Everything I Took on My 77 Mile Photo Hike 

In this video I was praising the DJI Osmo Action. I take it all back as mine had a catastrophic failure mid trip. I was forced to buy a GoPro 7, which was my second choice, but so far I love it. It should be more reliable than the Osmo.

I have gotten my travel gear down to a bag about 10kilos. I can go indefinitely with that, including my camera, an extra lens, one filter and charging for batteries. I did parts of the Cumbria Way, your hike, with this gear. So I watched your video with interest. here are a couple of comments on gear. 1. the toiletries bag, don't need something so heavy. don't need zippers and heavy duty nylon. just get a really thin bag and throw it all in there. bag should weigh around 1 oz or less. 2. reduce the things needing charging, nothing on that watch can't already be done by your phone. don't take things that do something you already have something doing. 3. camp gear, you were hiking in places where there are inns, hostel, pubs throughout. at the very least, you could have ditched the cooking gear and relied on one hot meal a day eating in a pub or inn. and if you want to heat up water, the jet boil system is fine but you can cut out half that weight by a tiny backpacking stove and one small titanium pot. the tent is just not needed if the midges are done for the season. get a tarp with 4 stakes and learn how to pitch it with your poles only. should weigh less than half a kilo. or just stay in inns and hostels of which there were many. 4. the garmin, you didn't use it and you used the phrase, "just in case" that is key. don't pack your fears, don't bring stuff just in case (other than true emergency get like rain gear and a real compass). you were on a very well marked trail, you never once needed that. put it on your phone. or take paper maps but only bring those sections you need. you were correct that you might need 4 maps for that hike. but you could have cut out the paper you needed and left at home all the rest.5. the water bladder. you added weight just for the convenience of drinking while walking. Bring just just a couple of collapsible bag type water bottles and don't waste weight on tubes and valves, and the water will taste better too. 6. too many dry bags. one or two at most, use the ones you bring for more than one thing. the rest of your bags can be much thinner and lighter. 7. emergency lighting, get a much smaller light. 8. ditch the cotton stuff and get lighter weight synthetic t shirts and pants than can be washed overnight as well. 9 rain gear, don't bring gortex and all that expansive crap, just marketing junk. a very light weight rain jacket can be thin and still work well. if i need it to be warm i layer inside. mine weighs probably third of what you were carrying and it cost me very little. packing light is more about what is in your head than what is on your back. anytime you hear yourself saying, "might be useful, might be needed" you probably are wrong.

I'll offer my 20+ years of light-weight backpacking wilderness experience (e.g. solo 10 days self-supported in the Canadian Rockies) : I will reiterate my suggestion that you look at the MSR Hubba NX tent. 1.12 Kg - no such condensation/contact issues and rock solid. You could also look at a tarp set up, but that is a bit more radical. Sleeping bag: For above zero overnight temperatures you can use a much lighter sleeping bag (circa: 1000-1200 g of high quality 850 or 900 grade down. Look at, for example, Western Mountaineering, if you have the dough to hand.) You could use an ignition attachment for your Jetboil rather than a striking stick - it's much easier and no heavier that the spark stick. I use the Jetboil MicroMo - its great. Water bladder: try Camelback or Platypus. Avoid the rubbery water bladder - the plastic ones taste better in short order imo. Rather than a filter simply use a sterilization tab such as Pristine. that weighs about 1 gram per litre of water used. It is so much lighter than a filter, although you will need to wait 1/2 hour before drinking. And rather than taking three litres of water, take only enough to get you to your next water source and resupply there. I rarely need to to take more than 1 litre at a time. In most environments that will save you a kilo or two straight away. Since you take your phone, I don't think you need the Garmin Etrex. You might not even need your Garmin Fenix, really. For basic waterproofing - consider a lightweight hiking umbrella. I'm serious. You will sweat a *lot* less when hiking in the rain (Goretex transmits sweat by means of vapour pressure differential, which is negligible when the exterior humidity is 100%, which it typically is when it rains. In other words, Goretex is great precisely when you don't need it and hardly better than wearing a plastic bag when you do!) An umbrella is also very useful for shielding a camera from rain and wind. I use the Swing Trek LightFlex. (I do still take gore text jacket and trousers, but use them only when the rain is side on and the umbrella in compromised by wind). And you forgot to include your very snazzy sunglasses in your kit list.

1-gallon or smaller zip lock freezer bags for everything that can fit in them. You can see what's in them so it's easy to find everything. Easy to bring extras just in case. A compact umbrella often is better than a rain jacket/parka if it's not windy and its too warm. It also helps to cover your bag while accessing gear. One of those lightweight garden knee pads cut in half is also great for kneeling and sitting.

Use Efferdent denture cleaning tablets to get the plastic taste out of water bladders. Fill the bladder up about 2/3 and drop in one tablet for each liter of water (I just use 2 tablets in a 2 liter bag). The tablets will start fizzing and turn the water blue. Make sure to rotate the bladder every few minutes so the solution touches all surfaces of the interior, and squeeze the bite valve while pushing some of the liquid through the hose. When the blue water turns clear, drain it and rinse the bladder out thoroughly with clean water. This also works really well to clean mold out of bladders if you accidentally store them partially full 😉

Your single heaviest item is water! When I'm hiking in wet areas (and Cumbria definitely qualifies) I don't carry more than 600ml of water. You're passing water sources at least 4 times a day (probably dozens of times). Each time I find water, I drink my 600ml and filter another 600ml. If I'm getting thirsty because it's been a while since I've found water, I'll stay at the stream and drink a couple of bottles there before leaving. You can probably save about 2kg here. I also have the OEX Leviathan. For the price it's a very good bag and often on sale in Go Outdoors for about £140 because it's their own brand. But it's a 4 season with a comfort rating to -9C. I've had it down to -4C and been warm so for summer it's total overkill. For general 2 season use you would be fine with a 0C bag, and about 800g is realistic without breaking the bank. For a top end bag you're looking at £400+ though. On the subject of sleeping bags, it looks like you're keeping yours in its stuff-sack? Don't! You've got dry bags with you, and keeping you bag dry is the number priority. Put the sleeping bag in a dry bag. Looks like you were fairly lucky with weather, but in extreme rain, you can't rely on the rucksack cover to keep the contents dry. Much better to keep stuff properly safe in a dry bag. Possible sleeping bag weight saving - around 700g. I also have Montane waterproofs and they're great but I use the Montane Minimus Jacket and Trousers which are far lighter and have kept me dry when needed. They stuff into tiny little mesh bags. They're about 230p each item so you'd probably save around 500g there. I always take an absorbent micro-fibre cloth for drying condensation from my tent. A sponge would work just as well. I also always take a length of spare guy rope, which mainly gets used as a washing tent for drying towels etc, take 4 or 5 light clothes pegs. Condensation is tricky, but pitching with care can help. Try to orientate your tent so that the breeze is coming through the vent. Did you take a trowel for you-know-what? If not, what did you do? Why did you take 3 days worth of food? The Cumbria Way passes plenty of resupply places and cafes/pubs serving food. No need to carry any more than 1.5 days worth I'd say. You're not in Outer Mongolia. The Osprey Kestrel is not a lightweight rucksack by any means. If you like Osprey, I have the Exos 58 which is about 500-600g lighter than the Kestrel. Osprey also make a new bag called the Levity which is another 250g lighter. Potential weight saving around 750g. So there's savings of about 4.5kg.

Awesome Tom. I was really surprised to see how poorly the telemark performed on your last video. I knew that they had issues with condensation but that was ridiculous. The sleeping bag and rucksack are the 2 main items that bulk up thr weight. However, the prices for lightweight and stackable are a bit rich. Alpkit do some really good bags. The pipedream range are superb. Many thanks for the shout out and that you enjoy the videos. It's much appreciated. Best wishes. Paul

I can't offer much advice on modern gear but If you're only bringing one (size) lens you can skip the holder/adapter and go for screw in filters. Also I use a 'heat seat' (bead filled) style seating pad which doubles as my pillow so those two elements become very light weight one which hangs outside the pack.

Here's some pieces of gear I would recommend to cut your base weight: - Hyperlight Southwest 4400 backpack: 2.5lbs / 1.13 kg - Zpacks Duplex 2 person tent: 19.4 oz / 550 g. Tent poles are your trekking poles. Single wall dyneema tent = condensation but it's designed to have it all drip out or dry out, not drop on you. - Enlightened Equipment Revelation or Enigma Quilt: 20 degree down quilt: 22.54 Oz / .64 kg - MSR Groundhog stakes: 0.5 ounces/14g per stake. - If you like your seat pad, try the Thermarest Z seat. 2oz / 56g - Every liter of water weighs 2.2lbs or 1kg. If you're on a route where there are many water crossings, try and reduce your water weight as minimally as possible. Last trip I did I only carried 1L at a time and worked out great (but followed lakes and streams the whole way). - If you're half full with the Ravpower battery, try a 10k mA Ravpower or Anker battery. The Anker PowerCore 10000 PD is 192g/6.8 oz - Pick up a Garmin inReach mini for emergency situations. It's a emergency 2 way SOS beacon. Pairs with your phone to send texts / SOS beacon anywhere in the world :) - Lastly, bring storm proof matches over a flint and steel. When an emergency presents itself, you're in extreme weather, and you need to make a fire: storm proof matches won't let you down. Weighs next to nothin'. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Hey Tom, after faffing with the same issues myself for a while I’ve learned the following which I hope can be of a little help to you: My 3litre Hydrapak has no plastic taste at all. It’s a great bladder and it has some centre locks which, although they’re a nightmare to do up and undo, make it 2.5 litres and a lot slimmer when full. When it’s got 3 litres in it becomes quite cylindrical. This doesn’t bother me personally but it does take up a bit more internal bag space. For shelter I use a DD Superlight Tarp with a Paria Breeze mesh tent for the summer months. In the winter I just use a Bivvy under the tarp. Total system with bug net, pegs, poles and guys is still only 1.4kg. It’s survived driving rain and 35mph winds without me kakking my sleeping bag. It does require a few afternoons of practising the set up but I can put together an all enclosed shelter now in 10 minutes or a starry night view in 5. If you always have poles with you and can handle learning how to set up a tarp in different ways I’ve found that it offers the most all year round versatility. Failing that, if you love tents I can’t recommend a better tent for the money than the Wild Country Helm 2. It’s massive, stupidly sturdy and can be self standing if the wind isn’t too much. It’s about £160 but it’s equivalent to most tents twice the price. The downside is it’s 2.3kg. You’ll have to spend near twice as much to get one half the weight so it’s budget dependant. My tarp and mesh tent setup cost me about the same but is stupidly light and all packed comes to about the same size as your tent there, if not smaller. Hope some of that helps at least, even if it just feeds some thoughts. Cheers.

I'm a backpacking landscape photographer spending most of my time in the Great Smoky Mountains. I've been working on lightening my backpacking gear to accommodate the extra weight of photo gear. Here are some things I've done, as well as other options to consider: - Start with the pack. I switched from an Osprey Aether (about 5-6 pounds) to an Osprey Levity (about 2 pounds). There are plenty of other options from boutique shops like Z-Packs, Hyperlite, LiteAF and others. - Consider using a quilt instead of a sleeping bag for 3-season trips. I use an Enlightened Equipment synthetic quilt in summer, and there are many other vendors and temperature ratings. - Thermarest has introduced a UL (ultra light) series with some length/width options. The R-value is lower than the NeoAir, but may be suitable for 3 season trips. - Consider using one plastic bag for your sleeping bag and clothes instead of separate dry bags. I got some from LiteSmith that have been durable so far. - You may save some weight on your cook system with separate components instead of the all-in-one JetBoil. There are variations for the MSR pocket rocket that attach to a fuel canister that you can also fit into your cook pot. I use a Soto WindMaster and a GSI Soloist cook pot/cup. I also have an alcohol stove that's lighter, but its performance is a little finicky, so I'm not using it much yet. - I switched from an REI one man tent that slanted at the foot end because it touched the footbox of my bag and caused it to get wet. I'm using a Copper Spur HV because the pole system makes all the walls more vertical. Many of the current tent designs have similar pole systems. There are also many single wall tents made of Dynema Composite Fabric that use trekking poles for set up instead of a dedicated pole system (Zpacks, Hyperlite, etc.). Would love to provide you with tips about places to shoot in the Smokies (and/or host) if you decide to visit. Cheers!

It looks like you had a great hike. Thanks for sharing the vids and for starting a fun gear discussion. I love Osprey packs. I have three, myself. The model I currently use for week-long overnight hikes is the Atmos 65, which weighs in at 1,616 grams or about 200 grams less than the Kestrel 68. For a 3-nighter, you could probably make do with a 50 liter pack and almost certainly with a 60 liter pack for additional weight savings. I use a Western Mountaineering Summerlite sleeping bag (539g) and a Thermarest NeoAir Xlite inflatable sleeping pad (369g). I use a Tarptent Stratospire 1 which, together with a Tyvek footprint, weighs in at 1,034 grams. It uses your hiking poles for support. The tent stakes are more solid than the ones that came with your tent. If you know there will be reasonably good-sized rocks where you're going, there's no need to bring tent stakes. Just tie off to the rocks. Your pack, shelter and sleep system are the highest weight base items. You've probably got some room to trim. For a three-nighter if the weather forecast is reliably promising, you might consider leaving the shelter at home and sleeping under the stars. Perhaps, bring a tarp to serve as a shelter if there's a potential for light rain in the forecast. Personally, I prefer a shelter...I have no desire to share my sleeping bag with a snake :) You definitely can lighten the toiletries kit. I was going to suggest leaving the power bank at home but, as your profession depends upon the regular production of digital content, and as that work requires electronics, and as electronics need power...that probably is a necessity item for you. Unless you decide to make at least one trek a year on which you do zero video production. You didn't talk about your food. For three-days of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages (Gatorade mix, instant coffee, apple cider mix), my weight would come to about 2.5 kg. This does not include water in my hydration bag or bottles of Gatorade in the side pockets. It does include instant oatmeal, bagels, peanut butter and coffee for breakfast; sandwiches and cheese crackers for lunch, dehydrated entres, mini chocolate bars and apple cider for dinner and trail mix for snacks. Like you, I'm no expert. I just do what works for me. Hopefully, there are one or two useful tips in here. Have fun on your next hike.

Hello Thomas, you have some easy ways to cut out several kg of weight. You weren't hiking in the desert; there's no reason to carry 3L of water. The Sawyer filter you used screws onto a 0.5L Smart water bottle. Fill that, no bladder, screw the filter on and squeeze water out as needed. Refill as you find water. You were walking along a river for a large part of the way, after all. That alone will cut 2.5 kg. Also, you stopped in towns to eat...why carry 3 days of food? Carry what you need to get to the next town and resupply. Since you can't afford a new tent, consider rigging and sealing an extra guy line where the fly touched the inside of the tent. The Banshee weighs 2.5 kg, right, so this is a huge weight improvement. You can get a lighter pillow that's just inflatable, but nothing wrong with bringing a pillow you love. Feathered Friends Flicker 4.4 C down bag is 560 g, a third of the weight of your bag. The Jetboil is pretty heavy too; you can get a titanium ultralight stove (25 g) and a Toaks titanium 750 mL pot (103 g) that will come in for much less weight. Arcteryx makes nice, lightweight waterproofs. No toilet paper, or a trowel to dig a cathole?

Hi Thomas, I just got back from a 5 day backpacking trip into the Sierra Nevada in California (video coming up soon) and will go for another 6-7 day trip again next month. As for pillow, check out the Sea to Summit "Aeros Ultralight Pillow”. It is only 2.1oz. I used before my down jacket too but this pillow makes the sleep difference…. For water system I use a normal size Sawyer Squeeze Filter screwed onto a Smart Water bottle and drink directly from the filter…so refilling your bottle only takes a few seconds and you don’t need to bring anything else (maybe a second bottle, depending on where you hike). Just make sure the filter does not freeze up at night ;-) Cheer on from LA!

I'm a paper map guy. It doesn't have batteries, nothing to worry about. It's just safer to bring paper maps too I think. Anyhoo I'm in the same boat rn, just got back from Norway and my backpack was a bit over 20 kgs. It was my first extensive photography hike and I brought three lenses. Biggest mistake ever. Next time I probably won't even bring a tripod. One lens, one camera, done. Also I had too many spare clothing, that's also something I will change in the future. I think with better packing and leaving stuff out I might be able to get down to around 14-15 kgs depending on food and water. This weight (15 kgs) for me is pretty tolerable, I could walk off the earth with it, but the 20+ kgs was a bit over the line... We have the same headlamp, and probably it depends on ones taste, but I had it for over 5 years now and I'm totally satisfied with it. Awesome video as always man, keep it up!

The best lightweight tent I used is Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo Tent 680g. Single hiking pole needed. A little bit of condensation, but it's expected for a single sheet. Keep inspiring Thomas.

1500g sleeping bag! I thought mine was heavy at 800g lol. Have a look at Cumulus they are making some great bags.

as a super mega professional experienced hiker who's hiked across the country (drove to Utah and walked around Zion, I don't live in Utah), speed mountain climber (I stepped over a dune in my backyard once) extraordinaire, my advice would be to keep your pillow with you. sleep is super important especially if it's a multi-day hike since that's pretty much when you get to recharge. if you keep racking up crap sleep, it's gonna make the succeeding days more and more miserable and you won't end up enjoying the experience. splurge on your pillow and bring it even if it's luxurious. maybe you can get a smaller size of the same brand if you want to reduce weight? but yeah, take care and stay safe!

Yay! Thumbs up then hit play. I have been hoping you would do this video. Thanks Thomas, this was fascinating. Looking forward to reading the comments next :-) My advice for lighter weight - keep the tent and use it for group trips when conditions will be mellow, but for long hikes get a tarp tent that uses your trekking poles for structure. Better ventilation, better rain protection, and much, much lighter. Very interesting that you chose to still use your big camera on a long hike. Have you thought of vlogging with your cell phone on a motorized gimbal, and use your vlogging camera for photography? I have seen some stunning results from that combo...

Thomas I just looked up the price of the Nordisk tent. Holy moly. I'd be getting onto Nordisk never mind the 28 day return policy. There has to be something SERIOUSLY wrong with that tent for all that condensation.

Regarding your tent, I don't know how comfortable you are with stitching it, but you can try putting an attachment so you can put a rope or paracord so the part of the outer fly that ends up dragging and sticking to the inner fly could be pulled out and kept taut. that's definitely better than having to deal with water while you sleep and wet stuff in your tent and cheaper than trying to get a whole new tent, especially since you seem to like most of the other parts of said tent.

Hi Thomas, big change someone already mentioned this, but the reason your down sleeping bag is "leaking" down is because you probably store it compressed in your stuffbag when you're home again. The best thing to do is just to hang it out as soon as you have the change for it. That's also why I personally would not prefer to use my downjacket as a pillow, because yes you can compress down massively, but it's never good. Instead I always take empty pillowcase with me where I put my dry clothing in (that's better for the lifespan of your drysack as well, because laying on a drysack gives the change you swipe of the coating). Sorry if I repeat advice others already mentioned, but hopefully you can get something out of it :)

Nice vid Thomas.Some great tips for hiking/camping. A few things I've picked up along the way. I sometimes put a tea light in a cup in the tent - it's amazing how it can dry the tent out when a little dampness sets in. However, seems like your lightweight tent needed a bit more! I also use (for colder camping) a survival blanket (one of those cheap silver blankets) under the tent. It makes a big difference to your warmth and keeps the base dry. Down jackets are lighter and pack nicely. However they don't keep you warm when wet. Synthetic is better in super wet conditions (however, I tend to prefer down and try to keep it as dry as possible). I've gone through so many hydration systems. They all make water taste like plastic. I sometimes use electrolyte pills to flavour the water. Also, once I use them I stick them in the freezer to prevent any mold from setting in. Instead of an ND filter, I guess you could take multiple shots and do some photoshop magic (I'm sure you thought of that). Use both sides of your toilet roll :)

I hadn’t finished, just correcting the last word when my thumb pressed the button Thank you Thomas your work is great I hope I have helped like others have Tramping (hiking) is like your photography, to get better its practice, practice, Practice Don’t give up you’ll alway be adjusting what you take and you will forget something that you should take Have fun

Hey Tom, I've got a few videos that should help you. But for your stuff... Sleeping bag -> Quilt (I can lend you one, it's superb and less than 1kg) Pillow -> just take a pillow case from home and stuff it. Makes you sleep better being from home. Dry bags - They look pretty heavy! Jetboil -> maybe try the MSR Windburner (great in most weather) or a simply 650ml titanium mug with a little gas burner or alcohol system. I'd say stick to what you know best and stick to the Jetboil Minimo or MSR Windburner. Water - > Try the nalgeen flat bottle things - so much better! Water Filter -> Tablets are handy if you know the water is 99% there anyway. Seating Pad -> Boiler insulation bubble wrap stuff. Weighs even less and doesn't matter if gets damaged. All them little bags add up! Tent -> Look into a Six Moon Designs Solo LE - it's the dogs and you use a single trekking pole to construct it! Enjoyed the video - both of them :-)

Thomas.... I got a killer trick you should try with your hydration sack. Cut a line in the tube, insert the sawyer filter into the line. Now you can fill the sack up with water on the go and drink anywhere. When you're at camp and need to filter water just hang the bag up and pull out the mouthpiece from the tube and let it drain into your cooking pot, or just squeeze the bag if you don't need tons of water.

Thomas, I've been hiking for over 50 years all over Scotland, England, Wales, and for the last 42 years, Canada. Your video is very informative in ways you may not be aware of. I used full frame Nikon Cameras for years (including the 24-70 f2.8 you mentioned) but, the weight of the camera gear is just waaaayyy too much. I switched to Fuji XT-2 a few years ago, and use a Fuji 16mm f2.8 and a Fuji 35mm f2 when hiking. It's all I need for camera gear. It's considerably lighter than the full frame equivalent, and does everything I need. Don't see why you need three cameras. I gave up on zoom lenses, as they weigh more and are not as fast. I use a Tenba BYOB 9 camera insert and a Osprey 48 litre backpack (which weighs 2.5 lbs empty), which is good for 3-4 days of wilderness hiking and tent camping. (I use an Osprey 24 L with the Tenba BYOB 9 camera insert when day hiking). I use a Marmot Tungsten 2p UL tent, which uses aluminum poles and has a separate flysheet, and I never have any condensation issues. It weighs 3.5 lbs, but is worth it. I use a Tyvex Housewrap ground sheet cut to size under the tent. I washed it twice in the washing machine (don't use the dryer) to make it flexible and stop flapping noises. I take only one hiking pole. I tried a single wall silnylon tent on a 53 km four day hike on the Cape Chignecto Trail and had nothing but condensation issues. I use a Vanguard VEO carbon fibre tripod which weighs 2.5 lbs, which I sometimes don't take at all. The boil in bag ready made meals are expensive for a 3-4 day hike, and add weight. I use dry noodles/pasta/oatmeal (in separate medium sized freezer bags), and add raisins, nuts and canned fish, taken out of the can and out in a medium sized freezer bag. I use a MSR Pocket Rocket II stove and an aluminum Teflon pot from MSR, which is big enough to cary an insulated bowl, 1 hour fuel can and the stove inside it, with a strainer lid. The Jetboil is to big and heavy. I have a separate insulated plastic mug with lid, which also doubles as a measuring cup. I use a Sawyer mini and a 500ml BPA free drinking bottle (and a 1 litre rollup water bottle), as well as a 2L flex rollup dirty water bag. I have a Victorinox Camper penknife, which does everything I need. I have a lightweight insulated jacket and a lightweight rainjacket, and mostly all my clothes ( except underwear and socks) are man made (no cotton) for quick drying, including one pair of long hiking pants and one pair of shorts, and a couple of long and short t-shirts. I use lightweight waterproof hiking shoes, as boots are too heavy, and worse when wet. I use Keen water shoes (with toe protectors) to cross rivers and to lounge about in at the end of the day. Have used them to hike, sometimes. I use a lightweight headlamp which has multiple light settings to conserve power, and can be white or red for night vision. I use a lightweight down filled sleeping bag with a stuff sack for reduced volume. I use a lightweight Thermarest camping mat. Your watch, phone, and GPS and compass have redundancies. I have a Momentum Flatline Field watch, a compass and a Garmin 64S GPS, which is preloaded with topo maps of all of Atlantic Canada. I take, but don't use/rely on my cellphone, as in some parts of Canada in the wilderness you can't get reception and people who rely on their cellphones for navigation have been known to get lost (esp in the Fundy Trail). I only use my cellphone occasionally and have it turned off most of the time. My packed weight for 3-4 days hiking is around 24-28 lbs. I only carry 500ml of water at one time. Ditch the 3 cameras and get one quality mirrorless, and choose two prime lenses. Compare the total weight with your full frame camera gear and the 3 cameras and phone charger, you'll be surprised. Ditch multiple tech gadgets, inc your cellphone charger. You don't need it if you simplify your camera gear and only turn on your cellphone sometimes. Vaseline coated cotton balls and a lighter will always get your campfire going instantly, if your wood is dry. Hope this helps. Jamie in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Thomas, not trying to defend the quality of your tent, but maybe the problem of condensation on the outer part of the tent hitting the double tent comes from lack of proper adjustment. There are plenty of videos where you can see how you pitch the tent and then start adjusting the guys one by one until the tension is right, equally applied from all guys. That will make it more resistant to the wind and rain, and will keep the condensation away from the inner tent. It took me some tries and a few miserable nights in the Swedish mountains to learn how to do it. On top of that, now I use a very good light but 4 seasons tent. Hint: excellent tents are much easier to pitch, adjust and use.

Hi Thomas, Love your videos and advice. As a keen summertime hiker I’m going to offer my weight saving advice; - Sleep system. If all you need a tent for is somewhere to sleep, look at a hooped bivi. I use an Outdoor Research Helium bivi. It’s made with E-vent breathable material and a tough bathtub ground layer. All in weighs 450g. I’ve never seen the need for a good on a sleeping bag in the summer (or a zip - they add a lot to the weight of a bag) so I have a Peter Hutchinson Designs Delta 150 bivouac bag. They’re about as light as you can get - just under 400g - and compact down to the size of a grapefruit. They’re not cheap though. So their you go, with a silk liner and your sleeping pad you’d have a slew system that weighs under 1.5kg and fits into a 5L dry bag. 2 things on the subject of dry bags; Alpkit make superb dry bags with attachment points so you can comfortably attach them to the outside of your pack. Vango sleeping bag dry bags have a fleece lining on the inside so you can turn them inside out, stuff them with spare clothes and make a comfy pillow. - Cooking; have a look at a meths stove. Specifically the Evernew titanium DX. 95g all in. You’ll need about 60ml of meths per day, so save your Listerine travel bottles (100ml each) to put your fuel in. I too love my etrex 10, it’s just handy backup for reconfirming where I am, but your watch should do that. Oh, water! I can’t recommend Source bladders highly enough, and they come with an insulated hose; when you sip you’re not drinking water from the bladder but what’s in the hose - the bit that’s exposed to sunlight and the heat from your shoulders. That’s about it. One slightly more ‘out there’ idea; The army know a thing or two about carrying gear.. a webbing system is a superb way of spreading the weight away from your shoulders though you might look a bit too much like a survivalist! Have fun in the - is it The Pyrenees? Thanks again.

Get a Gitzo Traveller 1 series - easy holds my D850 with even a 70-200mm lens. Much smaller and lighter! Also if you have to have a pillow, think about the Z-packs pillow drybag, a dry bag with a nice fluffy side that you stuff with your spare clothes so you get a pillow without the extra weight! Also grab a Rab down sleeping bag - that will save you a good amount of weight as well as pack smaller. If you want to go UL, change out the jet boil for a MSR pocket Rocket and a single large titanium mug, (be sure to bring some silver foil as a make shift wind break/heat reflector! I certainly can't wait to do more hiking and distance trails next year, ideally with a weight 10-12kgs! Cheers, Tom

Thank you for all of your videos! If I may suggest a new "sleeping bag" I would suggest a quilt. After much research I bought a quilt and I will not go back to regular sleeping bags again. I was a bit nervous about keeping warm but it is no issue and you save a lot of weight! I bought mine at Enlightened Equipment in the US (I have nothing to do with them) and they are pretty known by ultralight/longdistance hikers. Nordisk tent issue: I have the same tent and from time to time I also get the problem with condensation. Make sure the "ends" of the tent have as much open as possible and another tip is to set it up under trees. Also, I have not myself bought a footprint but everyone says it will help with the condensation. Regarding water - try out the Osprey drinking system - I own both the 2L and 3L and I have no issues with taste of plastic.

Thanks for the whats in my bag but I'd like a back yard tour. Looks lovely.

If you're not already, I think good advice is to weigh out all your packed items individually and classify them into categories (ie: sleep system, camera kit, clothing, consumables, first aid/toiletries). You can input this info into lighterpack . com and it will allow you to see where your weight is and allow you to get an idea of where you can get the most from your $/effort in reducing your pack weight.

Platypus hydration packs. No taste at all. If they get funky, just dissolve a denture cleaning tablet in there and soak for a bit. Good solid rinse, and you’re back in business.

To get rid of the plastic taste fill up the hydration pack with water and Milton tablets (what are use to disinfect baby bottles). Then put in your fridge overnight. Then after leaving overnight empty the pack and wash it through with water. You may have to do this a couple of times before the taste will start to go.

Was literally thinking when I watched your hike - "I'd love to see what he carries on a long hike/wild camp and compare..." thanks so much!

It is a nightmare trying to get the perfect pack setup for long walks. It also starts to cost an arm and a leg as well. Maybe see you do the West Highland Way next. Ultralight rucksack, sleeping bag and tent are key to geting main weight down. One tent you might like is the Hexpeak V4A pyramid style as it is good in high winds, loads of space for admin inside and not too heavy for space it offers. Lets you seperate wet fly from inner tent to pack seperate. Good for winter camps as well. Or maybe look at something like the Scarp1 that Murray uses.

There are different ways to shed weight. 1. Another backpack - lightweight pack ~ around 1 Kg (e.g. Atompacks/Hyperlite Mountain Gear etc.) 2. 'Traditional‘ stove - Toaks Titanium UL 650 pot + Brs Stove + Toaks Ti windscreen ~ 130g 3. Ditching „heavy“ stuff sacks and put your gear into ziploc bags 4. Replace your bladder with smart water bottles 5. take less water in general - i don‘t know the area, but if there’s water everywhere like in Scotland, you don’t need to carry 3 litres of water when you can filter it around every corner Just my 2 cents for the beginning :)

Thomas, maybe you should challenge yourself and only use the M50, try and flex your photographic talents to make the most out of less gear

Great video, it's always nice to see what people are stuffing into their packs for a trip like this. I have a few thoughts... It's a poor tent design that allows the outer fly to touch the inner tent shell in that manner... Either not enough gap between, or they don't have enough structure to hold the fly tight so it doesn't sag. I'd be moving off that pretty fast. The pillow can go in favor of a stuff sack and clothing, which is what I do. The sleeping bag weight could be cut in half for summer packing for sure, but it will cost some money to do so. The sleeping pad... I don't think you said what you are using, but those things are pretty heavy... look into what that weighs. Lastly for the big things, the backpack is a heavy solution and could be done a bit lighter. Yours is about 2 kilos, and you should be able to find some in the 1 kilo range that will work. Plus, if you trim some other things down in amount or size (especially the sleeping bag), you could feasibly choose a smaller bag, which will save on weight and make for a more compact and easier hike as well. You use a GPS watch, have a GPS phone, and you have the GPS unit. Get rid of the GPS unit and get rid of the monster watch. The phone has a watch in it, right? Then, get a much smaller USB battery box. I would be concerned about not having a backup in some places, but where you were hiking, is there any real reason to be concerned about not having a GPS? You can't be more than a few miles from a road anywhere up there, and as long as you have a basic idea of the geography and where you are in it, you will know where you need to go to get to a safe place. You could probably analyze your focal length usage from the trip and others and determine that there is a single focal length zone that is your most commonly used for this application and get a fixed lens to match that. Add a second for the other end, and you will probably be lighter and maybe smaller depending on the lenses chosen. For my 24-105, I found I was using it in the 24mm range mostly (and then a bunch in the 85-105mm range). So, I'd be getting a 24mm and maybe an 85 or 100mm. Get slower lenses (not the larger aperture versions) and hopefully match the filter size. Get rid of the square filter and holder in favor of a proper filter sized for the lens. Going to a 52mm or so filter to fit the two lenses will end up being a pretty decent space and weight savings over the 100mm filters. You could even afford to take more than one filter!

Good stuff Thomas, and congrats for completing it. I did a 150 US miles walk from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park with a 55 lbs/25 kg backpack, that was way too heavy. After that I started researching and there are a lot of items that are for Ultra Light hiking. Backpacks, tents, quilts, much lighter where you can shed a lot of weight. I guess that would be my recommendation. Cheers!

just start with the "big three". Backpack, tent and sleeping bag. Major weight savings can be had by replacing each with lightweight options.

Very interesting and thanks for all the links to the items. The sit mat is not a luxury, it is essential. You don't want to sit on a tick!

I recommend Platypus hydration bladders. I had to replace some last year and bought three of them. No plastic taste that I can detect, even during first use.

- You could replace the tent with a tarp and a simple ground sheet. I bring a bivy bag as well in case of bugs or complicated weather. Have a look at Terra nova competition tarp and a Terra nova Moonlite bag cover. For ground cover a 2m by 1.5m tyvek sheet might do. - Sleeping bag. Lots to choose from. I like my Marmot Hydrogen but considering a Sea to Summit Spark II to bring weight down. Neither is as warm as your leviathan though. Look for high fill power bags(>=800), and consider how warm you really need it to be. If you want to really maximize here, look at quilts from cottage manufacturers. - Sea to summit have pillows that weigh very little, just inflatable though. They also have an inflatable sit pad that’s OK. - Are you sure you need a headlamp? Unless you plan to be on the move at night, a small flash light might be good enough. - You can get a 25gram titanium gas burner like the BRS-3000 and a 60-100 gram titanium pot, Toaks 650 for instance, to replace the Jetpoil. - The washbag can be replaced by a ziplock bag. - Some of the dry sacks can be replaced by small plastic bags, especially the Camera cover. - Osprey hydration bags tastes OK. These bags weight a bit though. A 0.5l soda bottle, smartwater or whatever, is around 30g. Thanks for the nice videos, inspiring.

Instead of a sleeping bag, check out quilts, since you have a sleeping pad, bottom of a sleeping bag gets squished and doesn't work as needed, quilt will save you a lot of weight and keep you warm.

Ditch the jet boil and get a brs stove it weighs nothing made out of titanium and cost like $15 and ditch the water bladder and just carry large water bottles 1L smart water or lifewtr.

Without my camera gear, food or water, my backpack for multi day alpine trips (I live near Chamonix) weighs in at just under 4kg with full comfort (enclosed tent, warm sleeping bag, cookset etc). Now I'm not suggesting people copy my list as we all have different needs and comfort levels, but my gear can take me down to well below freezing comfortably when I'm in shoulder seasons. Add around 3kg of camera gear (Eos R, 24-70, carbon tripod, ND filter and 3x batteries) and I'm still way under your goal of 12kg. Before you look at replacing smaller things, start with your bigger things (pack, tent, sleeping bag) and go from there... Your backpack weighs nearly 2kg itself, your tent weighs nearly 1kg and that sleeping bag is nearly 1.5kg. You could save 2kg fairly easily with swapping these 3 items out (unfortunately at some expense). You'll be surprised at what you actually don't need to take. You must have around 1kg of small bags and stuff sacks alone... Water is a place you can save as you mentioned... Find out where your water sources are and pack accordingly. I typically only carry 1l at a time as there are plenty of water sources in the mountains. Your 3l is 2kg heavier than my 1l. But you know your route and water needs better... Your 1kg tent that you hate costs a little bit more than my 400g Cuben Fiber tent that I love (although with a single wall shelter you just learn to live with condensation) Have a look through my list here: lighterpack.com/r/6hpkqk to give you an idea of what I use. I'd also like to echo what others say: I subscribed to your channel in your early days with your camping-photography trips. It's great to see you wanting to return to those days

Nice little diversion from the usual, but we'll worth the watch. Thinking about a smart watch, but not sure the Garmin does enough for the price. A bit of research needed I think. Great video as always. Thanks for all your hard work putting all this together.

Suggestions. 1. You did not take one camera and lens counting your phone you took 5 cameras. Do you really, really need 5 cameras? 2. Screw on CP and ND10 filters weight less than the Lee square items can be left on the lens and removed if required and are therefore more efficient at space utilization. 3. Kill the tent for 3 season hiking. A 10' x 10' lightweight tarp (Try DD or Aquaquest) used in conjunction with the trekking poles will provide better lighter and more efficient condensation free shelter. Learn several tarp set ups that you can use depending on what the weather is doing. 4. You have a thermally efficient (I assume) mat so why are you carrying a sleeping bag with down on the bottom that gets compressed and does not contribute to warmth in any meaningful way? Have a look at down camping quilts or sleeping bags that have no down on the bottom. If necessary use one in conjunction with a better higher R rated sleeping mat. The combo will still be lighter than the mat/sleeping bag you currently have. 5. Look at an Exped pillow. Tiny, weigh nothing and work extremely well. 6. Do not inflate your sleeping mat with your breath, ever. Get something like an Exped Snozzle which is a lightweight dry bag (and can be used as your vlogging camera dry bag for example) come sleeping mat inflater. You will inflate your mat way quicker and will not fill it with warm damp bacteria from your breath. 7. I would stick with the JetBoil as my luxury item. They are relatively heavy and bulky but they work so well..... 8. Kriega make hydration packs for motorcyclists. Their Hydration bag does not have a plastic taste at all. Their 3L bag also has a insulated drinking tube so you first mouthful of water is not warm in the summer. 9. GPS watch plus compass plus Etrex really is overkill. Several paper maps in a waterproof map cover (or even laminate them) plus the compass will weigh less than the Etrex and will really give you a better overview of the surrounds than the Etrex will. You phone does everything and more that the Etrex does. 10. Look at your pack. How much does it weigh empty? Is there a better pack more suited for you out there that is lighter? Can you remove weight (unnecessary straps and buckles) from your existing pack? Have fun and keep the great videos coming.

An additional recommendation for your spare dry bag: if I know I’m going to be trekking over alot of water I toss my d850 in it just in case fall down and get wet.

If you're in forested areas, consider a camping hammock with a bivy sack, or without if you're not afraid of bugs. If you're on the ground, consider just using a bivy sack or a tarp tent. As for cooking, I use a 1 liter Amazon cooking pot, an MSR Pocket Rocket and a butane can. Perfect lightweight system if you're using freeze dried meals, just make sure it's on level ground as it is not as stable as a full JetBoil system. Check out Duluth Trading Co. Dry On the Fly line if they're available in Europe for clothing. It's quick dry clothing that will weather storms well and eliminate the need for a second change of clothes if you get caught out. Get the trim fit line there skinny guy, they're made for big American farmboys.

Hey Thomas, I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but using baking soda to help remove the plastic smell/taste from your bladder. I use it with all my water bottles.

Hi Thomas, Some ideas: Backpack: osprey exos 48 (1kg) Tent: piramid with trekking poles (500gr) (without inner tent) It is huge and no condensation issues. Sleeping bag: alpkit pipedream 400 Water: Platypus 2L or standar 1,5L water bottles compatible with the filter. Compass: suntoo clipper My Garmin etrex legend hcx works without batteries if you connect It to a USB power bank (save weight of 2AAs) Headlamp with USB charger. Titanium stove: 25gr Titanium pot with home made insulation. 125gr gas canister. Sitting pad 10.000mah power bank Record movies with smaller camera and use the Eos M50 with 18-150 or 11-22 for lanscapes = smaller tripod and smaller headball (I use sioti mini ballhead and works fine with Eos M1)

To replace your sleeping bag you should consider a camping quilt. It's basically a sleeping bag without the bottom, I have one I've used below 0 and been perfectly comfortable and it ways less than half a kilo. I just switched from a pocket rocket stove to a Jetboil, by time you deal with other cooking supplies, the Jetboil works out better.

Highly recommend Platypus water bladders in combination with a mini Sawyer filter connected into the tube. Upside is you can easily fill up your bladder at almost any body of water and have clean drinking water. Downside is the filter slows the water flow so drinking takes a little more effort. Used the combo for years and by being able to fill anywhere means you can rock 1 liter of water and refill a few times during the day easily, saving several pounds of weight in your bag.

For water bladder , go for "deuter" or "camelbak". I preffer deuter. Don't even try to get rid of plastic taste , if it's there it will stay there .

Hi Thomas, great video, always interested in people’s hiking gear, especially the overnight hiking trips. Me myself use a 2litre camelbak myself for years now. No plastic flavour and they come with some great accessories. Works great with the f-stop bags as well. I do recommend the use of the fstop hydration sleeve to avoid issues with leakage.

Hi Tom, I do quite a bit of hiking / wild camping. 3 litres of water ... in the Lake District :)!! There's water everywhere up there! And its clean clean clean. Do you think old Willy Wordsworth carried 3kg of water as he was wondering lonely as a cloud. Youre fine to drink out the becks, but if thats not something your comfortable with, just use the jet boil and drink loads of tea. Also. I love my Vango Banshee , but when you next in the market for a new one, i highly recommend the Vango F10. Lastly, re the pillow. Use a dry bag and stuff it with sphagnum moss :) So much more comfy than a blow up one. Keep on keeping on! love the vids.

After glibly recommending the Hilleberg Akto, it is a fact that you can get condensation in any tent setup. Even Akto's get some criticism. The key that I have found is to ensure that you tension the system with all the guys that you can(!), and in the case of the Akto, utilise the ventilated ends to maximise airflow inbetween the fly and the inner. I've camped in some hideously bad wet and windy weather in Scotland in mine, and have always had a comfortable and dry night's sleep.

The first thing I'd change is the sleeping bag. Western Mountaineering bags are great. For a cheaper alternative with more than decent quality Cumulus. Trekking poles - I personally wouldn't use carbon poles. I prefer aluminium. I just know too many people whose carbon poles snapped in rough terrain. And that's just nor funny. I'd look at Leki or Black Diamond. Tent - well, I still prefer tents that can be used in all sorts of conditions, even though they may be a bit heavier than some of the modern stuff. Hilleberg Akto. 1.7 kg, but that's a real four season tent, suitable for rough conditions. Use a thin tarp under the tent to minimize condensation. That might actually work with the Nordisk tent as well or at least improve things a bit. Cooking system - I'm sure there are lighter alternatives. The pack - once again, there are lighter alternatives. However, the Osprey isn't really that bad.

Hey man, Dude, your videos are so sick; keep up the hard work!! Not trying to be a keyboard warrior, but I thought I would add my input on a gear shakedown. I backpack a lot, and have completed, a lot of the Smoky Mountains, over 700 miles of the Appalachian trail, the Benton Mackaye trail, and the Vermont Long Trail. Not as many backpacking trips as most, but I hope to get more. Tent - You mentioned you didn't want to spend the extra-wasted money, but a trekking pole tent might be a good investment. If you sold your current tent on ebay, the Gossamer Gear The One is a tent I have used in the past. Super cheap in the US, ($299)and tons of space! If you want to spend a ton of money, the Zpacks tents are awesome as well. Pillow - Good idea with the jacket! If not, the Sea to Summit Ultralight Pillow is only 1.9oz and $38 dollars US. Jacket works best though. Sleeping bag- You should look into the benefits of a sleeping quilt. Tons of info on the RU-vids. Enlightened Equipment is a good brand to look into. Stove - If you want to look into getting something lighter, look into getting a BRS stove off amazon with a Toaks pot. Super cheap. The stove is only 15 bucks! Headlamp - You should look into the Nitecore NU25! Its suuuper cheap and charges USB. I used it on the Vermont Long Trail, even during night hiking with rain. Look at the light weight one at litesmith.com I actually found your videos from looking into landscape photography. I was looking for some tips. If you were only, a starting lightweight backpacker/ aspiring landscape photographer, what gear would you buy? Camera, lens, etc. Maybe $1200 USA or less?

My recommendation for water storage would be to use anything but plastics. I realize that this means more weight and it might not be practical for a long distance hike. I have had Nalgene and Contigo and a couple other brands of plastic bottles but all of them made the water taste funny after a while, no matter how often I scrub and clean them (including the lids). My feeling is that it is especially bad when the weather is sunny and warm. No idea if this makes any sense but I went away from plastics for the most part. My go-to everyday bottle right now is an insulated Avex Stainless. It weighs an absolute ton compared to a Nalgene, but: Never have had any funny taste in it, even after forgetting to clean it for a couple of days or leaving it in a baking hot car. So stainless works best - for me, anyways. For a water bladder you wont get around plastics, but you need to keep it clean religiously. Denture cleaner tablets are good for cleaning that hydration bladder or any sort of container really. Wash and dry it each and every time you used it. Leave it half full in a stuffy tent overnight because you just didnt have the energy to clean it in the evening (or didnt feel like it) and it will taste funny. Sometimes you even have some slippery film building up inside the water bladder/bottle. Yuck.

For a stove I highly recommend the Kovea Spider Stove with a Convert Adapter so you can use the cheap 99p gas cans as well. This stove can be used with a wind brake as well such as a msr wind brake. Makes this stove easy to use very efficient and steady to use and maybe a bit lighter than the stove you have. Richard

Have no advice or recommendations that would add much to all the help below - just wanted to say I found your video informative, interesting and amusing. I'm a middle aged woman been backpacking for years and you never stop learning. Happy hiking and good luck with all the photography :)

Have done some longer distance hiking in my day, and am now down to cutting off toothbrush handles. Best advice is to weigh every piece of gear, and look for ways to cut it down. Big winner for me was a Bush Buddy stove (Also made by Solo.) Cut out a ton of weight. BEST ADVICE. I always carry a PLB in addition to my cel (which now doubles as a GPS.) Would not hit the trail without it. Not sure how isolated UK trails are, but here in Canada I consider it an essential piece of gear, ESPECIALLY if I am traveling alone.... Great video!

My list for a three-day solo-hike in late spring, summer, or early autumn would probably be something like this: Tent: Hilleberg Enan (960g) Sleeping Bag: Western Mountaineering Summerlite with silk liner (540g) - as a general guideline, try to get something with a high cuin value (850+) for a bag that is compact and light-weight as well as offering good insulation; in wet regions, a bag with synthetic fibres might be the better alternative despite them usually being less compact and heavier than down-filled bags of the same class Sleeping Pad: Exped SynMat UL 7 M (475g) - the Therm-a-Rest mats may even be lighter and/or better; it is simply the mat I've been using for a couple of years now Waterproof Jacket: Arc‘teryx Alpha LT (350g) - this is no longer available, but similar models should exist; I never use a down jacket in late spring, summer, or early autumn but rather have a fleece pullover plus a soft-shell that can be combined depending on the weather conditions Stove: Primus Express (85g) plus gas cartridge (ca. 200g) - alternatively, I also have an MSR Whisperlite which runs on white gas or other types of fuel Water Bladder: by a company named Source - these are available in different sizes and can also be combined with a Sawyer filter; mine are 1.5 and 3 liters, weighing 170g and 190g, respectively; Deuter bladders are produced by Source, so they are the same. As a tripod, I would take my Novoflex TrioBalance with Panorama Plate - without a ball head. For a similar height as your Benro, you would probably choose the compact 4-section carbon legs for a weight of close to 1700g - substantially more than your tripod, but also substantially more stable. To save even more weight, you could use just one of those legs and combine the trekking pole legs so that the tripod would weigh a little over 1500g, 480 of which would be your trekking poles. However, with this configuration you always need to do some extra work for setting up the tripod. My smartphone usually lasts longer than my trips, as I always turn it off when hiking. In fact, I often even don't have cellphone coverage. For easy trips, I am happy just with my pretty old Suunto Vector watch with integrated compass and no need to worry about battery life. For more challenging trips, I would probably take a GPS system of some kind, however, I don't need to track my path, so again I would only turn it on occasionally. On really challenging trips, I would certainly take a device alomg the lines of a Garmin inReach Mini. For each of the above items good alternatives are available and much comes down to personal taste.

Hi Thomas, thanks for keep producing awesome videos! For the tent: Please take a look at the Zpacks duplex or triplex. We use the Triplex for 2 persons and both backpacks. For the blather: I use the camelbak 2L or 2,5L and it never tastes strange. For a smaller pillow: Please take a look at the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultra light pillow I love looking at your videos and they keep inspiring to go out and enjoy being outdoors. As you say: you've got to be in it to win it!

Might be a bit late to the party, but I'm pretty happy with my HydraPak Shape-Shift Hydration Reservoir - 3 Liters. It's my favorite bladder of the 3 that I've owned. That said, water is heavy and you're trying to shave weight. You can attach your sawyer squeeze to Smart Water or Life Water bottles and drink directly from there.

When you do decide to replace your tent Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid is a fantastic tent. Custom built, loads of room, you can sit up in it, well ventilated, uses trekking poles and if you decide to leave the inner net at home, weighs only 525g even less if you go for the more expensive DCF material. For you sleeping bag, have a look at Alpkit, they do some good down bags.

My approche is that I use my down jacket to sleep when is cold with a lite sleeping bag (the warm property is useless under your head) your change bag is a pillow... Use a large trash bag in your backpack and eliminate most of your dry bags.

Here i Five you -Maybe - some interesting alternatives: Sleeping bag: Carinthia 145 G/ 820 g, syntetic Fibre (better trying) Head lamp: petzl Arctic Core (has an akku ) ! Tent: maybe MS R Hubba Nx All the best from the Austrian alps Klaus

if you look at MSR tents Thomas they're absolutely brilliant you can use it either stripped back with the outer sheet off or on and they're super light and absolutely nails against the weather!

Another thing I would recommend, give the lads at LD Mountain centre down grey street in Newcastle, they might be able to send it away for you, just a thought!

You might want to look into the Peak Design Shell to cover your M50 if it rains. It's designed for compatibility with their entire system, it fits snugly over the camera, and can even be hung off the Capture clip when it's not in use.

Alright, let's do this. TENT: you could still resell the Telemark, perhaps? For the future, favorite brands in the UK are Mountain Laurel Designs, Tarptent, Trekkertent and Hilleberg. The first two are in the US so you'd have custom fees (some MLD are available at backpackinglight dk but with fees included in their price). The third is a one-man band in Scotland who makes very light stuff at decent prices and good quality. The fourth.. you know. Not very light nor cheap but holds up. You can also consider the Luxe SilHexPeak V4a, a bit heavier but cheap (at backpackinglight uk). PILLOW: Sea to Summit UL pillow. I've tried the clothes-in-sleeping-bag deal but it never worked. Good sleep is essential when out hiking all day. DRY BAGS: you seem to have quite a few. I'd recommend just one larger one for sleeping bag, insulated jacket and spare clothes. The rest is not that problematic if it gets wet. Also look at Osprey UL or Sea to Summit UL dry bags - you don't think about it but the weights of those suckers really add up! You can also look at treadlitegear for lightweight liners SLEEPING BAG: Alpkit makes good value for money sleeping bags, but I'd invite you to consider quilts - for down quilts I can recommend Cumulus, while for synthetic you can look at As Tucas. There's a small learning curve but they save a ton of weight. Mine is 600g rated to 2C comfort. If you want more info on how to use them, feel free to write me (or really just google it) WATER BLADDER: I vote ditch it. Maybe you feel like you need the constant hydration, but they're very heavy for what they are. Normal plastic bottle (with sport caps, in my preference) work perfectly fine, just maybe try to keep them reachable in the side pockets. HYGIENE KIT: mostly just lose the pouch! ziploc bags are the way to go. You can also consider repackaging your item into smaller vessels - you can buy dropper bottles on Amazon for very cheap and have just what you need. Liquids are heavy! POWER BANK: this might not be worth the money, but I think you can lose about 100-130g for the same capacity. Look at quick charge Anker or Ravpower.. again, might not be worth the money though. HEADLAMP: Nitecore NU25 gives the most light and functionality per weight. Petzl eLite+ is also "famous" but imho not enough lumens for the way you'd use it. The Petzl Bindi is also good, but the Nitecore was slightly more powerful. WATERPROOF JACKET: For the most weight-saving look at the Outdoor Research Helium II. Personally I need pockets and wanted a fully adjustable hood, so I went for a Rab Downpour Plus (340g so not super light). I hear good things for the Marmot Precip Eco and the Montane Minimus, which still have good features but are lighter than mine (about 240g). EMERGENCY BLANKET: useless when you're carrying a shelter and sleeping bag. Either get the emergency bivy, or nothing at all. (and I'm STRICT when it comes to safety and first aid, but it's something I've heard from S&R) COOK KIT: you didn't ask for this but the JetBoil is heavy! Are you sure you need that much speed? I use an Alpkit MyTiMug 650ml for meals and a Hydrapak SpeedCup for coffee and I'm very happy. You can get an MSR Pocket Rocket 2 if you want a canister stove, or an alcohol stove so you can bring only the fuel you need (I was also scared by alcohol stoves, but got the hang of it and now I love them). I'd recommend speedsterstoves for burner and integrated pot stand+windscreen (there's one for the MyTiMug specifically) General resources: ultralightoutdoorgear is an online store where you can order items by weight, which in my opinion is fantastic. Also, in the "Ultralight" thread on Reddit, in the side menu there's a link to "UL gear vendors list" and you can filter by country and learn about all the wonderful companies that make lightweight stuff. I also recommend reading blogs from Chris Townsend and Alex Roddie, who are UK-based professional hikers. They don't discuss gear super often, but you can find quality information by people who really put their gear through their paces.

Water taste: Fill your bladder halfway with a mixture of water and lemon juice, remove the air, and place in the freezer. Let it freeze solid and melt. That will help on the bad taste. I never used that brand but that should work. I had to do it twice with my Katadyn bladder. you can ditch the bladder and hose altogether an get 1 liter bottles from the store and reuse those as that is the ultralight way. Stove: if you like it, keep it. If you want light, Esbit stove is the way to go (but the fuel is stinky!) If you like the burner, you can get a cheap lightweight burner on amazon for less than $10. Sleeping bag: Think about going to a quilt. they reduce bulk and weight

I had a 5 nights hike in Norwegian mountains last week. Very similar thinking when it comes to equipment and weight. But every hike is different and demands different equipment. Just a couple comments to your gear - as you asked for ;-) - I have never understood why people drink from old plastic bags. Why don't you drink directly from the Sawyer? The Sawyer pouch has a screw cork, and if you bring two Sawyer pouches, that would be enough till next time you find running water. - As a cooker I use EverNew titanium stove - this fits neatly into a titanium pot. Make a compact cylinder that weights next to nothing. - I used a tarp instead of a tent - and a mosquito net over my head. But that too condensed before the sun rose. - BUT I had a synthetic sleeping bag (about same weight as your's) - which does not suck water like the down-filled. Hiking / being out day and night off grid, gives the closest connection/communication to/with the landscapes - and that will always show in the images. Good luck with your coming outdoor life. Arne

Nice vid with some handy info - thanks Thomas. If you're looking for an absorbent cloth, I hear that Gavin Hardcastle does a nice line in pre-owned (slightly soiled) lens cloths - probably best to give them a rinse out before you use them though! 😋

Wash your hydration bag out with baking soda, leave it in for a few hours each time. Dare I say the more expensive mountain bike bladders ( Camelback ) don't tend to taste of plastic.

I am unsure if you've ever tried Source Hydration Bladder's, but the WXP tactical ones are amazing. Quick release parts, insulated tube, wide open top, etc. Great for the price

Patagonia Houdini is an extremely lightweight shell and the Patagonia warranty is top notch. You can save weight by going to Cuban Fiber tent, sacks, and pack if you wanted to fork out the cash.

A must for your bag... take a tick lasso! Looked like you nearly needed one in Cumbria. I always take a little medi kit too.

I do love a "what's in my bag" VLOG :) You should ditch the tent and only use it for locations with less than 40% humidity. Loved the treck VLOG. Always learn something useful from your VLOGs. Cheers!

A Fujifilm X-T30 plus XF10-24 will save you 1kg compared to your 5D M4. I use the Ultra light outdoor gear shop website as a useful source of weight for kit and gear. Handy for you Tom, as they are only down the A19 if you want to try on or handle the kit. Great viewing, thanks. A tip for keeping a water bladder from going black is to keep it in the freezer when not in use.

Very interesting to se your loadout mate👍🏻 I’m sure you will cut some weight out of there for sure!

Depends a bit in where you go hiking but if it’s in the alps or anywhere with plenty of water, just take 1 liter with you and fill up as you go. In general you’ll find lots of sources and don’t need a day of water with you. In the alps I never have more than 1 liter with me on multi day hikes.

What about a different camera setting? You easily can save 1-1.5kg with an apsc, say a XT-3 and a 18-55mm? You can rent it...

17.5 kg! Not surprising that you were tired and not motivated to go the extra mile to take photographs. You already got quite a long list of excellent advice in earlier comments from David Abbott, Alpine Kiwi and many others. I will reiterate on some and suggest going one step farther: really ditch everything that isn't absolutely necessary, including the hiking poles (no, hiking poles aren't useful in the grand scheme of weight), the stove (you can re-hydrate food in a plastic bag with body heat while hiking) and the deodorant (but add some tick repellent and a couple minimalist first aid items). Keep only one electronic device, your phone, switch it off and ditch the power pack (no watch, no redundant GPS). Get a much smaller pack (the exos 38 is more than enough and 1.5lbs lighter but if you really stick to items of absolute necessity you can ditch the armature and save another 1lb). Keep only one small waterproof bag and replace the cumbersome rain jacket with a lightweight backpacking poncho (it will protect you, your camera and your backpack and easily convert into a pillow, a sitting pad, camp fixtures or any other luxury item). Ditch the expensive and frustrating tent and switch to a tarp+bug net (possibly get a tripod with a monopod leg for increased flexibility in setting camp). Get a much lighter sleeping bag (something like the AEGISMAX that is cheap, light, compact and just enough for the British summer) and you can use it on cooler spring or fall nights with long thermal underwear or light liner. Another few ounces that make a difference: try wearing light trail-running shoes instead of hiking shoes on good trails like that one. On this hike, considering that it's not really the wilderness, you have easy access to civilization and there isn't any route finding, at this time of the year you could easily save about 2/3 of your initial 17.5kg and still be comfortable at night. If you travel really light, you will have plenty of energy left to explore for more of your awesome photographs and you won't have time to miss your hot coffee in the morning. Oh and you'll be able to bring along a couple more lenses, another camera body, a couple high power flash units and a wooden tripod :-)

I have a 2L water bladder by "Ortlieb" (a german brand specialized on waterproof bags). Had it for a few months now, been in use a couple of times and the water coming out of it never had any taste besides the water I put in it. It's the "Atrack Hydration System", which I use with the Atrack, but with small modifications to the plug that goes into the side of my bag (to keep it waterproof) it would suit your needs. Also Ortlieb has other water bladders even with a drinking tube that fits them (this option is even cheaper depending on which size water bag you choose). From experience I can say that water never tasted bad in the water bladders other than my own. My family had ones for more than ten years and they held up well when camping (you can even take a shower under one if you want to).

1. You should strive for everything having more than one use/function. 2. Get rid of that tent and get a good bivy sack. 3. Go to alternate sleeping bag insulation. Down gets wet... it stays wet. There are some great insulation that has come out in the past couple of years. 4. There are definitely lighter stove set ups out there. 5. Carry at least three sources of fire, magnesium and striker, waterproof matches, bic lighter. You get the idea. Not much fun rubbing two sticks together when your cold and wet in a wind storm. 6. Dump the cell phone and GPS and get a GPS with satellite texting capabilities and emergency signal. 7. If you didn't use it multiple times on the last hike, leave it at home. Good luck, looking forward to the videos.

My background: Former PCT thruhiker, photo hobbyist . Some comments on your gear: 17.5 kg isn’t that bad considering the camera gear and the amount of water included. Water is really heavy. Never carry more than necessary. Osprey Kestrel 68: You can easily get down to half the weight with a superlight frameless pack, but probably not get much below 1.5kg for a pack with a decent frame/suspension and 60+ liters. I’d say stay with what you got. Tent weight is excellent, but ventilation obviously isn’t good enough. IMO two main problems: 1. A single vent 2. Too short distance between outer and inner tent as shown in your video You might be able improve on 1 and get some cross ventilation if you can lift the other side of the tent with an extra guy line and peg. Maybe possible with the ends too. When camping on (damp) grass try to cover the vestibule with some light plastic (like drop cloth). Grass can give off a lot of moisture during the night. While improving on 1 might help the condensation problem I can’t really see a way to fix the second problem. I had a first generation tent that had a similar problem. Worked OK with some wind and fairly dry conditions, but hopelessly bad in calm and/or wet weather. Got my money back even after several months with help from the store where I bought it. IMO you should try to contact Nordisk directly for a refund or a replacement if they have a better suited model (unfortunately no obvious alternative I can see on their site). OEX Leviathan EV is ridiculously heavy and big for a -9°C degree bag. It should weigh half, or at least less than 2/3 of 1530 grams. Good quality down bags is unfortunately expensive so replacing it would be costly. Look at bags from Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot and others. My best bag ever was from Feathered Friends. Expect a high end bag to use 850-900 fill power (US) down and weigh less than two pounds/900 gram for a 20°F (-7°C) bag. Many ultralight hikers go with quilts instead of sleeping bags and save some additional weight. Montane Gore Tex: You can probably get something lighter, but lighter equipment isn’t as durable and won’t be quite as suited for colder weather. Getting into really ultralight backpacking is as much an attitude (leaving stuff at home) as getting all the lightest equipment. It’s pretty difficult to achieve considering the photo aspect of your hikes IMO.

What about getting the ef-m adapter and just use the m50 for photography along with the 16-35? And ditch the tripod altogether and just handhold, and get a gorillapod for b-roll? And just take 1 screw in filter...probably a polariser since you can always do a long exposure by taking multiple photos and stacking in photoshop. That’d all probably save 1.5 - 2kg.

You can get without the pillow, by using your sleepingbag-bag (the cover) and fill that with a soft jacket! Works very good for me...

Hydration pack - I have the Kestrel 68 too and their own 2.5L hydration bladder is designed to fit. It's still new so tastes a little plasticky, but it's currently sitting with a combination of water, lemon juice and bicarb to try to draw it out.

Hope these comments are of some use - Just caught up here as I've been out in Central Australia for 12 weeks - My bladder is a Camelback which I've had for about 10 years, still good and never had taste. When I set up my tent - msr zoid - the stove etc; is in the vestibule so backpack only has soft stuff left in it and there's my pillow. I use a peak designs clip on my shoulder strap to hold my camera. Mirrorless cameras save weight. I've tried lightweight stoves but when you add in the pot you still need I find I keep going back to my 10 year old Jetboil with the light weight feet for stability and the french press insert - you poms can keep your tea - must have coffee :) . Also must carry my satellite phone or an epirb

Hi Thomas! Seems if I was able to give something back today :-) I was hiking over 2500km through whole Norway last year with my camera with me. So I probably know a liitle bit about hiking. I need to admit, I am not an ultralight guy and my backpack had sometimes about 30kg+... I choosed a fuji X-T10 for this trip which is so much lighter than my Canon 6D. An my Sirui T-025X was strong enough. But I know you are very much into Canon and I do not want start the brand discussion. If it needs to be 5D than you need to save weight somewhere else, point! The tent was a problem, I see.. Although it is very lightweight, you dont want to became wet, this really sucks. I use a Hilleberg Akto, which is quite similar to the Nordisk and I was very happy with it. It is a littlebit heavier, but I had no problems with condensation. Its possible to open it at the ends. May be you can give more tension to it, so the water can not reach the inner tent? You sleepingbag could be lighter. I am using a Mountain Equipment Helium 400 which is under 900gr but warm enough for tempratures below zero. Water ist the most heaviest "gear", so do not carry it. In Norway you can drink everything which is "running" without filtering. But this depends on the location of cause. For cooking I use a small Primus gas-can of 100gr and a MSR Pocketrocket which fits into my 800ml Primus titanium pot. Adventure Food is nice, what did you have for breakfast? (Oatmeal with milkpowder and cinemon is a great fo energy) Do you really need the garmin etrex, if you have a phone and the Garmin fenix? Happy hiking, Hauke This was my packing: www.haukebendt.de/2018/03/14/packliste-fuer-eine-fernwanderung-npl/

Sleeping bag: cumulus X-lite. very warm, very well made, also customizable and customer service is top notch. you can email them and get your bag exactly as you want. weighs around 500-750g depending on what you choose Head lamp: petzl actik core or tactikka core tent: Nemo Hornet elite 1p, there is also a "normal" hornet which is slightly heavier and cheaper, weighs nothing, around 650g stove: MSR pocket rocket 2 stove weighs around 70g pot: Toaks Ultralight Titanium 650ml or similar weighs only like 85-95g there are different diameters to fit different gas canisters water bladder: I usually carry around empty PET water bottles but I have had good experiences with Hydropaks maybe message the seller or the manufacturer of the tent, there might be a solution because this is not what a tent should be. also get rid of those heavy bags, just organize in ziploc bags, that will safe you weight.

Hm, that down sleeping bag is huge and heavy. I would recommend getting a Haglöfs Leo for example that is half the size and half the weight (almost). I've used it for several years, down to temperatures of minus 2-3 it's sufficient. In case you haven't replaced it yet.

As for a water bladder: try the "Streamer" from Deuter. I''m using it since years on MTB rides and it is still in very good condition. An alternative to "clean" your existing bladder is to put in water with a few denture cleaning tabs for a couple of hours. At least it will then smell different afterwards ;-)