I have been a fan of Joe Valesko’s Zpacks for nearly twenty years – back when he was just a lad sewing all the packs himself. We have kept in touch. I have tried many of his products as they became available and generally promoted them. I doubt there has been any single person who […]
Thermarest Nxt Series pads: If you are in the market for a new pad and can manage to wait until next year it might be worthwhile. Thermarest’s new series of pads are going to be quieter and lighter than the current models as well as 1/2″ thicker (at 3″) , which will be nice. I
Before heading right off into the backcountry it’s best to test your gear and your skills somewhere much closer to home where you can walk away from your mistakes a little more easily. Sometimes these mistakes can be pretty bad, so it will pay to Be Prepared. My new Deerhunter’s Tent undergoing testing right now
Della: “Wow, what a birthday! I am feeling very spoiled by the lovely messages and comments from so many people yesterday. Thank you all for thinking of me and making me feel so special! I loved hearing from you, and will reply to you all individually today. Some birthday pics here from yesterday: I spent
For years I have been quite dissatisfied with backpack straps. They place a quite unnecessary and undue strain on a small area of the shoulders. It seems to me that for horses this problem was solved back in circa the C14th with the invention of the horse collar and associated hardware to allow a horse
I am often gob-smacked by just how bright Willis Eschenbach is, but this observation was astonishing. Could breathing out more combat the breathlessness you get by strenuous walking uphill. I tried this out on my recent hunting trip, and it’s true. I was able to walk in one go to the top of hills I
A sequel to an earlier post, Gully Walking I have always liked Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ even though I realised long ago how much he/it owed to my even more favourite poet, Edward Thomas who was also a close friend of his until his death in WW1. However I too, early in
You can spend a lovely two days walking from Mt Oberon Car park to Wilsons Prom Lighthouse and back staying in pretty plush accommodation at the lighthouse. The distances are considerable, but this way you only need to carry a daypack with emergency supplies, a bottle of wine to drink on the verandah at night
Baden Powell, the hero of Mafeking was right. Even though I have never been a scout, having long followed Groucho Marx’s dictum that I would not be a member of anything which would have me as a member – besides I prefer to travel alone – nonetheless I am an admirer of such proverbs and
Having spent more than fifty years working outside in the rain I was delighted to see this take on the subject. It reminds me a bit of the old adage, ‘When it don’t rain the roof don’t leak; when it do (you) can’t fix it nohow!’ Most times I love being outdoors in the rain.
