Stayin' Alive

Cairgorm Day Walk, Northern Corries

2011-08-14T15:16:00.002+01:00

I was over in Scotland in July for a week car camping with the family but did manage a couple of day walks. The 1st was a walk around the northern corries starting from the ski center at Glenmore in the Cairngorms. We were camped at the campsite in Glenmore so with I set off leaving wife, daughter and niece who were intending visiting the Reindeer center and so on.

It had been showery the previous day since leaving Braemar and although it was fine when I left the car park at the ski center it didn't look like it would be a rain free day. I simply followed the path that crosses below the northern corries and by the time I'd reached Coire nan Lochain I was down to a t-shirt. The cloud kept rolling in though and by the time I was heading up between Coire nan lochain and Lurchers Crag the wind picked up a little and the 1st drops of rain appeared. At this point there was no indication of how long the rain would last so I pulled on my waterproofs, Marmot Essence jacket and TNF Resolve over-trousers (recieved from Webtogs for review)

As I reached the plateau with Coire nan Lochain to my left visibility was poor although the cloud did tend to lighten/thicken continually. I hadn't gone far along the path when I saw in the distance what looked like a herd of reindeer. They were pretty far away and weren't in a direct line with where I was going so I continued on towards the point where I'd turn and head towards the high point on Coire nan Lochain.

The rain eventually stopped and the sun started to break through and as visibility improved I saw another herd of reindeer, I say another but it may well have been the same herd I'd seen earlier that had simply moved up the steeper western slopes of Coire nan Lochain whereas I'd taken the longer less steep approach.

Although they weren't directly between me and the cairn they started to walk in my direction. I was pretty sure that they weren't going to be a problem so I kept on going and they kept on coming until they were right beside me, within touching distance. I'm sure they're used to humans but even so it was a real buzz to be alone on the hill with a herd of reindeer. There were a few calves with them and although they were quite comfortable while I took some photographs something, perhaps I made a sudden movement, spooked them and they raced off although they didn't go far.

Once I'd reached the cairn on Coire nan Lochain I continued arourd the rim of the corrie towards Coire An'Sneachta. The weather was fine now although there was still a stiff breeze in places so i removed my fleece (Mountain Hardwear 100wt Full Zip) but wore the Marmot Essence as a wind shirt, I've found the Marmot Essence to be breathable enough that I don't carry an actual windshirt anymore. The views towards Ben MacDui and Loch Etchacan were fantastic especially as the cloud kept drifting around and as I reached the Fiacall a Coire Cas I stopped for lunch. Taking in the views it would have been nice to have stayed out overnight but it wasn't to be this time.

Having re-fuelled I continued on up to the top of Cairngorm before decending to the Ptarmigan resturant where I was able to go in for a mug of coffee. Although all the equipment that comes with Cairngorm being a ski center is a bit of an eyesore it doesn't bother me too much, the reality is that there's enough space for everyone, same for the mtb/downhill ski stuff at Aonach Mor. That said I'll be hypocritical and say I'm glad that they didn't manage to expand the ski center into the northern corries as was suggested a few years ago.

Having left the Ptarmigan I continued to the car park by way of the 'Windy Ridge' walk. Apart from the rain I'd had on the way up to the plateau at the start it'd been dry all day but as I was getting myself organised at the ski center the rain started and it was really heavy on the way back to the campsite. As it turned out the others had been stuck in the tent all day as it had started raining shortly after I'd left.

Home DIY, Computer Problems and Car Camping.

2011-07-16T12:08:00.000+01:00

I havdn't had a chance to get out recently as I was busy renovating/re decorating my daughters room, one of those jobs I hate as it always turns out to be more involved than expected. Thankfully the worst is over but at the same time my computer started crashing and I didn't have time to work on it. In the end I reluctantly bought a new tower, reluctantly as I was quite happy running Windows XP and didn't want to change to Windows 7.

Although I use my computer quite a bit I'm not a computer junkie, I don't want to know how it works, why it works or need to have multimedia capability or a home network to keep in touch with the other 2 members of my family so I expected to be frustrated by the latest offering from Microsoft and it turns out I was right.

In addition to the above we'd planned to go to Scotland for a week car camping and I've only just got home. I didn't expect to get much walking done although I did manage a walk around the Northern Corries in the Cairngorms and started out to do the Ring of Steall but turned back due to feeling a bit off on the day.

We got back late Thursday night and yesterday was spent sorting out kit and trying to get the new computer sorted. In the end I pulled the hard drive from the old computer and installed it in the new one as it was easier to transfer my files that way. Of course some documents won't display properly and I still have all my programs to re-install.

I'll get there in the end.

Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill Fleece Jacket

2011-06-20T22:28:00.008+01:00

I had the opportunity to try a Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill 1/2 zip fleece top a while back thanks to Webtogs. Although it was a nice enough top I felt that it was a bit expensive given that it was a fairly basic design. I also mentioned the full zip version which had a few other features that I felt made it worth the small increase in price.

The features missing on the 1/2 zip version that I'd have liked were a waist draw cord and some kind of cuff on the sleeves. The Micro Chill Full Zip fleece has both and in addition has a small zipped chest pocket and 2 zipped hand warmer pockets. I mentioned at the time that I didn't own a 100 wt fleece but I found that the more I wore the 1/2 zip version the more often I found myself looking at the jacket, in the end I decided to purchase one.

I choose size medium the same as the 1/2 zip as although it's a little looser than perhaps a 100 wt fleece should be I wanted the extra arm length, I also choose the same colour. Delivery was quick as usual, I ordered on Friday afternoon and the jacket arrived on Monday. The fit is pretty much the same as the 1/2 zip as you'd expect and I'm very pleased with it. I much prefer to have a waist draw cord generally but as I up sized slightly in this case it's almost a necessity. The shock cord is slightly stiff and I may replace it with a softer cord in time.

The shock cord adjusts at both side by way of a captive cord lock although it's slightly over engineered. Rather than attach the cord lock directly by way of a webbing loop the webbing loop has a plastic ring which in turn prevents the cord lock from moving.

The main zip is quite chunky and allows the jacket to be zipped into a compatible shell while the pocket zip are less chunky. The cuffs appear to be loose like the ones on the 1/2 zip version but actually have inner cuffs which seem to be made from a lycra type fabric. This works quite well, the cuffs aren't bulky yet the fleece protects the lycra and as the inner cuffs are wide they aren't uncomfortable or restrictive.

One thing that did strike me as a bit strange though is the shoulder/sleeve design. I mentioned when I reviewed the 1/2 zip version that the sleeves were raglan style rather than regular set in style and that the seams were flat stitched to reduce bulk or rubbing from rucksac shoulder straps, the full zip version in spite of sharing the same name (Micro Chill) has set in regular seam shoulders. This isn't something that concerns me personally but it's worth noting if you suffer from sensitive shoulders.

Although the full zip version is more expensive at £49.50, the 1/2 zip version being £40.49 I personally feel that if you're spending £40 or so it's worth spending the extra £10 for the increased versatility.

TNF Resolve Over Trousers, Review

2011-06-18T11:18:00.010+01:00

I've just received a pair of TNF Resolve over trousers from Webtogs for review. Given the weather conditions recently over trousers could well be a summer essential so it shouldn't take long to find out just how waterproof they are.

The TNF Resolve are made from TNF's own waterproof breathable fabric, HyVent. TNF refer to it as a 3 layer fabric, (the very similar TNF Venture over trousers are referred to as 2.5 layer but are heavier or perhaps lighter* at 220g) the Ripstop outer shell, the mid layer being a PU coating and micro pores and an unspecified inner layer, unspecified unless the mesh lining is classed as an inner layer. I'm fairly certain that waterproof clothing that uses a mesh drop liner is generally considered as being 2 layer, that of course may only be the case when a breathable membrane is used rather than a breathable PU coating.

The over trousers are a fairly slim fit, the waist is elasticated and also has a drawcord, there are 2 zipped mesh pockets but the zips are standard non waterproof type and although they have storm flaps they look quite small. The legs have zipped openings which open to just below knee level, again zips are regular type and like the pockets have quite narrow storm flaps. The ankles can be tightened by way of velcro which is useful. Finally the trousers are fully lined with a fairly open mesh fabric. The advertised weight is 200g.

Design aside it's how well they perform that will be the real issue, I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet so the best I can do is give an initial opinion based on the design.

Firstly and perhaps of most concern is the weight, the suggested weight is 200g, mine in 'Small' weigh 296g. I expect most kit to weigh a little more than advertised but in this case the difference is too much especially as with this kind of lighter weight kit the weight is probably second only to actual performance in importance and it may be the deciding factor when choosing between 2 similar products.

I'm undecided about the pockets, on the one hand I do tend to carry stuff in my pockets but they do have the potential to leak given that the storm flaps are minimal.

The zips on the lower leg do make it easier to pull them on over a pair of trainers but unfortnately the mesh lining tends to get caught up which makes them more difficult to pull on than they could/should be, addditionaly the mesh lining also tends to bunch up and get caught when removing them. I guess the mesh is to make them feel more comfortable when wearing shorts but as I don't wear shorts I find the mesh pointless, serving only to add weight and making them more troublesome to put on/take off.

On initial inspection it looks like the knees are articulated to ease movement, on closer inspection this isn't the case. There are seams running just below the knee but that's simply as the legs are made from 4 pieces of fabric rather than a 2 full length pieces (front/back). This results in having a seam running around the leg but I suspect that's simply to make better use of the fabric at the cutting stage during manufacture. The seams are taped but less seams is usually better unless they're required to create a particular shape.

As I mentioned previously the actual performance will be the critical issue, in the meantime the Pro's and Con's are as follows.

Pro's
Reasonably Inexpensive
Appear well made

Con's
Weigh Significantly More than Advertised (296g Actual/200g Advertised)
Poorly Protected (Pocket) Zips
Mesh Lining (Adds Weight, Catches on Shoes when Putting on/removing)

Clearly the weight is an issue, at nearly 300g it's possible to get something like the RAB Drillium eVent over trousers although it should be pointed out that the RAB's are 2 x times the price.

Interestingly I had a quick look on the TNF.uk website, the Resolve 'Pant' is listed as having an average weight of 360g it does however also mention a "comfortable brushed collar lining" and mentions that, "The adjustable hood stows in the collar"

That's certainly a 1st in my experience.

I also looked at the TNF Strider pant, the Strider appears to be a full zip version of the Resolve but the suggested weight is 270g

MYOG, Hammock Under Quilt, #2

2011-06-10T11:07:00.005+01:00

I mentioned recently about trying to make an Under Quilt for my hammock, my 1st attempt was simply converting a small regular shaped sleeping bag which worked ok. The 2nd attempt was making one from scratch using the Kick Ass Quilts Potomac plans but that was designed for a Hennessey hammock which is assymetric while my hammock is a regular gathered end type. The Quilt wasn't too difficult to make although I made a few mistakes, the main one being that I managed to mirror the layout so what was intended as the inside (next to the hammock) became the outside. I didn't realise that until I'd given it to Ralph who'd tried it on his Hennessey hammock.

I still had sufficient fabric left for another try as the intention was always to make 2 quilts. I couldn't find plans for a synthetic quilt for a gathered end hammock so had to come up with a design myself.

Pattern Pinned to Shell Fabric

My hammock when opened out is basically rectangular so the easiest option would have been to make the quilt rectangular, in fact that's how the sleeping bag conversion worked out but I wanted to keep the weight as low as possible so figured there was no point in having a load of quilt gathered up at each end. In the end what I came up with was a tapered shape. As quilt tapered towards the ends I needed to place a dart along each long side so that when attached to the hammock the edge would be horizontal.

The Darts when Sewn Up Create a 'Bucket' Shape and Make the Top Edge Horizontal

Another weight saver was to make it shorter, the KAQ Potomac was about 2.4m while the sleeping bag quilt ended up about 1.8m so I settled on 2m. Another weight saver was more by accident than design, I didn't have enough 4oz insulation so had to use 2oz instead.

Patterns for Reinforing Patches and Draw Cord Tunnels

With the design sorted I made a pattern and cut the 2 pieces of fabric that made the shell together with 4 reinforcment patches for the corners and 4 drawcord tunnels. With all the pieces cut I weighed them and as it looked a bit close to my target weight of 500g I decided to have drawcords only at each and forget about the ones down the side as I found that the KAQ Potomac even though it has shockcords along each side tended to curl over the hammock anyway.

With the pieces cut I started to sew it together, again most of the work is done on the inner shell to which I added the corner reinforcements, draw cord tunnels, cord locks on webbing and webbing loops to suspend the quilt. With that done I sewed up the darts but decided to add 2 webbing loops along each side. The reason for the loops was that in the event that there's insufficient insulation I can make a 3/4 length quilt to attach underneath the main quilt.

Fitting Suspension Loops and Captive Cord Locks

Shell and Insulation Laid up Prior to Being Pinned for Sewing

The last big job was to pin insulation and shell together and sew them up, the head end is left open so that the quilt can be turned right side out and then the seam can be sewn up. To finish it off I simply added shock cord to the ends to gather the quilt in a little at the ends, added suspension shock cords and made up a stuff sack.

End Draw Cords and Suspension Shock Cord

Packed, 508g

Trying the quilt on the hammock the fit is thankfully fine and although I didn't quite manage to meet the 500g target it's very close at 508g in the stuff sack.

Of course there are a few things that could be improved, mainly weight/insulation. The quilt is extends up the sides of the hammock quite a bit and I could easily make it a bit narrower and the draw cord tunnels are too wide so I'd cut them narrower too. Finally the fabric and insulation, I could make the biggest performance difference here, I used shop bought polyester lining for the shell and cheap off the roll insulation. Obviously as it was all a bit experimental I didn't want to spend too much but I'm getting close to a design that I would be 90% satisfied with and that being the case I wouldn't mind spending more. That said the hammock is a bit of a fun thing for fine weather only so the cheap option is more than likely good enough. I probably will get some more of the same fabric/insulation just to make up the 3/4 length add on quilt that I'd though about just to see how it would work out.

I still need to try the hammock though, it will happen but not until the weather improves.

Slieveanorra Forest and Altnahinch Reservoir

2011-06-09T18:47:00.010+01:00

I was out for another short walk with Les on Tuesday, this time we decided on a walk in Slieveanorra forest starting near Altnahinch reservoir. The River Bush has its source just above the reservoir and flows into and out of the dam on its way to the sea at Port Ballintrae. The Bush is famous as a Salmon River and also as the water source for the world famous Bushmills Whiskey distillery which is situated in the North Antrim village of Bushmills.

The weather wasn’t promising with rain forecast for most of the day and when we started off on the forest track it was raining heavily although there was no wind. We both had some new gear which was getting a 1st outing, in my case a pair of Keen Gorge neoprene canoeing/water sports boots while Les had picked up a Berghaus waterproof jacket and a Lowe Alpine day sack.

The rain was relentless and visibility poor as we made our way through the forest so when we reached the point where we had to decide on going to the summit of Slieveanorra or doubling back towards the reservoir we decided on the reservoir. All the small streams running through the forest were in full flow and in a few other places where they’d exceeded the capacity of their normal route they’d taken the path of least resistance on their way down towards the reservoir.

Not having taken a map I discovered one of the limitations of relying on a hand held GPS even though it has maps installed. Although the Lowrance Safari is waterproof the screen is barely readable when wet so when we reached a junction that led off in the direction we wanted to go we took it. Unfortunately it led to a dead end and while we may have been able to bushwhack our way through, the trees were quite young and consequently close and we couldn’t discern sufficient detail on the GPS to be sure exactly what direction to take or how far we’d have to go to break out of the densely wooded area, as it was still raining heavily the prospect of forcing a way through thick wet undergrowth wasn’t particularly appealing. The correct choice was obviously to back track and take the other path which we did.

We continued along the track before taking to the forest for a bit and when we emerged the cloud had lifted sufficiently to be able to see the Wind Turbines on Slievenahanagan on the other side of the glen. As the cloud lifted the rain eased off and by the time we’d left the forest and reached the road it had stopped completely.

We only has to walk the road for about 1.5km to reach the entrance to the reservoir but there was enough to see in the way of wild flowers, another unexpected find was an old railway carriage. I’ve seen old railway carriages before in places were there aren’t any railways, disused or otherwise so I assume that they were sold off and bought for use as sheds, this one looked like it might have been used as a potting shed but who knows.

As soon as we reached the reservoir, one of the last to be built in Northern Ireland and completed sometime in the late 1960’s we took to the path and walked down to the foot of the headwall, it’s a small reservoir but interesting nonetheless. In spite of living close to the reservoir I can’t remember being down at the outflow before so it was an unexpected bonus and one that I wouldn’t have had if the weather had been better. From the foot of the headwall there’s a steep grassy slope up to the reservoir itself, about halfway up a wall runs to the top, on one side the wall is only about a metre high but on the other side there’s an ever increasing drop, it was along the top of the wall that I decided to test the grip of the Keen Gorge boots but as the drop to my left increased I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and jumped off (to my right), in any case they felt secure enough.

Once up at the reservoir we discovered a few guys fishing, the reservoir holds native Brown Trout but is also stocked with Rainbow Trout from the Movanagher Fish farm situated on the River Bann, in fact we passed the fish farm while at the lock gates at Movanagher on our Easter canoe trip. From there it was only a short walk along the road again to the car.

Again another interesting walk, something different and as I’d just picked up a copy of Irelands Wild Flowers I was happy to get some photographs for identification later.

Keen Gorge Boots, Review

2011-06-07T15:57:00.008+01:00

Webtogs contacted me recently to see if I'd be interested in a pair of Keen Gorge boots for review. The Keen Gorge are a neoprene boot not unlike the type I would wear surfing but with a much stiffer sole. They're aimed mainly at watersport activities such as canoeing but the sole design suggested that they were intended for use where a bit of portaging or river walking would be required. Looking at the description on the Webtogs site they mention the high traction sole. The sole has a fairly low profile tread pattern and doesn't have a heel step but the wedge shaped 'fishscales' on the sole are opposing so I felt they'd be grippier than they looked.

I'd intended to wear them without socks which is how I wear my wetsuit boots but in the case of the wetsuit boots it's nescessity as they're a split toe design. With that in mind I requested size 9 in the Keen Gorge but when they arrived they were too small so had to be exchanged for size 10. As it turned out size 10 can stretch enough to allow me to wear socks if I wish.

The boots are promarily neoprene which obviously isn't waterproof, the idea is that they retain water which eventually heats up. My wetsuit boots, Alder Plasma 7mm are winter boots and as such are blindstitched, glued and liquid sealed to reduce flushing (cold water flushing through and displacing the water already warmed) and have kept my feet toasty winter/spring on the North Antrim coast which is essentially the Atlantic. The Keen Gorge however are 3mm and appear to have a basic stitch patter however given that I wouldn't expect my feet to be submerged for anything like the time they would surfing I'd no reservations about warmth.

The sole unit is quite substantial with the trademark Keen toecap which extends up over the toe, there's a decent heel cup and the outside of the toe area is heavily reinforced to prevent wear against the sides of a kayak. Fastening is by a wide velcro strap across the forefoot, in addition the cuff is secured by a velcro patch and for additional security there's a 2nd thinner strap that passes around the back of the ankle above the heel cup and secures at the front which holds your heel in place.

One other thing worth mentioning is the packaging, using recycled materials is a step in the right direction, more information on Keen's 'Corporate Responsibility can be found Here

Having worn basic trainers in my canoe and having had to wade through shallow parts of the river in them and having had experience of neoprene boots I didn't have any reservations about how they'd fare when used as intended. What I wanted to try though was wearing them as walking footwear. I don't like cold wet feet which is why I tend to use wool/wool mix socks or if I expect the going to be really wet I'll use gore tex socks however I had a short walk planned for today which I knew would primarily be on forest tracks or through the forest off trail so decided to try the Keens.

As it turned out I could hardly have picked a worse (or better?) day to try them out. It was raining when Les arrived and continued for most of the time we were out with only a brief dry spell towards the end.

Although we were mostly on a track at the beginning and I could feel my feet getting wet they never felt as cold as they would have just wearing trainers, I put this down to the slow rate at which the water penetrates the neoprene. With water running off my over trousers my feet were soon saturated but at no time did they feel cold.

The boots were comfortable while on the move although the toe bumper is quite noticable when stopped as it seems to down on my big toe. I found it slightly annoying but as I say I didn't notice it on the move, it may well be that it's something that is more/less noticable depending on foot shape.

The sole unit provided plenty of grip on the tracks and off trail through the forest although I suspect that steep slopes with short wet grass may prove to be a problem. As I hadn't had the opportunity to test that I tried walking up a steeply angled wall which was covered in moss and again I didn't have a problem with lack of grip.

I wouldn't expect them to dry quickly so once they're wet you can expect them to stay wet for the duration unless the weather is really warm/sunny. That's just a charcteristic of neoprene, my wetsuit/boots/gloves are just the same so if surfing on consecutive days you just have to put on wet kit but it does warm up quickly. The Keen boots being 3mm should of course dry quicker than my other kit which is 7mm.

Used as intended they look like a good product, for canoeing or packrafting which requires a bit of walking they should be a good option as walking in them is no problem at all. Used as I did as a walking shoe/boot if you're aware of the way neoprene works they work just fine although in warmer weather they're likely to feel a bit hot/sweaty, the solution to that is to step into the 1st stream you find.

Trion-Z Magnetic Therapy

2011-06-06T21:12:00.004+01:00

I was asked if I'd like to review the Trion-Z Dual Loop magnetic therapy bracelet recently and decided to take up the offer. I'm normally a bit sceptical about these kind of things although having said that I'd be reluctant to dismiss them out of hand but probably the main reason why I agreed to give it a try was that for the past year or do I've been having trouble with my right shoulder. I suffered a fairly serious motorbike accident 10 years ago resulting in among other things 6 broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken shoulder blade. One of the effects of that was that my right shoulder is about 2" lower than my left and while I hadn't initially suffered any after effects my shoulde has been starting to play up a bit. It tends to come and go for no obvious reason but it so happened that it was giving me some trouble when I received the offer of the Trion-Z Dual Loop.

When I received the offer I had a look at the website and to be honest it doesn't exactly promise anything at all, in fact they state

"Colantotte International dba. Trion:Z, nor its distributors, make any claim that any of its products are intended to prevent, cure, mitigate, treat or diagnose illness.

If you believe you have a health problem, you should consult a doctor or health professional."

The obvious question then is just how do you review a product that doesn't promise anything? Well I started wearing it 2 maybe 3 weeks ago and the truth is I haven't had any shoulder pain since, it has to be remembered though that the pain has come and gone of it's own accord for the past year so it's reasonable to assume that it's coincidence that my shoulder is fine just now even though I'm wearing the Trion-Z.

I'll keep wearing it but if the pain comes back I'll post an update.

As for the actual product well it's comfortable enough, I choose the suggested size according to the size chart and it isn't too tight or too loose. Durability is questionable though, not that it looks like breaking but it does get shabby/dirty looking quite soon. Would I have gone out and bought one? no, would I replace it if I lost it, probably not.

Bottom line, if you're interested in magnetic therapy check out the website.

Just a Walk in the Park

2011-05-31T20:32:00.006+01:00

I went out with Les for a quick walk around Glenariff today, no route planned this time we arranged to meet at the lower car park with the intention of leaving a car there and driving to a different start point.

It was an earlier than usual start but we both had other stuff to attend to so an earlyish start and a shorter than normal walk meant we'd be finished around lunch time. The weather has improved over the past few days and although there were a few clouds around it was warm when the sun did break through. At 1st we stuck to the forest trails just outside the actual park boundry but left the trail and took to the fire breaks to reach a small lough Les had been to recently. It's one I've passed close to often but I'd never actually taken the time to check it out but approaching from the North looks like the best option as the trees open out to reveal it before closing again behind so it looks like a hidden oasis.

Rather than aiming for the higher ground after leaving the lough we headed for a forest track that led us out on to the open hill from where we headed towards one of the waterfalls in the park. Rather than stop by the side of the trail or take to the forest for a lunch break we boulder hopped down the stream until we reached a steep waterfall were we stopped for a cuppa.

I'd gone back to a plastic mug some time ago in preference to a (heavier) titanium mug but had recently considered a Kupilka Kuksa. Heavier than a plastic mug the composite Kupilka does look nice with a traditional feel. In the end I didn't go for the Kupilka as although it's traditional in Scandanavia it isn't in the UK, what I decided to go for was an old type enamel mug, white with a blue rim. I know some people say the enamel can crack and so on but as I've used a beercan pot in the past I'm sure I'll be able to take care of a tin mug. I hadn't used it until today but I think it's nicer to drink from than a ti or plastic mug and in Les's case an improvement on using the lid off the cooking pot but at 125g or thereabouts it's outrageously heavy ;-)

We ended up going back to the trail for a couple of reason's, one we couldn't easily circumvent the waterfall but more importantly there are areas of the forest closed. Some of the Larch, Japanese hybrids IIRC have become infected by Phytophthora Ramorum and in an attempt to stop it spreading they're being felled and soit's better to stick to the trail where the warning notices have been posted.

As we made our way along the top trail the areas where trees were being felled could be seen on the other side of the glen although there were no signs that the disease had spread to the side we were on. While on the top path we could see Troatan being hit with a few rain showers and within minutes we too were hit with a short but quite heavy shower although that was the only rain we'd had all day.

All in all it was a pleasant day even if the route was only around 10k but although I'm back at work tomorrow I'm already looking forward to finishing my shift and getting out again. Hopefully the weather will improve now coming into June as I'd like to give the hammock a try out.

MYOG, Kick Ass Quilts Potomac, Synthetic Hammock Under Quilt

2011-05-29T21:55:00.007+01:00

I mentioned previously that having tried to make a hammock Under Quilt by converting a regular sleeping bag that I wanted to try to make one from scratch. I’d decided that I’d use easily available materials and go synthetic rather than down for simplicity and low cost but the only plans I could come up with were ones to make an asymmetric quilt designed for a Hennessey hammock. The plans were made available by the guy who originally made the Kick Ass Quilts Potomac but as my hammock is a regular gathered end hammock I was doubtful that it would fit. In the end I decided to go ahead anyway as Ralph has a Hennessey hammock so it would fit his and if it did work with mine I could make another.

The only fabric that I could get locally was regular polyester (used for dress lining etc) and cheap unbranded synthetic insulation. I bought 4 meters each of black and grey polyester and 4 meters of insulation in 2 different weights together with some Grosgrain ribbon, shock cord and cord locks. I could only get 2mm shock cord which is a bit thin and the cord locks which had to have tape loops came from an ebay seller in Hong Kong, all in it came to just under £50 and I hoped to make 2 quilts.

I had to make a pattern which was drawn out on stuff I’d picked up last year to make a tent footprint. The quilt is asymmetric and tapers at each end with the foot end being slightly narrower than the head end, in addition there were 2 darts, one near the foot on one side and one at the head on the other.

Pattern Laid out Ready to Pin to the fabric

The 1st thing was to lay up the fabric, (black for the inner, towards the hammock, grey for the outer) pin on the pattern and cut the 2 pieces out. With the inner and outer cut I made up the 6 drawcord tunnels, one for each end and 2 for each side (one long, one short). The corners of the inner were reinforced by stitching on pieces of fabric which extended along the sides/ends by about 4 inches.

Reinforcing Patches Pinned to the inside of the Inner Shell

The next step was to sew the reinforcing patches to the inside of the inner part, with that done I sewed the drawcord tunnels to the outside of the inner part.

Attaching the Drawcord Tunnels

I made a bit of a mistake here as I made the drawcord tunnels too long which left me with very little room to attach the Grosgrain loops. It was just possible to sew on the loops but at the corners opposite the plain loops I needed to sew on 2 cord locks attached to Grosgrain, I simply didn’t have enough working space here so decided to leave them until the end and simply sew them on to the outside once everything else was sewn up. To finish the inner I simply sewed up the darts on each side which helps form the quilt aroud the hammock.

Most of the work is done on the inner shell of the quilt and with it finished I used the outer shell as a pattern to cut the insulation. I cut the insulation a few centimetres bigger than the fabric as the plans suggested that it would stop the insulation curling up around the foot of the sewing machine when the inner, outer and insulation were sewn together. Once the insulation was cut to size I looslely hand sewed the darts on the insulation and machine sewed the darts on the outer shell.

Cutting the Insulation using the Outer Shell as a Pattern

Assistant Checking Comfort Rating

With all the parts finished I was ready to attempt the step I was least looking forward to, sewing the 3 layers together. The bit that looked like causing the biggest problem was getting the seam in the right place to ensure the drawcord tunnels didn’t end up too narrow yet to ensure that once turned inside out (actually right side out as it’s sewn together with the right side facing in) that the stitching attaching the drawcord tunnels to the inner shell weren’t showing.

Insulation, Inner Shell and Outer Shell Pinned for Sewing

I spent quite a bit of time pining everything together, constantly checking that the parts that I couldn’t actually see once pinned were all in the correct position. In the end sewing it all together wasn’t too bad although unfortunately I did manage to let some of the inside drawcord tunnels stitching show along one side, it doesn’t affect the performance of the quilt but it doesn’t look very nice.

I’d left part of the foot end open so that I could turn everything right way out and I have to admit I was pretty happy with it all things considered once I’d laid it out right way out. With that done the final stitching was to fold in the opening at the foot, sew it up and sew on the double captive cord locks at opposite corners.

All Sewn Up Ready for the Shockcords and Attachment Cords

625g, Just Needs A Stuff Sack.

Once that was done I added the shock cord which gathers the quilt around the hammock and fitted the heavier shock cords that attach the quilt to the hammock. I’ve tried it on my hammock and while it would work it isn’t ideal but I’m curious to see how it looks on a Hennessey, for what it‘s worth it ended up weighing 625g. The only thing left to do is sew up a stuff sack and pass it on to Ralph.

It wasn’t too difficult in the end and while I made a few mistakes I’ve learned a bit so I’d change a few things from a construction point of view. What I need to do now is come up with a design that suits my hammock better, a rectangular quilt would work ok, the one I made from the sleeping bag is rectangular, but it seems to me that there’s a lot of excess weight at the ends where everything is gathered up so I’ll probably come up with some kind of tapered shape, slightly narrower at the foot and slightly shorter than the KAQ Potomac. The shorter and narrower I can manage with the lighter it’ll end up and I’d like to get it down to a max of 500g.

Darts Allowing Quilt to Form around Hammock

Packed, PU Coated Ripstop Stuff Sack, A Compression Strap Would reduce the Packed length by about 1/3rd

In and Around Ballypatrick Forest

2011-05-26T23:01:00.007+01:00

I managed to get out again this week, it took until Tuesday though as like most of the UK the weather was pretty grim, continual heavy rain on Saturday and high winds on Monday that took a few tiles of our roof meant I didn't do much but I'd arranged with Les to go out on Tuesday.

I’ve been using Mapyx Quo mapping software for a while now and had upgraded my Garmin Gecko 301 to a Lowrance Safari with Quo Mobil XT mapping software installed but to be honest I hadn’t used it much as I really can’t be bothered to spend a lot of time on hi tech kit, especially when it comes to mapping as I know my way around the local hills anyway. Les however had purchased Quo and was using it with a Garmin mapping handheld (not sure what the model is) We wanted to try them back to back and try e-mailing routes to each other so I decided on the route, Les having done last weeks walk and planned a walk in one of the local forest parks with a bit of off trail (in the forest) and open hill work thrown in for good measure.

I was a bit more organised this week and had everything prepared the night before as I wanted to replace the missing roof tiles before setting off. The weather was slightly better than it had been but I wanted to try something different clothing wise so this time opted for my Montane Extreme smock, Uniqlo windproof easy trousers and this time wore a pair of Gore Bike Wear gore-tex socks with the Adidas Terrex Seamless.

Although it was bright when we set off for Ballypatrick forest there were a few heavy showers on the way which didn’t provide much of a clue as to what lay in store. By the time we were parked up the sun was shining and with the shelter of the trees I was regretting choosing Pertex/Pile and wishing I’d opted for the lighter Paramo VAL. The intention was to follow the trails for a bit before aiming for the highest point in the forest, the unpronounceable (to me anyway) Carneighaneigh from which it seemed there would be good views towards Ballycastle across the sound to Rathlin and possibly even the Mull of Kintyre to the N East and Donegal to the N West, in addition there was an cairn of some description marked on the map. From the high point the plan was to descend back into the forest using rough tracks and avoiding the actual forest drive where possible to visit a Mesolithic cairn and then on through the forest and on to the open hill for a bit before hopefully navigating to a fire break which would lead us back onto the trails and from there to the car park. Like last week we were accompanied by Fly, a one year old this week Cocker owned by Les. Fly is a cracking wee dog, full of life and character and with an endless reserve of energy.

We Hadn’t gone to far before Les was ditching his jacket while I had to make do with opening every zip on the Extreme smock but as we started up the trail towards the high point the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up so I didn’t over heat too much.

At the high point the views were much as I’d expected although visibility wasn’t the best, one thing that really stood out was the reef just off the coast near Ballycastle, I’m not sure what it’s called but looking at the map it may well be Carrickmannon, it was a seething mass of white water clearly visible even in the less than perfect light. The cairn was a bit of an anti climax looking more like a croft had been knocked down and bulldozed into a heap but we went for a closer look anyway. We had just about reached it when the shower that had been heading our direction finally arrived so we simply dropped down a firebreak for a bit of shelter. There were a few hailstones but it lasted less than 5 minutes in the end.

With the clouds speeding away we set off again descending down a rough track back into the forest where once again due to the shelter of the trees I needed to open all the vents on the smock to stay reasonably comfortable. Quite a few trees looked like they’d come down in the previous 24 hours but I spent a bit of time looking for potential hammock camping spots.

It seems though that no matter where you go fly tippers will have been there before, I can imagine Amundsun arriving at the South Pole to discover a rusty washing machine and a kid’s trike. To be truthful though the bits and pieces that were lying around were slowly but surely returning to their natural sate or being gradually buried under a blanket of pine needles.

It didn’t take too long before we reached the Mesolithic 2 Horned Cairn, hmmm looks like a pile of rocks to me but I’ll take their word for it. Ironically while the sun had been shining when we were in the forest the moment we reached an area where tree felling had been in progress and shelter was scarce the skies darkened and the rain looked to be on it’s way again.

As happened on the top of Carneighaneigh by the time we’d taken shelter and Les had swapped soft-shell for hard-shell the rain had stopped. With much of the forest part behind us and the open hill getting closer we decided to look for a suitable spot to take a lunch break. Les had a new stove (Gelert Blaze) to try out so while we waited for the water to boil and with it the prospect of a Starbucks Via we polished off a couple of Ginster’s Cornish Pasties.

Setting off again the open hill provided us with the terrain I like least although one I‘m well used to, peat banks, knee deep ankle twisting heather and knee deep peat bogs. In terrain like this it’s every man for himself but it seems that regardless of the route you choose you lose. We’d just reached the top of Crockaneel or as close to the top as it’s possible to define on what is essentially an elevated bog when Fly rose a couple of grouse, 1st a brown then a smaller black.

From there we aimed to miss the edge of the forest closest to us heading on towards a fire break that would lead us back into the forest and from there back to the track. In the end we missed it by a few hundred meters but a quick look at the map suggested that if we followed a drainage trench between the trees we intersect the fire break and it worked out just fine.

Although it can be a bit boring on the forest tracks they’re kind of welcome after stumbling about on heather so there were no complaints even though our route had us following a short section that we’d walked at the start. The rain stayed away for the final few Kilometres and the sun mostly shone until we were back at the car park.

With regard to the kit the Montane Extreme Smock was much too warm but I suspected that would be the case, the Gore Bike wear Gore-tex socks are a bit of a mixed bag, there’s no doubt that they kept my feet dry although they don’t breathe particularly well once the trail shoes are saturated, that said on balance I still prefer unlined trail shoes/gore tex socks over gore tex lined shoes as they provide more protection, lined shoes only work if you can avoid water that’s more than ankle deep and avoid wet grass unless you’re wearing gaiters which in my experience don’t really work with shoes.

What about the Lowrance Safari and Garmin GPS units and the Quo mapping software? They work, I don’t really have anything else to say to be honest, while I could happily research a tent or stove from now until Christmas, studying the various pro’s and con’s, GPS hand helds or similar techy stuff doesn’t do it for me, it’s works and really that’s all I need to know, after that it’s about as fascinating to me as an electric kettle.

On a more Sombre Note

While Ballypatrick Forest Park like most other forest parks in Northern Ireland was a popular destination for family outings during the summer and on Bank Holidays in the late 1970’s to mid 1980’s it not unreasonably became much less popular after the murder of German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser who’s body was found buried in a shallow grave within the forest. Although it happened in 1988 no one has ever been charged with the murder.

Primus Express Spider, Review

2011-05-18T21:00:00.006+01:00

The Primus Express Spider has been available for some time now and while I’d read the reviews I’d never actually tried one. I was offered one for review by Millets so I was looking forward to seeing how it performed.

The Express Spider has a few features that set it apart from basic canister mounted stoves, the 1st and most obvious is that the burner isn’t directly attached to the gas canister but is instead connected via a flexible fuel line, the 2nd useful feature is the pre-heat facility which helps maintain performance or in some cases allows the stove to actually work in temperatures below freezing when a canister mounted stove could fail completely.

I guess most people considering the Express Spider do so for its cold weather ability but it has something to offer even if you only use it in mild conditions. As it’s a remote canister stove it sits much lower than a canister mounted stove which not only improves stability but also makes it easier to use in a small porch such as those in some solo tents simply as the burner being lower is further from the flysheet. The pre-heat feature while it’s designed mainly for colder weather is also beneficial when it comes to using the last few grams in the canister.

I’ve found in the past with canister mounted stoves that when you get down to the last 10g or so of gas the reduction in pressure in the canister means that there’s insufficient fuel flow to keep the stove burning, it’s not unusual to remove a seemingly empty canister yet when you shake it you can hear that there’s still fuel remaining. What the pre heat function does is allow you to invert the canister, the fuel then flows along the fuel line as a liquid until it reaches the pre-heat tube where it vaporises (becomes gas again) and can burn as normal.

When it comes to low temperatures what can happen is that as the canister itself cools the pressure in the canister drops to the extent that there’s insufficient fuel being delivered to the burner head, this results at best in a slower boil time but the side effect of that is that the longer it takes the colder the canister becomes and thus the pressure continues to drop, eventually the stove will stop even though there’s plenty of fuel remaining. In this situation you can simply invert the canister as you would if it was almost empty, the fuel is delivered as liquid until it reaches the pre-heat tube where again it vaporises and is once again burned as gas. Without a pre-heat tube inverting the canister simply results in liquid gas arriving at the burner head and the result is that the stove flares up which definitely isn’t something you want happening when you’re trying to cook in the porch of a small solo tent.

The Primus Express Spider comes supplied with a small stuff sack that from the outside looks like mesh but on the inside it’s actually plain fabric, I’m not sure why its mesh on the outside but plain fabric on the inside means that the stove is easy to remove and pack as it doesn’t get caught up in the mesh.

The stove itself is really well made and is devoid of any unnecessary features, someone said that a product had reached the peak of development not when there was nothing left to add but when there was nothing left to remove, if that’s the case the Express Spider must be almost as close to the peak of development as it’s possible to get, minimalist but with no useful feature missing.

The legs all fold together for packing but when unfolded each have a stop position to ensure that they’re as stable as possible, being a tripod design means that it’s stable even on a rough surface. The burner head is quite small, smaller than I’d probably prefer as this is a stove I’d use with a wide shallow pot rather than a tall narrow one, 2 reasons for that, 1. A wide shallow pot is more stable and 2. A wide shallow pot is better if you want to melt snow (this is a stove aimed at use in lower temperatures after all) That said in use it seems to work just fine although I’d be inclined to run it at less than full power. One final design feature that I like is that both burner and the fuel valve/regulator can rotate on the fuel line with the result that once set up there’s nothing trying to tip the stove over. Perhaps the only thing I’d like to see changes is the position of the fuel valve, rather than a vertical valve I’d prefer a horizontal valve as it’s easier to operate with the canister inverted, that said it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

With all the potential advantages why wouldn’t anyone want to use a remote canister stove? Well it comes down to bulk/weight over a canister mounted stove. On the issue of bulk the Express Spider fold up so well that it’s hardly an issue, in fact I have a canister mounted stove that while being smaller is more difficult to store due to the larger diameter burner head. If bulk/packed size isn’t an issue them what about the weight? As far as I’m aware the lightest canister mounted stove at present weighs about 48g, most however will come in at between 60-100g, the Express Spider weighs in at 191g with the stuff sack adding another 10g if you choose to use it. If not the lightest it’s certainly one of the lightest.

I’ve tested the Express Spider in what I would consider a real world situation and in breezy condition with an almost full 100g canister with the valve about 2/3rds open it boiled 500ml of water (13.5°c) in 3mins 44secs, obviously that isn’t super quick but by running it with the valve less than fully open it achieved the boil on 8g of fuel and that’s pretty impressive. Of course I nay have achieved a faster boil with the valve fully opened but I’d prefer fuel efficiency for the sake of waiting an extra 30 seconds.

Having tried it with an almost full canister I wanted to see how it performed on an almost empty canister with the canister inverted. The result really impressed me, starting with a canister that had 24g of gas remaining the Express Spider managed a boil in 3mins 47secs and used 9g of gas.

All things considered the Express Spider is definitely a stove I’d have no hesitation in using or recommending, I haven’t read negative reports on any of the blogs I follow and having tried it myself I can see why.

The video below shows the stove in operation with the canister inverted and about 20g of gas remaining. I forgot to weight the canister until I'd switched the camera off but for what it's worth it weighed 104g.

A Short Walk in the Nick of Time

2011-05-17T22:22:00.006+01:00

Although I'd planned to do a 2 day walk and over night camp using the hammock the weather put me off, stormy with heavy rain wasn't really what I was looking for considering the area I'd intended going too and certainly not what I wanted for a 1st attempt at hammock camping.

In the end I kept myself busy with other stuff, not least trying to sort an Under Quilt for my hammock. Having made one from a kids sleeping bag I was keen to tackle a made from scratch quilt and had found a guide on the hammock forum for a synthetic quilt. Obviously using proper outdoors type fabrics and insulation would result in the best performance or at least the best warmth/weight ratio but specialist fabrics are expensive so I decided to lower my sights a little and try to get the best I could locally. I managed to get some fabric and insulation that should work and should result in something a bit better than the converted sleeping bag, if i can put it together.

In the end it looked like I wasn't going to get near the hills at all but a last minute call from my mate Les provided an opportunity. Les had a GPS handheld with mapping software that he wanted to try out so he arranged to call at my house this morning and take it from there. It was a bit last minute for me so when he arrived I gathered a few bits and pieces, threw them in a day sack and we set off.

Most of the route Les had planned was in the forest with a fair amount on forest roads but there were a few stretches off road through the forest and a bit of open hill. The weather was pretty much as it has been for the past week with low cloud, light rain and scattered heavier showers and quite breezy.

I'd pulled on my Paramo VAL over a L/S baselayer, my Peter Storm Active trousers and against Les's advice decided on the Terrex trainers but no Gore-Tex socks or gaiters.

It wasn't actually raining when the 3 of us, Les, myself and Fly, Les's dog set off but the cloud base was very low and at times it was difficult to tell whether it was raining or not although it was reasonably mild. After following a forest road for a bit we emerged onto the open hill only to discover that the area had been on fire recently. The result was that while it was easier to see what you were stepping on, normally it's covered in heather and walking through it is less than pleasant, what remained of the heather was charred stumps which didn't do much for the appearance of my trousers which are a light grey/stone colour. Although it's only been a little over a week since the area was on fire the new shoots are already well established and fortunately the fire didn't spread to the forest nearby.

Once on the open hill the wind picked up and the rain increased in intensity and although I had a pair of waterproof trousers in my daysack i didn't bother to stop to put them on as I knew that once the rain stopped or we re-entered the forest my trousers would dry out quickly.

Visibility was poor to begin with but as we neared the final slopes of the only small hill on our route the cloud lifted a little but detail visibility was still less than 500m. Normally we'd have stopped on the top but with no shelter and nothing to see we continued over the summit and down the other side aiming to enter the forest again.

Most of the ground on the Antrim hills is peaty and as such holds a lot of water, that results in everything in the forest being a vibrant greens which I always find amazing, the downside is that the ground is often wet at best and muddy if it's a route that gets walked frequently.

Fly was in his element of course and must have covered 10x times the distance that Les and myself had. It didn't take long before we were back on a forest road but we continued for a bit looking for a decent spot to stop for lunch. Ideally it would provide some shelter in case we were hit with a heavy shower but not too sheltered as already the midges are making their presence felt.

Eventually we stopped at a spot that while it wasn't much better than some we'd passed wasn't any worse so I set up the stove, a GoSystem Fly to boil water for a brew while Les provided filled rolls. True to form the midges did make at half hearted attempt at disruptiing proceedings but they were just about bearable and we managed to have lunch and set off before they got too much of an aggravation, form now on I'll be taking a head net and some insect repellent.

After following the forest road for a bit we re-entered the forest where the ground was reasonably firm but it didn't last and we were soon making our way down a fire break between the trees where the heather and long grass had me soaked to the knees again.

Les had been checking that the route we were taking corresponded to the one he'd loaded into the GPS while I was generally just tagging along but we eventually reached the forest road that would lead us back to the car. Again the rain had virtually stopped and I started to dry out again and by the time we'd reached the car only the bottoms of my trousers were still wet and although my feet were saturated they weren't cold, the benefit I guess of socks with at least some wool content.

It was a short walk but one I hadn't done before so that was a bonus and I also made a mental note of a few potential hammock camping spots although I dread to think what the midge situation would be like amongst the trees having experienced them while camping on the open hill. Having failed to make the most of my days off and leaving getting out until the last moment I finally did get out thanks to Les but now it's back on shift again fo a few days but hopefully the weather will pick up again in time for the end of my shift.

Eurohike Double Jet Storm Lighter, Review

2011-05-14T13:11:00.012+01:00

I got a few bit's and pieces recently from Millets for review including the Primus Express Spider which really needs no introduction but hopefully I can add something useful to the reviews already out there. First though I'm going to look at the Eurohike branded Double Jet butane storm lighter.

I've tried a few butane storm lighters in the past but was left unimpressed with the result that I went back to using cheap disposable lighters. The 1st one I tried was a Turboflame, it worked for a while but it was extremely temperamental and surprisingly didn't like the cold. I found that in temperatures around freezing that it wouldn't light even if I'd had it in my trouser pocket. Refilling was a pain too, the instructions for refilling ran to 10 steps, See Here the 10th step advising repeating steps 1-9 if it didn't work (since I posted this I've managed to locate the instructions that came with mine, mine had a 9 step filling procedure, step 9 advising repeating steps 1-8. In addition just below the refilling instructions it warns that "Turboflame works best at room temperature, in cold conditions warm up in hands before ignition"). The other things I disliked were that there was no way of telling how much gas there was remaining and the flame adjustment was difficult to use in the kind of conditions you'd actually need a specialist lighter. In the end the piezo ignitor button return mechanism broke probably due to repeated attempts to get the lighter to actually work.

Next up I tried an unbranded storm lighter bought from ASMC in Germany, it was much more fragile looking than the Turboflame but only cost about €5. It worked well, much less temperamental than the Turboflame but eventually it too stopped working. What I discovered when I took it apart was that it was really nothing more than a small generic storm lighter in a tougher looking plastic and rubber shell although I didn't realise the significance until after buying my 3rd Storm Lighter.

The 3rd Storm lighter was an impulse buy, I'd been in Cotswold in Belfast and as they didn't have what I was looking for I bought the Silva Helios. It really looked the part in the packaging with a tough looking body that appeared to be alloy with rubber grips, it also came in a nice presentation tin and was supplied with a lanyard. I was pretty disappointed when I got it home and opened it to find that the 'alloy' body was in fact plastic, things went from bad to worse when it stopped working later the same evening and as if that weren't enough under the tough looking shell the actual lighter looked identical to the cheap unbranded version from ASMC. Although I probably had one that was faulty and I don't believe that they're all as unreliable as mine yet the Helios cost £17 and given that the lighter part was the same as the unbranded/£5 one I'd effectively paid £12 for the presentation tin!! I'm not sure if there's any significance in the fact that I can't find the Helios on the Silva website, maybe I've missed it or maybe they no longer stock it.

Having given up on 'Outdoors' lighters I simply went back to disposables, normally ones with a clear reservoir that let you see how much gas remains. It was only after being asked by Millets to choose a few items for review that I even considered using a 'Storm' type lighter.

When the Eurohike Double Jet windproof lighter arrived the 1st I did was fill it, no instructions required. Once filled I adjusted the flame using the large knob on the base and it fired up straight away.

The lighter isn't metal bodied but it does feel quite robust weighing in at around 85g, it's symmetrical with the raised section that holds the latch button being replicated on the opposite side where a lanyard can be attached.

The body has a flip up lid to protect the actual burner head and that looks to be the only weak point as the hinge is quite small. The body is quite tall yet tapers nicely so it's easy to get it out of a trouser pocket, that said the absence of any rubberised grips makes it a bit slippery. Where I find it better than my regular disposable lighters is that it'll work even if my hands are wet and as the flame is directional it's easier to light stoves light a Trangia where you need to point the lighter down to reach the fuel.

There are a couple of gimmicky features though, 1st and immediately obvious is the small compass set into the lighter body. I suspect it's more of a styling exercise than of any real use but if I was really upset about it I could just break it off, to be honest I think they should just omit it as in my opinion it cheapens the appearance of the lighter.

The 2nd gimmick in my opinion is the double flame, I don't see it as serving any purpose and I suppose it must mean that the lighter uses 2x times as much gas, that said I've been using it for over a week and it hasn't been refilled since I got it. The one other thing I'm not keen on is that it doesn't have a 'window' to let you see how much gas remains but that is a fairly common feature with lighters generally.

Obviously I can't comment on long term durability but so far it's lasted longer than my Silva Helios which failed within hours. As far as performance is concerned it's vastly more reliable than my Turboflame, easier to fill easier to adjust wearing gloves, it also feels more durable than the £5 from ASMC. It's a good product in my view and works as a lighter should without any unnecessary faffing around, at £7.99 if you need a 'Storm' lighter it's worth considering, definitely don't be put off by the compass or the double flame feature.

MYOG, Cheap Hammock Under Quilt Experiment

2011-05-13T23:15:00.009+01:00

MYOG Under Quilt

You don’t have to spend long on hammock related websites to realise that regular sleeping pads aren’t the preferred choice when it comes to insulation, likewise you don’t have to spend too long in a hammock trying to use a regular sleeping mat to understand why.

It seems that under quilts (UQ’s) are the preferred choice and as it didn’t seem as if it would be too difficult to cobble up something together I fitted a couple of expansion bolts in my garage so that I could hang the hammock to try a few ideas. I couldn’t resist trying the hammock to see how comfortable it would be over a longer (more than a few minutes) period of time so decided to sleep in it in the garage. Having tried a full length CCF mat briefly when I got the hammock and decided against it I decided to try an Alpkit Wee Airic ¾ length self inflate which was better and to provide some insulation for my feet I just pinned my Montane Flux to the edges on the hammock letting it hang underneath like a UQ (The Ever Versatile Montane Flux ;-)).

What I discovered was that a hammock is very comfortable in spite of the Wee Airic slipping around, lying diagonally in the hammock you lie really flat, not curled up like you’d expect. The Montane Flux seemed to work just fine so I decided the easiest way to make a cheap and cheerful UQ was to convert a rectangular sleeping bag.

Coleman Pacific Kid's Sleeping Bag

In the end the only one I could get locally that was even remotely light was a kid’s Coleman Pacific. At 150cm wide when opened out and 190cm long it looked like it would just about fit. I picked one up in Argos for £14.99 but when I got it home I realised that even if I could convert it into a UQ it wouldn’t really be suitable outdoors thanks to a brushed/flock type lining. Still it was better than nothing so I set about converting it.

Brushed/Flock liner

I reasoned that as the hammock itself is rectangular until it’s cinched at the ends then the UQ could also be a rectangle so the 1st thing was to remove the zip. Fortunately the zip was sewn onto the side and end seams rather than sewn into them so it was only a matter of unstitching it. I needed 2 drawcord tunnels 1 at each end and while the bottom was easy only needing the fabric folded over and sewn the top end need a little work. The inner brushed fabric extended out of the sleeping bag and down the outside for about 10cm so I simply cut 10cm off the sleeping bag to remove it. With that done I trimmed back the fibre filling by about 10cm and then formed the drawcord tunnel by making a hem on the raw edge before rolling it and sewing it down. I made the drawcord tunnels much wider than I normally would as I thought the brushed inner might stop the shock cords from running smoothly which turned out to be the case.

Conversion Complete

I wasn’t sure how to go about attaching it to the hammock and tried a few things before settling on a heavy shock cord on each end running through the tunnels I’d sewn. At first I had cord locks fitted to allow me to loosen/tighten the ends to seal against the hammock but I discovered that if I cut the shock cord to the required length and then knotted the ends I didn’t need the adjustability. What I ended up with was about a 35cm shockcord that could stretch out to 70cm at the foot end and 50cm stretching out to 100cm or so at the shoulders. To attach it to the hammock I ended up sewing on webbing loops at all four corners to attach shock cords.

Foot End Attachment

At the foot I simply took a length of shock cord and tied one end to the bottom left webbing loop and the other to the bottom right webbing loop, I then put the doubled up shock cord through a glove hook and then through a cord lock before tying a loop in the end to keep it from pulling back out of the cord lock. To attach the UQ to the foot of the hammock I hook the glove hook over the suspension rope (whoopie sling) and to tension it I simply pull the shock cord through the cord lock.

Head End Attachment

At the head/shoulder end I fitted cord locks to the webbing tapes, placed a glove hook on the shock cord allowing it to run freely and then put the shock cord through the cord locks. I tied the running ends of the shock cord together so that when I’m lying in the hammock I can get hold of the opposite side shock cord (I only have zipped access on one side of the hammock) by 1st reaching out and grabbing the nearside cord. I suspect that as the shock cord runs freely through the glove hook that the UQ will be self centering anyway even if I make all the adjustment on one side.

With the suspension sorted it’s really easy to attach the UQ, I just place it in the hammock to start with, then attach the UQ to the foot end of the hammock and tension it a little. I then take the head/shoulder cords and again attach the glove hook to the hammock suspension whoopie sling at the head end. Once the UQ is attached I lift it out of the hammock, open it out and place the hammock inside it. With that done it’s a simple matter to adjust the tension to get the UQ where I want.

Under Quilt Laid In Hammock Prior to Being Attached

Foot End, Glove Hook Attached to Whoopie Sling Suspension

Head End, Glove Hook again Attached to Whoopie Sling Suspension

Under Quilt Attached Prior to Tensioning

Under Quilt Fitted and Tensioned.

I have to say the difference is amazing considering it’s only a cheap kids sleeping bag, it feels warmer immediately and the hammock is even more comfortable thanks to not having a sleeping mat slipping around. I can move around in the hammock, lie on my back or switch to my side which is how I sleep without constantly trying to rearrange the sleeping mat. As for insulation well I taped a thermometer to the bottom of the hammock with the UQ in place, with my wife laying in the hammock I waited until the temperature stabilised before removing the UQ, within 5 minutes the temperature had dropped by 5°c and according to my wife the difference was noticeable as soon as I removed the UQ, swapping around I found the same. I tried it using my summer weight synthetic bag as a top quilt by just zipping it closed at the foot end and again it’s much easier to use than a sleeping bag and when combined with a UQ it’s like levitating in a sleeping bag as the insulation on the bottom is lofted just like the insulation on the top.

Unfortunately although it works in principal the fabric used for the inner makes it unsuitable for use in the field and of course it’s heavy at almost 1kg considering how little insulation there actually is. What I’d like to do now is make one from scratch using better fabrics and insulation, I’d like to go for something like Primaloft Sport 60g which should be enough for summer use but I’m having difficulty finding out exactly what type of fabric to use as according to the information on Extreme Textile, Primaloft Sport requires you to use a down proof fabric. In the meantime maybe I could replace the brushed cotton type fabric with plain nylon or something. Although that would mean pulling the quilt apart and starting again I wouldn’t really mind as it would give me a bit more sewing experience before I start working with more expensive fabrics.

Under Quilt Pulled Up Around the 'Footbox'

Lying diagonally with feet to the right and head to the left or vice versa results in a flatter lay. The 'Footbox' is created by the looseness of the hammock fabric once it's been cinched at the ends, the fabric under tension from the suspension lines causes a ridge to form (creased section just left of my knee) at both ends, pockets of looser fabric are formed at both ends left and right of the ridge.

ModYOG, 10th Wonder Hammock

2011-05-10T22:35:00.006+01:00

It seems that when it comes to kit there's always room for modification. I'd only had the hammock up a few times and knew there were a few little things I wanted to add or change. In spite of my initial thought that tying directly to a couple of trees was a perfectly satisfactory way of going about it I discoverd that it was easier to set it up correctly without having to resort to untying/re-tying if I adopted one of the alternative methods.

In the end I decided on tree straps and whoopie slings, the slings attached to the webbing straps using a Marlin Spike Hitch. As I already had the webbing that came fitted to the hammock I used it to make tree straps that would be compatible with carabiners although it isn't the lightest way to do it. I simply removed the webbing from the hammock and formed a loop at each end by bartacking. At present I'm not using carabiners but simply wrap the webbing around the tree feeding the free end through the stitched loop.

The whoopie slings are generally made using a lightweight high strength marine braided cord. This is pretty much the hammock equvilent of using Marine Dyneema control line cord such as Marlow Racing Excel for tent guylines. The woopie slings are made by splicing a fixed eye (Locked Brummel I think) in one end before feeding the running end through the middle of the braid for about 8" and back out again to create a slip knot that self locks when the cord is under tension (I think the locking part is called a constrictor). It's much harder to describe how to make them than to actually do it, the video linked to Here shows how it's done.

While for minimum weight I'd choose something like Dyneema SK75, 2mm diameter with a breaking strain of 900kg (and costing a cool £2/meter) or Marlow Excel D12. Rather than order the lightweight high strength stuff I bought some general use 6mm braided line from B&Q.

The whoopie sling is attached to the hammock by feeding the end with the fixed eye through the sewn in tunnel at each end of the hammock before passing the working end through the spliced eye.

To attach the hammock to the tree I simply attach the tree straps, form the marlin spike hitches by using 2 x 100mm lengths of aluminium tent pole and then loop the slipk not over the marlin spike hitch.

This obviously sounds overly complicated but it makes setting the hammock with the right amount of sag much easier as it can be adjusted without any un-tying.

With the 'Suspension' sorted I added a tying made from dressmaking ribbon/webbing to the midge netting, to prevent it being pulled through the netting I sewed on a 25mm x 25mm piece of webbing inside and outside the net to attach the tyings to. I also added 3 ribbon ties to the edge of the hammock fabric just benerath the zip to allow me to roll and tie the hammock when not actually in use.

With the easiest parts done I made a mesh pocket/pouch to hang from the inner ridge line to hold bits and pieces. I made the pocket double sided but rather than drive to town to buy some edging tape I made my own by cutting 45mm strips from a piece of ripstop nylon and passing it through a folder before pressing with a smoothing iron to help it keep it's shape.

This was a little time consuming but worked nicely in the end and I'm pleased with the finished pocket.

Finally I removed the fine but tangle prone cord from the midge net suspension shockcord, the thin cord meant that the net could be tied to the trees used to suspend the hammock but I found the shockcord work jus as well looped over the tarp ridge line and fixed with a kind of prusik loop.

I'll more than likely switch to lighter stronger cord/whoopie slings and lighter weebing tree straps at some point if I find I sleep ok in the hammock.

The next project is to make an Under Quilt, I mentioned being cold the hammock I'd borrowed from Ralph as I hadn't any insulation underneath me. While I could just about manage with a CCF mat ofr even a Self Inflate the recommended method of providing insulation underneath is to use a quilt which attaches to and hangs underneath the hammock where it can't be compressed. Again I'll take the cheap and easy option, at least for the time being by converting a cheap sleeping bag. I'm hopefully going to get the cheap sleeping bag tomorrow and can't wait to get started but 1st I'll neeed to clear a space in the garage and fit a coiple of eye bolts so that I can test the fit of the UQuilt before finalising the design.

Hammocks

2011-05-08T22:51:00.003+01:00

Although my 1st attempt at using a hammock wasn’t a success I was still interested in giving it another go. I’d looked at hammocks in the past, in particular the DD Hammocks so decided to have another look at what they had to offer. I’d decided that I wanted a hammock with side entry as I felt it would be easier to use with a sleeping mat and could if circumstances required it be used on the ground as a bug net under a tarp. The 1st one I considered was the DD Hammocks Travel Hammock, a single side entry with a sewn in midge net, double layer base , the outer being waterproof and with a zip opening to allow a sleeping mat to be inserted between the layers. The 2nd was the DD Hammocks Frontline, similar to the Travel Hammock but with zipped access on both sides and a non-waterproof base. As there was no difference I price at £49.99 I tried to make up my mind but while I liked the idea of zips on both sides on the Frontline I wondered if the waterproof base on the Travel Hammock would be the best option if I intended using it on the ground.

Still undecided I had a look on ebay and apart from sellers in the Far East I found 10th Wonder Hammocks in the UK. They had a variety of styles all based on the double layer, single side entry style similar to the DD Travel Hammock. Again there was almost too much choice and the price was similar to the DD Hammocks. There was one cheaper option though, the 10th Wonder Jungle 1 at £29.99 which had a non waterproof base, single side entry and no means of inserting a sleeping mat between the base layers.

In the end I reasoned that a waterproof base wasn’t an essential, I’d primarily use the hammock off the ground as intended and in any case the groundsheet of my tent is no longer waterproof, I simply use a footprint and it hasn’t caused me any problems. With regard to placing a sleeping mat between the base layers and only having a single side zip I felt that if I was saving £20 by opting for the cheaper 10th Wonder Jungle 1 I could live with it, I wasn’t even sure that I’d actually like a hammock anyway. I had a quick look around the various Hammock and Bushcraft type forums for reviews of 10th Wonder hammocks and all seeming well and having managed to convince myself I went for the cheaper option and ordered the 10th Wonder Jungle 1. The seller sent an e-mail with hanging instructions and the hammock arrived next day so that was a good start.

While I’d been trying to decide on a hammock I’d been reading up on hammock stuff on Hammock Forums and Ralph who’d let me try the Hennessey Hammock had sent me a link to some Youtube videos but to be honest most of it didn’t mean much, in fact with talk of things like Dutch Clips, Marlin Spike Hitches, Whoopie Slings and so on just to get the hammock hung I was starting to think that an awful lot of folks were making the seemingly simple task of tying a hammock up between 2 trees way more complicated than it needed to be. Undeterred I watched the videos again and it started to at least make sense even if it did still seem like a very complicated way of hanging a hammock.

Having received the hammock I checked it over and it seemed fine so at the 1st opportunity I took it out to try it. The hammock comes with 2 lengths of 20mm webbing which run through a tunnel on each end of the hammock to tie directly to the trees. The midge netting has 2 short lengths of alloy tubing to hold the net out to provide a bit of space.

To lift the midge net 2 lengths of shock cord are attached to webbing loops where the alloy tubing is fitted and attached to each shock cord is a length of fine cord. The side zip has a double puller and I was surprised to find that it did in fact have a double layer base although there’s no zip or opening to allow a sleeping mat to be placed between the layers. Finally on the inside a length of cord is attached to loops at each end for hanging small items such as a light although there isn’t an inner pocket.

Having hung the hammock a few times I picked up on some thing that I wanted to modify and some of the stuff I’d read on the hammock forums regarding hammock suspension started to make sense. Although I can easily place a CCF mat in the hammock it doesn't fit very well, a 3/4 lenght mat or a lightly inflated Self Inflate may work better but failing that there's always an underquilt.

Of the modifications I’d like a mesh pouch to hang from the inner ridge line, I’d also like some way of securing the midge net out of the way if it isn’t needed. When it comes to suspension tying the webbing directly to the tree is the most minimal approach but it means untying and retying to get the hammock hanging just right so I’ve decided to adopt some of the techniques I’ve read about and seen on Youtube although I haven‘t quite decided what method I‘ll adopt. I haven’t yet tried sleeping in it although once it hanging and properly tensioned it’s comfortable even for a side sleeper. I have a few days off work coming up though so I’ll try to get out for an overnight.

As far as I can see it looks like a perfectly useable hammock and for anyone curious about hammocks it’s a relatively low cost way for trying it.

Bollé Spider Flash Sunglasses

2011-05-07T22:46:00.005+01:00

It was thanks to a post by Alan Rayner that I ended up buying a pair of Bollé sunglasses. I’ve used Bollé safety glasses before and remembered that they make ones with tinted lenses so a quick search on ebay turned up a few different styles. I commented on Alans post (above) and Alan suggested the 'Spider Flash' so I checked them out and ordered a pair.

The Spider glasses have flexible frames, 'Flash' refers to the ‘flash gold’ anti-scratch polycarbonate lenses. They conform to the following EN standards;

EN166 1F (impact)
EN170 (UV)
EN172 (Solar Protection) Filter 100% UVB/UVA

They’re light for the weight conscious at 26g and come with a micro fibre pouch but the best part is the price, under £10 including shipping.

I’ve worn them on the hill and when out in the canoe and they seem up to the task and I haven’t noticed any problems with misting. You could pay much more for sunglasses but considering these come from a respected company and meet EU standards they're worth a look.

Eurohike Non-Stick Pan

2011-05-03T19:43:00.007+01:00

I had the chance to pick a few items from the Millets own brand Eurohike and Peter Storm range recently and in addition to the Peter Storm Carrick Interactive fleece I choose a Eurohike non-stick frying pan. For some reason I didn’t check the size or weight, I think it was the general shape that attracted my attention so when it arrived I realised it was going to be too big (diameter 250mm) for solo backpacking. All was not lost however as I had the canoe trip planned and it looked like it would fit the bill, in addition for family car camping it would be a good alternative to our regular household pan.

My 1st impression of the pan was that it was a nice useable shape with nicely shaped shallow sloping sides and the build quality looked top class. The handle folds away and when opened clips into place very securely indeed with no trace of wobble, it’s also well insulated with a thick coating, it's actually thicker in reality than it appears on the website although the coating on mine is orange rather than black so they may have changed it slightly.

The label attached to the pan states the it’s “A durable steel pan with a thick non-stick coating” however the base is stamped with the words “Non Stick Aluminium” Judging by the feel I’d say it is indeed aluminium. The base of the pan is grooved which should make it less prone to slipping off the stove which is a nice detail touch.

The advertised weight is 450g but mine comes in at 478g, if it was something I’d backpack with I’d be disappointed but for my intended use it doesn’t matter much. In use it was perfect, used on an Optimus Nova running on Paraffin it was easily up to the task of frying 8 fat sausages and the non stick surface and anodised outer was easy to clean even using cold river water. The only thing that I can fault is that it would have been nice if it had been supplied with a stuff sack, apart from that there’s not to dislike about it and it looks much more expensive that it is at £12.99.

Lower Bann Canoe Trail, Kit Report

2011-05-01T17:05:00.015+01:00

The kit I took with me on the canoe trip was a bit of a mixture, some old, some new, some typical solo stuff and some heavier kit.

Clothing wise there was nothing new apart from perhaps legwear. I decided on the Peter Storm Active trousers I have for review, they've been worn on my last couple of outings and have proved to be up to the task. Windproof and very fast to dry with plenty of pockets they're very good value for money. My regular summer trousers have been Columbia Omni's which I like but I think the Peter Storm are a bit more durable.

I once again wore a Uniqlo L/S Heattech T-Shirt, I've been wearing these pretty much exclusively since getting my 1st last year. They're very comfortable, not too tight fitting yet not loose, dry quickly and don't stink too much. Although I have a Merino baselayer top, and some Sub Zero F1 which is a particular favourite I don't find the performance advantage over the Heattech to justify the cost for general use.

I wasn't sure about insulation, not knowing how cool it would be at night or whether I'd need insulation during the day I took the Mountain Hardwear 100 wt fleece I got for review from Webtogs a while back. In the end I only wore at night. I also took my well used Montane Flux but again it was mainly used as a pillow. I've had it for over 2 years now and it's without doubt my most used piece of kit, the waist drawcords have been re-stitched as has the hood drawcord and one of the chest pockets has a major tear in the lining but unfortunately the zip puller broke completely when I was wearing it in camp in the morning. I really should replace it as it's got to be past it's best as far as insulation goes but maybe I'll just replace the zipper.

Wet gear consisted of my Paramo VAL and Trespass Pack-Away over trousers neither of which were worn.

Footwear was a pair of Adidas Terrex Seamless and 'Jeep' branded wool mix socks from TK Max. The Adidas have been pretty good so far regardless of the conditions, the only thing I'd say is that they definitely aren't as breathable as unlined trainers with a mesh upper, on the other hand mud etc doesn't get stuck in the fabric. I did notice that the part of the sole that extends up over the front of the shoe has started to come away on one foot probably from me having had my foot tucked under the seat. Regardless I still like them and in particular the cordlock lacing system.

I made a bit of a mistake regarding headwear in that while I took a Polar Buff to wear at night I forgot to take a hat or cap for sun protection, in the end I had to use the Polar Buff as a Shariane, pulled on like a sock with the fleece part as a headband and the fabric part as a neck shield. Although it was probably the wrong colour (black) and warmer than needed (fleece part) it was better than nothing. I also took my Black Diamond fleece gloves but didn't use them. Eye protection was in the form of a pair of Bolle Spider Flash Mirror safety (sun)glasses with a 'Croakies' retainer for security. They cost less the £10 including postage from Midland Moto on ebay, come from a respected manufacturer and are certified so why pay more.

The cooking kit was a bit of a mixture, the Trangia 27k was fine but not really suited to group use, for 1-2 person use as intended it's perfect if the weight ins't an issue which of course it wasn't being in a canoe. The non-stick frying pan I'd bought recently worked as it should but the coating is quite thin and I'm a bit careless, slicing mushrooms with a razor sharp knife when they were in the pan resulted in a some damage.

I also took the Backcountry Boiler, more for fun than anything else. I love using it as it's so efficient, again designed for solo use it didn't work well in a group of 4 but for an early morning brew up it was 1st class. I managed a 5min 30sec boil of 500ml using a bit of birch bark and whatever twigs were within reach while I was still in my sleeping bag.

The Eurohike frying pan was a useful addition, used as it was in the morning for our group breakfast, it's a bit too big for regular use but it'll replace the small normal pan we carry for family car camping.

I also took an old cafetiere that I removed the frame/handle from and added a foil bubble wrap sleeve both for protection and insulation.

Although I went through a phase of eating dehydrated meals directly from a freezer bag I'd recently reverted to using a bowl of sorts. My 'bowl' was actually a deep square plastic lunchbox but unfortunately I managed to split the bottom, I've no idea how or when it happened but I'll need to find a replacement as I much prefer eating from a bowl rather than directly from a bag regardless of the advantages of the latter. I also took the Drink-Safe-System Aquaguard Eliminator In-Line filter system but didn't need to use it.

My sleeping kit and shelter consisted of my Alpkit Rig 7 Tarp, Titanium Goat Ptarmigan bivvy bag, Snugpak Premier 1 synthetic sleeping bag and my usual Millets closed cell sleeping mat, I'd also borrowed a Hennessey Hammock complete with rainfly from Ralph.

As I mentioned I'd tried the hammock but hadn't used any insulation underneath me so ended up feeling cold and reverted to using the CCF mat/bivvy bag on the ground. I could possibly have used the CCF mat in the hammock but it seems sleeping mats and hammocks don't work quite so well together due to the way a hammock forms around the occupant (the general concensus seems to be that you use an under quilt, basically like a regular quilt but one that hangs underneath and outside of the hammock. In addition the Hennessey open up along the bottom so it isn't quite so easy to get the mat in and then get yourself in, not impossible but not something to try at 2.00am. That said I'm still keen to give a hammock another go but I'll probably get one that has a side access zipper. I didn't use the Alpkit Tarp as it didn't look like it would rain and I hadn't put it up the previouse evening as I had the Hennessey hammock with attached fly.

Finally tools/accessories, I took my Bundeswehr issue pocket knife to which I'd attached a length of paracord, my flint was attached at the other end and I carried them with the cord looped through one of the belt loops on my trousers. I also carried my Brusletto Nansen sheath knife and for chopping wood and other heavy duty tasks I carried a Martindale Golok.

There wasn't much need for navigation tools but I took a Lowerance Safari GPS receiver which was loaded with Quo mapping software and maps for Northern Ireland. I carried my regular 1st aid kit, wash kit and for lighting took an Energizer 7 LED headtorch, I made the mistake of not putting a fresh set of batteries in it though so ended up with only a red LED option. A Highlander Mosquito Headnet and pair of Barska Blackhawk 8x25 waterproof binoculars were taken but not used.

In the end everything worked and there were no unforseen problems, unsurprising as most of the kit had been used before.

Lower Bann Canoe Trail, Day 2

2011-04-30T15:48:00.013+01:00

Having had to abandon the hammock due to feeling cold I'd eventually got over to sleep in the bivvy bag but wakened at around 5.30am as the sky started to lighten. As everyone else seemed to be sleeping soundly I turned over and fell asleep again wakening at around 7.30am with the sun now shining brightly and sunlight filtering through the trees. Not quite ready to emerge from my sleeping bag I filled the Backcountry boiler and grabbed some twigs that had been laying under the upturned canoe and boiled some water for a cuppa. Ralph emerged from his hammock just then so we both had a cuppa and a wander around.

It wasn't long before Colin and Derek appeared so we decided to pool our resources for breakfast. With most of the camping kit stowed away we carried the cooking gear down to a picnic table near the jetty to prepare breakfast. Ralph using the Optimus Nova and the Eurohike frying pan made a start on the sausages and bacon while I started to fry up mushrooms, pancakes, potato bread and eggs. While the cooked breakfast was being prepared Colin and Derek boiled water for coffee and kept up a steady supply of cheese and salami. It was a bit tricky to synchronise everything so breakfast was eaten bit by bit as the various items became available eventually followed by some Kenyan ground roast coffee (I'd packed a cafetiere)

It was past 10.30am by the time the camps had been tidied up and left as found and the canoes and gear carried back down to the jetty. Already the temperature was high so water bottles were filled and stashed within easy reach before we set off towards the 1st of the 4 locks we had ahead of us.

The 1st lock, Portna was less than a a mile away and is reached by a short canal on the West bank avoiding the flood gates. On reaching the lock we checked the sign to see what the opening times were as the locks aren't attended continually.

According to the sign the lock should have been open from 10.30am but there was no sign of a lock keeper so we resigned ourselves to portaging around. Fortunately Portna is only a double lock but it would have been faster not to mention easier to have used the lock rather than having to portage. While we were getting sorted having portaged around to reach the jetty Ralph stopped to talk to a guy from the rivers agency, after a few phone calls it was arranged that the lock keeper would let us through the following 2 sets of locks at Movanagher and Carnroe.

It was about 11.30 when we set off again and after 1km we passed under the road bridge leading to the nearby town of Kilrea with 4km to go to the 2nd lock at Movanagher. It took us almost an hour before we entered the canal at Movanagher, this time on the East bank avoiding a weir so we tied up at the jetty while Ralph went to find the lock keeper. As it turned out the lock keeper couldn't be found although we did manage to find a guy who was working at the fish farm on the other side of the canal.

A few more phone calls to various departments failed to locate the elusive lock keeper but eventually contact was made. Of course by now we'd wasted half an hour and he was in Coleraine 20 or so km away and on his lunch break. Faced with a choice of portaging through with the assurance that he'd meet us at the 3rd lock, Carnroe 2 km away or waiting until after 2.00pm to get through the lock we were at we decided to portage again. The canoes were unloaded once again and after a few trips back and forth we were ready to go, one bonus was that we were able to replenish our dwindling water supply.

Although the next lock at Carnroe was only 2km away there seemed little point in rushing if there was going to be no one there until 2.00pm anyway so we sat about for a bit before setting off again.

We eventually arrived at Carnroe at almost 2.00pm and to our surprise the elusive lock keeper was waiting, wearing a red polo shirt I think the lock keeper may well be the Scarlett Pimpernell. Without stopping we paddled into the lock, Carnroe being a single and listened while the lock keeper offered advice on what we should have done i.e. let the appropriate body know that we were going to be "in the system", that failing to do so was "a bit silly", that they (who ever they may be) were "short staffed" and that it would have been "easier" if he'd known we were going to be needing to use the locks. Easier for us I assume as it could hardly have been any easier for him as he's thus far managed to open one set of lock gates while we'd carried around 4. There seemed little point in wasting time 'discussing' the situation, better to sit tight, say nowt and get on with it.

It was quite amusing though as we speculated on where he'd been and where he possibly should have been and whether he'd been disturbed by his employers after we called the head office (inadvertantly) to find out where he was. In the end I discovered that officially it's best to arrange to pass through the locks although it isn't mentioned on the Canoe trail guide. I found the information on the 'Waterways Ireland' website but it doesn't mention how much notice they need. In the end though it wasn't a big deal, it isn't like we had to portage around Neptunes Staircase on the Caledonia canal.

It only took 5 minutes or so to go through the lock and we set off again towards the next access point at Drumaheglis marina 7.5km away and from there the final 7km to the last lock of the day and indeed of the Bann itself at the Cutts, so named as the rock was cut away to form the channel allowing boats to continue on upstream. From the Cutts we'd only have a further 2km to go to reach our destination at Somerset Riverside Park, a total of 16.5km.

We had only been paddling for about 10 minutes after leaving the lock at Carnroe when we saw 2 kayaks heading towards us, it wasn't until they were right beside us that we realised they were another 2 guys from work. They had put in at Drumaheglis marina and were just out for a quick paddle up to the lock at Carnroe. We rafted up with them while drifting slowly downstream and chatted for a bit before they set off again upstream and we continued on our way. As we hadn't eaten since breakfast we decided to pull in at a shallow stretch for a late lunch.

It was now well past 3.00pm and while we were all suffering from the heat Derek was suffering more than the rest of us, not from the heat but from a sit-on-top that felt dead in the water and almost 5 hours effectively sitting in the water. With the prospect of a further 11.5km to go we reluctantly decided that we'd stop at Drumaheglis marina rather than continue to Somerset Riverside Park. Additionaly the next 6km or so were zoned for power boats so the decision was pretty much made to call it a day.

Ralph and myself reached Drumaheglis 1st but rather than tie up at the jetty which was busy with power boats we simply paddled up to the slipway and lifted the canoe out before returning to the slip to wait for the others. Although we were all on dry land we did briefly consider going a further 4km to the next access point at Camus but in the end decided against it. While Ralph went off to buy ice creams for us all Derek set about getting changed into dry clothes before phoning home to reorganise the pick up for himself, Colin and their 2 kayaks while I did the same for Ralph, myself and our canoe. We probably sat around for the best part of an hour before my wife arrived with my brother in law who was driving my car followed almost immediately by Dereks wife, strange that they should all arrive within minutes of each other as I only live about 10 miles away while Derek lives I'd guess about 35 miles away.

With everything loaded up we all set off and I guess we won't all see each other again until we go back to work. I definitely enjoyed it, it's over 20 years since I made the same trip and it's changed quite a bit since then, the facilities are much better, especially the new floating jetties and there's more activity, especially canoes/kayaks. Although we only saw 3 other canoes and 2 of them were guy we knew I can't remember seeing any others on the previous trip.

Obviously the weather being kind helped, had it been raining it would have been worse, perhaps not for Derek who was wet anyway but certainly for the rest of us. The winds when they were evident were light and on our backs and perhaps most surprising of all was that we weren't troubled by midges.

Lower Bann Canoe Trail, Day 1

2011-04-29T20:36:00.010+01:00

I got back from the canoe trip on Thursday evening after 2 days of bright sunshine and intense heat. The trip was a good one but not without unforeseen problems that resulted in failing to reach our intended destination.

A late start on Wednesday morning meant we didn't leave the jetty at Toome until around 12.30pm but with scant regard for the 15 miles between us and the halfway point of our route we set off. Although we were going as a group of 4 we weren't operating entirely as a group nor were we operating as pairs and yet we weren't operating solo either. Cooking was something of a combined effort but only Ralph had a stove suited to group use in the form of the Optimus Nova and the only pan big enough to cater for 4 was the Millets non stick frying pan I'd received for review. I had the Backcountry Boiler and a Trangia 27k both of which are better suited to 1-2 person use and Derek and Colin had between them a disposable barbecue and an EK 750 woodstove, the EK 750 being a solo stove designed to use with an Alpkit Mitymug sized pot.

Although Derek and Colin had settled on their shelter by taking a tent Ralph and I changed our plans slightly and decided not to take a tent, Ralph provided 2 Hennessy Hammocks and also took a Belgian (I think) army bivvy bag and I took a TiGoat Ptarmigan bivvy and CCF mat in case we ended up camping in a spot with no suitable trees. The combined kit was something of a mixed bag which was to be expected as it was something of a 1st for us all and the final arrangements were made via text message/phone. Ralph who partnered me in the open canoe hadn't been in a canoe before and although Derek and Colin had canoed together before they hadn't undertaken a trip of this length/duration.

With the canoes loaded up the 1st thing that became apparent was that Derek's sit-on-top was quite low in the water due to a heavier than normal load, the result meant he was sitting in a few inches of water in the open 'self draining' cockpit, Colin had no such problem in his regular kayak while Ralph and myself took a little time to find our rhythm. With the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky and with a slight following wind we left the canal passing the eel traps and soon slipped under the bridge towards Lough Beg.

Lough Beg is a nature reserve and is quite shallow apart from the actual navigation channel which is clearly marked, the West shore is mainly wetland which floods in winter. Church Island is also on the western side of the lough, the ruined church and spire dates back to the 18th century but the site was formerly a pre Viking monastery. Church Island isn't actually an island when the water level is low but like much of the western shore the low lying ground connecting it to the mainland floods in winter when the water level is higher. On this occasion we didn't visit Church Island due to time constraints but rather stayed on the eastern shore although we did stop briefly.

Shortly after leaving Lough Beg we stopped at the 1st official access point since leaving Toome. Newferry East and West has access on both sides of the river and we choose to tie up at the canoe jetty on the east bank to have lunch.

Although it's now a popular waterski venue (we didn't see any) there was an actual ferry across the river in the 1800's. The area around Newferry is designated as an area of special scientific interest due to the presence of Diatomite, used in the past in the production of gramophone records and dynamite, pretty versatile stuff then..

With lunch taken we set off once again and in an attempt to lighten the load and reduce the drag on the sit-on-top we took the waterproof barrel that Derek had been carrying. The next stretch was more interesting as as it wound it's way towards the village of Portglenone, home to Northern Ireland's only Cistercian Monastery. On this section there's quite a lot of woodland along the banks and rounding a bend we discovered a rather tired looking boat moored up under the overhanging bushes. A little further on the river passes through Portglenone forest and bluebells could be seen amongst the trees.

At yet another canoe jetty we stopped for a breather, we hadn't been stopped for long when a small powerboat approached slowed down and looked like it was going to come alongside, turned out it was another guy from work so we stopped and chatted for a bit. I noticed that there were some birch trees so collected some bark off one that had toppled over.

It was just past 5.00pm when we slipped underneath the bridge at Portglenone and with another 9km to go before we reached our intended stop we pressed on. It's probably fair to say we were all looking forward to setting up camp and getting a meal but for Derek on the sit-on-top there was an added incentive, with the canoe carrying a lot of gear and sitting low in the water the self draining cockpit had been flooded for the best part of 5 hours so he'd been more or less sitting in the water all day which I guess must have been pretty unpleasant.

Although it was cooler now energy levels were pretty low and we were glad to see the jetty come into view. With the canoes lifted out we began to look around for a decent spot to set up camp, the difficulty was in finding a spot that was equally suited to hammocks and a tent but in the end we found a spot amongst the trees that was clear enough to cook for the hammocks and another a few yards away that was reasonably flat and clear of brambles to set up the tent although unfortunately there was a high bank separating the 2.

Colin and Derek set up their camp and lit the barbecue while Ralph and myself set about getting the hammocks up and getting a meal under way. I'd brought a variety of food for the evening meal and in the end decided on 'Look What We Found' meatballs in a tomato and herb sauce with some Smash while Ralph prepared some rice, curry and sausage. I fired up the Backcountry Boiler using some of the birch bark I'd picked up earlier and a few twigs that were laying around and quickly boiled up some water for coffee while Ralph produced some tubs of fruit and custard which went down a treat.

With the evening meal over we walked up to the others to find that they'd had a couple of steaks on the barbecue and were using the still glowing coals as a base to build a campfire. Surprisingly although we could see and hear midges they were swarming around the treetops and we had no trouble from them at all. Not wanting to be outdone Ralph and myself went back to our camp to light a fire but having dug a shallow pit we didn't have quite as much success and were the subject of some ribbing from Derek and Colin.

We eventually all returned to our respective camps and while Ralph relaxed in his hammock I laid out my sleeping mat and leaned back against the upturned canoe with a cup of Starbucks Via instant coffee. At about 11.30pm I decided to turn in and shoved my sleeping bag, a Snugpak Premier 1 synthetic into the hammock. Although I was aware of potential heat loss due to a lack of insulation underneath I didn't bother to use my CCF mat which turned out to be a mistake. I hadn't previously used a hammock and as a side sleeper I was unsure how I'd fare but it was the cold that was the biggest problem.

While I was fine to begin with I only managed to doze and couldn't quite get over to sleep, I persevered until about 2.00am when a combination of cold and hunger had me out of the hammock and on the ground with the sleeping bag inside the TiGoat bivvy. After a chocolate bar I drifted off to sleep thinking of the sluice gates, flood barriers, weirs and locks not to mention the 24km that lay ahead of us.

Lower Bann Canoe Trail

2011-04-26T18:23:00.004+01:00

I'm pretty much set for a 4 man/3 craft trip on the lower Bann canoe trail. Ralph and myself will be taking the Novacraft Prospector accompanied by another colleague from work and his mate using sit-on-top and closed deck kayaks respectively.

The Lower Bann Canoe Trail starts at Toome shortly after the river Bann exits Lough Neagh on it's way to the Atlantic. The trail is 58km although we'll be lifting out about 7km short for a variety of reasons not least ease of access for the pick-up the following day.

The river Bann as it runs from Lough Neagh to the sea forms the boundry between counties Antrim and Londonderry almost all the way, only swinging over to the Derry side as it nears the town of Coleraine. Points of interest along the way start with Toome itself, one of Irelands earliest hunter/gatherer settlements and within 200m of leaving the start point are the eel traps which are passed by staying to the East bank. From there on 4 sets of lock gates need to be navigated. Sites of historical interest stretch the length of the route dating from Mesolithic times to the present, the historical importance of the river Bann is evident.

The kit for this trip is quite different from the kit I'd take backpacking, space and weight are less important but as there's a strong possibility that the canoes will need to be portaged around the locks it's worth keeping things reasonably simple. That said some kit is being taken as a test simply because we can afford the extra weight. I'm taking the Vango Halo 200 but Ralph is also bringing 2 Hennessey hammocks which with any luck we'll get to use, I'm also taking the Alpkit Rig 7 tarp. Cooking is being taking care of with a selection of stoves between the 4 of us. Ralph is taking an Optimus Nova multi-fuel, I'm taking a Trangia 27k and Backcountry Boiler and and Derek is bringing an EK Kombi woodstove so cooking shouldn't be a problem. As far as sleeping kit goes I'm using a synthetic bag (Snugpak Premier 1) and a Millets CCF mat. As for food well that's going to be the main difference, rather than a selection of freeze dried/dehydrated food it'll be real food this time and a fry up in the morning is something to look forward to. As far as kit storage goes there were various options available but in the end we decided on a rucksack each with personal kit and a large water-resistant pack for food/tent/cooking gear etc. The large pack is from a lifeboat/liferaft and is the one I found washed up near the Giants Causeway last year.

Hopefully the weather will be kind, the midges will stay away and everyone will stay upright.

PHD Ultralight Quilts, a missed Opportunity?

2011-04-26T14:09:00.005+01:00

I bought a 2nd hand PHD Ultra Minim sleeping bag last year and have been really impressed with it, more so than my Minim 500 bag. The Ultra Minim uses 900 down and has neither zip nor shoulder baffle as you'd expect on such a lightweight bag but comes in at an unbeatable, as far as I'm aware 364g.

After using it a few times I wondered what they could achieve if instead of making it a sleeping bag they made it as a quilt or top bag. With no insulation on the bottom it would be lighter or if they retained the same fill weight it would be warmer.

I just received an e-mail from PHD with the heading "PHD launch 2 Ultralight Quilts" so I was pretty excited to see what was on offer. Looking at them they aren't what I imagined at all, rather than being quilts in the form usually associated with ultralight backpacking they're quilts in the regular use at home form. I'm not sure that they haven't missed an opportunity here to be honest although what the intended market is would dictate the form that the quilt takes.

As stand alone insulation the lightest of the 2 is heavier than the Minim Ultra and at this end of the market weight is probably more important than outright warmth. That said it may well be a useful way to upgrade a lightweight bag.

As far as I'd be concerned it's something of a missed opportunity but of course I may be missing the point, I'd be interested in the views of others.

How light and how compact could a Minim Ultra Quilt have been?

CQ CQ CQ SOTA and the 'Backcountry Boiler' on Trostan

2011-04-21T22:27:00.011+01:00

I mentioned previously that I'd recently got my Amateur Radio licence and mentioned in passing 'Summits on the Air' (SOTA). 'Summits on the Air' is an award scheme to encourage the use of amateur radio in the hills. There are currently over 50 countries with active SOTA Associations, some countries have more than 1 association, Germany for example has an association for low mountains and 1 for Alpine summits, the USA, Canada and Spain have even more associations. The UK has 5 associations, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man with each divided into regions. Northern Ireland for example has 5 regions which include the Antrim Hills, Mournes and Sperrins with a total of 66 summits, Scotland on the other hand has 6 regions with a total of 1216 qualifying. Within each region summits are awarded points with less accessible or higher summits worth more points.

Participation can be as an Activator (the guy on the summit) or as a Chaser (generally the guy operating from home although if you're on a summit as an Activator and respond to a call from another summit Activator then you are also a chaser. To 'Activate' a summit and claim the points you need to make 4 contacts, a Chaser only needs to make one contact to obtain the points.

As with most things related to the outdoors it's a question of compromises when it comes to radio gear, do you carry a lightweight handheld (walkie talkie) operating on VHF with 5 watts or do you carry a heavier radio capable of longer distance and operating on HF/VHF with 50 watts plus but weighing perhaps 4kg and needing an external battery pack which may be in the form of a 'SLAB' (Sealed Lead Acid Battery). The same applies to antenna, even using a handheld there's a choice between the supplied whip antenna or an external antenna, either an omni directional or directional which needs to be mounted on a mast. There's plenty to choose from whether you're looking at radios or antennas and numerous pro's and con's.

I'm currently using a Chinese handheld, Wouxun KG-UVD1P Dual Band (VHF/UHF) which weighs 402g including whip antenna, an external waterproof microphone adds a further 116g. My total radio kit weight comes in at approx 800g, not heavy for a radio set-up but to put it in perspective some tents are lighter.

I find it quite relaxing to be honest as on the hill I normally rush from place to place but when trying to activate a summit and needing 4 contacts to do so I have to settle down stay in the same place for a while which is a nice way to spend a few hours on a pleasant day although I imagine it isn't quite so nice in wet weather.

I'd been out on Slemish on Saturday with Ralph who got me involved in amateur radio and we'd both managed to Activate the summit but I wanted to get out again this week to try to Activate Trostan. I'd finished my shift on Tuesday evening but spent all day Wednesday tidying up the garden, getting the grass cut and so on so that I'd be free to get out on the hill. Ralph couldn't make it but mentioned that he might listen out for me so I sorted out my kit ready for today.

I'd just received a new wood stove, the 'Backcountry Boiler' from Devin Montgomery so decided to take it along. While there are no trees on Trostan there's a forest section starting at the car park so I knew I'd be able to pick up some fuel on route, as a back up and to see how the 'Backcountry Boiler' worked with a meths burner I took the burner from my Trangia 27k. The BCB can with care be used to carry water, there's a silicone stopper but I'd recommend packing it carefully and not throwing your pack around too much.

It was warm and quite bright when I arrived at the parking spot but there was quite a bit of haze, I'd taken the Peter Storm fleece jacket and a Montane windshirt in case it was cool on the summit as I knew I'd be sitting around for a while. It was warm enough to begin with to wear only a long sleeve Heattech t-shirt and I also wore the Peter Storm Active trousers and Adidas Terrex Seamless trainers. I'd brought a small A5 Alpkit stuff sack to carry wood collected on route and had easily found enough but rather than put it back in my rucksack I'd tied it to the hipbelt.

Having left the forest and at about 1/3 of the way to the summit I stopped for a drink at a spot where the water flows out from underground and over a large rock. It wasn't until I was ready to move on that I realised I'd somehow lost the stuff sack with the wood I'd collected. I didn't want to go looking for it and as I had the Trangia burner as back-up I figured I'd be fine and could look for the stuff sack on the way back.

It didn't take long to reach the summit but there was a bit of a breeze and it felt quite chilly so I pulled on the windshirt to begin with but soon swapped it for the fleece and swapped baseball cap for a beanie although the Peter Storm trousers proved to be sufficiently windproof. Having found a reasonably comfortable spot I got my kit sorted out and sat down to try to make a contact. It didn't take long before I had a response from a guy in Armagh city followed soon after by a response from a guy driving near Portadown who kindly stopped to complete the contact. With 2 contacts made and 2 to go I set about making a brew, the Trangia burner fits perfectly into the fire cup of the Back Country Boiler and after a few strikes from a flint and steel I had the burner going. It took around 8 minutes to reach a strong rolling boil with the boiler filled to the maximum, I'd be happy with that level of performance given that I was on the open hill and it was quite breezy.

I'd just finished my coffee when Ralph came on the air, he'd decided to go up another summit (Agnews Hill) near to where he lives to help me activate Trostan so we chatted for a bit before another guy broke in to make contact. That gave me the required 4 contacts but Ralph still needed a further 2. We then picked up a very strong signal from from another user, this time an Activator working from the summit of Ben More on Mull, both Ralph and myself managed to make contact and it was a bit of a buzz to contact someone else out on the hill.

Having now had 5 contacts I decided to stand by to allow Ralph to try for the required 4th contact and I took the opportunity to fire up the BCB for another brew, in the end Ralph unfortunately didn't manage to get the 4th contact. I still wanted to try the BCB using wood as fuel and with plenty of time to spare I packed up and started to make my way back towards the forest.

Retracing my steps I eventually found my stuff sack and made my way into the forest following a stream to a spot I'd used before. Although I'd found the stuff sack of fuel it wasn't really needed back in the forest as the ground was littered with dry twigs. I used some cotton wool coated with Vaseline and in just over 6 minutes the water had reached a strong rolling boil.

It was pleasant and warm sitting by the stream as the haze had cleared and the sun was filtering through the trees so I relaxed while my Pasta meal rehydrated. Fed and watered so to speak there was nothing much to do but leave the forest by way of a gravel track and from there back to my car.

It was a good day out, I'm pleased to have 'Activated' Trostan and delighted with the Backcountry Boiler, it worked well with the Trangia burner as a back up and worked even better as intended, using wood as fuel.

First Look, Peter Storm Carrick Interactive Fleece

2011-04-17T21:00:00.006+01:00

I mentioned on my last post that I'd received some kit from Millets, one of the items was a fleece jacket. The Carrick I.A. is a regular fleece jacket similar to offerings from a variety of different brands. The fleece fabric, 'Thermotech 200' isn't quite as soft or thick as e.g. Polarfleece 300 but feels a little more wind resistant although it isn't a laminated windproof fleece as such. Having checked the size chart I requested a 'small' and the fit is pretty good, length is about right for me, while it isn't a close athletic cut it isn't baggy and the sleeves are about right which I often have a problem having long arms.

The sleeves are regular style rather than raglan style and the cuffs are simply made from the same fabric as the rest of the jacket. Fit is a personal thing but I found the cuffs just about right, not too tight and not too loose. There's a shock cord around the hem with a captive cord lock at each side to allow it to be tightened in to reduce drafts.

The jacket has 3 pockets, 2 zipped hand warmer pockets and a chest pocket with a vertical zip which is as much as I would need. The chest pocket holds an OS N.I. 1/50,000 scale map (180mm x 110mm) but is too short for a 1/25,000 scale map and I suspect too short for a Landranger 1/50,000 UK map. I noticed that there were 2 small elastic loops near the bottom of each sleeve just above the cuff and at 1st I wondered if they were for attaching gloves but I remembered that it's an 'Interactive' fleece so they're probably for attaching it to a waterproof shell.

There's one small detail that I should mention and that's the seam running along the shoulder, it isn't something that I've ever had a problem with but I know some people are sensitive to seams on the shoulder when carrying a pack. The seam is slightly bulky although the fabric is soft so if you suffer in that department make a point of checking it out in case it is a problem.

I wore the jacket on Saturday when out on the hill and found it worked fine, that said I don't ask much from a fleece, in my view if it fits, insulates, drys quickly and provides secure storage for a few odds and ends then it does the job. With that in mind I'm not inclined to spend too much on a fleece, it does depend on what you want.

The normal price is £34.99 and at that price it's good value, that it's currently available at £27.99 is even better.

Normal Service Resumed

2011-04-16T21:10:00.005+01:00

It's been a bit hectic here for the past few weeks for a variety of reasons but touch wood things are getting back to normal just in time for the holidays. I've recently managed to get my Amateur Radio Licence, my Mum was in hospital for a week (nothing serious I'm pleased to say) I had the Adidas Terrex Seamless trainers from Webtogs for review and also received a few items from Millets for review. I'm currently in the middle of a shift change at work so although I only had today off once I get another 3 shifts done I'm on holidays for almost 2 weeks and I have a few things planned including a 2 day canoe trip.

The Adidas trainers have had plenty of use but not under the circumstances I'd envisaged, what I can say is that they're comfortable and I'll be using them from now through the next few months.

The Amateur Radio licence was a case of grabbing an opportunity, Ralph who I've mentioned here before has held an Amateur Radio licence for some time, in fact he has the Intermediate license mentioned that a local club was running a course and that as his son was going to attend I might like to sit the course too. I hadn't considered it before and although I wasn't sure what I'd do if I did pass the exam I decided to go anyway. In the end I passed the exam and obtained the licence and have discovered that like backpacking there are a variety of ways to use Shortwave Radio. The one that fits best with backpacking is probably 'Summits on the Air' (SOTA). To cut a long story short you need to make 4 contacts from one of the designated summits to claim the points, summits are worth varying amounts of points depending on height, ease of access etc. Obviously you can use pretty much any transceiver if you can carry the associated equipment but it lends itself to small handheld or mobile radios and lightweight antennas. As a Foundation licence holder I'm restricted to 10 Watts so I bought a small Chinese made Dual Band handheld which runs at 5 watts max. At present I'm using a regular whip antenna but I've found plans for a MYOG lightweight Yagi directional antenna, the plans surprisingly were on Backpacking.net/make gear.

On the gear front I'd had an e-mail from Millets asking if I'd like to review some of their own brand kit, Peter Storm/Eurohike. On the understanding that I'm free to give my own opinion I accepted and picked a few items I thought I could use namely a Peter Storm Fleece jacket and Peter Storm lightweight cargo trousers. I'd also picked a nice looking frying pan with a folding handle but hadn't checked the dimensions. It's a bit too big for backpacking but for car camping it looks like a very good alternative to the regular pan we currently use, it might just get to go on the canoe trip.

Although I only had today off work I was keen to try out the new kit from Millets, try the Terrex Seamless on the hill and have a go at SOTA so Ralph suggested we meet up at Slemish, a small local hill associated with Saint Patrick. It was dry but overcast when we set off from the car park and I'd felt a little cold while standing around before setting off so had pulled on my Paramo VAL. I was already wearing the Peter Storm fleece and we hadn't gone far until I was much too warm and had to remove the VAL again. Unlike most of the Antrim hills Slemish isn't surrounded by peat bogs so I wore the Terrex Seamless without Gore-Tex socks and had no issues with wet feet. On the few rocky bits I had plenty of grip so choose to avoid the heather and use the rocks where possible.

It didn't take long to reach the top so once we'd found a suitable spot a few meters from the summit we settled down, Ralph operating his handheld radio while I set the Trangia up to get a brew on.

In the end we both managed to make the required 4 contacts although it was a bit quiet to start with. Although I was a bit shaky to start I relaxed a bit and things started to come together a bit better. It's a bit nerve wracking going on air at the start as anyone listening in knows by your call sign that you're a beginner and I suspect that like most other pastimes there are those who prefer to listen in and criticise rather than make contact and offer constructive criticism or advice.

It was all a bit rushed having been planned at work but I'd packed the Alpkit Rig 7 tarp in case it started to rain while we were out, in the end it didn't rain but just before we packed up to return to the cars I pitched it up in a couple of different configurations mainly to see how it fared on the uneven ground of a hill top. In the end it went up easily so I'm sure it'll be a regular on the kit list next time I'm out.

Although it wasn't a major outing it was important to me as a starting point and I'm now looking forward to getting through the next few shifts and getting out again over the holidays.

Writing in the Rain, The Uniball Power Tank

2011-04-11T17:03:00.009+01:00

I don't normally take a notebook with me when I'm going out but due to a new venture which would require some paperwork I figured the best option would be something that would be useable even if it was raining. The obvious choice seemed to be 'Rite in the Rain', at least that's the only brand I was aware of. It's my understanding that you can simply use a pencil even if the paper is wet but to be honest I prefer a pen. Although I purchased a 'Rite in the Rain' notepad I wasn't keen on paying £10+ for a 'Rite in the Rain Pen' even though it does have a metal barrel. It so happened that I was in a newsagents today and found a pen that does the same job at a fraction of the price, £2.49 to be exact.

The pen is branded as the 'Uniball Power Tank' made by the Mitsubishi Pencil Company with a web address www.uniball.co.uk. The pens come in 3 colours, Black, Red or Blue and there's an Eco version, to quote the website

"The Power Tank Eco is manufactured from a significant proportion of recycled materials (including sawdust from our pencil manufacturing process)".

The Eco version appears to be only available in Black but refills are available for the regular Power Tank and I'm assuming the same refill fits both the Regular and Eco versions.

The Power Tank is made in Japan and is a fairly standard push button ballpoint, it's quite chunky with a slightly grippy lower section although it's like a soft plastic rather than rubber. The thing that sets it apart from a regular ballpoint is the refill, similar to the famous Fisher Spacepen the refill is sealed and pressurised which means it works upside down and can write under water (at least as far under water as I'm likely to need, the suggested depth is 3"/7cm) or on wet paper, it's also claimed to be usable at -20°c.

I've tried it out on a sheet of paper that was soaked and it worked just fine with no smearing even when I rubbed it. The pen weighs 12g but if you're really keen you could use the refill only which weighs 4g. The best thing though is the price, at £2.49 or as low as £1.80 online (before shipping) with refills costing as little as 83p. Given that it does exactly what it says there's little point on spending £10+ on the alternatives.

You can't buy direct from Uniball.co.uk but the website has a list of stockists including ASDA, Tesco, WH Smith, Morrisons etc, in the event that the 'Power Tank' isn't stocked they're available online from www.cultpens.com or www.tigerpens.co.uk.

Adidas Terrex Seamless

2011-04-03T14:06:00.013+01:00

I received a pair of Adidas Terrex Seamless trainers from Webtogs recently, I'd had a choice of TNF Hedgehogs, Keen Alamosa but choose the Terrex Seamless for a variety of reasons. Although popular, Gore-Tex (or eVent) lined shoes aren't a favourite of mine, I find them ok on tracks/paths but on sofer ground or long wet grass you inevitably end up with wet feet as shoes being shoes aren't high enough and once they get wet inside they take a while to dry, on that basis I ruled out the TNF Hedgehogs.

I ideally wanted something that I could use when canoeing as well as walking so ultimately choose the Terrex Seamless as the lack of stitching and close woven fabric looked like it would be more splash resistant and less likely to retain mud etc than the more open fabric on the Keen Alamosa, additionally I liked the lacing system as it looked less likely to get caught up on the seat etc fittings in the canoe. Gareth at Webtogs advised me that Adidas can be a bit small fitting so I tried a few pairs of Adidas sports trainers locally to check and sure enough size 9's which are my normal shoe/boot size were a litle tight so I asked for size 10. The shoes duly arrived and the 1st pleasant surprise was the weight or lack of, prior to opening the box I could have easily been convinced that there was only one shoe inside, fortunately both shoes were present.

The shoes are marketed as 'Seamless' and although I didn't go over them with a fine tooth comb the visible joins are indeed stitch free. The fabric is quite closely woven and looks quite similar to wetsuit faric (neoprene with a face fabric) but of course it feels quite different. I'm not sure how the joins are achieved, I suspect they're bonded so there may be a question mark over long term durability. When it comes to fit everyone is different, I find I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to footwear so the Adidas are fine, the only thing is that I need to compromise slightly as if needed I wear Gore-Tex socks. With that in mind the Terrex do need to be laced tightly when I'm not wearing Gore-Tex socks and it's worth considering that the lacing doesn't extend down the toe as far as on some other trainers.

I mentioned the lacing system, I'm sure there's a name for it but it escapes me, suffice to say that it consists of a very fine cord which is locked by a cordlock and I imagine it'll be less prone to freezing than regular laces, a problem I've had on my current trainers. Of course it may be more prone to slipping but as yet I haven't noticed a problem. The tread pattern isn't very deep, again this can either work well or not at all, I've found that while a deep tread can provide better grip it can depending on the design be prone to clogging, something I've noticed on both my Meindl Borneos and AKU Crodas, a shallower tread while offering less initial grip clears more easily, the very shallow teead on my Karrimor Pro Run trainers being a good example.

The Terrex sole falls closer to the shallow tread of the Pro Runs than the deep tread on the AKU Crodas but ultimately regardless of depth/pattern some will work better in certain conditions than in others. I haven't yet tried the Terrex in muddy conditions but on short grass and dry rock it's been fine so far. On the water repellancy I've noticed that the Terrex shed water very well, how much is down to the fabric weave and how much is down to a DWR is too early to say, they obviously aren't waterproof but they should be breathable. On breathablility I feel that they're perhaps slightly less breathable than mesh fabric unlined trainers, it's still to early to say though and short of wearing one of each it's probably going to be nigh on impossible to comment with any degree of accuracy. I found them to be pretty quick to dry but obviously as they have a slightly padded inner they will retain more water than my Karrimor Pro Runs which are almost entirely mesh with little or no inner fabric at all. Of course the Karrimor's are very thin and obviously wouldn't be to everyones taste. Unfortunately due to other commitments I haven't had a chance to really put the Terrex Seamless to the test. I did manage a short walk on the North Coast and on the varied rock the grip felt good and so far though I'm delighted with them.

As with any gear there are compromises and you have to decide which compromises work best for the intended use. I wanted a trainer that was comfortable for walking, reasonably water resistant but with ease of drying more important. The smooth face fabric while it may prove to be less breathable than mesh doesn't retain mud etc which helps keep the floor of the canoe clean which is desirable when you're kneeling. The quick lacing system is easy to operate even when the shoes are wet where regular laces can be difficult to untie once they're wet and the knot has been pulled tight, additionaly thanks to the elastic loop the cord is out of harms way where it can't get caught on fittings in the canoe just as you're about to stand up to pole rather than paddle. For those interested in the weight they come in at 760g pair/Size 10 which is pretty good.

I'm looking forward to trying the Terrex Seamless in different terrain and will update when I have more information. In the meantime James at Backpacking Bongos has been testing the Terrex Seamless on the hill so plenty of good information there. While you're there take time to read James's great trip reports from less well documented areas.

Some New Kit

2011-03-23T22:15:00.009Z

I've been interested in getting a Pertex/Pile smock for a while now and having looked at the options I'd narrowed it down to 3. Apart from the obvious, Buffalo Systems there was the Montane Extreme smock and the less well known APS smock from Extreme Outdoor Clothing

Initially I'd decided to go for the Extreme Clothing APS smock which is made to order but after discussing it with Keith the owner I opted for the APS smock lined with K2 fleece rather than pile. K2 fleece is virtually identical to Ultrafleece which was used way back by Mountain Equipment. I have a couple of Ultrafleece garments, a jacket and smock, it's quite a thin dense fleece so while it doesn't provide as much insulation as regular 200wt fleece it's much more wind resistant. As my intended use for the smock was canoeing Keith suggested K2 as it wouldn't be quite so warm. I did actually order the smock but although made to measure there was a slight mix up and the smaock was much too big. Returning it was no problem apart from Keith being snowed under so we agreed on a refund.

The result was that the Pertex/Pile smock search was relegated to the back burner but recently I started looking again. I decided to take the easy option of getting an off the peg smock this time but rather than order online I decided to check out Jackson Sports in Belfast. It turned out that they had both the Buffalo and Montane smocks in stock so I decided to call in and try them for size. I sought some advice on Outdoors Magic regarding which was the preferred option but in the end there was no clear cut choice so I decided to go with whatever one felt best. I needed the smock in Green which meant the Buffalo option had to be the Special 6 at £120 with an additional £30 for the hood or the Montane Extreme at £90 including hood (reduced from £110)

In the end while there were a few things I preferred about the Buffalo Spc 6, the lighter fabric and simpler design mainly the Montane Extreme fitted better, the Spc 6is longer than the Buffalo Mountain Shirt and I felt that it was too long for me.

The Montane Extreme is a slimmer fit and the arm length and body length are pretty much perfect. It opens up on each side from waist to armpit for venting but there are also 2 diagonal chest pockets with mesh backing which can be used as vents.

The hood on the Montane felt nicer than the Buffalo but the chest pocket is smaller due to the diagonal chest zips. There are some nice features on the Montane, there are 2 plastic rings sewn to the sleeves at the forearm to allow gloves/mitts to be attached and there's a D ring sewn in the chest pocket for keys/compass etc the back of the sleeves from armpit to cuff is made from a tougher fabric in black.

If I have one complaint about the Montane Extreme it's the cuffs, it had been mentioned on OM that the sleeves were narrow and while I checked that and didn't find it a problem it wasn't until after I bought it that someone mentioned not being able to roll the sleeves up, sure enough when I tried it the cuffs were too tight to comfortably roll up the sleeves. That said it wouldn't have been enough to put me off even if I'd checked it prior to purchasing.

While I was there I took the opportunity to check out the Buffalo Pertex/Pile mitts, I seen a few people recommend them for wearing under Extremities Tuff Bags but I'd also read that the fit was a bit strange. Strange is right, my Tuff Bags are size Large but I needed size XL Buffalo Mitts and even at that the fit around the thumb is jsut a little bit tighter than I'd ideally like. That said they fit nicely underneath the Tuff Bags and as I only want them as insulation I have no complaints.

Finally as I'd been using the Trangia 27K recently I decided to pick up a non stick pan, mine is just a old basic aluminium set and Multi Disc plastic strainer lid. Again both items were in stock so I went ahead and purchased them. The strainer lid serves a few functions, it makes a nice tray for preparing food and also serves to protect the non-stick coating on the frying pan when packed, you can also use it as a frisbee apparently.

Of course the benefit of visiting a shop in person is that you get to try on items prior to buying, the dowside is that it's tempting to pick up a few items that weren't actually on the shopping list. Fortunately I managed to resist and had the added benefit of a bit of discount (total cost was £133, paid £125 and got a LMF spork thrown in) but it was an opportunity to support a local independent.

MYOG, Throw Bag

2011-03-22T22:46:00.007Z

I had a bit of a spend today, more of which later so I decided to offset that by making instead of buying a Throw Line for canoeing. A throw bag is basically a stuff sack attached to a floating rope that you throw to someone needing rescued. Throw bags come with different lengths of line, 15-25m and can cost upwards of £40. I mentioned before about finding some floating rope in a washed up life raft pack when camping on the north coast and although I'd used about 10m to make 2 painters for the canoe had had plenty left, 21.5m to be exact so decided to make a bag to hold it.

I'd tried a few stuff sacks I had to see what size I needed to make and to be honest I could just as easily have used a ready made stuff sack but decided to make one from scratch.

I gathered together the bits and pieces, some coated nylon from an old groundsheet, a length of webbing, 2 x brass eyelets, a piece of shock cord and cord lock, a piece of closed cell foam an empty milk container.

The line should have a small loop at one end, it then runs through an eyelet on the base of the bag, through the closed cell foam (to help it float) and through a piece of plastic (cut from the milk container), a 2nd knot is tied on the rope to keep the stuff sack in place and that's about all there is to it.

I started off by sewing the webbing to the coated nylon roughly where the center of the base of the stuff sack would be, I kept the webbing long until it was sewn on and then cut and sealed it as it was easier to keep hold of it while sewing it on. I sewed a 2nd piece near the top of the fabric where the draw cord would run.

With the webbing reinforcements sewn on I melted a hole through them and fitted a brass eyelet to each before folding the fabric over and sewing up both sides to make the bag.

With the sides sewn I folded the bag and sewed the corners of the base to make the bag rectangular rather than flat, most commercially available throw bags have a sewn in circular base but I find it easier to make it the way I did. With that done I turned the top over and sewed around the cuff to make the tunnel for the drawcord, I should have given myself a bit more fabric for the seam as the foot of the sewing machine was a bit close to the eyelet but it worked ok if only just.

Once I'd added the drawcord it was time to fit the rope, 1st I tied a figure 8 knot on the end of the rope before feeding it through the base eyelet. Next I fed the rope through 2 pieces of closed cell foam and the plastic washer made from the milk container.

With the foam in place I tied another knot in the rope as close as possible to the plastic washer and finished off the rope by splicing the tail into the main part of the rope using the end of a ball point pen.

With that done all that remained was to pack the rope into the bag by laying it back and forth in handfuls and stuffing each handful into the stuff sack, repeating the process until there's only a short tail remaining before closing the drawcord, the tail then hangs free from the bag. To use the throw bag all I need to do is open the drawcord, hold the tail in one hand and throw the bag containing the rope.

While I'm reasonably happy with the end result as usual with these projects I could have done better. The stitching was bit iffy to start, especially where the webbing was sewn on and I should have given myself a bit more fabric for the drawcord tunnel but it wouldn't cost anything to have another go if I felt the need. So far I've only thrown it down the garden but managed to get all but the last meter or so of rope deployed so it does what it's supposed to do.

MYOG, Canoe Trolley

2011-03-19T00:00:00.007Z

At 35kg or thereabouts my canoe is just a bit too heavy for me to carry any distance, there's a carrying yoke so that it can be carried upide down on my shoulders but it's awkward to lift and I need to have it set up on trestles 1st so that I can get underneath before lifting it. Getting it from car to water is tricky as I'm usually solo so if possible I just drag it along. I'd looked at canoe trolleys but at £40 for a Lomo, the cheapest I could find to over £80 for an Ekla trolley I'd put off getting one.

I found an alternative, a MYOG trolley on the 'Song of the Paddle' forum, made from a sack trolley it isn't really a self build project as the only thing you need to do is cut pieces off the trolley.

I managed to pick up a trolley for £20 from B&Q although it was slightly different from the one shown on SotP. I didn't follow the instructions exactly so my trolley is a bit longer than the others but while it looks a bit more secure it weighs more (probably) and takes up more space in the canoe although I wouldn't always need to take it with me. Rather than cut the frame off where the axle brackets are welded on I cut mine at the 2nd crossbar to provide a longer bed for the canoe to sit on, most people simply cut the platform off level with the frame but while I was worried it would weaken the frame I went ahead and removed the platform completely. In practice it seems rigid enough and I was able to load the canoe off and on easily, the longer bed keeping the trolley right way up.

While it works ok I'm not entirely satisfied with the design, I have a few ideas for something that would fold up smaller and weigh less but it would mean getting the welder out and to be honest I'm not much good at welding. In the meantime the chopped sack trolley will have to do, it certainly makes shifting the canoe much easier and the money saved will go towards another paddle.

EMSA Stainless Vacum Flask

2011-03-17T09:02:00.006Z

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'd bought a new vacumn flask, I used to carry a flask on day walks but since starting to get back into walking I've just taken a stove. I suppose I was mainly following the current trend, you don't see flasks mentioned much now and although I read a few posts recommending various brands, none of which were marketed at the outdoors scene I didn't really give it much thought.

It was purely by chance that I ended up buying a flask, I was in a shop specialising in cookware and utensils when I noticed flasks branded EMSA Admiral and remembering that the ones I'd seen recommended (not EMSA) were aimed at the catering industry I decided to buy one. They had 2 sizes in stock, 0.5l and 1.0l but I decided on the 1.0l version which was £14. There was an information label attached to the flask which mentioned a 5 year guarantee, suggested that it could keep drinks hot for 12 hours and also that the flask had been rated as '2.0 Gut' by Siftung Warentest To be perfectly honest I had no idea what that meant apart from 'Gut' being good but it looked impressive.

EMSA are a German company based in Emsdetten and manufacturing in Germany, it's worth taking a look at their website, in particular the page titled 'Company, Quality and Responsibility'.
The flask is an actual vacumn flask rather than simply an insulated flask and has a ribbed outer casing which helps provide some grip. The screw on inner cap has a flip up pouring spout and the outer cap doubles as an insulated mug like pretty much every other flask and like most other flasks the mug is too small for my liking.

I tried the flask as soon as I got home, priming it 1st before filling it with boiling water. The 1st thing I noticed was that there was a spot near the bottom of the outer casing, about 25mm diameter that was almost too hot to touch. My 1st reaction was that it was leaking somewhere but as it didn't feel warm anywhere else I put it down to the inner and outer being connected probably due to the manufacturing process. I left the flask in the garage overnight and checked it again the next morning, the temperature in the garage had been down to around freezing and the flask was standing on a concrete floor but after almost 17 hours the water was still close to 70°C, just about warm enough for a coffee with milk added.

I've since used the flask on a couple of occasions and needless to say it was fine, At 675g empty it isn't light, a gas stove and mug would weigh less never mind a meths stove set-up but a flask is quick and easy.

Gore Bike Wear Gore Tex Socks

2011-03-12T12:09:00.006Z

I'm not a fan or Gore Tex lined trainer's or shoes for off trail use for a variety of reasons, 1st is that they're only waterproof as long as you don't don't step in water deeper than the top of the shoe and once wet they stay wet as the water obviously can't get back out. I much prefer an unlined trainer and if needed I wear a Gore Tex sock.

Probably the most popular Gore Tex socks were the ones branded as 'Rocky' but they appear to be unavailable now, in fact from what I've read they're no longer made. I didn't have Rocky's myself but I did have a pair of Trekmates Amphibian socks which although looking quite loose/baggy were fine once on and everything was straightened out. I wore them year round with a very light Karrimor branded trail running shoe (Pro Run) but eventually due to wear at the toe one of them started to leak. I tried to get another pair but it seems that Trekmates no longer make them.

I read on Outdoors Magic about Gore Bike Wear Gore Tex socks, in fact when I saw tham mentioned I remembered about them from my cycling days. I decided to give them a try and ended up getting them from Evans Cycles. I'd used Evans Cycles in the past, both my wife and daughter's mtb's came from Evans Cycles so I placed an order for a pair in size Large (42-44) but they were a bit tight. Although they're quite stretchy I didn't want to risk too much stress especially at the toe so I re-ordered a pair size X Large (45-47) and they fitted perfectly so I think they are small fitting as 43-44 in footwear is my normal size.

They're quite different to the Trekmates socks, the Trekmates ones only have a stretch panel on the top of the foot and up the shin with the remaining fabric being regular fabric. This makes the Trekmates one's slightly more bulky and prone to creasing although a little care when putting your shoes means it isn't a problem. The Gore Bike Wear socks are completely made from stretch fabric so they're a much neater fit, whether they're any less durable I can't say at this stage. The Gore Bike Wear socks are a bit longer and have a nice wide cuff which helps keep them from falling down. They're comfortable enough, in I had to check the size of a particular brand of trainer last week and wore the Gore Bike Wear socks as I needed to be sure the trainers would fit while wearing the Gore Tex socks, in the end I completely forgot I was wearing them until later that night.

Subject to actually trying them, I think they're definitely worth a look for anyone who prefers an unlined trainer but still wants the option of some wet weather prtection, at £19 from Evans Cycles they're not outrageously expensive.

Day Tripping, Floating the Boat

2011-03-03T20:30:00.009Z

There's been a real change in the weather this week, although I was working at the start of the week the presence of sunshine and blue skies had me looking forward to finishing my shift even more than usual. Spring has sprung and flowers are beginning to appear, I noticed Snowdrops well and truly emerged last weekend when I had the canoe out and it's actually quite warm.

I'd planned to have another day out in the canoe and sorted my kit on Wednesday night so that I could head out as soon as possible after attending to a few other tasks. I really wanted to check out some potential wild camp spots and get a bit more practice handling the canoe before the summer when I hope to make some longer trips.

I decided to take my old Trangia 27k this time, they're a great design and they've stood the test of time and while the weight might be too much for solo backpacking in a canoe it's pretty irrelevant. I packed everything into an Alpkit Goudron 20, including my well worn Montane Flux and with the canoe loaded up set off in bright sunshine.

While it's great having the river at the bottom of the yard, well my Mum's yard to be exact the downside is that if you have an out and back trip you go with the flow and come back against it. Although the river isn't very fast flowing there's one section where it's really shallow, less than a foot (30cm) deep in places and as a result it's too fast to paddle as the paddle bottoms out, there are also a few places where large rocks were placed across the river after it was deepened and straightened some years ago. Getting downstream over or between the rocks isn't a problem apart from the risk of a few scrapes as the drop is less than a foot but getting back means lining the canoe from the river bank or trying to pole back over them.

When I was out on Saturday I simply waded up the shallow section, I was wearing the Uniqlo Easy Windproof trousers and to be honest was amazed at how well the DWR worked and how dry and warm the tricot type lining felt after having been in knee deep plus water for a good few minutes. They worked so well that I didn't need to change into dry trousers when I got back home.

When I set off I was wearing a pair of Easy Windproof trousers, a zip neck fleece over a HeatTech L/S T-Shirt and a acrylic beanie cap but soon stopped to remove the fleece and beanie cap. I set off again wearing only the HeatTech T and a bandanna made from a Buff. The air was still and the warmth surprising for the 1st week in March and to be honest I really should have worn a pair of sunglasses to cut the glare from the water.

Every now and then a few waterbirds would take flight only to land again a few hundred meters ahead. At 1st only 2 or 3 would take flight but they must have landed again where there were others as each time I surprised them the numbers had increased until finally there was quite a sizable flock.

I stopped a few times to check out some potential pitches, a fence runs along both sides of the river bank marking the boundary of the farmland which is really just rough pasture. While the river bank is generally quite narrow and covered in weeds and tall grass on the river side of the fence there are a few places where it's wide and reasonably flat with short grass, there's certainly enough room for a tarp/bivvy bag.

Further downstream the farmland gives way to bog/moorland and here I found a nice spot. Out of sight of houses and with the bog as a barrier there was a nice flat grassy area backed by a stand of Whin bushes although it was on the farmland side of the fence. I decided that I'd stop here for lunch on my way back.

Just beyond I passed the small fir tree plantation I'd stopped at at the end of last year on my 1st outing on the canoe, again this would be an ideal spot, especially for using a hammock.

I'd already passed 2 of the rocky steps but on rounding the corner I spotted another two only about 30 meters apart, rather than shoot for it I stopped and walked down for a look 1st, I decided that I could make a clean run without too many scrapes and in the end managed both without scraping at all. It was now about 2.30pm and I was starting to get a bit hungry so decided to turn around and make my way back. I didn't manage to pole my way past the 1st rock step, I almost managed but further attempts were less successful so I walked along the river bank and lined the canoe through. I decided to try poling on the next step and this time managed it before once again swapping pole for paddle and making for the place I'd spotted previously to have lunch.

I picked a reasonably flat spot and got the Trangia set-up to boil some water for coffee before making some pasta but found that I'd forgotten to bring a mug. Fortunately I hadn't stripped the Trangia down so with the full set I simply used one of the pans as a giant mug.

Although I'd taken an instant pasta meal I decided to cook it in the pot rather than in a freezer bag, I'd already sliced a Pepperami so added it to the pasta and sauce and let it simmer while I ate some smoked cheese and drank my coffee.

I re-discovered 2 things,

1. a Trangia is a really nice system if the weight isn't an issue, it's tough, works well and doesn't need attended which allows you to relax or carry out other tasks.

2. eating from a freezer bag is okay, eating from a bowl or in this case pot is much, much nicer, no need for an extra long spoon or sauce covered fingers trying to get the last remaining pasta twists or strands of spaghetti out of the corner of a bag.

I was in no hurry to leave as it was so nice to just sit around relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet, the ducks I'd seen earlier would probably have agreed!! I boiled some more water for another coffee before packing up and getting going again.

I soon reached the final 2 rock steps, again I tried to pole it and again ended up lining the 1st and poling the second. I need a lot more practice poling, I've watched people doing it on Youtube and they make it look easy but I don't find it easy at all. A short paddle and I reached the shallow faster flowing section that I'd waded on Saturday but this time I managed to pole it, it took some time to be honest and I did end up going backwards, sideways every way except forwards at times but eventually I made it. With only a few hundred meters to go I stopped one last time, just a few moments to enjoy the surroundings even if it only was rough pasture.

Although it wouldn't be on any dream list of trips to take it was still enjoyable even if my arms and shoulders were feeling the effects by the end. It's easy to sit at the computer and plan grand trips but in the end any break from the daily grind is worthwhile.

Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill 100wt Fleece

2011-02-26T19:50:00.007Z

Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill

When it comes to fleece I tend to just buy cheap ones from places like Primark rather than from outdoor shops and to be honest the ones I have work fine. I have one fleece jacket by Mountain Equipment from years ago but it’s made from what was called Ultrafleece (also known as Karisma or K2 fleece) and is quite thin but slightly more wind resistant than regular polar fleece. In addition when I started to get back into walking I bought a thin fleece zip neck from the Mountain Warehouse, similar to 100wt fleece but I’ve rarely worn it. The cheaper fleece stuff I own is similar in weight/thickness to 200wt polar fleece and I have a couple of zip neck pullovers from Primark and a full zip hoodie from Uniqlo mentioned previously.

Just recently however I received a Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill zip neck from Webtogs for review. The micro chill is made from 100wt Polartec Classic and while it’s nice enough I can never quite decide if 100wt fleece is a heavy base layer or a light mid layer, and I’ve never really felt that my ‘wardrobe’ was lacking.

The Mountain Hardware Micro Chill is at 1st glance a fairly basic design, a zip neck with no pockets, loose cuffs and no means of tightening the waist. In this respect there doesn’t appear to be any reason to choose it over similar garments from other brands. On closer examination there are a few things that are probably worth mentioning.

The seams are flat stitched for comfort and the sleeves are raglan style which means there are no seams on the shoulders, the other nice touch is the way the neck zip is finished off, there’s a little pocket that the puller sits in when fully zipped so you can’t feel the zip when it’s fully zipped.

I checked out what else was available from the other Brands in similar style and using the same fabric and there are a few with TNF making 3 very similar looking zip neck pullovers, the Khyber, Glacier and Glacier Delta, Mountain Equipment have the Micro Zip T. Comparing them I couldn’t really see any reason to choose one over the other apart from maybe the Mountain Equipment one which has a zipped chest pocket and given a choice that‘s probably the one I‘d go for although if used as a base layer the pocket won‘t be accessible and having no waist draw cord rules it out as a mid layer for me.

I wanted to take my canoe out at the weekend so decided that rather than wear my Paramo VAL over a base layer I’d try the Mountain Hardware Micro Chill instead. With only a long sleeve base layer under the Micro Chill I was warm enough as I was wearing a buoyancy aid although I did need to pull on my Montane Flux once I’d stopped for a snack and had taken my buoyancy aid off.

In use the Mountain Hardwear is ok but not outstanding, I certainly wouldn’t rush out to buy one. I haven’t found myself needing a 100wt fleece and even if I did there’s nothing that makes it stand out from the others. As far as I’m concerned it really comes down to the intended use, if it’s a base layer then I’d choose from the ones mentioned above and make my decision based on fit, if it’s a light mid layer then I’d be looking at something with pockets, hem drawcord and probably a full zip. To be honest it doesn’t offer much that I can’t get from a £4 fleece from Primark and at £40 it’s just too expensive for what it is in my opinion. You can get perfectly adequate fleeces on the high street but of course they’re not exactly technical, unfortunately neither is the Micro Chill. It could be argued that the Micro Chill is worth the asking price as it’s made from a premium fabric but the thing that goes against it in that respect is that for an extra £10 you can get the full zip version by Mountain Hardwear which adds a zipped chest pocket, 2 x zipped hand warmer pockets, dual waist draw cords and internal cuffs and those features take the jacket to another level above what you would get in a generic high street fleece.

Oookworks UK, Inner Nests for the Golite Hex/ShangriLa 3

2011-02-08T16:52:00.011Z

Oookworks Mesh Inner Nest

Although I don't use a Golite Hex/ShangriLa 3 myself they're quite popular in the UK especially with those who like to go Lightweight and/or benefit from the space/versatility that single skin shelters offer. Of course you could be forgiven for questioning why anyone would want to carry a single skin shelter that once you add the bits and pieces required to actually pitch weighs more than some 2 skin tents. It's a question I've asked myself but having used the flysheet only of my Phreeranger 2 skin tent I can see where the benefits are.

One of the main advantages is space, I've tried a TN Laser and a Vaude Power Lizard and while they're light, as little as 1.0kg in the case of the Power Lizard they don't have anywhere near the same useable space as something like the Golite ShangriLa or my Phreeranger fly for that matter.

The other thing that I suspect appeals to a lot of people is versatility, certainly thats what I like about my Phreeranger. I've used it as intended, with a footprint only and with a footprint/bivvy bag and I know that a lot of folks who use the Hex/ShangriLa 3 do the same. One further advantage of something like the ShangriLa 3 is that if you use trekking poles then you don't need to carry a dedicated tent pole.

The only issue I have with my Phreeranger set-up is that while my bivvy bag, a Titanium Goat Ptarmigan has a midge net hood it isn't quite as useable as a midge proof inner tent. Golite make a mesh inner tent which they call a 'Nest' but it's a full size (3 person) inner and heavy at 850g, they also make a footprint/groundsheet for the ShangriLa which again covers the entire floor area but at 535g it's also quite heavy.

There are quite a few people using the ShangriLa 3 as a solo shelter however so a half inner or footprint would still provide a large sleeping area but also create a very large porch/vestibule for cooking and gear storage, unfortunately Golite don't provide a half inner and that's where Oookworks come in.

What I suspect started out as an MYOG project has developed thanks to demand from those with a Hex/ShangriLa3 who either don't have the time or expertise to make their own inner tent. Sean at Oookworks makes a nicely designed nest which is available in full mesh for maximum ventilation or plain ripstop as a warmer more draftproof alternative, both available with a choice of 2 (at present) groundsheet weights. As the nests are made to order for the time being Oookworks can customise them to suit individual requirements, they also offer a repair/modification service.

Oooknest Mesh Inner, Porch Space is Massive!!

Ripstop Oooknest, Ample Sleeping Space for 1 with room for odds and ends

Quite often on UK outdoors forums you hear people lamenting the lack of a UK cottage industry so here's an opportunity to support someone who's trying to change that. Have a look at the Oookworks website and if there's anything you want to know use the Oookworks contact form, that's what it's for after all :-)

Boilerwerks Backcountry Boiler, Ultralight Chimney Kettle

2011-02-05T21:21:00.004Z

Some of you may be aware of Devin Montgomery and his effort to design and manufacture an Ultralight alternative to the more well known Chimney Kettles from the likes of Ghillie Kettle, Kelly Kettle and so on, if not check out Backpacking Light forums.

If you've read the relevant threads and the updates on the Boilerwerks blog you'll know that Devin spent a great deal of time and energy designing his kettle and trying to get it into production. It was originally intended to be named the M(ontgomery)kettle but surprising as it seems another product (almost) identical in appearance but heavier appeared a while back, built in the UK and even more surprisingly bearing the same name!! Devin has now re-named his kettle the 'Backcountry Boiler'

I've seen a Ghillie kettle in action and the performance was pretty amazing but way too heavy for backpacking (the guy using it was in a sea kayak), the 'Backcountry Boiler' is light enough to backpack so if anyone is interested in getting one or just interested in reading about how Devin developed it check out his blog.

Boilerwerks

Uniqlo

2011-02-05T17:33:00.001Z

I've posted in the past about kit I've bought from Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo, in particular the light down jackets. I bought one last year and was so impressed that I bought another when the price was reduced. I also tried out their thermal baselayer range, Heattech, again I'm really impressed with Heattech as it's very soft, has just enough stretch, doesn't feel restrictive and dries very quickly.

One other item I purchased last year was a hooded fleece jacket, I hadn't worn it much as to be honest while the down jackets were fine in size Small the fleece was just a little tight. I have been wearing it recently though and although it's currently out of stock I would buy one in Medium if they get them back in.

The final item that I bought was brought to my attention by 'Moonlight Shadow' who posts on Outdoors Magic. Uniqlo do a range of trousers under the title of 'Easy Trousers' I'd ordered fleece lined ones last year called ' Easy Warm Trousers' but returned them as I thought they'd be too warm for walking. The ones Moonlight Shadow mentioned are called 'Easy Windproof trousers'.

Starting with Heattech, the range consists of long and short sleeve t-shirts in a variety of plain or patterned fabrics, both are available in crew or v neck and additionally the long sleeve version can be had with a roll neck. Most of the range comes in a plain weave but the long sleeve t-shirt is also available in a waffle knit. The fabric is 40% Acrylic, 34% Polyester, 21% Viscose, 5% Elastane.

As I mentioned my 1st items were standard long and short sleeve t-shirts (1 of each) when I checked a week ago the price was reduced again so I ordered 2 more short sleeve t's at £6.99 (reduced from £9.99) each, 1 long sleeve crew neck and a pair of longjohns at £9.99 (reduced from £14.99) each.

I've tried a few different synthetic base layers, my favourite being Sub Zero F1 but given the price difference and the fact that I can't really see any difference in performance I think I'll stick with Heattech.

The hooded fleece jacket is made from a slightly furry fabric but it's very soft. The hood is double layer and the cut is slim. The overall design is fairly basic having 2 un-zipped hand warmer pockets 2 inside mesh pockets and one way zip and lycra bound cuffs. The hood is big enough to go over a beanie and has an elastic shockcord and captive cordlocks. I paid £24.99 which is quite a bit more expensive than my usual Primark £5 fleece pullovers but it's still a bargain compared to technical hooded fleece jackets from the well known Outdoors brands. I can't say that there isn't a significant benefit buying a branded fleece, I simply don't know but to be honest I'm slightly cynical when it comes to fleece and I'm not sure I'd want to pay £100+ to find out.

Finally the Easy windproof Trousers, I only really bought these to wear when canoeing as I figured that they'd dry quickly even if the weren't water-resistant and would retain some warmth thanks to a thin brushed lining. The trousers have a sew-in belt with a fastex type buckle, a studded waist and zip fly, a back pocket with a velcro clousure, 2 x handwarner pockets with a stud fastener and a zipped pocket on the right thigh. In addition they have a zipped gussetted opening on the outside of the leg from just below the knee and a shock cord in the hem to draw them in. These were reduced to £14.99 so at the price I wouldn't be worried about trashing them from kneeling in a canoe. The outer fabric is 100% Polyamide and the lining 100% polyester, the swing tag states that the product was developed jointly with TORAY Industries Inc, the same fabric supplier used by Alpkit for their down sleeping bag and down clothing range.

As it turned out I wore them a few days ago when out walking and in spite of a few showers they managed to keep me dry. The outer fabric wetted out on the inside of my calves as I wasn't wearing agiters but in spite of that I didn't feel them wet through. I didn't wear a baselayer underneath but they were comfortable, warm and definitely windproof as there was a really strong wind and I didn't feel any cooling effect. To illustrate how they performed I was wearing a Paramo VAL over 2 x heattech t-shirts (short sleeve with a long sleeve on top) and while the VAL performed as expected the Easy Windproof trousers matched the VAL's performance and didn't look any wetter at the end. I expect in prolonged rain the Easy windproof trousers would wet out and wet through before the VAL but the VAL too has it's limits as I've discovered.

Tievebulliagh, The Hills and Glens of Antrim

2011-01-31T19:41:00.017Z

I finally made it out today for the 1st time this year, I'd hoped that things would fall into place and I'd be able to visit the Cairngorms but it wasn't to be, in fact getting out today wasn't a certainty but as the walk had been planned by my mate Les I just needed to turn up. I had a few things to attend to this morning which required a trip into town so we decided to meet up at the layby near Essathoan waterfall at 12.00.

Our destination was Tievebulliagh, a nicely shaped (depending on where you view it from) little hill just to the NNW of Trostan. I'm not quite sure why we were going there, it was either because Les wanted to get some photpgraphs or because his mate Bert wanted to find the Neolithic axe factory, Tievebulliagh being a source of Porcellanite, but regardless I was happy to tag along.

Some sources claim that Tievebulliagh is one of only 2 places where Porcellanite is found and that axe heads from Tievebulliagh have been found in the Outer Hebrides and as far as the south of England, whether that's true or not I couldn't say but almost every source that refers to Porcellanite mentions Tievebulliagh.

When we met up at out start point the sky was overcast but it wasn't raining and was reasonably bright although there was a stiff breeze coming from the West/South West. As I'd been given the task of navigator I'd planned to take a fairy direct route over the Easten shoulder of Trostan before dropping down to a flatter section and then following the base of the broken outcrops to where the 'Axe Factory' was marked on the map. With that done my intention was to continue around the base of the broken rock before attaining the summit via a short steep grassy slope on the North side. With the summit reached we would then decend following the edge of the outcrop to pick up our outward route before returning via the summit of Trostan.

I'd aquired some new kit over the past few weeks, a consolation for the disapearance of the snow we had at Christmas, rather than a stove I took a new flask. I found it by accident in a cookware shop in town, made by EMSA with a 5 year guarantee it's hermetically sealed and is rated as being able to keep water hot for up to 12 hours. I'd tried it at home, filling it with boiling water after pre heating/priming it and the water was still at 58°c after 17 hours.

The other item I wanted to try out was a pair of 'Easy Windproof' trousers from Uniqlo. They'd been mentioned on the Bargain Alert thread on OM by 'Moonlight Shadow'. I really only bought them as I was ordering some Heattech thermal baselayer tops and longjohns as they looked like they'd be a good option for canoeing.

The rest of my clothing consisted of a L/S Heattech T-Shirt over a short sleeved version, on top I wore my Paramo VAL, a polar Buff rolled into a cap and SealSkinz Activity gloves took care of the extremities and I carried my Montane Flux as extra insulation to be used Paramo Torres style over my VAL during stops.

We set off at quite a pace but quickly settled back down to something that could be sustained for more than 5 minutes, at first benefitting from the forest track but before long leaving the forest to make the gradual climb up wet grassy and sometimes heather clad slopes to the shoulder from which we'd see our destination. Decending down off the shoulder the going was somewhat worse being heather covered almost all the way to the lower slopes of Tievebulliagh. We had to make an effort to maintain height and bearing as the wind which had increased by now together with the natural tendency to loose height when traversing causing us to drift off to the east. That was something that I wanted to avoid as I really hate loosing height after the effort of gaining it in the 1st place, especially when there's no good reason for doing so.

We reached the broad grassy ridge where it merged with the start of the broken rock/cliffs but rather than follow the base of the cliffs we decided to continue up the ridge following the edge. The view wasn't the best due to the low cloud and the wind was quite strong, certainly strong enough for Les and myself to stay back from the edge although we did move closer as we became more used to it. It was pleasant to be on soild ground and short grass rather than the boggy heather covered ground we'd crossed to reach this point and with the Summit in sight thoughts started to turn to lunch.

We stopped briefly on the summit while Les took a few photographs but the light was such that it wasn't worth messing around with tripod and filters. Looking down to the base of the hill we could easily see evidence of the axe factory looking like a clachan of giant molehills.

The broken rock/cliffs don't extend all the way along the ridge and from the summit it's just a short steep drop down to the axe factory, there's a choice of routes/techniques, straight down the grassy slope folloing the fall line, a zig/zag traverse down the slope or straight down a scree chute. Initially I opted for the zig/zag method but switched to the scree chute as it was easier.

Down among the mounds we stopped for lunch, the flask was produced together with Tunnocks Caramel wafers which went down a treat with a Starbucks Via. With lunch taken care of we set of again, this time skirting the base of the rocky outcrops. We all seemed to take different approaches. I chose to gain the required height right from the start and then maintain it until the base of the outcrop merged into the start of the long grassy ridge, in the end we all arrived at the shoulder at pretty much the same time.

By now the cloud base had dropped significantly and the wind if anything had picked up and swung around to a more southerly direction bringing with it light rain as we started to make out way across the featureless heather clad plateau. Visibility was still generally reasonable but from time to time it closed in, we were aiming to hit a fence line but in spite of trying to avoid drifting down to our left the endless zig/zag route through the peat banks meant we did drift off slightly. After crossing the fence the ground started to rise so with a fresh set of batteries fitted to the GPS (I'd forgotten to change them before starting out and hadn't been using it as we could see where we were going anyway) we checked our position and after a final steep pull we once again reached the shoulder of Trostan and soon picked up our footprints from earlier. We didn't waste much time as the rain which hadn't really increased in intensity had become persistant, the visibility had become worse and the wind was showing no signs of abating.

Dropping down off the shoulder the edge of the forest soon became visible on our right and we simply followed the fence line down to a break in the forest with only a short distance along a firebreak to reach the forest road at Essathoan waterfall. Within 20 minutes we were back at the cars and once gear had been packed and wet jackets replaced with dry ones we were on our way.

The Gear

I hadn't gone out with the sole intention of testing gear, I expected everything to work fine although to be honest I hadn't expected it to rain and if I had I may have chosen not to wear the Uniqlo Easy Windproof trousers and would have worn my ME Ibex softshell instead. As it turned out the Uniqlo trousers were absolutely fine, they looked dry apart from the bottom of the legs (I hadn't worn gaiters) although even then they didn't feel wet inside. I'll look at the Easy Windproof trousers in more detail in due course.

The Paramo VAL performed faultlessly, I hadn't needed to vent it and was comfortable wearing the Heattech baselayer, the hood on the VAL did an excellent job of shielding my face from the wind driven rain.

The flask worked as expected and finally the Sealskinz Activity gloves kept my hands dry and mostly warm, I knoew they weren't totally waterproof as I'd already given them the 'Bucket Test' and they did leak a little at both thumbs but they provided enough grip and dexterity for me to operate a DSLR and generally enough insulation to keep my hands warm.

All in all it was a good day out even if the weather did limit the views towards the end.

Alpkit Rig 7 Tarp, Pitching with Paddles

2011-01-30T11:40:00.006Z

Classic Lean-to

Although I still haven't managed to actually try the Alpkit tarp I was messing around trying to pitch it in different ways and as I'd like to use it on canoe trips I thought I'd see how it went using paddles rather than trekking poles. The only real difference is that you can't adjust the length of a paddle which would have restricted the pitching options but I managed to come up with a way around that problem. I've no doubt that my method is nothing new and there may well be better ways of doing it but this works for me.

The problem with tying the guylines around the shaft of the paddle is that they have a tendency to slip down the shaft so I managed to wrap the guyline around the shaft, bring it up over the handle and back down to the peg. While that worked ok the guylines really needed to be longer so I simply made two guyline extenders from paracord.

Guyline Looped around paddle to prevent slipping

In addition to the 2 main guylines I had initially only made 4 guylines for the lifter loops but added another 2. I think the more cords/guylines you have the better as it gives you more pitching options and the tighter you can get the tarp the better it is.

Same Basic pitch as above, I simply lowered the tarp at one end by sliding the rear guyline down the paddle

Obviously it's just as easy to pitch like a tapering ridge tent, wrapping the guyline around the shaft just above the blade at the low/foot end keeps the guyline from slipping down. One other thing I found was that in ridgetent formation if the paddle is angled to the side it helps to use a tent peg to stop the paddle from slipping sideways.

Basic Sloping Ridge

Paddle Pegged to prevent Sideways slip

3 Line Overkill, It Does need 2 Guylines though

Finally I tried it with both paddles tied together in A frame shape which is obviously very stable, again a peg keeps the paddle from slipping sideways. I used 2 guylines to pull the edges of the 'porch' closer to the paddles and in the pics below I've simply tied them off to the main guylines, while it worked ok I found that 2 prussik loops fitted Alpkit mini clipper carabiners worked better and allowed more adjustment, the prussik loop attached to the guyline and the mini clipper attached to the tie out loop on the tarp. Set up as below it's too short to use without a bivvy bag but it's very stable and provides plenty of space for cooking and so on.

Tarp Tensioned by tying off 2 secondary guylines to the main guylines. I've made prussik loops which to do the job much better.

I'm quite sure none of this is ground breaking stuff and there may well be better ways of achieving the same result but it's kept me amused trying different things. If I was using it in a forest or could find a few sticks I could increase the internal space by using the lifters as intended, without something to raise the guylines they really only serve to create some tension however if they're tightened too much they tend to flatten the tarp reducing internal space so.

To me a tarp is a bit like lego, there are few rules and seemingly no limit on the amount of configurations you can come up with given time.

Cooking Sets, Coleman and MSR

2011-01-29T19:35:00.008Z

Most of my cooking pots are mug type as I really only ever boil water, the most often used would be the Alpkit Mytimug at 750ml or an identical but shorter 550ml pot from Tibetan Titanium. I also have a Heinie pot and a Tibetan Titanium 900ml pot but sold off some cookests last year including a wider Snowpeak Compact cookset. It was only when we had snow before and during Christmas that I unearthed my MSR Whisperlite International petrol stove but I discovered that none of my cooking pots suited it very well being too tall and narrow for stability, too small to carry the Whisperlite and not the most efficient shape for melting snow.

As I wanted something to use specifically with the Whisperlite I started to look at what was available. I looked at quite a few sets from a variety of differenr companies including Blacks, Vango, Hi Gear etc, the Hi Gear Trail 4 looked like a versatile option) and also looked at the more expensive brands including Primus, Optimus MSR and Evernew. What I found was that the majority of those that were of sufficient diameter came as part of a 2-3 person set and most came with a frypan lid which I didn't really want. I ruled out the Evernew pots as they seemed similar to the Snowpeak set I had and I always found the Snowpeak to be too slippery, I alos ruled out pots that had 2 part fold out handles. In the end I decided on the MSR Quick 1 pot, identical to the Quick 1 System but without the mug. The MSR pot looked like it would hold the Whisperlite and had a basic lid but with a handle similar to the one on the MSR Reactor pot.

The MSR Quick 1 pot is nicely made, it's quite light (186g) being titanium and the lid fitted well but while the handle felt secure I didn't like the way it stuck out from the pot even when folded. The pot capacity is 1300ml and has volume markings stamped down the side and the lid while being similar in style to the Reactor pot is metal rather than Lexan. The Whisperlite fitted but only just and while I resigned myself to using it I wasn't entirely happy with it.

Shortly after I'd got it I found the Coleman Exponent 1 cookset while browsing ebay. It came as a 2 pot set, the smaller pot being similar in size to the MSR Quick 1 with the larger pot being just a litte bit wider. The set only came with one lid which was flat rather than a frying pan type and the pot lifter was a Trangia style one. The set was listed at £20 so I ordered one.

The Coleman pots are aluminium with a hard anodised finish and a non-stick coating and both pots have stamped volume markings, the smaller pot having a marked maximum of 1200ml and the larger a marked maximum of 1500ml. In addition both pots have deep grooves on the base to stop them from slipping around on the stove. The lid sits securely on both pots and has a silicone pad around the lifter/knob on the lid to help keep it cool, the lifter being metal. The lifter folds flat but is made in such a way that it stays in the raised position when folded up. The pot grab/handle is similar to the ones supplied with Trangia stoves but is plastic coated where it grabs the pot to stop it scratching the non stick coating, one clever touch is that the lifter comes with a cloth pouch for storage but it also doubles as a cleaning cloth. The cookset also comes with a mesh stuff sack. The downside of course is that it's quite heavy, more than suggested by quite a bit. The listed weight is 425g the actual weight being 571g which is a really poor showing by Coleman, that said considering I'm intending using it with a petrol stove which isn't all that light once the fuel bottle is added I'm not overly concerned about the weight, as I won't be using the smaller pot it'll effectively weigh 395g, the weight of the individual parts is as follows.

1.5ml Pot - 200g
1.2ml Pot - 173g
Lid - 100g
Pot Grab/Lifter - 59g
Pouch for above - 14g
Stuff Sack - 22g

The downside now is trying to decide which one to use, although the weight isn't a primary concern the MSR pot is half the weight while the Colman set up is otherwise more suitable.

Alpkit Rig 7 Tarp, Limited only by Imagination?

2011-01-12T18:21:00.010Z

I've been pretty fed up the past 2 weeks as the snow has gone and been replaced by the usual dreich weather that we get here. I was having a look on some websites and when browsing the Alpkit site I noticed that the Rig 7 Tarp was back in stock. I'd looked at them before as they seemed a reasonably priced way of trying a tarp, my only previous experience being with a German army poncho. I went ahead and ordered it and as is normal with Alpkit it arrived very quickly.

The Rig 7 is the smaller of the 2 tarps that Alpkit sell and is a basic flat sheet tarp measuring 2800mm x 2400mm and weighing in at 520g. It has webbing loops on all 4corners with 3 reinforced pegging points along each edge, in addition there are 8 reinforced lifter loops, 4 along the ridge line and 2 lower down on each side.

The tarp is made from 2 pieces of siliconised nylon so there's a seam which runs across the tarp but this appears to be seam taped. The tarp came with a stuff sack but I'll replace it with something a bit bigger as it's a bit of a tight fit when guylines never mind pegs are added.

Basic A Frame

I had a 4 2mm dyneema guylines already made up and 2 4mm guylines made from the cord I'd bought in Decathlon a while back so with those, a assortment of pegs and my trekking poles I set it up. The 1st set-up was just a basic A frame which provides plenty of length but acts like a wind tunnel, I then tried what I think is called a cave which provided more shelter but less space, finally I tried a kind of long low ridge tent shape and added some lifters to create a bit of foot space.

Cave?

As Above

Low & Wide

As Above

As Above Inside

I didn't try anything else at that stage but after work during the week I added 4mm cord loops to all the attachment points to allow me to add the guylines to any point I wanted. I made the guylines with a loop on the end which I simply attach to the fixed loops as shown below.

4mm Main Guyline Attached to Fixed Loop

2mm Dyneema Guyline Attached to 4mm Fixed Loop

I wasn't working today and it wasn't raining so I took it out again to see what other configurations I could come up with. I tried a Flying V variation, at least I think that's what it was and another ridge tent shape with and without a beak. I'm sure there are a multitude of other variations so I'll have to search the Internet but for now it seems quite versatile.

Kind of Flying V I think!!

As Above

Ridge Style, Without Beak

As Above

Ridge Style with Beak, Additional Fabric held back by tying lifter loops together, they can be pegged towards the main guyline.

I'll keep playing with it but it's unlikely I'll use it just yet as I have a week off starting next Wednesday and there's a slight chance that I'll be able to get over to Scotland for a few days, probably around the Cairngorms. If that trip happens then I'll be busy once I return as I have a lot stuff to sort out just now. I'm looking forward to trying it though as I didn't have any problems as such with the army poncho.

Gloves and Mitts, Henri Lloyd & SealSkinz

2011-01-08T14:17:00.007Z

The Mitts

I've been trying to come up with a layering system when it comes to gloves etc but it's difficult, more difficult than I imagined it would be as there are so many compromises involved. Ideally it would consist of a liner glove that would provide some warmth while allowing a good degree of dexterity, that's relatively easy but the problem with most liner gloves is that they lack grip, that problem is partly cured on the Balck Diamond midweigh fleece gloves I got for review but they aren't perfect in this respect. The next layer is trickier especially in winter, do I go for a waterproof lined glove, a water resistant lined glove (softshell?), or look for the same in a mitt. Mitts are warmer but provide less dexterity so I'd need to remove them to operate my camera etc and so it goes. I've read reviews on other blogs of some of Montanes recent offerings and the Resolute Mitt looks very good as the pertex/pile inner mitt is 'Trigger Finger' or 'Lobster Claw' style which is basically a mitt with one finger. The only thing that put me off the Resolute mitt is that only the liner is 'Trigger Finger' the shell is a normal mitt.

I tried everywhere for a Trigger Finger (on both hands, military issue generally only have a trigger finger on the right hand) and had pretty much give up when I found some on ebay from a brand/sport I hadn't considered. The mitts are branded 'Henri Lloyd' a brand usually associated with sailing. They were advertised as a Gore-Tex shell mitt with trigger fingers on both hands which was exactly what I was looking for. As it turns out the mitts aren't really Gore-Tex Shell, they have a Gore-Tex insert but it's thin enough that you don't feel it but wasn't really what I wanted as 2 layers takes longer to dry. The other obvious issue is that they don't come with an liner insulating layer and the only way around that problem would be to try to make some. The end result is that short of buying a pair of Resolutes simply to get the liner I'm not really any further forward. The shell itself is made from quite stiff fabric, the kind of stuff outdoors brands used about 10 years ago, mine are size large and large they certainly are, it would be no problem to fit a pertex/pile liner and a pair of liner gloves underneath. There's a wide velco/webbing strap at the wrist and a captive cordlock/shockcord on the cuff so no problem sealing them up. I did try them with gloves underneath and the trigger fingers do improve dexterity quite a bit so I don't know none of the outdoors brands don't make them and really don't understand why Montane didn't make the outer shell of the Resolutes in trigger finger style unless it's simply that seam sealing a mitt is easier. The mitts cost £45 but to be honest although I wanted trigger finger mitts I might have been as well getting the Resolutes in the 1st place, I also notice that the mitts I have aren't currently on the Henri Lloyd website.

The Gloves

Going off at a tangent to a degree I was looking for an all in one glove that would be waterproof, reasonably warm, breathable and thin enough to provide dexterity and provide good wear resistance and grip primarily for skiing. I looked at some of the Mountain Equipment gloves but in the end found something that looked like it would work from SealSkinz. Prior to ordering I asked for opinions on Outdoors Magic and the general consensus wasn't good, most people said of SealSkinz in general that they weren't waterproof, weren't warm and weren't very breathable which wasn't a great start when you're looking for a waterproof, warm and breathable glove, being thus advised I ordered them anyway.

The ones I ordered are called 'Activity Gloves' but they're also listed as 'Winter Riding Gloves'. Given the advice I'd had on OM I decided to approach them in the same way I'd approached Paramo, as a weather resistant softshell that if it turned out to actually be waterproof would be a bonus.

The gloves are quite nice to be honest, I ordered Large and the fit is snug if slightly short on the fingers. The back of the glove is like a softshell fabric while the palm including fingers and thumb is full leather (sheep leather unfortunately), the index finger has an extra layer on the tip either to increase wear resistance or grip while the back of both thumbs have a nice soft fleece layer as a nose wipe. The waterproofing comes from a Porelle insert and the gloves are lined with a soft brushed fabric. They're quite short, elasticated at the wrist and a neoprene cuff with a a velcro strap to tighten them.

I've worn them quite a bit since I got them just for everyday stuff, the leather palm means they're ok for driving as they provide plenty of grip, they're reasonably warm while active and the dexterity is as good as can be expected, I can operate my DSLR while wearing them. I haven't really tried them in heavy rain although I did wear them when messing around on my snowboard and they kept my hands dry and warm. At £40 there are plenty of other options but so far I'm happy with them, they're too close fitting to wear the Black Diamond midweight gloves underneath but should be ok with a silk liner.

Exped Waterproof Shrink Bag

2011-01-06T20:25:00.008Z

Exped Waterproof Shrink Bag 22l

I've been using Sea2Summit Ultrasil roll top bags for a while now without any problems but I don't have one big enough to hold my Golite Adrenaline 0°f which is a pretty bulky sleeping bag. I checked the sizes available in S2S Ultrasil roll tops, reckoned on needing a 20l so I called at a local outdoors shop to get one. It turned out they didn't have any but they did have a good range of Exped roll top bags which I've used in the past. The guy showed me a 20l normal Roll Top but then showed me a 22l Exped Waterproof Shrink Bag.

The Shrink Bag is shorter but wider than a regular drybag, it opens along the long side rather than the top but it also has a 'purge valve' which when opened once the bag is rolled shut allows you to squeeze the air out. It fits really well into the bottom of my winter pack as it fills the corners of the pack with no wasted space but because it opens up so well it's really easy to pack sleeping bags, down gear etc as they don't need to be stuffed through a small opening.

Purge Valve

Wide Opening, Easy Packing

Rolled Prior to Purging Air

Compressed

Obviously there are disadvantages, the longer opening may be less waterproof, there's always a small risk that the valve could open and there's the extra weight. The Shrink Bag in 22l weighs 170g against a 20l Sea 2 Summit Ultrasil Roll Top at 50g. I wouldn't use one for my summer down gear but when taken as a percentage of my total winter pack weight I don't mind.

Exped have a video showing the Shrink Bags in use, they're available in 3 sizes, 22l/Extra Small, 42l/Small and 95l Medium.

Have a Great Christmas

2010-12-23T22:20:00.004Z

To all who visited, I hope you found something of interest, if not thanks for taking the time to have a look. To those who left comments, thanks for the support. To fellow bloggers who through their own blogs provided a wealth of information and inspiration, thanks for sharing and to those who started their own blogs in 2010 keep up the good work.

And to all, Have a Great Christmas, hope to see you in 2011 if not before.

A Winter Walk, Reflecting on the Past.

2010-12-20T19:57:00.014Z

Although we've had plenty of snow since last Thursday I've been staying in as I'm not fully recovered from a chest infection I picked up a fortnight ago. In the end the temptation was too much so I decided to take my skis down to my mums house. As it turned out the snow was too dry so I decided to just take a walk instead. I'd packed my MSR Whisperlite and a few bits and pieces that I'd intended messing around with so set off along the river towards a small forest.

I used to spend a lot of time here as a child but back then the entire area was wetland, some would call it a 'moss' or 'bog', we called it a 'bog' and if there was heavy rain for a few days the entire are would flood. Since then the river has been deepened and straightened so the area is quite a bit drier than it was years ago, in fact the water level dropped by a few meters and the well at our house actually dried up with the result that we needed to have mains water. There are of course still wet areas, even in summer and it looks a bit like a jungle with tall grass and small wiry trees. I'm not sure what the proper name for the trees are but in my area they're known as 'Bog Sally', a small springy sapling was kept my most parents, mine included and the threat of the 'Sally Rod' was usually enough to rein in my headstrong ways :-)

As children we were always warned to stay away from 'moss holes' and 'Lint Dams', 'Lint' is the local name for 'Flax' which was used to make linen and you can see see where the 'dams' were as they're rectangular and lie lower than the surrounding ground. The Flax was cut and placed in the dams to rot and of course it created quite a stink, (for more information see the link Here and Here), note the different terms used depending on the area/county e.g. 'Flax Holes'/Lint Dams', where the process of 'Beetling' is referred to in the article linked to it implies a process done by hand although not too far from where I live there are the remains of 'Beetling Mills' or 'Scutching Mills', known locally as 'Beetling Engines', interestingly although I live in County Antrim there is a working Beetling/Scutching Mill in Co Tyrone, reading the information on the website they refer to 'Beetling Engines', Wellbrook Beetling Mill .

Of course we ignored the advice but soon learned to read the natural signs and were able to safely navigate around the danger areas, even though quite a few of the 'Lint Dams' has become overgrown with a carpet of moss/lichen/grass, it wasn't particularly reassuring when you started walking on a patch of grass that felt as if it was floating on water!!

The entire area is now covered in long grass and heather which makes walking tiresome at the best of times, under a blanket of snow it's worse as you can't actually see what you're walking on so most of the time is spent knee deep in snow and of course the remaining 'Lint Dams' are even more difficult to spot.

I was wearing my ski boots and Yeti gaiters which proved their worth in the deep snow and was wearing my Paramo Velez Adventure Light with a Montane Flux packed as extra insulation. By the time I reached the forest the moon had risen, the sun had slipped below the hills to the West and the air was cold and crisp. I pulled on the Flux before getting the stove set up but when pulled my waterbottle from the side pocket of my rucksack I discovered that it had frozen solid at the top and the cap wouldn't budge. There was plenty of snow anyway so I added a little to the pan and put the waterbottle in the chest pocket of the Velez to thaw it out a bit. In the end it didn't take long to thaw out sufficiently to get the cap off so I added a mixture of water and ice to the pan. I hadn't brought a tripod so the last few shots were taken braced against a tree while I waited for the stove to bring water to the boil for some soup.

By the time I was ready to leave the moon was bright and it was easy enough to make my way back across the bog towards the river where the ground is firmer and drier and the grass short thanks to sheep being grazed there in summer.

As the moon started to cast a weak shadow the words of the Supertramp song 'The Logical Song' came to mind,

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, IT SEEMED THAT LIFE WAS SO WONDERFUL
A MIRACLE, OH IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, MAGICAL.......

It still is........

Karrimor Alpiniste 45+10

2010-12-17T16:47:00.009Z

Way back when I started buying backpacking gear there were 2 main players when it came to rucksacks, Karrimor and Berghaus. I bought my 1st, a 65l Karrimor Condor and pretty much stuck with Karrimor thereafter. I did briefly switch to Berghaus when I bought a Munro 35l but didn't get on with it so replaced it with a Karrimor Hot Earth.

I always liked the look of the Alpiniste 55l but hadn't actually bought one before drifting away from the outdoors scene. When I started to get back into it in 2008 I needed a rucksack smaller in capacity than my Condor 65l so picked up an Alpiniste 45+10, it was one of the late models and was a bit of a beast to be honest with unnecessarily over padded hipbelt and shoulder straps, in fact it weighed almost the same as the Condor 65l even though the Condor had an adjustable length back system.

About a year later I was browsing the Field & Trek site when I noticed a newer Alpiniste 45+10 in the sale, it looked well designed and was over 1kg lighter than my older model so I ordered it. At the time I'd been considering an OMM pack but went with the Karrimor as preferred the back system and hipbelt.

Comparing the construction with my older Karrimor packs going back to the late 80's the quality is still there, at least as good as the Haglofs LIM45 or Gregory z55 that I had at the time. The top line Karrimor packs shouldn't be confused with the Karrimor branded sports bags you find in places like Sports Direct. The Alpiniste 45+10 (also available in 35+10) is a seriously tough pack and not too heavy for what it is at 1388g, this is a rucksack that can be thrown around, dragged over rocks and so on without worrying about damaging it.

Side Compression Straps, both with Fastex Buckles and Elastic Strap Keepers.

The pack is quite narrow as you'd expect from a climbing sack, the hipbelt and shoulder straps are stiff enough, quite slim but comfortable. The pack is a basic 1 compartment type with the usual features you'd expect like a shockcord on the front, 2 x Ice axe loops, side compression straps all with Fastex buckles and wand pockets. The wand pockets are quite shallow and I managed to loose a waterbottle from one last time out so that's something to be aware of.

Reinforced Patch under Shockcord, Clip Off Shockcord Hooks

The shockcord on the front has hooks that allow you to open the shockcord out to stash gear before clipping it back, I found this good when carrying a snow shovel in addition the fabric has some type of reinforcement under the shockcord which makes it look smoother/shinier than the rest of the pack.

The shoulder straps have a sternum strap and top tension straps which allows you to pull the pack in nice and close, the hipbelt is removable if you need to wear a harness.

Slim but stiff Hipbelt, Hipbelt is Removable

Top Tension Straps and Haul Loop

The lid is semi floating, it's attached to the pack at the back but can be extended by loosening off 3 straps, I prefer this arrangement to fully floating lids. The lid has a large pocket with a waterproof type zip and inside there's a glove hook/key clip. The pack is hydration system compatible, there's a zipped pocket inside the pack and a single central port for a feed tube between the shoulder straps.

Floating Lid Adjustment Straps and Hydration Port

Lid Pocket with Water Resistant Zip and Key Clip

The back pad is reasonably stiff, the pack keeping it's shape when it isn't fully packed but the pad isn't removable as far as I can see although according to the Karrimor website it is, perhaps they've modified it on the latest version as the one shown on F&T does look slightly different to mine. There's a drawcord on the main body of the pack and also one on the extension in addition there's a rope strap under the lid.

Fformat Back System

Snowlock Extension and Rope Strap

There are a couple of things I could remove namely the integrated gear racks at the base of the pack close to where the hipbelt/shoulder straps attach, I don't use them but haven't removed them yet. Finally there's a haul loop at the top between the shoulder straps.

I use I find the Alpiniste very comfortable, it's bigger than I need for day outings but I've been using it when out on ski as it's stiff enough to carry the weight of the skis even when it isn't fully packed. All in all it's a good piece of kit, I know Karrimor aren't who/what they used to be (I've heard it often enough) but there's still some good kit out there if you use your head, they just need to stop branding every piece of generic crap they find with the Karrimor name.

Alpiniste 45+10 in Use. Photo by Les

I've added the pic's below to try to illustrate the dimensions of the Alpiniste.

Black Diamond Midweight Fleece Gloves

2010-12-15T19:28:00.000Z

Black Diamond Midweight Fleece Gloves

I've been trying to come up with a perfect glove set-up for a while now so when I found out that Webtogs were sending me a pair of Black Diamond Midweight fleece glove for review I checked them out on their Website to find out a bit more. The thing that appealed to me was the mention of a kevlar stitched goat leather palm, I find my biggest dislike when it comes to fleece gloves is the lack of grip followed by bulk. I'd tried a pair of ME G2 Lite soft shell gloves earlier in the year but found that while they had a silicone print on the palms/fingers which provided plenty of grip they weren't much more water resistant than fleece gloves but when wet felt colder and took longer to dry.

When the Black Diamond gloves arrived I was surprised at how thin they were, I expected a 'Midweight' glove to be thicker but as Black Diamond also make a lightweight and heavyweight fleece glove (with silicone grips on thumb/forefinger/Index Finger and a goat leather palm) I guess it's relative. The other thing that I noticed was that the leather palm was exactly that, apart from extending very slightly up the thumb and forefinger.

The gloves are made from Polartec Powerstretch which provides a nice close fit and being 'midweight' don't feel bulky. What I particularly like is the long cuff, some fleece gloves have quite a short cuff but these extend well beyond my wrist. As they're close fitting they work well under my Marmot unlined shell gloves, better in fact than the liners that came supplied with the Marmot gloves.

So far I've only managed to try them when skiing last Tuesday, the temperature was quite low so the snow was dry but the gloves didn't wet out even though my ski poles have suede grips, clipping in and out of the bindings and so on wasn't a problem nor was operating a DSLR. I suspect that with the leather palm they'll provide plenty of grip on a canoe paddle but apart from twirling a paddle in the garage I've yet to try them.

Good as they are they aren't perfect though, I can't quite see the point in not having the leather extend the full length of the thumb and forefinger at least, as it is the leather palm improves the grip over a plain fleece glove if you're holding a mug or flask but for more delicate tasks where you're using forefinger and thumb they aren't really any better than plain fleece gloves, the other advantage of full leather finger and thumb is durability, as it is the gloves are starting to feel a little worn where the thumb leather ends probably due to the suede grip on my ski poles. That said it's perhaps a bit unfair to criticize them for that as they aren't marketed as ski gloves.

All in all I'm pleased enough with the performance that if I lost/damaged them I'd replace them with another pair. I may get a pair of ME Windchill Grip gloves which as far as I know have the Silicone print all over the palms including fingers and thumb or alternatively the Black Diamond Heavyweight fleece glove to see if they offer any advantage otherwise I'll be using the Black Diamond Midweight's as the foundation on which to build my 'Glove System'

My gloves are size Large and weigh 48g pair, they cost £17.99 from Webtogs

Vango Halo 200 Update

2010-12-11T13:34:00.004Z

Well the snow has mostly gone after a rise in temperature Thursday and Friday and to cap it all I've been struck down with the lurgy, woe is me :-(

I'm just posting a quick update about the Halo 200, when I got it the weather was mild and wet but I kept it pitched up for over a week just to check for leaks etc. Although it wasn't really windy everything was fine. I had to pitch it again just prior to the snow arriving and again it stayed pitched as it was frozen solid and plastered with snow and ice and I didn't want it melting all over the garage floor.

Although it hasn't been any further than my garden and hasn't been subjected to high winds it's passed every other test so far. It held up just fine in the snow and in use when I was trying out the X-Lite sleeping mats there was no problem with condensation, the inner was completely dry. Obviously one person sleeping in a 2 person tent in temperatures well below freezing wasn't going to test ventilation to the limits.

The space for 2 is very good and the porches are quite spacious, for 1 person it's luxury. I'm toying with the idea of going over to Scotland early next year if we don't get snow here as I want to get the skis out again. I'll be car camping I expect and obviously I'll use the Halo 200, the only thing left to test is it's ability to withstand high winds but so far it's handled whatever conditions came along and at the price I'm delighted.

Karrimor X-Lite Self Inflate Sleeping Mats

2010-12-09T21:20:00.008Z

Mention Karrimor on an outdoors forum these days and you can expect to hear how the Karrimor name is only applied to rubbish. Well in my experience some current Karrimor branded kit is as good as anything else out there and the top end rucksacks as well put together as any of my 80's/90's Karrimor sacks. To get to the point I was browsing the Field & Trek website recently when I came across tapered/mummy shaped self inflate sleeping mats branded as Karrimor X-Lite. I looked at the suggested weight of both the 3/4 mat and the full mat and they seemed surprisingly light compared to my Multimat Adventure Superlite 25. The mats were priced at £29.99 and £34.99 for the 3/4 and full mat respectively and the weights were given as 325g for the 3/4 and 475g for the full length. For comparison a Thermarest Pro Lite 3/4 is 310g/£61.99 while the regular is 460g/£71.49.

Karrimor X-Lite Sleeping Mats

I posted about the X-Lite mats on OM but most people who replied seemed to be concerned that they'd weigh more than suggested or would be of poor quality. In the end I decided to give them a try myself as if they were significantly heavier than suggested I could return them. If however they were as advertised they'd offer a significant weight saving over my Multimat and rectangular 3/4 Karrimor mat bought from Sports Direct for around £10 and weighing less than my Alpkit Wee Airic.

The mats arrived a few days later and the 1st thing I did was weigh them.

Full Length - Suggested Weight 475g, Actual with/without Stuff Sack - 485g/473g

3/4 length - Suggested weight 325g, Actual with/without Stuff Sack - 346g/334g

Although both were heavier than suggested when the stuff sack was included they weren't outrageously overweight so I decided to keep both. The stuffsacks are quite a bit bigger than needed as the mats both roll up very small, I suspect I could get both mats in one stuffsack.

Full Length Mat, 473g (100g Gas Cartridge for scale)

3/4 Length Mat, 334g (100g Gas Cartridge for Scale)

What caught my attention was the fabric used and also the type of valve (my basic karrimor mat uses the same valve type), both look identical to my Multimat. As far as I know Multimat don't make a tapered mat in the Adventure Superlite range but I'd be very surprised if the Karrimor mats aren't made in the same factory from the same materials which makes them good value for money.

Karrimor X-Lite, Multimat Adventure Superlite 25

Karrimor and Multimat, Fabric Looks Identical

As I had the Vango Halo 200 pitched for the past week and a half I decided to try the full length X-Lite mat. I used a PHD Minim 500 rather than my Golite Adrenaline 0°f as I wanted to push the mat to see how it performed (I don't find the Minim 500 warm enough as I was cold using it in Scotland in May, I think it's too roomy for me) I wore a baselayer consisting of heattech L/S top and serious longjohns together with my Goosefeet down socks. I did start to feel cold in the early hours so pulled on the Uniqlo down jacket and was comfortably warm and I didn't feel any cold coming from the ground. When I checked the thermometer in the morning the minimum temperature had been -9°c outside/-4°c inside.

If you prefer self inflate mats I'd certainly recommend them although while the Thermarest Prolite mats are much more expensive and not much lighter you do get a better guarantee.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-08T21:49:00.004Z

Tuesday was my last day off before starting my shift again but unfortunately I couldn't make it to the hills as I had some Christmas shopping to do. I made the best of it by testing out a new sleeping mat I'd bought. I'd pitched the Vango Halo 200 in the garden a week ago just before the snow to let a workmate see it and had left it pitched so took the opportunity to sleep in it on Monday night. As it turned out the temperature dropped to -9°c but the sleeping mat was fine.

As I was free until 1.00pm I took my skis down to the field in front of my Mum's house for a bit of practice and after returning from town I went back for another go. It was almost 4.00pm by the time I arrived, the sun was setting and a fog was lying in the hollows which made it look really nice. I managed to get some more practice in but spent some time simply standing around watching the colours change and managed to take a few photos before the light went completely.

As for the practice, well I was trying to execute a Telemark turn but you know how it is when you're attempting something but you can't actually see what you're doing? Well perception and reality can be quite a bit different but I roped Alison in to taking some shots and discovered to my dismay that whatever the turn was that I'd executed it wasn't a Telemark!!

Oh well, at least it wasn't a snowplough turn for a change, if we still have snow I'll try again on Saturday :-)