Over 1,000 posts about ultra light hiking, backpacking, bush walking, sambar deer hunting, canoeing, pack rafting, fishing, tips, tracks, trails, adventures, gear, equipment, reviews...
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
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
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
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
I have used the Thermarest Neoair Womens for years. It has an (insulation) R-rating of 3.9. I was quite warm enough in it at around zero Celsius with just a Columbia Silver Ridge shirt and trousers and a pair of … Continued
I doubt anything else about camping has changed so much as sleeping. When I was a lad I always just slept on the bare ground. As a bit of a sissy, my only concession to comfort was to dig the … Continued
This is a very useful video on how to create a lightweight shelter from a standard 10’ x 12’ silnylon tarp: Many other fascinating vids by this outstanding lady, Carol Wellman here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brawny03 You can buy such a tarp eg … Continued
Who would have thought three years ago today that this blog would have over 1100 posts, a million words plus of content, (ten+ novels’ worth!) over 15,000 images, and so many followers – someone every minute! Some recent doings: Exploring … Continued
Following the success of their ‘Jelly’ the smallest 4G smartphone, which is still available for US124.99 (May 2018) Uniherrtz have developed this little beauty the ‘Atom’ which comes with many other features (including now a really serious 16 meg camera). … Continued
I have just spent a couple of weeks sleeping on my new Big Agnes AXL Air 300 gram mat in Scotland. It is indubitably the most comfortable mat I have ever slept on, but it does suffer from being a … Continued
My thanks to Kiarnan over at Reddit for this idea https://imgur.com/gallery/JfLTn His bobby pin idea worked just as well with a couple of ‘O-rings’ such as I usually use in my own head torch mod Setting up the torch on … Continued
Here is a simple tasty lentil soup (for those who don’t like curry) made entirely from dry ingredients. I made some up for my lunch today and found it pleasant but perhaps a bit strong tasting. Next time i will … Continued
Sick of having to clean the burned bottom of your pot, particularly after a long simmer? Zelph has the answer. Place this underneath your pot above the burner. I’m afraid he doesn’t give any other clues to how it was … Continued
These jeans are 52% Dyneema which as everyone knows is stronger than steel. It is envisaged that you will never wear them out so that their high price of US$275 may well be justified: https://gearjunkie.com/outlier-dyneem-denim-jeans-review & https://shop.outlier.nyc/shop/retail/end-of-worlds.html You could pair … Continued
My grandson Milo ‘intent’! I have raised or helped raise a tiny army of little hikers. Some advice: always move at the pace of the slowest ‘little hiker’. This is best achieved by having him/her out the front. Little hikers’ … Continued
Our new Montbell raincoats and umbrellas have arrived just in time for testing on an upcoming trip (PS: They worked just swell!) The two shown are Della’s (modeled by our daughter, Merrin) in front of our Siligloo tent which we … Continued
I have made an ultralight bathtub floor for my Siligloo tent in preparation for a trip we are soon taking. It replaces the piece of spinnaker fabric we have been using, adding less than 70 grams. You will remember that … Continued
A DIY Sleeping Quilt for the Budget Hiker: A lightweight sleeping bag is one of the most expensive pieces of gear that the novice ultralight hiker will need. Lots of folks have suggested using/modifying the Cosco quilt which seems like … Continued
‘Trying out my new camera today in the gloriously warm autumn light. Thank you Steve Jones for the great Mother’s Day gift, and for allowing me to play with it ahead of time! The first pic was snapped on auto … Continued
I borrowed my son-in-law Matts’s Zpacks Arc Zip just so I could try it out. I loaded it up with about 10kg of stuff I would usually carry for a trip of about a week I guess and went for … Continued