The seams on my old silk sleeping had started to fail after over 15 years of service. I had repaired it several times but the silk was still giving way.
Jeremy and Michael bought this replacement for me for Christmas. It weighs less than the old one at 128g against 153g but is longer at 185cm.
Download my current itemised and weighed backpacking kit list here.
New gear – Rab silk sleeping bag liner Read More »
I am off next weekend on a solo trip to the Lake District and then the Cairngorms. This weekend I am checking through my walking gear and packing as I have work next week in London before heading directly from there to the Lakes.
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.
Thank you Alpkit – great customer service Read More »
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
The seal on my water filter bottle failed so I have replaced it with this lighter weight model. The set came with a bottle for the untreated water, a direct use straw and a cleaning kit.
It will also fit onto the roll up water bottles I already own and commercial drink bottles with a standard 28mm thread.
New gear – Sawyer Mini Water Filter Read More »
The boys went fishing today near Grantown on Spey, so after dropping them off I set off to do some walking. There are plenty of good forest walks around Grantown on Spey and a lot of geocaches have been hidden there so planing a route was straight forward.
Several of the geocaches were challenging to find (I did get some help on one of them from a local) but searching them out is part of the fun. I was planning on getting 10 – managed 7 as the boys wanted to be picked up earlier than planned.
For lunch I found a shaded spot, essential for today as it was very hot and sunny, with a very convenient tree stump. Before setting up the stove I was very careful to clear the ground of the dry leaf litter as I did not want any risk of fire.
Gear
Top of the list today was water.
1l roll up Platypus bottle with a drinking tube – I do not use the bladder tube very often but today it was useful to be able to sip water regularly
0.5l roll up water bottle – used to make my lunch time coffee (I know coffee dehydrates but I like it)
0.3l water with a squirt of Robinsons Squash’d citrus
Lightweight Sea to Summit pack
Map and compass
Rain jacket – not really necessary today but I still packed it
Lunch – including a snack pot of tinned pineapple for the liquid
Backpacking cooking set
GSI lightweight insulated mug
Sit mat – pads the back of the pack
Sun stick and lip balm
Bush hat with wide brim
Victorinox Camper Swiss Army Knife on a paracord lanyard
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
Plenty of factor 50 sun screen applied before setting out.
New Gear
GSI Infinity Backpacker Mug
I bought a new mug yesterday – a GSI lightweight insulated mug, that is big enough to be used as a bowl to rehydrate a meal in when camping or backpacking. The lid has a sturdy lift up flap for drinking out of and to protect from swimming flies.
The insulated jacket is removable for cleaning.
Capacity 500ml
Weight 99g
Coffee
I saw this flavoured instant coffee in the supermarket the other day. Tastes great so I have added a Nalgene bottle if it to my kit.
Walking and Geocaching – Grantown on Spey – New Gear Read More »
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
Walking and Geocaching Read More »
