ptc*has upped the game for us gear bloggers by producing two quickfire reviews of the Terra Nova Laser Competition and the OMM Villain 45 + 10L MSC. I bought a Laser Comp back in the autumn (£70 off, can’t resist a bargain) but have not had the opportunity to test yet as my October trip to the Cairngorms had to be pulled. Pop over and have a look. Have a look at his Christmas Eve posting as well, what a cutie!
Monthly Archives: December 2007
Computer moans
Every so often something happens to my computer. It starts degrading and it gets so irritating that I have to do a fresh install. I must have done this at least ten times over the past few years. Even if you are diligent about backing up, it takes an age to recreate your system.
Moan number 1: Dell has a great utility which enables you to restore your computer to its original state. As long as you copy all your data to another disk, it’s straightforward. However, Dell shipped the wrong PDF manual and no amount of using <ctrl> F11 would push it into restore mode. Search the Internet, 10 seconds later I find out on Vista it’s F8! Why can’t they ship the right manuals!!!!!
Moan number 2: Reinstalling Tracklogs. What a faff! You have to install version 1 which keeps stopping and starting. After importing all the maps, you have to use the e-mail version to upgrade to version 2. Then you have to use the version 3 upgrade, load the maps and then re-validate them with the old CDs. Why can’t the program just check the permissions from the old program. Talk about Byzantine! All in all it’s taken the best part of three hours. I like Tracklogs but sometimes the thought process behind these programmes is baffling!
Mal odeur
This is not for the squeamish. Backpacking can be a smelly pastime. While merino wool or silver impregnated clothes can help keep smells under control, there still the issue of using deodorant (or not). Deodorant is not a great idea when exercising as it blocks the skin’s pores. Using none runs the risk of an unpleasant aroma towards then end of a hard day. You could use a mineral salts based deodorant such as PitRok. While they are better than nothing, they are not as effective as normal deodorant.
The best solution I’ve found is to use antibacterial hand cleanser. This doesn’t block the pores or prevent sweating, but does neutralise the offending bacteria. I always carry some for hand cleaning anyway, so it’s no extra weight. The best I’ve found is Carex Aloe Vera, which has a pleasant, but not over powering perfume. You get about 80-100 applications in a bottle. Unlike some hand cleaners it dispenses just the right amount and has a good secure cap to prevent accidents. A 50ml bottle weighs 60g.
Golden November
I know it’s not quite in season, but these are some of my favourite photos. I took them in November in 2004 on a rare sunny day late in the afternoon, when the low sun angle produced a beautiful golden red glow on the leaves and interesting shadows from the trees.
Blogpacking to blogcasting?
Listening to Bob’s excellent interview with Judy Armstrong, I was intrigued to hear she used a digital Dictaphone to record notes while she was on her epic trek. I had been thinking about whether to try my hand at podcasting, but chickened out when I went to Scotland this year.
I have an old I-River HP-140 MP3 player which has an external mic socket. I bought a simple lapel mic, but got a bit self conscious. The HP 140 weighs 183g, so it’s not exactly lightweight, although it does have 40GB capacity, enough to record the rest of my life! Obviously it is primarily an MP3 player, and very good too, but it is rechargeable and therefore not entirely practical for the outdoors.
I’ve been looking around for a lighter MP3 player with an external mic socket that uses ordinary batteries, but to no avail. When I heard Judy’s interview I made a quick internet search for Dictaphones and after a bit of digging came up with the Olympus WS-331M . This little beauty has 2GB of memory, runs off 1 AAA battery and weighs only 47g! For comparison, I have a little card reader MP3 player that I bought from Bob, which weighs 40g.
At £110, it’s not exactly cheap, but you can buy a noise cancelling microphone as well . Being a sucker for this sort of thing, I’m getting one. At the very least I get a very lightweight MP3 player with the ability to keep some voice notes. Who knows, I might even pluck up the courage to make a few blogcasts. I’ll post a review when I’ve got it, in the meantime, here’s a review from Laptop.
Nalgene health scare
I pass this on in those immortal words: “for what it’s worth”
“One of the most respected outdoor retailers in Canada has withdrawn from sale drinks bottles, widely available in Britain, containing a controversial chemical.
Mountain Equipment Co-op, which has no connection with the British Mountain Equipment clothing company, has taken off its shelves all containers made from polycarbonate. One of the best known brands is Nalgene, whose brightly coloured drinks bottles grace many outdoors stores in the Britain’s High Streets.
Some research has linked a chemical added to the polycarbonate in the containers, bishphenol A (BPA), with increased cancer risk, lower sperm count and the early onset of puberty.”
Where there’s hope
Every so often I have a look at Phil Lambert’s excellent Doodlecat site, which provides a sort of Grand Central for TGOC related stuff. A recent blog contribution is from Roger Boston (or at least I assume it’s Roger Boston), who has been suffering from knee problems and has had an operation recently. Rather discouragingly his doctor has advised to “avoid walking on rough ground, going up and down hills”. If you’ve looked at Roger’s excellent accounts of his last three Challenges, you’ll recognise that he’s rather unlikely to take this advice!
While I can’t give Roger direct encouragement about his cartilage problem (I know how bad this can be as my sister has had several operations), I can give some encouragement to others who may have suffered ligament problems. A long time ago, I twisted my knee descending Great Whernside and tweaked a ligament on the outside of my right knee. Fortunately it was at the end of a week’s trek around the Dales and I only had to walk to a road and my friend got his car.
From that day on I suffered from painful knees, especially when carrying a heavy pack and on descents. In the end I gave up backpacking and only did day walks, carrying a light pack. Even so, descent was very painful, although ascent and walking on the level was fine. Then I discovered walking poles. This helped dramatically in descent, although I could still feel some pain. Over the years my knees have gradually improved, to the extent that I now feel no discomfort going downhill, even with a full pack.
So it seems I’ve come full circle, hence over the past few years, I’ve been able to start backpacking again, although I’ve taken it carefully to begin with. I can’t really explain why this has happened. I’ve not followed any specific exercise regime. The only things I can put it down to is time healing and using trekking poles. Even though I don’t need to use them, I still carry poles and use them if descent looks tricky. Hopefully, this will encourage others who suffer from knee problems. It’s not always the end!
Thank you Judy for my boots
If you’ve not already listened to it, can I recommend that you listen to Bob’s interview with Judy Armstrong and her epic walk around the Alps. If you want some details of Judy’s trek you can get them from her web site.
I have to take my hat off to her, she’s a tough cookie. To walk on after some of the injuries she suffered takes a lot of guts, as does getting through some life or death situations like having to spend a night out after finding the door of a refuge frozen shut. I wonder how I would have reacted in those circumstances.
I also have to thank Judy for pointing me in the direction of the best pair of boots that I’ve ever worn: the Aku Icaros. She mentioned these before she started out. At the time I had been road testing a pair of Montrail Stratos XCR boots. They were fabulously comfortable and very breathable, with the Gore-Tex membrane on the outer material of the boot. These were the first pair of membrane boots that I’ve ever felt comfortable in. They were no more sweaty than a pair of light leather boots.
Unfortunately the plastic sole chassis of the boot cracked, making an irritating squeaking sound. While not fatal, I returned the boots to Rock + Run, who very kindly refunded my money (bearing in mind this was three months after I bought them). Apparently this was a well recognised design fault and I wasn’t the first to suffer this fate. I see that Montrail have introduced an updated version called the Cirrus and it looks as though they have addressed the issue.
I bought the Icaros mail order (naughty boy!), although I did check that the sole shape fitted my foot, by printing a life size version of the sole and checking my foot against it. Anyway, it was a bit of a punt, but I needed a pair of lightweight boots for Scotland in May. When they arrived, the fit was almost perfect (phew!). For reference, if you can wear Zamberlan or Montrail shoes/boots, the odds are that Aku will fit you (assuming they use consistent lasts).
In terms of breathability, these boots are a revelation. It’s all down to their Air 8000 technology. The membrane is attached only at a limited number of points rather than glued. Unfortunately their web site doesn’t explain it very well but the breathability is definitely better than I’ve experienced in other boots, even the Montrails. Judy mentions that her feet and socks suffered minimal dampness even in summer temperatures and I can believe her.
I can’t say it was particularly hot in Scotland, but it was wet. The boots kept me dry even though the outers were soaked. I even use them for dog walking now as they are so comfortable. I have suffered minimal sweating in them. My only two criticisms are that the insoles are useless; I replaced them with Superfeet. Also the top three sets of cleats for the laces are a bit sharp. Akus are difficult to get hold of, but they are really worth it.
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas to everyone!
In praise of buffs
I know this will get me into trouble with you know who, but so what! I like buffs, or neck gaiters as they used to be called, somewhat inelegantly. I hate getting my neck cold. I was reminded of this yesterday when I took the dog out early in the morning when it was still frosty and foggy. I could have taken a scarf, but a buff does it much better.
A (very) long time ago you couldn’t get buffs and I used to use a short woolen scarf. Then Rohan came up with a variation on the scarf theme: a scarf with windproof poly-cotton on one side and a kind of fleece on the other side. It was a bit of a faff to keep in the right place but it was good for keeping the wind and chill away.
Later I spotted a Meraklon neck gaiter from Field & Trek (back in the days when they were a proper outdoors retailer). This was an improvement on a scarf, but could get quite warm. Fast forward to about five years ago when I discovered the micro-fibre buff. This is just right for keeping your neck warm most of the time, with enough wind resistance to take off the chill. The only downside is that they can get a little smelly after a while (why don’t they do an antibacterial one?).
I also have a fleece one, which is great for when it’s cold and excellent for skiing. The windproof one is too warm most of the time, so I’ve hardly used it. I’ve never really worked out how to use them as a hat, though.
ME Ultralite 2
I promised you a review of my solo tents. On reflection, it’s a bit of a waste of time reviewing my Vango TBS Micro 100 as it’s no longer in production. Suffice it to say it is a good, sturdy tent but a bit on the heavy side and quite small. Here’s a picture (it’s the blue one):
To solve both the weight and size issue, I bought a ME Ultralite 2. Originally it was advertised as a 1kg tent. However, it actually weighed 1.3kg. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not very happy with manufacturers who are economical with the truth over weights. Had I known the true weight, the decision to purchase would have been a finer judgement. This is not to say that it is a bad tent by any means. The fact that it uses trekking poles as tent poles is an advantage both from the perspective of saving weight and strength. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Ultralite 2, here’s a link to the ME web page and below are two photos.
So is it any good? Let’s look at the good points first. For the weight it is spacious, with just enough room for two and plenty of room for one (I never share tents!). It has two reasonable sized porches, big enough to cook and to store stuff. Having two is a luxury rather than a necessity, but is handy if it’s wet as you can store wet waterproofs etc in one, while leaving the other free. The vents above the door are flexible and good for ventilation.
Let’s look at the not so good. Starting with some of the small details, the door tiebacks are poor and do not secure the doors well. This applies to both the inner outer doors. I’ve cured this by extending the elastic loop with a short length of cord and then using a cord grip. By securing the cord grip hard against the tent material, you can stop the door material slipping through the securing loop. The door arrangement is also slightly less than ideal as it doesn’t fully open up the side of the tent.
Another irritation is that the gap between the inner and the outer on the long side is not big enough, so if there is a lot of condensation, this can be transferred to the inner. At the foot end, this can mean that your sleeping bag gets damp, because there is limited clearance. The way to overcome this is to detach the inner and outer at this end and to peg out separately. It is also worth adding and extra loop of cord to the outer tent rubber to separate further.
To help stability, instead of using one guy line either side I use two, attaching them to a little karabiner (Alpkit Clipper) and then to the tent. This brings me to a major drawback: it’s very flappy in high winds. While I don’t think it would blow away, it’s not very stable when it’s windy and is very noisy.
This was brought home to me last year when I was camping in the Lakes just below Causey Pike (Stoneycroft Gill, if you’re interested). It was raining and the wind was funnelling down the valley in strong gusts. I’m sure I would have been OK, but after three hours of battering, I packed up at midnight and bailed out. It was so noisy and the tent wall was pushing against my head, there’s no way that I would have got any sleep.
The Ultralite 2 is a spacious one man tent that is suitable for lowland backpacking, with a decent space/weight ratio, but I wouldn’t want to use it in exposed pitches, which is why I bought an Akto to go to Scotland this year (more on that another time). It needs a bit of care pitching to ensure a good gap between the inner and outer. It does have the advantage of a good amount of space for its weight. I may try just the outer some time as a sort of tent/tarp hybrid. I’ve not weighted the fly alone, but I guess it will be about 600g. Should you buy it? It’s not a bad tent, but I think there are better tents on the market.
More books
My love of books is a gift from my father as is my fascination with history. The easiest thing to do at Christmas is to exchange books. Yesterday, I went into Books etc to look for a Christmas present. I bought him John O’Farrell’s “An Utterly Impartial History of Britain“, which is a wry, humorous book about the panoply of British history (only 479 pages long!). However, it’s not this book I want to write about but a little “extra” book I bought for him.
Entitled “Instructions for British Servicemen in France 1944“, it was written for our troops to acquaint themsleves with France and its people before they liberated France. Flicking through it in the shop, it looked quite amusing. While my father did not fight in the war he was born before the war and many of his childhood memories are of the war.
It’s not very long (55 pages) and is like a small note book. In honesty, I bought it for a bit of a laugh, but reading it made me think again. The whole tone is one of sympathy and respect for the French, exhorting our troops to treat the French with courtesy and honour. It’s wonderful to read. It explains a bit about French history and culture, together with some political background.
It made me rather ashamed of some of the stereotypes that we can have both of foreigners and of our fore-bearers. These were wonderful men who gave their lives so others, including ourselves, could live in freedom. I also want to honour the French, who resisted Hilter, some paying the ultimate price. We must never forget or belittle that generation for what they gave to us. It makes me rather proud to be British.
Lakeland photos
Some pictures from around Newlands and Hindscarth
Literati
The outdoor world has gone a bit bookish recently with the blogfather (Andy Howell) posting two excellent pieces, one on what is on his bookshelves and the second on “The Wild Places” by Robert McFarlane. Thanks, Andy, I’ll track some of these books down. I’ve had a bit of a mixed experience with travel books, so some recommendations are welcome. In the latest edition of TGO magazine, Chris Townsend also writes about his favourite “wilderness” authors.
Chris Townsend wrote two of my favourite travel books: “Walking the Yukon” and “Crossing Arizona”. Part of the joy of reading is the vicarious pleasure of imagining being there, which is crucially dependent on the author’s narrative skill. Chris may blush, but for me, he succeeded admirably in transporting me to landscapes I’d never been to.
My other favourite is “Clear Waters Rising” by Nicholas Crane, which is more of a classic travelogue, albeit one written from a walker’s perspective. If anyone is looking for a challenge, try following Crane’s route from north-west Spain through the Pyrenees, the Alps and Carpathians to Istanbul!
However, additions to my book collection will have to wait until I’ve read The Children of Hurin by Tolkien (half way through), Kublai Khan by John Man (just started), His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (not started yet). I’ve also got to read Colossus by Niall Ferguson. Lucky the Christmas holiday’s near, I’ve got a lot of reading to do!
Suunto saga ends
As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve been waiting patiently for a Suunto X9 GPS watch that I had ordered from Field & Trek, reduced from £499 to £125. To my dismay, yesterday I recieved a letter from them dated 13th December that they had sold out. Bearing in mind that I ordered it on 1st December, it does seem rather a long time to discover it’s sold out. Never mind, it was probably a bit of a frippery anyway. Reading some more reviews, it came in for hefty criticism over battery life and satellite acquisition time. I’ve got a Gecko 101, which is fine for my purposes.
Ear plugs
On Saturday night, some neighbours (sic) held a party in a marquee in their back garden to celebrate their wedding. Thoughtfully they sent a letter to the houses in the vicinity to warn them about the noise. Fair enough, I don’t have a problem with that. However, the party went on until well past 4.00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Fortunately, we are a little way away from their house, if I’d been one of their immediate neighbours, I don’t think I would be on speaking terms now!
As I woke up for nth time, I remembered I had some ear plugs that I always take with me when I’m camping, so I spent the rest of the night in comparative comfort. Ear plugs are very useful for camping, especially for campsites where there are inconsiderate campers (jerks) who insist on having loud conversations/playing music etc late into the night.
Foam ear plugs don’t work for me as they are not very effective and tend to fall out. I used wax ones for some time, but they are a bit messy. Now I use silicone ear plugs that I got from a swimming shop. They are ideal as they mould to your ear but do not make a mess. They are very effective for cutting out noise and I would recommend anyone to take a pair if they are intending to camp on a campsite or stay in a bothy. One other thing that I found useful from the swimming shop was their anti-chafing cream, which is excellent for preventing heat rash.
Weighty matters
A recent thread on the TGO site reminded me of something that has irritated me for some time about gear manufacturers: inaccurate advertised weights. I can forgive some variation, but there have been times when variations have been ridiculous.
I’ve found Mountain Equipment to be particularly bad, with the weights on the AR Utralite 2 and Helium jacket to be significantly higher than claimed. The original AR UL2 was claimed to be 1kg and turned out to be 1.3kg. They’ve now amended it on their website. The Helium jacket is claimed to be 390g on their website, but mine is 470g for a medium, a 20% difference.
Mountain Equipment are not the only ones, just the worst I’ve come across. Weight is an important part of the purchase proposition for us, so it is not unreasonable to expect manufacturers (and retailers) to take care that their weights are reasonably accurate. I now weigh all my gear on some accurate scales make sure I’ve got the right weight.
Farewell Viento
It appears that Paramo are to stop making their Viento jacket according to this thread on OM. Even though it is still on Paramo’s website, if you look around on the web, very few retailers are now stocking it. It’s a great shame as I think it’s Paramo’s best jacket, even if it is a bit quirky. For me, it has the best venting and pocket options of any of their jackets and the unusual zip arrangement which allows you to put your rucksack’s hip belt under the jacket is a winner. Perhaps the problem is that the most recent colours are not very inspiring. Mine is a rather fetching slate blue, which they discontinued. Still, at least with Paramo gear, it lasts virtually for ever. The Viento is dead! Long live the Viento!
Plan for the worst…
“Plan for the worst and hope for the best” is a phrase that I first heard on Bob’s Challenge podcasts. Whether he made it up, I don’t know, but it struck me as being a wise maxim to bear in mind for planning any trip. It is the reason why I will probably never be an ultra-light backpacker. I always think about three situations when I’m doing my gear planning. What if it rains all day? What if it’s sunny all day? What’s the coldest that it’s likely to be at night?
Being dry (relatively) and warm when it rains is an important consideration and why, most of the time, I prefer to wear Paramo. Unless I’m being ultra weight conscious or only going for 1-2 days, generally I’ll wear Paramo. For me, it’s the most comfortable rainwear and I don’t have to keep putting it on and taking it off.
Preparing for a hot sunny day means a hat, a top that has a collar, and some shorts. I prefer a cap to a hat, hence the need for a shirt with a collar (an Icebreaker Kent Polo or a Mountain Hardwear Canyon Shirt are my current favourites). I also generally wear running shorts as underwear anyway (Adidas or Ron Hill at the moment).
Probable under foot conditions determine footwear. If it’s likely to be wet, I’ll take boots (Aku Icaro) or if I think it’s dry or hot I’ll take trail shoes (Montrail Hardrock or Namche). If I’m taking trail shoes, I’ll generally take a pair of Trek Mates Gore-Tex over socks as I hate wet feet! If there’s likely to be bogs, I’ll take a pair of gaiters, even though I rarely use them.
The last thing I think about how cold it’s likely to be at night. Generally, I’ll err on the side of caution and take a warmer sleeping bag, even though I could wear clothes. I’ll also make sure I have a dry change of clothes and a warm layer. It’s difficult for me to imagine getting my base weight down to much less than 6.5kg for most trips. However, I reckon that I should be able to have a base weight of less than 10kg for most circumstances.
As you can see, I’m a bit of a cautious chap and like to be prepared for the worst that the weather can throw at me. That way, I can relax and enjoy my walk without having to worry about the elements. Clearly different people have different tolerances of discomfort, which will determine the mix of gear that they take, but using Bob’s dictum of “planning for the worst…” helps determine where the boundaries are.
Snowdonia pictures
Some pictures from Snowdonia in 2004.
