Wreck run with IDP

Blowing a hooley this morning, and rain battering against the window. Certainly not conducive to getting up and heading out for a run, especially not with the slightly soggy shoes from last night.
The orginal plan was to go out onto Bleaklow with Ian from Dark Peak (IDP) and nav around all the aircraft wrecks, that was the plan until we worked out how much running and racing we were both intending on doing in the surrounding couple of weeks.
An alternative plan was hatched that we would do a few of them, and then this morning it seemed like the apocalyse had come, I went for a run last night and I was feeling a bit like I really didn't want to go out.

IDP on the phone convinced me that it would be lovely to meet at the Blacks and head out up the moor to find a couple of the wrecks up that way. He was meant to be leading out on a run this evening, so it was going to be relatively easy going. Perfect. I'll get me kit on then.

The weather was changing from relatively sunny and bright to hammering down with rain (sometimes horizontal) and force 4-6, apparently gusting up to 7+ on the tops. Right. So a pertex top might not quite be warm enough, Windstopper is probably the way forward, so the Dragon Jacket it is then, and a vaguely waterproof layer of a pertex Litespeed jacket in the bumbag just in case it gets really really nasty as a spare layer.
Shorts or tights? C'mon, its still "summer". Shorts all the way.
We met up over at the Blacks and had a rather good run up onto the moor. The peat was slippy, but he had no more grip in his old Mudclaw 330s than I did in my Roclites- for the majority of the time anyway. I felt that the 2litre bum bag was just a tad small for what I needed, basically because I can't fit a full size map in there, or water, which would have been useful.
Having said that, a 3litre bag wouldnt be able to fit a map in either...

We went past 2 wrecks and followed a few trods that are used for the High Peak Marathon. Good to see places where they lead, even if, with the cloud down, you couldn't really see where they were coming from or going to...
After going up Near Black clough we went skirted over a fair amount of moorland, and then came back down Far Black Clough. My Dragon Jacket held up well, despite some periods of driving rain, and the underarm vents were most useful- as ever, a good choice, even though its meant for very cold mountainous conditions.
Ian had the Kamelika Smock and sung its praises. The fabric is very good, breathable and stretchy, and certainly nowhere near as expensive as an eVent top. He was saying that if it got really really nasty then the Goretex Proshell just gets pulled out. Interesting. We both were still relatively dry despite the changable and ocassionally foul conditions.

A delightful run was finished off with a bit of a stream crossing which cleaned off the shoes, and even though the Garmin was fine up until that point, I managed to turn it off as we got out- I suspect that it was a bending back of the wrist that did it this time, as opposed to it spontaneously switching off.... so I'm going to have to keep an eye on it. (Its odd, lots of people are obssessed with stats on the run, I barely look at the watch when I'm out, hence why I'm always astonished when I get to the end of a run and its not on).

The track of the day is here, I didnt have a camera, the bag wasnt big enough, so I don't have any delightful shots of a misty and wind blown Bleaklow. Next time maybe. 

Gear thoughts for winter

So I'm arriving at a dilemma.
We're coming into autumn, and then into winter, living in the Peak district and running a lot is going to be quite amusing. I have plenty of walking kit and warm stuff for slow moving activities, and a good lot of kit for mountainous activities.
Not a whole lot of gear for the fast paced running that I'm planning on doing. As long as the weather stays nice, it will be fine. However, as soon as it gets nasty and claggy, things could well get interesting. I'm certainly not going to sit at home sipping cups of tea just because it happens to be a bit wet outside.

However. Neither do I particularly want Hypothermia.
At present my base layers are fine, I have no issue with them, except that they may even be too warm. A couple of long sleeved t-shirts might come in handy.

Waterproof top- needs to be incredibly breathable, and water proof.
Pertex works to a point, and my Montane velo H2O jacket has been brilliant for the past couple of years. The delamination is really starting to spread across the jacket. Its good to a point, but it just isn't breathable in the slightest. I want something a little more heavy duty and much much more breathable.
I appear to have a couple of choices.

OMM Cypher smock. Which seems pretty good. eVent fabric, breathes really well, very weatherproof, not a "rustley" fabric, close cut, very lightweight and generally an excellent choice.
I did see a relatively recent review of it which seemed to indicate that it melted when worn with a rucksac, in much the same way as my Montane featherlite.
Hmmm. I don't particularly want a jacket that melts on me when I run, especially if I'm paying more than £100 for it.

Montane Spektr smock- again eVent fabric, a close cut and hyperlightweight mountain running jacket, with a design that means there are no zips. Rolls up small, seems to be pretty good, though its a bit of a leap to get a jacket with no zip as the ventilation which you might end up needing might not be so good. The hood doesn't have a peak, but its designed to be used with a hat. Interesting.
Hmmm

Rab demand pull on. Again, eVent, a smock, and well designed. Cheaper than the other two, but more designed for mountainous use rather than high paced running, or so I am led to believe. Still, it looks like quite a contender. The hood is apparently pretty good too.
They all pack away ridiculously small, all breathe very well, and all have a look in. Anyone have any strong thoughts for or against any, or have experience with them melting when used with rucksacks? That would be very annoying indeed.

Waterproof trousers- this is an interesting one- I was looking at the Montane featherlite pants, just as something to keep in the pack- but I actually want something that is going to be waterproof when I put it on, not just a windproof. I'm not looking for something that will get me through a kit check, I want something that is going to work for me on the hill.
The OMM Kamelika pants look pretty good- softshell, apparently very runnable in, waterproof and stretchy.
I'm pretty sure that Montane are releasing the Minumus pant early next year, or maybe even this year. I've heard excellent things about the Minimus Jacket, and Im pretty sure that the pants will be just as good. Not sure how nice they will be to run in, but we shall have to see.
Other than that I'm a bit stuck on the gear front. Really, I don't expect to be running in them, they'll be there for emergency only. Lynne has a pair of Paclite pants that would work up to a point, but they are a tad bulky for the current bum bag.
Maybe I need to re think the pants.

Bumbag, 2 litre Inov8 one seems to be going well, but I really miss the water when Im out for a longer run. The 3 litre one might work quite well as it has a waterbottle integral to the design. More gear space, more water. Could be good.
The OMM 4litre bumbag is also tempting, but maybe I should just stick with the 5litre osprey talon that I reviewed here. (apart from the minor fact that it is also Lynnes...)

I run in shorts all the time, and in winter adventure races in the past have used CWX tights. Those, and salomon x-trail tights, which are 3/4 length ones. Both pairs I have are old and another winter is, I suspect, going to see the end of them. I've tried a pair of Montane Mountain Fury tights and they just don't fit in the slightest. I seem to be the wrong proportions for them to stay up as I run, they just fall down, which is really annoying as they seem to be pretty well made.
I might have to look into 2CXU, which seem to be the triathletes brand of choice. As long as they stay up, I don't really care.
(Might need to get some new shorts too. White for preference, and just above knee length!)

Shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes. X-talons? might be a bit cold, but very light and awesomely sticky. Mudclaw 333? Crazy good grip, though I have heard stories of studs coming off- not sure if that particular problem has been fixed yet. O-rocs- originally an orienteering shoe, but has retractable steel studs, might be good on ice... though according to Baba, not so great at contouring.
Anyone know if Inov8 have fixed the mudclaw problem? Montrail no longer do the highlander, and the sportiva ones look pretty tame.
The only other one that I might think about is the new Salomon fellcross, but at £120, thats quite an outlay. If Im shrewd I might even get 2 pairs of old season inov8s for that, which would mean dry shoes on each outing...

Ah, gear decisions. I tell you what, I'm glad Im not a serious mountainbiker or I'd be paralysed by the sheer amount of possible kit I could buy, let alone by the amount of kit in the house, I'd never leave the house for fear I've taken the wrong tyre/ wheels/ bike/ etc. At least with running I just pick up my gear and go.

So. Anyone have any thoughts on the gear? Any experiences? Or better suggestions or ideas? Even better, anyone got some they can lend me, I promise not to break it, just try it and see if I like it...

OMM jirishanca 35RL

Being used scrambing

A couple of years ago I was looking to replace my Lowe Alpine Contour Runner which had served me well for about 9 years. It was a good day pack size, it held the contents of the bag against my back and stopped things moving around, and had been dragged around the world in various guises. It was, and is (it still battles on) a fantastic bag.

However it was beginning to get a little raggedy (and will be the subject of another blog), and to replace it I had a couple of extra needs.

As well as being light, sturdy and able to compress gear onto my back for running, it needed to have hipbelt pockets, like the Contour runner, have ice axe straps, a removable back liner and, if possible, attachments for skis. (you never know).

The obvious choice, but for a couple of minor points was the hyperlightweight and always very useful Osprey Talon 33. I love it as a rucksack, but I really wanted something that was modular, and could be either stripped down, or geeked up. I looked at the Crux AK37, another great bag, but it was a little too Alpine for what I needed. Not quite perfect for running, and not enough stow places for easy access when on the move.

I knew of the OMM running bags and was intrigued, but I also knew they didn’t have ice axe loops, but on closer inspection of the website, I came across the mountain bag section and the Jirishanca 35. A perfect compromise?

Jirishenca in its component parts

Light enough to run with, a multitude of storage bits and pieces, a removable compression “spider” ice axe loops, AND ski attachments. Wow. Made for me?

I wouldn’t say I rushed out to buy one, the price being quite steep, but it stuck in the back of my mind for a fair old while, and eventually, after nagging at myself for a long time… and seeing the old Lowe Alpine fall apart even more, I bit the bullet and bought one.

The first thing I saw as it came through the post from the retailer was that it had no (detachable) ice axe loops. They had been detached. Great.

So I emailed OMM saying this, and they had some sent to my home address within 48 hours. Cheers guys. What a service. Very happy so far!

Now I have had the bag for about a year and have used it in a number of places and for a number of uses I feel its about time to pass judgement on it. 

At just under a kilo (920g or thereabouts) with all the bells and whistles attached and 620g stripped as far as it will go, its not too bad a weight for a 35 litre bag (the osprey talon 33 is approx 900g and cannot be stripped)

It is marked out at a mountain pack on the OMM site, but light enough to be a running pack as well. A very versatile bag, but, as a bit of a jack of all trades bag, you might think that there are compromises to be made, perhaps in terms of material, perhaps in terms of comfort. 

First off, the fit. It’s designed with the OMM lean chassis fit, which basically hugs around the body. Its very comfortable indeed, if it fits you. The harness itself is quite thick foam, non-stretchy stuff, and a little old school in terms of feel of materials. On hot days, it can feel a tad bulky and warm, but it stays comfortable for the most part. The jischirenca doesn’t have a handy resizing back like the Osprey Talon series, but the single length back, just like in the old Lowe Alpine appears to fit me very well. The Hip belt is comfortable, and provides excellent support while running for long distances with heavy things in it.

On the go food and drink storage.

Some may say that the hip belt is a little TOO padded, looking at more minimalistic designs of other rucksacks, especially Alpine ones, however, the padding, coupled with the pockets which I use ALL the time for compass, food, emergency gloves/hat/rubber gloves etc are so useful that whenever I look for a new rucksack, it will have to have them again.

The side pockets are pullcord elasticated and are placed in exactly the right place to be able to access them while at speed. Anything that is needed on the run and hasn’t been stowed in the hip belt pockets is easily accessible from these. When I’m not moving with a hydration bladder, (the bag is hydration compatible) drink bottles go in there. No problems with them at all. They are deep enough and stretchy enough to accommodate sigg bottles and normal waterbottles, and are not inhibited by the compression system as other rucksacks I have seen are. (which is a real annoyance)

The main pack itself is, well, a bag. Nothing much to report on there. It has a top pocket with semi-dry zip, an extra Velcro pocket inside with a key clip.

The compression systems (there are 2) are very well thought out and designed, and one of the main reasons I bought the bag. The main one which I tend to refer to as a spider system is attached at the bottom with Velcro, and has 4 clips, 2 on either side of the bag, which it attaches to. And then it compresses the contents. Brilliant.

You can loosen it off massively and put a helmet, waterproof, map, whatever, in there, and compress it onto the back of the rucksack, and it is held on with no worry at all. Brilliant. In the winter, its a perfect place to stash a shovel, and an avalanche probe will sit happily down the outside of the bag held in with the compression straps. I love that bit of compression kit. Just love it. It also has a stretchy pocket integrated into it, so you have even more external space to stash gear in.

Compression spider clip points.

If you want to save weight, the whole thing then comes off very easily indeed.

The second compression strap is more of a cord, and it goes across the top, and can be “plugged in” to 2 points on either side of the rucksack giving horizontal or vertical compression. Again, it can be taken off if you like a bag with less faff and bits and bobs holding you back. In the horizontal "mode", it can be used as an extra side compression for ice wands, or tent poles, and in ther vertical "mode" is more akin to a rope holder. I understand that on the latest version of this pack, the cord compression strap is now shock cord, but I haven't seen it yet, so I'm not sure.

It does indeed have the removable back mat as well. Its thin, not particularly comfortable to lie on, but it is there if you need it. I've used it as a sit on mat, prefering a little more comfort when sleeping. However, if you're going really light and really fast. The option is there.

The Ice Axe loops are, as I mentioned removable, which is nice if you don’t want them to caught on things as you fling the bag around the car/ train, and for most of the year, you probably won’t need them anyway. (I have to say that I did use mine in the height of summer, along with the compression system for cycling home through London traffic with 2 ice axes and a bike wheel strapped to my back, but that’s another story- suffice to say, the ice axe straps work)

With Helmet and Axes attached and compressed

The Ski straps, I have no idea, I just haven’t had the time or opportunity to try, and would welcome the opinion of anyone that has had the chance.

So, a lovely sack with lots of features that (for me) are a real boon, though perhaps for others who prefer a sleek sack with nothing more than a clip on the back, might be a bit of a faff.

But is there anything really wrong with it?

I’ve used this in long adventure races (up to 24hour), for climbing walk ins, general cragging, moving house, commuting (running and on a bike), long scrambling days, long walking days, and generally speaking I’m pretty damn happy with it.

I think though, this is much less of a cragging sack than I originally thought it might be. A load of heavy climbing gear with sharp bits of metal inside haven’t done it a wonderous amount of good, it has to be said, and there is a hole in the bottom which I am a little concerned about. So the fabric, as one would expect for a lightweight bag, is indeed, lightweight, and not necessarily bomb proof. Again, in terms of a cragging sack, it lacks an external rope clip, which is a little annoying, though you can quite happily compress a rope over the top of the bag under the lid by using the compression straps- that is the way that OMM recommend you do it anyway, and having done that, it works just as well as having a rope retainer.

All in all, yes, I am very happy that I bought this bag, and not a running specific one, and a cragging specific one. It was a perfect replacement for the Contour runner, and the fact there are so few of them that I see on the hill means that I am very happy that I’m not one of hundreds of people walking around with the same pack. I don’t know why, that would just annoy me and would make me feel a bit “sheep” like.

Would I buy one again?

Concerns over durability, a hole in the base.

As a running/ Mountain Marathon bag, yes. As a day pack, yes. As a climbing or scrambling bag? Not sure. Maybe if the bottom of the bag was made of slightly more robust material, yes, I would, I’m just a slight be concerned about the durability of the material when it has climbing gear inside, and also for its abrasion resistance when you aren’t being nice to it over gnarly rock.

As a mountain bag it doesn't fail, it does very well, but you have to be more careful with it that I tend to be with my gear around rock. Its lightweight, and that means it doesn't hold well when subjected to daily abuse of being thrown around a crag. If you want a crag bag, buy something that is made of tough cordura. 

If you need a bag which you can use on the hill/mountain with a lot of bits and pieces within easy reach so that you quite literally never actually have to stop until the end of the day, this is the bag for you. 

A day out boarding opposite MontBlanc with the Jirishenca

Having said that, I am now in the market for a 50 litre bag, and the OMM Villain is looking like a very strong contender. I need to have a look at it in more detail, and it has some very stiff competition from the AK-47X, the Osprey Variant52 and funnily enough, the Deuter Guide 45+. If anyone has ideas for nigh-on indestructible 50litre or so rucksacks- its basically going to be a day to day abuse bag for on the hill as an ML/SPA/aspirant MRT I’d love to hear your thoughts.