Spending spree

Dear Om's

I had a bit of spare cash recently as a result of a house sale and I went on a bit of a spending spree. I've already bought quite a lot of clothing and kit and want to know if there's anything else I should get?I also plan to embark on a few challenging walks to Snowdon (Crib Goch) and The Lakes on my own, (Not back packing though). I haven't purchased any survival stuff yet like whistle, survival bag or first aid kits.

Thus far I've bought:-

1. Paramo Alta II jacket
2. Rab Bergen Over trousers
3. Meindl Air Rev boots
4. Rab Volt jacket
5. Ice breaker 100/260 long sleeve superfine Merino
6. Rohan Super T's (long & short sleeve)
7. Rab Vapor rise pull on
8. Rab Boreas pull on
9. Rab shorts
10 Montane Alpine Trek trousers
11 Satmap Active 10 + Peak district SD card
12 Berghaus airflow 30L rucksack
13 Sealskinz waterproof gloves
14 Merino beanie

Cheers

Hiya,

Happy days!

If you're planning on walking mainly on your own then a small headtorch such as a petzl eLite or Photon Freedom is worth carrying just in case of becoming benighted. Similarly, for a few grams, a whistle can be a life-saver - some packs such as Osprey have survival whistles incorporated into the chest-strap buckle, and Mountain Laurel Designs sell an after-market one you can modify a pack with. A survival bag is useful though heavy if never actually needed so perhaps a better option is a small bivy shelter, as you can regularly use that on wet/cold/windy lunch stops and getting out of the weather briefly can add tremendously to the enjoyment of an outing.

When putting your kit together, consider how different items will work well with one another - something like a copy of Don Ladigan's "Lighten Up" (tip - get the ebook version and read on your phone - even lighter then!!) is a useful start point to only taking what you need but not skimping on the essentials.

You will probably find that before long you do want to take on multi-day trips - so building your kit up with that possibility in mind saves a lot of swapping out down the track.

Enjoy your hiking - the Trail Lakeland Haute Route is a cracker if you decide on a multi-day orientation of the Lakes at some point.

What have you got navigation wise?

-Adventure Medical Kits Heatsheets Emergency Bivvy
-A Buff
-A foam sit-mat for when you have a brew. A great thing all year round, weighs nothing and stops heat loss
-A knife/multi-tool
-A pair of light-weight gloves. Powerdry or Powerstretch; again great for year round use
-Make up your own first aid kit. There are some good threads on here about this. Use a dry bag to store (Have you bought dry bags yet, btw?)
-Something that lets people know who you are in the event of trouble. I use a dog ID barrel, worn around my neck along with my whistle. Write on name, blood group, any medical condition etc. etc.
-A watch. Doesn't have to be flash, just reliable and visible at night. I use a £20 Timex Expedition after giving up on the more technical ones.
-A decent cap. Haglofs Box or Montane Aero. Both are great and used year round.
-Sunglasses. Goggles in Winter.

Thanks all,

Neil, I have a buff and a mat for sitting on. I will start ordering the safety stuff first. Genaa, the book sounds great. Cattytown, I have a Satmap active 10 with two lots of spare batteries, but no map or compass (tisk tisk.

Thanks again

Any suggestions for what to include in a first aid kit?

Cheers

nice list

First aid, I take self-adhesive dressings, stretch bandage (for sprains ect), butterfly strips and painkillers. Some kind of disinfectant would be useful too I suppose.
A decent head torch is a must, mine lives in my pack (in a spare fleecy hat).

You might think about some sort of cooker and pots.

 A (metal) flask is OK for a day route, but if you get benighted or injured, you would welcome something warm.

 If you do go on to do longer routes of a few days or more, a cooker is essential.

Thanks huskyman,

I'm just doing day trips at the mo. Trying to get the hang of my satmap as well, which isn't as easy as you'd think.

I'm a hot bovril kinda guy at present.

Had a nice outing to crome hill and parkhouse in the Peak District today. Met some experienced walkers who kept me entertained for an hr or so. You meet all sorts on a walk.

Si

As others may have said.

 Don't rely on satmap. Learn to use a map and compass. Satmaps can fail for many reasons, battries go flat, you drop it, falls in water, etc.

 I always carry a map and compass, even if using a satmap.