A nice round number :)

Just a quick note from the mobile to say that, this weekend I finally broke TEN THOUSAND pageviews :)
Thanks to all those who read the blog, and to those who help me..
Cheers,

Toby.

Where to go for a walk in winter? (mobile post)

As you will have spotted, I've not been able to get out much since the twins were born two years ago.
It's amazing how much time twins take up and how little time I can spend getting out there.
This means that any trips need to either be places I know, or very well planned. Otherwise I'd overrun the time I've put aside, or not have enough time to accomplish what I wanted..
For the last few years, the winter walks have always ended in Edale. This is because it's easy to get to, there's a good selection of bus stops outside the valley and the trains run through any snow we've had.. Edale is also beautiful in itself, there's a great pub, a shop, somewhere to get a breakfast and perhaps most importantly - a well sheltered campsite that opens all year.
As daft as it sounds, it's proving damm difficult to find a replacement. Either the campsite is closed in winter, or the village is easily cut off by snow. Somtimes there isn't a pub..
My favorite contender so far was Threlkeld, but no all year camping..
Who said sorting a walk would be easy?

Review: Alpkit SkyHigh 800 (Down Sleeping Bag)

 

^{N.B.  I Apologise for the colour on some of the images, I’d put the camera in the wrong mode. I hadn’t noticed until I’d packed everything away and reviewed the images on the PC…}

There are many sleeping bags on the market. Some cheap, some expensive. You can get one on offer for a Tenner, or spend five or six hundred pounds on one. There is a big difference between a cheap bag and an expensive one, and there is also a big difference between brands as well. A good sleeping bag will allow you to camp later into the season, or all year round.

There’s advantages and disadvantages to the different types (a proper argument of which would take up an entire post). So to put it in a nutshell, Down is lighter and warmer for weight than synthetic, but more expensive and trickier to clean. You’ll often hear that synthetic stuffing will retain more warmth when wet, but if either was sodden, you’d be cold that night, whatever it was filled with.

 

I’m a proponent of Alpkit and they have long been respected for their sleeping bag range, which offered a good bag at a reasonable price.

They have two lines, the SkyHigh (I’ll shorten to SH from now on) and PipeDream (PD). The ranges are then categorised with the fill weights (hence names like SH600, SH800, SH1000 or PD600, PD800 etc. (the bigger the number, the warmer the bag)).

The PD range pack smaller, lighter, are made from more exotic materials and have a higher fill power (warmer for weight) down filling. Of course having a PD comes at a price (about 40% more when I bought my bag).

I chose the SH800 because it was within my price range (an important consideration), it’s rated to –10’c and I’d fit in it. You see, I’m quite a big lad. I’m 6’2” and there’s a vicious rumour that I have a fairly impressive beer gut . The SH bags thankfully come in small, regular and large (and now a kids size too). They come with a well made compression sack that’s been treated to help keep water out and a storage sack to help keep the loft when it’s in the cupboard. There’s a storage pocket inside the bag and it has an excellent draft tube and collar to keep the heat in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have camped in temps around –8 and slept well, so it does what it’s supposed to. It’s roughly comparable to a North Face Blue Kazoo (£180) or a Rab Ascent 700 (£200). When I bought mine It was £110 (+£5 for long size), meaning it was exceptional value. (Alpkit have made a comparison chart HERE)

Now however, they are £140 (£145 for long).. So there isn’t that much difference between this and the Blue Kazoo, especially when you consider that you might get an offer on a North Face bag (or one from another major manufacturer).

Buy from Alpkit and the price is what you pay – no shopping around for bargains. This didn’t used to be a problem as their stuff was priced so competitively.¹

 

The bag I have does have shortcomings as well. The two main issues I had are: The cord to cinch the hood had been stitched into the bag (as I couldn’t wait for the next batch, I just cut the cord and knotted it). It’s not a major problem in itself, but does possibly indicate slipshod workmanship or poor quality control. The other thing is that they don’t vary the amount of filling in the sizes, So the small is warmer than it should be and the large has a couple of panels that could really do with a bit more filling as it’s stretched that bit further. I didn’t mind paying a bit more for a long, but I was a bit annoyed when I found this out – I expected that they would be standardised across the range.

 

I like my SH800 and it has served me really well. It’s much lighter and packs far, far smaller than a synthetic bag. It lofts to a ridiculous amount. It’s kept me warm in the snow, toasty in the autumn and I’ve used it in the height of summer too. I’d love to say I’d buy another and would have, but with the price hike it puts the SkyHigh range uncomfortably close to the big brands..

^{There is nothing inside this bag, It really does loft to this thickness!}

 

¹  (sometimes they have clearance on some items. when it comes to sleeping bags however, It only applies to seconds, or ones with minor defects.. They’ve had such a good name and offered such great value that they often sell out within a few days of getting stock).

Review: Fiskars K40 Vs Gerber Crucial knife

 

I’m Pitting two very different knives against each other. One is a fixed blade with sheath. The other a folding knife/plier combo.

 

 

First, the Gerber Crucial. This is a folding knife and contains a blade with a blunted tip with scalloped serrations. There are two screwdriver heads, a mini crab style clip and a pair of pliers with several gripping surfaces including wire cutters.

The clip opening is reversed, which cleverly allows you to open your bottles with it.

I’ve had this knife for a good 6 months or so and it’s been walking, camping, used in the car and house. The knife has retained it’s edge and the tools have all worked well. They lock positively in place with a liner style lock, easily used one handed for the blade. The posi drive screwdriver is a little odd as it is narrowed, but works well, even on larger screws. The flat blade is large and feels indestructible but was difficult to open on my sample.

The pliers grip particularly well and the wire cutters have worked well, but did struggle slightly with multi-strand wires.

It feels substantial, heavy even. But put it on the scales and it tips in around 140g which is similar to other brand’s take on this style of knife.

 

 

The Fiskars K40 is a completely different beast. It’s a fixed blade, with No serrations, tools or gadgets. But this means that it can concentrate on being just one thing. Being sharp.

I have to say I was weary of this knife at first as the handle is the hollow type that Fiskars tend to favour. I’ve tried to wreck it (through use – I haven’t run over it or blown it up) and it faired well. It retained its edge well and the 10cm blade is still seated solidly

What is the K40’s coupe de grace to make you consider it for your pack?.. It weighs a surprisingly svelte 70g.

I already own a knife similar to this, a high carbon steel knife which is also excellent but requires more care, due to the type of steel it’s made from. The Fiskars knife uses Stainless steel, so it’s easier to look after, making this a better choice for beginners, infrequent users or anyone camping on the coast.

 

 

Which knife would I use?

For wild camping the K40 has the ‘edge’ (ho ho!) due to it’s light weight and a fixed blade can be used more confidently. Maybe you suddenly feel the need to carve a spoon, or make a pan stand. This knife can do this for you. The extra weight of the Crucial does give the advantage of pliers to grip a pan, but a decent pair of plastic pan grips weigh less, and grip more firmly. For wild camping, the driver heads and bottle opener/clip are essentially dead weight in your pack

If I was car camping, I’d simply take both.

If I owned a caravan or were simply walking I would take the crucial. The built in tools would come into their own and this would be a handy piece of kit that looks and is much less threatening than the K40.

A wild camp in the Peak District (A bumper post).

 

I've returned from a camp in the peaks.. I've tried a few new things and I've tested the "extra weight = extra fun?" theory to the full.

The post is a long one. So, If you’ve time, kick back with a brew and read on.

 

A while ago I rang my mates and asked if they fancied another wild camp in the peaks...

We were supposed to be having a full day on the hill but the best laid plans and all that.. One of the lads couldn't start early cos he would be drinking heavily the night before, then he had to pull out entirely. That left James and I.. Then due to an accident at home, we didn’t get to set off till late.

 

This was going to be "Wild Glamping" (if there is such a thing). For tea we would have garlic mushrooms to start. Then large Rib Eye steaks, flame grilled on an open fire with ember roasted new potatoes and toasted garlic ciabatta bread for the main.

All this would increase the weight we'd have to carry, but would it be worth it?..

On the day, as we ended up leaving very late (not hitting the hill until about 4 o'clock). We'd decided on a smash and grab approach, as we'd got the extra weight and because we were setting off so late in the day.

There's an unconscious exodus from the hills. So when we passed the last straggler (about 4:45, a lone man on the trail). We had a big section of the park to ourselves. We’d managed to get fairly pleasant weather to this point. Not too windy with some sun peeking through the clouds. It was another lazy wander over the tops, stopping at whim to enjoy the scenery.

This area of the peaks did another great job of trying to impress. The hills here look bigger than they are, green verdant valleys and khaki tops. 

As we travelled along the edge, we were attacked by large black flying insects.. like flying ants, but much too large. Maybe they were beetles.. I'm not sure. They were everywhere for a good way and we were worried we'd be pestered everywhere. Thankfully they slowly petered out.

As we were admiring a local landmark from above, the rain came in. The rain was heavy, but thankfully it stopped almost as soon as it started so we were only wet for a little while. We came to where I'd decided we'd come down the hillside, which proved to be a problem. It was very, very steep. We zig-zagged down the hill (it was steep enough that you could reach across to the floor, steadying yourself on the hill. Trying to stay on clumps of heather (which offered better traction than wet grass), we slowly made our way down the side of the valley.

As we came through the heather I noticed that the hillside was covered in (I think) bilberry's.. We didn't try them in case I'd got it wrong, but they looked tasty.. I’ll have to make sure I go walking with someone who knows his (or her) stuff when it comes to wild plants..

A little way down, we'd drifted a little way off course and I decided to contour on a small path / sheep trail, but before we'd attempt this the decision was made to stop for a quick breather Where I took this photo, you can see how wide the path is and the slope of the hill.

We found the woods I was looking for. We continued into through the warmer, calmer wood. Although the hill was at an insane angle all the way to where we would go across. Leading to where we would camp for the night. For a short while, it seemed we'd missed our spot, but my internal compass had done me proud. We came into the camp, bang on line and in time to set up, get a fire going and start on the food before dark (and it is dark here - miles from and with with no line of sight to, any street lights, in the bottom of a steep valley.. DO NOT FORGET YOUR TORCH IN A PLACE LIKE THIS)!

The fire was completely hassle free. I have to admit that last year, I'd made a bit of an ass of myself. I have one of those flint firelighters, i use to light my stove and similar and I was determined to start a fire with it.. I failed miserably and had to resort to using a bit of tissue and a gas lighter..

There was none of it this time though.. I'd heard about making a firelighter by wiping cotton wool in Vaseline.. I'd done a few, opening them so the Vaseline would sit in the middle and then folding them closed again. 4 good size buds were enough to fill a Kinder egg without crushing them.

It lit on the second spark, and burnt with a big, hot, long lasting flame, which grew quickly into a decent size fire.

My esteem renewed, we started on the food. We boiled new potatoes in a pan, put the steaks on a BBQ I’ve had for a while, which is perfect for camping (I’ll do a separate post on this, It’s a handy bit of kit). Jim got the bread slathered in garlic butter and toasting on a stick on the edge of the fire. Once the potatoes were cooked through, Jim fried off the mushrooms in garlic butter (we ended up with one large main course). While we ate the steak etc. I put the potatoes on the grill to blacken.

To pull off all this fresh food, I’d saved a couple of shoe boxes form the girls (child size 6 if you care) and inside each went a steak my local butcher had vac sealed, some of the potatoes, a blister pack of garlic butter from Morrison's, some mushrooms, one ciabatta roll and a couple of rashers of bacon (again vacuum packed by the local butcher). By doing it this way, everything was fresh, and the lids of the shoe box became the plate, going into the fire when we’d finished eating..

It all tasted great, washed down with a couple of bottles of wine – There’s something really satisfying about red meat and red wine. It really is good for the soul.

Now, I’d mentioned in my previous posts that I was going to try something that could shave Kilo’s of my pack weight.. I was going to sleep in a hammock.

Now I didn’t know if it would work at all, armed only with the information I had found on the net and a hammock I procured from TK Maxx for the princely sum of £12 (about half price, which is still cheap for a hammock).

When slung properly a hammock is very comfortable. There no need for a pillow, it doesn’t matter if the ground is even (or even if there is any ground) but it does need somewhere to attach it to. Handily, we were sleeping in a wood, so It only took a few minutes to put up (if you don’t count my false starts ) and a couple more to put a tarp over the top. (you could use a bivi bag instead, but I don’t own one). Et Voila. You have somewhere to sleep.

Did it work? Well, as you’ve guessed, it wasn’t entirely successful. I’d neglected to use my mat under the sleeping bag and this was a mistake. Wind chill takes heat out of your back very quickly, so I was cold. The hammock was cheap, so the cordage was nylon, which stretches. So I ended up with my feet higher than my head.

I could have jumped out, shortened the cords and blown up my mat, but as I was cold, I just huddled deeper into my bag. Pretending I was OK and Sleeping fitfully till I got up at 7 (that’s practically the middle of the night to me).

Would I use it again? I would, but I would either use my mat, or take some bubble wrap (which I suspect would work just as well to insulate my torso, as it doesn’t have to take the lumps out of the floor) and I’d hang it tighter than I thought it needed to be, to allow for sag in the night.

I think it could work well, and be really comfy… But a bit of practice or someone with experience is a definite advantage here.

As for the ‘more weight=more fun’ maxim, If I’d not taken the tent then the pack would only have been marginally heavier than normal as the hammock weighs about 600g. (and the tent 2Kg). The steaks and stuff must have weighed about a kilo and the BBQ weighs about 650g (though as no gas or stove is needed, you could offset this weight as well if you didn’t mind starting a fire in the morning for brews and breakfast). It was well worth the weight of the grub. The BBQ was handy, but I suppose you could use sticks to suspend the meat over the fire to cook if you wanted.

Having steak et all, cooked on a fire was great and I would do it again. For me, it was worth carting every gram if it. I know people who would disagree, but I’d be as smug as a very smug thing, watching them eat dehydrated rations, while I tucked into a big, juicy, steak..

 

We did have a bit of drama with the route, but this time, it was the route out. We decided to walk out of the valley, and round, rather than over the top. It was born of pure laziness on our part, which backfired majestically.. The route, which I’d expected to be longer, turned out to be an endurance test that took over 4 1/2 hours for that section on it’s own. Through driving rain, then when we were nice and damp, bright hot sunshine. All the time walking into traffic flying along a busy A road.. It went on and on and… I always forget that roads are incredibly boring to walk on. I also forget how hard on the feet tarmac is as well..

No food left and what was left of the water ran out near the end (until i got close enough to refill my filter from a reservoir).

 

To make up for this, we stopped for a pint and a bowl of chips on the way back.. Perfect!