Thursday 22 February 2018
Of all of the walking gear, I possess no one was more surprised than I to discover that one of my favourite bits of ‘kit’ would be the humble buff. This lightweight tube of fabric is so simple in design and so lacking in gadgetry that for many years I deliberately shunned them.
Thursday 11 January 2018
I purchased a pair of Mens Scarpa Mistral GTX GoOutdoors in July 2017 because my old boots were no longer waterproof and I needed something for an up and coming hiking trip. This is not a review of the Scarpa Mistral GTX walking boots but a record of my personal experience as a user and a customer. Recently, after a few wet walks, I noticed that they were also no longer waterproof and in spite of several attempts to re-proof them I was unable to prevent them from leaking.Then, while on a trek in Nepal the boots started to fall apart and I was worried that they would not make it to the end of the 160-mile route I was trekking.
Monday 18 September 2017
In August 2014 I purchased an Exped SynMat 9 UL for a trip to Iceland. Susan had purchased one a few weeks before and when compared to my Thermarest is was better by miles for comfort and for the speed and ease with which you could inflate it with the schnozzle bag. But on our recent Isle of Wight Coastal Path trek, it developed a fault and I awoke to find myself tilting to one side.Two of the chambers had become one during the night and the new chamber was much bigger than the others.
Saturday 02 September 2017
Last month, Susan and I hiked the 65 Mile long Isle of Wight Coast Path over five days and four nights. We camped on three of the nights and stayed in a hotel for one after an equipment failure. We carried everything we needed with us and only purchased food along the trail.