UKH

Norman Hadley takes backpack-free backpacking to extremes for an icy spring summit camp on Great Gable. In a tent weighing just 400g, and with some foil insulation sheet for luxury, how would he fare when the overnight temperature dropped to -7?

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Fantastic Norman do you really get away without a sleeping bag in -7?!

There is an incredible grassy balcony above the Napes, an oasis amongst the scree and boulders. A lucky find for a first-timer

Hi Mark. Nice pitch there, and glorious light.

Yes, I have a sleeping bag, a Thermarest Hyperion 32. Not really a winter bag on its own but it works with the down suit to deliver a cosy winter experience. I know it sounds implausible getting all that, plus stove, pot and food, into a bumbag but it can be done.

I've since transitioned to a race-vest-based setup, which is even lighter: I can get a winter baseweight down to 3kg.

https://lighterpack.com/r/tyhuph

Also, this is what the winter bumbag looks like. Despite the sparse snow, this was a chilly midwinter afternoon crossing Esk Pike. Similar light to your Napes camp.