my kit

I can't give a complete listing and description of my kit, but over the next few weeks I will add short sections about the most important items, If you have any specific enquiries about my kit, do get in touch.

my day rucksack

I found that my old faithful nominally 35-litre Karrimor Hot Rock day rucksack was too small for my work as Mountain Leader, and my Karrimor Jaguar 55-75 litre expedition rucksack was too big, so in the summer of 2016 I decided to treat myself to a mid-sized light-weight rucksack.

Apart from the volume and a low empty weight, the other criteria were:

• it had to have good build quality
• it had to have hip belt pockets
• it had to have a lower entrance as well as a top entrance (a weakness of the Karrimor Hot Rock)

I chose a Lowe Alpine AirZone Pro 35:45 in black, which I bought as an Internet purchase from Taunton Leisure. I have used it on one reconnaissance, and two pieces of work, and I have found it big enough to take my ML gubbins (big first aid kit, eight-man shelter, spare water, spare food, and a few bits of spare clothing) and my personal hiking kit, with nothing stashed outside the rucksack except the trowel, which I prefer to keep in a side pocket, and the walking poles, which have neat external stowage (although the manufactures could have been a more generous with the elastic at the top of the pole stowage).

I have also used it for a mini expedition consisting of an evening hike, a night wild camping, and a day hike -- it carried everything inside except for one-man the tent, which slipped neatly into the webbing, and the trowel and poles, which was in their usual places; on that occasion I was using a summer-weight sleeping bag and had only two days' food with me -- if I had had a winter-weight bag and three days' food, the load would have been too bulky for the rucksack.

It sits neatly on my body and does not catch the wind much at all, and has all-day comfort. It is easy to pack, and easy to remove things from or pack things away into while out on the mountains. The lower entrance is on one side, requiring the pack to be rested on its side for access -- this looks odd but keeps the harness much cleaner than lying the bag face down on the ground.

It also looks good: it looks like a professional mountaineer's rucksack, These things matter.

I recommend this piece of kit without reservation for day hikes and for expeditions where you can travel light.