Blunt umbrellas may not be the cheapest umbrellas but they may well be the sturdiest. They have been wind tunnel tested to not fail in Force 9 winds and have a two year warranty. If you are seeking a hiking umbrella which will not fail you in the wilds, this may be the choice. It […]
You can get most Apps here without a Google account: http://en.uptodown.com/android If you go to their site you will see that each App has already been checked by perhaps 50 Anti Virus programmes to be safe – no doubt you can also run it past your own. This may be the next best thing to
I am sick to death of seeing these ubiquitous idiotic ‘structures’. They do nothing to contain the campfire – indeed they are likely to harbour smouldering embers which wind will later re-ignite into conflagrations. They are a tripping hazard responsible for many burns injuries. They are visual squalor. They are almost always in the wrong
Maratac have upgraded the Cree emitter in their latest AAA flashlights so they now output a massive 145 lumens. This is one mighty little torch. Available from US$41.25 Special deals regularly on Massdrop: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/aluminium-anodized-aaa-flashlight-by-maratac-rev-3 Also available in Titanium: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/polished-titanium-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-4 You can also rig it as a head torch http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mini-super-torch-a-weeks-light-weighs-50-grams/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-head-torches/ The white rubber light
You can make a lighter non compliant PFD which you fill with other inflatable items, eg Platypus bottles (I carry a 1 and 2 litre bottle, pillows (I carry the Exped Ultralight), wine bladders (who doesn’t have a few of them lying around?) and etc. Here is the link to Mountain Laurel Designs ‘Thing’ or
PFDs are often pretty heavy. Alpacka have this one http://www.alpackaraft.com/product/astral-v-eight-pfd/ at 554 grams which is (I imagine) about as light as they get. I discovered that inflatable PFDs you buy from boating supplies shops have an airline PFD inside them. When I stripped one down it weighed 282 grams as shown and should be adequate
It’s summer already, so time to get out and about and get wet all over. I want to suggest some interesting pack rafting that you can do by public transport (eg from Melbourne). Some of the following you can mix and match a bit, but I hope they give you some ideas. I need to
Coghlans Dynamo Flashlight: http://www.coghlans.com/products/dynamo-flashlihgt-1202 available eg Anaconda @ $10.99: Wind the handle for 1 minute to get up to 7 minutes of light. Features 2 bright LED lights, 10 Lumens. Positive feeling ON/OFF switch. Convenient key chain clip. Configured as a headlamp as shown, total weight 21 grams. This would make a good emergency torch.
Aloksak make really great waterproof to 200 metres snaplock bags. This one is even big enough to put your rifle in (great for canoeing/boating/hunting trips. It is the only waterproof gun bag I know of. Of course the smaller ones are great for your phone, camera etc: http://www.survival-pax.com/aLOKSAK-Bags-Extra-Large.html These bags are now available in
If you have an ultralight packraft you will need an ultralight paddle. Our lightest weighs 409.5grams. It was an Alpacka ultralight model, now alas discontinued. They also used to sell ‘Ninja paddles’ which fitted on your hiking poles. (Perhaps check the Wayback Machine: http://archive.org/web/) – they may still be available elsewhere; A comparable one is
