If you are into DIY (as you should be unless you want to be a perpetual victim/pauper) then it’s about time you discovered these wonderful plastic gadgets, an amazing (ultralight) improvement on the traditional press-stud. I had a need to modify a couple of quilts I have been trialing as they weren’t quite right for […]
So, as you know I bit the bullet and bought myself a new Thermarest XTherm at 440 grams for its standard 6′ model. Though I definitely did not ‘need’ a new pad I wanted to see whether I could reduce size/volume in my pack – and I was just curious whether the improvement in the
I realise this is something of a ‘holy grail’ but sometimes you really do need to be able to saw some pieces of firewood down to size and you may need to have carried a saw to do so – or you are not going to be very warm tonight. This was (nearly) our situation
My friends Brett Irving (and his wife, Kim) walked Tasmania’s Overland Track back in February (2024) They were kind enough to share some of their (80+) photos and some memories of their experiences. It is one of the reasons why Della and I ventured down there for a ‘look-see’ last week. For example, here they
No, it’s not the Helinox at around 800 grams ever so comfy as it might be – though I am still using my (approx 160 gram) Big Agnes Cyclone Chair and have been doing so for many years. I have just seen this interesting idea from the indefatigable Steve at Suluk Gear ie the Puttuck
Too many people are spending too much money on their hiking/hunting gear instead of just getting out there and doing it. Instead of spending maybe $600 on just your sleeping bag, this should be enough to buy a sturdy comfy pack, a reliable shelter, a lightweight sub-zero down bag, a similar sleeping mat, a kitchen
Recently I posted that we had bought and trialed this fine Naturehike packraft. Last weekend there was 1.8 metres of water on the Waterford gauge (perfect) and the weather was in the low thirties – so off we went! For us this raft is just about the perfect size. We can lash a waterproof pack
I saw this little guy on Aliexpress for under A$30 and just had to try one out. It came as a most intriguing 3D jigsaw without instructions – a modest intelligence test – which took a little while to figure out. The leftover piece (centre) turned out to be the supporting leg at the rear
You should switch to an alcohol stove for ultralight cooking. The switch will save you heaps of grams. Certainly at least the weight of the empty canister (approx 150 grams) plus unused fuel – a weight saving of at least 200 grams – almost more than your entire current cookset weighs. Just can’t imagine why
What’s not to like about this? A Naturehike Packraft for less than A$600 – or a double for A$830 (Sept 2023). Aliexpress is great. This is a big saving over other brands which come in now at twice or more than three times that! We received ours as a New Year’s ‘present’ – it came
