EQUIPMENT ADVICE for competing in the OMM. Update Oct 2nd 09
Where we started from
The equipment list was originally prepared in the early 1970’s and has stood the test of time with a little updating and indeed followed as good practice by other events. Some of the words are generic and will benefit from a little interpretation here. Much new equipment has appeared which raises issues and questions and we have tried to cover these also.
General advice
This gear list is only the MINIMUM number of pieces you are required to take and does not in the main (with the exception of sleeping bags) try to regulate the weight/thickness/warmth which must be your choice; so therefore when selecting bear in mind that WEATHER should have a big influence on your final choice of the number and weight of them. I have also written this on the assumption that UK readers will be doing events overseas from time to time and that overseas readers will be looking for guidance on our UK conditions.
THE KIT LIST YOU WILL SIGN AT REGISTRATION
with our* interpretive comments and fuller explanations. * with thanks to Joe, Stu, Roger, Marian and Terry for their collective wisdom.
- warm trousers or leggings; no cotton fibres allowed even as a mixture such as poly-cotton: if the weather is very wet and cold you may opt to carry another dry pair. But the rules are ‘one pair’ to be either worn or carried. Any shorts used must be in addition to the above (not a substitute.)
- shirt or a thermal top aka a base layer; again no cotton but wool is OK.
- sweater or fleece top; depending on temperature it can also be an expedition weight base layer.
- waterproof over trousers (taped seams) see notes below in FAQs
- waterproof jacket (taped seams) see notes below in FAQs
- socks gloves and hat; Gloves, or mitts; simple cheap liner gloves can do but some feel these wet out too easily. Powerstretch are much more expensive but remain drier for longer and of course warmer in cold conditions and last longer. HATS, Buffs are allowed, when making final choice remember you may wish to sleep in it, heat loss through the head is considerable. In windy conditions a good peaked hat can give vital protection which a knitted hat can't. Check how good your garment hood is and a peaked hat may be a useful supplement. Peaked hats - try on with your head torch, make sure they work together.
- head torch
- whistle: OMM brand rucksacks integrate the whistle into your chest strap to avoid you forgetting.
- food for 36 hours see advice below
- additional emergency rations
- compass (GPS not allowed) see rationale below
- sleeping bag – now modified Sept 30th 09 as below
- footwear with adequate grip for fell conditions (and minimum tread of 4 mm) see further definition of a fell shoe below
- map as supplied;
- space blanket or a heavy gauge polythene bag (
blankets no longer allowed but no disqualifications this year) but any
weight and any material allowed as long as its a large person sized bag you can get into in an emergency.
- rucksack; to attain the weight targets recommended below you will need a 20/35L capacity pack weighing not more than 800g but any size or weight of pack is allowed.
- first aid; a minimum of a crepe bandage and small wound dressings
- pen or pencil: the maps supplied are waterproof; chinagraph pencils work well even on wet surfaces, unlike permanent felt markers.
- tent with sewn in groundsheet; bivi bags instead of tents are not allowed.
- Cooking stove with enough fuel at the end of the day to make a hot drink. This rule was introduced not only as safety but to prevent competitors abandoning half empty gas canisters at the overnight camp.
Sleeping bags (Further modified since publication early Sept 09)
Only insulated sleeping bags with lofting filling are allowed to rule out foil bags/blizzard bags and liners. At the recent 2009 SLMM a team was disqualified for having only a silk liner which did not constitute a sleeping bag. Also Mourne MM officials have raised the issue of survival bags and not blankets and they are right.
Subsequent to this we issued a statement that sleeping bags 'must be 3 season'.
This
is now raising lots of questions and this is to modify and clarify that
statement and further clarify our rules on survival bags.
'Seasons'
is an old and now defunct measure of sleeping bag efficacy so the
industry switched to temperature ratings some 2 years ago.
Unfortunately that has caused even more confusion because of old (UK)
ratings, USA ratings and new Euro ratings which can differ by as much
as 10degC for the same bag and even different testing houses vary as
much as 4-5degC. To further confuse, these ratings it should be noted,
are assuming the user is inside the bag without any clothing. Of course
how warm you will be depends also on the efficacy of your ground pad
and your personal techniques for keeping warm.
Many teams appear now to be using alu foil sheets (as often given out post road running events)
So
we need a sound sensible way to say what's acceptable and what's not
and enable any kit checker to make a sound and acceptable judgement.
Bearing in mind we have always tried to avoid rules which prevent the
innovations of individuals or companies being ruled out by bureaucracy.
- Only insulated sleeping bags with lofting filling are allowed.
- Therefore no alu foil bags, no silk liners used alone (NB a silk liner does upgrade the temperature rating of your bag by 2-3degC if you wish to 'up' your sleeping bag rating.)
- The sleeping bag must be adequately insulated for the typical OMM event temperatures which may occasionally go as low as zero deg C. In practice this means (as at 2009 but innovation may change this) a down bag of not less than 400g or a synthetic bag of not less than 800g will do the job.
- Survival bags should be bags and not sheets and in this case alu foil or polythene are acceptable.
FOOTWEAR
The base recommendation is a minimum tread of 4mm. So if your fell shoes are worn then treat yourself to a repair or new ones. So what's a fell shoe and why do we recommend you use them and not trail shoes or road?
This event is mostly 'off trail' and course planners have a curious habit of making access to check points along steep pathless traverses. On this sort of ground the shoe must grip the foot well to stop it rotating, helped by low heels which also help prevent twisted knees. So a fell shoe has lacing to the toe and high up the instep, with a low heel and a min 4mm deep tread.
Please dont send us links and pictures asking is this ok because there are millions of shoes on the market!
WATER; water, water everywhere!
Our survey in 2006 (Galloway) showed most of B and C classes were carrying water at the start of what was one of the wettest ever under foot, which surprised me.
My personal strategy for a late year/low’ish
temp event like ours is to start with my personal bladder full and
plastic bladder empty: picking up water after 1:1/2-2 hours; that's a
huge weight saving. The E & A guys don't carry water at all and
scoop as they go. I did this for several years and when bladders
arrived on scene checked how much water I took in doing this which to my to my surprise was less than 1L. When I boosted my liquid intake to 2.5L/day my placing shot up even though I was carrying some water whereas previously I carried none.
If of course its a mid season event in the Alps, its a different ball game. Water is often totally absent either because it’s a limestone area or its non potable, (in the Alps always assume there is someone above polluting the water) and so there are often compulsory check points where water is available and you have to carry enough to last for long periods.
Is it drinkable? This seems to be a north south opinion divide, UK Southerners assume its non potable unless stated and Northerners the opposite. The UK is one of the last remaining countries where surface water is not giardia infected so we are lucky in this respect but pollution is arriving. Recent test articles in magazines have shown faecal pollution particularly around tarns and the outlets. So advice is, look at the area map before the start and think about the risks. The evening before decide whether you should carry water from the start or during which sections it might be needed. When picking up water to drink be aware if there are any dwellings or farms above you on the map and take water from tarn inlets not outlets. Make sure the water is running and its not a pool. Not usually a problem for the October OMM!
Bottles or bladders or poly bags?
You need to experiment to get the right system for the terrain you are confronted with so remember other events will be in different temperatures and terrain and you need either a compromise that works for all or to be keenly aware of what needs changing for your next event.
OVERALL KIT WEIGHT advice.
About 7 kg (c15lbs) ( this is without water) is the max you should consider carrying for even the lower classes, any more and you may not be strong/agile enough to complete the course. Elite classes are attaining sub 5kg maybe sub 4 and other classes between the upper and lower limits.
The record lowest carried was probably myself and partner Ken Ledward when the event was still held in Sept and we had 6lbs (2.6kg) each only. All equipment was custom made and Ken’s was lighter because he is smaller. Oh and we didn’t have enough food!
OTHER KIT NOT ON OFFICIAL LIST
Altimeters; are allowed and the steeper the terrain the more useful they are, but as our planners favor not having the contour heights printed on the map they become less useful!
GPS, The original reason we decided not to allow GPS was that we considered it should be a test of navigation using original methods. However the experience of seeing GPS used on the hills generally leads us now to a firm belief that forbidding the use of GPS adds to the safety of the event. This is because an understanding of map contours and other important symbols and their relationship with the physical topography is vital for participants.
TREKKING POLES, yes they are allowed; but suggest both partners should use as you will move differently. Its not a question of protecting the knees as many people use them for but for performance: if you have good lungs they will increase your speed (arms consume oxygen!). However you will have difficulties with holding/thumbing the map and should consider using a chest pouch.