lightweight camping – Page 8

Walking and Camping

17 May 2014 / Backpacking, Camping, Lincolnshire, Photography / backpacking, black and white, camping, Camping and Caravan Club, iPhone photography, lightweight camping, Lincolnshire, Photos 2014, Woodhall Spa

I am backpacking today from outside Horncastle to the Camping and Caravan Club site near Woodhall Spa.

It is not a very long walk so I have one or two bits of extra gear with me as the pack weight is not critical. I have a 10Ah power supply for my iphone as I plan to watch a couple of videos tonight. I have a Chicken Chow Mein microwave meal with me so I have packed my larger Alpkit MiTiMug to cook it in as well as bringing my smaller titanium mug/cook pot.

For a change the weather is perfect – so I have packed extra water and one of my bottles contains an electrolyte drink.

Walking and Camping Read More »

Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack

1 February 2014 / Camping, Outdoor Gear / lightweight backpacking, lightweight camping, outdoor gear, tea

The Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack has, since last summer, become my walking day pack of choice.

It packs away into a keyring size package making it excellent as an extra bag for backpacking, holidays and travelling. I started using it as my day pack to simply save weight.

In use Scotland August 2013

The 20l capacity provides enough space to carry my:

Waterproofs
Pot, stove and mug
Lunch and water
Extra warm clothes
First Aid Kit
Emergency equipment
Sit mat (back padding)

In use Scotland January 2014

The only time this is not my “go to” day pack is when I need to carry a walking pole. For short walks I can slide my lightweight pole in between the small of my back and the pack, letting it ride on the bottom of the straps. For more technical longer walks with a pole I use another bag.

Comfort

With such a light backpack there are some issues with the comfort – but these are not so great to stop me using it.

Because the bag has no structure I have to pack the it carefully so the items stay in place and so nothing sticks into my back.
To help with the above problems I have cut a section from an old sleeping mat so that when it is fitted into the back of the day pack it helps with giving some shape to the bag and pads my back a little.
The shoulder straps are unpadded so from time to time whilst walking I have to flatten them out and reposition them on my shoulders to support the weight.

Mods

I have added a couple of small caribieners to the ends of the very thin shoulder straps. This has stopped the straps being pulled back into the buckles, which happened a lot when walking with the pack with even a moderate load in it. Once the strap was back in the buckle it was then very awkward to adjust the shoulder straps for comfort and there was also a risk of the strap being pulled right out if the buckle.

I have also added a caribiener to the double zip for security.

Inside you can see an 8l dry sack – this is essential as the pack does leak in heavy weather

Wear and tear

The Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack is made from rip stop Siliconized Cordura® and the pack itself is very well made, making it extremely tough and strong. However I use the bag (particularly in the winter) well packed and this has led to some abrasion damage. When well packed the material is tight, with no give in it and when it had dragged against rough rocks it has been damaged. At the moment none of the damage is serious but I expect it to happen regularly and to eventually ruin the bag.

The shoulder straps now have permanent heavy creases in them through use.

A bag for work

A few weeks back I used this pack for an overnight business trip. It easily held the clothes, wash kit, paperwork, iPad, charger, cables, small toolkit and portable hard drive I needed for the job. I added to that a bottle of water and a snack or two for the journey.

With the mat slipped in the back it was comfortable to carry and easy to store on the train as well as being smart enough to turn up with at a client’s office.

Conclusion – Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack

For me the Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack is a great day pack and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a light, strong day pack. But remember it is a simple no fuss design, no extra pockets or straps and if you use a hydration bladder the crinkling tube has to come out through the zipper. Because of it’s packed away size and weight it is especially useful to carry as an extra bag when travelling – if needed I add it to my backpacking equipment to be used as a shopping bag.

The minus points have to be mentioned:

The bag has no structure – if I carry my iPad in it I have to take extra care not to damage it due to bad packing.
if the bag is packed full and tight it is susceptible to abrasion damage.
There are no external fittings for a walking pole.

If (when) I ruin this bag I will buy another.

Sea to Summit Travel Day Pack Read More »

Alpkit Kraku Backpacking Gas Stove

20 January 2014 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Travel / Alpkit, Alpkit Kraku, Aviemore, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, lightweight backpacking, lightweight camping, lightweight stove, MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Scotland

First use of the Alpkit Kraku Backpacking Gas Stove

It was my first opportunity today to use the new Alpkit Kraku gas stove. It is very small and I carried a small gas canister to make it a very portable unit. The small size of the burner unit does mean that some care must be taken when fixing it to the gas canister, it can cross thread very easily and if over tightened the shoulder of the valve can jamb on the lip of the gas canister. Once together and the pot supports are set up it does make a very stable stove. I used my MSR titanium mug with lid on it and it sat very well. Once lit, it only took a couple of minutes for the water to come to a rolling boil – I had the stove set up in a very sheltered spot and I was using a wind shield. In the photos you can see the pot support glowing cherry red.

The actual flame head is also quite small, especially compared with my previous MSR Pocket Rocket, it worked well under my mug and I am sure it will work under my Alpkit MiTiMug but I expect it will struggle with a larger pot. It probably will not deliver enough heat for group cooking. When I go camping later in the year I will try it out with the small frying pan I use when static camping. However I bought this as a personal backpacking stove where weight is everything and it is considerably lighter than the MSR stove and when camping on my own it should still be sufficient.

Overall (so far) I am very pleased with the Alpkit Kraku stove – it is very small and light. Well made and efficient – boiling a mug of water significantly quicker then if I had used my meths stove. Because it is so light I may be changing my backpacking habits and using a gas stove more than the ultralight Vargo titanium meth stove I currently use.

Here are some more detailed photos of the stove – More is less.

Here is the post about the walk where I used this stove.

Alpkit Kraku Backpacking Gas Stove Read More »

Christmas Backpacking Gear Update

1 January 2014 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear / backpacking, lightweight backpacking, lightweight camping, outdoor gear

I got a selection of new outdoor kit for Christmas – which has lightened my backpack even further, taking nearly 500g off the total.

Blacks Camp Pillow

I have hopefully got the solution to my pillow problems. Having used three different types of inflatable pillows over the last couple of years I think I may now have a durable, lightweight solution.

It is not inflatable so it cannot fail like the other pillows, having tried it out at home it is very comfortable.

Although it looks large it compresses well and rolls back into a fitted pocket. If I then pack this with my spare clothes and sleeping bag in a compression sack it takes up far less room in my backpack than the previous Vango pillow. This pillow is also much lighter then the Vango pillow – something lighter is always a good idea.

Craghoppers Kiwi Convertible Trousers

I needed a new pair of trousers for outdoor use and having looked at a variety of lightweight outdoor trousers I still went back to my favourites the Craghoppers Kiwi Convertible Trousers. I have several pairs of these, in various states of repair – good ones for work and two battered pairs that I have been using for camping and backpacking for a number of years, one of these I had to repair in the summer where the cloth had frayed through use, hence the new pair.

One improved feature of the latest design is a larger second pocket in the cargo pocket that will now hold my mobile phone.

Unfortunately Blacks offered these trousers in only two colours, as I use dark blue ones for work I bought the tan ones – I would have preferred something a bit darker for outdoors use.

Blacks Turbo Gas Lighter

This item is a bit heavier then the refillable Bic lighter I was using, but this lighter has a very strong flame that does not blow out in windy conditions – that’s why it earns a place in my cooking kit.

The webbing strap I thought was useful, but it was secured to the lighter with a bit of useless Velcro, so I have stitched the strap onto the lighter.

Gadget Gloves

I had been planning to buy some lightweight gloves this winter to wear under my larger thermal gloves and to use in the summer when the winter gloves are a bit extreme. Diana bought me these, the light coloured finger tips work on the screen of my iPhone so I do not need to take them off to take a photo or check the map.

Helly Hanson Lifa Dry Thermal Underwear

Diana had bought me a Helly Hanson under shirt for my birthday – and completed the set for Christmas and added a second set (usefully in another colour).

This underwear is state of the art in keeping people warm. Having tried it out, it is very comfortable and warm.

click on the above image for a larger version

This base layer is significant lighter in weight than the previous set I was using.

Including my new headlamp I have yet again reduced the weight of my walking backpack.

Christmas Backpacking Gear Update Read More »

Brecon Beacons 4

24 June 2012 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Travel, Walking / camping, coffee, lightweight camping, tea, Wales, walking

It was a wet start to the day so I made my early morning tea inside the tent using the MSR gas stove.

Before lighting the stove I checked it was placed where it would not wobble and I opened and tied back the inner tent door. I lit the stove with the valve open only just enough the give a very low gas flow, so it did not flare and only turned it up enough for the flame to be under my mug and not raging up the sides. Even on this low flame it took just over two minutes to boil a mug of water.

Rhandirmwyn Campsite

By the time we got out of our tents and had breakfast, which included fresh brewed coffee, the rain had stopped and the day promised to get brighter.

Towy Valley

Llyn Brianne Hydropower Station, Dam and Reservoir

Brecon

On the journey down we had terrible coffee at a motorway service station – so on the way home we stopped in a layby and brewed fresh coffee for ourselves.

And then we went home.

Brecon Beacons 4 Read More »

Brecon Beacons 3

24 June 2012 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Technology, Travel, Walking / camping, lightweight camping, Wales, walking

Rhandirmwyn Campsite

There is no mobile coverage at all at this campsite – so no overnight blogging.

We got the tents up and sleeping gear laid out before the light rain set in. I cooked my meal on my titanium meths stove using my titanium mug with lid, to keep the rain drops out. I put the burner just outside the tent door, where it got some shelter but did endanger the tent.

Sausage mash and onion gravy

gone!

The Richard’s cooked on gas under the shelter of some trees.

Here is RAP’s fajitas.

RKW had chilli sausage with cous cous – with burnt bits as he had the gas up to high and did not stir the sauce enough – but it tasted fine.

This was followed, for all of us, by chocolate and bottled beer by the river.

We had some dry weather but by 8.30pm the rain was heavy enough that we retired to the tents.

10Ah Power Bank Charger

This was a new item of equipment for this trip – this battery pack should give me about 4 to 5 charges for my iPhone, allowing me to use it for extended periods away from mains electricity.

It is about the size of a small external hard drive – I am storing it in a light padded case that used to hold such a drive – and weighs about 250g, so it is convenient for carrying on lightweight backpacking trips. For extra protection I plan to use a Aquapac 100% waterproof case.

The Power Bank is easy to use – I charged it, overnight, using a charger I had in the office that came with an HTC phone I no longer use. The Power Bank does not come with a charger. The Power Bank has overcharge and shortcircuit protection. If you press the power button four LEDs light up indicating how much charge remains in the unit.

To use plug your your device in using one of the supplied plugs and USB cable or just plug in your own device USB cable – I used an extendable iPhone/iPod cable.

I have used my iPhone all weekend and have charged it using the Power Bank – as I am writing this I have it plugged in charging/powering the iPhone – and about 50% of the power remains.

The phone usage was much higher than on a backpacking trip as I was online, reading from and playing music via the Bluetooth and car audio system for much of the car journey – and I used the iPhone in the tent last night again to read an ebook, play “Pocket Planes” and listen to an audio book for a longer time than normally because of the rain.

With normal backpacking use and careful power management on the iPhone this charger should allow me to be away from mains power for four of five days, including charging my iPod. To get a better estimate of the charging capacity I will test it when at home.