I have spent the past four days walking ~6okm alongside the Wonnagatta River within the trackless Mt Darling Wilderness with my lovely dog, Honey as (illegal) company. At 76 a 20 km stretch which used to take me five hours is now taking me six (with a 10 kg+ pack) but it is much less […]
As I have said many times, you don’t have to break the bank to go hiking. I have been eyeing off various Dyneema packs on eg Aliexpress for years but recently (it was my birthday – 76. Who’d have thought?) I decided to buy yet another unnecessary pack. The ‘choice’ was between a ‘conventional’ (ie
I made a sub one ounce hand saw for this purpose, but this is even easier than sawing a branch to length: You can cut approx 10″ (25 cm) of 1″ (25mm) poly pipe to join two hiking poles like this. I used standard ‘rural C’ grade poly pipe because we have it lying around
Having mastered the art of lighting a fire in terrible conditions (I hope you have: How to Light a Fire in the Wet), and making a passable comfy shelter so you can enjoy your time in the bush, the next big step is mastering the art of walking. Too many men take overlong strides and
New Zealand’s Dusky Track a wonderful challenging 8+day trek in Fiordland. At 76 I am spending most of 2025 preparing for one last foray there next autumn. My son Bryn promises to come with me. My post from this day in 2014: ‘Expect a break from me: tomorrow I am off for ten days’ hiking
I have hunted sambar deer for over 50 years in the Gippsland mountains (and elsewhere other deer). Mostly I did it because it was fun and an excuse for a day out in the bush which I love. I still prefer lamb, and having been a sheep farmer for just as long, I always had
Sea to Summit have an ‘Air Chair’ which is a fair replacement for Big Agnes’ ‘Cyclone Chair’ (no longer available) – though a bit heavier (plus 60 grams). We have been using our Cyclone Chairs now for over 20 years. They just use your sleeping mat to form a comfy. chair. The biggest pluses about
There are a few essential knots (for hiking etc) some of which can save your life. A piece of string and the knowledge of how to form such an essential knot may be the ultimate ultralight ‘tool’. One such knot is the Taut Line Hitch or Midshipman’s Hitch (shown below). It is an adjustable knot
We were feeling the need to perfect our double hammocking skills as preparation for yet another wilderness trip. As we often hike in Fiordland NZ where it is apt to rain on average an inch a day and it can be difficult anyway to find a level spot for a tent, it is well to
Making calls to satellite phones has been restricted, though most will not know. Because we have cause to use one (both a satellite phone and satellite messenger) This is deeply worrying for us. About a year ago Telstra decided you now have to have a new dedicated SIM for your sat phone (without telling us)
