TO PARAPHRASE Douglas Adams: when you’ve done six impossible things before breakfast, it’s clearly incumbent on you to try for a seventh. Last year, I set myself an ambitious challenge to create an ultralight fastpacking setup with a twist: no rucksack allowed. Instead, all my gear must fit into a bumbag. Call it 'Bumbagging', if you will (although it’s perhaps best to avoid searching for that term on Google).
I told the summer version of this story in the September 2021 edition of The Great Outdoors, but the solution then was strictly one-season: only intended for the balmiest summer nights. Any sensible person might have progressively extended into spring and autumn to see what could be achieved. Instead, I decided to go all-in and try it in midwinter. It sounds crazy. Knowing a winter sleeping bag can fill a decent-sized day pack, and the coldest nights can last sixteen hours, it sounds insane. But being of moderately unsound yet curious mind, I wondered how far I could push my luck.
FORTUNE FAVOURS THE PREPARED
My summer set-up was the starting point, but winter evenings can’t be spent lolling on dry turf, watching the dipping sun cast its last warm rays over the summits. In the cold and dark months, I would need everything on my side to stay warm and safe. It would be essential to carry a complete set of dry clothes. The one thing you can guarantee
