Amazon Adventure Kit List
WARNING - This one is quite wordy!
After agonising over what kit I need versus want for my mini photography adventures across the Hebrides I have now compiled a list of equipment I have managed to narrow it down to a core of products I have all found on Amazon (and 1 on ebay).
To start with I will list off what I already own which is the very basic boots, jacket, trousers & waterproofs. It's worth noting that I am a huge fan of our local outdoor wear shops such as the Crofters and the fisherman's co-op in town so if and where I can I will be checking these places first however, nowhere in Stornoway sells the type of back packing tents I am after so this is where this wee Amazon only challenge began and of course, anyone who uses Amazon to shop will know, its very hard to stop!
1. Gaiters! (Budget £20) - Often overlooked piece of walking equipment, was given a pair to try by my friend Duncan while hiking through Eishken in South Lochs, who knew such a simple piece of kit would make such a difference! Found a pair of Berghaus Gore tex Gaiters for £16.20 Normally £45, Bargain!
2. Backpack (Budget £50) - from my research I should be looking at a 35+ Litre bag and I don't want to go super huge 60 Litre so 35-40L would be ideal. I really like these Jack Wolfskin ACS 38L Bags found an Amazon Warehouse deal at £48 Normally £90-100 (think there might be a mistake in this as it looks like a 26L) and Berghaus Remote 35 at £48 (Normally £75). Above this Berghause Freeflow 35 at the upper limit of my budget at £61.52. I've found this is one of 2 areas (the other being sleeping bags) I am not willing to compromise on for comfort reasons hence the big name brands (not something I normally care about). But having used some of these brands before I know I should be comfortable on my hikes.
3. Sleeping Bag (Budget £60) - Not messing around here, it can get seriously cold here especially when you throw in the infamous Hebridean 'breeze'. To keep things simple I am sticking to one brand, Vango, they seem to be top of the searches and I trust their ratings are more accurate than cheap Chinese brands, they are a Scottish company too which is nice! The Vango Latitude 300 at £40 is one of the best price to warmth ratio I've found unfortunately there is a weight penalty coming in at 1.8Kg.
4. Tent (Budget £50-100) - This has been an absolute nightmare of a thing to research trying desperately to figure out needs/wants. Weight and shape have been the hardest things to balance. For windy conditions I have found one tent on ebay used Sitting at £39 + £6.99 postage its a sort of no name brand by Gelert 'Beyond by Gelert Meteor 2', rolls off the tongue doesn't it? I like this one for its semi-geodesic shape and 5000mm Hydrostatic head rating 2.7Kg it's a wee bit pudgy but for the price/performance it claims to offer I cant go wrong really, almost no info online about it though. Amazon has a few answers up its sleeve in the form of Chinese copy tents by Naturehike/WolfWise/Geertop. All the features of expensive tents but at a third of the cost! Different names but appear to be the same tents. The cheapest coming in at £54 WolfWise 1 person tent, claiming to be silicone coated nylon is only 1.8Kg! Up from this is a compromise of both the above from Naturehike the Cirrus 2 coming in at £120 its a bit high in cost but it offers that magic compromise. Nature hike have a few options all under 2Kg from around £70-120, the question is, would I trust it? Reviews are good and are actually copies of expensive MSR & Big Agnes Tents. Jury is out! The Vango Banshee 200 seems to be the most popular tent on the market and in budget but I'm just not too keen on the tunnel design, I can imagine it feeling like being buried alive. I need to sit up to eat so its a bit of a non starter for me.
5. Luxuries (Budget £TBC) - Vango self inflating mat £16 under 1Kg so I can live with that. Ground Sheet, I have read a space blanket makes a good multi-tool. Vango Inflating Pillow £6
So thats enough of that for one week! Next week the orders will go in!