Wet ‘n’ NI-Wild

With the draw for the TGO Challenge looming over us, myself and Lenny agreed the up-coming Slieve Binnian camp would be a good proving ground for a couple of ideas we had bounced around. These included trying a few meal ideas and sharing some kit : A Vango Tornado and a Jetboil (both Lenny’s the lucky devil). To say we are excited by the prospect of doing the TGO Challenge would, I think, be an understatement…. I have been mildly obsessed with it from the moment my beloved said I could go!

If we got our places I originally wanted to use solo tents as I really wanted to take my baby( a Terra Nova Laser Comp) and as I’m pretty much a loner and do most of my walking and camping alone I had some concerns about spending a solid two weeks with an occasional walking partner, particularly if we were sharing a tent. Lenny on the other hand had no such concerns and totally advocated sharing a tent, producing a convincing argument as to the benefits of splitting his Vango Tornado between us. So the NI-Wild trip to Slieve Binnian was to be the first test of sharing the tent.

I have a list of kit I would like to get but always at the top has been stuff to keep me warm. I always seem to be cold when wild camping, be it sitting around or during the night. Sleeping was easy I knew I needed a new bag as the one I was using was a really old synthetic bag I had bought in my teens. I replaced this over the summer (well when our summer was supposed to be) with an Alpkit pipedream 600 that I have found a pleasure to use, apart from the constant worry of getting it wet! With this in mind my idea of a down jacket for insulation around camp gradually diminished and I started looking at primaloft jackets. SuspectMonkey showed me his Lowe Alpine Thermo which seemed identical to the Rab jacket I was looking at and with field and trek selling them at a super discount I stumped for one. I also treated myself to a Rab Cirrus windshirt thinking this would be perfect over a base layer while walking, keeping me from overheating but not letting me get frozen by the wind.

We arrived at Meelmore to be greeted with some wet and windy conditions and due to the forecast the location of the camp had been previously amended to Donard wood. Swiftly getting ready I was going to give the Cirrus its first outing but a quick blast of rain relegated it to a hip belt pouch and the waterproofs came out.

The closer we got to Hares gap the heavier and windier the weather became and the happier I was that I had put on my full waterproofs(unlike Lenny who had not brought his trousers). It wasnt until after a brief rest at the gap and crossing the wall did the full force of the weather hit us.

 Lenny was swiftly soaked from the waist down and the outer pockets of my jacket developed swimming pools inside from the driving rain. Visability was down to about 10m but we somehow managed to chat the entire length of the Brandy pad even though it felt like we were repeatedly getting shot in the face by BB pellets although much of the conversation consisted of ‘What?’ and ‘Sorry, say that again I couldnt hear you’.

Heading down the Glen river the weather abated for a while and it felt positively tropical in comparison to the Brandy pad. After a quick look for the new camp area a swift call to and collection by RedLeader saw us safely to our spot for the night. 

My first attempt at producing a dehydrated meal was disastrous, it was simply inedible and I had not got the chance to try again so I had decided on Hotdogs for dinner. I was particularly glad to see to fire going as I had brought the sausages in tinfoil to cook on the fire and we only had a Jetboil between us.

Off came the waterproofs and on with my new insulated jacket, I was able to nip in and out of the shelter without fear of getting it wet to check on my sausages and gather wood. Soon much of the wind and rain stopped and a great night around the fire chatting and chilling was had. Although it wasnt that cold Im pretty certain the Thermo performed. Mat’s Cookie and custard dessert has been added to my list of camping food, I was highly impressed with how quickly the powder became thick custard.

Halfway through the night I realised my SIM must have sprung a leak as I was now directly on the ground, but I decided to not try to re-inflate it as I was sure to disturb Lenny and the combination of sleeping bag, deflated mat, tent and pine needle coated forest floor wasnt cold just uncomfortable.

Breakfast was another test - oats so simple in a ziplock bag and adding water then waiting, which worked perfectly and might actually have been nicer than ‘cooking’ it. Lenny had a Mountain House Scrambled egg meal which was delicious!

Packed up and ready to go we decided to head through Tollymore instead of back up onto the Brandy Pad, partly because of the weather but also due to Lenny’s now John Wayne style gait which was a combination of his sodden trousers rubbing the entire day before and spilling a Jetboil over himself while making tea. Naturally I got to wear the Cirrus for 5 minutes before it began to rain again but while changing into my waterproof I did notice how much it had been protecting me so another thumbs up.

By the time we got back to Meelmore we were both thoroughly drenched but both still smiling as we had been through some pretty horrendous weather but it didn’t seem to deter either of us. Our meals that we wanted to try worked great, our kit that we wanted to test was again another success and most importantly sharing the tent was perfect and its clear that Lenny was right about its many benefits.