Introducing....my new rucksack!

Until this year I have always used a small Vango rucksack for my winter activities. I've probably had it since about 2001 - and it's been well-used (and abused!). Sadly it's reaching the end of its life - the material is rather sun damaged and the tags on the zips have ripped off. It has no pocket for carrying a water bladder - which I now would rather do than take a bottle. This season I've been using it for leaving our packed lunch at the bottom of the pistes instead of carrying it all morning.

The sharp-eyed among you will have noticed in the photo (previous post) I was using a yellow Deuter sack for x-country skiing - but it's not ideal. It's really my summer walking sack as it has a mesh back and is marked as carrying 15L.  While skiing I found it wasn't comfortable - the back is away from me so the bag tends to swing unless I tighten it up hard. Then I found my arms felt rather constrained and occasionally snagged on the bag. It also doesn't have quite enough room for all the extras I need in colder weather.

So I did a lot of research and found the Deuter Speedlite 20.  Wiggle.co.uk were prepared to send it here for no extra charge (FREE delivery!). I sent for the black version.

I've used it now a few times and I'm impressed. All my other rucksacks have mesh backs with one notable exception - I'll come to that later...... This has a padded back and therefore carries closer to me. It also has no pocket/top lid covering the body of the bag. There is a small zipped pocket though - useful for my purse, tissues, keys, etc. The zippers all have big loops on them for opening with gloves on. It should take 20L of stuff and has a large bladder pocket inside. It weighs about 530g, so it's lighter than my walking rucksack.

{Small top pocket has a useful key tab inside it}

One of its best features are the double compression straps on the sides. They are arranged so they can also be clipped together across the body of the bag. This means you can carry skis or snowshoes easily.

{Carrying snowshoes easily and safely on the outside of the pack.}

I'm also impressed with two other features - the hydration tube outlet which is not on the top of the bag but further round so minimising the length of the tube exposed to the elements. I do use a neoprene cover, put the tube under, not over, my arm if it's freezing temperatures and blow back the water into the bag every time, all help to stop the tube icing up. There's a velcro tab on the front shoulder strap to secure the tube for drinking.

{Low exit for the hydration tube}

The other feature I particularly like is the tapered shape so there is no chance of catching the bag with my arms. There are also four tabs on the front where you could attach a extra carrier (e.g. for a helmet) so it might make a good cycling or downhill skiing sack too.

{One of the four tabs arranged on the front for attaching extras}

Apart from two stretchy pockets at the sides of the bag there is also a 'kangaroo' type pocket on the front through which a jacket would go or could carry a map, gaiters, snacks etc.

{Sun cream bottle in the kangaroo pocket which is behind the front of the bag}

The rucksack seems well made and well designed. As you can tell I'm pleased with the purchase and hope to get a few years of good use out of it.

I mentioned the other rucksack I have which doesn't have a mesh back - that is my new backpacking one from Granite Gear. I hope I can get on with that just as well. It's waiting patiently at home for me to give it its first real outing.

More pillow talk............

You'll see from this post that I'm really getting into the subject of camping pillows now.  I've had some good ideas from the comments left previously so I thought I'd follow up some of them here.

Looking on various websites has lead me to divide the available pillows into groups. The photos are lifted without permission but I'm sure nobody will mind..........

Each group has forms of the same kind of pillow made by different manufacturers and coming in at different prices. Most of them I have not had a chance to see in 'the flesh' as it were, so I'm looking at them just from the written descriptions and pictures. Sadly they don't all have very clear information and some do not tell you the weight.

Air pillows

{DIY blow-up pillow}

There are many makes of air pillow or cushions on the market. They range from the downright rubbery and heavy to some that are like thin balloons but essentially you blow them up yourself. The one in the photo above is kind of suedy stuff, and has ridges which I imagine would be better than just a plain surface.

{Self-inflating pillows}

There are some on the market that claim to be self-inflating. They vary in size and I would think contain foam in various forms.

{Another shape - giving a space for your neck?}

  

There are other air pillows which try to address the shape of the pillow in a more inventive way.

My thoughts on the air pillow generally are these....they don't feel like a 'real' pillow under the head and for side-sleeping I suspect they might move quite readily as they are quite light especially when pumped up.

So moving on..............

Filled pillows

{Pillow filled with compressible synthetic material}

Again there are various makes and qualities of this kind of pillow. Some fold up, and others squash into stuff sacks.

{Half moon shape for inside the sleeping bag hood}

Some of these have soft material-like outer covers or are fleecy. Other shapes are available too. 

Apart from synthetic fill there are also down filled pillows and I have seen (but not considered here) some filled with foam beads.

With all these filled pillows unless it is as substantial as a pillow from home (in which case it would be far too heavy and large to carry) it will, I think, be rather flat and small, which would not be supportive enough for a side-sleeper.

And finally.............

Pillow Sacks

{A pillow stuff sack}

Another way to solve the problem of a good camping pillow is to have a suitable stuff sack and use it with your own amount of soft clothing. That is the idea behind this one - it can be turned inside out to find a fleecy type surface for sleeping on.

{Another pillow sack - this time flatter and wider when stuffed}

 These pillows appeal to me the most so far. They have a dual purpose in that they can also be used to carry items in the rucksack, perhaps even your sleeping bag. For that they would have to be waterproof to protect the contents. However, if you intend only taking a minimum of clothing with you, it may mean stuffing with wet clothes in bad weather or having a small pillow if you are wearing your spare items for warmth.

{A hybrid idea - light padding, with space for clothing}

 Finally, this one was suggested to me and I do like the idea. It folds down small and light, but it can be enhanced with as much padding as you need. Perhaps even stuffed with a lightweight air pillow. The surface against your face is not fleecy but a kind of smooth silky material.

Decisions, decisions...............................



Blame it on the jet lag............

There are probably a couple more posts to be written about our trip to China but I'm beginning to feel that I am becoming one of those people who insist on showing you their holiday snaps!

So here I'm going to tell you about some other things which have been going on since we returned.

If you have applied to take part in the TGO Challenge in May 2012 you may have noticed my name on the list of participants. I truly did not intend to apply this time but at the last minute decided that I would as a possible trip to Canada has now been postponed till June 2012. I couldn't face sitting here in May, watching everyone walk past, and not be a part of it....

One of the things that I had been going to replace if I was successful in the draw for the Challenge, was my current backpacking rucksack. The pack I used for my first Challenge was an Osprey 50l. It was replaced a couple of years ago by a Deuter 45 + 10 Actlite. This one had a bottom compartment which I found really useful for my bulky synthetic sleeping bag. But sometimes the shoulder straps slipped, and I found the long, narrow shape didn't really fit my short squat back!

Now that I'm the proud owner of a 'down' bag, which compresses to about half the size of the synthetic one, I have been considering a much lighter weight rucksack. It may have been the jet lag but I clicked the mouse one evening to buy the new rucksack.  It arrived very quickly from the retailer.

{Granite Gear Vapor Ki}

I've played with it a bit now I have it in my possession. So far I like it. Its basically simply a big bag with straps. I hope to be able to carry everything inside it, with nothing hanging on the outside. It has no top pocket nor any belt pockets so I've got plans to use a chest pouch for all those little things I can't do without. I'm looking forward to giving it a trial run. It feels comfortable around the shoulders, and the hip belt fits me very well. There are outside pockets at the top and bottom of the sides. It has a roll and clip top. I'll probably have to invest in a waterproof cover.

The other impulsive purchase I've made recently is another Paramo jacket. I really like the 3rd Element that I bought last year but for this time of year, when it's cold and damp, I was impressed by Louise's smock. Just throw it over the top of everything else, job done! So despite some heavy discussions recently about the effectiveness of Paramo vs Goretex (etc) - I'm going to give it a try.

{Paramo Velez Lightweight smock}

In the meantime I have been walking a couple of times with the local Aboyne group and been very lucky with the weather. One walk around Learney Hill and the other in Glen Tanar. Both were very sociable 8 mile routes.

{Setting off with the group in some welcome sunshine}

There was also a foray onto the Revack Estate with Louise - another similar was planned for this week but this time the weather got the better of us and I didn't fancy venturing over the Lecht on icy roads.

{Winter view to the Cairngorms from the Speyside Way}

Yes - there does seem to be a purple thing going on - can I blame that on the jet lag too?

Which sleeping bag....................?

I've been busy making a list of the down sleeping bags I am considering to replace my Vaude synthetic bag.

There's nothing really wrong with the Vaude bag - it has served me well. It's warm and cosy but it's not lightweight (maybe 1.4 kg, more with stuff bag) and it doesn't compress very small. In fact, it takes up the whole space of the bottom compartment of my rucksack.

{Vaude Kiowa 200 sleeping bag}

So here is the list of candidates. They are all 3 season down bags. Now I do have a bit of a problem with feathers, after all they really belong on birds! I don't like the idea of supporting the meat-eating industry nor do I like the idea of live birds being plucked. However, I have to admit that if I could save a good deal of space in my rucksack, and carry 500g less, but still be warm and cosy, I might be tempted to buy one of these bags.

• Mountain Equipment Xero 550
• RAB Neutrino W 400
• Mountain Hardwear W Phantom 15
• Golite W Adrenaline 3
• PHD Minim 400 (short, with zip)
• PHD Combi bag (short, with zip)

So how do I make the decision? Should it be by price, size, compressibility, durability, or even colour?
After all, I am a Libran - HELP!.............

Celebrations.............

Well this is the tenth post I've made. So to celebrate I thought I'd mention a few of the 'walking gear' items I've bought in the past year which have pleased me most.

MSR Hubba Tent

I bought this tent for the TGO Challenge 2009. I had a great deal of difficulty actually getting it from the guy in the US who'd sold it to me on ebay. First of all it got lost in the French postal system and returned to him. Then when I did receive a parcel from him in Scotland it wasn't the one-man tent but the bigger version. As he had a customer waiting for it I had to send it back to him and finally (after about 2 months) I took delivery of the correct tent....

And I love it. There's quite a bit of headroom, and a good porch. It's a bit drafty but that means I've never had a condensation problem. I don't suppose it's as bomb proof as the Akto but I love having kit that no one else has!

{Photo of my MSR tent}

It weighs around 1.3 kilos with footprint added but folds up well and is easy to carry on the rucksack. It looks a bit wrinkly in the photo but it had just survived a night of heavy rain so the fly is very wet.

The yellow colour means it's always sunny inside!

My only real criticism is that it comes with only 6 lightweight pegs which is one short of adequate. In fact I usually carry some extra v-shaped pegs for the guy lines and I lost one of the original pegs at Borlum Farm Campsite during the Challenge.

Boxit Waterproof Phone Case

This is my second bit of star kit.  I was fed up with having to pocket my phone when it rained. The addition of Viewranger to my Nokia meant that I was going to use it for a GPS so I needed to be able to keep it dry.

After much umming and aaing I found this.  It looks a bit clunky but fits onto my rucksack strap a treat and has a soft goretex front so I can push the buttons without having to take it out. So far I'm quite pleased with it. The one in the photo is black but mine's a clear version.

{Photo of a Boxit Phone case}

Mountain King Trail Blaze

These were bought for my birthday by Him Indoors who was fed up with me complaining about my other walking poles. Mountain King very kindly made them a bit shorter for me as I found the 110 cm of their standard poles a bit long.

I've used them since September and I'm very pleased with them. They're also a gorgeous magenta colour - mmmmm! 

They're exceeding easy to pack into luggage for travelling and into my rucksack when I don't need them. I haven't tried them with a heavy pack yet but I can foresee no problems.

I only have two small complaints about them. First the rubber endies wore through the first day I used them on a tarmac track for about 3 kms and secondly now I've put the rubber round thingies on they don't fold up as small as they did without them.

{Photo of Trail Blaze poles (without baskets)}

Right that's it for now - although there's still loads of gear I could write about - I'll stop now before it gets too boring........................

Camargue, Carcassonne and Crisps..........

We left on Monday after digging our way out of the front door (the snowplough had come past earlier) and having our lunch (of course).

As we were so late starting we didn't have enough time to get all the way to Carcassonne before it was too late to find the campsite. So we made a detour onto the Camargue, camping with a cohort of Italian camper vans (again) on a carpark in Stes Maries de la Mer. It was a cold night, made worse by the heater not coping and the battery losing power very fast.

In the morning we made our way across the flat lands of the Camargue. We saw the white horses, black bulls and a few lonely flamingoes. I'm not sure January is the best time for this kind of sightseeing!

{Photo of cold horses}

There's something about holiday resorts when they're out of season - makes me think of how the world would look if all humans were instantly removed from the planet..................

{Photo of deserted square in Aigues Mortes}

Our campsite near Carcassonne turned out to have the dreaded 'reverse polarity' electricity! And the shower block was unheated............

Wednesday dawned frosty and beautiful so we enjoyed our visit to the medieval castle and town of Carcassonne although all the museums were shut, the video had broken down and the audio tour was unavailable (oh and there was no reduction for old people!). Never mind!

{Photos of the castle at Carcassonne}

We followed this by finding a view point to see the ruins at Lastours (sadly the visitor centre was closed for January!) which I wrote about last time.

In the evening we found a wonderful campsite, run by some ex-pats, in Alet-les-Bains. Heated toilets & showers, electricity that worked, a Casino with a special 10E menu (saved me cooking) and all right next to an amazing little medieval village. Well worth another visit.

Now the weather changed and the rain and snow we had left managed to find us - even down near the Med.

The rest of the trip was a van tour of Narbonne, Beziers and Nimes, where we found a good campsite on the outskirts (with warm showers!). We did manage a quick wander round the outside of the Arena in Nimes, along with other remarkable Roman remains, and we promised a re-visit when we had more time to give them.

The camper van performed wonderfully well in the snowy conditions, making us glad we'd forked out for the 4 x 4 version. On our cross-country drive to Narbonne we travelled through a forest of evergreen Oaks and Pine trees interspersed with Olive trees, lovely even in the snow storm. It certainly whetted my appetite for walking in the area.

I also had a chance to try out my new Neo-air mattress on the camper bed. Very impressed - can't wait to use it in the tent. There was the faint sound of a far away crisp packet being rustled every time I turned over but I can live with that.............

Happy New Year to All.............

Here's hoping the New Year is a good one for everybody.

I'll be posting later today but I have to get some photos organised first.
Meantime here is the giant statue of Edward Whymper (the little person is me!). This statue looks into the Pelvoux valley towards the mountains.

There's a story board nearby so I also took a photo from that of Whymper's revolutionary sleeping bag arrangement...........might be a lightweight solution?