outdoor gear – Page 32

Backpacking Next Weekend

25 March 2012 / Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / backpacking, coffee, hiking, outdoor gear, tea, walking

As I am planning an overnight walk, next weekend, it was time to get the equipment out of storage and check it over.

Tent

I am still using the Colman Bedrock 2 (that I paid £17.50 for) – although I am looking out for something lighter and that I can cook in if needed. To save some weight I have got two longer alloy stakes to use, to peg out the guylines, that hold up the vent cover and the foot of the flysheet. This saves carrying three heavier pegs and gives a better angle to the guylines.

The carabiner is used on my backpack during the day to secure equipment.

Cooking Gear

All the utensils went through the dishwasher and the fuel bottles refilled. I changed out my beaker for the new one.

The water bladder for the rucksack needed a rinse.

Sleeping Gear

I packed my new sleeping bag into the lightweight compression sack it came with and I was able to pack my silk sleeping bag liner into the same bag.

I store my sleeping mat semi-inflated, so I inflated it fully to check for leaks and then rolled it ready for Saturday.

Bits and Pieces

I sorted through my accessory pack and removed all the extra bits that had accumulated in the pouch over the winter, whilst I have been using it for day walks – watching the grams keeps the weight down.

I checked the batteries in the headlamp.

I also checked the contents of my first aid kit.

Food

I took a trip to the supermarket to get the food for the weekend – Aldi and Tesco – rather than camping shops. Jeremy is going on a Duke of Edinburgh’s expedition this week so I got his food as well.

Saturday

Lunch
Tinned sardines with lemon, cream crackers, hazelnut wafers, coffee

On arrival at the campsite – tea and biscuits

Dinner
Tomato cup-a-soup, Duck flavoured noodles with added salami, instant custard, tea

Later
Chai Latte, Southern Comfort, hazelnut wafers

Tea and fruit and spice oatcakes – first thing in the morning, whilst still in my sleeping bag

Sunday

Breakfast
Tea, crackers and jam, cereal bars

Lunch
Salami, cereal bar and coffee

Trail snacks
Banana chips, Meerkat jellies, white chocolate buttons

Clothes and Wash Kit

I have packed my long sleeved underwear shirt, long johns and some wool socks – the nights recently have been cold and if needed, I can wear these in my sleeping bag.

The few spare clothes I need were packed into the same dry sack with my sleeping bag and my small wash kit.

Check List

Later this week I will check my kit against my spreadsheet check list to make sure I have only 9.5kgs of gear.

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Walk back to Branston

10 March 2012 / Lincolnshire, Photography / Lincolnshire, MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Photos 2012

I had to go in today and carry out more work on this new phone system so the phone engineers can complete their jobs on Monday morning. I took my backpack, lunch and boots with and once I was finished I walked back to Branston from the city centre along the Witham.

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Lemon Tea Granules

27 February 2012 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / backpacking, outdoor gear, tea

Last summer Jeremy and I bought some Peach Tea Granules from Lidl, to use whilst hiking and camping. One of the things we liked about it was it could be used with either hot or cold water – making a hot drink when required or just as useful to flavour the water in the backpack bladder. It was also not very sweet, a number of other products we had tried seemed to only taste of sweetener.

However having been back to Lidl last month and again today it looks like they no longer stock Peach Tea. Last month we tried the Mixed Berry granules, which Jeremy liked but I was not so keen on – I used a measure yesterday whilst walking in the remainder of the water in my bottle and I really did not like it. So today I bought the Lemon Tea granules.

These were much more to my taste – not too sweet and with a strong tea flavoured with lemon taste, not the sweet chemical taste I got from the famous brand from a big supermarket. It also did not leave a lingering after taste.

I carry a 100ml bottle of this tea (it was Peach Tea now Lemon Tea) when I go backpacking for several uses. The first is to flavour my cold drinking water, the second is just in case I cannot light my stove for any reason and I can then have a flavoured cold drink, the third is just to add a bit more variety to my menus.

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Spring Snow Drops

26 February 2012 / Lincolnshire, Photography / coffee, MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Photos 2012

The walk today is out to Potterhanworth woods.

The route passed behind an old factory.

There was a convenient fallen tree along the route for a lunch stop.

I successfully used the “Clik Clak” stove, to prepare cous-cous and water hot enough for coffee, on one fill of meths and the priming fuel – but again there was no breeze at all, so this stove is probably only good for a single boil in normal conditions.

The only thing wrong with the day was the huge amount of dog mess along the paths – I watched three people walking their three dogs and they were quite happy to watch them making a mess and then they walked on. Oh well I just have to watch where I walk.

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Sunday Walk

19 February 2012 / Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Photos 2012, tea

Clocked up 10 miles or so today in a circular walk out towards Heighington, which included a length of the Water Rail Way. The weather was cold (but not as cold as last Saturday) and bright good for photographs.

I tested the “Clik Clak” stove in the wind today. There was a strong wind and it proved difficult to light the meths but once it was going, the stove heated the water for two cups of tea, using the half sized wind shield. So as a spare burner I think it is a success.

I have two of these tins, one I will pack in with my Crusader kit and the second will go in with my hiking brew kit.

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“Clik Clak” Stove

17 February 2012 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear

I tested the “Clik Clak” stove with my Vargo Ti stove and Ti mug. It worked very well, boiling the water and keeping a rolling boil for about 1.5 minutes.

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Saturday Morning

11 February 2012 / Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Photos 2012

As it is forecast to be poor weather tomorrow I went for a walk this morning. The temperature was showing -6c, sunny with no wind and dry powder snow it was a great photo opportunity.

I found a suitable tree stump and made made some hot chocolate. Following my experience in the Lake District a couple of weeks ago, when the meths were too cold to light, I had carried the fuel bottle in an inside jacket pocket – this fixed the problem.

I am trying out another wind shield for my light weight stove – this one is made of thick aluminium foil and wraps closely around the mug and stove. In some very windy conditions I have found that the rigid wind shield, I usually use, lets too much wind through and I am concerned that when I head off to the Lake District in a couple months to wild camp that it will not provide enough protection. However there was no breeze today so it was no test for new wind shield – but I am sure it will be windy on my next walk!

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