msr mini groundhogs

 An easy way of losing weight from your rucksack is to replace the the tent pegs that come with your shelter. Whilst these aren't necessarily poor quality they tend to be heavier with a basic Y or V design.

In the past I've replaced the supplied pegs with V titanium ones. And if the pegging point isn't going to take stress then replacing that with a basic titanium wire peg. Titanium V pegs weigh about 9g and the wire ones 6g whereas supplied pegs tend to weigh about 14g.

The downside is the cost. And if your tent doesn't need many pegs then... I'll let you do the math.

MSR Mini Groundhogs are made from aluminium and weigh 9.5g each. They come supplied with a cord pull and are in an easy to spot red. They are Y pegs but with a difference the three arms of the Y are curved. The idea that this gives them better holding power.

I used them on two nights last weekend when the weather wasn't the best and found that they held really well. They need to go all the way in to maximise their holding power however they are really easy to insert. The best thing though is that they were £10.00 cheaper than the equivalent number of Titanium pegs of the same weight.

These were bought from Ultralightoutdoor gear.

msr night glow zipper pulls

A simple and effective tent upgrade that adds less than 3g* to the shelter. They are easily installed by looping through the zip and back through the loop of the pull itself forming a simple larks foot knot. And if you're like me and have a, cough, number of tents and shelters then they can easily transfered between them.

I'm not sure whether they are best on the outer side of the fly or on the inside. Or on both!

I picked them up from Ultralightoutdoorgear.

*subject to the number put to use.

peddars way preparation

The National Trails website

The annual Easter backpacking trip planning is finally underway. The National Trails website is my first place to go, followed by picking up a guidebook and a Harvey’s strip map. I then spend time reading up on the route and scanning the map for potential camping sites. Although unfortunately Harvey’s don’t do a strip map of this trail. The decision to take OS maps or rely on the guidebook alone for navigation isn’t an easy one to make. It’s a National Trail so the way marking should be decent enough, the Peddars Way is relatively straight as it follows the course of a Roman Road, and when it hits the coast… Well, how hard is it to get lost when I’ve got the sea on my left hand side? Then I have my gram weenie head saying that the OS maps will probably weigh less than the guidebook but I’m resisting the urge to whip out the scales and put them on trial.

The start of the way is in a bit of an out of the way location, and I know that others who’ve done the trail caught a cab out from Thetford and split the fare. This is a solo venture at the moment but I have since discovered that there is a bookable bus that runs to the start and costs a miserly £2.20. A no-brainer then.

As it’s Easter I’ve also emailed a couple of campsites along the trail to make sure that they were open and had space. What surprised me was the responses from two of the sites; one from a pub that had camping wanted to charge me £15.00, and made no concessions for someone in a tiny tent and who was on foot. The other from a national organisation that had a backpacker concession for non-members at £6.55 per night. Another no-brainer.

Kit list compiling is the usual straightforward deal, with the usual musings over what cook system to take based on what food I fancy, so no change there. I’m debating whether to pack all the food I need or not. I’ll have a meal out but due to my dietary restrictions I can’t rely on finding stuff on route. At least on the coast there may be options but I could find myself subsiding on chips night after night. This might not be all hardship as I’ve discovered a fish and chip shop in Hunstanton that does gluten free battered fish so one less meal to pack.

With four weeks left to go I’m also getting in some training miles when the weather allows but my right knee is beginning to complain which I’m putting down to the cold damp weather but have it strapped to be on the safe side.

merino buff – thermal

The thermal weight buff

My merino wool buff is one of those bits of kit that finds its way into my rucksack on most occasions even in the warmer months. 

It’s a versatile piece of kit that that has many uses; in winter I wear it as a neckerchief to seal the gap around my neck and mid layer, and in summer it becomes a beanie or nightcap to keep my head warm around camp or whilst sleeping. The bonus of using it as a nightcap is that I can pull it over my eyes as it’s getting lighter ensuring a few extra hours sleep after sun up.

I’m always pleased to get a kit upgrade and the guys at http://www.kitshack.com/ have sent me a thermal version of the merino buff to try out. Effectively it’s a heavier weight version of the original – 27% heavier – with a brushed finish and a much thicker and denser weave, and it tips the scales at 70g.

In the middle of August trying out a thermal buff might be a tall order, well at least I hope so, but I’ll be out bikepacking another section of the NCN 4 in early September so will tuck it in my spare clothing dry bag. I might not need it during the day but as a nightcap it will get some use.

Size isn’t everything

I’ve been asked how I manage to use a day pack for my weekend – and usually longer – backpacking trips.

A few years back my rucksack was a huge 65l plus bag – a Lowe Alpine one. It must have weighed a couple of kilo’s maybe more if I’m honest but I never put it on the scales. It did the job and I was able to get all my stuff in it including a rope, harness, rack and rock boots. With a crag sack strapped on the side I was all set up for a weekend of time outdoors.

At that time my camping stuff was ‘lightweight’ the tent was a two person Robert Saunders one with a huge porch and my stove was a trusty Trangia, and I carried the meths in a thirty year old one litre Sigg fuel bottle.

The first change came when I gave up the climbing part of the weekends away. That reduced the weight and bulk considerably, and meant that those 65l were no longer required.  Although I still found that I could fill the space, and frequently did. And this lead me to see that, with the help of Derrick Booth’s The Backpackers Handbook, if I got a smaller bag I wouldn’t have the space to fit loads of stuff in. I started to focus on what I packed and what I used with the three pile trick. After each outing I’d rank the items I used more than once, just once, and never. And found that the items in the never category were always stuff that I put in ‘just in case’ and I had the room for.  I also started looking at/and replacing items of kit. The first thing that went was the two person tent, I invested in a smaller, lighter weight one person shelter. Then the Trangia was replaced by a simple pot and cartridge gas stove, again lighter and less bulky. The synthetic sleeping bag was replaced by a warmer, lighter, less bulky down one.

The rucksack went from 65l to 55l, and again from 55l to 40l as I reduced the number of items, along with acquiring lighter and less bulky kit.  Some of the items I carry have more than one use, the tent peg trowel is a prime example, it hasn’t happened yet but I’ve not needed to dig a cat hole when my shelter is pitched. Shelters that pitch with trekking poles is another example.
The weight of the kit has dramatically reduced – initially I’d be shouldering over 15kg of stuff now my average is circa 5kg (excluding the climbing kit, obviously). And the weight reduction wasn’t just with the kit on my back, my heavy leather walking boots went to lighter fabric ones, and finally to trainers weighing just 330g a shoe.

I use an Excel spreadsheet to compile the kit that I’m planning to use, this keeps me disciplined as to what goes in the bag and ensures that nothing is forgotten. I also use it to tailor the kit to the trip – time of year, terrain, environment, etc. Experience counts for a lot too – knowing what you need against what you might come across is learnt from getting out there and doing it.

It also comes down to personal preference, and this is the deal breaker – there are those that won’t feel comfortable about leaving home without something or other, usually lots of somethings or others. If you feel the kit you pack needs a backup then pack something that works and won’t let you down. (If you can’t leave the house without a secondary stove packed because you’re paranoid about the primary one failing then you need help of another kind.)

Despite all this reduction in weight and bulk comfort doesn’t suffer, my kit it will keep me warm and dry, and I’ll get a comfortable night’s sleep. I could leave the stove out on summer trips but I like a hot drink in the morning – that’s my personal preference. It’s possible for me to reduce the load further but I’m happy with what I pack and carry. For now.

fwe bar bag

Front view.

The FWE bar bag is a fully featured piece of bike luggage.

It mounts on the handle bars using a Rixen Kaul type bracket making it simple to remove when needed. The bag size is small compared to others, only 4 litres in capacity, but manages to hold all the bits and pieces that I want without wasted space. Importantly the smaller size means I’m less likely to overload the bag and have issues with weighed steering. The bag has a front zippered pocket with internal mesh pockets, reflective trim and a tab to mount an LED light. The bag sports two side mesh pockets, a transparent lid pocket for a mobile phone/map*, and an internal zipped pocket in the main compartment.

There is also a lower rear zippered pocket for a bright yellow rain cover that is also included, along with the obligatory shoulder strap, and the strap clipping points. I use the rain cover pocket for the strap and carry the cover in a seat stem bag instead. The one thing missing from the bag is a clip for keys, so in the front pocket I’ve added a loop of 1.5mm dyneema and a small karabiner. Clipped to this and tucked into one of the mesh pockets the keys are safe and secure.

Inside, rear view.

In use the main compartment held my camera, phone, first aid kit, jelly babies, map and my medics. The transparent lid pocket held my Garmin Geko 201, a basic GPS that’s handy for keeping track of mileage, speed and location but little else. I cannot say for certain as I don’t own a more up to date model with mapping data but the pocket might not be big enough for some devices. My mobile phone doesn’t fit (Nokia 635) so if you happen to use one of the phone based navigation apps then you might want to look at other options. I’m still a paper map navigator, predominately, so the issue of what device fits is not an issue as such other than if my phone won’t fit neither will a map (despite the manufacturer's claims)!

This aside the bag is spot on for my needs, and as with the key clip I’ll have a tinker and see if I can rig something to hold a map.

* from the manufacturer's website description.

gsi cascadian cup

Most of my canteen set ups are based around the principle that you eat and drink out of the same receptacle – a pot like the Snow Peak 600 or the Alpkit Mytimug. Whilst this is a great way of saving weight and the double usage that all lightweight backpackers like to incorporate into their kit lists it does have it’s limitations. After all you have to eat your food first and then have your drink or vice versa, unless of course that drink comes in a hip flask or wine bottle in which case it’s just a quick neck in between mouthfuls.

On occasions I like the idea of having something handy for having a brew with the food, and swinging out of wine bottle, whilst effective, is a bit uncouth. And on other occasions, like when I use a cook system that doesn’t lend itself to the pot being used as a mug, such as with my Bush Buddy set up, a dedicated mug or cup is needed. 

The classic was the plastic one pint plastic mug which is what the Snow Peak/Alpkit set ups base themselves around but that volume isn’t always needed as I’m not cooking with it just having a drink. And the GSI Cascadian cup at 450ml is ideal – big enough for a brew but small enough to be packable. The mug has graduations on the inside and the handle has a hole punched into it presumably for those that want to hang it off their backpack. I may take a saw to the handle as I’m not convinced I need it, and that would save some grams despite the weigh saving hole already drilled in it!  The cup is tapered but isn’t that tall so I’ve not noticed any stability issues with it. They come in a range of colours, and for the gram counters out there my one weighs in at 53g.

inov8 roclite 315 trainers

 (Almost) box fresh

This is my third pair in Inov8 Roclites, and these are the new look from last year’s revamp. So what’s changed?

Well, the mesh upper is now solid and has a new paint job. Although I’ve been a fan of using running shoes as my go to hiking footwear for a number of years I’ve always avoided the garishly finished makes like New Balance and Asics. The paint job on these is borderline but now with several months wear they aren’t so bright and shiny anymore. The midsole has changed to, it’s more springy than the earlier models as I seem to remember, which is good, meaning more comfortable and less tiring walking. The chunky sole remains which is great as they helped to keep me on my feet when running scree slopes in the Picos de Europa a few years back. And despite the non-mesh top the size 10s weigh less than their marque weight. However the non-mesh top isn’t an improvement on the earlier models, so it’s more water resistant than mesh but isn’t any where near as breathable. Last September when I walked a chunk of the Thames Path my feet overheated whereas with the previous mesh upper Roclites they wouldn’t have. And once damp they took longer to dry, in the past I’ve walked trainers with mesh uppers dry depending on the weather this wasn’t the case with these.

My overall view on the revamped Roclite 315s is one step forward and one back, the solid upper will be fine for the cooler months providing they stay relatively dry but I will need to invest in pair of trainers with mesh uppers for the warmer months.

One final point, I’ve used Superfeet insoles with all the Invo8 trainers I’ve owned but with the revamp they no longer fit. There must have been a change to the heel cup because first time out with them in my heel pads were pinched badly. Maybe the heel cup has been updated so that insoles like Superfeet are no longer required. I know a number of manufacturers that have been using better designs in recent years to support the heel pads so this may be just another development with the trainer. Not that this is an issue as I’ve already got many hundreds of miles use out of them so am not out of pocket and there still may be need for them with future purchases.

trailstar tarp-a-like

I have to thank fellow Backpackers Club member Darren Long for introducing me to this pitch. I own a BPL Duo Tarp and in the past to give good weather protection I've used a standard three sides to the ground pitch with the opening on the leeward side of the weather as shown below.

With this pitch there is a lack of privacy, it’s best to use a bivibag and sleep with your feet towards the entrance for maximum weather protection, and pitched this way gives enough room for two. In the past I've pitch the entrance with the cover of a wall – not the best view but it does prevent prying eyes.

However the pitch that Darren introduced me to goes one further and creates a smaller entrance and a beak giving more weather protection and better privacy. I've called this the Trailstar pitch after the MLD shelter as they are similar in shape as seen here.

Pitching is straightforward with the long edge at the back corners pegged first followed by the front. Take each corner and peg in line with the next tab in making sure the edges are tight. Fix a guy to the front middle tab and insert trekking pole under the tarp and guy out (with the Duo Tarp the pole sits under a tab). Then put intermediary pegs on the side and back edges. Take each of the corners and tie back to the peg on the side. Take your second trekking pole and set a riser at the rear to give a bit more room. Pitched like this there is plenty of room for one, headroom is good to at circa 120cm towards the entrance and with the entrance being sheltered you should be able to cook under cover. This was a test pitch and although easy enough to muster, I suggest having a few dry runs at it as I did find I needed to tweak it to get a decent enough tightness to the tarp. Incidentally Darren used bungee tie-outs which would help with this.

The instructions I have state that the wings on the sides can be re-positioned, along with the beak, to cover the entrance although I've not tried this yet but it looks a bit of a faff. On a recent meet Darren used an umbrella to block the entrance instead which is a simpler solution.

For those that are having trouble following the above there's a link here to a video using a DD 3x3m tarp, the method is the same but the shape is obviously different.

msr folding spoon

I think it’s a safe bet to make that cutlery items will be the most numerous in any backpackers gear box. I’ve long handled aircraft grade aluminium spoons, LMF sporks, folding titanium foons, sliding sporks, NT wooden spoons, a selection of use once cutlery collected from various salad meals, and GSI lexan bits and bobs. I even picked up a plastic spoon from Kenwood House recently – like I really needed to add to my collection! It’s the spoon from the GSI set that’s been my go-to item, it weighs 12g and is of a decent size for eating with. The only issue I have is that its handle is too long to fit in my canteen so has to be carried in my ditty bag. And even then is not a good fit (I use a 1l dry bag for all those odds and ends).

I came across the MSR folding cutlery set whist searching for something else and decide to purchase a spoon and give it a try. The set also has a spork and fork, and are colour co-ordinated with other MSR cookware. Their folded length is 12cm and they weigh 10g.

The spoon is currently nesting happily in my AGG Three Cup Pan, along with an AGG Pepsi can stove, pot lifter, lighter and GSI Cascadian Cup making a complete canteen set up. I’ve yet to try to see whether it will integrate with some of my other set ups. But looking at my smallest capacity system, a set up based around my Snow Peak 600 mug, it fits in the mug with my Coleman F1 stove but a small (200g) gas cartridge no longer fits snugly in as it did without the spoon. I rarely use that as a cooking pot preferring systems based on the larger Snow Peak 900 these days. It’s a long handled spoon, being twice its folded length, which is handy if you use a freezer bag cooking method or eat retort meals. The only downside I can see at the moment is that the bowl of the spoon is smaller than the one I’m used to.

lowe alpine jetstream 2.5 cap – first look

It’s annoying having to replace lost kit. Tent pegs and other small items can get lost amongst the grass but losing an adult sized black baseball cap is hard to reconcile.

Not wanting to be without some sort of weather resistant head gear I popped into Cotswolds for a replacement. Despite stocking TNF Apex items they didn’t do the cap that I blogged about here.

The Lowe Alpine Jetstream 2.5 cap was the best of what was on offer. The cap comes in one size, is water and windproof not water or wind resistant like the former, being made from Lowe Alpine’s Triplepoint material with sealed seams, and a wicking Dryflo headband. (Another Lowe Alpine material that they use for base layers.) It weighs 50g so is 10g lighter too. There is a single pull elastic toggle to tighten the headband at the rear for when the wind picks up, and a reflective strip. This is clearly meant for those who go out in the dark for a run. But is also handy if you happen to find yourself on an unlit country lane going to/from the pub/campsite as I did at the weekend.

Despite the unseasonably dry, warm October weather I have been lucky enough to find some dampness this week. As I expected the material beaded well and, for me, the big win is that the larger splodges didn’t penetrate the material like they did with the Apex material because Triplepoint is fully waterproof not just resistant. The peak made an effective shield against the elements too. The only thing about the cap that’s a bit of a worry is that there is an opening at the rear approx. 80x60mm in size which leaves that part of my head exposed to the elements. But in anything more than a shower I’d expect to have the hood of my waterproof up so that wouldn’t be an issue on those occasions.

Stock photograph supplied by Ascent Marketing.

tnf apex baseball cap

Nicely beaded droplets

Being follicly challenged I’ve accrued a sizable number of head gear options over the years. The baseball cap is the mainstay for summer (with a SPF 30+ material) and the Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap for the coldest times of the year, with a number of options for in between these situations.

The autumn/winter of 2013/14 was reasonably warm but very wet so a good opportunity to try out a soft shell cap. TNF Apex material has been around for a while and is reasonably weather resistant. Of all the soft shell materials I’ve tried I’ve found that they fall short, never being wind or rain resistant enough. Incidentally, TNF now make a complete wardrobe from the fabric so you can kit yourself out in trousers, jacket, gloves and hat – if that sort of thing rocks your boat.

The cap is black, comes one size, and it weighs 60g.

Despite my reservations of all things soft shell I’ve got a lot of use out of the cap during those months. Although not totally windproof I haven’t found that an issue with the mild weather we had – with my head staying comfortable. In the rain it beaded well initially but again regular use dictates regular cleaning and re-proofing to maintain this. Larger drops/driven rain penetrated the material and it wetted out as I would have expected over time. Once wet the material was slow to dry.

Given the range of head gear I’ve collected there clearly isn’t an ideal piece of kit, and the TNF Apex baseball cap has become another option in the range I have at my disposal.

thermarest neoair xlite

The lap of luxury

I bought a NeoAir when they were first launched and this piece of kit radically transformed my camp sleeping experience. Unlike others who purchased NeoAir's at the time mine didn't delaminate, until recently that is. This wasn't an issue as Cascade Designs offer a lifetime guarantee on their products and replaced it with the newer Regular Xlite model.

So what's new and improved? I now have a full length mattress (the earlier was 3/4 length) that weighs 350g, it's tapered at the top and bottom, and has a better R rating. The air chambers are narrower so there are more of them which means that compression isn't an issue, I can sit on the mattress to cook without sinking to the ground like I did on the old one. The material has changed so it no longer crinkles when I turn over. And they've changed the colour - slightly. All good including the colour change - the new colour is a 'warmer' yellow. It is narrower which is fine for a side sleeper like myself but laying on my back my arms were clear of the mattress, I'd want it to be wider if that's how I got my Zzzz's.

This is a step up, again, in my camp comfort. The full length means I don't have to use my rucksack under my feet/legs if the ground is hard or cold, I don't have a 6cm drop off around my hip/thighs, and I can have my Exped Pillow on the mat rather than stacked on trainers, spare clothing, etc so is less prone to migrate. The only down side is the 60g increase in weight over the old mattress but am I bothered? Not in the least, as I can make weight savings else where by drilling more holes in my toothbrush handle.

rab ps hoodie – first look

I’ve been a fan of Rab clothing for some time. The Rab Vapour Rise Smock is my go to mid-layer garment for the cooler months, and the Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket for wearing around camp in the winter is never off my kit list.

The PS stands for Power Stretch which is a material from Polartec. The fabric is brushed on the inside with a smooth outer surface and it stretches (obviously.) The medium is a close fit on me and tips the scales at 397g. The fleece features longer arms with thumb loops, flat lock seams, a drop-tail, Lycra bound hems, and a hood (another obvious.) The pockets are placed high but not high enough for the bottom of the pockets to be cut off by a rucksack hip belt or climbing harness. All the hems are a good fit for me, including the hood which moves with my head when in use. The fabric also has a smidgen of wind resistance, better than some materials, but not much it has to be said.

I’ve been wearing as street wear since purchased and if I’m honest with myself I’m not 100% sure where it will fit in my kit selections. Whether or not it gets used on a trip remains to be see but at least with this on around town I stand apart from the SuperDry JPN crowd, which is priceless.

Likes: fit, feel of fabric, hood.

Dislikes: weight, pocket clearance.

Stock photo supplied by Rab.

trekmates travel towel

 TrekMates TravelTowel

My approach to personal hygiene on the trail is akin to that of a young boy’s aversion to soap and water. With a few exceptions; I brush my teeth, wash my hands before preparing food, and after going to the loo. I may even splash water on my face if the occasion calls for it, which isn’t often. On some trips I’ll have a wet wipe sleeping bag bath. With all these there is no need for a towel and if needs be I can dry myself with either my buff or bandana. And there’s the fickle nature of the campsite shower; on some sites the showers are free, on others there’s a charge, occasionally no shower at all, and as for the temperature of the water… let’s not get started on that one.

However on longer trips, and especially on those in hotter climes, I’ll pack a towel. Microfibre towels like the TrekMates TravelTowel are a stock item; soft to the touch, absorbent and quick to dry. The towel has a handy loop so that I can hang it off my rucksack or tree, fence… you get the idea.

Mine came from Silverfox Travel and Outdoors and is currently on offer at £6.99.

frio cooling wallets

Double pen wallet in use, and wide wallet dry

Now that summer has finally arrived I dug my Frio wallets out of my gear box to keep my daily use insulin pens cool. Insulin degrades at heat so it is important to keep it at a temperature where this doesn’t happen, and this is exactly what these do.

They come in a range of sizes to suit, I use the double pen wallet and the wide wallet for storage of spare cartridges. The Frio is a very effective and simple device, you simply drop the inner into water, and the gel pellets swell up retaining the liquid. In the heat the water evaporates and cools the contents using the principle of latent heat of evaporation. Simply, to turn water from liquid to vapour requires energy and that is taken from the contents of the wallet, the insulin and pen, and cools it down. Clever, simple and effective.

 Double pen wallet

The wallets are made from a black breathable fabric; breathable to allow the process to work, and black optimises the process by absorbing heat. So it’s best to carry these in an outside pocket, a mesh one is obviously best, if you have them.

I’ve used these on my travels for over ten years now without a problem. The only downside I can think of is having my life sustaining drugs in an outside pocket which could make them vulnerable to breakage. However that is easily remedied by having a spare set carried by someone else, which is sensible at any time of the year – unless of course you’re going solo.

Available here http://www.friouk.com/

merrell trail gloves

 

Merrell Trail Gloves

I was toying with the idea of trying a pair of these for backpacking last year but for whatever reason I never got around to buying a pair. Fortunately for me I got sent a pair of Trail Gloves for review.

Merrell Trail Gloves utilizes barefoot technology something that I’ve been intrigued about although from what I’ve read it is a matter of great debate in the runner world. I usually wear Innov8 Terroc 330’s for walking and general use so in order to make the transition I wore the Trail Gloves on the walk in to work and home not a great distance but enough to start to see how they work. It was still fairly cool (and let’s face it we haven't had much of a summer) but my feet stayed comfortable with the mesh top apart from in the keenest of breezes but I’m used to that with the Terrocs. Despite a reservation about how thin the sole of the shoe might be, they coped with walking over the nobbled dropped kerbs at road crossing. And I went out of my way to find as many different surfaces as I could.

 

Off track run

I then progressed to longer walks and short jogs. And it was the later that I found the most interesting my feet felt incredibly ‘free’ and I started getting a taste for running! This was something of a shock because I’d never really fancied the idea probably being put off by enforced cross-country runs whilst at school. I’m incredibly lucky living close to Richmond Park as that meant that I was able to make use of the park to run in but also pick a route that had climbs, descents, streams and logs to up in other words it was interesting and fun (and a bit like cross country but far removed from an urban north London ones I had earlier experienced).

I was about to progress to using them on a backpacking trip when I suffer an injury to my knee, the left one which I pranged on the Pennine Way a little over a year ago. Not by running, walking, biking or climbing but by trying to fix a light. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

Nice drop to stream and rise in distance

I’m working hard with the treatment so that I can get back out running, and of course filling my Golite Peak with a few bits and pieces for gentle backpacking trip as I don’t want to overdo it too soon. 

Merrell footwear is available from www.fitnessfootwear.com

pennine way preparation

With the news of a new job to start in June on TGO magazine I decided that now would be the ideal opportunity to put the spirit burner back under a long term but as yet unrealised project; the Pennine Way.

This last week I've been cooking, dehyrating, bagging  and vacuum packing three weeks worth of food; Borlotti Bean Chasseur, Soya Mince Chilli, and Cheesy Polenta are all on the menu amongst other stuff.

Along side this I've also been some gathering kit; a Power Chimp, a North Face Infiesto Fleece and a pair of Pacer Poles.

The Power Chimp runs on a pair of rechargeble AA batteries, and I've also bought an adapter to charge my Lumix camera battery. AA batteries are easy to come by so I'm hoping to keep my phone topped up to stay in touch. And my camera charged so I can continue to take snaps.

The North Face Infiesto Fleece is new to the TNF line and has been sent for review. The base fabric is Polartec Power Dry and seems thin compared to the TKA100 fleece that I usually use so I'll see how that works out.

Lastly are the Pacer Poles. I've been friends with Alan and Heather for a number of years now and when I caught up with them at the BPC AGM they'd heard the good news about the job and my plans about the Pennine Way, so offered to send me a pair of their carbon three piece poles to try. I've done my reading and my bag is packed.

mammut t-trail and ambient light dry bag

When I saw this I just had to have one. I am after all a gear head and a sucker for cool looking kit. But most of all I like kit that has more than one purpose.

 Bag and head torch

The Mammut Ambient Light dry bag is a clever piece of innovation; it's a dry bag that doubles as a diffuser for the Mammut T-Trail head torch. Or any other that you could jury rig into place. It has a three litre capacity and weighs 54g, it's just the right size to hold my RAB Microlight Jacket in fact. It's not a coated fabric so should be immersible and I was told that you could use it to carry water by which I assume from a tap back to your tent. I've not filled it with water to see how it affects the diffusion as I want to keep it as a dry bag!

Lamp in place

The T-Trail head torch weighs 82g comparable to a Petzl Tikka. It has four settings; low, medium, high and flashing. This equates to a 10m spread with battery life of 80hrs for the low setting, 20m/40hrs for the medium and 30m/20hrs for the high. And it's powered by three AAA batteries. The lamp has a tilt function too.

In use

To set up the diffuser it's a simple matter of detaching the lamp from the head band, emptying the dry bag, shaping the bag, roll the top down four times and  slot the lamp in place at the bottom of the bag. On the high setting there is a good amount of light enough to fill my Hex3. The lantern can be placed on the ground or hung from the apex of your shelter. In smaller tents this might mean it will get in the way of your head space this wasn't an issue with the Hex3 as you would guess. Hanging the lantern upside down, that is with the lamp above the diffuser, gave the best performance. On the high setting you may need to pack a spare set of batteries if you're out for more than a couple of days in the darker days of the year but if you manage the usage then that shouldn't be an issue.

All in all a great piece of kit. Call 01625 508218 for your nearest stockist.

pimp my hammock

Hugger, soft shackle and paracord sling in use.

The thing I've discovered about hammock camping is that it's ideal for those that love to tinker. And for those that like to MYOG.

As I discovered finding trees of a suitable thickness and distance apart is an art itself. This is where tweaking the suspension system is a valuable thing to do. Using whoopie slings gives a greater range to where you can set up your hammock because they are highly adjustable. Swapping out karabiners for soft shackles saves weight, each shackle weighs a miserly 3.5g compared to 75g for your average locking krab and does the same job. Both the shackles and whoopie slings use the same principle, made from Amsteel a coreless cord, a loop is made by inserting one end of the cord into itself. Thus when loaded locks on to itself - genius! Unloaded and the sling can be slacked off or tightened up as required. Tree huggers, 1" tape slings with stitched loops, spread the load across the trees bark preventing damage, along with two paracord slings complete the system. I got my set up from DD Hammocks, as I did my hammock.

A soft shackle

What's not to like? Well the longer the whoopie sling the more stretch in the system, so if you've had to pitch the hammock between two trees that are a way apart you could find yourself closer to the ground than you may like, even if you place the tree huggers at chest height. Despite the silly weight of the shackles the combined weight of the system versus the tapes that were supplied with the hammock only saves a paltry 14g. Using paracord slings rather than tape means the ends of the hammock are bunched tighter making the ends narrower, giving a more constricted feel around my head.

Hugger, shackle and whoopie sling in use.

It's difficult to pass judgement after only spending one night in a hammock so I intend to put in some more time in on a trip rather than in the controlled conditions of the backyard. But I did discover that getting into a sleeping bag with a short zip in a hammock isn't easy, so side opening one is a better option, or a quilt. Neither of which I own nor wish to purchase. I sleep on my side so I didn't feel quite as comfortable on my back. That said, I fell asleep watching the clouds scud across a star sprinkled sky, and awoke to early spring bird song.