Website updates
I bought an Apple iPod Touch yesterday.
This will be a useful bit of kit and supplement my smartphone when I am walking, backpacking or camping.
Read about this and other updates to my backpacking and camping gear for 2015
Outdoor Gear
Water treatment methods and their effectiveness
Whilst browsing Pinterest this morning I found a excellent document published by the USA government organisation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about water treatment methods. This is a particularly useful, one page pdf description about the ways to treat water when wild camping and their effectiveness against various water borne pathogens.
Water treatment methods
a guide for individuals intending to use untreated or poorly treated water as a drinking source
Link to the CDC page – A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use.
More about water – Backpacking water, bottles and bladders
Water treatment methods and their effectiveness Read More »
Backpacking Gear for 2015 – Therm-a-Rest are a bit cheap! @Thermarest
I have made some changes to this year’s backpacking gear, replacing some failures, a few new things and a few Christmas presents.
See the new page here.
This Neoair XLite mat is probably the biggest change this year – the valve failed on my old mat – this one packs smaller and weighs less than the old mat.
However Therm-a-Rest were a bit mean with their £120 mat as there is no stuff sack supplied to protect it!
Backpacking Gear for 2015 – Therm-a-Rest are a bit cheap! @Thermarest Read More »
New gear – NeoAir Xlite sleeping mat
I was given the money at Christmas to buy a replacement sleeping mat as the valve on my Alpkit mat had failed.
I wanted something very comfortable:
This is what I bought – a NeoAir Xlite mat.
It meets all the above points he real test will be when I use it. Hopefully it will last longer than the Alpkit Numo mat as it cost almost three times as much!
New gear – NeoAir Xlite sleeping mat Read More »
Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve
Craigellachie National Nature Reserve
The weather this morning was bright and clear – excellent for walking in the snow, as long as you take gloves, hat, warm jacket, decent boots, thick socks, etc, etc.
The snow in most places was a couple of inches deep although from time to time it was much deeper.
My boot sunk in more than a foot of snow
Craigellachie National Nature Reserve is a short walk from Scandinavian Village and is very close to Aviemore – it is a great place to explore and take photos.
The lake was frozen and had this mysterious “Superman” logo on the ice.
I cleared the snow from the end of a bench and had a brew up, using my MSR Titanium mug and Alpkit Kraku stove, a great lightweight and efficient combination in the cold weather. Hot tea and cake, sitting in the winter sun shine.
I forgot to pack my sit mat so I had to sit on my gloves and hat as the icy bench was far to cold to sit on without insulation.
Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve Read More »
Walking near Branston
For the first time in several weeks, I was able to get out for a couple of miles walking near Branston. The route took me out across the fields. It was a blustery day so it made taking some of the photos difficult as the subjects were moving a lot. However the bursts of bright sun shine made for some interesting shots.
Walking near Branston
Of course there was coffee. I found a sheltered spot beside some woods for a stop.
Today made using my titanium meths stove, folding handle, steel REI Sierra cup and the lid I made from the bottom of a cake tin.
Nothing fancy today, instant Milicano coffee stirred with the empty packet.
This is a really compact kit for a brew whilst walking – all the gear I took with me this morning went into my jacket pockets. The ground sheet I sat on is the same off cut that I use in the door of my MSR Hubba backpacking tent.
Walking near Branston Read More »
Sunday Sunrise
Not the most spectacular sunrise, but I was out early enough today, walking along the Water Rail Way (7.44am) for the sunrise. The clouds were the most interesting element of this shot.
Washingborough
I used my Sierra Cup with a lid this week to boil the water for my tea.
The lid was a success, it took two minutes to boil the water and the lid sat on the cup OK. No flies in the water. Keeping the lid on the tea also helped to keep it warm longer.
This is a good addition to my outdoor kit, next week I am going to cook in it.
Do you know that the iPhone dictionary does not recognise the word “lid”, substituting “kid” instead. This can lead to some interesting sentences if you do not notice Apple’s substitution!