Sweep wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 3:05pm
pjclinch wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 10:48am
Sweep wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 9:34am
up to a point lord copper.
Part of that knowledge surely to not head off into wet cold and windy wilds without warm sheltering gear for the dear body?
That's true, but doesn't contradict what Tangled Meta said.
A dose of skill and knowledge lets you know to what degree you need a Lowest Common Denominator solution and when you can get away with less, and this is really what's underpinned the whole ultralight movement since Ray Jardine started it in the early 90s. And while full on ultralight gram-counting isn't for everyone, light
er equipment has found its way in to the mainstream and benefitted everyone.
In the early 90s there was a tendency to think everyone always needed a bunker-class tent to go up a mountain at any time of year, now we have the situation where folk have done a winter round of the Munros with a Laser Comp mainly by virtue of knowing what they're doing, including situations it won't work.
not really arguing with you, but I tend to think that it's best to err on the side of caution/be prepared over-prepared, belt and braces etc etc. Same as I always carry more food/energy stuff than I am maybe likely to need. We are fortunate I think in being cyclists - don't have to pare pare pare down. Also winter adventures are likely to be shorter than those in kinder climes so no great problem to carry a bit more.
This is fair comment on a typical cycle tour, though with a winter mountaineering expedition one starts to run in to the dilemma that the more emergency kit you carry, the more likely you are to have an emergency (because you get tired a lot quicker and go much slower).
And it's not necessarily about emergencies, just how much fun. A day with a light load can be a lot more fun than a day with a heavy load, and you're not necessarily betting your life, it can just be risking a possible miserable night.
Some of this is psychology. I once came across a lady who'd traded in her Akto on something geodesic not because the Akto had ever let her down but she just couldn't sleep in something that moved around in the wind like a single hoop does, spending the night having nagging doubts. She knew in her head it was fine, but that didn't get through to her heart, so in that case the fun bonus of a better night's sleep topped the fun bonus of a smaller, lighter pack.
In other words, if you're happier with belt and braces then go for belt and braces!
Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...