More photos from my recent trip to Staffordshire
Wychnor Park Country Club
National Forest Way
The Wychnor Flitch
Swarbourne Meadows
More photos from my recent trip to Staffordshire Read More »
Alpkit Kraku
National Forest Way to the River Trent
The National Forest Way passes by Wychnor Park Country Club – so before it got too hot this morning I walked out to the River Trent along the path.
Along the way, I found a suitable spot for to brew a coffee, out in the countryside but definitely in the shade – my bush hat can only keep so much sun off me.
River Trent
The early squirrel
This squirrel came for breakfast.
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Backpacking cookware – walking in the cold and rain – and lunch @Alpkit
Time to try out some new backpacking cookware.
Having spent the morning working on Octagon time sheets, spread sheets and presentations, I headed off at lunch time for a walk across the Lincolnshire fields.
A couple of weeks back, I bought an Alpkit MytiPot 900 and thought I would give it a try out today. I packed a homemade ready meal (fresh pasta, homemade Italian tomato sauce with mushrooms), and my lightweight Alpkit cooking gear.
- Kraku stove
- MytiPot 900
- MytiMug 400
- SnapWire spoon
The walk was grey, wet, cold and muddy underfoot but it was away from my laptop. I took my mind off the weather with “The Girl who Played with Fire” audiobook on my iPod.
In a small wood near the village I found a fallen tree that made a good seat for lunch. I boiled the water for my coffee in the titanium mug first, then heated the pasta in the Alpkit MytiPot, stirring it well.
I carried the backpacking cookware in a Finnish gas mask bag
Titanium backpacking cookware is excellent if all you consider is the weight and strength. The problems come with the cost and cooking in a thin walled pot. Alpkit helps with the cost – their prices are lower than other suppliers and they have a comprehensive selection of backpacking cookware.
My top tip if you use your titanium backpacking cookware for more than just boiling water, is stir the food well… very well. The titanium conducts the heat efficiently, but hot spots easily form and then the food burns. I stirred my lunch constantly and moved the pot over the burner and still some food caught. You can see the results below, not a disaster, but if I had stopped stirring things could have gone very badly. If it burns too much is may also spoil the food.
Why did I buy more backpacking cookware?
- Top of the list is that Diana and I are going camping together and I wanted a titanium “kettle” large enough to brew tea for two.
- I want to do more cooking when lightweight camping – rather than just reheating food.
- This size and shape of pot could be used as a bowl to eat out of or for washing up etc.
Backpacking cookware – walking in the cold and rain – and lunch @Alpkit Read More »
Thank you Alpkit – great customer service
A couple of weeks ago, on a trip, I had a problem with my Aplkit Kraku ultra-light stove. When I got home I tested the stove again with a different gas bottle but the join was still leaking. It turned out that over time and use the seal washer had compressed and so was leaking. When I emailed Alpkit and explained the problem they quickly supplied a replacement and a spare washer. I have had the stove a couple of years and use it a lot – Alpkit’s customer service cannot be beaten.
Alpkit ultra-light titanium, pot/mug, stove and folding spoon – the recycled Coke bottle holds enough water for a mug of tea.
Out walking and geocaching on a sunny, late autumn Sunday morning.
Here are details of my lightweight cooking gear and the pouch of supplies in the photo.
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Walking and Geocaching
I headed out for a couple of miles walking today. The Craigellachie National Nature Reserve is a few minutes away from the timeshare so it is a regular destination when I do not want to get the car out. The plan was to walk a bit then find somewhere to make a brew, eat my lunch and read.
A few years back the boys and I used to go geocaching a lot. Then we stopped – the boys grew up and I started walking more on my own again and did not need the incentive of looking for a cache to get out and about. Now with both of them off looking for Pokemon – did I mention that they had grown up – I thought I would go and start searching for caches again.
Found it!
Gear
Lunch using my Alpkit minimalist lightweight cookset
Lightweight Sea to Summit pack
Map and compass
Rain jacket and bush hat
Lunch
Backpacking cooking set
1l water
Sit mat – pads the back of the pack
Swiss Army Knife
Long sleeved lightweight shirt
Crag Hopper long trousers
Karrimor hiking shoes with Bridgedale hiking socks
Pocket first aid kit, pack of tissues, whistle, space blanket, length of cord, four large safety pins, glucose tablets
Head lamp
Emergency power pack for my smartphone
Lightweight roll up jumper, fleece hat and gloves
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Tea on the Southern Upland Way
It froze last night! There was frost on the grass and ice on the windows of the MX-5 when I got up. My sleeping gear kept me warm throughout the night but it was chilly whilst I was having my breakfast.
After sorting some things for Octagon, which included driving out to get a better internet connection, I set off from Lauder to walk some more of the Southern Upland Way.
I came across this picnic table at just about the time for a tea break – great view, tucked away out of the wind and a sun trap.
Lightweight titanium Alpkit brew kit – Kraku stove, MytiMug 400 and a Snapwire spoon.
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Testing the Alpkit Kraku stove with the Alpkit MytiMug 400 @Alpkit @OctagonT
Alpkit MytiMug 400
Before another busy week at Octagon Technology I thought I would get out and try out my new Alpkit MitiMug 400 mug with my trusty Alpkit Kraku stove.
The wind shield, in the photo, is homemade from heavy duty aluminium foil cut from a serving tray bought “two for a pound” from a pound shop. The wind shield is really practical as I can bend it to give maximum protection from the drafts and wind and it weighs only a few grams.
This new Alpkit MitiMug 400 mug/pot fits really well on the Alpkit Kraku burner and is very stable when in use – the stability is essential if I am going to safely use this combination in the porch of my lightweight tent. The lid is a good fit – it is much improved over the lid supplied on the original MitiMug – purchased before there were 400 or 650 models. I am really pleased the lid has changed.
Another change, for the better, with this Alpkit MitiMug 400 is that it has a flat bottom – the original MitiMug had a ridge in the base, which when I cooked in the mug always allowed food to burnt there and that also made it difficult to clean. I cooked (well reheated) baked beans in this new Alpkit MitiMug 400 and the beans did not burn. You do however have to take care when using any titanium or thin walled cooking pot on a stove like the Alpkit Kraku stove which concentrates its heat in a small spot on the pot base:
- Do not turn the stove up to “flame thrower mode” keep the flame very low and heat the food slowly
- Stir continuously and thoroughly, getting right into the corners
- Hang onto the handles or the pot can skip off the burner
- I also, continuously, gently move the pot over the flame so the heat moves around smoothing out the hot spots
Afterwards it was easy to wash up the pot – this base design is another well thought out improvement.
My thoughts:
- Overall this mug/cooking pot is a great piece of gear for the solo traveller, camper or backpacker who just needs to cook for themselves.
- The size saves space in anyone’s pack. Titanium saves weight.
- Even if you do not plan to use the mug for cooking the lid makes the mug a useful storage container and keeps the flies out of your drinks when outdoors.
- Alpkit is a great UK company producing excellent gear – we should support them.
I think the next thing to add to this mug/pot, stove set is an Alpkit SnapWire Spoon. The folding spoon, stove, tea bags and milk powder will all then pack neatly inside the Alpkit MitiMug 400, inside the supplied netting draw string bag for easy packing when travelling. I am going to add this to my Christmas list.
Testing the Alpkit Kraku stove with the Alpkit MytiMug 400 @Alpkit @OctagonT Read More »