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King Creosote
6 days ago
Friday, 28 May 2010
Family camping
I'm determined to get out this half term. We're going to visit my parents who live close to the Black mountains and the velleys. It's where I walked as a child and it's nice and accessible. Preperations are slowly moving forward. I rigged the Hog and seam sealed it- poorly of course, but done. I did it in my parents garden which is about twenty times the size of our garden and the aesthetic appeal of the Hog was vastly improved-it needs a bit of space to spread out I think. I've started to pack the bags as well. It's a hard process- Both the packs are already 7kg- Steph's before all the baby gear, food and water, Mine before I put Solomon in. Bugger. There are weight savings to be made, but it's a matter of persuading Steph that possibilities even though they might be unconventional. Case in point is her 1.7kg -2 rated sleeping bag. I've floated the idea of using a 650g down bag combined with down jacket(which she's taking already), down trousers and socks. There is an issue of putting Steph off completely, either through carrying a cripplingly heavy pack or not enjoying the camping. There's the problem of Solomon. I've got him a sleeping bag, which is already 850g (it broke my heart to buy it!) and was planning to put him on a Gelert x lite 3/4 mat. He tends to flail around like a madman in the night however. So I've got him this- it looks like the lightest option but it's still 1.6 kg. So finally, I'm starting to think I need a cart or trailer of some sort. Something like a pulk but with wheels. Having had a quick look, nothing seems available at all.
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6 comments:
Here is a bit of info on a cart thingie:
http://www.petesy.co.uk/wheelie-goes-to-the-cairngorms-part-1/
http://www.petesy.co.uk/pulling-power-the-radical-design-wheelie/
http://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/products/trailers/wheelie.php
/Sleepy Balrog
You could consider a golf trolley. I know of an artist who used one to carry his painting equipment all over Dartmoor.
You should check this out.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00177.html
Another option is to find a place that is only a couple of km away.
Would this be any use?
http://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/products/trailers/wheelie.php
I bought a Vango Nitestar Baby which was heavy and bulky but it did the trick. With the boy tucked up we used to have him sleep perpendicular to us - across the tent above our heads. He'd rarely manage to migrate any where when in that position. As for a matress a chopped down carry mat is all I used, and he's still using it six years later :)
BTW using a full length bag weighs a lot less than specific baby sized one. You can fold the excess under the little one. And if you're worried that he'll work his way down and suffocate himself you can always tie the bag off at the point of fold.
cheers for the advice- PTC's wheely looks just the job. As you'll see, I had a bit of a re-think- we'll see how it goes....
Solomon's sack is a boys, so it should last him- i'll tie the bottom off. as for his flailing, he really is spectacular. A roll mat might work actually though, if he's between us. Cheers!
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