Davek Umbrellas. They are confident: ‘Unconditionally Guaranteed For Life: Every Davek umbrella comes with an Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. If, during its lifetime, the umbrella should fail to function properly for any reason whatsoever, the company will gladly repair or replace it for free.’ https://au.davekny.com/ The lightest appears to be: The Davek Mini: https://au.davekny.com/collections/umbrellas/products/the-davek-mini under 1 …
‘Where the pine-clad ridges raise Their torn and rugged battlements on high, Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze At midnight in the cold and frosty sky’ ‘The Man from Snowy River’, Banjo Paterson As you know I am a bit laid up at the mountain, but a young …
This is a really great idea for tightening your guy line or tarp suspension. No knots. Will slip through a loop on your pegs to make a very secure guy line system on particularly windy nights. I like it. It is not intended as a weight bearing device. I think you can see from the …
This is a truly wonderful section of the river. One of Australia’s greatest treasures and one of our last wild rivers! It took us fourteen hours (paddling and portaging) to make it from Meyers Flat (15 minutes below Waterford by canoe – but easier to put in) to the first take-out point at Angusvale. The …
I think e ink is all you need in a hiking phone as long as it has a reasonable camera (or perhaps none at all) and can display maps and books well enough. The trade-off of not having to charge for say a month is enormous value. This one weighs only 47 grams:https://www.e-ink-info.com/e-ink-devices/mobile-phones HiSense A6 …
This week I am having four-level spinal fusion on my lumbar spine (irrevocably damaged by tough hard heavy work from when I was only a child). However, the surgeons have found one disc which is sound so I can have this done, be free of pain and just be a little stiffer getting out of …
If you wonder why I return again & again to Fiordland (& the Dusky Track) maybe this excerpt from ‘Shadowland’ will whet your appetite. (Della’s favourite part, the kakapo @ 37secs in). You may have to buy the complete video as no-one seems to have uploaded it, but it will be worth it. Even more worthwhile is …
‘Hunt down bigger game with arguably the baddest looking slingshot without venturing into full on crossbow territory. This unit features a built-in magazine allowing you to pre-load up to 40 rounds of 8mm ball bearings or a single crossbow bolt. The position of the front handle can be adjusted, allowing you to reduce/increase the level …
I am indebted for this to Randi Skaug the first Norwegian woman to climb Everest. First thing in the morning, clasp one hand over the other then raise your hands above your head – and smile. It is just about automatic. Hold for a few seconds to a minute – at least until you have …
‘Forty-four Years of the Life of a Hunter’, Meshach Browning 1859. Lots of wonderful books are available free below (if you look for them). This is from Chapter 6: ‘Whitetail Hunting in 1810’. What a treasure! Six deer taken in a single day with a muzzle-loader. Great hunting! ‘Shortly after returning to my home, three …
‘When Miriam Lancewood and her partner Peter set off to live alone deep in the New Zealand wilderness, they told their families they’d be back in a year. But the couple came to enjoy their nomadic, off-grid lifestyle — foraging for edible plants and killing their own animals — so much that they’re still living …
I finally got around to loading the App and testing out the Eyeque Personal Vision Tester then using the prescription it gave me ordered a pair of progressive glasses from Zenni. The prescription was slightly different from the recent one I had from the optometrist. I now have two new pairs of glasses to compare …
A new down insulation material. Thindown creates this fabric by adding an adhesive to the down after it has expanded which then traps the down between two ultralight layers of fabric so what it can no longer move around. This means that the resulting product can be used in many different ways to create a …
Update: WordPress 5 broke my site on Dec 5th. My apologies for this. Perhaps it is fixed now (27/12). Expert help is required I fear. I failed to notice that recently the site had a glitch which was slowing loading times to to nearly a minute. Sorry. Because I go to the site to create …
Something for the ultralight hiker who has everything (with Xmas always coming up). But these might also be quite serviceable as ultralight glasses cases, if you can’t afford a plastic jar of Hormel Bacon Pieces at 33 grams (which I keep my spare pair in) or this free idea at 12 grams! Massdrop price US29.99 …
I guess you’ve noticed I am almost always wearing a lid of one kind or another. Here are two I think would be good for the outdoor life (hiking or hunting): Enlightened Equipment’ s Hooligan and Sealskinz’ Waterproof Beanie. This is the Hooligan at .85 ounce (21 grams – A$76.24). It is very similar to …
Fit young people might complete this walk in a single day, but folks with more age or sense will take two or more. It is a beautiful, isolated part of our coastline which we plan to walk again as soon as/if my back is better. Then I hope for an extended foray to Mt Darling …
Just about impossible to watch – but then I’m not good with heights, or watching people die…The good news is he doesn’t. See video here: or here:
(or hunting). Too many people are ‘gear junkies’ or ‘gear snobs’. However, remember this: Grandma Gatewood completed the Appalachian Trail (twice – at 67 the first time!) equipped with a shower curtain as a raincoat, a home-made duffel bag (& etc). I’m sure John Colter and Daniel Boone crossed the continent with considerably less – …
Filled with hydrophobic down the Enlightened Equipment Enigma Quilts start at 272 grams for a 30F/-2C quilt in 5’6” Regular and cost from US229.99 on Massdrop. This would be Della’s size though she would go for a warmer version (20F) at 347 grams which would still save her over 50 grams on the one she …
