Stove and Cookware

Like many outdoor enthusiasts I have quite a selection of stoves and cookware for camping that I have collected across the years, decades even. My current set up is not the lightest that I own but I use it on all but the longest of multi day trips because of convenience. It is extremely quick! It is the Jetboil Sol Titanium. As with most things I have made some adaptations that work for me.

The Jetboil in a netting drawstring bag

I have replaced the plastic heat exchanger cover with an Evernew Companion Cup, this came about after I cracked the plastic cover. I cannot claim this idea as my own as I picked it up from Bob at backpackinglight in one of his Outdoor Station video podcast things. This allows me more versatility as, at a push, I can cook in the cup as well using the pot stand that comes in the Jetboil kit. 

Zip bags of Coffee and Tea

Titanium Spork sits on the Gas cannister.

The Gas is carried inside the pot with a titanium Spork and cleaning pad/cloth(stops any rattle from Gas Cannister in pot), along with the small zipseal bags with instant tea and coffee.

The entire contents.

 I mix a little extra whole milk powder, whole milk powder doesn't have that nasty taste that normal powdered milk does, and sugar into the instant tea and add sugar to the instant coffee.

In addition I always carry a lighter and a couple of solid fuel tablets, like Esbit but cheap ones, so in the event of the Jetboil not working, I can sit the pot on a burning tablet. The heat exchanger holds the pot above the burning tablet at just the right height. It works quite well.

A Post From The Nexus 4

This is the first post from my Nexus 4 mobile phone. I generally use it for my photos, video, kindle, music, GPS and mapping when slackpacking but sometimes take my Nexus 7 too.
The pictures are from my last trip a few weeks ago. It is the Honey Stove used as a BBQ. Short distances to walk, due to I'll health, meant I was happy to carry the extra weight of charcoal and the stove. I love the Honey Stove and it's big brother the Hive, but still can't justify upgrading them to titanium. I'm a sucker for a real fire but it's not often you find you can have one leaving no trace behind, and sparks from the fire is the quickest way to ruin expensive light weight clothing and camp kit.

First Past The First Post

So my first post.

I guess I should explain the name of the Blog, it is blatant, pure plagiarism on my part. I have stolen it from James Boulter, who writes Backpackingbongos, an amazing and inspirational blog on backpacking. I think it aptly describes my approach to backpacking. 

Here I am sat in bed with a head full of Tramadol and Morphine. Cabin fever is driving me potty, so I thought building this Blog would allow me to do something connected to the outdoors and relieve some of the boredom. So my first post will not be about a specific backpacking trip, but an opportunity to test the functions of the Blog.

Above is a picture taken on my last trip, using the Nexus 4 mobile phone, my Trailstar nestled next to a small river near the Welsh Anglo border in the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons.

Here's a picture, taken with my Nexus 4 Mobile phone with a cheap chinese Fish Eye Lens, of the inside of my Trailstar shelter on my last trip. 

I continually try to lighten or compact my backpack load, but temper this with my personal comfort. So this trip I was testing some new kit, namely the Thermarest Neoair Lite inflating Mattress. It was an unmittigated disaster for me. I had hoped that it could shave of some grams from my sleep system, but have concluded that I am happy to carry the extra weight of my thicker inflatable mattress. I got very little sleep on the Neoair as within an hour my back became very painful, in fact any sleep I did get was induced by taking painkillers through the night. Unfortunately I have Spinal Arthritis which does not respond well to sleeping on the ground. The last few years I had discovered the joy of hammock camping and so any ground sleeping since will never be as comfortable as my hammock, but hammock camping restricts you to camping amongst trees, which is not a huge issue on walks at lower levels but is an issue once above the tree line. So I have been searching for a comfortable mattress for ground sleeping over the course of the last year or so. Oh well, back to the Exped UL 9 Down mattress, which, whilst heavy, has provided the most comfortable ground sleep I have experienced so far. Many thanks to the couple who's names I cannot remember, that recommended the mattress to me, whilst I was camping at Wasdale Head spring earlier this year. Gone are the days when I would simply get into an army surplus sleeping bag, inside an army surplus goretex bivvy bag, and just lie down wherever I wanted to sleep. The joys of getting old and realising that the abuse you have given your body over the years has to be paid for in your later years. :)

Also in the picture you can see the cling film groundsheet that I have been using inside the Trailstar. This is a very lightweight groundsheet but not very durable, so I have also used the Tyvek groundsheet to protect the Neoair Mattress. I have since purchased an Oookwork's Trailstar Bath Tub style Ground Sheet from Sean atOookworks and await the full midge netted Nest in the near future for the midge season. I'm sure there will be more on that later, when I get the opportunity to use it.

 Finally it was the first outing for my Golite 3 season quilt. An ebay special that turned out to be a result. I am more than used to sleeping with quilts through my hammock camping and have a 3 season and a 4 season Over and Under Quilt sets for hammocking.  But when I have used quilts under tarps and tents I have found that they do not respond well to brushing against the condensation coated underneath of the tarp or tent. So this Golite Quilt has Pertex Endurance at the foot and at the top to defend the down from the moisture. The Golite quilt is lighter than my Hammock Quilts too and although I was plenty warm overnight in it, I would not like to use it at -5 C as it is comfort rated. I also found that because I was moving around a lot due to my back pain, I had to keep arranging the quilt to cover me again, so further testing is required if I am to use this through spring and summer next year. I think that my next trip, when ever that may be, will be in cooler weather and so I am looking forwards to snuggling into my Rab 600 Neutrino Endurance sleeping bag then.