Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks

That's a great shout and a fair challenge as it represents a reasonable proportion of the weight on my back. Will give it some thought, thanks Stewart.

Agree, your absolutely right, nothing worst than on a wet and cold morning trying to fit everything perfectly into your rucksack. Thanks for the thoughts.

I guess if you had to carry your holiday bag on your back, it might contain less!

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the watch and comment.

Cheers Catherine, great comment, best of luck with the ‘rabbit hole’ that is a true challenge!

Yep, real good, found it on Amazon. Glad your enjoying the video, Cheers

Hi Imran, great question(s)! I appreciate these interactions and learning different approaches to overcoming the challenges we meet on the trails. So thanks for sharing all the info you have provided. My simple strategy is mainly taking three of everything in terms of clothing. I will usually, dress at night with the clothes for the following day. Obviously, depending on the weather this might only be a partial dress if it is particularly warm. In wet weather, I have usually managed to get the third change of clothing dry or taking the decision similar to your strategy and held in reserve as a sleeping kit. All my clothing kit will be in a dry bag and yes this is my three season set up. As the seasons change to colder weather I will then increase the thickness/warmth of the clothing items and possibly add extra items such as gloves and hats. In response you your specific questions:- 1. Montane trousers, I have a variety to select from depending on the season and I have chosen these mainly for there reason you have given in the lower paragraph. If you are thinking of buying from Montane, sign up on their website to get 10% off, plus they are always providing discount codes at various times of the year. 2. Will take three items that will act as base and or mid layer, again based on my best estimate at what the weather is going to throw at me! But in winter or shoulder months likely to have dedicated warm mid layer. Sometimes, I might be even wearing my waterproofs for warmth rather than keeping dry as they will protect me from the wind chill. 3. My weapon of choice for teeshirts and mid layers is Merino wool, just wish it was not so damn expensive! 4. Footwear. Now that is an interesting question. For years I struggled with a problem in one of my big toes, to eventually have it x-rayed and discovered I had no cartridge between the bones. That led me in the direction to consider boots/shoes with near zero drop, so that there is less pressure on the toes. On a visit to California I discovered the Topo range, which I have used ever since and they do sell them in the UK as well. Also, just for note, I will use lightweight hiking boots, sometimes approach shoes depending on circumstances. 5. Montane, I think I have now built up three different sets, which I will select depending on the forecast. 6. No windshield. So my thinking behind this and why I stopped using one after many years of use. This came about when I seriously reviewed my kit and considered how long do I use that piece of kit for on the trail and what would happen if I did not bring it? I do cook outside but one door or side of door will act as a wind break. Occasionally, the wind will change direction and on those occasions I might hold my guide book or something else to one side of the burner. I might even build a small wall if a few boulders are to hand but this need to protect the burner to that extent is rare. Most modern burners can cope with the wind, might take a few extra seconds to boil some water, but that added to a boil time of 2-3 minutes, for me, is not worth worrying about. Hope that answers all your questions, happy to respond further if required for clarity etc. Thanks for sharing, you've certainly got me thinking about a possibly video as it would be a easier method of demonstrate my thinking. Cheers Nigel

Wow...thank you for your consideed reply. I also use zero drop shoes. The altra lone peaks offer such a wonderfully lightweight wide toe box which have been a real game changer. I have hopes of doing the Cape Wrath trail so need a non-goretex shoe that lets water in and out easily and dries quickly. I might however switch to the mid altra with evolve lining so as to give some ankle support and apparently the 'evolve' system still allows good water drainage. 1. May I ask what is the green puffy with hood you use? 2. Have you ever tried liquid/ gel fuel? I use a triangua stove with pot stands but looking for a better system. I also have the brs stove and titanium pot 750 mil but not knowing how much fuel is left in a cannister is a pain so carrying two seems on thru hikes to be the answer...but that's more weight. 3. I am thinking of switching away from down to primaloft for the sleeping bag / quilt and puffy. Synthetic is now nearly as light as down but still offers warmth when wet. Any thoughts? Rgds Imran

Well would you believe, I also have the various Altra's as well! Tend to use these when I think a shoe would be more appropriate than a boot. Just for info, the Topo's also have a wide toe box. 1. The green puffy, you guessed it, another Montane product. I have the green 'down' puffy for winter/cold and a mid weight (black) synthetic puffy for the shoulder months and a synthetic (blue) puffy for the summer months. 2. Not tried the gel fuels options but have looked into it a while back, was not convinced at the time but maybe I should look into it again. If you go that way let me know how you get on. From experience, I have found the small gas canisters (100 grms nett) always seem to last me a full week. If travelling longer, I will then take the next size up (230 grms nett). For info, on the Jetfoil canisters it helpfully tells you how many boil each canister provides, 100 grms provides 24 boils, 230 gas provides 55 boils. 3. As you will see from the answer to Q1 I certainly use a mixture of 'fillings'. In the winter and on cold days in the shoulder months I will use down as the filling required increases for warmth, then the weight to warmth ratio is sufficiently impactful to make a difference. But summer months and moderate days I will have no qualms about using synthetics. Hope that all helps and thanks for sharing your insights. Cheers, Nigel

Once again, thank you.

Depends, for summers months with a longer hike using a new tent Sea to Summit Altro TR2. Done a review, which you can find on my channel. However, it is slightly heavier but tons of space. But yes still got the Lightwave Sigma S10 and rate it highly for 4 seasons. Thanks for the comment and watch Michael.

Thanks Mark, yes I’ve got an Osprey, they are the armchair rucksack of comfort! However, that comfort of course comes at a price in terms of weight. The Atom does not breath as well and gets a bit sweaty on the back, however, for the weight saving overall I think a better rucksack. I have decided to do a review soon comparing my Osprey and Montane sacks to the Atom so there is some context and I’m able to compare and contrast. Cheers

@@AmblingTrails Thanks Nigel, I'll keep an eye out for that. Atb Mark.

The Atom plus that I'm using is 40Ltr. This also maybe of interest in terms of what I've packed (or not) into a 30Ltr bag kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b7hdfsadm66wqGg.html Happy to answer any further questions if required, cheers

@AmblingTrails thanks for the quick reply. I think 40 litre would be about right for me. I currently use a Gossamer Gear Gorilla which is about the same volume.

Ha, I did wonder, thanks for the clarification.

As it happens, I agree! All part of the learning process, did the vid about two years ago and since that time I've done two more videos that cover what's in my various rucksacks, and neither of these have music. I do appreciate the feedback, and thanks for taking the time out to provide your thoughts. Cheers