tgo magazine live letters archive

Oh PW! Please don't tempt me into buying even more stuff!!! ;o)

Thanks though, I shall investigate further :)

She's on a mission, PW, to single-handedly kick start the UK lightweight gear market!

Oi - less of the "single-handedly" if you don't mind!!!

Heh heh... bring on that kit!

Andy - where did you see the Aether? Somewhere in London, presumably?

Just a small point nobody seems to have mentioned. When it comes to walking or climbing uphill (or on the flat for that matter) it's not just the weight of the pack that matters it's a combination of body weight + pack weight. Losing 500g of fat, if you can spare it, will have the same effect on your performance as losing 500g of tent weight and cost a lot less money.

I'm going the other way, I'm just about to go for a Nallo 2 over my Akto because the limited headroom in the Akto gets on my nerves.

I'm not knocking the concept of lightweight but losing weight off your pack by buying very expensive lighter gear seems a bit daft to me if the same weight could be lost around the waist. By the way I'm not saying that everyone who contributed is overweight but I'll bet there are some.

Extending the logic - fill a very large rucsac with lots of heavy kit and you'll burn off far more calories lugging it all up the hill, hence feeling fitter and going lighter again in the process. Suddenly the "Lightweight Revolution" seems very 2005.

The future's heavy, the future's orange!
(heads off to Ebay in search of a Vango Force 10...)

;-)

That's right Matt, it's called training. That's exactly what us cyclists do in winter, ride our heavy hack bikes mile after mile up and down hill. In the spring we jump on our super lightweight gleaming race bikes and does it feel good to be fit. Take a Force 10 a few times and you'll really appreciate any lightweight tent.

Steve,

I've walked and camped solo using a Nallo. The space provided is positvely luxurious.

One ti though. Be sure to take a J-Cloth (or similar) to wipe down the tent in the morning. The Nallo can 'carry' quite a lot of water which makes a bit of difference as you walk!

Thanks for the tip Andy. Did you find the Nallo tricky to put up by yourself in strong wind compared to an Akto? It is after all a two person tent.

A tip for drying out the Nallo (or any other tunnel tent, for that matter). Turn it upside down with the poles still threaded and peg it out so that it catches any sun and/or wind going. Dries out in no time. Doesn't work in rain, though.

Steve, the Nallo is quite easy to pitch on your own. In some ways it is easier than the Akto as you only have to pitch the back before stretching - and it is easier to see that you are pitching it in a straight line. In wind I simply place my pack on the loose front of the tent while I am sorting out the back.

I prefer the Akto when trekking alone simply because of the weight saving. But the Nallo is more than feasible. I've had mine in some pretty rough conditions and it has never let me down. Despite it being a tunnel tent it can take quite a lot of punishment side on.