Just bought a great new pair of wet weather pull-on boots, Otway Ranger Lo Soft (Toe) @ $75 from Scotts, Traralgon. I have just been around the lambs on the (steep) hill and can report that they have excellent grip on wet, clayey grass and are totally waterproof in 2” deep puddles. These are a […]
Make your own unbreakable shoe laces. That way you don’t need to carry a spare. You can buy Aglets (ie ends – what a great word – from Old French ‘aiguillette’, a small needle) cheaply enough A$3.88 per 100 plus 50 ft 2.3 mm black Kevlar line A$24.92 (pictured) to make your own unbreakable shoe
Of course you know what this is; it’s a very silly empty fuel container which you can see weighs 5.1 oz or 147 grams. Lots of unwise hikers lug these stupid things around! Let’s look at it another way. A lightweight bottle to carry alcohol (meths) in might weigh 10-20 grams. My lightest burner weighs
I received my new Topo Hydraventure 2 shoes from Injinji about a month ago. The new model is even better than the old one. Look at that tread. 310 grams in US size 9.5 The comparison shoe for me is Keen’s Targhee 2 which weighs 436.6 grams according to their website. I have used these
It is such a nuisance arriving at your destination and not having your favourite knife available for those simple tasks like peeling an apple, opening a box, cutting a rope etc. It is also awkward to have to post your knife ahead for pick-up or buy one then throw it away or post it back
We always camp in an open shelter (something like this) with an open fire out the front. So warm and cozy even on cold, wet days. This shelter is very easy to make. It consists of a square of Tyvek ‘Homewrap’ (available Bunnings in 30 metre rolls) 8’ x 8’ square. The ‘wings’ consist of
I made this last night out of some aluminium flashing. The aluminium will most likely not stand up to the intense heat of a fire for long, but as a prototype/proof of concept I am happy with it. Some .5mm (soft) stainless steel foil has arrived this morning in the mail so I will be
This is still my favourite hiking knife. I received one of these knives for Xmas 2013 and have carried it everywhere since. The Johnson Adventure® Piggyback®. It is just brilliant: overall weight 36.5g, knife only 27.5g (US$12.27 – Dec 2013). The blade is definitely thick enough and strong enough to split kindling. This is a
Just as a follow-up to my recent utility knife post I have recently become aware of these two wonderful little knives, one of which must just about qualify as being the tiniest of knives at .169 oz (4.8 grams) – less than a credit card, they say in their ad! The other is a cheaper,
Of course you could just go about with your hair looking like an untidy birds’ nest but few girls especially would want to. I have carried the same old comb below (3 grams) for twenty years. I own that I could probably have found a slightly shorter, lighter one but there is some sentimental attachment.
