I noticed this morning that Nemo have a ‘new’ Tensor Elite Ultralight Insulated pad which weighs as little as 215 grams (though only R2.4) at US229.95 (April 2026) . That is certainly a game-changer for summer or maybe 3-season camping. Weight-wise this compares favorably with my personal favourite the Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite Regular Small (formerly […]
I have praised the Topo shoes in a previous post. Della and I both just acquired new Topo Terraventure 2Wp boots for an upcoming EBC hike. Mine cost A$279 delivered from Sherpa. Topo have improved the shoes since my first pair. Eg They now have really super grip Vibram soles which just about glue you
Work equals force by distance, where a single newton of force represents the amount of force needed to move one kilogram one meter. The equivalent imperial unit is the foot-pound which is self-explanatory. Image: Sisyphus: ‘In Greek mythology Sisyphus or Sisyphos was the king of Ephyra. He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness
I know this will be anathema to the LNT set but let me say that they are anathema to me! Such posturing and hand-wringing is the worst kind of virtue signalling. Nature can be improved for the benefit of man and indeed for the benefit of both – particularly in regard to the prevention of
This has been a long time coming. I sewed the prototype in 2023 and am just finishing it off today (January 2026) but I think it will have been worth the wait. I hinted that I would be making it years ago in this post 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp. This design doubles (quadruples) as
I have written about ultralight USB cables and this really miniature usb lamp but had you ever wished you could light a fire with your power bank? Now you can. Mine came free with the Hand Dynamo I just wrote about. You can buy similar ones from Aliexpress here and here for between A$2 and
When your phone’s screen begins to flicker and die or your torch grows dim I bet you wish for one of these – something which will keep them charged forever. It outputs around half an amp (at 5 Volts) at the recommended 1 rpm ie 2.5 Milliamp hours/watts (per hour) – enough to charge your
This is a really handy piece of gear (18 grams). After you have bought it/them you are going to be throwing out a heap of other things! It measures the voltage and amperage through itself when plugged into a USB outlet and can time and add the total so that you can see how long
The tents I make all double as hammock tarps too. I am very taken with my (Chinese) Trailstar and wondered whether it could be repurposed likewise. I am pleased to report that it can – and that it is (just) big enough for a tarp which both of us can lie underneath in our hammocks.
Victoria is on fire again – as I predicted in this post Mt Darling an Emerging Inferno (though it hasn’t actually got there yet). I suspect the hut will go before I ever get a chance to renovate it but it is still west of the fire and the fire is moving east, so who
