Bumbagging: selecting the kit

n BUMBAG: Sierra Designs Flex. This was the largest bumbag I could find, rated at 7–10L. It has expansion straps, so it can grow or shrink, and external pockets on each hip. These are handy for regularly accessed items but also for things likely to remain damp, such as my shelter.

n SLEEPING BAG: Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32, plus silk liner. Sleeping bag was a key decision, as this was likely to be the bulkiest item. Due to its compressibility, down was essential, and I briefly considered a quilt, but reviews suggested they suit people who sleep as still as effigies in stone crypts.

I roll around at night like a chicken on a rotisserie, so I stuck with a bag. I wanted three-season performance with a nominal comfort limit around 0°C. A silk liner adds a smidgen of extra warmth but, more importantly, protects the bag from the day’s sweat and grime.

n SLEEPING PAD: Klymit Inertia X Frame. I decided that I didn’t need a particularly high R-value, and I let my weakness for novelty guide me towards the X Frame. It’s only 258g and rolls up to the size of a beer can. In theory the holes actually keep you warmer because it gives the bottom of your bag spaces to ‘loft’ into. You can treat that as science or marketing according to your cynicism level, but I’m rather fond of its oddness – it certainly stands out.

n COOKING: Speedster Stove and Toaks 550ml titanium pot. This tiny meths stove is about the size and weight of an empty shoe polish tin. Speedster also made me a custom windshield-cum-pot stand that folds flat to the size of an A6 envelope and supports a 550ml titanium pot.

n SHELTER: Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape and Terra Nova Moonlite bivvy bag. My shelter would have to be really compact to tuck into the pocket on the hip. There were no credible tents that I could sit up in, so I came back to bivvy bags – but middle age has brought with it demands for a little more comfort, so I wanted a tarp as well. The Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape offers two clear advantages: 360° coverage and the versatility of being wearable as a waterproof poncho. Double usage is a powerful factor in reducing inventory. As I don’t run with trekking poles, I decided to support it with a dedicated carbon pole that folds down to 10” long and weighs less than a Mars bar.

n CLOTHING: Minimalist. During the day, I would wear a thin top and shorts. For added warmth, silk gloves, a thin merino jumper, a thin gilet, trouser-leg extensions and two buffs (one for the neck, one for the head) would sit in reserve. There’s just room for dry socks and pants for camp morale, but that’s it.

n BASE WEIGHT: 2.4kg (5.3lb). This is the weight of gear carried in the bumbag, minus consumables such as food, water, and fuel. That’s wearing the merino top, which is too warm for running in except on the coldest days. Skin-out weight at the start of the run, including clothes, bag and shoes, came in at 3.75kg (8.3lb). It’s all academic once you’re drenched, though, isn’t it? Plodge your

212g fell shoes through a Lakeland marsh and they may as well be diving boots.