Search Results for: montbell

‘My life was wide and wild, and who can know my heart? Everest Base Camp Trek #1

Leave a Comment / Backpacking, Bucket List, Hiking /

There in that golden jungle I walk alone.’ Judith Wright, The Sisters. This might as well be TheUltralightHikers’ motto as we march forward into the evenings of our lives, ‘bowed but unbroken’. A young friend (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/) has invited me to come along with him on his (extended) Everest Base Camp hike in Nepal. This may […]

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Hiking in the Rain:

Leave a Comment / Backpacking, Hiking, Hunting, Shelter, Waterproof / Rain Gear /

This is a very useful article. The author (http://gossamergear.com/wp/rain-guide-to-backpacking) is certainly right that after a while you are bound to get soaked to the skin. This may mean you have to camp early to get yourself under a roof and warm up (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) or it can be avoided by using an umbrella or (I

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Andrew Skurka on Down Versus Synthetic

Leave a Comment / Backpacking, Bedding, Clothing, Hiking, How To Guide, Hunting /

‘Down and synthetics both have pros and cons. Down is: Warmer for its weight, More compressible, and Longer-lasting. Synthetics are: Less expensive, More humane (no live plucking), and Less adversely affected by moisture. In specific regard to the issue of moisture sensitivity, I want to point out that synthetic insulations are absolutely not “warm when

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The Last of the Mountain Men:

4 Comments / Australia, Backpacking, Camping, Gippsland, Hiking, Hunting, Mountain Areas of Victoria, Shelter, Victoria /

Isn’t this the feeling everyone who ventures far from track or trail is seeking: the freedom of the wilderness, the exultation of the hills, the distant roar of rapids, the whistle of wind in the trees, the ubiquitous echo of birdsong, the warning bark of a deer in a golden sunset… Della and I are

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Spot’s Hunting Adventures: Mystery River #2:

Leave a Comment / Australia, Backpacking, Camping, Equipment, Farming, Home & Gardening, Gippsland, Hiking, Hunting, Mountain Areas of Victoria, Shelter, Victoria /

So, Spot and I headed back to the ‘Mystery River’ for another look-see. I have become more vague about naming such places as I see lazier folk wanting to track me there – someone had visited only the day before, though last time I was there clearly no-one had been there for YEARS. (I will

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Hunting Daypack:

Leave a Comment / Backpacking, Camping, Equipment, Hiking, How To Guide, Hunting, Packs, Survival Kit /

Most everyone carries too much gear (whether multi-day hiking, or just as a day pack). After my first solo hike of the Dusky Track Fiordland in 2006 (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/), the first thing I did when I came home was throw mout  my old expensive hunting daypack. I had spent some time working out how to carry

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