West Highland Way Late April - Kit advice please

[TinTin]

Hadn't come across "Not the West Highland Way". Sounds interesting so I've ordered a used copy. Thanks.

I wish I had known about that book. I just followed the main route and it seems to me, now, to be a tad dumbed down. The fact that the Devil's Staircase is presented as a major obstacle that you have to overcome is a bit of a joke.

The GGW is even more of a walk in the park. These routes are really good beginners routes to get you into multi day trips in a low risk low reward kind of way, IMO, but there is so much more reward if you do your own thing. "Not the West Highland Way" may well be a way of still having your hand held whilst experiencing a bit wilder country.

 

[edh]

Agreed.
I mapped out an alternate that mixes comfort with more adventurous stuff; probably similar.
I'd skip the Milngavie-Drymen section too.

 

[ADz]

I wish I had known about that book. I just followed the main route and it seems to me, now, to be a tad dumbed down. The fact that the Devil's Staircase is presented as a major obstacle that you have to overcome is a bit of a joke.

The GGW is even more of a walk in the park. These routes are really good beginners routes to get you into multi day trips in a low risk low reward kind of way, IMO, but there is so much more reward if you do your own thing. "Not the West Highland Way" may well be a way of still having your hand held whilst experiencing a bit wilder country.

Will be doing my first proper multi day trip (more than 2 days) in August and WHW will be my first. I'll be doing the official route first but I have the "Not the" book for future trips so going to plot a different route next time once ticked off the WHW (If I make it whole way that is lol).

 

[Seamus]

Hi All,

I've been using the wisdom of folk on this forum as a lurker for some time now and that helped me complete my first multiday hike of the Cotswold Way over in the summer. So a big thanks to all those who contribute on here!

I completed it in 5 days carrying a similar kit list to that linked for critique. I used the Aricxi Tarp from Aliexpress, polycro groundsheet and very old Vango venom sleeping bag but have since bought a Lanshan Pro 1 and Aegismax Wind Hard Quilt.

The next challenge I plan to take on is the West Highland Way. I'm hoping to do this in late April next year. I'm planning a 5-day itinerary with a mix of wild camping and campsites. My main concern is the overnight temps in April and my sleep set up...

Feedback gratefully received: https://lighterpack.com/r/0st8i3

I may be reading this wrong but you have your shoes recorded as 596 grams and put quantity two. So the calculation will use 1192 grams. However I'm pretty sure that a pair of Altra Lone Peaks is 596 grams so have you double counted? I'd check the trekking poles weight too. May have doubled that up too as 490g x 2 seems very high.

 

[Odd Man]

I may be reading this wrong but you have your shoes recorded as 596 grams and put quantity two. So the calculation will use 1192 grams. However I'm pretty sure that a pair of Altra Lone Peaks is 596 grams so have you double counted? I'd check the trekking poles weight too. May have doubled that up too as 490g x 2 seems very high.

For those who use LighterPack, I have just noticed a slight glitch which might enable some of you to make some base weight savings!

If you put items in worn weight such as trekking poles and footware with their individual weight and then put quantity as 2 it seems lighterpack only counts 1 items weight as worn weight and the other as base weight.

So for example my trekking poles are 245g each and I put qty = 2 but is counted as 245g worn and 245g extra on base wieght.

Obviously this makes no actual difference to your experience on the trail but still made me happy!

 

[Seamus]

ah I hadn't see that. thanks.