Only a few days to go. I'm trying to avoid last minute gear freakery and purchase thereof (see
Alan Sloman's blog and
Peewiglet's for sad cases of this). I'd thought a bit about the risk of contaminated water on the Challenge and had toyed with the idea of a Travel Tap available from the excellent
Backpackinglight but had been put off by the cost of £34.99. However, at the recent Backpackers Club AGM, where there is always a car boot sale at the end, I was fortunate enough to buy an early version of the Travel Tap (the filter is fixed so, when it becomes clogged and unusable, the whole device is thrown away) for only £3.00. It's owner assured me that a fair amount of the 100 gallon filtering life should be left so I went for it. On the way home from the AGM, I filled the bottle from a stream which would probably have had some farm run-off pesticide in it and that tasted fine. Last weekend, on a visit to my brother, to his disgust, I sampled the dregs of his water butt and suffered no ill effects and it tasted fine. So, I reckon I got a bargain and am sure that at some time I shall invest in the full price up to date model.
I'm having my usual problem with rechargeable AA batteries for my camera. I have two sets. I've charged one set and, as usual, can't find the other. Why does this always happen? I come across them from time to time, put them in a safe place and then can never locate them. I may have to buy some more (again).
Pack weight is another of my obsessions. I've done a dummy run and, including my heaviest resupply food parcel, I'm up to 22 lbs, including fuel (but not water). Without that resupply parcel, it would be 17 lbs. I can't really see any ways to bring it down without compromising safety so will have to live with it.
Now for a walk up to town to post parcels to Cannich and Braemar.
I've had an Aquagear for two years, and it's still going strong after quite a bit of use. I think you have a bargain.
ReplyDeleteI think Alan and Shirley must do much more walking than me; after 'gearing up' for the Challenge three years ago, my only new item this year was a pair of boots - I do seem to get through those rather quickly - they tend to give up at around 1000 miles, whereas everything else lasts much longer. A bit like car tyres, I suppose!
Anyway, best of luck on the Challenge - have a good one.
A little off topic... I am planning on doing the LEJOG next summer alone and full on camping, and I was wondering how you organize your resupplies. Do you have them mailed to B&Bs? Or do you stop of somewhere in a small town along the way? Any advice on resupplies on the LEJOG would be very much appreciated! Also when did you get a chance to charge your electronics? Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Tallulah
When I did LEJOG in 2009, I sent parcels to campsites that I intended to stay at. If you're camping, you don't want to send them to B&Bs! Post Offices aren't a good idea in my view. I charged stuff up whenever I could. I recommend a double USB three pin plug from Maplins - you can then charge two items maybe in a pub - phone and mp3. It doesn't work on e-readers! If you need more LEJOG advice, feel free to email me at gg@dgcn.co.uk.
Delete