1200th Post
Every hundred posts or so I take time to highlight significant posts on the website over the last few months. In this case it is 200 posts since 6th October 2017 and my 1000th Post. In that time I have … Continued
It’s Not My Fault
It’s Not My Fault: Self-help before you despair. On 02/10/2018 I had this post The Parting of the Ways (Below) in which I hinted that not only may there be a small group of themes which inform our lives but … Continued
Cure Back Pain
Yes, it will! Try it yourself right now! This is a summary of the ‘McKenzie Method’. Try this before you let anyone cut into you! I have just had a laminectomy which has ‘gone wrong’. I should have stuck with … Continued
The Ultralight Persuader
The Ultralight ‘Persuader’: I know many folks discuss carrying items for self-defence – and whether it is legal or not to do so. County.com’s Titanium Persuader is one such you might consider. US$45 (Sept 2018). It weighs only 1.1 ounce … Continued
Shepherd’s Crook:
I bought one of these in Hawick during our trip to Scotland in May. The local feed and grain store had any number of excellent products and gadgets for caring for and saving the lives of sheep which are not … Continued
Ultralight Pocket Lockpick
54 grams: The SouthOrd Jackknife Lockpick. How could you go anywhere without one? Why bother to carry keys at all? They are probably heavier then this anyway. A great substitute for the Keychain Reinvented. Of course it might take a … Continued
Cheap Insulated Pad
US$69.99 (Sept 2018) Paria Outdoors a Texas-based company (Denver) have these excellent mats in stock at almost half the price of a Neoair. ‘The ReCharge UL camping pad is the perfect size (72 x 20 x 2.5 – 189 x … Continued
The Ultralight Barista
So you would like a decent cup of coffee on the trail. I know that this is a problem for Della. Me? I am a philistine. I actually prefer instant. There are some little luxuries though where you might want … Continued
How much weight in fuel?
Alcohol weighs 0.789 gram per cubic centimeter (or per millilitre – same thing). I use about 7 ml to boil one (250 ml) cup of water or about 5-6 grams. If I used butane I would use perhaps only 4 … Continued
A Wind Shell and an Umbrella
Might be your best choice combo for keeping dry in unexpected squalls without the need to carry a heavy rain coat. (You would be looking at around 5 oz/72 + 86 = 158 grams). A wind shell such a Montbell’s … Continued
How Light Can a Tent Be
Well, let’s talk about a tarp really. You will need about an ounce I guess for the smallest Polycro groundsheet (unless you don’t use one, because you are perhaps desert hiking). To that you have to add the weight of … Continued
Tick Eliminator
These little pests are becoming more common in Australia. Of course in the States they carry the dreaded Lyme Disease. Carrying a safe means of removing them and/or treating tick bites on self/companion animals is becoming more urgent than ever. … Continued
Hemmer Foot
If you are considering making your own tarp/shelter (you should) you might find one of these little gadgets a great help. You can buy a set of three (universal snap-on fit) from eg eBay for around $10. I will certainly … Continued
Nuts to ‘Leave No Trace’
Leave No Trace strictures vs Vandalism: There is a better way. I have been involved in land management for nearly seventy years and have planted thousands of trees, even this year when I am laid up with this ‘broken’ back. … Continued
Riding on the Sheeps’s Back
Or vice versa. Patagonia’s Woolyester Fleece (US$139 – Oct 2018) might be a great mid-layer addition to your other wool clothing, your Kathmandu/Columbia thermal for example, and your Kathmandu or Columbia wool shirt. I rarely get cold enough (even in … Continued
Whoopie Sling Guy Line Tensioners
I am surprised you can’t buy whoopie sling guy lines. I am even more surprised that high-end tents don’t come with them as standard. They have to be the lightest and most elegant option. You will have to make your … Continued
Bird Feeder
Della is happy at least with her new feeder: ‘New view out my kitchen window! Thank you to everyone for this wonderful Birthday gift. The voucher for my choice of bird-house had been waiting months for me to redeem…but there … Continued
The Ames Window
An astonishing optical illusion. We don’t see things with our eyes; we see them with our brain, and sometimes (?) our brains are wrong. Hunters particularly need to pay extreme care that what they are shooting at is what they … Continued
Two Great Cheap Tents
Two weeks ago I posted a suggestion that you could get a pretty good tent from Aliexpress for around A$50. I was so impressed by my own hype I ordered two of them on the 2nd September and they were … Continued
Mac Cat Tarp
If you are looking for a lightweight intelligently designed tarp which will keep you safe and dry in the back country I think you should try one of these. I would probably go for the MacCat Standard Silpro model myself … Continued