Gram Counters…… (Jetboil Flash)

When I’m skinning, I tend to sweat a lot, so avoiding dehydration is quite a big thing for me. It has many negative implications:

1. They say that when you lose 2% or more of your body weight in sweat, you reduce your performance by between 10% and 20%. Now, I weigh around 100kg, so that’s 2 litres of water which sounds like a lot but in reality it’s not and it can go faster than you think, so, all of a sudden, things are much harder work, I’m slower and I’m not enjoying myself as much.
2. Not only that, as you dehydrate, you lose electrolytes  (sodium, potassium, magnesium e.t.c.) which are essential for your body to be able to transport water to and from your major organs. If you exercise for anything up to 45 mins, this isn’t a problem but when you start doing endurance sports (I suppose skinning is endurance), it’s important to replace the electrolytes, especially if you are an “excessive” sweater like me (I don’t seem to have much going for me!), as you lose much more salt and become dangerously dehydrated. Before I started using sports drinks, I used to have trouble retaining water even though I was sweating and drinking like crazy. I would continually need to pee. It didn’t make sense. Then I learnt that as I continued to sweat, my sodium levels were becoming depleted. And I was diluting them even  further by drinking just water. Work that one out. Of course, I’ve since learnt that sodium is needed in order to retain liquids. Aha! So, sports drinks were the answer and have made a world of difference for me during and post exercise, especially in recovery.
3. And of course dehydration will not do you any favours in staving of hypothermia in cold climates.

So, drink (and not just water, add a sports powder)! I try and have a drink every 25 mins while I’m skinning and never wait until I’m thirsty (that is when you are dehydrated!). As I lose so much liquid, I end up carrying a fair amount too. And water is not that light either. Depending on the length of skin, I’ll carry at least two litres in a Camelbak and more often than not an extra litre in a Nalgene bottle. So that’s 3kg of liquid. Thankfully, as the day progresses it disappears…..

So, how could I save a bit of weight (questionable) and have more water….? Maybe a nice little stove. I was looking at the Jetboil and thinking, wow what a nifty little stove. Wouldn’t that be great if:

• the proverbial hits the fan and I’m benighted
• I want to have something warm to eat/drink when I’m cold or mix up the boring granola bars/GU with e.g. noodles
• I’m out of water and need some more (especially if the proverbial hits the fan)
• Camelbak splits/freezes
• I’m solo (of course!)

The problem with all this gear is weight and where to draw the line. You could never have enough gear if weight wasn’t an issue but it is and it soon adds up. Shaving weight is a favorite past time for anyone in the mountains and I think I’ve managed to do that and get a Jetboil into the bargain! Ha! Leave the Nalgene bottle and a litre and half of water at home and melt any additional water needed on the way (I know, I’m a bit slow. Climbers do this all the time).  That’s a saving of ca. 1.6kg and a gain of around 600g with the gas canister included. A saving of 1kg at the start of the day and a gain of 440g at the end of it. The Jetboil Flash is supposed to be pretty speedy too, so should get enough water melted in a 15min break. Obviously, not the best solution for days where speed is of the essence but a good addition to the arsenal.

For those interested in the lightest stove combo and efficiency, check out this link: http://thehowzone.com/how/jetboil/8 (Jetboil Vs. Pocket Rocket with titanium Trek 700). The Jetboil wins comfortably.

And for comparisons to the MSR Reactor which is better than the Jetboil Flash in some instances but not for what I want, check out this link: http://www.trailspace.com/articles/2007/01/17/integrated-canister-stove-showdown.html

If you can think of improvements, it would be great to hear them.

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Survival Bivy Bag

So the unexpected benightment the other day made me think about how I could have improved my night out. A spare pair of socks is an obvious one and I will not leave home without them from now on.

The one thing that I really wished for was for my survival blanket to have been in the form of a bag. Like I said, it really did make a difference as it was but a bag would have made an even bigger difference. So I have done some research……

When I bought my survival blanket in my very first season, I put it in my bag and forgot about it. I even forgot about it for the first hour when I got benighted! Needless to say, I hadn’t looked into this a huge amount, thinking a survival blanket would be sufficient and wasn’t aware that there were bivy bags made of space age material out there costing almost next to nothing.

Now I know and I will definitely be upgrading my space blanket to a “space” bag. I’ve got two on my short list. Weight and size are of prime concern for me and it will only serve as an emergency fall back. So, here’s what I’ve come up with:

Medical Adventure Kits:

• Reusable: Yes
• Weight: 196 grams
• Length: 1.85m
• Insulating: No
• Reflective: Yes
• Wind/Water proof: Yes

Blizzard Survival Bag:

• Reusable: Yes
• Weight: 385 grams
• Length: 2.1m
• Insulating: Yes
• Reflective: Yes
• Wind/Water proof: Yes

The Adventure Medical Kits bag seems to be a pretty standard emergency bivy bag and more durable than the standard space material. The Blizzard Survival bag, on the other hand, is supposed to be something quite revolutionary and it comes from Britain too. Wahoo!! According to the blurb, they developed what they call Reflexcell technology. This has “cellular construction to trap warm air, elastication which draws the material to the body, reducing cold spaces and heat loss by convection, and finally, silvered surfaces to block heat loss by radiation.” Their words, not mine. They even claim an 8 tog rating (as good as a 2 season sleeping bag). Even if it’s not that good, a bit of insulation is better than nothing, so this bag has seriously got my attention. It is heavier than the other bag but if it keeps me warm when I need it, 200g extra is not a huge price to pay. And it would completely cover me. I think I’m sold!

It’s a nice feeling to know you have that in your bag when the proverbial hits the fan. I’ll see if I can get my hands on one and follow up.

Let me know if you’ve come across anything better.

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