outdoor gear – Page 33

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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“Clik Clak” Stove

5 February 2012 / Camping, Outdoor Gear, Walking / Crusader Cook Set, Crusader Mug, lightweight walking, outdoor gear

I have been using the meths burner from my Vargo Triad stove with my Crusader stove. They work well in this combination and it allows me to use cleaner meths fuel with the Crusader unit. I’d like to have a meths burner permanently stored in the Crusader case and was planning to make a drink can stove – but whilst walking last week I had an idea for an alternative meths burner.

A while back we had been given a small tin of mints as a business freebie and I thought it might make a good burner.

The lid design gives holes for the meths vapour to get out of the tin.

Time to experiment.

I filled the Clik Clak tin to just under the rolled lip – the tin is not as big as the Triad burner so I wanted to maximise the burn time – and then carefully clicked the lid on.

I put the tin and the primer meths (about 3mm deep) into the Crusader Stove fuel bowl, lit it, and put 250ml of water on to heat in the Crusader Mug with my metal lid.

It did work, the water just reached the rolling boil before the fuel ran out. The next test is to try it outdoors, rather than in the still air conditions indoors.

For my latest lightweight cooking gear set up – click here.

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Craigellachie Nature Reserve Again

27 January 2012 / Outdoor Gear, Photography, Travel, Walking / Aviemore, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, iPhone photography, MSR titanium mug, outdoor gear, Photos 2012

Yet another bright frozen day, with a light dusting of overnight snow – a good day to go to the high ridge of the Craigellachie Nature Reserve.

Lunch on the top

When I first got up to the summit there was hardly any breeze and it was a great place for lunch overlooking the Cairngorm range. Whilst I was having my soup it started to snow, I watched it coming up the valley towards me.

This is the second day of wearing my new Explorer Trek boots. The tread gives a sure grip on both wet rocks and icy paths. They are very comfortable, warm, waterproof, and give good, high ankle support. They are large boots but they are still lightweight. It looks like they are a good buy and I am looking forward to wearing them for many miles.

Miles on the boots so far 14.

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