In this post I want to take a look at Climbing Helmets, take a glance at why they are used, how they work and which one is right for you.

Why Do Climbers Wear Safety Helmets?

Clearly no body wears a climbing helmet because it looks good, so what is the primary reason climbers wear a helmet? The answer is simple, it is safety … the difference between wearing a helmet and not can literally be life and death as a story in the recent BMC helmet safety guidelines tells.

This was a 50ft fall in which I was inverted before hitting the ground on the stretch of the rope. The helmet had a 4 inch diameter hole in it. I walked away without even needing to go to hospital. Without the helmet I would certainly have died – hopefully instantly! Based on my experience and with recent advances in the comfort of helmets frankly I think it is crazy of anyone not to wear one. Of course that should be their choice – but if I had not worn one I’d no longer be making any choices.
BMC Head Injury Survey 2008

Climbing Helmets Save Lives

There are two main types of head injury, the mechanism of both is an impact (either the the climber impacts something or an impact causes a secondary injury – such as brain damage). The first type of head injury is the one most people think of (mainly because it can be visible) and this is where an impact causes a physical injury, such as cut’s, abrasions, fractures and other broken bones. Thankfully few injuries such as this type cause death themselves, death tends to be caused by the second type of impact injury. The second type is a secondary injury (generally to the brain) caused by sudden deceleration of the skull. Without going into the science of this, basically the brain moves around in the skull fairly freely and when suddenly stopped causes the brain mass to impact the side of your skull causing injury to the cells. Both types of impact injury to climbers can be caused by any number of events, though for the most part climbers falling or being hit by debris are the main causes.

How Do Climbing Helmets Work?

The first thing to know is there are 3 types of climbing helmet: Hard, Foam & Hybrid. Each helmet type has it’s own set of pro’s and con’s which determine the use of that kind of helmet.

Hardshell Climbing Helmet
Hardshell helmets consist (you guessed it) of a hardshell, they have also have a flexible inner webbing cradle. The cradle is not only for comfort and holding the hardshell to your head, but also to manage impacts by stretching upon impact. These helmets are the type you will most commonly see in climbing centres, as they are robust and resist small impacts very well, making them ideal for groups. With larger impacts the hardshell is likely to deform permanently and often discolours (usually turning white at the problem area), also with larger impacts the cradle maybe permanently deformed – regardless of which of these two events occur after a large impact, any climbing helmet should be retired and replaced. Luckily it is easier to determine retirement age for a hardshell helmet than it is a foam or hybrid type helmet. A draw back to this type of helmet is they offer no protection around the rim, this means during off-centre impacts the helmet can crack and/or collapse.

Foam Climbing Helmet
The best way to think of a foam climbing helmet is to think of a general-use biking helmet, made from expanded polystyrene with a thing hardshell exterior made from polycarbonate, of course with plenty of ventilation. These “soft shell” foam climbing helmets are much lighter than hardshell helmets. Due to the nature of the foam being on all sections of the helmet, the foam climbing helmet offers support even at the rim of the helmet, unlike hardshell’s, meaning a great amount more off-centre protection. This extra protection makes it a good choice for all round climbing where, falling is likely to be the most common event causing a bang to the head, where as hardshell’s are better for impacts on the top of the head (in a fall you can hit your head anywhere not just on the top). When impacted softly the thin shell offers some resistance (causing stones to bounce off) and the foam cushions the impact, during a larger incident the shell will take some force and crack allowing the foam to progressively collapse taking the impact over a larger area, meaning serious injury is less likely. A major problem with foam helmets is simply that they are much more likely to be damage in transit than other helmet types due to having only the thinnest of shells. Note: There are some important differences between cycling and climbing helmets, do NOT wear a cycling helmet when climbing.

"stepping lightly" always wears a helmet, especially when up the Blackpool Tower

Hybrid Climbing Helmets
As you may guess hybrids are a cross between hard and soft (foam) climbing helmets. In essence they have a hardshell exterior with foam inserts adding greater protection for the climber, however the foam does not run to the rim causing some of the issues of none protection a hardshell has. Another difference between the hybrid type and the hardshell is that a hybrid climbing helmet tends to weigh less as the internal cradle is replaced by foam and the hardshell can be a little thinner. Unsurprisingly due to the increased durability of this helmet compared with the others this is generally the most popular type of climbing helmet. I suspect that “stepping lightly”,
climber and urban explorer, wears this type of helmet.

Which Climbing Helmet Suits You Best?

Hopefully the information above will have give you some idea as to which helmet suits your needs. If not, then here is a handy summary about the climbing helmets.

Hardshell Helmet
Pro – Top Impact Protection (falling debris), General Protection & Durability
Con – No Off-Centre Impact Protection, Weight & Ventilation.
Use – Mountaineering, Caving & Groups

Foam Helmet
Pro – Off-Centre Protection & Low Weight
Con – Durability & Residual Protection
Use – Outcrop & Sport Climbing

Hybrid Helmet
Pro – All Round Protection, Fairly Low Weight & Good Ventilation
Con – Off-Centre Protection Only at Location of Foam
Use – All Round Protection & Mountaineering

There are a few ways you can ensure the safety of any helmet you wear, probably the most common of these in use internationally is the UIAA‘s logo upon the helmet. You can see the safety logo by taking a look at our interview with the UIAA.

The funds raised by the lecture will go towards subsidising young people on their Scottish and Alpine training courses. They provide a very worthwile service and thousands of students have benefited from their courses over the last thirty years. At only £10 per ticket it is a great opportunity to support the trust as well as getting to hear Sir Chris Bonington, one of Britains most sucessful mountaineers. For more details on the Jonathan Conville memorial trust and to find out how to buy tickets  for the event see below.

What is the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust?

The family of Jonathan Conville established the Trust after he died on the Matterhorn 29th December 1979, aged 27. He was a sound, ambitious climber who had been to school at Marlborough College, spent some time in Australia, joined the Army (Paratroop Regiment) and taught at the Outward Bound School, Lock Eil. He identified strongly with the outdoors where he constantly found challenge. The Trust’s aims are to encourage and assist young people to train for and pursue their love of the outdoors in the spirit of adventure, which Jonathan embraced during his life.

The Trust encourages safe and enjoyable practice in mountaineering, by operating subsidised training for young people, operating Scottish Winter Courses based in the Cairngorms and Alpine Mountaineering Courses based in Chamonix.

Boundless Horizons – Sir Christian Bonington CBE – Ticket Details

When
Thursday 3 June 2010 7pm – 8.30pm
Bar open 6pm – 9.30pm

Where
The Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR

Price
Tickets £10 Admits ONE

How to Buy
Please send SAE with name/email/telephone contact details to:

Melissa Kay
C/o JCMT
Titchbourne Barn
Redlynch
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP5 2JX

Cheques made payable to Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust
Telephone 01794 884118

The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.

It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.

Both the shoulder and chest straps are height adjustable. The shoulder straps are not uncomfortable, but could do with a little more padding. However it is worth bearing in mind that too much padding on rucksack shoulder straps could restrict your arm movement. The length of the hip belt is adjustable from both sides so that the buckle remains in the middle.

The Berghaus Arete opens up like a suitcase.

Rucksack Features

The feature that struck me as being different for a rucksack of this size is that it is entirely “unzippable” allowing you to open it up like a small suitcase, for quick and easy access to all your equipment. This feature is typical of rucksacks designed for ski touring. However, being able to get to any piece of your gear without having to empty the entire content of your rucksack is a benefit on any walk, climb or expedition. Let’s face it, no matter how well you pack your rucksack there will always be something that you’ll need in a hurry and you can guarantee that it will have found its way to the bottom of your rucksack!

Inside the rucksack, underneath the lid there is a bivi draw cord to seal in all your outdoor gear and a Y-shaped rope compression strap for securely storing climbing rope. The lid is fastened down with a single buckle, although personally I prefer rucksacks to have two buckle attachments on the lid. The buckle is mounted on an adjustable strap so that it can be used to compress your gear, increasing the stability of your pack. It also has side compression straps to help stop your gear moving around sideways.

Opening the lid reveals more features: bivi draw cord, rope compression strap, mesh pocket and safety instructions.

A very versatile rucksack big enough for hut to hut routes, designed for cragging and rock routes where you plan to be out for the day. Berghaus

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack has more pockets than you can shake your walking pole at, which is great for organising your gear. There are large external pockets both on the lid and at the bottom of the pack, ideal for getting quick access to your waterproofs. The hip belt (waist belt) has small pockets on both sides and there are elasticated pockets at the bottom on either side on the rucksack. Inside the rucksack there are also many pockets and compartments: a large internal pocket, a mesh pocket on the lid and two elasticated pouches, one of which is for holding a hydration pack. There are also two long thin internal pockets which are “shovel and probe storage solutions”. If you’re not going out in the snow you won’t need your avalanche probe, in which case these pockets are ideal for stowing sticks of seaside rock.

The large outer pocket has two zips fasteners. One is red and one is grey, which I assume is to help stop you from accidentally moving both zip fasteners at once, thus opening and closing the pocket in one movement.

Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem Mountaineering Rucksack

Outside the rucksack

On the outside of the rucksack there is a grab handle at the top and there are plenty of straps to hold gear, such as walking poles and ice axes. On each side of the rucksack there are straps designed to hold your skis which have removable, anti-slip pads. The only outer feature that it does not have is an elastic bungy that can be used for holding a climbing helmet or wet clothing.

There are built in safety features such as a small whistle in the chest strap, reflective lettering and safety instructions inside the lid. The whistle is not very loud so it would be best to take along a proper whistle, especially if you are skiing or mountaineering.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem has a capacity of 40 litres, its dimensions are approximately 65cm (H) x 32cm (W) x 25cm (D) and its weight is 1.41 kg.

Arete Tour 40 Extrem

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem is a solidly constructed, well thought out rucksack. It is comfortable, adjustable and offers easy access to your gear. With plenty of pockets you can stay organised. It is highly suitable for climbing and mountaineering and, in particular, for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Definitely recommended!

Have you got a Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem or similar rucksack? What do you think of it? Click on “comments” and let us know!

Why not write a review about your outdoor kit?

Mountaineering Ethics will help protect the Mountain Environment. Source: Flickr by dino_olivieri.

The UIAA’s bold summary encompasses the thinking behind the declaration:

Stretch Your Limits, Lift Your Spirits, Aim for the Top!

The mountaineering and climbing ethics code encompasses the following twelve points, which I have summarised below:

1. Individual Responsibility – Be responsible for yourself, for others and for the environment.
2. Team Spirit – Support and encourage your climbing team members.
3. Climbing and Mountaineering Community – Treat every person in the mountains with respect.
4. Visiting Foreign Countries – Respect your hosts, show consideration for their culture, their holy mountains and sacred places. Try to bring benefits to local people and their economy.
5. Responsibilities of Mountain Guides and Other Leaders – respect the freedom and rights of other groups and individuals.
6. Emergencies, Dying and Death – Understand the risks and hazards in the mountain environment. Have suitable knowledge, skills and equipment. Be prepared to help others in emergency situations, even if it means sacrificing your own goals.
7. Access and Conservation – Practice mountaineering and climbing with respect for the environment, be proactive in preserving nature. Freedom of access is a fundamental right but respect restrictions agreed with conservation organisations and authorities.
8. Style – Succeeding is not as important as creative problem solving and experience. Strive to leave no trace on the rock face or mountainside.
9. First Ascents – Should be completed in the style appropriate to the region, or better, and should be reported exactly.
10. Sponsorship, Advertising and Public Relations – Relationships between climbers or mountaineers and sponsors should be professional. The mountain sports’ community should educate the media and the public.
11. Use of Supplementary Oxygen in Mountaineering – Medical reasons for using oxygen at high altitude should outweigh other considerations. Ethical reasons for using or not using oxygen should be left up to individual climbers. Oxygen bottles must not be left on the mountain.
12. High Altitude Guided Commercial Expeditions – Commercial Operators should recognise the limitations of their clients in their care. Clients should be warned that their plans may be altered in order to assist others in mountain emergencies.

The declaration has taken a long time and a lot of effort to prepare. It has been endorsed by more than 40 mountaineering federations worldwide. Please try to adhere to its recommendations to help further the good name of climbing and mountaineering, ultimately it will also help to bring you a better experience in the mountains. The full text pdf file can be found on the UIAA website.

The UIAA is an international federation which represents climbers and mountaineers from across the globe. To find out more about the UIAA and what they do, why not read our exclusive interview with Judith Safford, Executive Director of the UIAA.

Mountian Biking at iROC Photo credit: © Ryan Edy / iROC™

There was universally superb feedback from competitors after the 2009 iroc event, with the fell race route being described as “worthy of a British Championship course” by elated competitors and the MTB Enduro circuit being described as “the toughest Enduro circuit in the UK” by many (rather tired) competitors.

The weekend of racing kicks off with the Night Orienteering race and competitors will be able to start whenever they want after 10pm on the Friday night. The course will be open for four hours, allowing competitors travelling from further afield sufficient time to complete the first race. Best of all,  free meals will be provided to all competitors as they finish each night race and also at the MTB Enduro.

Saturday daytime will be given over to a series of fun “Come and Try It – Adventure Races” for kids and spectators, whilst the competitors get the opportunity to test ride the Night MTB Course and experience labyrinth orienteering! Saturday night marks a change in tempo for the competitors with the races coming thick and fast thereafter. The night Fell Race and MTB Time Trial promise to be visually spectacular experiences for both competitors and spectators in the valley, with the courses being way marked with hundreds of glowsticks and many kilometers of reflective barrier tape.

Sunday’s Orienteering Race will be incredibly exciting as well, with competitors having to navigate through a complex labyrinth maze as they start and finish the race. The combination of the labyrinth maze, rapid fire block starts and gaffling, which all take place in the event village, will ensure an action packed experience for everyone.

The MTB courses for both the Night Time Trial and Enduro are being upgraded with a significant new section of uphill single track in the forest. The downhill single track section that literally induced nightmares for some competitors is also having a makeover, becoming faster, smoother and more ridable than before. The Enduro Race is being increased from four hours to six hours, but with a flexible start time, so that competitors can choose the amount of riding they want to do.

iROC™ will once again be held at Eastgate in the Durham Dales, an amazing venue exclusive to this event. The venue is surrounded by stunning moorland and on the boundary of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site itself is largely hidden from view but is complete with a large quarry, steep hillsides with complex contour features, forest and a perfect event village location with self-contained campsite at the bottom of the valley. With a prize giving ceremony after each race and an event village featuring a great campsite, fire barrels, BBQ’s, music, a bar, atmospheric lighting and activities for the kids, it’s a brilliant venue for a memorable weekend for all. Set in a beautiful and quiet area of the Durham Dales it will be well away from the Bank Holiday crowds.

have a look at the events schedule below:

If you are thinking of signing up and want to manage to make it to the finish line why not have a look at some of our training tips.

Entries have just opened and are limited to 400 competitors for more information and to register visit wwww.iroc-race.com

iROC finish line Photo credit: © Ryan Edy / iROC™

This move will hopefully lead to increased safety on the mountains as it should increase the chances of being able to dial 112 or 999 from your mobile in an emergency.  The move of course does not guarantee that you will get a signal as there are areas which are not covered by any operator.

Mountain rescue helicopter Source - Flickr:pdam2

It is however important not to let increased coverage to lead you into a false sense of security and not to follow “traditional” safety advice. Remember that good planning is essential before any trip out into the hills. Make sure you leave both your primary and emergency escape routes with somebody who can raise an alarm if they don’t hear from you, and don’t forget to take all the gear you need to keep yourself safe and secure in the worst conditions.

Lastly don’t forget one of the most reliable devices for raising an alarm in an emergency situation that won’t run out of batteries or break when it gets wet…the trusty emergency whistle The alpine emergency signal is 6 short blasts of a whistle with a 1 minute break and then repeated. The reply is 3 blasts with the same pause.

So remember to prepare for every eventuality when you head off into the mountains as you never know what might happen.

Wild Camping

On the matter of wild camping, I do this routinely on multi-day walks and now that I have disengaged myself from the restrictions of a working life I have time to tackle the many long distance walks that excite the imagination and itch the footfall.

Freddy Phillips High Street summit - Freddy Phillips ©

Personally, I quickly worked out that B&B options were beyond my pocket, and campsites seem to be ratcheting up their charges as well; £8-£10 per night is not unusual, and it mounts up. On longer walks, say four or five days out, I will use the occasional campsite to enjoy the amenity of hot water and a shower. But I always feel out of place surrounded by tents and caravans and often noise, cars and too much coming and going take away any pleasure in the experience. So I decided to take up “wild-camping” and I have been doing this for a couple of years now.

During 2009 I have completed The Dales Way, The Abbey’s Way, The Ayrshire Coastal Path, The Ribble Way, The Inn Way to Northumberland and the excellent Tour of the Lake District. I have wild-camped throughout without incident or challenge. Clearly, camping and overnight costs have been eliminated completely but much more important to my mind is that by camping on or near the route the essence of the walk is maintained, the wild-camper keeps close to nature and there is an element of satisfaction that comes from the ability to move uninhibited across wild or open country making independent decisions about where to spend the night. My preference is to walk until sunset and then keep my eyes open for a convenient spot but sometimes an idyllic pitch presents itself and I can’t pass it by, coastal walks are particularly prone to this hazard. My guiding principle is to attempt to leave the land in a better condition than upon my arrival if at all possible, in other words I will leave no litter and pack out any I find. I don’t worry too much about the legal niceties; wild camping in the Langdale Valley would not be tolerated (but I have bivouacked there) whereas up on the high fells presents no problems, and I which I prefer.

I always try to be completely out of sight and find the edges of woods and the junctions of stone wall provide good pitch opportunities and I like to get up and away as early as possible. I never camp in a field with any livestock, cattle can be curious and dangerous, sheep present no problems of that kind but they do attract the attention of shepherds.

Sweeping view of Mosedale Cottage - Freddy Phillips ©

I always carry a bivi-sac which I use as an outer cover on my sleeping bag, and that gives me the additional confidence that if at the end of the day I find myself in a place where a tent would be highly visible, I have the option of spending the night in my bivi sac, which requires minimal countryside cover to ensure privacy. I have used it a few times and in summer is a pleasure in its own right, another part of the great experience of “touching the land”

Finally, I don’t think it wise to campaign for legalisation, my own experience confirms that regardless of “law,” wild camping  done with care for the environment and reverence for property is both feasible and trouble free. Wild campers have generally come to their craft through a mature process of love for the countryside, which we seek to enhance and nurture though a more intimate experience of long trails and the far horizons of our remaining and inspiring wild and lonely places. I do not believe an argument could be won with landowners that Joe Public can camp where he or she likes and attempts to do so may lead to a more effective prosecution of the current legal status quo, which by benign design or tolerant neglect is very favourable to Going Wild, let’s keep it that way.

We’d like to thank Freddy for getting in touch and sharing his insight on wild camping.

If you want to voice your opinion on anything just leave a comment below. Want to write your own post? then email us at blog@cheaptents.com

The Khumbu Icefall at Everest Base Camp is the destination for Khumbu teams 1,2 & 3. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage

The Royal Navy Khumbu Challenge is currently under way in the Nepal Himalaya. This is particularly special expedition, since it is the inaugural expedition for Project Fortitude. Project Fortitude is a Royal Navy / Royal Marines initiative which will help service personnel who have been physically injured or who are suffering from psychological injuries. Through Adventure Training, Sport and Challenging Activities Project Fortitude can bring “Opportunity, Challenge, Focus, and Belonging” to injured personnel, which will help with long term rehabilitation. The Khumbu Challenge was officially launched last year by Prince Harry.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge

Five teams are taking part in Khumbu challenge: the Main Team, High Altitude Development Team and Khumbu teams 1 ,2 & 3, with the support of the Rear Link Office in Khatmandu. Altogether there will be 88 personnel taking part in the challenge, about 18 of whom have been injured or traumatised in Iraq or Afghanistan and who are undergoing rehabilitation. Khumbu is the name of the region in the Nepal Himalaya where the exercise is taking place.

The main team arrived in Nepal on the 23rd of September. The aim for the main team is to climb Ama Dablam (6,812 m), which will involve rock climbing, ice climbing and mixed rock and ice climbing. The name Ama Dablam means “Mother and Pearl Necklace.” The main team are all experienced climbers.

Khumbu Challenge Main Team will climb Ama Dablam, one of the most challenging climbs in the Himalaya. Source: Flickr by stevehicks.

The High Altitude Development Team are in the Khumbu to gain experience of high altitude climbing. They will be climbing the summits of Island Peak (6,182 m), Pokalde (5,806 m) and Lobuche East (6,117 m).

Khumbu teams 1, 2 & 3 include personnel who are undergoing rehabilitation. They will be trekking to Everest Base Camp (5,600 m) and climbing to the summit of Kala Pattar (5,545 m), which offers excellent views of Mount Everest and a 360-degree panorama of peaks including Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Kantenga, Thamserku, Tawatse, Pumo Ri, and Changtse.

For Khumbu teams 1, 2 and 3 the challenge will last about three and half weeks in total. Expeditions up to high altitude require acclimatisation in order to prevent altitude sickness. This means that when increasing altitude it is necessary to take rest days. These rest days do not include strenuous activity and only small increases in altitude. Therefore not every day will be a day of hiking.

After flying into Kathmandu, the journey to Khumbu begins with a scenic flight into Lukla airstrip, which is at altitude of 2804 m. From Lukla the hiking can commence. The administrative centre of the Khumbu region is a village called Namche Bazaar (3440 m), which is also at the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.

It will take nine days of trekking and acclimatisation to reach Everest Base Camp from Namche Bazaar. Below Namche Bazaar there are pine forests, climbing above Namche Bazaar the scenery becomes more mountainous with less greenery. Climbing higher the scenery becomes more rocky and mountains, with snow, glaciers and moraine. Everest Base Camp is situated at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall.

Typical Himalayan Mountain Scenery. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

The settlement of Gorak Shep, high in the Himalayas. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge will doubtless be a tough and awesome experience for all personnel involved! Good luck to all taking part!

More details about mountaineering Exercise Khumbu Challenge can be found on the KC09 Website.

Best Ever Outdoor, Hiking, Climbing and Gear Posts!

In order to celebrate this achievement we have compiled a list of our favourite blog posts from the year. Some our posts are informative, providing useful information about gear, outdoor pursuits and travel. Some posts provide ideas about where to go hiking, climbing, cycling and mountain biking. The interviews with outdoors professionals provide an exciting incite into the adventures of people who take outdoors sports to the extreme and/or travel to the remotest parts of the world. And some posts are about things that are just plain daft! This brings me nicely onto…

If you go down to the woods today…

The bear sleeping bag was created by Japanese artist Eiko Ishizawa. It is certainly creative but not one that we would recommend for a camping trip to the Scottish Highlands, or to anywhere else for that matter!

Dreaming of Mountain Biking in Aberdeenshire

Continuing on the theme of daft, we like this post about mountain biking in Aberdeenshire. It started off as a strange dream and unfortunately did not progress much further. However, if I take my mountain bike up to Aberdeenshire in the future, I will know where to get some excellent off-road action: Kirkhill Forest Mountain Bike Trail.

Worst blog post ever? Nunataks!

Watch out for these guys! Source: Flickr by lucyfrench123

Yes! This is the worst blog post ever, but it is Ryan’s favourite and it does make us chuckle. That says a lot about our sense of humour here at CheapTents.com!

So, what is a nunatak and why does make a bad blog post? It has something to do with an awful joke and an even worse artists impression!

Running the Marathon des Sables for Charity

From the “light hearted” to “not for the faint hearted”. The Marathon des Sables (MDS) is a 243km running race across the Sahara desert. You need to be extremely tough and dedicated to even think about attempting it. The MDS is the equivalent of 6 marathons in 6 days. Temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees. The terrain is rough, uneven, stoney ground and 20% of the distance is covered on sand dunes. You have to carry everything you need apart from water since it is a self sufficient race. It is commonly dubbed as ‘the toughest footrace on earth‘. In this post Andrew McMaster, tells us about his preparation for the Marathon des Sables 2009.

Interviews on the CheapTents.com Blog

Over the course of this year we have interviewed a number of athletes, explorers, adventurers, climbers and and outdoor industry professionals for the CheapTents.com blog. Firstly we must say a big thank you to all of these people who have given their time up to tell us inspirational tales and give us an insight into their lives! It is extremely difficult to decide which of the interviews are our favourites, but after much debate we have selected those of Paul Bride, Mikael Strandberg, and Dixie Dansercoer.

Paul Bride – Explorer & Outdoor Photographer

Paul Bride is an adventurer and photographer. Paul has travelled the world, going on adventures in India, Nepal, Canada and Vietnam. In this interview he tells us about his passion for photography and how he finds himself in places that he might not return from.

Paul Bride, Ice Climbing in the Rockies

Mikael Strandberg – Legendary Explorer and Adventurer

Explorer and adventurer Mikael Strandberg has travelled by horse, foot and skis through Patagonia, West Africa and Siberia. Mikael spent much the time on these expeditions travelling through uncharted territories, meeting people from different cultures and whilst in Siberia, eating raw, frozen fish.

Dixie Dansercoer: Polar Explorer and Expeditionist

Both the Arctic and the Antarctic are the passions of polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer. Dixie will use any method to explore the extremes of our planet: from mountaineering to mountain biking, from running to powerkite-skiing and from sailing to wind- and kitesurfing. The latest project that Dixie Dansercoer is spearheading is called (Ant)Arctic Matters. This is a travelling expedition that aims to showcase the beauty of polar regions and in doing so, will help us to understand and protect these globally important environments.

Dixie Dansercoer Kite Surfing in the Antarctic

Wild Camping – the law, and the pro’s and con’s…

From the inspirational to the informational, we like to provide useful resources for people who are going out camping, hiking, climbing, biking and of course, advice about outdoor kit. Whilst we have a good deal of knowledge and personal experience in these subjects, we do additional researching for our posts and always find out a thing or two.

The pro’s and con’s of wild camping post shed’s light on the advantages and disadvantages of wild camping, and offers debate on whether it is legal and acceptable. A useful read for anyone thinking of going wild or mild camping.

Where do the MSR Hubbas get their name?

And on the subject of outdoor gear, we like to recommend our favourite bits of kit, point out our favourite technical features and mention favourable third party reviews. There are some special questions, however, that require us to contact the manufacturer to find out some answers…like what on earth is a Hubba?

There are selection of lightweight MSR tents with Hubba in the name. The unique design of the pole system provides the answer. But there is more to this saucy post than the answer to what is a hubba.

Hiking in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco

And finally, this post about hiking in Morocco is a favourite mainly due to the photographs of impressive scenery in part of the world that most people would not normally think of going for a walking holiday. The combination of steep sided valleys, high mountain plateaux, remote villages and a completely different culture has put the Atlas Mountains on my list of places that I wish to visit.

Here’s to the Future

There are many other exciting, interesting, informative, inspirational and daft posts on the blog. Why not take a look through our history archives or search for topic that interests you – you never know what might find!

The first year of the CheapTents.com blog has been a success and long may it continue!

Want to be more lightweight than this? Source - Flickr - Mrfrosted

The 3 big opportunities to save lots of weight are with your rucksack, tent and sleeping bag. Its worth investing money on these to purchase good ultralight versions. The only option for a lightweight sleeping bags is down, which will provide superior warmth to weight when compared with a synthetic bag. When it comes to rucksacks look for something light that will comfortably hold all your gear. Massive weight savings can be made when choosing a tent so consider your choices carefully and look for the lightest possible that is suitable for your needs or you could always consider just using a bivvy bag.

Weigh all your gear

Dig out the kitchen scales and get weighing. Weigh all your current hiking gear and keep a note of what it actually weighs. (Remember to take manufacturers figures with a pinch of salt as they can sometimes be very optimistic.) Knowing exactly how much everything weighs lets you easily consider how much of a luxury an item is and helps you identify ways to save weight.

Look for ways to modify your gear

If you look at any ultralight backpacker you’ll see that most of their gear has been adapted. Most gear can easily be modified to shave off a few grams. Good places to start to look are cutting excess webbing from rucksacks, shortening handles on toothbrushes, cutting off labels from clothing etc. The possibilities are endless and it is strangely addictive especially when you find a way to get rid of another few grams.

Bring hiking and camping gear that has more than one purpose

Being able to reuse the same piece of kit for another purpose is a great way to save weight. Why bring a separate plate, bowl and cup when almost any meal can be eaten from the pot, and it saves on the washing up too! Other good multipurpose items include using a water bottle as a mug or duct tape for just about anything! As you start to go lightweight backpacking more often you’ll start to see hundreds of uses for a single item.

Take only what you need

This may sound obvious but it is a really easy way to save weight. Only bring the gear you need. If you keep track of the gear you bring out with you versus the gear you actually use you can easily save lots of weight. It’s very easy to overestimate how many clothes you actually need for a weekend. The same thing applies to food and other consumables. Repack just what you actually need from the originally packaging into smaller containers.

Sleep with layers on

You can often get away with using a sleeping bag rated for lower comfort temperatures if you sleep at night with extra layers on. A down jacket is another useful consideration here as it will provide you with a warm layer for during the day as well as helping you save weight on the sleeping bag during the night. As i said before think carefully about using gear for more than one purpose.

Buy lightweight hiking boots

This may not seem like an obvious way to reduce your pack weight but since every gram on your foot is equivalent to 5 grams on your back you could easily have a massive improvement by moving from a pair of heavy boots to some lightweight trail running shoes. Just make sure that your footwear is still suitable for the terrain.

Other tips.

• You can use foil takeaway containers as a lightweight alternative to a pot if you only plan to cook using boiling water.
• Fill a stuff sack with clothes at night to create a pillow.
• Do you really need a full set of cutlery? You can probably use just a spork or even titanium chopsticks if you’re feeling exotic.
• Clean out your wallet – If you need to bring one only carry what money you need and don’t take lots of change.
• Leave your spare tent pegs at home, consider removing unnecessary guy lines and look at replacing your standard pegs with ultralight tent pegs
• Keep track of exactly how much fuel you use over a few trips , this will then let you better estimate how much to carry although don’t forget to bring some extra in case of an emergency.
• Water is another big source of weight,  if you plan your trip so that you can pick up water on route you will easily save pounds.

Have you got any favourite tips for lightening your load when backpacking? Comment below and share them with us.