Where's my Coffee!

(Karma) Chameleon Wrap Slam

At the end of last year Stef from BG! put my name forward to Fitness Footwear to test and review some TNF Hedgehog walking shoes; At the time I had just bought a pair of these shoes, so declined the offer.

Adam Smith from Fitness Footwear has been back in touch with some new shoes to test and review and this time I have taken up the offer.

This month's offer was on Merrell Trainers. I had the choice of a few different shoes and opted for the Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam (yeah I think the name is a bit of a mouthful too).

Chameleon Wrap Slam

Sole Detail

I asked Adam to send me a size 12; I usually take a 11 or 11.5 but when ordering shoes unseen I tend to go a half size bigger. Adam actully sent me a size 12.5 which was lucky as I think the 12 would of been a bit tight.

Initial thoughts on the shoes are that, they are fairly comfortable: I've only tried them on two short walks so far. They are a lot heavier than I would expect from a shoe made with neoprene but I think this is partly to do with the rubber rand and the rather chunky Vibram sole.

The weight is around 548g per shoe, this is in comparison to Inov8 Terrocs=408g, TNF Hedgehog=478g, and New Balance S70=419g

A selection of hiking shoes
New Balance S70, TNF Hedgehogs, Inov8 Terrocs, Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam

I'll be wearing the Merrell's as my main shoes for the next couple of months and with have a fullier report then.

Fitness Footwear has a selection of Merrells on sale at present.

Not a Moan

In the past I have used the blog to vent my anger and frustration at outdoor retailers that can't seem to post items out in a reasonable timescale or one's that take an order and then can't fulfill it.

Well this post isn't one of them. On Sunday night Steven Horner posted on twitter that Wiggle were selling Inov-8 Terrocs at a really good price.

So at 20:10 on Sunday night I ordered a pair; they turned up at 08:00 Tuesday, now that's what I call service.

So a BIG thanks to Steven for posting the tweet and an even BIGGER thanks to Wiggle for the quick delivery.

Gear Head

There has been some talk on a few of the blogs about gear; and I was feeling left out, so I bought something.

I'm off to Wales on Thusday for a 4-5 day backpacking trip (more on that later) and needed to get some gas for the trip, so a shopping trip to Millets was called for.

Whilst in there; I noticed they had some TNF Hedgehog is stock at £80. For a while I have been looking and thinking about wearing trainers for backpacking, I already have a pair of New balance all-terrain trainers and have been looking at Inov-8's but have been put off trying them out.

With one eye on Scotland next year; I thought it about time to give the New balance ago, and Wales was to be the opportunity but the Hedgehog looked an even better shoe, so I bought them.

Good thing is I also got them cheaper than the £80, I only paid £54. Which is cheaper the the Inov-8's, they are a bit heavier than them, 497g per shoe but that is for a size 12!

Mat

My last night in Scotland, last year; I found that my sleeping mat had developed a leak and was going down after a few hours.

Once home I got it in the bath, and eventually found the hole and repaired it. Or so I thought; last weekend's trip I used the mat for the first time since then and it was still leaking.

I've had this mat for 5 years and it was a freebie; so I pretty much got my monies worth from it.

Biggest problem now was getting a replacement, as they are impossible to buy in the U.K. Other than the U.S the only other countries than seem to have them is Australia or New Zealand.

I don't mind buying equipment outside the EU or even paying the 15% tax on it, but I do mind having to pay the P.O. the £8 for telling me that I have to pay a tax.

Luckily Mac E over at Stayin' Alive had just bought one from a company in the U.K.


So an order to Raw Outdoors on Thursday and today I have my shiny new mat.



I did looking into buying a NeoAir but was not sure whether I would like it or not and also the price was a bit to much; plus I know exactly what I'm getting with the Themo mat.

Shout Out

I'd like to give a shout out to Team io. AktoMan recommend them, cause I was looking for some new guys rope for my tent.

I ordered from their ebay site at 11.34 am yesterday and the new guys arrived today before 11.00 am, great and fast service.

Thanks Team io

Honey Honey

A short video showing the new Honey Stove from backpackinglight.co.uk.

These are just my initial comments and thoughts on first opening the package.

There will be more to come in the next week or so.




And a big thanks to Bob & Rose for the chance to test this out.

Alpkit competition

Others had already posted about Alpkit's new shiny titanium cookware (actual titanium isn't shiny but you know what I mean :-) ).

But what they didn't say was that Alpkit have a competition to win, said shiny cookware. Up for grabs is a full set of the titanium cookware; all you need do is submit a one pot recipe.

The entry form is on the website; so if you're a Gordon or Nigella around the campsite get those recipes in.

Oh! and there's lego figs on the front page (wonder who thought of that!)

All Terrain

It seems as today is the day for new trail shoes.  I picked up a pair of New Balance All terrain running shoes, a bit similar to the Innov8 only not as light.

This pair weigh about 800g which is a big saving over my boots.

Only time will tell, how good they are for backpacking but for the price I paid it's worth a go.

Aquagear Survivor Review

So far; I have used the bottle over 6 days on two separate trips.

The first a 2-day trip in the Peak District and the second 4-days in Scotland.

The main points of the Aquagear bottle are that it is light, easy-to-use, easy to fill and removes most of the nasties that worry us, i.e cryptosporidium, giardia and e-coli.

The bottle will also remove taste from water, so if you wanted to be extra careful and use either iodine or chlorine tablets the taste from these would be removed.  I haven’t fully tested this claim as I don’t use either of these tablets but water taken from a tap in the Peak District which when drunk untreated tasted of chlorine didn’t after being run through the bottle.

On the trip to Scotland I took only the bottle and a 1 litre platypus bottle, the initial idea was to fill the Aquagear bottle in the water course then transfer the water to the platypus.

I attempted this on the first night’s wild camp but found it to be a lot of faffing about; the main reasons were that, it took roughly 2 ½ fills of the aqua bottle to fill the platypus, the top of the aqua bottle is roughly the same size as the opening of the platypus which meant that it would get stuck in the platypus and then air would not get sucked back into the aqua bottle to allow me to squeeze it again to push water through.

After this, that idea was abandoned and I just filled the platypus and the aqua bottle and used the water from it and when empty refilled from the platypus.

During the day, if it was easy enough to fill the aqua bottle straight from streams I would or if a bit difficult to get to the stream I would fill a nalgene bottle and then transfer water to the aqua bottle.

Filling the bottle did need a bit of a technique at times. I made sure that the bottle faced up stream and squeezed it, this helped to drag the water into the bottle.

Using this technique meant that most of the bottle filled with water but because of the design of the bottle I could not completely fill it.  This is because when the bottle is inverted the right way-up the water fills the bottom and leaves about an inch unfilled at the top.

Drinking from the bottle is simple; remove the dust cup, pop the spout and then squeeze the bottle.  The squeezing need to be a steady gentle pressure which will give roughly a mouthful of water before needing to be released to allow air back into the bottle so the process can be started over.

Drinking from this bottle is a steady process and because of this; it is not ideal if you are someone who guzzles down water.

The bottle is 500 ml (18 oz) and is fine when there are plenty of water sources to fill up from. On trips where water is scarcer I feel that bottle wouldn’t be large enough for these trips, as I can get through 500 ml quite quickly.  Although saying that I think the bottle would still be part of my regular kit as it does give me the chance to source water while out and about.

The only niggle I have with the bottle is that the paint on it started to come away from day one and has continued, funnily enough though it is only the paint giving the directions of use that is coming off, not the company logo.

Shiny-Shiny

After last week's little trip; I decided that I would need some new equipment before  my forthcoming trip to Scotland.

The first piece I felt needed a change was my cook pot, so I ordered a titanium pot and pot cozy set from Backpackinglight.co.uk.

The Ti pot is a Vargo one  which weighs in at 130g and with the cozy comes to 160g. This is about a 100g saving on my previous cooking pots. The pot's capacity is about 750 ml but this is full to the brim, it can easily hold 500ml of water and I can't every imagine needing to boil anymore than this for a meal.

Ti Pot, Pot Cozy, Primus Express

Next up was a trip to Cotswold Outdoors today to get some gas, while there I was looking at the stoves and after the problems I've been having with the Pocket Rocket, though it might be time to invest in a new stove. After look at the three gas stoves that Cotswold had instore the clear and outstanding winner was the Primus Express.  This weighs the same as the Pocket Rocket but seems to have a bigger and better flame, on a test this afternoon it boiled 300 ml of water from the tap in 4:35 minutes, this was using a half full 100 canister.

The pan supports are much larger, which means it can take larger pots and they look to be a lot more stable.

 

Primus Express

(top) Express in bag

(bottom) folded up

 

I also bought a light my fire meal kit, this kit consists of two plates, a spill-free cup with lid, a combined colander and cutting board, a "spork" and a small waterproof box.  I bought the kit mainly for the spill-free cup (as it seems you can't purchase this separately). The cup holds 300ml and has measurements at 100 ml so will help went measuring out liquids.  The cup is called spill-free because it has a lid with a hole to drink through; although if knocked over I would imagine liquid will still leak out.  The lid does help to keep the liquids warm for longer.

The Spork will replace my lexan spoon & fork so save a tiny bit more weight.

 

Light my fire spill-free cup & Spork

Lightweight Show

The first port of call was the camping site where the Backpacker club were camped.  It seems as the camping area was split in two; one side for the campers and one for all the lovely shiny new tents.

Although I'm not in the market for a new tent (yet!) it was nice to see the big range of lightweight tents out there.

While at the campsite I bump into a couple of old BPC friends and a reader of the blog (trenthamwalker).

The main and most interesting part of the show was a 10 minutes walk away at the Village hall; where most of the well-known lightweight traders were.

Backpackinglight.co.uk, Alpkit, Expedition Foods, Ultralight Outdoor Gear and The Outdoor Warehouse.

The one great thing about this show was that you could get all touchy feely with a lot of the gear we see on the Internet. Although I'm not really happy using an alcohol  stove, it was nice to see the Caldera cone in the flesh.  Also seen was the White box stove and Triad stove; with which Bob did a demo with.

As I wasn't staying at the site; I couldn't buy to much as I had to carry it.  I picked up a tick remover and some freeze dried food from Expedition foods.  I'm looking at maybe taking these to Scotland instead of dehydrating my own food.

One of the items that did turn my head was the new GoLite  Shangri-La 2 tent/tarp this look a nice piece of kit and at a weight of only 708g but with as much room as my Hilly Nallo2. Even with the floor added the weight is still only 1200g.

While at the show I managed to link up with John, Dawn and Darren. After a lot of faffing about trying to get some lunch in the two pubs we descended on the local village shop who were happy to serve us, then back to the village hall to sit on the grass and shoot the breeze about gear and forth coming trips.

As usual I spent more time chatting and looking at equipment, that I forget to take any pictures of the show.

Again it was good to see some old friends there and the few people who recognised me from the blog.

Aquagear water purification filter bottle part II

Aquagear water filtration bottle

 

The Aquagear Survivor arrived as seen, with a printed double-sided A4 sheet with information and instructions on how to use the bottle, the same instructions are painted/silk screened on to the bottle.

The first thing you notice this that the top of the bottle does not unscrew; I found this out after two attempts and then reading the instructions.

Personally I've never see a water filter bottle that works by filling up from the bottom but because it does, this means that the bottle can have a pre-filter fitted.  This is the 40 micron sieve which looks like a tea strainer, and help to keep large objects from entering the bottle. The filter sits between the bottle and the base. The base also has a little screw-off compartment to place either a iodine or chlorine tablet in.

40 micron pre-filter sieve & base

40 micron pre-filter sieve, base & iodine/chlorine container

This bottle only weighs 180g with the neoprene sleeve or 156g without it. The bottle is also sightly tapered; the base (7cm) being wider than the top (6.5cm), the length of the bottle is 23 cm. The body of the bottle is made from a soft plastic, this is to allow for squeezing of the bottle to push the water through the filter. It can deliver 100-300 ml/minute.  The drinking cap is a normal sports pull/push type but it does have a dust cap to help keep it free from dirt and contamination.

 

2 micron filter

The main filter unit is built into the top cap. This filter does all the work removing not only waterborne diseases like Giardia, Cryptosporidium & E-coli but can also remove taste & taint, Chemicals, Hebicides, and Heavy metals.

This filter uses a system called 'Tortuous path technology'.

The high-tech porous plastic micro-filter is impregnated with both the finest granulated activated coconut Carbon available and Seychelle's exclusive adsorbing media for superior analyte removal capability.

In addition, the controlled 2-micron filter contains thousands of omni-directional pores that result in a "torturous path" for superior analyte reduction.

This gives the water bottle a capability of 99.8% reduction in 4 areas of Contamination:-

• Aesthetic
• Microbiological
• Chemical
• Dissolved Solids

neoprene sleeve

So far I have only tested the bottle with normal London tap water, and the bottle seems to filter this as good as the water filters we use at home.

Next weekend; I am off to the Peak District for a few days and will be taking the bottle with me to test in the rivers and streams up there.

 

Bottle top & dust cap

One little niggle I have is that after only 4-5 dunkings in water, the print on the bottle is starting to come off.  Although not a major issue; it is a bit annoying especially as the flaked off print seems to stick to my hands quite easily.

Print coming off

Aquagear water purification & filter bottle

OS outdoor purchase

So what did I buy at the OS outdoor show.

Well; I looked at the PacerPoles, and some of the books on the Cicerone stand, I couldn't justify the cost of the PacerPoles and there wasn't any books that really grabbed my attention this year.

Last year I bought a solar charger to use when on backpacking, which I used with some success last May. The battery pack charged up most of the time even in bad light; although took a lot longer to get the full charge which should take about 8 hours.

One of the problems though was that it's not water/weather proof so using in the rain meant having to put in a plastic bag and then in a side mesh pocket.

But now the freeloader people had come out with the SuperCharger, which charges the freeloader 2x faster so should give a full charge in only 4 hours (in good light).

The SuperCharger weights 200g and comes in a nice lime green weather resistant pouch, which has two crocodile like clips at one end and a longish Velcro strap at the other. This allow you to strap the solar panel to all kinds of luggage especially backpacks. It also means that the battery pack doesn't need to be on the outside anymore, as can be used even when raining.

So this is the only piece of equipment bought at the Outdoors Show but hopefully I'll get plenty of use out of it.

Why backpacker are so cool

I just caught this video over on Youtube.



Personally I think this is a good way to pass on some of that backpacking gear you don't use anymore, but is to good to throw out.

I must have a cupboard full; of little piece of equipment that I'll never use again and could probably be useful to someone else.

Hunka Hunka - Burnin Love

Finally got my hands on the new Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag.

It look a nice piece of kit and a steal at £25.

I just got to find the time and weather to use it.

Gear used on Dorset trip

I thought I give a run down on the equipment I used on the recent trip to Dorset and how well it worked.

Tent

Terra Nova Solar. This is my favourite tent, more than enough room for one. Planty of porch space and headroom, I can sit up without worrying about my head touching the inner.

Best of all in the way that the porch doorway can be opened and give great views outside.

Backpack

Sixmoondesigns Comet. This pack has now replaced my G4, this a similar design and the three big pockets easily contain everything I need during the day, so I don't need to go into the inside of the pack.

Sleeping Bag

F&T Rolling Clouds 300 down bag. This is only the second trip I`ve used this bag on but so far its performed really well. It weighs just over 800 gms and although I never compress my bags it doesn't take up much room in my pack.

Sleeping Mat

This is one area where I made a mistake for the trip. As this was he first trip out since May, I decided to try a keep the weight down and decide to use my Artiach 3/4 length sleeping mat. The length of the mat wasn't a problem but I could feel the hard ground on my hips through it. In future I with be using my Isulmat Max-Thermo . It's heavier but I always get a good nights sleep on it.

Cooking Kit

My cooking kit consists of a Pocket Rocket Stove, 1 lexan spoon & fork, 2 non-stick pots (althought on this trip I only took one and regreted it), tin foil (to make a lid for the pots) and a plastic mug. The gas canister was a 100.

Other Kit

First Aid kit
Wash Kit
Waterproof jacket & trousers
T-A-R pillow
Spare socks & pants
Monatne windshirt
Fleece
Tikka Torch
1L platypus
Camera
Leki Poles

One other piece of equipment I didn't take on this trip was a MP3 player, which again I regreted.

All of this added up to 8.5 kg, without food and water.

Sometimes I think I get paranoid about the items and the weight I carry. Sometimes carrying the lighter equipment means I`m uncomfortable around camp.

If I was walking 20 mile days I probably find carrying the extra weight a problem but I never walk more than 15 miles, so I think the extra comfort in camp is better for me.

Tents

Back when I started backpacking a tent weighing 2.5kg was considered lightweight.

My first backpacking tent was a Litchfield Viper2; this tent was a 2-person ridge tent with an A-pole system and weighed 3kg.

I only ever used this tent once on a backpacking weekend on the South Downs.

On this trip I saw two tents that work shape my backpacking for the next few years.

The first was the Hilleberg Nallo2 and the other was the Phoenix Phreeranger.

Phoenix Phreeranger

This tent only weighed 1.8kg and in the early 80's was state of the art. It was a 2-skin design and pitched outer first with the inner being hung inside. Between the inner and outer there was plenty of room for cooking and storing equipment, the inner had a kind of 'V' shape to it and this also gave room the store gear inside.

I used this tent in the Lake District, Wales, the Peaks and most of Southern England over the next 10 years or so. I finaly stopped using it when the PU coating on the flysheet had total disappeared.

By now Phoenix had been bought out by another company and the tent wasn't being made anymore, so it was time to look for another make of tent.

Also by now, I had children so I was looking to get something cheap. Big Mistake!!!

The first of many cheap tents was the Coleman Cobra2. This was a 2-person tent weighing 2.3kg and the inner was made with mesh, which was fine in the Summer but not in the Winter. Once in the Peaks and once on the South Downs I froze, my wotsits off.


Coleman Cobra2

The next tent bought was the Vango micro 100. This was another tent that pitched outer first. The biggest problem with is one was that, there wasn't enough room in the porch to cook without the flysheet being left open and then wasn't a great deal of room in the inner, but it did weigh only 1.6 kg.


Vango Micro 100

My next tent was the Hilleberg Nallo2. This is probably the best 2-person tent made.

There is plenty of room for gear in the porch area and if used solo it like a palace.

It does have some drawback though; because it pitches outer first, you can leave the inner attached but this makes it a big bulk to go in the pack and if the flysheet is wet, it tends to make the inner wet too.

Although the tent only weighs 2kg which is great for a 2-person tent, the flysheet is bulky too. I`ve never had any problems in windy conditions other than it can be a bit noisy. It's also the best winter tent.


Hilleberg Nallo2

The final tent (for now) is the Terra Nova Solar. This goes back to the single pole design but inner pitching first and weighs in at 1.95kg

There is plenty of room inside the tent and also in the porch area. One of the bestest things I like about this tent is the large door opening. I mainly use this in the summer and it's nice to have the door door early in the morning and watch the sun come up.


Terra Nova Solar

There are plenty of new lightweight tents on the market and probably more to come, but its not just about having the lightest tent, its also being comfortable within that tent.

Link to Video

Link to Video