That's before adding water to my water bottles (about 1.4kg: unavoidable), and the other stuff the MdS organisers will issue on arrival: the compulsory distress flare (about 350 grammes), salt tablets, the road book (containing sketch maps and compass bearings) and 8 bags for the "toilets" which, although I don't intend to use them, are a compulsory item to be carried.
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| The packing jigsaw begins. No, the bed's not coming. |
For example, I need to take some topical disinfectant as a compulsory item and once I finally got hold of iodine (off the internet, unbelievably, rather than Boots or my local chemist) I decanted the 25ml glass bottle contents into an emptied plastic bottle of Simple Eye Make-up Remover (which my research in Superdrug showed had the same bottle top design as the original iodine bottle), saving 33 grammes!
And yes I have cut off excess straps and unused buckles and togs off my rucksack, saving between 10-20 grammes.
I've also decanted my various freeze-dried foods out of their original foil bags into Poly-Lina Pour and Store bags which can take boiling water, meaning I save between 7 and 15 grammes per bag dependent on the freeze-dried brand. For 5 meals that weight saving allows me to take my Garmin GPS watch without too much guilt!
In total, by thinking about every little bit of my kit and foods (which themselves had all been bought with weight considerations in mind) I've saved up to 1kg in unnecessary weight.
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| And it all fits! |
Every gramme will count!
