People who head off in to the hills unprepared with a gung ho 'I've always been alright with a stick of chewing gum and a copy of the Times' attitude realy p##s me off.
Me too...
..and I would argue that my attitude is not like that. I would consider myself far more able to cope precisely because I don't try to carry everything I'll ever need every time I go out. The best way to become blase and complacent is to have a big bag full of all the stuff I can ever need and to carry it on every ride I ever do.
Quite apart from being a monumental waste of energy, carrying all that stuff is a very easy way to get into trouble.
Many, many, many years ago, in fact when I was just a lad, we drove to Snowdon to walk up it. We were as well equipped as we could afford with boots, coats, butties and a flask. As we got high up the thing, we ended up trying to walk in knee deep snow and after a bit of macho nonsense and a number of scary scrapes we opted to get down and go to the pub. I learned the best outdoor survival lesson I've ever got that day; don't be a dick.
It doesn't matter how much crap you cart around the countryside, being sensible is the one thing that will keep you safe above all else.
My over-riding theme is that it is just riding a bike and should be treated as such.
I will stress, as I have done throughout, that you should take whatever you want to, but I don't subscribe to the current fashion of big Camelbak stuffed with the contents of a mini bike shop.
