I'm dissatisfied with my life and decided to fuck off and do an off-road LEJOG so I can both get fit and see new places.
Anyway, I was wondering if you lads had any recommendations for backpacks and boots? It'll be done on a tight budget at best so cheap and cheerful is preferred for most things.
Also I did a spreadsheet with all the things I might need for budgeting purposes. It's not priced up yet but could someone who has done a long-term walk before take a gander and tell me what to add or ditch from the list?
I've got an Osprey Atmos 50. It's beautiful, the most comfortable backpack I've ever owned. It's not water proof, just resistant,. but I've been out in apalling conditions and my stuff has been okay.
If you want a ~50L bag on a budget, try this. It's not designed as a typical hiking rucksack, the centre of mass and the strapping mean that it will not be as comfortable as others over long distances. On the plus side it's only £35 including delivery and it's incredibly rugged. You can also get extra pouches to attach with webbing, but that puts the price up a lot.
I just realised that I could have easily just copy and pasted the text from that spreadsheet so people without Office could look as well. I do apologise.
I do like the look of that Osprey and I'll keep the cheap bag in mind (the straps are making me hesitant, though. 1200 miles with it on might turn a bit gruelling.) Thanks lads!
Oh, meant to add: ensure when you buy your bag you do so from somewhere where someone will actually fit the fucker to your frame. Most places don't
If you're down south I heartily recommend the follwoing place:
High Adventure, 28, Holywell Hill, St. Albans , AL1 1BZ
A mate told me about it and I got the train up from London to pay a visit (after booking an appointment with the owner mind).
I was probably there for an hour and a half, while the owner systematically went through what I needed the bag for, then took me through anything that miught fit my specs, before fitting 3 different bags to my body shape. At no point was there any level of "hard-sell", the guy just wanted to get me the best possible bag. I chose the Osprey (the most expensive) and he then spent 3 minutes checking that I didn't want to go for a cheaper one. He's a fucking legend.
TL;DR Get youor bag from an indie store not a chain. Ask if they will fit it for you.
>>1970 Just got one of these this morning, actually pretty impressed. It's got so many pockets and pouches. Every pouch seems to have another pocket or pouch inside it. Also the entire thing opens up, which it doesn't mention, which I think is a nice feature. Feels very rugged, and it's made from some kind of waterproof material like a groundsheet. Straps are big and well attached, but the lack of a chest strap is a bit annoying, I'll probably get one off an old bag and attach that.
Attachment points everywhere
Can't complain for the price, but delivery took about a week - it came from Dublin, from an outfit calling itself "Werhmacht history". Hmm.
>>2019 Straps. Belly strap or whatever it's called is quite chunky, could be annoying on long walks. And the straps need tidying, I've just been out for a spin on the motorbike and it was like having an insane spider on my back.
>>2020 Back's padding is ok. Just found another big pocket there as well.
Look's like it's pretty waterproof overall, but I'll still be taking a bag cover for it when I go out on adventures.
>>2022 Still forming a full opinion, haven't had much use for it so far, but it's ok. Side pockets would have been useful for water bottles. even though it's 50l, it isn't actually that big when it's all strapped down, which is quite good. The big waist clip digs into the back a little when I'm cycling using it, and the back padding isn't great in today's weather, there isn't much airflow. Other than that and stuff previously mentioned, it's fine for the money. It's perfect for the general dossing and couch surfing which is my life at the moment. 6-7/10, considering price.
I might be going off on a weekend hike soon, so I'll report back after that.
