tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33386261412905947752024-02-02T10:48:55.144-08:00Way of the BackpackerWelcome to 'Way of the Backpacker' where we combine an 'ultralight' backpacking style with particular focus on 'long distance trail walking'. Topics include thoughts on 'gear outfitting', 'wild nutrition', 'self reliance' and 'environmental' sustainability along our national trails. Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-88438169175474165952015-09-16T02:52:00.003-07:002015-09-16T03:00:12.099-07:00Ultralight Backpacking is 'Messing About' and 'Dangerous'<br />
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"Ultralight backpacking is dangerous and people should not be 'messing about' with ultralight backpacking gear here in the UK, especially in winter. "<br />
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Interesting allegation, lets break this down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The storm is coming. Could I die tonight in this ultralight sub 500g shelter? </td></tr>
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If someone wanted to cover 100 miles in one day on a bicycle or cycle Lands End to John o' Groats in winter - would that person be encouraged to buy a full on suspension mountain bike, 'just in case' or would that person be advised to consider a light weight road bike or hybrid? Most people would intuitively choose the lightweight option and choose an appropriate tyre to handle the frost and snow expected on the road.</div>
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If an individual wanted to walk 15 to 20 mile day averages, should that person choose to carry a backpack and gear with an all up weight of 20 Kg or more, ( the weight of 4 to 5 full buckets of water ) or would that individual make better progress and comfort keeping things under 10 Kg? Most would make better and more comfortable progress carrying less. </div>
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If a backpacker wanted to cover mileage in adverse winter weather, would that walker choose to skirt around the highest mountains and use passes and national trails between ranges, or would it make sense to go over the top of them? Most people would stick to the low and mid level routes and take in only the occasional summit in the right conditions. </div>
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If you were planning a 'day hike' to the summit of Ben Nevis in winter conditions would you consider carrying a 4 Kg ( weight to a bucket of water ), full on, double skinned, geodesic tent up there as part of a minimum of safety gear? Or even perhaps a 1.7 Kg semi-geodesic or tunnel tent as a back up. Or would you consider carrying a 500 gram bivvy or survival bag as an adequate fall back option? Most hill walkers would consider the bivvy bag to be more than an adequate 'back up' even for such conditions. In fact I suspect many carry little more than an orange plastic bag. </div>
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So why should ultralight camping in relatively sheltered lowland or even mid level winter conditions along our national trails with ultra light gear such as a bivvy bag or single skin tipi backed up with plenty of light weight down clothing and decent waterproofs considered to be unsafe? or Dangerous? </div>
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What is dangerous is becoming fatigued and mentally drained in adverse conditions through the exertion and sweating from carrying too much weight, and then faffing around burning calories for an hour trying to find a space of ground big enough to pitch a tent with a sewn in groundsheet and then spending another half hour fighting 40 mph winds to get it pitched. I know I have been there the past!! Versus pitching a floor-less single skin tipi or pyramid style shelter which can be pitched over anything in less than 5 minutes - including tussocky grass or rocks, so full advantage can be made of natural wind breaks or other useful features of the landscape. </div>
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The extra demands on the body to carry heavy gear risks injury. Sewn in tent footprints mean that often it is difficult to find an ideal place to set up camp in safety in truly wild places so compromises are taken, so increasing danger. </div>
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Once the benefits of ultralight gear become understood, most people make an instant decision to go lighter, and see those carrying over engineered and unnecessary gear as the ones that are potentially 'messing about'.<br />
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Well I am pleased to say that even in the torrential wind and rain that came down following the storm front in the picture above I did survive, also my clothing and sleeping bag stayed dry enough and I did live to tell the tale. Anyone ready to chuck in a few miles before breakfast? </div>
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Thank you as always for reading</div>
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-31361795941064121582015-07-11T11:48:00.001-07:002018-03-22T04:11:39.153-07:00Roselli Carpenter - R110 Review<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roselli Carpnter feels just right in the hand</td></tr>
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A superb general purpose back country knife suitable for all basic camp tasks - basic food prep, cutting cordage / plaster and will excel at whittling everything from tent pegs to spatula's. These knives will also step up to the plate in an emergency situation to split down modestly sized wood to expose dry wood for fire starting or to use to size kindling for a portable backpacking wood burning stove. The knife also excells at feather sticks and can take on larger wood crafting duties such as temporary shelter building and so on within reason.<br />
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It was a picture of a Roselli Carpenter similar to the one I have taken above that started my journey into an appreciation of this classic style of knife. Similar knives to these have been used for generations by Northern Scandinavian peoples such as the Sami reindeer herders.<br />
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Here's the shocker - The weight of these knives is actually 'less' than my Swiss Army knife and only 20g more than my Ettrick single blade pocket knife.<br />
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That is not to say the parting of my ways from a SAK or my Ettrick for that matter would be easy. The SAK has a number of tools which I regularly use - scissors in particular and the can opener gets occasional use, and the Ettrick excels at small whittling tasks. <br />
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Before finally purchasing this knife I looked at many similar knives by Ahti, Roselli, Helle, Lapin, Tommi, Kellam and others. All these Scandinavian manufacturers produce traditionally inspired designs which cover the two basic traditional designs - big knives for chopping / splitting duties - and small knives which do the detail carpentry, food prep and dressing of game. The larger knives are termed 'Leuku' and the smaller ones, (smaller being a relative term) are called 'Puukko'. I was in the market for a Puukko.<br />
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As a regular trail walker I wanted a modestly sized fixed blade knife, light in weight, to be carried alongside a multi-tool or Swiss Army knife. I was specifically looking for a general purpose knife that could provide service both in the camp kitchen and for general camp duties, that could be sharpened easily and would hold an edge for a long time. Also a tool able to step up to the plate in a survival or emergency situation should the need arise.<br />
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For the odd occasions that I had needed a larger knife in the past, I had carried a kitchen knife such as the Victorinox Rabbit knife from the cutlery drawer at home alongside my pocket knife. Knives such as these perform well for food prep and paring but do not carve / whittle wood very well and are supplied without a sheath so carrying them around is not really very convenient. I have also owned and used classic style Mora knives in the past which are great - but once I had seen the Carpenter.... </div>
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Few would disagree that this knife has an aesthetic appeal - from any angle this knife has the appearance of a small work of art. I also liked the rustic look of a tool which is designed to be used. Although the design is created by Roselli himself a self taught knife maker from Finland, his design is clearly inspired by the style of knife that has been used by the Northern Indigenous peoples of Europe for centuries - the Puukko. Interestingly the Roselli Carpenter knife has evolved over time, Earlier models do look slightly different to the current model. Roselli also offers a variety of steels for the blade - standard or UHC, which stands for Ultra High Carbon. Mine is the standard hardness as I suspect it will be easier to field sharpen. </div>
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<b>The Handle</b>:</div>
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As with many knives from the Nordic countries the blade is inserted into an ergonomic handle usually of curly arctic birch, as with the Carpenter, or a similar wood. Inevitably this arrangement is not likely to be as strong as a full tang bushcraft knife for use say as a pry bar, or for batoning wood . On the other hand the blend of less metal and more wood leads to a considerably lighter and more comfortable and dextrous knife that is still adequately strong for general purposes. The handle of this knife for my medium sized hands feels perfect. In fact I have never held a knife that felt so right in the hand, with no metal touching my hand anywhere. This knife unbelievably weighs no more than my Swiss Army Climber, yet still manages to feel absolutely solid. The other thing of note is the lack of a finger guard. This means that the knife will not be suitable for a stabbing type action, if this matters to you. On the other hand it leads to a very controllable blade with a super comfortable grip when carving. With appropriate use your finger is not likely to be nicked by the blade, indeed I have not so far cut myself or come anywhere near. The curly birch feels warm to the touch and grips really well, especially when damp or wet. All four fingers are easily accommodated in a variety of hand grips. Extended knife use does not leave any hot spots for me. </div>
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<b>The Blade</b>:<br />
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From the super sharp fine pointed tip, the blade has a sharply curved belly which then leads to a straight edge which runs up to the handle. The standard blade is forged from 58C carbon steel and is 3mm thick at the spine, tapering to a fine point at the tip. Roselli has put a typical Scandinavian grind onto the blade which is very easy to sharpen either by sharpening the full bevel to a perfect and true zero Scandi grind for the ultimate razor edge or by placing a secondary bevel which creates a strong edge for general use. The knife arrives with a very slight secondary bevel. The overall length of the blade is 80mm. The steel blade although of fine high quality steel has been left with the forge marks and black finish so looks very rustic. Personally I really like this but this may not appeal to everyone.<br />
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Personally I would prefer slightly more of a drop point along the spine towards the tip which would bring the point slightly lower to create the ultimate carving knife for me. This is more of a preference of my own than a criticism however as this may detract the knife form its other general purpose duties. </div>
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So How does the knife perform in use?<br />
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The main use of a knife on the trail for me at least is slicing salami's, chorizo and other cooked meats, dicing shallots to pep up my trail rations, chopping garlic, slicing up apples and other fruit and the occasional wild edible. It also needs to open food packaging and act as a knife as in knife and fork - in my case knife and spork. It also needs to cut cordage, and plaster and repair tape and may be used occasionally for prepping line caught mackerel and also for whittling tent pegs, toggles, small chopping boards, rough spatulas and splitting down small kindling for a portable wood stove. So how does it perform? </div>
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I was expecting the knife to easily dispatch these duties, but in actual fact the knife is not fantastic at 'all ' these functions. Of course no knife can be perfect at everything. This is no fault of the manufacture or quality of the knife, but is more of a factor to do with the scandi grind which acts like a spitting wedge when say halving an onion. However, it will take very fine slices from the edge of say an onion, if you angle the knife so that the grind edge sits flush with the direction of cut. It chops garlic easily and is a dream to peel vegetables with - its just so comfortable. Acting as a regular knife as in knife and spork it also peforms well - look out plastic plates if you use them! it will score deep marks in them. Food packets are very easily sliced open. </div>
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The next most likely use is that of a utility knife for cutting say plaster, cord, rope, bandage and the like. The knife performs here as a knife through butter, super sharp and effortless. </div>
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Whittling and Carving duties. Needless to say this knife is perfect for these sorts of camp duties as per its name - the 'Carpenter' - replacement tent pegs or whatever else takes your fancy are yours within moments with the right skills. I am more than happy to make pegs with either green or even seasoned wood from the forest floor with this knife. The knife can be sharpened to a very fine cutting edge, so I would take knife safety very seriously indeed. </div>
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Can it split firewood? Inevitably this question seems to be the thing that defines a suitable knife for back country 'survival' use for many. The answer is 'yes it will within reason' - The knife is sturdy and the blade is long enough for say up to 5cm diameter logs. However, I do not intend using this knife for this function myself. I do not believe a push tang knife is really designed to be used with a baton and if this is your 'main' priority from a knife maybe look more to a full tang full on heavy duty bushcraft knife. On the other hand I think in all other regards this knife is better suited to camp duty than what we now call a bushcraft knife. For the heavier chopping jobs the Sami would have presumably deployed the Leuku. If regular chopping is needed maybe consider one of the Leuku knives? Roselli makes an attractive traditionally inspired Leuku, which is still super light compared to say carrying an axe. </div>
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Cutting meat and gutting fish:</div>
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Super sharp nimble blade, I have opened up mackerel and have had great control of the initial cut due to the super sharp point and razor blade edge. The lack of a finger guard could be an issue if you were cutting deep inside a large animal carcass but this is not an issue for me with the odd fish. Roselli does produce a dedicated hunting knife with a sort of finger guard worked into the handle and a slightly more clipped blade tip. I have sharpened my Carpenter to a zero bevel, so any contact with bone could roll the edge. I could easily put a secondary bevel back on the knife if I were using the knife for regular game prep. Main issue for me though is that carbon steel is prone to tarnishing and rust around sea water, and the sheath is prone to damp. So the knife will do the job, but consideration needs to be made to the grind and maintaining the knife correctly by ensuring it is dried and oiled after use. This is not a knife that will live well in a damp fishing box. Also there exists the tiniest of gaps around where the blade inserts into the handle which will be very hard to clean say dried blood from. </div>
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Sheath:<br />
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The carpenter is supplied with a vegetable tanned leather sheath which appears very Nordic and traditional. It may not appeal to everyone's taste but personally I really like it. The sheath could be worn on the belt, 38mm max belt width, but I generally will stow such a knife inside my pack when on the move, especially anywhere near civilization. Technically this knife is not a UK legal carry unless you have good reason for doing so. Most likely carrying a camping knife on the trail whilst carrying and using camping gear would be OK, effectively its the kitchen knife and camp knife, but its probably best to not have it on show anywhere that may create the wrong impression. Also be mindful when travelling on public transport, especially using the underground or indeed anywhere a bag search could occur. There are laws which cover 'concealment' and 'intent'.<br />
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The knife is very light for its size and a leather thong or paracord around the neck and through the sheath loops would make this knife a great neck knife around camp. The tanned leather picks up dirt and stains easily due to its pale colour. I intend to rub some bees wax or fat into the leather in time. There is a plastic tip liner which slightly catches the knife tip if you mis-align it when placing the knife in the sheath. Not a biggie but careful insertion is required. The sheath is a tight fit on the knife handle and I have not been concerned about the knife coming out. It does not 'click' to fit, it relies on friction to stay put. </div>
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Conclusion: </div>
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Overall I am super happy with this knife which I purchased for £60.00 from <a href="https://www.lamnia.com/en/p/79/knives-and-folding-knives/knives/roselli-carpenter-knife-giftbox" target="_blank">Lamnia</a> Finland. Not a cheap purchase when you consider that you could have 3 or 4 Mora knives for the the price of this one. However I do not intend buying another Puukko in this life so in the fullness of time I am sure this will still represent great value. I was kept well informed during the delivery process and everything went smoothly. If you need a comfortable great looking camp knife and like the traditional carbon steel rusticity and provenance then look no further. This is what Roselli says about his designs:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Smith Heimo Roselli refuses to build any non-functional or unnecessary attributes in his knives. The unessential is detrimental"</span><br />
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I agree that Heimo Roselli has acheived his aims here and has produced a very practical light weight tool that is a joy to hold and will perform its intended function without fuss. If you need to Baton wood consider the Roselli Leuku, if you need the choil / finger guard consider the Roselli Hunter - however both are heavier.<br />
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The main advantage of this knife the Scandinavian grind and fairly thick solid blade also provides its disadvantage - the knife splits food when halving rather than slicing through the middle of things like apples or onions. This is a concern only if you prefer a dedicated camp cooking knife and you are not too worried about other duties. A full flat grind can be better at slicing and dicing. A knife such as the Enzo necker 70 flat grind may suit you better. On the other hand for a general purpose knife which is a joy to use and handle with wood and that can also perform all the other main camp tasks then the Carpenter by Roselli may be a hard one to beat. As an added bonus, if I were stuck out in a wilderness setting and I had to create a quick shelter, split down some modest kindling and make a fish trap, digging stick or improvise fishing gear then I would feel very secure with this knife in hand.<br />
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Some other great light weight small sheath knives with an historic or other pedigree to consider:</div>
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Mora/ Frosts - Great blades in high quality carbon or stainless, budget looking plastic handles and sheaths are not to my taste, although no doubt very ergonomic and in many respects very practical. The classic range however is still supplied with the original red ochre colored wooden handles which appeal to me. Models such as the classic 2/0 make a great buy. </div>
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Enzo - In particular the Necker 70 - Half the cost of the Roselli in kit form and available in full flat grind or scandi grind depending upon your preference. Although smaller it finishes up about the same weight as the Roselli as it has a full tang, so may be a better choice for splitting wood for kindling in Scandi grind or better at slicing and dicing in full flat grind. Also available in stainless or carbon. </div>
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Grohmann- Bird and Trout - Great looking Canadian full tang knife similar price point to Roselli Carpenter here in the UK. Choice of grind, ergonomic handle and option of stainless steel which would make this great if you Canoe or Sail as well as Hike. They also produce a dedicated boat / yacht knife. The sheaths look to be very high quality and comes in many styles to suit.</div>
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A Wright & Sons - Green River knife - A traditional all purpose basic camp knife modeled on the 'trapper' knives supplied to the Canadian fur traders back in the day, a knife then with an historic pedigree - this time from an English cutler from Sheffield England. Excellent price point for the quality and super light in weight for something so adaptable. Also available with a shorter clipped point blade called a boating knife, it would work brilliantly for opening up freshly caught fish, as well as cutting cordage and food prep,<br />
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Thank you as always for reading<br />
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Way of the Backpacker. </div>
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-77783112809527422042015-07-07T01:47:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:26:50.710-07:00Fire Craft & Stove for the Trail - Bushcraft meets Ultralight Backpacking<div>
In this article we look at one of the fundamentals - Fire, or to be more precise the best way to create it and a thought or two about when and where it is appropriate to use fire, together with a suitable stove option for sustainable ultralight trail walking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiRMIR72TShJQRzNNKeub_OMSXTDYCOCz0Udoeqx4MjLYpazdj83_Xpj1Awa8rFFb1DgJw32ghBDr6HHwonS7gRrPmg7HToVuhRG51FnDogpEs9OSb_0dDOmQBE4I7jCbkcP07JLdOGjj/s1600/July_15+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiRMIR72TShJQRzNNKeub_OMSXTDYCOCz0Udoeqx4MjLYpazdj83_Xpj1Awa8rFFb1DgJw32ghBDr6HHwonS7gRrPmg7HToVuhRG51FnDogpEs9OSb_0dDOmQBE4I7jCbkcP07JLdOGjj/s320/July_15+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basic Stove Lighting / Fire starting Kit, Note how the BIC lighter fits perfectly in the Victorinox Sheath with the Climber model Swiss Army Knife. Also note the secure water-tight container for the matches. </td></tr>
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On the one hand fire has been so fundamental to the development of our species that it seems like an injustice to not own the ability and primitive skills to make it from the natural materials around us as a right of passage. On the other hand it seems like a nonsense to not take advantage of our latest and most convenient technology for making a controlled fire. i.e. a lighter/ ferroceum rod or matches.<br />
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How we are intending to cook and keep warm on the trail has a direct knock on effect which will govern our other gear / outfit selections. In simple terms our choice of cooking arrangements has an associated 'flammability' risk. Open wood fires at one end of the spectrum and a controlled gas cartridge stove flame at the other end of the spectrum. So its easy to see why outdoor outfitting falls broadly into two camps. One camp using the latest synthetic fabrics & down filled clothing / sleeping bags to keep warm - perhaps using a controlled gas or liquid fueled camp stove to cook. The alternative outfitting style utilizes more natural fabrics and materials such as wool and treated cotton canvas around an open wood fire or biofuel / woodburning stove ( wood burner ). <br />
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In truth both outfitting systems can work - but mixing the systems needs careful fore-thought. To give an example or two - A Nylon coated down jacket is not going to be ideal if you intend to cook on an open fire regularly - those stray sparks and embers are likely at some stage to burn a hole or two in the outer shell of what may have been an expensive jacket, soon after the down will start to drop out of the holes and the jackets functionality is compromised. Looked at the other way around using a light weight wool or alpaca blanket would often need a warming fire to keep the camper warm, especially in colder weather. The more traditional approach relies more heavily on open fire as an integral part of that backpacking style. The higher tech approach uses a controlled flame in the form of a stove.<br />
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As most trail walking in the UK involves complying with extensive legislation, and 'no fire' bylaws - I go with the higher tech approach and my own outfitting reflects this. Irrespective of the legislation I also 'prefer' ultralight gear on trail walks, as I do not so much notice the pack on my back so I immerse in the surroundings better. </div>
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As a practitioner of 'leave no trace' backpacking - building an open fire on the trail, for me at least, comes with genuine feelings of guilt and a sense that something is not quite right, due to learned perceptions of how to act as a responsible person where land has to be shared with other people and the creatures and flora that inhabit our Isle. Lighting fires, cutting greenwood sticks for pot hangers, and building fire breaks along a national trail would quickly denude resources no matter how responsibly we tried to act. This is due to the volume of foot traffic along the trail and the limited natural resources. There are so many other ways to interact with nature - sustainable food foraging, medicinal plant and tree identification, watching the habits of wildlife, studying geology and so on that I can feel close to nature - thereby increasing my 'bushcraft' or 'wilderness' type skills without needing to build open fires and roast squirrels.<br />
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To build a fire without causing offence or being considered a nuisance would exist only once we have gone beyond the edge of civilization, beyond hinterland, truly into the wild or remotest areas as it were. Here we have reached that place where fellow man, and 'bylaws' are no longer exerting reasoned influence on our personal liberty. At this distance from habitation, we will have gone further than the point where land owners are forcing their reasons whether rightly or wrongly as to whether we can build, own or access fire as that fundamental human tool. In the UK there are few places such as this, In England & Wales in particular finding an appropriate place to use fire will be very difficult, we may have a right to roam in some places, but that is all. Fires, fishing, foraging & wild camping in most national parks and along trails are usually strictly forbidden. In Scotland, things are slightly different but even here it would be impossible to guarantee every night of a 100 mile trail that a fire could be responsibly lit, particularly in dry weather. For all these reasons a stove of some description will need to be carried on the trail, and so the overall outfitting style / decision is made. We will have to rely on down or synthetic insulation to keep us warm, perhaps choosing a great view as a focal point rather than a fire. That being said there are still options using a wood burner type stove to practice our fire-craft in a controlled and more socially responsible way.<br />
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Wood burning / wood gas stoves which burn biomass collected from the floor throughout the day are a great option. However, do not expect everyone to appreciate or understand the merits of such a stove. Of course 'we' understand that what we are using is environmentally friendly but many of those looking on see similarities in essence to a disposable BBQ set on bricks. Its a fire but not a fire that leaves a mark on the ground if used correctly, for example if sat on a rock, log or raised off the ground in some other way. People, and in particular camp site and land owners will tolerate it where for example a disposable BBQ would be acceptable.<br />
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As an added benefit - some light weight wood burning stoves work perfectly in conjunction with the coke can type alcohol stove which can be used at times when burning wood is either not convenient or possible. The stove becomes a pot stand / windbreak . This marriage is made in heaven & brings together the requirements of ultra-light weight backpacking with bushcraft elements so in my opinion is perfect for an extended trail walking scenario. In my opinion, it is the perfect compromise between environmental sustainability, safety and social responsibility. Through interacting with items collected using such a stove encourages the uptake of knowledge about tree species, as different woods burn differently. It is also fulfills a primitive way of interacting with the wild space without causing any long term damage or seriously denuding resources. A few sticks from the ground, an empty pine cone or two and a few handfuls of dead leaves become the fuel for the stove for those times when a fire is appropriate and denatured alcohol another renewable resource is used when it is not.<br />
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I am a trail walker so my ultralight tarps and down filled clothing and sleeping bags are highly combustible. In essence with this type of kit I avoid large fires and poorly controlled flames /sparks at all costs - so I would rarely if ever use any kind of sizeable open fire. The wood burner / alcohol stove option still has flammability risks when say compared to a cartridge stove , but is much more controlled than an open fire.<br />
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<b>My Primary Fire Kit. ( Shown above )</b><br />
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For trail walking, long distance walking, scouting, or hiking as some may prefer to term it my fire kit for lighting the stove could not be simpler. I carry a basic lighter such as a BIC or similar in my every day carry kit in my backpack, which is really never used, it acts as a spare. Another similar lighter is placed in my Victorinox sheath together with my SAK ( Victorinox Camper model ) which is either on my belt or in the zipped pocket of my trousers, so is accessible at all times. A few waterproof matches in a separate waterproof container stay in my backpack also. Matches are great for lighting fires in Bothy fire places and for pushing into the base of a wood stove to light tinder. A few balls of cotton wool and a tiny tin of Vaseline which can be used to rub into the cotton wool to make a small firelighter is also useful. The Vaseline is multi-purpose, it also serves as a lip balm, or water filter 'o' ring lube. If I were canoe / dinghy camping or heading into very remote areas I might also take a Ferro Rod as these will throw a spark even when wet from salt water.<br />
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I am amazed at how long a BIC lighter will last, start thinking months of stove lighting. It won't work when soaking wet which a Ferro rod will, but in reality you can dry a BIC in minutes in your pocket. I would not be surprised if 1000 or even 2000 very controlled strikes were possible from one BIC lighter. I would choose a BIC as my first choice as they are very reliable but I have had long term success with the Poppell and Caio brands also.<br />
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<b>Emergency & Alternative fire lighting options:</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can use the spine of a carbon steel knife in lieu of the steel in an emergency, which is a good argument for carrying one on the trail. </td></tr>
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Although to date I have never needed to 'rely' on these skills, I do practice and enjoy creating fire by percussion, in my case a small Viking / Lapland inspired steel and piece of flint used to ignite charred wood and other materials held in a small tinder tin - The whole kit weighs just under 100g. Provided I do not lose the steel element of the kit I could create fire for the rest of my natural life from this simple kit if necessary. It is also worth noting that a high carbon steel uncoated knife spine such as an Arthur Wright & Sons Ettrick or lamsfoot style knife or an Opinel carbon no8 could be used instead of a dedicated steel with alot practice. The knife being multi-purpose versus the dead weight of the steel.<br />
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A mint tin works well as a tinder box, I use the ones sold in M&S. Altoids tins are another good option. Another great thing about the mint tin is that the seal around the lid and hinges is not perfect, so if you throw wood in it and then let the lid rest closed without snapping it shut we can char wood and other materials in readiness for the 'next' fire on top of the lit stove. With this method of stove lighting we are always thinking at least one fire ahead. Once the smoke ( gases ) stop leaking from around the edge of the tin, take it off the heat and snap it shut to starve the burn of oxygen. Perfect tinder for the next time fire is needed.<br />
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On the point of tinder, there are many fungus' and trees which have suitable barks around to make superb tinders, however I would never exploit such resources along a national trail. Best to carry these in if you are intending to practice at camp. I prefer not to take such resources from along national trails. A good option is to collect tiny pieces of white dry rotted wood from the trail floor. Charred and retained for use inside a tinder tin works perfectly well enough. A reliable ember is available with practice in seconds with this method of fire lighting.<br />
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Interestingly 'Otzi the iceman' that lay in ice for over 5000 years had a similar set up in his belt pouch which consisted of flint rocks, and a flint knife together with 4 pieces of tinder extracted from the horseshoe fungus ( Fomes_fomentarius ) which upon analysis showed the remains of iron pyrite on its surface. Although the iron pyrite rock itself was not present amongst his remains it is clear that it had originally been part of his fire starting kit. An pyrite rock can throw sparks, although not ass effectively as the steel does in my kit. Experts suggest that Otzi may have carried smouldering coals of charred fungus in a birch bark container using maple leaves to wrap the coals from camp to camp - Essentially a wooden tinder box!<br />
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An alternative back up kit that essentially would weigh nothing is the knowledge to create primitive fire from friction - bow-drill, hand-drill or fire-plough. Again this looks like great fun to learn, probably better suited to warmer / drier climates than ours admittedly. Fire created this way would not be a quick solution in an emergency situation unless you had made the neccessary kit in advance<br />
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I have practiced building modest fires mainly at home or on permitted land from gathered standing dead wood, either by using a single match or by throwing sparks from my flint and steel kit into a tinder box to create an ember. In 20 years of hill-walking, trail walking and camping / adventuring I have 'never' needed to build a large fire. In fact I do not know of anyone else that has 'needed' to build a great big fire on the trail either through survival necessity or otherwise.<br />
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Along the trail, fire building can be pretty inconvenient and leaves unsightly scars by the uninitiated, We cook at camp in the evening and boil water for drinks in the morning. Trying to start, control, relight and extinguish an open fire to this pattern v's a compact wood stove or alcohol burner - for me for me the stove wins.</div>
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<b>Conclusions</b><br />
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I never set off along the trail having the intention of building a fire but I am ready to construct and manage a fire should the need arise, such as in a truly survival situation. In this circumstance fire will make water safe to drink, dry wet clothing, provide a micro-climate. and act as a signal. In short I aim to keep the shrinking wild areas as pristine as I can. Probably the stove with the least environmental impact would be the stove made from recycled materials, and burn alcohol which is a renewable resource, such as the coke can type stove. Such a stove teams well with a compact wood biomass stove which in some circumstances can be used to enable us to enjoy a connection with fire that in our every day lives we have all but forgotten. Such stoves also provide a great focal point and are practical for quick lighting and stove ignition with a little practice.<br />
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I have often thought about using a Ferro rod in place of a lighter as these sticks are good for a few thousand strikes, even when wet and they will light a stove. This may be a good option for dinghy cruising or canoe camping especially, where there is some risk of total immersion in salt water. In the end I decide not carry a Ferro rod because even expertly used they often take several strikes even to light a canister stove, 3000 degree F sparks fly everywhere which could set my tarp alight if its in the vicinity and it basically only does what the flint does on a regular lighter in a less controlled way. There is no magic, it is just a lighter really. In a long term survival situation it could even run out of sparks, what then? Best to carry a lighter as the most convenient way to light the stove and some initial fires if needed, but have practiced how to make sparks from other things such as knives, traditional steel and rocks. I find I learn a lot more about tinder and fire lighting doing it the hard way with a traditional flint and steel rather than the surety of success virtually every time with the modern ferro rod. Using flint and steel in this way encourages us to look in much more detail at what is around us, a further level of understanding of our natural worlds resources opens up to us.<br />
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I hope Otzi would agree!<br />
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I have described my own fire / stove / stove starting preferences in this article from the standpoint of a regular trail walker in the UK. I am looking for lightweight convenience with minimal impact upon the environment I am walking through. I practice other methods of fire starting as this could be a lifesaver and its really good fun to practice our basic bushcraft skills. I fully realize that my personal set up may not be right for everyone. The fun is working out what will work for you in your setting and enjoying the process of experimentation.<br />
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Thank you for reading, please as always do not hesitate to drop me a line or comment.</div>
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-48483335275067088162015-07-04T04:49:00.001-07:002015-07-26T10:20:40.359-07:00Ultralight Backpacking Tarp - Peg Considerations<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultralight Pegs from Vargo are my own first choice.</td></tr>
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Peg ( aka 'stake' ) selection is almost a whole subject in its own right and one where there is an infinite number of incorrect selections that can be made. Poorly selected pegs could potentially spoil an otherwise great tarp experience.<br />
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For this reason I will describe my own peg preferences and how they are deployed in practice. To ensure weather proof integrity an ultralight tarp relies heavily on being securely anchored in place. Of course if natural features are present such as small trees or walls or fencing to act as an anchor point I would aim to use them. Fixing to a tree or wall will always be stronger than a pegged out guy line, indeed in many respects these are the ultimate peg!<br />
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A single person tarp will usually need at least 8 tie outs for most configurations outside of a wooded environment. Larger tarps will usually need more, perhaps 16 to 20 in windy conditions. </div>
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Almost exclusively I use three types of peg. Titanium shepherd hooks. aluminium Y stakes and hand made wooden pegs created at camp. Strong thin pegs such as the shepherd hooks are very difficult to make from natural materials, large wooden ones on the other hand, are very easy. So I carry the ones that are hard to reproduce in a natural setting. I prefer to carry a strong little pocket knife ( A Wright Ettrick ) which weighs very little and is multi-functional rather than carry another 6 to 8 large pegs just in case. </div>
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For a solo tarp, I carry 2 Y shaped aluminium pegs for the ridge line anchors, and 6 to 8 titanium shepherd hooks. I also carry a small pocket knife as mentioned to quickly craft chunky wooden pegs if I need something a lot larger from wood lying around. If I am going somewhere I have never been before I will add a couple of extra Y pegs especially if I am heading to the Lake district or Scotland where the ground is usually softer than eastern parts of the country. The hardest ground I have ever experienced was in North Norfolk, where I could only get the shepherd hooks about half way in, The softest ground was at a camp in the lakes where I did make 4 very chunky wooden pegs, one for each corner, and tied off the front and back of my tarp to trees. In sand you may be better to tie guy lines to buried rocks or buried lumps of drift wood. You are unlikely to be using a tarp in snow. </div>
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My first choice for shepherd hooks are the ones such as the ones made from titanium which weigh next to nothing. I use the ones made by Vargo, 8g each. I have had some success also with aluminium shepherd hooks which are also light but are much more prone to bending. By the same token they are easy to straighten. </div>
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Vargo Y beam - Summit stakes' as they are called weigh 14g each. They are very strong and I have yet to bend or break one. They will not easily be pushed by hand into hard ground, especially on the the trail as I would not generally be carrying a mallet or hammer. A piece of handy wood or a rock may be used as a baton or hammer in lieu of the real thing, but be warned the rock will damage the top of the peg and handy wood is not always around, so in the absence of an improvised wooden baton or rock - make a pilot hole with the shepherds hook then try the Y stake if you are having a bad time of things. The pegs have to go all the way in to work properly. <br />
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Shepherd hooks on the other hand can be poor in very soft ground, so be prepared to make a few wooden ones as necessary if you face very soft holding, which is why I carry a decent and sharp pocket knife, I keep mentioning the knife as many ultralight backpackers seem to be leaving the sturdy pocket knife off their packing list these days. Ray Jardine one of the earliest pioneers of ultralight backpacking suggests taking a decent knife on the trail. These wooden pegs can be discarded to save carrying the weight from camp to camp so little point in making anything too fancy. Placing rocks over shepherd hooks in soft ground will also help as an even quicker fix if these are available.<br />
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Here's an example of a disposable peg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtW4BF4G1bqYias8C0Y8btk2YGRTw0jXvN-5eU-nKo1smLMKwUfr_8OtBDTxgV_CVtvHgVcK1eXAQzY6B2NpIsErVOv5WESg6wnYC_IOP4Rqu5xIp5mKNfJXkS7oyd8Om0spnmazRKfIx/s1600/June_15_2+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtW4BF4G1bqYias8C0Y8btk2YGRTw0jXvN-5eU-nKo1smLMKwUfr_8OtBDTxgV_CVtvHgVcK1eXAQzY6B2NpIsErVOv5WESg6wnYC_IOP4Rqu5xIp5mKNfJXkS7oyd8Om0spnmazRKfIx/s400/June_15_2+007.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disposbale pegs - Nothing fancy, make in situ or on the fly & eject after use. </td></tr>
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Mainly I will use the Y stakes for the ridge line anchor points of my tarp, unless the ground is too hard to get them in and I use the shepherd hooks for the corners and sides. </div>
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I also carry a few 10 cm pieces of elastic shock cord which I use to relieve stress on the ridge tie outs in heavy wind, I also prefer to use knots on my guys rather than guy- line tensioners as the knots will slip under heavy strain, hopefully allowing the peg to stay put. The elastic is really important particularly if you use Dyneema cordage over say nylon guy lines. Nylon has a little give in it naturally, Dyneema does not so the peg has to do more work. Also a slightly longer line than you might think may help alleviate strain in very windy conditions on the ridge tie outs. Doubling up ridge tie outs in windy conditions can also be beneficial, effectively halving the strain on each peg.</div>
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A piece of cord around the head of your pegs, to help you pull out the pegs is a great idea. It will help when its time to leave. If this cord is a bright colour it will help to locate any lost pegs in the grass or leaf litter. </div>
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Of course I always count the pegs back in, to ensure that I have a full set for the next pitch.<br />
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My 8 pegs in total weigh 105g including a little stuff sac to keep the mud off other pack contents.<br />
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Thank you for reading.<br />
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Way of the Backpacker<br />
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-10769306866843557152015-07-03T04:06:00.001-07:002015-09-14T01:30:48.598-07:00A Wright & Sons - Ettrick Knife Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP0nxigi-OUIrv9ZLfkuZDQn2NathsCjh6s9cVF37XbcWPM-TVaTT5LlK0iv_TzoIMWoYnyIAzV0ejmUDYnc1t39skY1f08HQQr_M5yWZ2qkvR-XUxljMRmfZN3tWANZCGRtMDu5IN0zG/s1600/July_15+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP0nxigi-OUIrv9ZLfkuZDQn2NathsCjh6s9cVF37XbcWPM-TVaTT5LlK0iv_TzoIMWoYnyIAzV0ejmUDYnc1t39skY1f08HQQr_M5yWZ2qkvR-XUxljMRmfZN3tWANZCGRtMDu5IN0zG/s400/July_15+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Wright & Sons - Ettrick Knife</td></tr>
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I am often attracted to functional items that have an appealing aesthetic born purely out of their function. Items such as these cannot readily be improved as any alteration would be a reduction in utility rather than an improvement. The Ettrick knife from Arthur Wright of Sheffield falls squarely into this category.<br />
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A Wright & Son describe the knife as follows:<br />
"<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">One of our best-selling pocket knives. The Ettrick started life as a small gutting knife, reputedly designed by the Earl of Wharncliffe and his gamekeeper! Due to its comfortable handle and short blade it has since become a great general purpose pocket knife, easy to carry and particularly popular with whittlers."</span><br />
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I purchased this knife as a general purpose EDC pocket knife, but find that the knife is making itself very useful for backpacking, especially around camp. Whilst I do strive to keep my pack weight to an absolute minimum I also believe in carrying solid reliable items. After all - the items we carry over hundreds if not thousand of trail miles become the items of much focus and sometimes heavy or constant use. We need the few items carried on our backpacking trips to work impeccably for their designed use and deliver reliability beyond their design at times.<br />
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This knife weighs around 57g on my scales, so not super ultralight by any means but certainly light enough for a pocket carry. The 5cm length blade is made of C70 Carbon steel with a Rockwell hardness of 54-56. Once opened against the very robust spring the blade has no noticeable side to side or other movement at all. The high carbon steel blade in the closed position sits slightly proud of the rosewood scaled handle, so using the spine as a striker against a ferro rod is certainly possible.<br />
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The handle is very comfortable for a pocket knife and is long enough to accommodate all four fingers. There are slight gaps between the brass liners and the internal metalwork upon very close scrutiny on my example. This in no way appears to affect the strength. I would describe the finish as 'workmanlike' / 'No-nonsense' rather than an attempt at 'cosmetic perfection'. Considering the price point I am not concerned by this, as this is an item designed to be used rather than to act as an ornament.<br />
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The blade has a flat grind and arrives new with a secondary bevel, this makes a strong edge for pruning type duties. I altered the secondary bevel angle slightly to help the knife work better with general camp and food cutting / slicing. A DC3 sized pocket stone is more than adequately sized to keep the knife razor sharp in the field. Indeed an even smaller stone or even just a ceramic rod for regular honing would probably suffice.<br />
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My usual backpacking knife is a Victorinox Swiss Army Climber which has been with me for over 10 years, which replaced a simple Ettrick style pocket knife by another Sheffield 'Little Mester' - possibly Thomas Ablett. I can no longer recall the makers mark, the knife having been lost in use years ago. I had been looking for something similar and spotted this one a few months ago. Almost identical to my original, and also hand made in Sheffield from carbon steel, result! Incidentally Arthur Wright and Sons also produce a Barlow knife design, another historic design which gained favour as a small outdoor / hunters knife with a clipped blade shape. and also a larger heavy duty utility Lambsfoot farmers knife.<br />
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The spine of the Ettrick blade is around 3mm thick at the spine. The blade comes with a flat grind with a secondary bevel, so sharpening is very straight forward. The knife is well suited to assist with basic camp chores, such as food prep without a chopping board, opening food packets, cutting cordage, plaster and so on. The sturdy little Ettrick bladed knife will also take care of basic woodworking duties - such as whittling tent pegs and so on, in fact it excels at this. The handle offers a good 4 finger hand grip and is also long enough to enable a thumb to bear on the back of the handle bolster to deliver plenty of power to the tip for push strokes.<br />
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So will the single blade be replacing my SAK anytime soon? Well, yes, maybe, - I am going to be carrying this little Ettrick blade on a few shorter trips to see if I can manage again without the usual array of SAK tools. I am doing this mainly to ensure that I can consider different ways of achieving my aims on the trail. My initial thought is that I think I will miss the little scissors on my SAK for trimming nails etc. Perhaps an emery board might be a solution. Also more alarmingly I am now without a can opener. Not that I aim to carry tins but they are available in camp shops and village shops along most of our trails here in the UK - Maybe most tins these days have a ring pull? Again lets see how we get on. . After all there are ultralight trail walkers out there carrying only a couple of razor blades in lieu of a knife so by comparison this knife is surely 'luxurious'.<br />
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This general purpose working blade shape has a long heritage similar in style to the Lambs foot - These general styles have been used for cutting everything from from cordage to ovine hooves to sailors scrimshaw carvings for generations. The blade also has a scalpel sharp and strong tip which works well for gutting fish, which is not surprising if the gamekeeper did provide input to the design.<br />
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I particularly like using the knife for paring veg. I can peel and cut veg into small pieces without needing a chopping board, which I do not carry on the trail. I use cutting strokes towards the thumb, to the halfway mark, then rotate and cut again to the halfway mark. The handle is so comfortable and easy to control that these tasks become about as enjoyable as it gets cutting carrots! The tip can be honed to scalpel sharpness and so is great for slicing bacon, chorizo and other back country staples. Of course other tasks such as cutting cord and line, slicing the tops from food packets and trimming plaster or webbing to length are all easy tasks.<br />
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I have found the best way to sharpen this knife is by laying the secondary bevel on a DC3 diamond stone and then working the DC3 in tiny motions forwards backwards and then slightly up and down, then switching to the left hand and repeating for the other side of the bevel. Finally repeating with the ceramic side of the stone. Works a treat, and gains a razor edge without even needing to be stropped. Of course if you want to go the extra then even the smallest pocket strop or belt back would be sufficient. The ceramic side of the DC3 is the side that is mostly used in the field for touch ups - so to reduce carry weight further a simple ceramic rod in my opinion is really all that would be required to maintain the edge in the field.<br />
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The knife does not have a lanyard attachment hole, but a lanyard could still be tied and attached due to the shape of the handle which thickens to a bulb at the end, perhaps using a turks head or similar.<br />
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Conclusion<br />
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An attractive, solid, ergonomic, general purpose utility knife for basic camp duties and trail food prep without the necessity of a chopping board. The cutting edge of the blade is only 5.0 cm long, the opened knife is 15.9 cm overall, so the knife will have its limits. The knife is very solid & should last for years if appropriately used. The knife is hand made here in the UK by apprentice trained cutlers in Arthur Wrights workshop. How they make such a knife for the money I will never know, but make it they do, so grab one and a stick and start making those tent pegs!<br />
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I purchased mine from <a href="http://www.heinnie.com/arthur-wright-ettrick" target="_blank">Heinne</a> - £14.95 plus £2.00 delivery. For some reason they are cheaper on here than the manufacturers own site. Delivery was very efficient and the communication was exemplary. Please note I am in no way connected to either the manufacturer or supplier and have given my views based upon my own experience of using this knife in the field.<br />
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Thank you for reading as always.<br />
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Way of the backpacker<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-87891788000787911392014-08-06T05:50:00.002-07:002015-07-09T16:26:13.489-07:00Ultralight Backpacking Tarp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A trail staple: The ultralight tarp </td></tr>
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One of the most useful and adaptable pieces of staple kit on the trail is an 'ultralight tarp', usually made from silicone impregnated nylon ( silnylon) or spinnaker nylon fabric impregnated with silicone. On almost all of my outdoor trips I take an ultralight tarp of one description or another. The one I use the most is a 295g silnylon tarp with 8 pegging points, ironically this is also the simplest and lowest cost tarp I own. It is rectangular in shape, 1.5 metres wide and 2.7 metres long. On 'solo' trips the tarp teamed with a suitable inner nest becomes my only shelter, replacing the tent entirely. In a 'family' setting I do take a lightweight 3 to 4 man tent for sleeping in, usually a tipi for three, the tarp is taken in addition to the tent.<br />
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In the family or group setting the tent, acts as the bedroom, the tarp is used to store and dry wet gear and boots, or form an enlarged porch to cook under in the rain or to throw up a quick lunch stop shelter or provide a groundsheet. In fact it is used so often I consider it as fundamental to comfort and well being on the trail during the day and at camp in the evening.<br />
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I try to carry gear which serves several functions for a given weight of carry. At 295g, this piece of fabric more than earns its keep. In later posts we will look at some of the wider uses a tarp can be put to. In this post we will look at size selection, and then run through a daily run with a solo sized ultralight tarp acting as a primary shelter on the trail.<br />
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Tarps come in all shapes and sizes, and often I am asked about what size of tarp is best. Specifically I am referring in this article to backpacking tarps which may be used primarily as a shelter using trekking poles or environmental attachment points such as vegetation, rocks or fencing. If I intend to use my tarp as a shelter on its own without any sort of inner nest or secondary protection from the elements, which may occur outside of bug season I will take a slightly larger tarp, say 2.7m by 2.5m. If I am using a tarp in conjunction with a secondary form of protection such as a bug bivi, bivi bag, solid walled nest and so on I can take a smaller tarp.<br />
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The important thing with sizing is that at least one of the dimensions for a shelter tarp that is intended to provide protection from the elements whilst you sleep will need to be at least 70 to 80cm longer than your stretched out height. On this basis someone such as myself will need a 2.7 to 2.8 metre tarp. The overhang at each end keeps out the elements. I often see tarps being sold that are only 2.4m long, this is not long enough for anyone over 5' tall in my opinion. At the other extreme I see tarps over 3 metres, a length of 3m or more provides a diminishing return and therefore becomes dead weight, you may also need as many as 16 pegs, and side pullouts to retain a taught pitch on a 3 metre width.<br />
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In terms of width, a single fabric width of around 138cm will work fine for a minimalist solo backpacker using either a low A frame, a flying A frame, or half pyramid type pitch. The smallest tarp I use however is 150cm by 2.7m.<br />
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There are several methods of retaining privacy when using a tarp as a primary shelter say on a campsite. The most effective is by use of accessories such as using a solid walled inner nest, such as the Wrath Outdoor Jetstream, or by the addition of small beaks which close off the open ends. Alternatively, if the tarp is to be used without such accessories, creative use of the camp site landscape can work well - hedges, trees, walls., fences, anything to completely obscure the view from at least one direction is ideal provided the spot is sheltered and the open ended side of the tarp is not facing directly into the current wind direction.<br />
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In a wild setting privacy is much less of a consideration, in fact it is one of the best aspects of a tarp, the opportunity to see the landscape around. Some people find being able to see out is quite scary, but think of it this way; if there were something scuffling around outside, an animal for example would you rather know what it is or let your imagination run wild behind a tent wall?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here set up as half pyramid, the bug bivi acts as a tub groundsheet. A great set up for food prep and camp chores as sitting headroom is provided. </td></tr>
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Upon arrival at my chosen campsite or wild camp I almost always set up a half pyramid with my 1.5m x 2.7m tarp setting a single pole at around 110cm. The open end of the tarp points away from the elements.I carry 8 lengths of guy line to facilitate my pitch. I generally do not leave my guylines attached when I pack up at the end of my trip, but on the trail I do leave my hanked guylines attached. Check out my post on 'String Theory for Backpackers' for details of my guyline set up and the variety and use of knots for setting up a tarp. Some tarp users however use small line locks on the guys instead of the knots which I use, it does not matter which option is used really.<br />
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In midgie season I arrange my bug bivi underneath my tarp. The bivi has a sewn in 10cm tub groundsheet. Unzipping the bivi I place my sleeping mat, sleeping bag, and my spare clothing inside, and then zip it in. I sit on top of all this whilst prepping my meal, maintaining and mending kit etc. I prefer to set things up in this way initially as the half pyramid makes a weather resistant shelter, affords privacy from three sides but most importantly I can sit up straight out of the wind, rain or sun. I leave my camp set up like this until maybe an hour before bed.<br />
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At this point I rearrange the pitch into a fairly low A frame, with a pole length set at around 70cm. The windward edge pegged close to the ground. All my spare gear goes back in my rucksack and I place this either as a pillow or at my feet. I pull up the apex ends of the bug bivi to form my bedroom, climb inside and zip up. I generally read, check next days route or listen to podcasts for a while unless there is a spectacular sunset or view in which case this offers all the entertainment I need. For warm humid dry nights I pitch the tarp higher to allow plenty of air flow. In the UK this does not occur very often admittedly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This A frame is being flown very high to provide lots of air flow, ideal to get everything bone dry for a few minutes before camp is struck, or for warmer nights on the trail. Dropping the apex of the bug bivi would provide sitting headroom to cook or eat. </td></tr>
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Come the morning depending upon the conditions experienced in the night the tarp will either be bone dry or have an amount of condensation inside and out. If condensation is present then it is best to avoid touching the inside of the tarp or shaking it too much. In this event I would unzip my bug bivi via the top zip, and carefully wipe any excess within arms reach with a small absorbent cloth I keep for just such a purpose, this cannot be done with a tent, so you have to wait a lot longer for condensation to evaporate. I then climb out. If the weather is dry and not too windy I generally then increase the pole height to around 100cm at one end and extend the front and middle guys accordingly. I can then sit cross legged at this end to prep breakfast, wash and generally get organised. If its raining I pack up my sleeping bag, mat and other gear into my rucksack before even climbing out of my bug bivi, this way ensuring it all stays as dry as possible. Going in and out into the rain is the best way to soak gear. I then get dressed into my waterproof before climbing out into the weather. I next pack up my bug bivi / groundsheet and then finally the tarp. The tarp is shaken and stuffed into a ruck sack side pocket, once I have hanked the guylines. A quick cereal bar and then I hit the trail. <br />
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I don't bother sitting around at camp if its raining, I may lay in bed for a little longer in the hope of it stopping, but if this isn't going to happen I prefer to get up and set off along the trail. If I am lucky the rain will stop after an hour or two along the trail and I can then stop for a while to dry the tarp and eat again. If its still raining by lunch I set up the tarp as a half pyramid and sit under this for lunch. Shaking off the excess water and packing it away into the pocket again afterwards. I do stop for meals. I find keeping a routine like this allows me to sit and watch the world a bit, which I enjoy, and check my route.<br />
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The above describes a typical set of scenarios, but occasionally we can experience storms. As with any sort of camping it's then a game of survival, which at times can be enjoyable in its own right. I really enjoy storm camping. In this event I pitch a very low A frame with my bug bivi set up underneath, the windward edge, whichever that one is will be pitched right to the ground, or with just the hint of lift on the centre tie out, which is achieved using a 30cm guyline. The main pole height is set as low as 60cm. The bug bivi has a top zip entry which facilitates the low tarp entry, the bivi is dropped to the floor as I climb in, and is pulled up again once I am in. As an an occupant in these conditions I am more than happy to be warm and dry in my sleeping bag. Food prep is going to be difficult, but it is possible. A simple meal which only needs hot water rehydration is ideal. If the weather is really bad I just east meusli made up with dried milk which I always carry. I then settle for the evening and night with my podcast, music or a book, and hope I do not need to 'go' in the night - torch and a waterproof handy though just in case. In stormy weather I use my waterproof as a pillow so its immediately accessible. Some keep an old wide necked bottle for such an emergency which can be emptied and washed out the following morning.<br />
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So there you have it, a typical daily run with an ultralight tarp. Certainly I find it ideal, even more so than a tent when used with an accessory such as a bug bivi with sewn in ground sheet. Later in the season, around October time I swap the bug bivi for a solid walled nest. Some use a Goretex or other lightweight breathable bivi bag.<br />
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If I were to not have any sort of nest or bivi, I would move up to a 2.7 x 2.5 sized tarp as a minimum, even for solo backpacking. Ironically you gain a weight advantage overall with the larger tarp as you manage without the nest or bivi bag, all that is needed is a groundcloth, which could be something as simple as a survival blanket. You lose out in respect of protection from midges, mosquitoes and ticks in summer though, and you lose out on the the increased warmth provided by the micro climate formed inside a bivi bag or solid walled nest in colder weather. I rarely now use a tarp without such an accessory. Even with a nest however my tarp & nest combo is around half the weight of a tent which provides in reality less space. My nests weigh from between 325g to 495g, 8 to 10 pegs around 80g, guylines 20g, a stuff sac 25g, so this comes to around 700g to 800g for the tarp nest combo. I use a single walking pole and use features such as trees or rocks or objects such as sticks found in the landscape or camp site to effect my home each evening. I can arrange a suitable arrangement with just one pole, a bicycle, a paddle or even my rucksack stood on end if absolutely necessary.<br />
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The tarp nest combo fits in well as part of my regular long distance walking kit. My solo tent is no longer taken on the trail for solo backpacking. Contrary to what it seems I do not obsess about weight. In fact I like to be comfortable. To my mind shelter also includes appropriate clothing, good insulation from the ground at night, and a warm sleeping bag. There is no merit in being cold or wet. As someone once said to me, 'any fool can be uncomfortable'.<br />
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I find the tarp nest combo more practical and comfortable than my solo tent. A tarp does need a little 'pitch' practice before use, this just adds to the fun.<br />
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Thank you for reading, please do not hesitate to comment or drop me a line.<br />
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Many Thanks<br />
Sean<br />
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-37887730879082917862014-08-05T08:29:00.000-07:002014-08-05T10:13:33.840-07:00Fabric Choices for Ultralight gear<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Considered use of ultralight fabrics in this Wrath Outdoor sub 600g shelter system which utilises a ripstop silnylon fly and a PU coated nylon tub floor</td></tr>
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Ultralight backpacking gear has to work in the real world, it has to have an adequate safety margin, it has to look after the user in unexpected situations. By the same token it has to offer weight savings over main stream alternatives.<br />
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The ultralight backpacking shelter designer is looking at combining a design which cuts away redundant or over engineered features to save weight, adjusts panel shape to cut away wasted cloth and so on. Even using the same materials as the mainstream shelter designer the ultralight design will still be lighter. </div>
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The real game changer however is the fabric and other materials used to make the shelter. These fabrics are the best and most fit for purpose fabrics on planet earth at this time. These fabrics can be quite expensive and utilize everything that modern fabric manufacturing can bring to the table. Yes, the design can make a difference, in the end though there are only so many ways to make a tent or shelter. The utilization of cutting edge fabric is what cuts the weight. Think about the steel body shell of a modern car, its strong fairly light and works well as an outer skin for the average vehicle. Then think Carbon Fibre and Kevlar, if well designed the same shapes can be derived but the parts can be stronger AND lighter. </div>
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Ultralight backpacking gear designers and manufacturers are using the fabric equivalents of Kevlar and Carbon Fibre. Most ultralight tent designs come from cottage manufacturers running low overheads, selling their offering online or direct. So even though the fabric costs are perhaps 10 times more expensive than the usual mainstream tent fabrics the final product finishes up similarly priced or even cheaper than a mainstream relatively heavy counterpart. In this sense ultralight gear is a bargain. If a mainstream manufacturer were to build their products from the same fabric they would price themselves out of the market, which is perhaps why ultralight gear remains the preserve of the cottage gear manufacturer. Mainstream gear has to pay the brand owner, the factory, the distributor and the retailer and in fact for a whole marketing infrastructure to bring the product to market. The actual fabric cost was probably less than 10% of its final value. </div>
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The cottage industry is by definition a low key, low overhead operation with a minimal marketing outlay, perhaps even a single website. Custom builds through word of mouth amongst like minded individuals. The value is added into the fabric and design which is passed on to the final user of the product - the customer. </div>
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So which ultralight fabrics are most popularly used by the cottage gear industry. </div>
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There are four mainstay fabrics in reducing weight order: PU coated nylon, Silicone impregnated nylon, Silicone impregnated spinnaker fabric and finally Cuben Fibre. There is little to no loss of shear strength as the weight goes down, but the cost increases quite a bit. Cuben fibre costs around 4 times the cost of silnylon. </div>
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Here's the lowdown on each fabric:</div>
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<b>PU Coated Ripstop Nylon: </b></div>
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Very water resistant. Easy to work with, glues will stick to it, and it has at least one face which is not slippy. Its a good choice for making your own gear. The fabric usually has a nylon base fabric which is then coated with a PU coating which then makes one face of the fabric water resistant or waterproof depending upon specification. The mainstream manufacturers that are looking to offer a lightweight choice would probably choose this fabric as its fit for purpose, fairly light and as mentioned easy to work with. It is relatively inexpensive so a margin can still be achieved in a supply chain scenario. The main disadvantage is that PU coatings at the lower end of the quality spectrum can be heavy and when subjected to abrasion will begin to peel or rub off rapidly. </div>
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<b>Ripstop Silnylon</b></div>
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Is very difficult to work with, it is super slippy, glue will not stick to it and you cannot put pins through what will become a waterproof membrane, in essence a manufacturers nightmare. On the other hand, there is no coating to rub off, the fabric is totally impregnated with the silicone. Not even mildew can get a foothold. The fabric still has some stretch and both sides of the fabric are waterproof. The strength is around 4 times that of canvas for the equivalent weight and is much more abrasion resistant. Even small pin holes will mend themselves in time. It is more expensive than PU coated nylon, but it is around 25% lighter. </div>
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In many ways this fabric offers the perfect balance of weight and strength for an ultralight product. You can really feel the weight advantage straight away. It can be used for either a ground sheet or a flysheet. The fabric poses no real compromise for the end user, all of the negatives fall to the cottage manufacturer that has learned how to work with the cloth.<br />
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Some mainstream manufacturers have offered what they describe as silnylon. Quite often it is a hybrid of silicone one side and a thin coating of PU or other coating on the other to make it easier to glue and work with. Always ensure what you are getting really is 'Silnylon' .You can tell straight away by feel. Silnylon is slippy on both sides. PU coatings have a tacky rubbery sort of feel.<br />
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Silnylon is flammable. Consider safety if using a silnylon shelter near an open flame. Having run a burn test or two myself I can report that silnylon is not as flammable as some say but do bear this mind.<br />
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<b>Silicone impregnated Spinnaker Fabric:</b></div>
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About half the weight of standard silnylon and just as slippy, at around .98oz or 25g per square metre this is very light, but twice the cost of standard silnylon. Spinn fabric as its known can either have a polyester or nylon base fabric which is then impregnated with the silicone, personally I prefer the nylon. It has the same advantages of the standard ripstop silnylon, is very strong, has a bit of stretch but is not quite as waterproof.as standard silnylon. Still more than fine though for a flysheet, perhaps not so great for a groundsheet as the pressure of knees or elbows over a small area can force water through the membrane.<br />
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The main disadvantage is often the colour choice. The fabric is mainly manufactured for sailmakers, who specify bright colours for spinnakers. Natural white or cream is probably the best choice, or pale grey if you don't mind it.<br />
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A 3m x 3m shelter in such a fabric will weigh less than 300g, incredible really and it is really strong. Look for sewn on ties with bar tack stitching, as grommets will pull out of the thin fabric unless heavily reinforced and hand-stitched as in the clew of a sail. Personally I love the look of this fabric but if you are planning to stealth camp the color may be a consideration.<br />
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<b>Cuben Fibre</b><br />
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Two drawbacks, cost at this time, the fabric cost is four times that of silnylon, and the fabric is very slightly transparent. Oh and did I mention not so abrasion resistant, so that's three drawbacks. On the other hand its the lightest fabric in this list at a quarter the weight of silnylon. It can also be noisy in the wind so pitch technique needs to be practiced. There is less stretch in this fabric so designs that work well in silnylon do not always translate into Cuben Fibre without modification.<br />
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I would say that the huge price hike to gain a few grams over say a spinn fabric shelter is hard really to justify, so I am not going to try, but if you have just got to have the lightest this is the way to go. So, would I choose a Cuben Fibre shelter for myself, erm, yes absolutely! :).<br />
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-27514493305746087952014-07-26T07:09:00.001-07:002014-11-10T13:46:57.733-08:00Call of the Revolution! - to the Ultralight Moderate Swing Voter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2cO0CkWeOt-f_1admJZvaQ4npptkGWJCgncKaJlB0z_ZiZiCrO-Autb2P4TOTObQfbRFfclR1zXiSrW4EJzQOuCSAkOJ1_mE9g_mltzUNrUApnxR_gImRf9rSzt26CXeCLjOccRx0Bnx/s1600/Wrathproduct_shoot+073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2cO0CkWeOt-f_1admJZvaQ4npptkGWJCgncKaJlB0z_ZiZiCrO-Autb2P4TOTObQfbRFfclR1zXiSrW4EJzQOuCSAkOJ1_mE9g_mltzUNrUApnxR_gImRf9rSzt26CXeCLjOccRx0Bnx/s1600/Wrathproduct_shoot+073.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it a tarp or not a tarp that is one of my questions.</td></tr>
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Tap the word tarp into the online Oxford English dictionary you get the following:<br />
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'An early 20th century abbreviation of tarpaulin. A sheet or cover'<br />
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Search the word 'tarpaulin' - the Oxford dictionary suggests that it is a 'heavy duty waterproof cloth, often made of proofed canvas'<br />
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It goes on to describe it as a noun, and uses the sentence 'a stretch of roof was covered by a tarpaulin'<br />
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I mention all this because the ultralight tarp is having to work very hard to shed its namesake the 'tarp'.<br />
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Say the word 'tarp' here in the UK and seek a response. Response's will range from 'Ray Mears', to 'heavy road haulage' to 'motorcycle cover's' or some such answer. I asked a handful of people recently at North Lees camp site about their thoughts on tarps. Not a very large poll admittedly, but a poll of normal outdoor people, climbers, walkers and campers. Not one person had considered a tarp type shelter for camping or backpacking use. Backpacking forums for years have discussed the pro's and con's of tarps and ultra lightweight backpacking probably to death. Outdoor magazines have been talking about tarps and lightweight backpacking in the UK to the point where I think just to write new copy and to move on in the discussion have had to start a new chapter, which seems to be coming from the standpoint of 'lets avoid any extremes'. In other words a more 'moderate' standpoint on weight. Yet, after all that, even still, in 2014 the vast majority of people setting out on their Pennine adventure or other long distance journey have not considered anything other than a full on mountaineering tent, and are probably setting off with 15KG to 20KG or more in their bag even in summer. I am gathering some more data on this, so will post here once all the results are in.<br />
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Now I get why hill goers may prefer a 4 season heavy duty tent for summit camps in mid winter, especially if its only a five mile walk-in from the car, and a one off herculean effort is all that is required. On the trail however, say for example the Pennine Way, when you have a few 'hundred' miles to cover, especially at the time of year we make these journeys, a lighter weight arrangement makes a lot of sense. I think it is important to differentiate between gear for camping at Angle tarn only a couple of miles from the road, and a set up that works at camp 50 or 100 miles miles into the Pennine Way. When you have to carry your gear over 200 miles that Kilo or more in saved weight starts to look a lot more attractive. Applying this to every piece of kit in the bag and that 5KG or more of weight saving looks even better. Just look at the posture of someone carrying 15KG of kit v's someone with 7 or 8KG. More to point, look at their faces. The vast majority of camps along national trails are sheltered or low level camps.<br />
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So, after talking a while to my fellow backpackers I pitched an ultra-light silnylon tarp at North Lees, and within moments I had a small audience, 'Never seen anything like that before' sort of scratchy head sort of audience. 'What sort of a tent is this'? I had my tarp pitched with a noseeum net bivi underneath, and at least one of the audience felt bold enough to get inside. 'Cool!'<br />
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Now I am going to exclude 'bushcraft' tarp use from the conversation in this post i.e the Ray Mears thread going forward because bushcraft guys do use tarps a lot, often the ones as per the Oxford dictionary definition, preferably square ones that can be set up as flying diamonds that are fire resistant canvas and so on. I am specifically discussing ultra light tarps for backpacking or scouting or hiking use in the UK, rectangular shaped ultralight tarps used by a user who is moving through the environment on foot and carrying it some distance from A to B.<br />
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It seems crazy, but forum discussion among UK Hill-goers, has all but exhausted the discussion before UK long distance backpackers ever really had a go with ultralight. The tarp is possibly one of those concepts that has been theoretically discussed for 5 years by lunch hour office workers on the forums perhaps on occasion without actually using one here in the UK for trail walking. In particular the' tarp v tent' sort of forum discussion gets very confusing, because although both technically backpackers, hill walkers and long distance walkers face very different challenges. Most of us when hill bagging, hillwalking or fellwalking for much of the time, walk from a base camp or car, and return to camp or the car that day. In which case the weight was left at the campsite or in the car. At other times, we may go high into the mountains for a one night wild camp, in this circumstance its a one off effort, to get all the relatively heavy gear up there. By contrast, a long distance walker covering 200 miles, going up and over over the hills along a route setting up a new camp day in day out can see that this is where lighter weight gear pays dividends. An ultralight tarp serves a different sort of backpacker, and I think this is where much confusion and counter argument surrounding the ultralight tarp sets in. The ultralight tarp serves a different niche of our amazing backpacking pursuit.<br />
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I noted on a You Tube video recently that Chris Townsend, (one of my personal hero's by the way) who acts as gear editor to The Great Outdoors magazine reviewed tents v tarps v tarp tents. Chris suggested that 'tarps are a good option for the Pyrenees and the High Sierra', ' or in the UK in a sheltered setting with a dry forecast' I agree, a stand alone tarp would work well in these environments, but I would also suggest that tarps can be great in the rain too. The video is certainly worth a look. Chris did not really touch upon the 4th option however, which is what I discuss below. The tarp with an inner nest as a combination. Oddly the forums rarely discuss the merits of the tent v's the tarp / inner nest combo for some reason either. It is this 4th option however that is the real alternative to the tent here in the UK.<br />
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I used a stand alone tarp for three years, got a little bit chilly at times late in the season and bitten more than once in high season. After a few seasons I went back to a tent as my primary shelter mainly to avoid the midges and ticks. The tarp became an extension to my tent at a fixed camp or was thrown in my bag to sit on at picnics.<br />
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The thought however, the dream of something a lot lighter than my tent, for distance walking never went away. Ultralight still makes more sense for long distance walking than a moderate or heavier weight alternative. Our hiking friends on the American side of the Atlantic, the ones that walk great distances along the Appalachian trail for example, love their ultralight tarps, why is this? In fact no self respecting thru' hiker on the trail would be seen dead without one it seems. Their tarp self brands as, 'trail savvy', 'experienced' and perhaps even brands still as 'revolutionary'. In the UK it could self brand judging by the forums chat as 'off your rocker', 'what are you messing about at son?'.<br />
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Then it dawned on me. OMG! how had I missed it!, how had so many of us here missed it. I now know what we were missing. It was the nest! A re-look at all the pictures . Time to read the books again. The thru-hikers often use a nest! They use a tarp and they use a nest. Look once again, yes, there's a friend of Ray Jardine, smiling in his nest!<br />
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Many of us spotted that one too in passing, and then <i>incorrectly </i>deduced that if you had a tarp and a nest, i.e. an outer skin and an inner you might as well have a tent, it's the same! but there is <b>so</b> so much more to it than that. They really are 'not' the same at all.<br />
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So, tarp and a nest. Well isn't that just another way of building effectively a light weight tent? Well yes, it is, but also no it isn't. There is a world of difference between a tent and a nest/ tarp combo. Try configuring a tent in an alternative pitch for example.<br />
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So now we look at it, the thru' hikers don't really use tarps, well they kind of do, what they really have is a very very lightweight tent arrangement. More to the point their revolution was and still is really all about a very very lightweight tent inner called a nest and a super simple very light flysheet called an ultralight tarp.<br />
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That's it then, we can still have our British ultra-lightweight revolution. It doesn't have to die with the tarp v tent argument. Our revolution is not going to be about the tarp v's the tent, it never was, it was a discussion point only. Our revolution is to be about the 'nest and tarp combo' v's the 'tent'. Or put another way 'the cutting edge cottage gear nest and tarp combo product' v's the 'mass produced tent offering' at a given price point. Once we bring into the equation an ultralight nest design, even a super ultralight nest, that caters for the relevant British season the tarp idea then all makes sense again. A nest that will help keep out the elements, a nest that keeps out the midges, a nest that only weighs similarly to a can of beans ( I use beans, we are talking about British camping after all, and sustenance may be required for revolutionary talk) . <br />
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It is this notion that has been playing on my mind for long enough now to have sparked a renewed interest in 'nest design' and to start designing solutions for Pennine long distance walking, trying them out in anger on wet and wild nights, and in midge season. After all this I can report my tarp is so back in my bag!<br />
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Tarps are inexpensive, even ultralight ones. Genuine cottage gear manufacturers cut out the middle man, so are able to offer a very high quality product made from durable and strong but light weight fabric. They are able to offer a very lightweight solution for half the price of a sub kilo tent via the normal retail channels. A silnylon tarp for one 295g, an ultralight solid walled nest for at least 1 and a dog 495g, so an 800g tent effectively for around £150 with sitting headroom, elbow room and won't fall over in a gale. This is what we can have. This is now possible. I struggled for so long to find what I wanted, in fact I never found it without having to spend over £400, so now I produce what I see as the solution for UK distance walkers under the Wrath Outdoor brand. Specifically I have produced the 'Jetstream nest' and based every element of its design around my own and fellow hikers needs for our very own thru hike style routes in the UK - The Pennine Routes in particular. The Jetstream has solid breathable walls, which reduces wind chill, creates a micro climate and helps keep condensation to a minimum. It can be used on a campsite, it also works well in a wild setting.<br />
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So lets get back on the trail with something nice and light that does meet our needs, a solution which neither breaks the bank or our back. A solution which probably looks like and is an ultralight tarp / solid walled nest combo.<br />
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Thank you for reading, please as always let me know your thoughts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemAhyphenhyphenuXXFNdmunGgVOPXL33Yaj_UxdIdQ4BoQKbXeNWt-15Y0itk_88Vaw21JnjlHg3M_Zkh3UcKzDXnj5G1I4z3TbUD0ZXhj7KaSSSZH9c_i9awYmmSGwt3KZRY6s4V615isqe-wyHEQ/s1600/Wrathproduct_shoot+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemAhyphenhyphenuXXFNdmunGgVOPXL33Yaj_UxdIdQ4BoQKbXeNWt-15Y0itk_88Vaw21JnjlHg3M_Zkh3UcKzDXnj5G1I4z3TbUD0ZXhj7KaSSSZH9c_i9awYmmSGwt3KZRY6s4V615isqe-wyHEQ/s1600/Wrathproduct_shoot+039.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So is it a Tarp then?</td></tr>
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-52609266319718348612014-07-25T10:04:00.002-07:002015-07-11T11:27:50.539-07:00Sharpening up on the trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you are going to carry a knife on the trail then it might as well be a sharp knife. maintaining a sharp knife is very easy and takes seconds. Resharpening a really dulled knife is much more difficult. I am not trying to achieve a scalpel edge as this weakens the edge. I sharpen to achieve a useful edge only, which can cope easily with any task I am likely to put it to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgne-i_D1_0CyYJpKq2P6aLFTXzmlyLrGDzxC0D-El5n3fMdlsM3KL5drA39H6Sc5v8L_h5XFrBmRqBv6t0itaZ7OotYOxSOjatyoA0snknlka6Uc208Smv9QJD6Ge-liiW9_2AupSvXjQ3/s1600/edc+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgne-i_D1_0CyYJpKq2P6aLFTXzmlyLrGDzxC0D-El5n3fMdlsM3KL5drA39H6Sc5v8L_h5XFrBmRqBv6t0itaZ7OotYOxSOjatyoA0snknlka6Uc208Smv9QJD6Ge-liiW9_2AupSvXjQ3/s1600/edc+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fine sharpening stone is the item which looks like a stick of chalk</td></tr>
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As new the Swiss army knife has a v shaped profile - a flat grind, gradually sloping down from the spine to the tip of the blade on both sides. A steepish secondary bevel is then placed right on the edge. After 10 years of use the primary blade on mine is pretty scratched up, and the scales no longer look new but even after so much use every tool still works perfectly! Irrespective of the fact that the knife looks pretty beat up all the blades need are a couple of minutes attention to retain the factory edge.<br />
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There are many ways of sharpening your knife, so I will highlight the main one I use first, using a fine Victorinox sharpening stone, which weighs almost nothing and is carried in mt EDC kit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2ux2y2mCQtuQdXgoiGHbzzaqqTW8YOsfsaUChP2WGAEr9vWtcn0Qm3eKOdTOBS7uO_vdPUsGXNvHXtk7NmTx0gp9nqFFSpFpQ7FrZkjkjatLSP6xPVyZwazdaXHl5BDh6FxVvhQXuWDl/s1600/edc+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2ux2y2mCQtuQdXgoiGHbzzaqqTW8YOsfsaUChP2WGAEr9vWtcn0Qm3eKOdTOBS7uO_vdPUsGXNvHXtk7NmTx0gp9nqFFSpFpQ7FrZkjkjatLSP6xPVyZwazdaXHl5BDh6FxVvhQXuWDl/s1600/edc+011.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brace the end of the stone against a solid object to prevent movement.<br />
Pull the blade a few strokes from handle to tip slicing along the stone as you go ( watch fingers) then turn the knife and push the blade a few strokes. Again handle to tip as if slicing off the surface.</td></tr>
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To maintain this secondary bevel takes just a few strokes on each side of the blade against a small Victorinox abrasive stone such as the one in the picture. If you do not have access to such a sharpening stone or ceramic rod, then wrap a small quantity of very fine wet and dry around a dowel or stick. In the field carrying a small piece of fine wet and dry instead of the stone would do the trick. Once you have decided on the angle repeat this every time you sharpen.<br />
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I sharpen with very light pressure and much more slowly than such as with a kitchen knife on a steel. The secret of sharpening this knife is to hold the knife at the same angle every time. I go for somewhere around 20 to 30 degrees. Go slowly, and apply only light pressure whilst drawing the blade across the stone, slightly lifting the handle as you approach the tip. Usually as few as 10 strokes per side will do it. I do not remove any burr that forms just as with the kitchen knives at home on the steel but if you wanted to do this you could use anything from your leather belt as a strop to the back of a leather bound note book which I carry to make my field notes. This method, even without the stropping will maintain your blade to the point where it will slice up paper edges by way of a test no problem. To slice hairs from your arms etc which many see as the ultimate test you will need to strop maybe up to 50 strokes per side, but to be frank if I can cut veg easily and cord and other such items with ease that is all I am trying to do. This level of sharpness can be achieved in seconds. <br />
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It is also possible by way of another option to file the stone against the blade, keeping the blade static and moving the stone or rod against the blade. Personally I prefer to move the blade over the stone as I find it easier to control the knife angle, and hold the stone steady.<br />
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Alternatively if you are carrying larger cuting tools, carry a slightly heavier diamond / ceramic stone for sharpening and honing in the field, such as this portable offering from Fallkniven called the DC3. The stone has the benefit of a fine ceramic honing side and coarser grit diamond side for serious sharpening.<br />
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One method of sharpening with such a stone is to use tiny small circular movements whilst holding the bevel against the stone, this works well on larger knives. Maintaining the angle throughout the length of the blade but lifting the handle slightly as you sharpen the tip.<br />
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Alternatively try to slice a microscopic layer from the surface as in the picture below, repeating both sides alternately. When you turn the Climber knife as in the picture below you will need to place the stone on the edge of something to give hand clearance. The blades are offset against the handle. Repeat the same number of strokes each side whichever method is used. The stone may slip around so it may need to be braced or held as I am doing in this picture. Watch fingers!<br />
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Personally I prefer the first method as shown above, but its personal choice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSUXOAKfKepmkmswPp-hx5KLehKeUm1gh4OSwDWSUPKZhZ30DYUAAzRwmKPu2IF_4asBQ7TE-rCGjuNJWIcS4MCOrWLvl7iHIBp5mHUHNaXTV8b8FpiTy3lImgTk2uX6yYkwfimCZaBKT/s1600/edc+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSUXOAKfKepmkmswPp-hx5KLehKeUm1gh4OSwDWSUPKZhZ30DYUAAzRwmKPu2IF_4asBQ7TE-rCGjuNJWIcS4MCOrWLvl7iHIBp5mHUHNaXTV8b8FpiTy3lImgTk2uX6yYkwfimCZaBKT/s1600/edc+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">try to slice a thin layer from the stone starting at the handle end and lifting off from the tip.<br />
10 reps one side, 10 the other, then alternate a stroke each side for a few strokes. </td></tr>
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Victorinox also provide a number of portable ceramic sharpeners which simply require the blade to be pulled through them a few times. The problem with sharpening this way is that the blade develops a hollow in the middle over time.<br />
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To sharpen the scissors I simply cut through a sheet of tin foil once in a while. Do not try to fold the tin foil as you will sprain the scissors making them useless.<br />
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Concentrate at all times when sharpening, a serious injury could occur at a very difficult time once miles away from civilization. Carry a suitably well equipped first aid kit. Remember only light pressure and slow movement is required to sharpen a SAK, the steel is relatively soft. Whichever method is deployed look at what you are doing, move methodically, pay attention to the angle between the blade and stone. Do NOT draw the blade upwards ( backwards ) across the stone so that the knife wants to fold onto fingers. You should always be pressing or pushing the blade open.<br />
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Take care and enjoy the process. Its all very relaxing. Any hints and tips on the subject of field sharpening in the field always greatly received.<br />
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Thank you for reading<br />
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Sean<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-48034292587178439562014-07-25T08:24:00.000-07:002015-07-30T15:38:08.673-07:00Cutting Tools for the TrailIn the previous post I showed the everyday carry gear that comes with me at all times on the trail - a basic first aid / gear maintenance / fire kit. In this post I wanted to drill down into one of the specifics, - The Swiss Army Climber. Mine is the Victorinox version, as opposed to the Wenger version. Victorinox now also have a version with a wooden scale which I really like, but since it would be potentially lost if I dropped it I will stick to the red handled version which shows up well against both grass, and forest floor. Whilst this knife accompanies over 90% of my outdoor trips I will also touch upon some of the other cutting tools I occasionally carry instead of or alongside this multitool.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNaxMOvX0nqFun4A7kvgZUNzjLSIiGdYI0ELSjjirMAZ4f361WPmowf_C4gE1-YEfYR7astv8DByEWICp2Yccox-DZ490m5jZylqjaEaVCd6NZGG3F__yNh_1eArYpXex-t4hdpy7QnF0/s1600/edc+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNaxMOvX0nqFun4A7kvgZUNzjLSIiGdYI0ELSjjirMAZ4f361WPmowf_C4gE1-YEfYR7astv8DByEWICp2Yccox-DZ490m5jZylqjaEaVCd6NZGG3F__yNh_1eArYpXex-t4hdpy7QnF0/s1600/edc+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My well used Victorinox has provided sterling service for over 10 years. Here shown with a small whetstone and pouch.</td></tr>
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The choices for the second tool in my collection include a very nice hand made single carbon blade <a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/a-wright-sons-ettrick-knife-perfect-edc.html" target="_blank">Ettrick</a> style folding knife by Arthur Wright & Sons with a 2" blade (51g), a Bahco Laplander folding saw (185g), a Sabatier kitchen knife (80g), and a very light weight Victorinox paring knife (14g). My most recent addition to these options is a <a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/roselli-carpenter-r110-review.html" target="_blank">Roselli R110 Puuko knife </a>(77g)<br />
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At a fixed camp or if cooking for large groups on the trail I would supplement the Swiss army Climber with a fixed blade knife such as a 3" Sabatier or Victorinox paring or rabbit knife for food prep. Unfortunately the kitchen type knives do not come with a sheath so are not great for backpack use hence my more recent aquisition. My current favorite being the Roselli Carpenter knife.<br />
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If I were requiring a small to modest cooking fire, or using a wood gas stove and needing to size small logs into kindling I would supplement the Swiss Army climber with the puukko & perhaps the folding Laplander saw. In the UK nowadays along the trail building a fire is very unlikely. In the real world, whenever a land owner has been asked, the option to build a fire is generally declined outright, or a reason put forward, 'ground too dry', 'not just there' etc. Not to say that if a relationship is built with the land owner permission may be granted on a local level, but when trail walking contacting land owners at each stop over point is not really possible as we traverse such vast distances and sometimes we not know where we will be at a given point in time, so the Laplander saw is rarely used, the fixed blade puukko knife is more than adequate to size kindling for the wood burning stove.<br />
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In all probability the pressure on the land would be too great if everyone wanted to build a fire anyway. 12000 people a year walk sections of the Pennine Way for example. I have considered the use of a wood gasifier type stove, and carrying a laplander saw instead of stove fuel. In the end I decided that like disposable BBQ's the wood stoves are a form of fire that camp site owners will tolerate if they allow BBQ's but other land owners in the main do not. There are quite a few camp sites which strictly ban the use of BBQ / open flames already. It only takes a couple of such sites to ban their use along a 'hiking trail' and effectively one would end up carrying two stoves to make the whole journey. To allow for all eventualities might as well just take a standard cartridge gas fuel stove, or perhaps as is my preference an adaptable alcohol fuel stove of some kind - one which works as an alcohol / wood burning hybrid. It is many years since I actually carried the Laplander saw on a national trail.<br />
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Whilst on the move, backpacking and cooking for up to 3, I carry only the Swiss Army Climber, which covers 90% plus of the trips I make. The Laplander saw and the second fixed blade knife may be taken occasionally if I really think I will need them. I do not carry these other cutting tools 'just in case'. It is the Swiss army knife that has accompanied all my trips for the last ten years. The recently aquired Puuko knife is very light and actually quite useful for kitchen duties, and is great for chopping a few sticks into kindling for the wood burner. I forsee this knife being increasingly used in the future as I really like using the wood burning stove due to the weight saved in carrying additional fuel and find I can use this most evenings, reserving the alcohol fuel for the morning brew or if lighting the woodburner is not possible.<br />
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My Swiss Army Climber is kept scrupulously clean, even to the point where it has been through the dishwasher a couple of times, which I do not now recommend. To clean - remove the toothpick and tweezers, and open out all the blades and tools. Use an old toothbrush and a cotton bud in warm soapy water to remove pocket lint or dust, rinse off thoroughly and leave to dry. Using the tooth pick dipped in olive oil - drop two drops of oil into the spring holes on the rear surface, and a couple of drops at each end where the tools and blades rotate. Opening and closing the respective tools will work the oil in. On the trail a good rinse and occasionally a dunk in boiling water to sterilize is all that is required.<br />
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The reason for this attention is that this knife is not really something used for processing fire wood etc, but as a tool for the camp kitchen, a tool for the first aid kit and a tool that may be used for personal hygiene prior to being thoroughly cleaned again. I use a small belt case for the Climber and it lives in this attached to my belt or in a zipped pocket once I hit the trail, this keeps it clean and accessible. I would even consider tying the knife to my clothing through the lanyard ring in any critical situation. Interestingly if you buy the slightly larger sheath, you can fit both the Camper and a BIC lighter in there, so retaining a cutting tool and a fire lighting option in one small package which is attached to my person should I ever be separated from my pack.<br />
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So why the climber and not say the Camper or the Hiker model? why no saw? Why not just go with a a 2" single blade knife?, or even a razor? or some other cutting tool variation? To answer this I will need to explain how the knife and tools are utilized on the trail. <br />
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The most used tool is the larger blade for processing food prior to cooking, chopping shallots, garlic, chorizo, carrot and the like (yes I carry shallots on multiday day hikes, not as mad as it sounds, but that's a post for another day). The Climber is a similar size to a kitchen paring knife so great for peeling veg, and fine cutting garlic, or onion. Any knife under 3" makes cook duties a chore in my book. The blade also has some flex so it will fillet modestly sized fish and bone meat really well also. The 3" rounded end spearpoint blade is a good shape for chopping duties. The hand and knuckles are raised above the chopping surface when using the first 2 to 3cm of the blade, or its light enough to be held from above if you want to use the length of the blade. The Climber also has a secondary 2" blade which can be brought into play if the first blade becomes dull mid task, for whittling small pieces of wood, or for cutting the occasional bit of cordage or plaster.<br />
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The next most used tool are the Scissors, which are used almost as much as the blades. Scissors make it easy to open packets of food, cut sticking plaster to length, sewing cotton, and will trim nails, even a beard easily on an extended trip. The scissors are sharp, to illustrate this I recently made an ultralight pop can stove using these and a drawing pin ( well you never know when you might need one along the trail ), sweet :)<br />
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The other tools are used less, but again in the camp kitchen a beer bottle opener, can opener and a wine bottle screw pull will get used at some point on a longer trip, especially in a group setting. All the tools really do work, and work exceptionally well. Most of the food consumed along the routes, and ways in the UK that I travel, involve shopping every few days at a village shop, and then packing out the rubbish, so tackling packaging is a very common occurrence, the scissors and other tools work well for this.<br />
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There is an optional little tool for tightening spectacle screws, there is a hole punch reamer for driving thread through a leather belt, there is a hook which turns the Climber into a carry handle to save your hands when fetching water, tweezers, and a tooth pick. You can replace the tooth pick with a small biro type pen as an option. I prefer to carry a stub of pencil and keep the tooth pick as its great for cleaning and maintaining the Swiss army tool itself, rather than to be used as toothpick.<br />
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Every item on this knife is justified, and every item will get used on a longer trip more than likely. It has all the tools you are genuinely going to use and none of the ones you are not.<br />
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So what does the Climber do without:<br />
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This knife does not have a saw. If I am on a wilderness trip where I shall be processing wood and other biomass for cooking etc, I would carry a separate and really decent folding saw. My knife is thus kept clean for the other uses. I could not manage with a penknife only saw as the cooking knife then gets really dirty and full of sawdust and bacteria which is not ideal.<br />
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The balance of functionality to weight is just about right as far as I am concerned with the Climber. The 82g covers every tool I need in the kitchen drawer, and then some. I believe leaving this tool at home to save weight, or trying to save 40g or so by downsizing it would be a false weight economy in most scenarios. If really pressed I think I could manage with a smaller blade, and a pair of scissors for a short or solo trip. On a longer trip though at some point I am going to miss the other tools, and I would really get frustrated processing food with anything smaller.<br />
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Could this knife serve in a survival situation to split wood to build a great survival fire? The answer is - not really. I have split wood by making a hardwood chisel wedge with the army knife, cutting a small nick on the corner of the wood to be split, and hammering the wedge in repeatedly with another hefty lump of wood. It works eventually to split modest logs in a haphazard way, but its very very hard work. It can however be done. In 20 years I have never needed to build a survival fire, so I usually carry only this knife. If I really have to I can split small wood sticks in the short term to get a fire going and split larger logs in other ways.<br />
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The only small niggle I have with the Climber is that the second smaller blade would be better as a flat lambsfoot type blade, such as that on the Camper, instead of the spear-point. A flat edge blade is better for cutting little notches, certain whittling tasks and cutting cord. It is a very minor niggle, and one I am more than happy to live with.<br />
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The climber has no pliers. I agree pliers can be useful for lifting hot pots and pans, and pulling thread etc. I agree pliers, even better pliers or grips that can be locked closed, can be useful. I genuinely do not miss them however as I carry a lightweight dedicated pot grabber with my pots that need one on group trips and my solo pots have fold out handles anyway such as the 750ml Vargo Titanium cup. If the pot grab was lost then a wet cloth could be utilised. I have seen two sticks being fashioned and tied with cord in the middle being used similarly as fire tongs to lift pots. I have seen tent pegs being used also if the pot has suitable slots or holes. You can pull cotton etc by effectively pushing it from the entry side with a sharpened stick or the point of the reaming tool on the climber. I have not used a pliers tool for over 10 years.<br />
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So, will I ever change my mind on the Climber? or is this now my knife for life? Would I swap it for a single blade again? I doubt it, but never say never. I think however that a single blade on its own is especially suited to day hiking or for carrying as a secondary tool for back up in remote areas as the weight really is neglible, honestly that extra 100g or so is really not going to be noticed,<br />
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There are always times when that second or even third cutting tool is useful particularly if you are tasked with being camp chef, or any sort wood processing is likely. A small kitchen knife will serve for the former and a folding inexpensive Bahco Laplander would be more than suitable for the latter. Quality hard wooden handled full tang stainless steel kitchen knives are mass produced and cost a fraction of bushcraft type knives, the original American pioneers used - 'butcher' type knives, You can get a fantastic one that will keep a strong edge for around £20.00. Other knife options here include lightweight Puukko or Tommi knives such as the Roselli Carpenter which weigh around 77g, take a phenomenal edge and will double as a bushcraft or carpentry tool which is what they are designed for. Other options include the frontier style knives such as the A Wright of Sheffield- Green River, or boating knife - again lightweight options weighing less than 100g and will admirably step up to the plate in a survival or bushcraft use scenario. Other good options include the Grohmann knives of Canada - in particular the trout and bird knife. Enzo and Esse also produce some great little neck knives.<br />
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Full on heavy duty Bushcraft and Bowie style knives, often costing hundreds, at least the ones I have had a go with are not the best option for light weight trail hiking, cooking and camp duties in my opinion. For starters they are very poor as kitchen knives due in part to blade thickness ( typically 4mm ) and also because the finger knuckles often have no clearance against the chopping surface when chopping food, plus the full tang and 4" to 5" blades make them heavy, which means you have to grab the whole handle securely in a fist. The blade with means you will have to force them like a wedge through vegetables and fruit. Stiff deep blades are not great for filleting meat or fish along a bone either. Finally the polished carbon steel blades will rust or develop a patina super quickly if neglected in any way. Further-more you can't open a bottle of french wine or cut a bandage to length easily with one, never mind fixing your sunglasses or opening a beer. Would I swap one on the trail for my Climber? / Puukko combination - honestly my answer is no. On the other hand the bushcraft knife or Bowie style knife may serve better as an option for skinning a deer or taking a small tree down or splitting 4" diameter logs into kindling should the need arise - In all seriousness I cannot for-see needing to do any of this personally. A better second knife option for light weight backpacking is a Scandinavian Puukko knife, which is still robust but weighs many times less. A typical puukko including sheath is usually less than 100g versus the 250 to 300g including sheath of many full on bushcraft knives.<br />
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I have never carried an axe, even small hatchets will weigh around 500g - in my opinion a small folding saw is a safer and lighter weight option for processing wood if this is something expected in the backpacking area, the one I use is a Bahco Laplander which weights 185g. Even allowing for this modest weight I would only consider carrying this saw on a truly wild trip well away from civilization. In the UK it is rare to get into such a remote place that carrying a saw is really necessary. Furthermore, most of our wilder areas are mountainous areas with few trees. <br />
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So to summarise, I use a small single blade folding knife for day hikes, but carry a Victorinox climber on multi-day hikes and leave the single blade folder at home. Where I expect to be cooking for a group or processing kindling for the woodburner I now carry a puukko knife in addition to the Victorinox, but have used small kitchen knives in the past. Very occasionally I may take the Laplander saw as a third tool. I have never seen any reason to carry an axe ever.<br />
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Carrying knives is a very contentious issue, along with fire building, camping wild and so on. As a consideration the smaller folding knives such as the Swiss army Climber is not likely to get you into any bother from a legal perspective. If you are caught wild camping without permission and have to answer for it do you also want to be answering questions about illegal longer blades, lock knife features or even fixed blades intended for camp kitchen use. Whilst these knives at camp are seemingly justifiable they could still be seen as potentially breaking the law here in the UK. I really feel uncomfortable travelling through security barriers. on public transport and through the town centres on the way to trail head when carrying anything else but a perfectly legal 3" folding Swiss army knife. I would never ask anyone else in my group to carry any of the other tools I occasionally carry, even if that is to spread weight among a group.<br />
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Next post - Keeping your knife sharp.<br />
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Thank you for reading as always<br />
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Way of the Backpacker<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-8462324927035399522014-07-23T07:36:00.002-07:002015-07-10T12:58:27.252-07:00An EDC Kit for Ultralight Backpacking and Day Hikes. <br />
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Gear selection and 'hunting' for just the right thing is great entertainment in its own right. Searching for that one thing to last a lifetime will keep the outdoors with us even when we are not in it.<br />
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Gear items that form regular use 'staples' and 'modular' items that work coherently into an integral system provide for many many hours of safe and enjoyable time in the outdoors. In this post we look at the 'EDC Kit', a list of basic items that covers basic first aid, fire lighting, a cutting tool and few extra items which will cover a multitude of events ranging from a blister to an unexpected night in the hills. In this post I run through my own EDC kit of items that I always take for trail or hill-walking here in the UK. I have tried to focus on what has worked for myself and my family free from marketing hype.<br />
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A little background. I was lucky enough to be raised on the outskirts of the Peak District National Park. It seems hard for me to comprehend now when I look back, but I and my companions once roamed the edges of the moors and scrambled and climbed the crags in the sort of clothes that every young person would go out to scuff around in. We are talking here of patched jeans, woolly jumpers, and trainers or wellies, and a parka or anorak if it was really cold or snowing. No map, no compass, no backpack, no boots, not really anything that would nowadays be considered bare minimum essentials for a day in the hills. Our gear pretty much consisted of a tin assembled by myself and a good friend which we referred to as a 'survival tin' and pretty much this plus a few items in our pockets was our gear to cover all eventualities.<br />
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Now I am not suggesting for a moment that we set off along the Pennine Way with only such a tin, but it is probably a good starting point for putting together our EDC kit list. So what was in that tin?<br />
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Well in that tin, which had formerly housed mints of some kind were matches dipped in wax, kindling ( cotton wool), safety pins, sewing needles and thread, string, plasters, oxo cubes, a whistle, a pencil and paper ( for writing and more kindling) and a few coins for the phone box. In our pockets would be a penknife or two a handkerchief, maybe sandwiches wrapped in tin foil and a couple of plastic bags for sitting on for lunch stops. We guessed time by the sun, and direction by which way the clouds were blowing that day We could cover 20 or more miles in a day and still be home for dinner. Our knowledge of the terrain and features of the woods, the moors and crags built over a decade into encyclopedic knowledge of that area for 10 or 15 miles in any direction. The tin we had was fairly sizeable, and could easily hold 500ml or so for boiling water.<br />
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Most regular backpackers I know put together a small bag of 'items', which forms a basic first aid kit with survival elements. Some now refer to it as an EDC ( everyday carry) so the tin now has the dignity of a technical name. The backpackers EDC can be anything you want it to be. To my mind it should cover basic first aid, fire making equipment, cordage, and some means of purifying water, items to raise an alarm, and a decent cutting tool and perhaps a basic survival blanket to make a tarp shelter ideally. Once you are satisfied that you can make a sustainable small fire from the contents of the EDC, boil water to disinfect it and ride out a night with primitive shelter, consider items to mend basic cuts, sprains and scrapes. Items that will patch up broken footwear plus items to alert passers by that help is required. The options for what you put in your EDC are limitless, but from my own observations most of the considered ones finish up pretty much like mine.<br />
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I have had lots of fun putting together these items and reviewing what others put in theirs. I have added things and taken things out over the years, and I expect its always going to evolve and change. Here's a list of the items in my current 'pouch' or items I always stick in my pockets and are taken out on every day hike in the hills as well as on the trail.<br />
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A first aid pouch, a survival blanket, a drawing pin, selection of needles and polyester thread one needle magnetised, 5 to 10 Metre hank of paracord, 1 metre repair tape, selection of plasters, vaseline, compeed, mini torch, whistle, lighter and matches in a waterproof container, crepe bandage, Chlorine Diox tablets, anti-histamine, knife sharpening stone, tick remover, pencil, paper, elastic band. I usually carry also a titanium cup, which nests around my water bottle and a handkerchief or bandana or two separately. I also have my Victorinox Swiss Army knife in a small pouch which is attached to my belt or in a zipped pocket, this pouch also contains a BIC type lighter.<br />
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As mentioned an EDC is a very personal thing and one which is always evolving. In my case the first aid kit has shrunk hugely, but the means to sanitise water has increased and I can now effect a simple shelter also. Set a weight limit to ensure your EDC doesn't finish up including unnecessary items. If I could change one thing, it is probably the 'pouch' itself. I am sort of reminiscing for the tin again as I write. On a practical note, a tin can be used for signalling, boiling water or for use as a tinder tin which the pouch cannot, so, time for a bit of fun looking for that perfect tin?<br />
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Anyone for a mint?<br />
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Thank you for reading,<br />
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Way of the Backpacker<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-25853003737294791612014-07-23T05:31:00.002-07:002015-07-10T12:59:43.214-07:00'One' Sleeping Bag Option.So here's the challenge - one sleeping bag that does it all. In this article I am looking to consider which single sleeping bag works best across a range of outdoor situations including long distance trail walking, family camping, base camp set up's and everything in between here in the UK all year round. The one bag to do it all scenario. I am looking at the best options for dependable kit which covers the widest range of circumstances - if not every eventuality. I am not talking neccessarily about the cheapest kit, in these articles I am looking at kit which is durable and will cover almost every outdoor camping experience without needing multiple or specialized items. Here are my personal views on the subject of sleeping bags.<br />
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So here are my initial thoughts.<br />
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Temperature rating: First things first from my own experience the temperature ratings on bags are only a guide. Some of us sleep warmer than others, the level of exercise and energy expended during the day, relative humidity, wind speed and a whole host of other factors can affect whether you feel warm or cold at a given temperature. However, for me I generally choose a bag rated by a quality manufacturer to -5 Celcius as my one bag option. You can easily unzip a bag and lay on top if you are warm, but you need to comfortable on cold nights. Nights colder than -5 are not really all that common in usual backpacking season, and a bag rated to -5 can be made warmer by the addition of liners or extra clothing in the worst conditions. If you are a cold sleeper add 5 degrees C to this.<br />
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Weight - is a factor for backpacking but not for car or base camp set up's - a lighter weight bag can still be used for car camping but a heavy bag cannot be used for backpacking. Therefore we need a lightweight bag. So how light will we need to go and what fill options should we consider?<br />
Well the weight is a factor of the warmth and the insulation used, and as mentioned we are going for a bag rated to -5 C.<br />
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Fill Options - Down or Synthetic fill? Personally I prefer down as not only is the weight of the bag lower for a given temperature rating but also it can be compressed to make a smaller item which fits easily in my backpack. The one concession here is that down cannot be allowed to get soaking wet. Its probably not a good idea to get a synthetic bag wet either, but a soaking wet down bag will be very hard to dry out and may completely ruin it. Cost is also a consideration. Down is more than double the cost.<br />
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Quality down sleeping bags are expensive, no two ways about it. for a solo backpacker the difference in price is probably only a modest consideration. For a backpacking family, the cost of three or four of these items will certainly make an eye watering one off purchase. My own view is that if you really want your family to truly enjoy their outdoor adventures they need outfitting correctly. Being warm at night is fundamental. If you plan to backpack with your family then invest in good bags. It only takes one or two cold nights to put them off for life.<br />
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So, whats the big deal with the sleeping bag? Years ago blankets were used at camp, true, but also building a raging fire was customary at camp also. These blankets weighed a couple of kilos each and were made of 100% wool, which is really hard to find in a modern blanket. Fire building is no longer considered acceptable behavior in almost all camping scenarios, so effectively your sleeping bag has to perform as well as a 100% wool blanket and fire combined. Without the fire the blanket becomes redundant. There is no equivalent weight blanket that will perform as well as a quality down sleeping bag. </div>
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Often families spend hours looking over tent designs, spending a small fortune sometimes, but then manage with second rate sleeping arrangements. Personally I would concentrate on the sleeping set up as first priority, as this is where most of the budget goes if being warm at night in all but the height of summer is your priority. A tent will provide a micro-climate, but only a few degrees above outside ambient temperature at night. During the day it is clothing which really keeps a backpacker warm and dry and its the sleeping bag that really keeps you warm at night. Spend the money on the bags. </div>
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A solo regular backpacker with a healthy disposbale income may build a collection of bags and quilts, one for each season or destination, 400g trek and travel bags, top bags, bags for Everest base camp, but a solo backpacker on a budget or a family wishing to get the most from the money spent is going to want one core staple bag that can be opened out into a quilt when the night-time weather is warm, say above 15C, but can be cinched down tight into a mummy bag with a hood and draw cord neck baffle when it starts to approach or go below freezing. To effect this a full length zip is an essential feature. </div>
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Mummy liners in my opinion are not a necessity. Cotton liners are useless on the trail as they gradually soak up condensation as the trip progresses, they are really difficult to dry out, so ultimately make you cold, silk is very expensive, fleece liners are very bulky. Instead it is best to carry additional base layers which these days can be purchased for very little, wear them as pj's to help keep your bag clean. A whole family worth of synthetic base layers in the March sales can be purchased for the price of one silk liner. From my experience the additional base layers offer much more flexibility than the mummy liners. In fact base layers could be worn during the day if the weather turns unexpectedly really cold a mummy liner is just dead weight in the pack. </div>
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Wet goose down doesn't work, but there is a huge difference between a sodden literally soaking bag and a bit of condensation at the foot or head which is usual by morning. Once the sun comes up or the wind gets up you can air a down bag in 5 to 10 minutes, even if its raining just do your best inside the tent or shelter, your best is always good enough. Once packed inside your rucksack keep the bag stored inside a protective plastic or dry bag. </div>
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I have found that sleeping bags rated to around -5C from quality bag makers such as Mountain Equipment and Rab with a tapered mummy shape, a full length zip, drawcord hood and neck baffle are ideal for all year round in the UK . As mentioned, in summer they are simply opened into a quilt. As the temperature falls the other features of the bag are used in turn until every feature of the bag is being used below say 5C. We don't see too many nights below those temperatures and most of us with families in mid winter / Christmas are unlikely to be backpacking. Add hats, and additional clothing layers to a -5C bag to see you down to -10C. Such sleeping bags usually weigh around one kilo or thereabouts, and should have 500 to 600g of quality goose down in a baffle arrangement which keeps 30% of the down around your feet. This one bag option will pretty much cover all eventualities.<br />
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Mountain Equipment send end of lines to a factory outlet shop in Glossop near the Peak district called Magic Mountain. I have purchased all my bags from there in the past, I have generally paid around £100 or so for bags as described, this represents around 50% discount. I also believe that Mountain Equipment have an outlet shop at their Hyde location. </div>
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A discounted down bag is still more expensive than a full priced synthetic bag. Well cared for however such bags will last 10 years or more. </div>
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Being cold at camp cannot ever be an option. </div>
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Thanks for reading, let me know your thoughts.</div>
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-47489397435990574502014-07-22T08:18:00.001-07:002014-11-10T14:05:52.503-08:00A nest in the Pennines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently completed a favourite section of the Pennine Way, with a brand new nest I designed especially for Pennine trail walking in the inclement weather we often experience here. The nest is called 'Jetstream' and will soon by available from Wrath Outdoor. To give the shelter a proper soaking I waited for a nasty spell of weather with some heavy rain expected and thunderstorm or two in the mix.<br />
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To give the shelter a thorough testing I also decided to pitch the shelter under the smallest tarp I own, at 2.7m by 1.5m (a bit on the small side really to go over the generous proportions of the nest ). By way of experiment I purposely left a little slack in the guylines in readiness for the windiest conditions ( 40mph gusts expected) just to see what would happen. The Jetstream in its current form is to be classed as a 1.5 person size and weighs 495g, the tarp weighs 278g. I took 10 titanium pegs 70g and my walking poles to support the set up. </div>
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As I nested down that night with my faithful miniature schnauzer on Fieldhead camp-site in Edale I prepared myself for a rough night, at the very least a re-adjustment of guy lines during the night. As it turned out everything stood up well, all my equipment, including my down sleeping bag stayed dry without having to adjust anything! The gusts came from the East which was head on to the front quarter. </div>
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The sides of the nest are made from breathable but water resistant coated nylon fabric which shed all of the spray without wetting out anywhere. The zip dripped a little here and there as I had not left any overhang from the tarp at the front, easily rectified with pitch. Some minor condensation formed inside which was understandable in the heavy down pours, but no more than I have experienced in any other smaller tent. </div>
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Once the sun came up the following day, after the rain had stopped, the whole set up dried out in minutes, whilst I ate breakfast. I then set off for Crowden along the Pennine Way. More rain on the way. </div>
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The solid nest walls allied to the end ventilation panel provided a micro climate which was a little warmer than I am used to in my usual noseeum mesh net tent, so a real treat in the weather experienced. My miniature Schnauzer 'Hettie' seemed especially happy with herself the next morning also. For the Great British hill climate this large solo nest offers more than I could have wished for, a lightweight carry, a simple and tolerant pitch, sitting headroom, and most importantly for use along the Pennine way, complete privacy on the camp sites. </div>
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I have changed the design slightly for the product going live, increasing the height by 5% for added headroom, as at 6 feet tall I could have sat at the entrance but my head would just touch the apex. I also recommend a more suitable tarp size to go over the Jetstream of say 2.0m by 2.7m, a Wrath Outdoor Kite 1.5 would be ideal. I only used the smaller tarp to put added pressure on the nest. I am also looking at 2 side pull outs to provide maximum elbow room. Looking forward to using this as my go to choice for colder weather trail walking this autumn in the West Highlands. If offered a place next year for the 2015 TGO Challenge this will almost certainly be my shelter of choice, teamed with a Kite 1.5. Really looking forward to The West Highlands in October :).</div>
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-70736296309123029092014-07-22T07:02:00.002-07:002015-07-10T13:41:14.259-07:00Two Ultralight Shelters that have done it all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a backpacking family there have been 2 shelters which have covered every camping eventuality we have ever needed. These two shelters have provided space enough for a base camp set up as well as being a light weight option for backpacking. These two shelters can be pared down for solo backpacking use when required or used in combination to provide a comfortable set up for up to 4 family members.<br />
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The first shelter is a Golite Hex 3, with a standard mesh inner, the second is a simple light weight silnylon tarp with an appropriate inner noseeum nest for one person. </div>
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Both shelters offer incredible floor space for the weight. Both the Hex 3 and tarp set up combined weigh less than 2.5 kilo's.</div>
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For solo hiking spring to autumn the tarp and bug bivi cover that eventuality. For solo use in winter, the outer shell of the Hex, which can shed snow, is used on its own pitched low to the ground, with the tarp acting as a groundsheet inside the Hex rather than acting is its usual role as a shelter. </div>
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Two family members - the Hex on its own provides plenty of room.<br />
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When we are fortunate enough to have everyone coming along, then the two shelters in combination provide all the space needed. The Hex becomes the bedroom area and the tarp is the covered kitchen area, come drying room come dry storage or drying room. </div>
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Furthermore younger family members love tipi's and A frame type shelters. The tarp in particular provides great fun as it can be pitched in so many different configurations. </div>
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The key to comfort in the Hex is to ensure that everyone arranges their sleeping area so that feet are pointed to the doorway. This means anyone can leave without having to climb over anyone else. </div>
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Prices for such shelters are also more than reasonable for the quality and based upon my own experience will last and last for years. The Golite Hex 3 is no longer available, but a replacement called the Shangri La 3 is now available from the <a href="http://www.golite.ch/">Golite</a> European distributor for around 300 Euro's at this time, a larger 5 person option is also available. A medium sized quality tarp such as the <a href="http://www.wrathoutdoor.co.uk/">Wrath Outdoo</a><u>r </u> Kite 2, and a bug bivi - will cost around £150 directly from the Wrath Outdoor site, so all up around £400.00. Bargain when you consider the number of camping trips a family will make over the years. </div>
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* Update 10/07/2015<br />
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Golite no longer trades but alternatives to the Hex would be available from the Luxe Outdoors range available at www.backpackinglight.co.uk<br />
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Many Thanks for reading<br />
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Way of The Backpacker<br />
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Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-77879424122001836862014-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:002014-06-30T09:45:23.442-07:00Trail Enlightenment - Choosing Your Tribe<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.920000076293945px;">As we all know, '<i>The Age of Enlightenment was a cultural movement of intellectuals beginning in 17th century Europe. The purpose was to reform society using reason, to challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and to advance knowledge through scientific method.' </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.920000076293945px;">A bi-product of this enlightenment saw unshackled scientific discovery and a great growth of industry, wealth and influence by controlling classes and nation states across the globe. Our cities turned black under smoke and toil. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.920000076293945px;">Out of this smog a new intellectual movement looked out from the dim, and introduced the world to concepts which embodied a reaction against the scientific rationalisation of nature. The Romantic movement reached its height around 1850. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.920000076293945px;">Born towards the end of this era were those that would carry a conservation fight into the late 19th, and early 20th centuries . A fight to preserve the wild. In the USA Iconic figures such as John Muir, political powers such as Theodore Roosevelt, and writers Henry David Thoreau, would provide the backbone of what was to come. There would also be those who would write of their every day adventures in the wild ,popularising writers such as George W Sears, also known as Nessmuck. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17.920000076293945px;">On this this side of the Atlantic we had our own conservationists & popularisers, Beatrix Potter, and a little later Sir Alfred Wainwright, not to mention the many volunteers of the Kinder Trespass, and the formation of the Ramblers and the National Trust. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is to these and many many others that we owe our playground. It is to these that we can enjoy </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">our chosen pursuit. Whether we choose to go ultralight on the trail, enjoy a picnic beside the lake , climb a challenging mountain, take a canoe down the river or cycle through a forest it is to these individuals and many more besides that we can be where we want to be. So let us all be of one tribe, and let that tribe be united and be for the good of us all out there in the great outdoors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sean Clarson.</span><br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-83195176900647960332014-05-24T12:34:00.002-07:002019-08-21T05:20:46.941-07:00The East Highland Way over 6.5 days - Camping Wild from Aviemore to Fort William<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The East Highland Way offers a crowd free through route between Fort William and Aviemore, taking in wild glens, natural woodland and Lochs. The walk is 82 miles in length. Whilst becoming remote at times the route passes through several towns and villages and so is both suitable for those looking to stay in B&B's or those looking to camp. I would suggest that the ideal blend for this route is a combination of camp site, wild camping, with a night somewhere on route in B&B or hostel to dry out if necessary.<br />
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There is something special about a wild camp. It brings you back to something which our lives in a modern society often no longer fulfill. For myself it is that feeling of being part of nature, not remote from it. Once you move away from habitation you have only yourselves to rely on. Solutions here need team work and sometimes a deal of energy.<br />
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Along the East Highland Way there are some beautiful and wild spots to camp. The posts below describe some of the spots we found.<br />
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Who is this walk for? Families, solo walkers, small or larger groups. We completed our walk over 6.5 days. Our group consisted of two families, 7 of us altogether with 3 dogs. The youngest of the children aged 9. There are few way marks, however navigation is fairly straight forward. We made 2 small errors only along the whole route. We used a gridpoint app to get back on track, having gone a few hundred metres off the route.<br />
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Maps: Harvey 1:40000 XT40 East Highland Way ( whole 82 mile route on one map)<br />
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Books: The East Highland Way by Kevin Langan with a forward by Cameron McNeish.<br />
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Best app: Gridpoint ( gives your smart phone a grid ref, what more could you want?), Everytrail app.<br />
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Best Websites: <a href="http://www.easthighlandway.com/">www.easthighlandway.com</a>, <a href="http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/east-highland-way-on-walkhighlands/007751/">www.walkinghighlands.co.uk</a>, <a href="http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/outdoors-responsibly/your-access-rights/">www.outdooraccess-scotland.com</a><br />
www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/<br />
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Best blog: Carrot soup for the soul by walkaboot - <a href="http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13747">link here</a><br />
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Water: Bottled water can be purchased or aquired at Aviemore, Kincraig, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Laggan, Spean Bridge and Fort William. The section between Newtonmore and Spean Bridge has few places to buy bottled water. Chances are, unless you intend to carry large volumes of water, you will need to think about filtering / chlorinating natural water. Along many parts of this walk we found the water to be peaty, so when good water is available 'camel up'. The water found in Glen Banchor was of a good quality, this is fortunate as this is the remotest section of the walk. We used an MSR hyperflow filter several times a day to keep our group hydrated. The advice given generally, such as on maps and in books is carry as much water as you will need each day. We found carrying such volumes was not practical. So, you will need to asses the risks of purifying your own from available sources along the route, or whether you should carry all of your water in. On our trip no one became ill. We generally obtained water from fast running burns or streams, and boiled water where we had any doubts.<br />
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Wild Camping: Wild camping is not illegal in Scotland. There are rules however. See - outdoor access Scotland - <a href="http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/outdoors-responsibly/your-access-rights/">link here</a>. Many parts of this route go nearby to regular camp sites, and through towns where B&B acomodation is available. We wild camped the whole route, except for one night in B&B at Spean Bridge and a campsite at journeys end in Fort William; 5 nights of consecutive of wild camping. Whilst there exists the right to camp in many places, suitable camping spots are not always available when you need them. i.e .after your daily mileage has been achieved. This was a little frustrating for us in the forested sections, the ground is often tussocky and the streams run with peat tannin. I have given grid refs for the places we camped to within 100 metres in the posts below.<br />
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Food Supplies: If you are walking from Aviemore to Fort William, stock up for at least 3 days at Newtonmore. If walking from Fort William to Aviemore stock up for at least 3 days at Spean Bridge. At other times 1 days food only need be carried with a meal in reserve.<br />
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Best month to go: April if its not snowing. We walked at this time of year. We saw no midges. The sun shone for much of the trip. The temperature did fall drastically in the evening, expect frosty nights at this time of year.<br />
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Best kit recommendation: Short and long sleeve woolen baselayers - one for day one for evening, water filter, down jacket for evening, wool socks, old plimsolls or similar for burn crossings, sleeping bag rated to -5.<br />
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Best pub grub: Glen Nevis Camp site: Haggis neeps and mash in whiskey sauce<br />
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Best wildlife: Red Squirrel, deer, wildcats if you are very lucky or attend the wildlife park along the route.<br />
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Itinery (over 6.5 days.)<br />
Aviemore to Drakes Bothy<br />
Drakes Bothy to Kingussie area<br />
Kingussie to Glen Banchor<br />
Glen Banchor to Loch Doire nan Sqaith<br />
Loch Doire nan Sqaith to Fersit area<br />
Fersit to Spean Bridge<br />
Spean Bridge to Fort William<br />
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Favourite Section: Kingussie to Glen Banchor<br />
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Favourite Camp: Drakes Bothy area.<br />
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I have described our journey below along the EHW, together with the grid refs for the sites where we camped. Enjoy!<br />
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Click here for <a href="https://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-1-travelling-to-aviemore-hike-to.html" target="_blank">Day 1 - Aviemore to Drakes Bothy</a><br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-53975671745480308962014-04-19T19:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T00:58:18.918-07:00Day 7 - Spean Bridge to Fort William<br />
Breakfast awaits! Well it is a holiday after all.<br />
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We had discussed the ratio of wild camping to camp site / other accomodation which would provide the best balance and had decided that probably for us, 2 nights wild to 1 night with facilities would probably have been about right along the East Highland Way. This would be quite a realistic ratio to achieve in this area. I think for solo hikers or couples, having to book ahead would not be an issue if accommodation or a regular camp site was sought at any point. Those seeking family sized rooms, or rooms accepting pets would definitely need to research & book ahead. Very few guest houses / hotels accept animals. Taking refuge occasionally on a camp site or at a B&B enables kit and clothing to be dried, and integrates the wild camper with local people along the route. It also no doubt, in some small way helps the local economy. After Easter, and I must stress "after Easter" several additional camp site options open up along the route. However it may be better to walk the EHW before high summer, particularly to take advantage of great wild camping. Statistically, April is the month of least average rainfall in the area. Midge, birch fly and tick issues are less of a consideration earlier in the season also. At this time of year you may be lucky as we were with fantastic sunny days and crisp frosty star filled April nights.<br />
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None of us were unlucky enough to pick up any ticks. All of the tents taken have noseeum mesh or fabric / mesh inner bedrooms with sealed bathtub type floors. We wore long trousers at all times and avoided brushing through long grass or kicking up undergrowth wherever possible. On pathless sections trousers tucked into socks or gaiters may also have helped. We carried a little tool to remove ticks, just in case. Midges were not around at any point to spoil things. As a suggestion, you should discuss with your vet any precautions for your pets. Our animals received a good dousing of flea / tick potion prior to walking the EHW as a preventative measure. As our vet put it 'prevention is better than cure'. It would also be advisable to have a good search about ones own person daily, again just in case. Any soreness or rash around a tick bite needs medical attention. Flu like symptoms shortly after such a bite should be investigated for tick born diseases such as Lymes disease.<br />
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After breakfast, we walked past the local store and picked up lunch, then passed the train station, yes, everyone still present and correct :) to rejoin our friends just outside of town.<br />
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Our aim today was to make for Glen Nevis campsite. Link here <a href="http://www.glen-nevis.co.uk/campsite">http://www.glen-nevis.co.uk/campsite</a>. It is a fantastic site, full of like-minded international backpackers and hill walkers. The site is very well priced with clean facilities and a great bar / restaurant. Children can sit in the main area until 8.30pm, then should move to the family area after this time. We planned to complete the last mile or so of the EHW the following morning just before hopping on the train back to Glasgow. I had called the site ahead and the answer phone said, if you are on foot, come right along'. Motivational words for the final stretch indeed.<br />
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The last full day of walking ahead. We intended to really enjoy the scenery and try and stand and stare a bit, particularly approaching Ben Nevis, a chance to see the mountain from several angles. We promised ourselves a group photo once we had the mountain as a back drop.<br />
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The route follows the course of A82 through the Leanachan forest. for much of the day. Here and there aspects open out a little. The views improve radically after passing the North Face car park and natural woodland replaces the forest. The Ben is sighted!<br />
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We pitched without issue at Glen Nevis camp site. The site sits underneath Ben Nevis, and the surrounding hills. It is also just a short walk into town to the start / finish of the WHW. The site naturally attracts an international mix of backpackers / hill walkers. I enjoyed chatting to a group of Dutch backpackers heading out on the West Highland Way. I also had a lengthy chat to chap who had recently completed the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and had traveled to Scotland to complete the West Highland Way. He had rented his house and was off for several months of adventure.<br />
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We met no-one else heading out onto the EHW, everyone I spoke to was preparing for or had completed the WHW. Few people have heard of the EHW.<br />
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It would be accurate to say that we saw almost no other hikers along the length of the EHW. We stopped and spoke to really only one couple, who had been wild camping from the other direction along the EHW.<br />
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After showering we set off to enjoy a pint and a meal at the site restaurant.<br />
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"Haggis neeps and tatties in whiskey sauce please :)"<br />
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The following morning we all 7 of us, and the 3 dogs completed the route. Completion of the EHW does not come with certificates and tee shirts. The West Highland Way by contrast, a walk which is adopted as a long distance path has an official start / finish line monument in town. The EHW is not as yet adopted, so do not expect any fanfare. No, it is more the feeling a gold rush pioneer may have had after anonymously walking back into town after having found a little nugget of gold, which he keeps stowed in his pocket.<br />
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"Only he knows".<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-22125498191137745532014-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:17:19.978-07:00Day 6 - Fersit to Spean BridgeWas that cow bells? Probably a figment of my imagination but I got up anyway. Discovered one bag of frozen socks between the fly and the inner and then noted the condensation had frozen to the inside of the fly. That had been a very cold night. I then noted my phone had only picked up around a 10% charge from the full power pack that I connected the night before. The pack must have dissipated its charge due to the low temp. I reassembled the water filter, but thought this must have been damaged by cold, the instructions clearly state the unit must not be frozen. We collected water using the other squeezy bottle type filter, a very slow process by comparison.<br />
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We noted that we were heading back to civilisation today at Spean Bridge. Re-supply opportunities, shops, a post office, a train station for any-one wanting to bail. Well you never know? The Harvey map shows Insh Scout Camp just shy of Spean Bridge, and we had read an article which shows a group of EHW hikers using this as a first nights camp from Fort William. For once we had a definite destination, and the prospect of an early camp.<br />
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With the sun now high we set off towards Spean Bridge. The teenage girls, already checking out the scouts in their wild imaginations. We left the main bulk of forest behind and enjoyed some open aspects down to the River Spean. Another short forest section through Inverlair forest after passing the Lodge, and then a very attractive section alongside the Spean. We were greeted by an old sheep dog clearly put out to pasture with the sheep for a few hours a day. He followed us quite a way, no shepherd in sight. <br />
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After a short while we spied Bunroy camp site across the other side of the river. Another two kilometers of very enjoyable walking brought us to the road to Spean Bridge and Insh Scout Camp. One of our party had gone ahead, and was stood looking a little forlorn at the gates. "Bad News"<br />
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Although there are acres of great camping grounds here, plus taps and basic facilities there are clear signs advising that no admittance is permitted etc. The gates were unlocked there was no-one around to ask. So, what next? Find a make shift camp in the woodland nearby, walk into Spean Bridge and grab a cab to Bunroy ( was it even open? ), a hostel or B&B, a train ride to Fort William with a view to catching the same back for a pack free walk to the finish?<br />
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We headed into Spean Bridge to review options. Although this was now Easter weekend, surprisingly, most of the hotels and guest houses had vacancies. I rung the door bell at the first B&B I saw as we walked into town. Three of us could be accommodated. I asked about breakfast and received a full and detailed description. "Ok, I'm sold".<br />
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For those looking for accommodation at Spean Bridge you will find a notice board at the side of the convenience store in town. The telephone numbers and pictures are all there.<br />
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So having collected a card from our potential host. We all went to talk over options and to buy drinks and and treats at the shop. We decided to split up at this point into 2 groups for practical reasons.<br />
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So we checked into the B&B, an opportunity to get clean & dry out, after 5 nights of wild camping. We put our boots in the porch and set our bags down in the room. I took off my socks and checked out my blisters, which had caused some suffering for the last two days. My daughter took great delight in photographing my feet, and got a real close up of the blood blister forming on my little toe. Nice!<br />
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After soaking in bath tubs for a while, we went to check out the local fish and chips. I would describe them as first rate. Incidently, the menu is fish and the other item is chips. The order was cooked fresh whilst we waited. I started nattering to the lady serving. Now she stated that after 20 years of hillwalking, mainly Munroes, she had never had occasion to get wet feet. Also she suggested that the bothy's are better than tents.<br />
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"So, maybe we should have just slept inside Drakes and Glen Banchor bothy?"<br />
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"Definitely" she said. Other customers waiting at the time agreed that bothy nights are the best nights.<br />
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After fish and chips we headed back to the B&B. We opened our bedroom door. " Who opened the sock bag?" "Everyone happy to sleep with the window open?"<br />
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<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-7-spean-bridge-to-fort-william.html" target="_blank">Click here for Day 7 - Finale!</a><br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-48803833118294974352014-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:14:37.475-07:00Day 5 - Loch Doire nan Sgaith to (somewhere near ) Fersit<br />
Warm feet. Must be dreaming. "Anyway about the Blair Witch". I could hear the forest machinery starting up. Bit of a lie in must have occured! Time to move on. Just a quick cereal bar for breakfast, and collected one stinking wet pair of socks from the tree! Decided these now needed double bagging in carrier bags together with Lynns wet socks, and attached to the top of a ruck sack away from harms way. As we left camp I securely attached the 'bag' to the top of....well I now confess, Lynns Ruck sack! I am so not going to heaven.<br />
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We all cheerfully set off down to the shores of Loch Laggan, once again absolutely no idea where we would sleep that night. Really not stressing about this anymore. We stopped for a bite, tea and hot soup beside loch Laggan.<br />
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I mention brewing up alot. Ultralight backpackers, brace yourselves now! I use an MSR Whisperlite International when cooking and boiling water, teamed to a set of Primus full size 2.1 litre and 1.7 litre Lytech pots, plus a nesting fryingpan. I took a litre of Coleman white gas which was more than enough for the whole trip, in fact around 700ml was used over the trip, thats 100ml of fuel a day. Fuel is lighter than water, the whole litre weighs around 700g. The MSR Stove nests with the wind-screens inside the smaller pan. The whole set up weighs 1567 grammes including pans, stove spares, sporks, cups and bowls and the stove itself including the empty fuel bottle. Around 522 grammes each. Not light, but I find that we just cannot manage for group wild camping with little canisters and tippy stoves and tiny small pans. The old faithful MSR whisperlite really does give that proper camp fire focal feeling and whilst we are ruthless with saving weight in some areas, this stove and pan-set has earned its weight in my pack. I am sure there are other good options out there too. Please do not hesitate to let me know your thoughts.<br />
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So, back to to the forest and Loch Laggan. Forest workers must really enjoy their work out here. All were friendly and courteous. In fact logging stops as soon as they know you are around, appreciate its a safety thing, but not once was anyone annoyed or frustrated by it. The 4x4's along the tracks all slow to pass and to be honest we were very impressed.<br />
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The forest had changed a bit since the Harvey map was printed, sections have grown a bit, other bits are missing, the navigation along the waters edge though is pretty straight forward.<br />
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As the scenery began to take on a samey view for mile after mile, conversations grew and the human dynamic took over. The pounding of forest tracks and the same view from one hour to the next makes the miles go slowly. From Loch Laggan you then join Laggan Reservoir and climb a bit, but basically its pretty much more of the same for the rest of the day.<br />
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We could see on the map an open bit of wilder ground beyond an area described of Fersit on the map, this was our destination but just before we reached this area a grassy bit of ground opened up to the left alongside what I think was the River Treig, or a tributoty of the same. There is a sluice on the river here, so I guess the ground was left open to allow vehicles to access the dam / sluice. Clearly this was not agricultural ground, but, I could see that a local farmer must be using the area for watering cattle as the cattle had left some little tell tale clues. I went for a walk-about to make sure the cattle were nowhere nearby and we kept our tents well back from the water just in case. One of the great things about camping with dogs is that really nothing takes you by surprise. If the cows come we would know! I did not make a note of the grid ref, ahh!, and the Harvey map only shows forest at this place. Its an easy one to spot on the ground though. As I say if you are heading from Laggan its on the left just before the open ground. If you are heading from Spean Bridge its on the right just after the open ground.<br />
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We got our tents up, and started cooking. I went to collect water from the tributory, but found my filter was not working as well as usual. So, we all had to manage with a single filter that evening and the next morning. Not quite sure what happened to me that evening but I hit a sort of low energy moment. Even servicing the filter seemed an unusual effort. Unlike the stove mentioned earlier I had little experience of my filter and whilst trying to fathom the problem shooting I was very grateful for the hard won 3 Litres of water provided by Nathan. I will post up a review of my MSR Hyperflow on a separate post. That night I left my phone lying on the groundsheet next to me along with the battery booster / torch, which was left charging the phone. The temperature that night plummeted to well below zero. The power pack torch unit unit lost all of its charge in one go during the night, and the iphone battery only held onto around 10%. I was also worried that the water filter cartridge would have been broken by the hard frost as well as this had been left in the same spot. Mistakes! nothing critical but mistakes never the less.<br />
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Where had Lynn put that bag of socks?<br />
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-6-fersit-to-spean-bridge.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-6-fersit-to-spean-bridge.html" target="_blank">Click here for day 6 - to Spean Bridge</a><br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-63324672167810633172014-04-16T19:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:11:38.659-07:00Day 4 - Glen Banchor to Loch Doire nan Sgaith6am: I was greeted with "morning daddy, come and look" and look we did. You get a handful of these moments. This was one of them.<br />
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A little while later a helicopter flew over, came in low to have a look at us I guess? I filtered water for the bags and bottles again at the burn.<br />
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Overnight my bed socks had been warm, but I could not for the life of me get my wet ones back on the next morning. I really wish I had bought a new pair of Smartwool or similar. The ones I was using had a cotton like inner and then a man made outer. The inner was cold as ice, and had kind of shrunk a bit. I could not get the damp socks back on! The thick bedsocks had to go back on. So now, after putting on my damp boots, my second pair of socks were damp as well. I hung my first pair on the outside of my pack in hope. As the day wore on my feet swelled with the moisture, and on reflection I should have stopped to re-lace /loosen my boots, try the old socks again or whatever was needed, In a group setting it can be hard to hold everyone up to faff about. I chose to carry on, big mistake! I had given my daughter advice a day or two earlier - to always stop and check things out if something isn't right. Really should follow my own advice.<br />
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The pace picked up as we headed down into Laggan. There are toilets and picnic tables here but no shop was open. There is a shop but it seems it may have closed a while ago. There is a detour along the busy road for cafe facilities if they are needed. There is also a local pottery, but we decided to carry on. This was another of those days where we had no real notion of where we would pitch. We knew we would be heading into commercial forest areas. A different sort of wooded area to the ones we had to so far encountered.<br />
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Next stop Pattack falls. The route to here involves a pleasant quiet road which follows a section of the Spey, and then a wooded section leading down to Feagour and Pattack falls. It may be possible to camp around this area, but it is quite close to the A86, and we hadn't really covered sufficient distance.<br />
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It had been very warm and all the water taken from Glen Banchor had gone from our bottles. So I took water directly from the falls. A chap with his grand-daughter came for a swim at the falls, and seemed dubious about the quality of water from this source. Lets just say I am still here and lived to tell the tale. Other options might have been to pull water from the Spey, or to have carried more from Glen Banchor. The Harvey map suggests drinking from streams is unadvisable. Any advice anyone can provide about water quality along the Spey and surrounding Burns most appreciated :).<br />
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There are times when backpacking in hinterland, that halfway between wild and inhabited, where things can get quite difficult. Access to the waters edge may be fenced off for example, whilst at the same time there is nowhere to purchase water! In the heat at least 2 to 3 litres per person is needed just for drinking. For the next couple of days we were to pass through these hinterland areas which were either farming areas or areas planted with single species conifer forest. A sort of desert for hikers, we were definitly in the countryside but the streams were were full of acidic peaty water from the run off through the forest floor, or beside cow pasture or sheep pasture. The lochs are quite peaty also. But needs must, so we decided to both filter and pretty much drink our water as weak tea. Stopping a couple of times a day to brew up. This might have been belt and braces, no-one became ill.<br />
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Our party had split into two groups for a while earlier in the day. Our group followed the A86 between Pattack falls and over Gallovie bridge as the route suggests. Our other group followed signs for Pattack - newly erected in Black wood. These signs apparently led to a dead end and a return to the A86 had to be made. You have been warned :).<br />
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We all met up at Sawmills, which actually is a sawmill on an industrial scale. We pondered the map here a bit as we had completed our daily distance at this point. We considered heading down to the head of Loch Laggan to the little beach shown on the map, or continue further into the forest to look for a camp beside one of the lochs higher up. We chose to try for Loch Doire nan Sgaith ( NN 515 863 ).<br />
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Along the way we saw hearth stones in a couple of the larger vehicle passing places along the forest track, seems these have served as camp spots. Just after passing one of them Nathan mentioned that we were passing a site where fairies had been seen. Now at the risk of being chastised, I will now mention that I actually saw a stone which looked like a rams head shining in the sun, then I looked down and saw fawn prints in the pathway. Maybe it was a bit of dehydration, or an effect from drinking the water at Pattack, or maybe fairies do exist?<br />
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At Loch Doire nan Sgaith we found a sheltered spot, large enough to pitch 2 tents, away from overhanging branches. Clearly the area is regularly used for camping as hearth stones are set up here. A few logging vehicles passed along the track nearby and a forest warden, with his land rover stopped to ask if we intended to build a fire. We advised we were using our stoves only. He wished us a good night :). Where did he come from?<br />
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Made a great spaghetti carbonara and filled our bottles from the stream leaving the loch. Enjoyed ginger tea with a hint of lemon. Very nice!<br />
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My original socks were still soaking, wouldn't even dry in the sun on my pack, so I hung my socks in a tree. Lynns socks also now were wet from the trackless section leaving Glen Banchor, Lynn donned her spares. I decided to sleep in my second damp pair to try and dry them.<br />
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The area around is wooded, and there was a bit of wind picking up as the sun fell. Some-one mentioned the "Blair Witch project" for some reason. Not the best thing to talk about lol. My daughter chimed up " what is the Blair witch? That night was really windy, and heavy showers came in.<br />
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-5-loch-doire-nan-sgaith-to.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-5-loch-doire-nan-sgaith-to.html" target="_blank">Click here for Day 5 - to somewhere near Fersit</a><br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-91979751055574689992014-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:13:10.511-07:00Day 3 - Kingussie Area to Newtonmore to Glen BanchorSo the dash to Kingussie for breakfast plan unfolded. We arose early and packed quickly. We hit the road which passes via Ruthven Barracks to Kingussie. Sun was shining, but the tents were still frozen solid. Only a few extra kilos of ice, who cares! Breakfast awaits....<br />
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We spied Ruthven Barracks from the viewing point along the road. There are some great information boards here to provide a potted history and some interesting facts. Won't spoil it for you here though.<br />
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We arrived at around 8 o'clock and looked for a good cafe, surely every town has a cafe to get a hearty breakfast? There were cafes, but none opened until gone 9. Could we wait an hour or so?, or should we carry on? We purchased breakfast from a good selection of items at Kingussie Coop. We found picnic benches, toilets ( at a price ), and an opportunity to fill water bottles at Kingussie tourist information. The sun was bright and so this probably was the best option anyway. The younger ones went for a swing in the nearby play park, to burn off some spare energy, uhh?<br />
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Kingussie is certainly a very attractive town, and I would like to return another day for a proper look round when shops are open.<br />
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We headed off after breakfast to pass by Loch Gynack, and around the foothills of Creag Bheag. Here we made a navigational error, and finished climbing for a few hundred metres up Creah Bheag before realising we had missed a right turn. Although fairly early in the day we came across some keen climbers practising on the crags hereabouts. For future reference I think this area would have made a better wild camp, there is a grassy flat section here too. Provided rock falls are not common this could be one to look at in future. Views are spectacular too. Realising the error we used the iphone app called gridpoint to locate us on the Harvey map. This took just a couple of minutes, but at least we all had confidence to walk back on ourselves, which is always hard to do. Interestingly this app does not need a phone signal to work. It gives a grid ref from a standing start in just a couple of minutes, which to be fair is all I would ask for. I dont own a GPS and feel more than happy to just use this if I need a grid fix.<br />
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Loch Gynach offers super views and even has its own little islands.<br />
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The Layers of clothing came off as the sun grew hot, very hot! ( nb. It turned into a mini heatwave lasting a few days, in fact for the rest of the trip. Scotland for those few days became scorching hot, the warmest part of the UK in fact - lucky us :) )<br />
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Beyond here we followed a little stream down into Newtonmore and a first real opportunity for a stores restock at the local supermarket. We would not see another proper shop for several days, so stocking here is essential. Instead of using this great piece of advice I just set off from Aviemore with a weeks shopping shared between us, well at least that was a weeks shopping minus 2 days now. Newtonmore is a super little town, and spoilt for choice now, for lunch, we settled on the garden area at the rear of a cafe. To my great shame I cannot remember the name of the cafe and have lost the receipt. It was dog friendly and had a little garden at the rear. If anyone can advise me of the name I will edit. Life at this point was just about perfect!<br />
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We now headed from civilisation into the remotest part of the EHW. Glen Banchor. This is a very wild and remote section, you will enjoy this section I promise. We passed through a deserted little hamlet along the way (Turn at the fence and gate here don't continue up the valley). We headed up to the Bothy ( NH 648 984 ) which sits at the confluence of several valleys. 3 burns have to be crossed to make the bothy. Due to our group size, and with a desire to keep boots dry, we took a great deal of time crossing the burns. I managed to get a wet foot crossing the first burn, oh well! . I decided to help others keep dry feet by acting as a leaning post across wider stepping stones etc. I also found I could offer piggy backs across shallower bits. Come on kids! All very exciting. My good friend Nathan offered me some newspaper to dry out the boots, which I stuffed into the toes overnight. Great tip! Thanks man :)<br />
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We arrived at camp around 6.30, an hour to sunset. Meals were quickly prepared. Soya Curry and fried onion cous cous with lashings of hot tea and meusli bars and nuts and starving! Good quality water was filtered from the burn, and was good enough to drink then and there.<br />
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This is pretty much the ideal as far as wild camping goes in my book. flat grassy dry ground. Bothy to run to if the weather turns. Set the tent door to an easterly direction and you may be greeted in the morning to a fine sunrise with mountain views :). <br />
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-4-glen-banchor-to-loch-doire-nan.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-4-glen-banchor-to-loch-doire-nan.html" target="_blank">Click here for day 4 </a>- Loch Doire Nan<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-66962793932849478742014-04-14T19:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:09:05.748-07:00Day 2 - Drakes Bothy to Kingussie outskirtsWe packed our camp and set off into the relatively unknown with absolutely no idea where we would be sleeping. Several of us had carrier bags tied off to the outside of our bags until a suitable facility could be found for disposal. We thought we might be able to camp beyond Kingussie.<br />
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One piece of advice I would like to now give myself for future reference is to have a separate and fairly decent sized dry bag to stow rubbish and other potential waste in until somewhere suitable emerges. Carrier bags are easy to tear and leak. On at least one occasion did carrier bags leak onto the outside of our backpacks. Bit of food, not a problem, but other things could have been a problem. It is worth mentioning that rubbish bins are not a common site anywhere along the route except in towns and some villages. You will be carrying your refuse quite along way. Not even the car parks passed along the route have any means of disposal. Helpful locals may take a bag or two if asked, but otherwise it's the main towns for depositing rubbish.<br />
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We decended through woodland until we emerged at Feshie Bridge car park, and a short walk further on we came to the Sculpture Park, the sun came out. There was no cost for walking around the park, enjoy!<br />
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Beyond the Sculpture Park we arrived at the side of Loch Insh. Facilities abound here. Accomodation options, cooked food, toilets, childrens play area, watersports, even a little beach. We settled for banoffee pie, coffee and more banofee pie in the cafe. Most of us had a quick spruce up in the loos here. Wet sailors everywhere so you wont feel under-dressed. Accommodation wise prices looked reasonable but we had only covered a few miles and it was a little too early for calling it a day. Link here <a href="http://www.lochinsh.com/">www.lochinsh.com</a>.<br />
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If you had all day to walk from Aviemore, or just wanted a couple of short days you could use the wild camp at Loch Eilein and then a family room at Loch Inch the night after. Maybe rent a dinghy for an hour or two. This would be the way for me to go if I return to redo this section. The wild camping opportunities beyond Kingussie would then be a days stride away. (We made a nav error the next day and found a great place to camp with views to match beyond Kingussie, more on that later) For now, lets just mention that we got to 5.30 pm and were still well shy of Kingussie. We finished up with a 'make do' camping arrangement just before we hit the last 2 km of road down to Kingussie overlooking a wetland area. Water was collected from a nearby stream that had run off cow pasture. We boiled this to make weak tea, as well as using the filter. The area was unsuitable as a camp spot as the area is used by bird watchers and dog walkers at all times. We chose a stealth spot out of necessity as night fell. To avoid this area, aim to get beyond Kingussie by night fall to camp or perhaps book into a B&B / Hostel at Kingussie. We made a plan to get up early and dash to Kingussie for a proper fried breakfast.<br />
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The walk to this point had been most enjoyable through woods, and sections alongside woods with views across wetlands to hills beyond.<br />
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-3-kingussie-area-to-newtonmore-to.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-3-kingussie-area-to-newtonmore-to.html" target="_blank">Click here for day 3 - Kingussie to Newtonmore</a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3338626141290594775.post-66969363458856977372014-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:002019-08-21T05:06:19.278-07:00Day 1 - Travelling to Aviemore & hike to Drakes BothySo, the decision was made back in January to walk the East Highland Way over the Easter break 2014. We decided to walk the EHW from Aviemore to Fort William. We also decided that we would wild-camp wherever possible. Our group consisted of two families, so 7 of us in all, plus 3 dogs Hettie, Maisie and Poppy.<br />
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We picked up our train to Aviemore from Glasgow. The journey passed without drama, other than the train was completely full. We stood most of the way. Our very helpful guard offered us the opportunity of upgrading to first class as an option, we decided to stay as we were, but it might be worth considering first class if booking in advance as this train is regularly busy apparently. The journey offered some spectacular views, especially as most of the hills still had snow on the caps.<br />
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My own family consisted of 3 plus 1 dog My friends family, all seasoned walkers comprised of 4 plus 2 dogs. I packed my kit into a 50 litre Lightwave Fastpack. My 14 year old, Ellie took a Berghaus 25 litre, and my other half Lynn, carried a 40 litre Lightwave Fastpack. Our all up weights were around 15KG, 12KG and 6KG at the start without water and almost half this by the end of the walk. <br />
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Our all up weights were pretty high. With no experience of the area, the time of year and really very little idea about supply points along the way we hedged all of our bets. Food at this stage occupied around 40 per cent of our all up weights. On reflection way too much, and we took several items which were never used or could have been left at home.<br />
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A few things to note about the EHW - it is 82 miles in length, a route proposed by Kevin Langan in 2007. It is not an 'officially adopted' long distance path. The EHW was created to link existing long distance paths. Some sections are fairly remote and unspoilt, whilst many others follow a hinterland halfway between wild and inhabited. These hinterland areas are areas such as managed forestry, nature reserves or livestock areas and so wild campsites for family sized tents are not the easiest to locate. Also many of the facilities, such as stores expected in villages for resupply are sadly no longer present, even the campsites were closed until 'after' Easter - Post Offices and shops are located in the towns of Aviemore, Kingussie, Newtonmore and Spean Bridge plus of course Fort William. A detour could be made to Kincraig for supplies also if need be. For some sections, wild campers will need to carry food for 3 days to keep a little in reserve. To help with wild camping , I have indicated our own spots chosen along the route. These were the best ones we could find, three of which I would say were pretty much perfect. A couple of others were not ideal, but served their purpose. I have suggested alternatives to these less ideal spots.<br />
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It is quite a weighty feeling setting off with ones family without every detail planned out. There seemed to be a lot of questions and virtually no information out there on the web. Most of the articles and blogs we found were solo walkers staying in accommodation each night. Some of which took road detours around the remoter sections. We were using the excellent Harvey map which covers the whole route at 1:40000. We had the East Highland Way Handbook by Kevin Langan, with a foreward by TGO's Cameron McNeish as a resource. All in all we alighted at Aviemore with the sort of feeling true explorers must have felt. That feeling of not quite knowing what lie ahead. The rain started as we alighted. I decided to write this blog to provide some additional information particularly for those intending to wild camp.<br />
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It was around 2pm, and so we left Aviemore behind aiming for Drakes Bothy, following cycle paths for a mile or so before walkers paths opened up. We were plagued with showers but the scenery was no worse for it. We took around 4 hours to walk to Drakes Bothy and passed through a managed wild camping area around 4 miles south of Aviemore near the car park adjacent to Loch an Eilein ( Grid Ref NH 896 084). This would have made a perfect overnight stop with toilets and near enough to Aviemore such that we could have spent an hour or two looking round.<br />
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We made our way to Drakes Bothy as planned ( Grid Ref NH 884 056), knowing what had been left BEHIND. Drakes bothy is set in the stunning nature reserve area of Inshriach.<br />
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We were not disappointed. We camped on the grass beside the bothy, taking care to avoid the overhanging branches of nearby trees. You are required to leave the area as you found it and to pack out all of your waste. Yes, all of your waste! On this occasion we were lucky, the dogs less so. We saw only 2 people pass the nearby path in all the time we stayed. We filtered excellent drinking water from a nearby stream which can be accessed either just before or just after the path which passes the bothy. We erected 3 tents as the sun went down and cooked our first camp food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsqAxnVdh1mOt8QrCLEOb7Pn0ubZxQauvOfm2tB63EfsYV0y5tbdc8gLWjw8-T5v5y1TS1uigKGdJraFzeAouIbLFJue4l8vdJLhdCXXh8FrasW-GdccuzJltWhUn_RWlw9zh2l1VRK-1/s1600/EHWApril2014+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsqAxnVdh1mOt8QrCLEOb7Pn0ubZxQauvOfm2tB63EfsYV0y5tbdc8gLWjw8-T5v5y1TS1uigKGdJraFzeAouIbLFJue4l8vdJLhdCXXh8FrasW-GdccuzJltWhUn_RWlw9zh2l1VRK-1/s1600/EHWApril2014+059.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">still raining as the sun goes down!<br />
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As mentioned the setting was idylic. Due to a little issue with one of the dogs having an upset tummy I spent much of the night up and about filling nappy sacks. Nappy sacks aside, the rain had gone. The moon was near full and the skies cleared. Temperatures dropped to below freezing and the wind had become just a vesper. I could see without torch light so went for a short walk. Seriously this was truly awe inspiring. Just needed a wolf howl to complete the picture. Fantastic!<br />
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<a href="http://wayofthebackpacker.blogspot.com/2014/05/day-2-drakes-bothy-to-kingussie.html" target="_blank">Click here for day 2</a> - Drakes Bothy to Kingussie<br />
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<br />Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04383372337815744219noreply@blogger.com0