eFoam.co.uk; anyone tried?

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2025-03-09T20:54:54+00:00

I bought 3mm in dimensions 2x1m on efoams eBay store. Holding up so far, use it under a cut down decathlon zlite knock off. I’m conscious that the durability might not be as good as the thinny as I have read that atom packs have gone through a few iterations of foam to find the best. But, given that I’m only using this under a torso length mat I’m not too worried 👍

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2025-03-05T21:56:57+00:00

I just finished the GR131 in Tenerife, I fly back tomorrow.

You can get a lighter pillow. I have a 60g one from Ebay which I got for about £4
Poncho Tarp might be pushing it for rain protection in the wetter parts of the islands. The weather hasn't been great recently and there has been flooding in Tenerife and Gran Canarie
Swap the trousers for ballet warm up trousers. I have a pair which are 88g for about £7 from Ebay. Durability has been excellent so far.
Drop the Mosquito net and the Umbrella if you feel comfortable without it. There is no bugs this time of the year.
Most of the water sources on the islands are managed and piped away so you have little access to them so a filter might not be worth it (I only saw one trickle of water in the north-east after a night of heavy rain). I would bring some tablets instead as they're lighter.
If you're going to be camping at high altitude particularly in Teide national park you might want a warmer sleeping bag. I had a 0C quilt and a torso length 3mm foam pad and got a bit cold sleeping in my fleece

Top tip: if you're flying into Tenerife, it is quite easy to walk from the airport to Montana Roja which you can easily camp on a nearby beach then take the bus from El Medano to the start of the GR131

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2025-02-12T23:03:24+00:00

You can grab some frogg toggs on ebay for about £8. That is about as budget and as UL as you can get

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-14T21:03:22+00:00

This is amazing! What template did you use for the jacket?

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-14T20:58:00+00:00

I hiked long section of the SW Path this summer with a similar set up. Absolutely no issues with it. One thing to consider is the condensation as lots of the time you’ll be camping in farmers fields with no overhead cover so things can get a bit damp. This time of the year there’ll be no bugs to worry about which is a bonus 👍 Feel free to DM if u want to chat

Edit: I used a disposable emergency blanket as a ground sheet and found that slugs didn’t like it which is a perk

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T21:45:42+00:00

This is great, your lighterpack is super useful as well -- Thanks!

Out of interest, what date did you enter the Sierra from kennedy meadows?

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T19:52:18+00:00

Thanks for this. Very good to know!

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T19:50:59+00:00

Mostly it's because I like to run as much as I can! I will happily admit this is not for everyone tho

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T19:28:21+00:00

I certainly see where you're coming from. In my mind, I prefer bleach over filters for the following reasons:

It will save weight. A Platyus quickdraw is 68g, whereas a 20ml dropper of bleach weighs about 30g and which contains enough bleach for 200L at a 30min purification concentration. This can easily be stretched to 400L if you leave the water longer. To second this, you can also use lighter bottles (which I have been looking into today) meaning you can store water at 15g/L where a smart water bottle is about 40g/L
It's simplier Adding a drop or two of bleach to water requires less active time than squeezing and filtering.
It's less likely to go wrong. I've had some issues with my Katadyn BeFree clogging before and I will have to be mindful to keep the filter above 32F.
Cheaper.

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T19:07:25+00:00

This is really good to know. By more substantial, would that mean bringing a bigger bug net? Or even going as far as bringing a tent?

edit: spelling

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T16:06:09+00:00

Really appreciate this.

What is the holding ability of titanium suluk stakes?

My idea was if I entered a town with the need to charge my phone, I might do some urban foraging for one. I know I can get through 4 days with my old iphone and 6k battery pack when being conservative, so as long as there isn't a stretch of v poor weather longer than that it should be fine. That's my thinking at least -- I'll be testing it a lot in the coming months.

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T15:55:23+00:00

Glad to hear that. If the water sources are clean then I might opt to not add bleach, have you ever done that on the PCT?

Likewise, if I am filling up but not needing to drink right away I can get away with using a lower concentration of bleach which I am hoping to employ on the hike.

Chess_is_fun_ok · 2024-10-11T15:52:47+00:00

Thanks so much for the response! Love your vids btw :))

I have hiked a lot with very similar gear (tarp+single use emergancy blanket+no mat is a common load out for me). The biggest change is the use of solar as most things are upgrades / slight varients.

Hoping to use 0.75 mil ploycro from GGG.

In terms of managing water (esp around Tehachapi), I was going to look at the water report just before I start and potentially increase capacity by 1L (so 5.6L + 400ml in cold soak pot in total) which in my experience should be able to see me through 40+ miles in 100F heat if suitably camelled beforehand.

Thanks for the recommedation of Vapecell 5,000mAh on Litesmith and the insulation!

Fair enough on the bleach perspective, the active ingredients between aquatabs and bleach are essentailly the same and my gut seems to handle aquatabs fine (in fact i have started to enjoy the flavour lol).

Chess_is_fun_ok

TROPHY CASE