Food or equipment

[Fishtales]

Came across this on one of my trawls

http://www.livestrong.com/article/457348-the-calories-burned-on-2-mile-hikes/

"For example, carrying a pack weighing 42 lbs/19 kgs. over rugged terrain burns about 776 calories per hour for the average male and about 665 calories per hour for the average female."

Get the weight of equipment down and take more food as weight for weight the food is needed more

[corsican dave]

exactly. we cut our gear down so much for one mountain marathon that we got chilled at the overnight. we never made that mistake again. extra noodles weigh virtually nothing and if you freeze a steak before your trip you get a rather grand meal for the overnight with no waste to carry out.

and of course your pack is that much lighter the next day :

[Fishtales]

When I car camped Dave I used to do that. First night was a frozen steak that had defrosted in the cool box, second night was cold meat that lasted a couple of days, breakfast was bacon, which could last a week as long as the temps didn't get too hot. I never thought to take anything like that when wild camping because of the weight factor of all that liquid  :roll:

[johnny boy]

I understand this argument if you are out for a few days, but if its an overnight as most of us do then for me refreshment is the key, plenty liquids.

I have gone overnight with almost no calarific sustenance to speak of, keeping weight down to carry liquids (or kelly kettle to boil water).

I may be a bit peckish when i get home but for me that's far better than dehydration.

[Fishtales]

There's too much water in the lochs and burns for me to get dehydrated :

[johnny boy]

fair point till you gt the sxxxs from drinking in a loch with a dead sheep half a mile up the loch you didnt see

[caorach]

fair point till you gt the sxxxs from drinking in a loch with a dead sheep half a mile up the loch you didnt see

I wonder about this as there is lots of conflicting info, does anyone know what the bottom line is?

I've drunk from lochs/burns for a long time with no problems but is it worth the risk?

Also I'm told that there is nothing in any UK water that is harmful to me that boiling won't kill - so even if there is a dead sheep and other stuff then if I boil my water I'm in the clear. Is this true?

Then we get to other risks - I strip my flyline over a cut in my finger or my hands are wet from the loch and I then rub my mouth. You could go on for ever and I honestly have no real idea of the actual risk.

[Bobfly]

Every hill walker and angler I know drinks out of burns on the hill. From hill lochs and streams the risk is probably very low and not like lowland rich pastures with high stocking densities and other pollutions. If there was any sort of significant risk we would surely all have had lectures about it long since. Common sense applies. If it is fresh and sparkling I would drink it !

[Fishtales]

fair point till you gt the sxxxs from drinking in a loch with a dead sheep half a mile up the loch you didnt see

I don't know how many times I have drunk from a loch or burn only to find a deid thing farther along. I have never, in thirty or so years, had a tummy upset or the s***s, nor has it done me any harm, in all that time :craz2 I mean drinking it straight with no boiling or additives.  Am I lucky, or, as my family tell me, I have a cast iron stomach?

[burnie]

I have drank water all over the UK from the Fens to the Hampshire Avon, not done me any h.................................................