Thank you to Simon and Jerry for their feedback on current conditions in the Cairngorms at the moment. They’ve also made some good gear points.
Akto footprint: I bought this originally to cut in half to make a groundsheet for the porch. The thought was that it would help keep the condensation down and extend the usable tent area, given that the Akto door opens up almost all of the front of the inner tent (I think Chris Cowell did this). The other advantage is that it keeps the under side of the inner tent comparatively clean and dry (I’m not worried about the durability of the Akto floor as it seems quite robust). It is quite heavy at 250g, so perhaps reverting to plan A and cutting it down might be appropriate.
Sleeping mat: my normal combination is the Torsolite plus a sheet of thin tent underlay closed cell foam (1.5m x 0.5m, weighing 112g). This combination weighs 386g but gives me a good combination of comfort and almost full length insulation. The limitation is that it is easy to roll off the Torsolite. I have a full length Thermarest Prolite 3 (543g), so I think I’ll take that to ensure better insulation and comfort. The weight penalty is not huge (269g). The main disadvantage is a bit more bulk, but I’m less worried about that now that I have the Golite Quest. Having said that I will think about whether to buy the Prolite 3 short as the weight penalty would only be 100g. I will also take the thin foam mat as there is little weight penalty and I’ve found it makes a huge difference to insulation. I will experiment with putting it on top of the Thermarest rather than underneath (as I usually do).
Gaiters: yes I’m taking some. I’ve got a simple pair of Trekmates gaiters, which are very lightweight and reach half way up the calf. I suppose I ought to consider taking my Paramo gaiters, although they are a lot heavier.
Crossing rivers: my strategy is to avoid wading! One of the biggest differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK is the river/stream crossings. I’ve planned the route to use bridges where possible. However, some wading is inevitable. My strategy is to use a combination of long SealSkinz socks (120g) with Nike Mayflys (250g).
Warm drinks: I normally carry a small Aladdin insulated flask (250g) with hot tea for the morning walk. I’ll probably replenish at lunch. It is also useful to have an insulated flask to keep some water overnight that won’t freeze. Extra fuel is a good idea!
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