DIY Stun Gun:
Personal Defense: How to make a stun gun with a disposable camera. This is the guide to make a device which runs on a battery and produces sparks at tens of thousands of volts very rapidly. No doubt illegal in … Continued
Deer O’Clock
Three years ago we started to see the odd deer print on our evening walks. Then one day a fallow stag kindly donated me this nice antler. Back in February when I was telling you about losing Tiny and the … Continued
More Power to You:
These ‘new’ lithium powered jump starters are amazing. I had been thinking of installing a dual battery system in the (’95) Discovery but it is difficult though not impossible to fit one in, as well as very fiddly. I already … Continued
Garmin Inreach Mini:
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
The Deer Hunter’s Apprentice #2:
To continue. Where is the deer? So, let’s say you have mastered walking quietly, that you can reason out where a deer has walked, and that you can see through the bush, so that if a deer is there it … Continued
Boastful food shots:
Della: ‘I have generally eschewed these on FB, but this one is a little different from the norm, I think. Nothing flash, not the good china, not the expensive restaurant, just what I dished up for Steve and myself for … 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
Everyone Loves a Good Fire
Certainly Della and the two dogs, Spot and Honey do. It’s been such a dry autumn that burning off has been postponed into early winter to prevent the risk of fire. This pile used to be a large cypress that … Continued
Cold Season Pads:
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
Mattresses I have Known:
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
Brawny’s ‘Tarptent’
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
Happy Birthday Ultralight Hiker:
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
Mighty Tiny Phone:
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
New Evidence of Fiordland Moose
Some time back I was contacted by a young journalist, Charlie Mitchell from Stuff, New Zealand. I helped him out as much as I could from my experiences. Over the last two days I have been thrilled to read and … Continued
A Cure for Slippery Mats:
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
Car-Camper Conversion: $50
We have recently been on a car camping holiday in Scotland where we wanted to stay away from people as much as possible on such a crowded island, and save on accommodation costs by sleeping in the rental car wherever … Continued
The Deer Hunter’s Apprentice #1:
I’ll probably never stop taking in stray kittens even though I tell myself I will, and know that all the love and care you lavish on them is only preparation for the day they meet their ultimate roadside, still… Over … Continued
Verney Carron ‘Stop&Go®’
Considerable angst is being generated this morning about this ‘new’ action shotgun just as was present not so long ago about the Adler’s ‘new’ 150 year old action, and overlooking the fact that it is already available in shops as … Continued