outdoor gear – Page 32

MSR PocketRocket Stove – Test

23 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / iPhone photography, lightweight backpacking, outdoor gear, Photos 2012

Today’s “photo of the day” is testing the MSR stove.

When Jeremy and I got in we decided to test the MSR Pocket Rocket stove in the backgarden.

The assembly of the stove was very easy, the large knurled bottom of the stove helped with this and assisted with keeping the stove straight on the canister as it was screwed in. Then we tried out the stability of our MSR titanium mug and Titan kettle which we found very good, due to the angled pot stand arms.

As per the instructions we did not use a windshield and depended on the “Wind Clip™ wind shield”, these are the three small metal fins on the burner.

The stove was set up in an exposed position and there was a strong breeze. The burner lit easily even in the breeze – and we put 300ml of water on to boil, in the MSR titanium mug with lid. The Wind Clip worked as from time to time as the breeze picked up we could hear the flame stutter but it did not go out.

In this exposed position it took 2mins 30secs to bring the water to a rolling boil. When camping it would be possible to give the stove some shelter behind the tent so decreasing this boil time.

Following this test it only took a couple of minutes for the stove to cool sufficiently for it to be handled and packed away.

This was a garden test, which showed this is a good stove – we’ll test it some more when we go backpacking next.

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MSR Pocket Rocket Stove

23 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking, lightweight backpacking, outdoor gear

Diana has bought me an MSR Pocket Rocket stove to supplement my Ti meths stove when backpacking in bad weather.

I could not buy a 100g gas bottle, in Lincoln this morning, so I got a 220g one so I can use/test the stove today. For my lightweight trips I’d prefer the smaller/lighter gas canister – but as the canisters are removable, I can have both styles on the go at the same time.

My MSR Titanium mug sits securely on the pot stand as does my MSR Titan kettle.

The red plastic carry box is useful to protect the stove and to protect my other kit from it’s sharp points when the stove is packed in my rucksack.

Jeremy and I are planing an overnight trip in two weeks time and we will try this stove out then – he is going to carry it!

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Trying new backpacking food

15 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking food, outdoor gear, tea

Richard bought some different backpacking food to try out – we did not take it with us this weekend, just in case we didn’t like it. So I tried it for tea this evening.

The food comes in a sturdy pouch, that will stand up and has notches for easy opening. You can cook it in a pot or in the bag and, if you pack a microwave you could use that.

I cooked mine in the microwave. Both Jeremy and I liked it. It was a good taste without being spicy.

There was a good balance of lentils and beans to sauce. The 300g portion is a good size serving after a day’s walking, some crackers would soak up the sauce, or depending on your appetite noodles or rice.

Following this test we are planing to use these in future.

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Walking to Woodhall Spa from Coningsby pt1

14 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Technology, Walking / backpacking, backpacking gear, Golite Jam 2, iPhone, iPhone camera apps, iPhone photography, lightweight camping, lightweight walking, outdoor gear, walking

This weekend I have a short walk planned with a couple of friends – it is a gear try out before we go wild camping next month.

Following the trip a couple of week ago, I spent last night making a better job of packing my rucksack and I have got my sleeping mat packed inside the Golite Jam, rather than hanging on the outside. The new compression sack and making a better job of fold/rolling my tent made this possible.

I have a new bit of gear for this weekend. Diana bought me a case to protect my iPhone from the elements as the Watatait Case failed on me whilst away in Scotland in January. I contacted Haglofs, who took the faulty case back and then quickly replaced it – however they did not have my model in stock and so supplied me with a larger pouch which does not have the transparent back panel so I cannot use the camera whilst in the case. However it is a good waterproof case and I will find a use for it in the future.

The new case is less “hi-tech” than the previous cases I have used, but it is lighter and smaller. It has a velcro roll top and a padded interior to give a little more protection to the iPhone and has that vital transparent back so I can use the camera in the rain. However, contrary to the instructions I do not think it is 100% waterproof – but 100% weather proof – I would not submerse this case but I would carry it in my pocket and use it in the rain.

I added the paracord and cord grip for security.

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Compression Sack

8 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking gear, Crusader Cook Set, outdoor gear

I have got a better quality compression sack to hold both my sleeping bag and spare clothes.

I looked at several different models of compression sack but opted for this Lifeventure model as it was the lightest, but with a design that distributed the compression evenly. My Eurohike sleeping bag came with a lightweight compression bag but it only used straps rather than a cap for the compression so there were bulges in the final compressed bag so adding to the size – and I needed a smaller size.

I chose a 15l sack, when a 10l sack may have been large enough, as I was thinking ahead to the multi-day trips I have planned for the future, when I will have to pack extra clothing. On testing it still made a smaller packed size with the sleeping bag and overnight spare clothes than the original sleeping bag compression sack.

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Backpacking Trip – Last Weekend

7 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking food, coffee, Golite Jam 2, lightweight backpacking food, outdoor gear, tea

Weekend Trip to Woodhall Spa and day two here

When I got my Golite Jam pack I had planned to carry my sleeping mat inside – however my new sleeping bag does not compress as much as the previous one – so the sleeping mat had to be fixed to the outside.

I used the top lid strap to hold the mat roll onto the pack and for extra security I clipped the elastic straps on the mat to the upper compression straps.

Before my next trip in mid April I am going to experiment with pacling the bag as I really wanted to travel with everything inside the pack.

I am also going to try and find a better (lightweight) compression sack for the sleeping bag and clothes.

The food for the weekend weighed 1.2kgs – of that the high calories/fatty foods made up – 150g sausages, 120g tinned sardines and 135g salted cashew nuts.

Saturday Mid-morning

Saturday Lunch

Canned Italian sardines in lemon olive oil – plenty of calories. With these I had crackers, chocolate oatcakes and tomato soup – I stored the complete meal in a ziplock bag and kept it in the pack’s external pocket so it was easy to get at.

Saturday Evening Meal

When I arrived at the campsite I bought two bars of chocolate – so when it came to the evening meal I did not want the custard desert.

The small ziplock contains instant peach tea. I had two of the sausages that evening and saved two for Sunday.

Sunday Morning

The first thing I had was tea and biscuits whilst watching the sunrise from my sleeping bag – see here.

The plastic bag contains a measure of Columbian roast ground coffee.

Sunday Trail Snacks

I had the last sausage for lunch.

Resupply

I have bought in some supplies this week for my next trip.

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BBC News – Great outdoors? Ticks, pets and the risk of Lyme disease

6 April 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / outdoor gear

BBC News – Great outdoors? Ticks, pets and the risk of Lyme disease.

This article is worth watching as it outlines the problems that ticks can cause. However the tweezers that the journalist shows are not really suitable – it is much better to use tweezers designed to remove the whole tick without squeezing it. A couple of years ago I purchased a set of Lifeventure Tick Tweezers and I carry them in my pocket sized first aid kit.

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