oLkT3ZN1przoKM4SIfPs That's a link to the playlist. I also have the actual gear I use and that you'll see in the video linked up on and Amazon list, which is here: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/houndsofhowgate Hope that helps! 🙂🐾👍
Yeah, super warm in winter. The coldest I had it down to was -6°C and I was totally fine. In fact above 0°C it was getting to be too warm. Around 6°C I had to use it as a quilt rather than bag as it was so warm!
@@dogblackprincehoney No worries! By the way, Zpacks do the same bag in different temperature ratings. I got this one with the most down as it's my winter bag. 🥶🚫➡️🥵=👍
some really nice gear there..the BRS stove..how u found it? I took mine on the WHW and had real issues with it, the seal gave and one of the arms bent right over, i had a 750ml pot , so no real weight on it, so dont trust it any more, prob gonna use a pocket rocket for the TGO.Also, wondering if worth investing in a solar panel for the TGO? Also (soz for the question barrage) did u find your socks and undies dried everyday? again, i did this on the WHW, couldnty get bugger all to dry, lol, wet undies..meh. Love your vids, and looking forward to watching your adventures in 2019! ATB WJ
Yeah, the BRS stove has been fine: no trouble at all. I used it all last season so I've used it a lot when hiking the length of Scotland and it has been totally fine. I have heard of some folk having bother (maybe variable quality issues for something so cheap) but I think the vast majority of the folk that jave them have found them to be okay. I'm not sure though as I can only really talk about my experience with them. Maybe check out the Alpkit stove. It's more or less the same stove but I would think they probably have stricter quality control stipulations placed on the manufacturer. For the TGO I suppose it depends on if you will be wild camping the whole time or not, how big the power bank/s you have are and want to carry and also what the weather is likely to be like when you are on the trip. Also what your power requirements are. Like if it is just to charge your phone then the big Anker would probably do you for the whole trip if you can get it charged once in the middle of the hike. If you are wild camping the whole time but maybe stopping at places to eat along the way then you can ask them to charge it for you while you are there. I do that a lot. If the weather is going to be decent, the hike is long enough, then taking a smaller power bank and a solar charger is defo lighter than a few big power banks. I find the combo of the 3 I have means I can pick what to take for any hike, which is handy. Like a mix 'n' match thing. I wouldn't rely on the solar charger alone though. I use it to charge my devices and then top up my wee power bank so I have some juice stored for charging overnight or if the weather turns. Yeah, drying the stuff hanging off the pack just depends on the weather really. Sometimes if it wasn't dry weather wise I would just keep wearing what I had and dry them the next day when hiking. I never sleep in anything damp though as you can end up with fungal issues. If it is raining all the time and I know I can't dry my kit off then I tend to just keep my dry stuff for sleeping in and go full smelly underwear style until I can get 'am washed and dried. Youch! 🤢😂🐾👍
Hounds of Howgate mine has been trouble free for a year, I’ve heard of faulty ones ..you may just have been unlucky ... Solar panels I personally don’t believe currently ( bad pun ) produce enough output to justify .. I’ve read this from Californians who I believe get just a little more sun than us Scots
@@IamRecon001 Agree and disagree. It depends on the hike big time. For sure solar panels would be difficult to keep you going on power indefinitely but they do help you keep your devices and power bank topped up until the next full charge. It is so conditional though, based on the specific hike and stops etc. 👍
Hounds of Howgate disagree ? Not allowed .. Fight me ... 🤡 I have Tesla working on coating my full body clothing with solar fibres so that even on a dull Scottish day, I will generate enough to power my mini-fridge to chill my Champagne ...
My setups about 4-5 times heavier . Shiiiii t . Great to get a chat with you . I’d get you some beers for your time I do music too if you want any themes or tunes. I understand that you are prob like me and like just getting out solo with the dog but would be excellent to pick your brains . I’ll try n make a wee donation to you . Skintos bintos Edinburgh hit me up I dig your music also !
Ach, the lightweight thing can be a trap! As long as it works and gets the job done and the hike finished; that's the main thing. Plus it's expensive! I'm not loaded but I just made a commitment to invest in hiking gear. Otherwise it would be daft to buy all the fancy gear...like daft me! Haha 🤔😉 Aye, defo interested in hearing your music! I've been playing in my years going back to old ass 4 track tape tascams in my youth to, now, Ableton and Reason and fancy midi controllers.
I must admit I'm getting pretty excited with the weather changing for the better recently. It's really starting to feel like prime hiking time again! 👣🐾✔👍
Stop yapping bout your gear Sir Hounds and bloody walking again.. Yap, yap bloody yap... I can't hear... I'm away to the pennine way or southern upland way.... In jest wee fella!!.. Can I still have me GPS training vlog pleeeease
Brilliant especially home made flip flops. Loved it. ATB Dave 😊👍
Thanks Dave! 🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate welcome pal. Hope all good 👍 shout out on my latest, well one before re insoles. Lovin your vids, your a good lad, Dave 😊👍
@@wackyswanderings3627 🐾👍👍👍
Thank John for the useful video. You've done a lot of research into your gear to make it ultralight.
Cheers! 🐾👍
Not quite ultralight: I like some comforts etc, but defo in a decent lightweight range.
Wow, here's me cutting about the hills with 20kg+ (incl. 7kg photography kit) & you're gliding along sub-6kg! Definitely need to make some changes, haha! Very interesting watch sir, all the best to you & Moss :)
Cheers Scott 👍
Aye, it's quite specific kit with a specific purpose in mind right enough. I don't normally use my UL gear for general backpacking: for that I use my Osprey backpack, Alpkit tent etc. Normal gear really; when you use the UL stuff after that it feels like you are not carrying anything!
In fact 13ish kg would be about what my normal load out with food for a couple of days would weigh I think.
7kg of camera gear though?! What are you carrying? A load of full frame gear?
Cheers! 🙂🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate That’s good to know, I’m still using winter kit as well as it’s been Baltic, but I’m looking forward to getting the more lightweight 3 season gear on the go & get myself & the pup a wee Lanshan 2 🙂
Aye, full frame gear with the focal range I need. 80-200 is a kilo in itself! My mirrorless setup is much the same weight when you look at the batteries etc too!
That’s a great setup, some great pointers. Thanks for sharing 👍
No worries! Thanks! 🙂🐾👍
Love the new intro mate!
Thanks Liam! ✔🐾👍
Wow! John great info got me thinking a lot for the summer of 2020 even thou we have 12 feet of snow yet in Labrador Canada snow should be gone by end of May fingers crossed give me time to get my weight down on my pack thanks again Dave from Labrador City, Labrador Canada
Thanks Dave! 🙂🐾👍
Let us know how you get on with your pack refinement!
That is one chill dog. Love it.
Thanks Peter! 🙂
Yeah, Moss is great, isn't she! 🐺🐾👍
Love the flipflops mate. Gonna get myself a pair. 😉
The insole ones? 😂🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate Haha yes mate.
That is an impressive set up and informative. Be interested to hear more on the filter review given Sawyer is so popular.
Thanks Paul! 👍
I used that filter setup on my winter hike:
ruclips.net/video/6DgiRSSLIxw/видео.html
And review it more in depth in this vid 'My Favorite Water Filter':
ruclips.net/video/08e9XMngAaw/видео.html
Hope that helps,
Cheers! 🐾👍
Lovley little video 😊 can't wait to get my zpacks stuff in a month or so.
Thanks! ✔👍
What was it you ordered again? I'm kinda excited for you! Haha, I'm such a gear freak! 😱
@@HoundsofHowgate getting the duplex and possibly the arc blast.
@@HoundsofHowgate oh and I'm waning a quilt too but can decide between zpacks or enlightened equipment
amazing what a difference having stuff made of cuben fibre makes to the weight
For sure. At this pack weight it really does not feel like you have anything on your back at all! 🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate I'm sure my day pack weighs more than that lol
@@LezleysAdventuresAye, it's pretty light!
In saying that, I still like to carry a heavy daypack as it's good for training. ✔👍
Really interesting, but.....I too have a border collie called Moss :-) . He occasionally backpacks with me. He has small Ruffwear panniers but I still have to carry some of his gear. I'd be interested to know what you take for your dog and what it weighs! Perhaps we should have some UL vlogging advice for dog owners!
Already made a vid series aboot just that!
Check it out:
Hiking with Dogs: ruclips.net/p/PLTqMObKVS3bF3oLkT3ZN1przoKM4SIfPs
I try and have her pack as light as possible though. Now I try and not go above 1.5kg. Moss is about 17kg.
Nice vid,Love your dog mate!
Thanks! 🐾👍
Another cracking video mate. My set up is at least 4 times heavier. Maybe I like my luxuries to much. Well done you for getting the weight down tho. I admire people like you who do ultralight stuff. I would be afraid to snag and rip the pack. It all seems a bit delicate and I don't get adding all the pouches to hold your kit - surely it would be better to have a larger pack. Sorry not having a go at you. Just me I don't really get ultralight weight. I know carry less = going further. Maybe I just need to try it some time. Anyhow all the best and thanks for sharing with us
Thanks! 🐾👍
Haha, aye, I was exactly the same: I literally hated seeing folk cutting about with things hanging off everywhere from their pack. I think I'm a bit OCD so it used to crack me up...until 😱....
Basically I got an Osprey Exos and it has a mesh back bit to jam thing in and mesh sides that you could grab your water bottles from while on the move: jeez-oh - I loved it! Next thing I know I have crap hanging all over the place but it is just so convienient when you are living out of your pack for an extended duration! Having to stop and take off your pack and root around became a real annoyance.
I think it's probably more specific to folk doing like 3+ day long distance hikes: having to root about your pack becomes a real pain real quick!
The pack material is more durable than folk think. My ex showed me Zpacks stuff about 2 years ago. First I was all like 'that's just daft', 'You will destroy that in 2 mins' etc. Fast forward to now and I have the stuff I slagged aff!
The backpack I have is made of the same stuff the travel pouch I mention in this vid. I literally wear that every day like a mad bum bag guy: but it's held up super well! I have been wearing that every day for a year and seeing how durable it actually was that made me go down that material pack route.
Well maybe one day I will head down that road but for now I will stick with my osprey aethor. all the best
Totally. It's basically all about whatever meets your needs and the style in which you want to hike in.
Like the Zpacks stuff and this lightweight setup is because I want to start doing bigger mile days. I can do 20-22 miles a day with my old setup but I want to get to doing 30's. It's at that point you really need to start cutting weight to do consecutive 20-30's.
If I was doing 10-15 miles a day with someone I would bring a lot more luxuries etc and not worry about the weight as much. Plus the pack itself would be heavier and more durable as you can't load up these UL packs like you can with the likes of the Osprey. I mean I was even able to carry Moss and all my gear when she hurt herself in my Osprey Exos. It was crazy overloaded and all that happened was the chest strap popped off one side (which I can repair). No way would my UL setup be able to handle that.
Swings and roundabouts, ken.
I really think Osprey have nailed it with the Exos in terms of weight, features, durability and price. They now have the Levity too, which is even lighter but that is getting into sacrificing durability territory of weight, like all the UL stuff is. Yeah, the Exos is damn good.
Cheers! 👍
Ok so you and I have just about identical items ... I use the Arc Haul though ... I’ve consciously added extra weight with full frame camera and carbon fibre tripod ... Gping to do the Hebridean Way in late April or Early May ..so extra weight to hopefully get good images is worth it . Big issue for me is Food weight .. Still not got balance right ...
You are talking sense good Sir! 👍
Full frame camera=Nice! Defo worth it for good video and images. What are you shooting with?
Aye, the food conundrum: I'm currently working with slow release carbs in the morning with protein and wee fats to keep me through the day, quick release carbs/sugar snacks when hiking for the energy dump when I'm flagging, then eating a quick release carbs with lots of protein and fat in camp of an evening to keep me warm and build back up the spent glycogen. Crazy combo in normal life but it works for me on the trail: especially the high fat at night to keep me warm. When I was just eating carbs at night I was cold AF.
Hounds of Howgate Canon 6D Mk2 stills mainly and back at the learning to improve .. instagram is man_shoots_snaps ... I gave you a location tag hint there weeks ago . I will sacrifice speed to capture image/memories ..that said , WHW 20mile days last Summer, I only had energy for iPhone 8 snaps ..they were none too shabby .. Food. I hate porridge ! But normally eat that for breakfast on trail.. thinking about making up a weetabix/powdered milk/raisin mix from now on.. Dehy main meals at dinner ..the odd noodles and pepperami at lunch and similar day snacks as yourself .. True story WHW one day I was wrecked in evening and simply ate a Mathesons Smoked Sausage from its wrapper before head hit pillow .. fatty , salty and protein ... I slept well..
On your on Insta now. ✔
Yeah, flapjack's are basically ideal for breakfast. Oats for a trickle and a quick release dump from the syrup. 500 calories too to keep you going. I can't be bothered cooking in the morning so that's what I'm rocking now.
Yeah, I'm really tempted to start taking my 77D out hiking but I'd be worried about it's size eventually annoying me. Just now I'm filming with my Sony FDR-X3000 and Canon G7x Mkii for pics and vids. Often use my phone too as it's just so convienient. In fact I filmed all my WHW up to the Skye Trail vids on my S7 on a gimbal!
How much does the 'tache weigh?
I'd probably say around 300g dry and 350g in a fully groomed state.
Fully groomed we would be looking at a weight of around 350 g and thus the moustache able to exert a force of approximately 3.5 N: essentially providing me with an extra 0.443% of force over that of an average adult (who can exert a force of roughly 790 Newtons).
Note- Groomed would, of course, include the weight of my favourite Bounder Extra Firm Moustache Wax (rum scented obviously).
Hi John - nice video mate 😬
Im looking forward to seeing how you get on with the pack - I love my arc haul.
Thanks for sharing
ATB Mike
StayCornish😬
Thanks Mike! ✔👍
Yeah, I'm kinda saving it just for longer thru hikes. It's ideal and has all the features I want. I particularly like the air back. It's not a problem in the cold not having it but it makes such a difference when it is hot. I don't know if I could go back to normal packs after having used air gap backpacks.
I really liked my Osprey Exos. Good price, great back system and I really like all the features on it. I do hate the 2 colour schemes they have though. Pretty nasty. Unfortunately I bought the exos in a size too big after seeing it for a really good price and kidding myself on that it would be okay. It would start getting uncomfortable after about 10 miles. Hat's off to it though, it seen me through the WHW, Skye Trail, CWT and all the other hiking I done in between last year and performed admirably.
Cheers! 🐾👍
P.s. I like that 'StayCornish' bit. 🙂✔👍
Hounds of Howgate
Some of my camping buddies have frameless packs and love them, I don’t think I could use them after my haul it’s so comfortable. One thing that did fail was my Zpacks pack liner, first time I used it in the rain 🌧 (see my last vid) it let in water in one corner and got my quilt wet. Zpacks sent me some tape 😕 to fix my brand new $40 item??
But apart from that I’m very happy with it.
ATB Mike
StayCornish😬
Aww the Deuce of Spades inside the toilet roll, that is genius! Mine is the #2 (no pun intended) which is slightly bigger so I wonder if it will fit!
Thanks! 🐾👍
Hmm, mabies. I don't know if that one is wider or just longer. Probably baith: gie it a jam in 👍
Hounds of Howgate just checked and it fits ok. Room inside there for hand sanitiser and a big mini 👍
@@JeffPutty is winning! 🙌👍👍
Great lightweight set up John.... 😎
Thanks Steve 👣🐾👍
Costly right enough and only really needed if you are trying to push beyond consecutive 20's. Or if someone has a bad back/knees or something. Like I still use my Osprey Exos as a go to backpack as it has a great combination of cost/features/weight/durability. If someone was to ask me to recommend a general backpack I would feel happy pointing in that direction for sure.
@@HoundsofHowgate it's funny John but in this type of pursuit "less is more" if you know what I mean...lol
I have an exos amongst other stuff, not sure of its load capacity/weight is though, do you think that's why yours started creeping after poor moss had been in it? Over weighted it 🤔
ATB
@@steverichardson5817 oh yeah, if you are wanting to do long distances then for sure. Weight really does matter.
There are a few: the large is a 58L and weights about 1.2kg. The load rating is 7kg to 18kg. As Moss weighs about 15-16kg, carrying her with the rest of my gear meant that the EXOS was severely overladen. The fact that the only thing that went wrong with the pack under these circumstances was that the chest strap pulled off was really impressive actually. I reattached the chest strap when i got home after a bit of messing about. So nothing actually broke. Aye, hat's off tae that!
@@HoundsofHowgate class mate... keep the vids coming 😎🤠
Great video again. Love your new intro cut. Really like how you support cottage companies, seems like there are more uk based ones popping up. How durable have you found the Z packs arc zip?
Thanks David! ✔👍
I've not used the Arc Zip enough to comment on it's durability but can talk about the durability of the DCF it's made out of.
See that travel pouch I put my phone into in the vid? Thats a Zpacks Travel Pouch made in DCF that I bought about a year ago. I wear it every day and it's my phone holder and wallet plus I use it on all my hikes. As I'm constantly touch it, closing and opening it, putting stuff in and out, putting it round my neck or putting it down and also with it rubbing up against me it has had quite a lot of use on the material and it has held up brilliantly. It was actually my experience with that that made me get the pack in DCF. If I hadn't had that experience I would have probably got it in the Gridstop fabric as it's meant to be tougher, but heavier and not as waterproof (or holds a bit of water when wet, can't quite remember) and play it 'safe' as it were. I'm really please with DCF actually. If you want to see me show and go into more detail about Cuben Fibre and DCF I made a vid all about it and you can see close up for yourself. Check it out:
ruclips.net/video/1TAlEfUuM-M/видео.html
There is also a guy in the UK making ultralight packs. He has hiked the AT and stuff like that and really knows his stuff. US thru hikers are even buying his packs and they are being rated quite highly. What is cool as he will make you anything you want pack wise so if you have an idea you can talk to him and he will look at it. Plus his packs you can see on his website are fully customisable with whatever you can dream up. Pretty cool. I'll need to get a pack from him. I was thinking about getting him to make my winter pack but I had already got my Mountain Hardware waterproof pack with ski carry capabilities. So, I might get one of his packs to replace my daypack. Anyway, it's 'Atom Packs' check out his site:
www.atompacks.co.uk
Cheers! 🐾👍
Good vid mate 👍 Is this the kit you took on the CWT? If so, I'm impressed you trusted the Duplex on such a trip. Been looking at the Solomid XL but never thought of the Duplex cos to me it just doesn't seem so naturally weather resistant. I've yet to check out your other vids but will do soon. We'll done for getting your base weight that low. Mine is currently at 7kg. Atb. Elton.
Thanks Elton! 🐾👍
Yeah, it was the Duplex I took on the CWT.
I also have a Duomid with a solo mid XL inner and that's my winter tent but the Duplex is my tent of choice for all other seasons. You do have to be more mindful of campsite selection but I've never found it to be a problem. Considering I hiked the length of Scotland last year with the vast majority of it in the Duplex it is totally my fav tent for sure!
I've made quite a few vids about the Duplex and Duomid so hopefully it will give you ideas about which to pick.
Any questions the five me a shout,
Cheers! 🐾👍
Loving your channel, cheers :) What's your verdict on the solar charger? Is it worth it or better with just another powerbank instead?
Thanks! 👍
I'd only use the solar charger if I was out for weeks and didn't have a chance to top up my power banks. Other than that I'd just take another power bank. I suppose it depends on how much stuff you need to keep charged up too.
I have a 10,000mAh, a 26,800mAh and the solar charger. Depending on the length of hike I'm doing I'll take the relevant powerbank or a combination. On the CWT I took all 3 but I could only really use the solar charger to keep my phone, not topped up, but not loosing power either.
So the solar panel is a bit hit and miss for this environment really.
🙂🐾👍
@@HoundsofHowgate thanks for that mucker, it's kinda what I thought anyhooz but good to hear it from from someone who's actually tried it? Someone needs to invent a kinetic charger that work with every step you take? :P
Hi John, less than 6kg is impressive for all that gear. It’s satisfying going through the ‘dialling in’ process isn’t it?
Hi Justin, yeah, for sure! What a difference it makes too! 🐾👍
How's your WHW prep coming along? You should be coming up pretty shortly?
Weight saving definitely worth the effort. My C2C pack was 6.5kg (no camping stuff though). I just cut down on everything, and weighed every item, and chose smaller lighter versions. Half emptied containers of stuff etc.. Also spent time learning how adjust the straps properly. Made a massive difference and really took away any pain or discomfort from carrying a pack for 11 days. WHW prep going very well thanks, been walking 6 miles every day now for 3 months plus a few longer day hikes. Have uploaded those to YT. Just re-did stage 8 of my C2C yesterday, 21 miles, will upload soon! Keep going big fella! 👍 🍺
Oh yeah, you are gonna blast the WHW! Great training! 👍
Really looking forward to seeing your WHW vlog! ✔
Hope so. Looking like Easter, around 22 April. Am also planning a few detours on the way, weather permitting, but I’ll keep those as a surprise! Well done with your new editing techniques and rendering. Looks good, especially cutting in the old footage bits. You’ve got quite a back catalogue now!
Hi John, I see small fortune here. ;) Isn't crazy how much we buy? Spend thousands to live like a homeless - this what hiking is all about. Haha...
Nice intro, well put together and ideal duration. Did you do it by yourself?
Cheers, Seb
Haha, yeah, it's funny isn't it and it seems kinda counter intuitive in a way as you are spending money (a lot of it!) to buy essentially more flimsy gear. It's hard breaking out of that mindset and thinking about less is more style.
Thanks for the comment about the intro. Yeah, I made it in Adobe Premier Pro. That's what I edit all my videos in. The effects and the bit at the end are made in Adobe After Effects and I made my logo on Logomakr and bought the vector file so I can scale it to any size I need without loss.
It's been a steep learning curve with learning all the software use and there is still so much potential in them that I've not even scratched the surface of. It's actually really enjoyable I find: camera gear, filming techniques, lighting, editing, effect use, audio etc. All good stuff. I think I'm getting better at it but it's hard to tell from my point of view as by the time I'm finished editing I'm so sick of looking at it I tend not to watch any of my stuff back after upload, haha! Like on the Cape Wrath Trail I took 30 hrs of video in total and I wanted to get it down to 30 minutes per day, so that's reducing it by 1/4. As I had to watch that 30hrs through to do the first edit and then go through again for a second edit I think I probably spent more that 60 hours+ editing that series. Quite a commitment and it took a lot of effort so that's why I'm really grateful for all the kind comments I receive on any of the content I upload.
Cheers! 🐾👍
Working on your workshop and techniques is fun - everything is new and interesting. From viewer point of view - the biggest asset of your videos is you and your personality so do not change it. :) Of course we cannot forget about Moss.
I feel you about the emotions towards the video after hours of editing. I believe the love will come with passing years, at least in my case.
You're doing good videos, not only as documentary but it's great entertainment, too. Thanks for that!
Atb, Seb
Do you take any specialist items for your dog?
Hi Alex, yeah, Moss has her own gear. I have a little series on YT about hiking with dogs including one about her gear:
ruclips.net/p/PLTqMObKVS3bF3oLkT3ZN1przoKM4SIfPs
That's a link to the playlist.
I also have the actual gear I use and that you'll see in the video linked up on and Amazon list, which is here:
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/houndsofhowgate
Hope that helps! 🙂🐾👍
Excellent
Thanks! 🙂🐾👍
Is your quilt warm in winter? It is so light!
Yeah, super warm in winter. The coldest I had it down to was -6°C and I was totally fine. In fact above 0°C it was getting to be too warm. Around 6°C I had to use it as a quilt rather than bag as it was so warm!
@@HoundsofHowgate thank you for the reply :-)
@@dogblackprincehoney No worries!
By the way, Zpacks do the same bag in different temperature ratings. I got this one with the most down as it's my winter bag. 🥶🚫➡️🥵=👍
some really nice gear there..the BRS stove..how u found it? I took mine on the WHW and had real issues with it, the seal gave and one of the arms bent right over, i had a 750ml pot , so no real weight on it, so dont trust it any more, prob gonna use a pocket rocket for the TGO.Also, wondering if worth investing in a solar panel for the TGO? Also (soz for the question barrage) did u find your socks and undies dried everyday? again, i did this on the WHW, couldnty get bugger all to dry, lol, wet undies..meh. Love your vids, and looking forward to watching your adventures in 2019! ATB WJ
Yeah, the BRS stove has been fine: no trouble at all. I used it all last season so I've used it a lot when hiking the length of Scotland and it has been totally fine. I have heard of some folk having bother (maybe variable quality issues for something so cheap) but I think the vast majority of the folk that jave them have found them to be okay. I'm not sure though as I can only really talk about my experience with them. Maybe check out the Alpkit stove. It's more or less the same stove but I would think they probably have stricter quality control stipulations placed on the manufacturer.
For the TGO I suppose it depends on if you will be wild camping the whole time or not, how big the power bank/s you have are and want to carry and also what the weather is likely to be like when you are on the trip. Also what your power requirements are. Like if it is just to charge your phone then the big Anker would probably do you for the whole trip if you can get it charged once in the middle of the hike. If you are wild camping the whole time but maybe stopping at places to eat along the way then you can ask them to charge it for you while you are there. I do that a lot. If the weather is going to be decent, the hike is long enough, then taking a smaller power bank and a solar charger is defo lighter than a few big power banks. I find the combo of the 3 I have means I can pick what to take for any hike, which is handy. Like a mix 'n' match thing. I wouldn't rely on the solar charger alone though. I use it to charge my devices and then top up my wee power bank so I have some juice stored for charging overnight or if the weather turns.
Yeah, drying the stuff hanging off the pack just depends on the weather really. Sometimes if it wasn't dry weather wise I would just keep wearing what I had and dry them the next day when hiking. I never sleep in anything damp though as you can end up with fungal issues. If it is raining all the time and I know I can't dry my kit off then I tend to just keep my dry stuff for sleeping in and go full smelly underwear style until I can get 'am washed and dried. Youch! 🤢😂🐾👍
Hounds of Howgate mine has been trouble free for a year, I’ve heard of faulty ones ..you may just have been unlucky ... Solar panels I personally don’t believe currently ( bad pun ) produce enough output to justify .. I’ve read this from Californians who I believe get just a little more sun than us Scots
@@IamRecon001 Agree and disagree. It depends on the hike big time. For sure solar panels would be difficult to keep you going on power indefinitely but they do help you keep your devices and power bank topped up until the next full charge. It is so conditional though, based on the specific hike and stops etc. 👍
Hounds of Howgate disagree ? Not allowed .. Fight me ... 🤡 I have Tesla working on coating my full body clothing with solar fibres so that even on a dull Scottish day, I will generate enough to power my mini-fridge to chill my Champagne ...
Haha, Tesla? That's gonna cost you!
Where's your zpack 10 pack of Guinness holder??
Hahaha! They go in Moss' pack! 😉🐾👍
Should we report you to SSPCA? This obviously is animal cruelty. ;)
@@3WalkingPoles dogs are only allowed to carry 6 cans at any given time,so he should be reported
My setups about 4-5 times heavier . Shiiiii t . Great to get a chat with you . I’d get you some beers for your time I do music too if you want any themes or tunes. I understand that you are prob like me and like just getting out solo with the dog but would be excellent to pick your brains . I’ll try n make a wee donation to you . Skintos bintos Edinburgh hit me up I dig your music also !
Ach, the lightweight thing can be a trap! As long as it works and gets the job done and the hike finished; that's the main thing. Plus it's expensive! I'm not loaded but I just made a commitment to invest in hiking gear. Otherwise it would be daft to buy all the fancy gear...like daft me! Haha 🤔😉
Aye, defo interested in hearing your music! I've been playing in my years going back to old ass 4 track tape tascams in my youth to, now, Ableton and Reason and fancy midi controllers.
Hounds of Howgate ha ha good one I thought you maybe into yer music go on. I’ve no logged in to f.b in a while but I’ll do it soon.
@@nilesdelta8636 nice one! 🎵✔👍
does your friend ship his things to the US
Yeah, both TreadLite and Atom Packs ship to the US. 🐾👍
Damn nice gear bruh.
nice!
Where's Mossie?
She's there somewhere. 🙂🐾👍
Come on hounds, need more of adventures
I must admit I'm getting pretty excited with the weather changing for the better recently. It's really starting to feel like prime hiking time again! 👣🐾✔👍
Apologies. He's on parade. Front paw from Cape Fear
Lol, totally! 🙂🐾👍
Stop yapping bout your gear Sir Hounds and bloody walking again.. Yap, yap bloody yap... I can't hear... I'm away to the pennine way or southern upland way.... In jest wee fella!!.. Can I still have me GPS training vlog pleeeease
Hahaha! It's the time of year for such vids good Sir! 😂👍
You will indeed have your GPS vlog in the not too distant future. 🐾👍