The Compleat Survival Guide:
If you have no air, you have only about a minute to live. The absence of shelter and warmth may kill you in a few hours, lack of water in a few days, lack of food in weeks. Therefore it … Continued
Restore Pdf Maps Functionality:
I recommended this App back in Nov ’14: It’s great for viewing eg Victoria’s Topo maps in a Georeferenced form, ie the GPS on your phone will work to show your location, route etc on the map. All Qld’s Topo maps … Continued
Thermarest Vesper Quilt
Thermarest have a new down quilt, the Vesper, available soon. It comes in 32F at 15 oz (0C & 428 grams) and 20F at 19 oz (-7C & 542 grams) and insulated with Nikwax treated down. I would pair one … Continued
NZ’s South Coast Track: Westies Hut to Cromarty:
posted in: Backpacking, Bucket List, Fiordland, Hiking, Inspiring People, New Zealand, South Coast Track (Fiordland), Uncategorized |
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After you have completed the wonderful journey on the South Coast Track from the Rarakau Car Park to the magical Westies Hut it is possible to continue the journey all the way to Puysegur Point Lighthouse, the Te Oneroa shelter … Continued
ThermaRest NeoAir Uberlite
Thermarest has taken up the challenge of Big Agnes 270 gram AXL Air Pad and presented their new offering a 250 gram Uberlite pad at the Outdoor retailer Summer show in Denver. Of course it is also an uninsulated pad … Continued
Hands Free Hammock Media Viewer:
The Hangtime Hook: This is a neat little gadget for watching a movie when you are lying back in the wilderness somewhere in your hammock. I can’t say I am so addicted to TV that I do this often, but … Continued
Ultralight Multi-Tool
‘Do you need a knife you barely notice is in your pocket because it is so unbelievable light and thin? German steel and Swiss precision makes it a great tool.’ Crono N3: Weight: 28 g Measures: 9.5 x 1.5 x … Continued
The Thermal Conductivity of Gases
It appears you can nearly double the R-rating of hiking mats or other gear by filling them with eg CO2 which is cheap and readily available instead of eg air or nitrogen. I can see how this can easily be … Continued
How Warm a Bag or Quilt Do I Need?
I was asked this by a friend of mine who was planning his first overnight hunt (in winter) years ago in an area I often visit too. I have never needed a bag warmer than -1 to -3 C (and … Continued
Pine Down Blanket
Ultralight on a budget. Over at Massdrop they have this interesting 3 season down quilt for just US$99.99 (July 2018). It can be used as a blanket or a quilt due to some interesting innovative features. If you pair it … Continued
Have you tried the new Pulse Pasta?
Made only from beans and peas instead of grains – and so much better for you. Especially if you have a blood sugar problem. Also gluten free. We have and found it delicious. It has more of a nutty flavour … Continued
Exped Synmat HL Winter M
My thanks to reader (Belle) for alerting me to the Exped Synmat HL Winter M (I had overlooked) which weighs 430 grams and has an R-rating of 5.0 at 183 cm long 52 wide (35 cm at the foot) and … Continued
AXL Air Down Pad
I am thinking of modifying one of Big Agnes’ AXL Air Pads (by cutting it down say to 5’4″) and adding in approximately 4 ounces of Hyper Dry Down. This should give me a pad which weighs around 360 grams … Continued
No Cold Shoulder Spreader Hammock:
I like the spreader bar on this new hammock from Rei. This would stop that annoying thing where the hammock fabric compresses the insulation of your sleeping bag at shoulder-to-elbow and creates a cold spot. There are several other ways … Continued
Clever Titanium Windscreen
Steve Evans at Suluk 46 has a really cleverly designed adjustable titanium windscreen. You especially need a windscreen if you are cooking with alcohol or esbits, but in any case the wind will steal as much as half of the … Continued
Massdrop In Stock
Massdrop now have some of their great specials in stock – so you don’t have to wait for a drop. For example, they have the Enlightened Equipment Quilt I recently posted about for US $219.99 (Jun 2018). Their excellent Fizan … Continued
Garmin Inreach Mini:
posted in: Backpacking, Electronics, Four Wheel Driving, GPS, Hiking, Hunting, Maps, Phones, Survival Kit |
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At last a fully functional GPS, satellite communicator and epirb which weighs 100 grams (3.5 oz!) The new and improved ‘Poor Man’s Satellite Phone‘. I already own the earlier ‘Delorme Inreach’ model (190 grams) which I love, so can’t imagine … Continued
A Quilt for all Seasons
There is no doubt that a quilt can be lighter, more comfortable, and a lot less inconvenient to enter and exit than a bag. A down quilt can weigh under 500 grams for something which will rate around -10C (providing … Continued
What to include in a wilderness cache:
I have a number of favourite spots I visit every now and then sprinkled around the Gippsland bush mainly far from roads. Many are on the other side of large rivers which sometimes rise unpredictably and can cut you off … Continued
Blizzard Bag
A cheap lightweight reusable waterproof sleeping bag/shelter which will save your life in an emergency. I have had one of these in the bottom of my day pack for over ten years. To date (fortunately) I have never had to … Continued