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Other Gear Life Resources
Anybody interested in gear life should also have a look at German Tourist's, The Big Trip. She has hiked more miles than anybody else I know and her blog is an invaluable resource on gear life as well...
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MLD Monk Tarp Review
The Mountain Laurel Designs Monk Tarp is about as simple as a shelter can be. In silnylon you get a single 9*5ft flat piece of material or a smaller 4*9ft piece should you chose cuben fibre. Cuben...
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BBC Interview on Ultralight Hiking and Homemade Gear
Over next weekends Bank Holiday I shall be out recording a piece for BBC Radio Scotland's Out Of Doors programme. The theme is on ultralight hiking and why we often use homemade gear. Interviews are...
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An update...
After a prolonged period of panic that everything might not come together in time to allow me to do anything outdoors this year, and which possibly might have even interfered with my planned PCT...
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Black Diamond Ultra Distance Trekking Z-Poles
I like hiking poles and find them useful on all but perfectly smooth trail. They offer much, they provide additional balance which can increase confidence over rough terrain, they reduce shock and load...
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Lightweight shelter supports
It's becoming increasingly common for the lightest shelters to use trekking poles for support - and why not? Why should you bother carrying extra poles, that take up space and add weight to the pack,...
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Coast and Moor no more... probably!
As announced on twitter earlier this week I shall be heading over to Tasmania for a couple of months to explore an island that has always fascinated me. Tasmania is the smallest of Australia's states...
View ArticleA new chapter begins
Today, after nearly 23 years, I loaded up my bike with my final few possessions, jumped on and cycled out the gates where I have worked, and for a large part lived, for the very last time. Having...
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Scottish cycle tour finished!
Yesterday I arrived in Perth after finishing my short tour by bike down the spine of Scotland. I've uploaded some photos to my Social Hiking page. Weather was overall very wet and windy but I still had...
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Coast & Moor completed!
Been home now for a week after successfully completing the Coast & Moor hike. I've been slow putting anything up on the blog as all my stuff is still in storage but that will change tomorrow when I...
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The end for ultralight hiking?
While I was away it seems that ultralight hiking took a bit of a bashing from some bloggers, Martin Rye, Andrew Skurka, Dave Chenault, among others and to various degrees. At the time I was out on my...
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Coast & Moor Summary
This is the first of the new style trip reports that I shall be doing from now on. Trip reports take forever to do thoroughly, which is fine if you are only doing a couple each year, but now I don't...
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MLD Duomid Buckle Failure
The Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid is a popular pyramid style shelter that has slowly eased its way into my kit selection over the last few months. Space is excellent, stability is good, and it’s very...
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Montane Spectr eVent Smock Failure
When you buy the lightest kit you have to realise there is often going to be some disadvantages regarding durability over heavier kit. This is particularly so with waterproofs and these garments should...
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Z-Packs 20 Deg Down Sleeping Bag/Quilt Review
Note - I am a colder sleeper. This means that I need a bag rated at a cooler temperature than some to keep warm at any given temperature. I know from many miserable, cold nights that I need to add 6...
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Tasmania Bike & Hike
In less than two weeks I will be over in Tasmania for my next adventure. This will be a cycling tour of the main and surrounding Islands with a number of short hikes thrown in. My last overseas cycling...
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Never Ending Power
One of the great things about cycle touring is that it's much easier to go for long periods without any planned stops than it is with hiking. Sure, you can carry 2 weeks of food in your pack but the...
View ArticleSee you next year!
It's time to get out on the road again and tomorrow I leave for Tasmania, and my next adventure. The blog will be quiet until February while I'm away cycling and hiking. If you wish to follow my...
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Back from Tassie!
Yesterday I returned to a damp, and rather cold, UK after successfully completing the Tasmania Bike & Hike trip. Really enjoyed Tassie and will be putting up a summary of that trip sometime soon....
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MLD Cricket Review
If there has been one most requested kit review from me then it has to be the Mountain Laurel Designs Cricket. There appears to be a lack of reviews for this shelter for some reason and I wasn't...
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