dehydrated cheese

As bizarre as this sounds you can buy this stuff from Asda. Drying cheese doesn't reduce the weight by much however it does help it keep longer. It's what Sarah over at trailcooking.com would call shelf stable, so ideal for backpacking trips.


It's got a good taste, if you like Parmesan added to your pasta dishes this is the stuff to have. As I cant eat packet cheese/pasta sauces this stuff makes it possible for me to cook a gluten free macaroni cheese. I've yet to sort out a recipe for this so it will get added to the ever expanding menu ideas that I seem to be accumulating. Must spend some more time in the kitchen with a camp stove some time soon.

osprey grab bag – update

I wrote a few words on the problem I had with using one of these here. I contacted Osprey in the UK and have since had a conversation with Tom Entwistle their European Sales Manager about the issue with the bag. Having used one himself with the Exos he stated that he hadn’t experienced any problems with it. Although he could understand the point that I was making about the buckles combined with the width of the straps on the Exos being the problem. He offered to replace the bag without reservation in case the buckles were at fault. And to feed my comments on the problem to the design team.

After the conversation I realised that I hadn’t tried the bag on another rucksack (with wider straps) to test whether is was the buckles, the straps or combination of both. At home I fixed the bottom right buckle on a Berghaus 64zero that has straps that are approx 3mm wider than the Exos.

The buckle with some load and the strap clearly not contorting.

The same again but on the strap on the Exos.

Clearly the positioning of the slots and the width (and possibly thinness of the material) of the straps on the Exos mean that when loaded, that is tightened into place, the straps contort and move into in a position that allows escape, which is in fact what they do. A design fault then which, I believe, can be remedied by using buckles with the slots at the other end to where the strap tightens against.

I’ve written to Osprey to point this out and I hope that they take this on board and sort for future production of the accessory.

Unfortunately for me the buckles aren’t reversible, so I cant pick them apart and re-stitched the other way around. But I have found a simple solution.

I cut two one inch lengths of wider black strapping and inserted these between the Exos strap and the buckle, this effectively blocks the slots and helps prevent the Exos straps from twisting. It don’t look that tidy but at least I rescued the product from the not to be used ever again box in the attic.

the joy of backpacking

It’s early April. The sun has been blazing all day but it’s now slipping down below the distant skyline. A thin band of dark cloud wrings the last drops of colour from the setting sun. The clear sky beckons a cool, dew damped night.

My stove murmurs as my supper simmers in it’s pot. With the sun gone there is a noticeable drop in air temperature and I shiver slightly. I’m glad I’m sitting on my mat with my legs in my bivi covered sleeping bag. I fidget in the bag and the shivering stops.

Supper is swiftly eaten and with a bellyful of warmth I begin to relax and reflect on the day. I didn’t walk as far as could have, I didn’t do as much ascent as I might but it didn’t matter. I’d walked new places at my own pace, without want or need of a timetable. I pondered on how free and unshackled I felt as I looked up at the stars above. A final shuffle and I was snuggled down in my sleeping bag and drifting off to sleep. 

Pennine Way

Last year I started planning a backpack along the PW. That was until I was waylaid with a problem with my right knee. This seems to have resolved itself but other non outdoors related events took precedence and got in the way. Then there was the incident where someone booked tickets for two weeks in the Picos de Europa this July. Well, said individual mentioned the PW at the weekend whilst we were enjoying a trundle along the Monsal Trail... I should be thinking about and planning the trip in July but the lure of that life long ambition is strong.