By: Blonde Two
Well Blondees and Blondettes, today is the day when I pack my “lightweight” gear for my Welsh Bothy Adventure. It took a Blonde while to choose a bothy and now that I know were I am going, I need to make an enormously important decision.
Which handbag, I MEAN RUCKSACK am I going to take? Here is the list of what needs to go into this sack of ruckness;
1. Bivvy bag (my new best friend, for emergency, “I can’t find the bothy.” moments.
2. Big Orange (I am not going to be fooled by the possibility of being inside. I have slept on enough Scout hut floors to know that inside can be colder than a tent.
3. Thermarest (more for warmth that comfort).
4. Little pillow (it really is tiny and makes a huge difference).
5. Dry clothes (one, lightweight set).
6. Slippers (don’t laugh at me, I wear them in bed!)
7. Food.
8. Stove.
9. Folding saw (in case of monsters!)
10. Firelighters (lighter and more efficient than kindling and paper).
11. First aid kit (although one would hope that one’s A&E nurse friend would have that covered).
12. Torch and batteries.
13. Water (cold).
14. Water (hot).
15. Yellow bag of “emergency stuff”.
16. Cake (making one later!)
17. That thing that you are all going to tell me I have forgotten!
Now, if you had ever seen me out with Blonde One and our youngsters, you would know that my trusty day-sack is usually stuffed to the gunnels (do bags have gunnels?) without Big Orange, a Thermarest and a pillow. Believe it or not though, I have taken my slippers to Dartmoor before.
This leaves me with my big, back-packing rucksack which I haven’t carried any distance for a long time. It is very comfy and I will be careful not to overfill it, but we all know that “gear” expands to fit the space available.
Watch this Blonde space!
Cooking utensil(s) and fuel (gas?)
I have only stayed in three bothies, all during my LEJOG trip and all in Scotland and always as the sole occupant, but I am a member of the MBA. Their newsletters seem to indicate that a good supply of Scotch is mandatory.
Bothying – great – and definitely, a saw! Cutting firewood with a blunt penknife not recommended and the D saws I have found in bothies are nearly always broken-bladed. Strongly recommend matches or a lighter and fuel for the stove? (Only because I had to eat my picnic cold and drink the milk for the tea twice in Scotland, having once forgotten the matches and once the gas. Oops.)