Outdoor Gear – Page 7

Sunday morning walk – Finnish Gas Mask Bag – First Aid Kit – StarShipSofa

15 February 2015 / Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / Branston, iPhone photography, Lincolnshire, outdoor gear, photography, tea, walking

New kit today – Finnish gas mask bag.

I got out this morning for a short walk around the village, just as the early morning mist was lifting. The day was much warmer than I expected so the heavy coat I had on was too much. I had saved this week’s episode of StarShipSofa to listen too whilst on this walk. There was interesting short story in this week’s show a mix of Philip Marlowe and E.T.

There were snowdrops everywhere I looked.

Tea and a Finnish Gas Mask Bag

I found a spot in the sun, tucked behind some bushes and out of sight of the many dog walkers who were out.

I had packed my gear in a bag I bought on my recent visit to Morecambe. There was an excellent stall in the indoor market selling Army surplus at exceptional prices. As well as this bag I bought some military gloves and a Norwegian wool shirt. He is not on the internet or email and just sells in this market, so if you want a bargain you have to go there.

I think this shoulder bag was originally designed as a gas mask bag, for the Finnish Army and is new, having never been issued. It is a useful size, with a third/two thirds divider in the main bag and a selection of smaller pockets inside with snap down flaps. The main bag lid is shaped and also snaps shut securely.

There is plenty of room for my backpacking cook set, water, food, sit mat and first aid kit and pockets for smaller bits of gear.

I have sewn some paracord loops on the bag so I can attach extra gear or a wet waterproof using elastic cord. I also want to add some stronger loops on the bottom of the bag, again to allow me to carry extra gear. (See here for the loops in action.)

The Finnish gas mask bag came with a waist strap, which I have carefully cut off. I did not think I would use it and just looping the belt up made the back of the bag uncomfortable to wear.

This will make a great bag for day walks – I have used my old British World War II gas mask case (which I bough when I was 11!) on some short trips, but age has started to catch up with it.

Update – March 2015 – click here

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Website updates

8 February 2015 / Outdoor Gear, Technology / iPod, lightweight backpacking, lightweight camping, lightweight walking, outdoor gear, Photos 2015, technology

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

Website updates Read More »

Water treatment methods and their effectiveness

1 February 2015 / Backpacking, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking, camping, lightweight backpacking, lightweight camping, outdoor gear, water, water treatment, wild camping

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

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Backpacking Gear for 2015 – Therm-a-Rest are a bit cheap! @Thermarest

27 January 2015 / Outdoor Gear / Alpkit, MSR Hubba Tent, Neoair XLite, outdoor gear

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!

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New gear – NeoAir Xlite sleeping mat

25 January 2015 / Outdoor Gear / outdoor gear, Photos 2015

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:

lightweight

compact

full length

at least 5cm thick

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!

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Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

19 January 2015 / Outdoor Gear, Photography, Travel, Walking / Aviemore, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, iPhone photography, MSR titanium mug, Scandinavian Village, Scotland, snow, tea, walking

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.

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Walking near Branston

7 December 2014 / Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / Branston, coffee, iPhone camera apps, iPhone photography, Lincolnshire, outdoor gear, tea, walking

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.

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