At the end of March a few of our staff went to Lake Sumner for an overnight camping / fishing trip. The weather was warm and still, great for tramping and fly fishing.  The 3 guys headed off up the Hurunui to try their luck at catching a trophy trout, while the 2 of us girls went for a walk up to Hurunui Hut.
 
 
We took a mixture of Osprey and Aarn packs on our trip to test them out and see which we liked best. Kristina and I shared the Aarn Guiding Light Pack and packed it full of food and wet weather clothing as well as a change of shoes. It was about 10kgs when filled but incredibly comfy. We had attached the front balance pockets to get the full effect of an Aarn pack and packed it with our heavy drink bottles. The pack was easy to adjust to our back lengths and created a natural balance straight away. Kristina walked with the pack on her back for about 3 hours and said that she hardly noticed that she was wearing a pack. It was so comfortable and gave complete free movement without any strain or chaifing. As Kristina wasn't experienced with pack carrying over a reasonable distance she was blown away with how easy this pack was to carry. We are both completely sold on Aarn packs now due to their freedom and comfort.
 
     
 
The only down side to our walk was some nasty blisters Kristina suffered with wearing her sisters boots. It is definately worthwhile investing in a good quality pair of boots that fit you well, otherwise your outdoor experience could be unpleasant. I wore a good pair of La Sportiva boots that I was still breaking in (they are perfect now). Walking through rivers in new boots definately speeds up the breaking in process allowing them to mould to your foot quicker. We found that walking with an anti shock trekking pole makes walking with a pack easier and river crossings a lot easier.
 
We all took a good range of clothing including 2 sets of thermals, t shirt, lightweight fleece tops, merino tops, thick fleece tops, waterproof jackets/pants, fleece beanies and 3 sets of woollen socks. The weather can change so quickly in the outdoors and it is important to be prepared for anything. When we first got to lake Sumner it was 4 degrees and the wind chill was fierce but by the middle of the day it was about 24 degrees and hot.
 
After viewing the hut which was in great condition we followed the track up a couple more kms before we made our way back to the swing bridge. We met up with the boys at about 5pm ready to set up camp. We each had our own adventure tent and they were quick to put up. We used a few samples from our suppliers and realised that one of the tents didn't have pegs. Thankfully one of the other tents had an overabundance thanks to Malcolm bringing a spare peg pack but it was something that we should have checked first. Its always a good idea to check your gear to make sure that batteries work and that all parts are included.
 
 
I used the Outer Limits Vapour which is a 1 man tent. I was very impressed with it. It has 3 poles linked to a central hub which makes it stable with plenty of head room.  The weight is only 1.9kgs which makes it lightweight for carrying in a pack. The vestibule wasn't quite big enough to fit my whole pack but the tent itself was roomy for one person. 
 
Kristina's tent was the Outer Limits Eclipse and hers was a great size for 1-2 people. It had a vestibule large enough to fit gear and was roomy enough for 2 people. The weight was only 2.1kg so if you like a bit of extra room along with a stable design then this is a great option.
 
Jason had the Doite Pro Teide which has a very stable design and is great for 1-2 people with heaps of headroom throughout. It isn't quite as long as the Outer Limits tents so it is ideally suited to people 6' or under. It's easy to put up and very stylish. It has 2 vestibules but neither are very big so large packs would have to sit outside.
 
Ben used the Outer Limits Starlite which is a more affordably priced, lightweight model. He commented that he would have preferred more inner space like the other 3 models. For people on a budget, this tent is great as it has the same waterproof ratings as the other tents, it's just not as comfortable to live in.
 
 
 
After we set up our bedding we went off for a relaxing spin on the lake. I hadn't been spinning for about 3 years and was a bit rusty but didn't take long to get the hang of it again. The guys all spread out around the lake but unfortunately the fish weren't taking that evening.
 
 

We set up our cookers in a semi sheltered spot and waited for the water to boil for our Back Country Freeze Dried food. We had 2 high output basic cookers set up and the Jetboil Personal/Group Cooking System. The Jetboil won hands down. It was about 3 times faster than the 2 cookers that had twice the output. We were blown away with how superior the Jetboil is to everything else. It uses far less gas and cooks 2-3 times quicker than anything else. We tested these cookers in semi-wind conditions and Jetboil outperforms regardless. We knew that the Jetboil was good but none of us knew how good it is. If you use a cooker on a regular basis, it is well worth the money as it also come with a quality non stick pot.

 

 

The Backcountry Cuisine food is just fantastic. We tried, Beef Teriyaki, Roast Chicken, Roast Lamb, Apple Pie and Strawberry Icecream Dessert. They all tasted amazing, the flavours were like a restaurant meal. You do need to make sure you put in the right amount of water and leave them to hydrate for the full amount of time stated otherwise you'll find them a bit crunchy. But in terms of their ease to prepare, I wouldn't bother with anything else. For a full nutricious meal that is easy and affordable, they are brilliant! We have found that it is best to go for the 2 serves as this tends to feed 1 and a half people or 1 very hungry person. Generally when you are camping you've been doing a lot of physical activity and so a large warm meal is appreciated and the 1 serve is just a bit small for most people. In the morning Kristina and I had the cooked breakfast, this is so delicious. I'm not sure if we hydrated the baked beans long enough because they were a bit powdery but the egg/ bacon/ potato mash was so awesome that I'd cook it up for breakfast on a Saturday morning at home.

 

That night we roasted marshmallows around the campfire and made an attempt at popping popcorn which turned out as a bit of a disaster unfortunately. Everything got a bit exciting as a young feral cat had great fun jumping in the back of the 4x4 and running through our tents. Malcolm went off looking for water-spiders around the edge of the lake as their eye glowed like a diamond under his bright headlamp. We all tested out different headlamps and discovered that bright certainly is better.

The cream of the crop was definately Malcolm's LED Lenser H7 headlight. The Black Diamond Icon came very close in terms of brightness but the LED Lenser H7 was extraordinary. It is a very lightweight headlamp but has a whopping bright 3 Watt LED which can be diffused or focused depending on the situation. It also has a dimmer making it suitable for almost any situation.

The Icon was also 3 watt but didn't seem to throw light quite as far as the Lenser. The Icon had 2 settings with smaller LEDs on the sides where lower light is required. It also has the potential for rechargeable batteries and an NRG battery back can be sold seperately.

I had the Black Diamond Spot 1 Watt LED which I use all the time and find very bright, but after seeing the other 2 headlamps, mine looked very dull. The LED Lenser is absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone.

 

 

After a big meal, brushing our teeth and standing by the fire for a while, we decided to go to bed (except Ben who went night fishing). We each had a different mat and sleeping bag to see how they all fared. When we woke in the morning our boots and packs were icy. It had got to just below freezing in the night.

I was using the Insulmat Traditional 4 Season Mat which was so comfortable! When lying on my back I was completely insulated from the cold it was brilliant.

I slept in an Outer Limits Treksmart -15 bag. It was very roomy (I'm only small though) and would have been great for a slightly larger person. I did get a bit chilly at one point in the night, which goes to show that the ratings on bags are only extreme not comfort ratings. We all wore thermals, hats and socks to bed and made sure we were warm before getting in.

Jason slept in the Outer Limits Aspiring 750 down bag and was a little chilly in the night also. He commented that he would have liked a little more room in his bag. The price on these bags are fantastic and suited to small to medium/large build.

Ben slept on the Pacific Outdoor Peak Oyl 4 Season mat and loved it. He said that it was the warmest mat he has ever slept on and the side rails were brilliant as he didn't roll off. He couldn't rave enough about the comfort and quality of this mat.

Malcolm slept in the Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 500 Down bag and he said this was the best bag he had ever slept in. He was warm all night and loved the elasticated seams. He said that he didn't feel restricted like he had in a standard bag becaue the seams allowed him to move freely and bounced back in to his frame when he had stopped moving to effectively trap heat. He thought the design and quality of the bag was the best he had ever used.

Kristina is our resident cold frog so I gave her the warmest bag, Outer Limits Aspiring 1000 Down bag. She said she was toasty all night even too hot at times. She thought it was a great size for her and very comfortable.

She slept on the Insulmat Ether Thermo which she found very warm and comfortable although she felt like she could roll off. For the price this mat is fabulous.  

 

  

 

The boys decided to skip breakfast and go fishing instead before the wind came up and left us girls to pack up the campsite GRRRRR...... So after we made breakfast and did a bit of spin fishing we decided to go for a leisurely walk. The wind picked up at about 11:30am and the boys came back at 2:30pm to a nicely packed up campsite. We'd had a great time away with good food, good company and good gear. My other staff are going out next week to try out different gear. I'll let you know how it goes......