Six Moon Designs Deschutes Tarp: A First Look

Folk will be thinking I've nowt better to spend my hard earned cash on than Backpacking shelters! This is far from the truth! As the TGO Challenge posts will show, I used a Nordisk Telemark 1LW, and was very happy with it. Of course during the Challenge one meets lots of other folk..."The Trailstar Trio", (you know who you are!) for instance. I can see the benefits of that type of shelter. But the shelter that piqued my interest more than any other was @Tramplite (Colin Ibbotson) MYOG shelter. I had a brief chat at the Montrose site with Colin., his shelter is really quite superbly constructed. I understand he will be making some for sale in 2015. On my return I also had a brief twitter "chat", he mentioned the Six Moon Designs Deschutes Tarp, I looked it up and was immediately interested, however I couldn't find any reviews anywhere on the net. So I ordered one!......

It arrived on Monday of this week, I took it out on an overnite camp on Lingmoor Fell. It wasn't the best of weather for photos so I must apologise for them.
It pitches on 6 pegs, (I ordered 6 Easton 9"nails) this was my first effort! The pole is set at 120cm.
I had it seam sealed at Six Moon Designs ($20) the specs say 364g mine weighs 381g inc seam seal,

It was actually raining when this pic was taken, which I was pleased about! No leaks!
This picture shows the "pointed" back, which is similar to Colins shelter. This should spill the wind well.
This was my concern with both the MLD Solomid and Cricket..(perhaps unfounded).
Anyway I had a good nights sleep..and a great view through the drizzly rain across to the lights beside Windermere, this was one of the attractions of wanting a "tarp" type shelter!
This is just a first look, I'm looking forward to using it again in the near future, once I've used it for a bit I'll report back with my experiences.

Nordisk Telemark 1LW....A Review.

A number of folk have told me to get on and do a review of this tent, Now I don't really "do" reviews...however here's my best effort. I would draw your attention to the post here I did on the tent when I first purchased it. Some of the pictures have appeared elsewhere on the blog, sorry for any repetition. The captions will be different I promise!

It packs very small as you can see above, thats a 500ml flask. I split it up for packing, and don't faff with a tent bag that was designed by someone who thought the fabric was being rationed!
The bag says 830g! My in use weight inc Brabantia binliner to store it in is 858g.

Ok...now this is where things become blurred. The sizes quoted are correct.
This tent is plenty large enough for me, but I'm 175cm tall and weigh in at 64kg...ie I'm no giant! I also never take lots of stuff, I do like to keep my pack (I use it as a Pillow!) in the tent (if dry)
There's lots of length and plenty of width to keep all my gear to my right, ( I have used both a Neoair Xlite short and half Ridgerest)
The Bell was plenty large enough to house a wet pack, and still have room to cook (I use a Caldera Cone) and still be able to get in and out of the tent .
If at a guess you were 180cm or taller I think the headroom would become annoying?

The pole folds very short (41cm) and is a DAC Featherweight.
It is supplied with 4 DAC V channel pegs (11g each)anodised gold (why?), 4 pegs are enough to pitch the tent. The guy shown above is to tension the door/porch. (See below)
However there is 1 guying point either side of the hoop, I added some line to these and have used 2 more DAC pegs from another tent for these lines.
 On the Challenge I also carried a couple of "spare"carbon pegs. 12g 

Here we see the awning feature in use, although I have used my poles to support this rather than take three of the corner poles out as suggested. I have done this (usig a pole) with both an Akto and Laserlite in the past, Its handy for cooking under to limit the buildup of condensation.

Here we can see how easy it is to get a very taught pitch, I sleep well but was never troubled with flapping.
The Fly and groundsheet are 10D nylon....no water ingress so far what more can I say. I would always use some polycro under the groundsheet anyway.
This is a good angle to see the slightly laid back angle of the hoop, which is then braced by the angle of the hoop guys. The shallow angle faces the direction the wind is blowing from, the pole sleeve is "within the fly not external like most outer pitching tents. This makes it more slippery, from a wind point of view.

Another image to show the good sized bell.
What I don't have is a picture to show the condensation! There was on many nights during the Challenge heavy condensation on the inside of the fly...but none inside the inner.
The inner is very well proofed, I tried to force water through it, and failed.
On of the main attractions to me was easy,quick pitching, it goes up in a couple of minutes a real bonus when its raining or you're tired.
The inner and fly are very easily detached and connected.
There are 2 negatives I've found...firstly when the fly is very wet the pole "grabs" the fabric and becomes difficult to thead through its sleeve. Secondly the seperation on the shallow angle is only probably 5cm...when the door is open this then sags and rests on the inner. Perhaps as the tent ages any condensation could be forced thro by this?
I suppose the test of any product is would I spend the money on the same tent again? Truthfully I would, I consider it a much better tent than a Laser Comp, more like an Akto in its stability and ease of pitching (easier actually) but of course almost half the weight.

I have formed the above opinions over 15 nights use in varying conditions. I also bought it with my own hard earned cash, I have no alligence to any manufacturer, importer or retailer of outdoor equipment!
Hope the above helps someone out there.

TGO Challenge...My Gear List!

One month from now I'll be underway on my first TGO Challenge, and it would seem almost traditional to publish a gearlist so..... Although it's my first Challenge, I've backpacked for over 35 years. My gear choices have been arrived at via hard won experience, something no amount of money can buy. A few items are new, but most have stood the test of time. Lists and tables can be somewhat boring so rather than that, here's a series of images with captions. The total weight I plan on carrying is 6.15 kilos plus food and fuel, which shouldn't ever be more than 2.5 kilos. Therefore a total sac weight of under 9 kilos , that should ensure a comfortable carry.

This is the Osprey Exos 46, very comfortable for me and having features which I find useful, such as large hipbelt pockets, a good sized exterior zipped pocket and a floating lid with a large pocket.
If packed correctly there is no need to open the pack during the day, even to access the tent outer in poor weather.
Of course like most packs it isn't remotely waterproof, so I shall use a 35 lit Sea to Summit sac liner and a 4 lit Sea to Summit dry-bag for the lid pocket.
The total weight for these items is 1168g.

These are the items which will be worn almost all the time certainly when walking.
Underwear  is Rohan XStatic Briefs and Berghaus XStatic Polartec zip polo long sleeve shirt.
Trousers are Troll Omni's, amazingly light, windproof , big pockets, good cut and most important to me...easy to roll up to the knees. Out of the way of the wet and mud....lets your calf muscles breathe as well!
Mid-layer is a well used Mountain Hardwear 100 weight fleece with a handy zip pocket.
Footwear this trip will be Inov8 Terrocs, I've used Roclites recently but these are just as comfortable, especially when wet. I shall use Hilly Monoskin socks as I have done for years. Fantastic socks designed for fell-running very comfortable wet or dry, and they dry very quickly.
I'm not a huge fan of poles, but they are very handy for river crossings. I've replaced my 15 year old Leki's with a pair of Fizans, they don't seem much different to be honest.
I'll be wearing a Sunnto Vector, which has been very reliable and is handy for it's altimeter.
Total weight worn  1606g.

Here's my spare clothing, Rohan XStatic briefs, Icebreaker T, Helly long johns.
 2 pairs of Monoskin socks (I pair will be kept dry at all costs).
My warmwear for camp will be a Berghaus Infinity Lite, and my windproof the ubiquitous Montane Lightspeed.
To keep my camp socks dry, when my shoes are wet  Trekmates Goretex socks.
Total weight for this lot 887g.

And so to bed...your probably ready by now anyway!!
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45 800 fill down nice and cosy, with a Neoair Xlite short.
In addition there is a pertex stuff sac and binliner which is a "ghetto Neoair inflator" light to!
Total weight for sleeping 769g.

The shelter I'll be using, is the Nordisk Telemark 1 LW, I won't take the supplied tentbag (in the image).
I always use a Brabantia binliner very durable and waterproof if required. I shall use the supplied pole/peg bag which is quite clever and very light. A polycro groundsheet will be used under the inner.
For some reason I've included a 3mm sitmat in this image, it should be elsewhere...
Total weight for shelter ( inc sitmat) 905g.

Hand and Headwear...2 x Inov8 "Buffs" and an Inov8 cap. Buffalo mitts are the answer to cold wet hands...waterproof gloves/mitts aren't in my experience. These are a new pair, my old ones are probably 20 years old and still going strong, but I thought I'd treat myself.
Weight 179g.

Kitchen items consist of, Caldera Cone in Titan mug/Measuring/Caddy see here . I have decided to use solid fuel rather than meths, therefore the Gramcracker "stove".  Pan is an Evernew 600ml and MYOG pot cosy,a Snowpeak titan spork.
Water for camp a 2.25lit Platy and a Traveltap bottle/filter means no worries in finding drinkable water.
2 x lighters, some tiny pan scrubs (and not shown an Alpkit 8lit drybag for food and a baby tin opener)
Total weight for kitchen 459g.

So called essential accessories, easy for wight to accumulate here, so be ruthless!
Top left - bottom right. Midge net. Black Diamond Ion Headtorch and spare Battery Aloksak, Tickets, Cards, Cash, Key.
Compass and small Ortleib mapcase, (Maps not shown, but 1:50000 cutdown will be carried )
Reading spec's, Lighter, Swiss Army Classic, Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Cuban ditty bag for all this!
Toothbrush/Toothpaste. Small Sponge Cloth (not shown) First Aid Kit, Ibbotson Trowel/Spare peg. Loo Paper and Hand Sanitiser (not shown)
All amounts to 518g.

This is my choice of rainwear, Berghaus Extreme Paclite Smock, plenty breathable for me and a superb hood. This smock is a classic example of less is better. Golite Reed overtrousers, these don't have zips on the legs. But taking shoes on and off isn't a problem, and is far less effort than folk think. Very breathable and very light!
Total weight 380g.

It could be argued that nothing in this image is actually necessary! However I will be on holiday so I shall be taking.....
A Kobo and Aloksak, Samsung Galaxy S2 phone and Aloksak, earphones and spare battery for phone.
My camera a Lumix LX3, its Lowepro case, 2 x spare batteries and a Gorilla Pod.
Also not shown a plug charger which fits phone and Kobo, for a top-up of power.
Weight of all this unnecessary electronics a shocking 839g!

Lastly this little fella, he's been on all my travels and treks over the last 15years.
It wouldn't be the same without him.
I don't care how heavy he is...he's going!!
(27g)

So there we have it, seems a huge amount of stuff when you have to write it out, but it's not much when it's on my back and that's the important thing. Sadly a lot of this gear is no longer made, but thats the way of the world  Perhaps it'll give some folk some ideas, all comments/criticism welcome. I'm not a Super Ultralight kinda guy, but I do believe you don't need that much kit to enjoy a long walk. You do however need the knowledge and fitness to make a little work for YOU!!

Carrying Meths!

Although in general I prefer using solid fuel with my Caldera Cone, I do sometimes use meths with a 12-10 stove. As mentioned in the comments of a previous post I don't like the taint of meths, so I use the method below for transporting the fuel.

I'm probably not the first person to come up with this solution.
This is a very old 500ml Platypus, well past it's best for drinking water, but still gives good service transporting meths.
It weights 19g empty with the pullcap shown, (salvaged from a soft drinks bottle) I like the match as well!
So durable, light, cheap and takes up less space as you use your fuel...what's not to like!?

MYOG Caddy for Caldera Cone

I bought a Caldera Cone last year, its a great piece of kit. However the supplied Caddy is a bulky old thing. The theory is that you can use the caddy as a "bowl" and the lid as a "mug". I've tried this and I don't like it, in particular the threads are difficult to clean. I also like...no love my old MSR Titan mug. So thinking cap on....I came up with this.

Here we see the comparison in size between the "proper" caddy and the MSR Titan mug and cut down plastic container. (Originally from Asda (Walmart) I think) It is a perfect interference fit.

There is a weight penalty to pay for this smaller caddy, it weighs 3g more! So thats not to bad then. Plus you get a handy measuring bowl to, and no awkward threads to clean.
As I use the Caldera Cone with an Evernew pan thats my bowl anyway.But best of all I can still have my brew in my Titan mug.

Nordisk Telemark 1LW

Well with the TGO Challenge less than 2 months away, the outdoor bloggers are starting to post about their  gear choices. More importantly lots of these posts concern their choice of shelter.....seems the "Red Indian" look is very much in vogue. Lots of pyramids and tarps masquerading as doorless tents. Well I've never been one to follow the herd, I like to plough my own furrow so to speak. Bored yet? I'd better get to the point......

So I've bought a Nordisk Telemark 1LW, this cost the princely sum of £272.00 (from The Climbers Shop, Ambleside)
My first truly lightweight tent was a Hilleberg Akto, an excellent tent. Very storm worthy, mine was one of the early imports. I was very happy with the Akto, it weighed in at 1500g or so. Then along came Terra Nova with the Laser Lite, again I was an early adopter, after a few mods to lose a bit of weight it weighed in at approx 1050g.
The problem for me with the Laser Lite was disconnecting the inner from the outer....what a "ball ache".
Hence the purchase of the above!

Here the bell is seen it's a decent size, and the inner can be pulled back to increase the space for cooking undercover.

Another pic showing the depth of the bell, the separation between fly and inner seems plenty to me.

A good deep tub to the floor and plenty of width, the Inov8 pack is roughly the width of a Neoair. One of the comments I hear in favour of the Tepee type tents is the large amount of space, perhaps I don't carry enough stuff?!

A common complaint I read over and over is condensation problems with "Akto style" tents. I've had my share of condensation over the years, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Here we see the vent at ground level, there's another at the other end. We'll see how effective they are in use! 

There's a large stiffened cowl over the double ended zip, again to aid ventilation, something neither my early Akto or Laser Lite benefited from.

The pole is has a remarkably short pack length, only 4 pegs are supplied! at 10g each. The silver ones are mine from another tent. I may use different pegs I'll see how I get on.

The overall pack size is indeed very small, thats a .5 lit thermos. The bag contains inner, outer, pole and 6 pegs. The 830g isn't correct if the supplied pegs are used, it is possible if 6 Terra Nova carbon pegs are used tho', lots of folk don't like the carbon pegs but I really rate them. I'll more than likely use a combination of pegs.
So there we have it, this is just a first look, it'll get a couple of trips over the next month or so, I'll report back.

Monkii and the Siltarp

Monkii Cage on the Salsa Fargo V2 forks, more braze-ons than you can
shake a stick at!!

Last nights ride to Jenny Browns Point gave me an oppertunity to try the Monkii Cages on my On One bike. When I built the bike I decided on Salsa forks to give me the possibility to use "Anything Cages", however these haven't been available since last Autumn, (and won't be available until the end of June at the earliest!) The next best option seems to be the Monkii Cage, the carring capacity is less but there are't many options. I rode a fair bit of off-road with my Siltarp 1 in one cage and a bivibag in the other there was no movement, so a success so far.

Siltarp 1 with the 29er On one as support

I intend doing a bit of Bikepacking this year, hence the Monkii Cages above. I have seen a few pitching options for a tarp using the bike as support, last night I put my best idea into practice. I was pleased with the result, the benefit of the bike being a 29er means a bit of extra headroom. Of course no need to carry poles when you use this option. Plenty of space under what is really quite a small piece of fabric.

Once I've used the gear in anger I might do a proper report.

Cockpit Change

That's on my On One Inbred 29er! When I built this bike over last Winter ( It has finished now hasn't it?) I wanted dirt-drop handlebars, specifically Midge bars. Initially I was very happy with the layout, however as time has passed and I've ridden the the bike more I've had to accept that drop bars off-road aren't for me. So.....

Original set up with Midge bars and bar end shifters.

New set up flat bars with trigger shifters etc. 

Its all change! On One flat bars with Ergon copy grips and trigger shifters rather than bar end shifters. The overall riding position is not quite as stretched out, and possibly slightly more control. Early days yet, so I'll see what I think.

Middlerigg Bridleways

A wet walk along the bridleways of Middlerigg to the East of Brockhole. It did give me the opportunity to use my Golite Poncho Tarp as a waterproof, hardly the height of sartorial elegance as you can see! I should point out that I have a sac on under all that fabric, my back is umpless! It did keep off the heavy rain though and condensation was negligable even though there was little wind. The big question is of course, how do you make it into a shelter when you're wearing it without getting wet?

Thermarest Neoair

In the blog below on the gear I used on the Cycle tour through France I comment on my Neoair. The mat started to delaminate during the trip, although it didn't lose any air so remained comfortable for the rest of the tour. Last Sunday I finally got round to emailing First Ascent (the importers of Thermarest products), explaining the problem. After a couple of emails, confirming my suspicions of delamination I received a new Neoair X Lite on Thursday. Superb service, First Ascent should be commended on such prompt attention.

Gear Notes from France Cycle Tour: Gear!

Its been a while since I posted on the clothing I used on my cycle tour earlier in the year, I've been a bit busy since. I almost think it barely worth posting on the "gear" now, but perhaps there might be a few pointers in the scribblings that follow. Some of the gear below is probably no longer available, but it still does the job for me.
 Robens Mythos Duo, I bought this tent for this trip. It was excellent cavernous for one, spacious for two, very quick to pitch and stable in the high winds I experienced on the coast. The overall concept of the Mythos Duo is similar to the Phreeranger of old, a tent I had many years ago. I always pitched on a piece of polycro, (not much grass on some of them French sites) The only thing I changed was to leave some of the alloy Y pegs and replace them ironically with some old Pheonix skewers!
 Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45 sleeping bag, a great bag 800 fill power down, plenty warm enough, this bag has a half zip, making it very adaptable. I used a silk liner, and slept on a Thermarest Neoair short. My Neoair started to delaminate while I was away, at a guess I had used it for around 25 nights. The comfort and packability is great but the durability is disappointing. I only weigh 65kg and it has always been treated very carefully. It will be going back when I get round to it!
 My cook kit consisted of an old non-stick Tefal pan from a cookset, it only weighs 134g and is excellent for "proper" cooking. I also had my MSR Titan kettle and mug, these are now 12 years old and are simply great kit. Eating irons were a Light-my-Fire spork and a polycarbonate spoon (didn't really need the spoon!) Stove wise I again relied on some old tried and tested gear, my Primus Micron, I took with me 2 x 250g gas cannisters for the fortnight, I had lots of gas to spare. Its a shame screwtop cannisters are so hard to find in France.
 I carried a cheapy Mountain Warehouse travel towel which was fantastic and from memory £7.99! Wash kit was just the usual toothbrush, sample size paste and soap (which was used for washing me and clothes!) Of course I was passing through lots of towns and villages so this could be replaced as used.
 At the last minute I threw in a Thermarest Prolite sitmat, this was used lots ouside the tent and under my feet at night. Very handy, but I wouldn't carry it backpacking!
 I'll just list the rest of the "stuff", it was all great and used/tested in the past. In no particular order:- Classic Swiss Army Knife, micro tin opener, Sony Network Walkman, micro Silva compass, clothes line and pegs, First Aid Kit, Lipsalve, Wetwipes and Sun-block sachets.

Then of course there was the Beast of Burden to consider:-
The Dawes Ultra Galaxy which I built over the winter of 2011/12 and christened "Eigenbau" was faultless though I say it myself. I only had to adjust the brakes once and oil the chain 3 times, it gave a wonderfully compliant ride and was an awesome descender. I had got the gearing spot on, only a bigger "engine" would have made it better on the climbs!
 Tools consisted of a multitool including a chain splitter, a pair of small Molegrips, 2 x spare tubes, Puncture kit, spare gear and brake cable, some spare chain links and a small bottle of oil. I carried a Revolution micro floorpump, and for security a Kryptonite cable and padlock.
 All this gear and clothing, and it sure seems alot when I write it down!, was carried in 2 x Front and 2 x rear panniers plus a barbag. These were all from the Edinburgh Bike Coop, Revolution range, all excellent with the exception of the rain covers which were poor. The covers are nice and bright though!
 So that's the lot as I said at the top of the post perhaps there's something in there to help someone on a future trip. I'm now planning another project about which I shall post in the near future.

Gear Notes from France Cycle Tour: Clothing

Its now six weeks since I returned from my fortnight cycling across France from Valance in the Rhone valley to Rosas on the Spanish Med coast. I made notes on my gear as I rode and when I finished, generally I find it best to reflect on ones thoughts before commenting. Much of the gear I used was walking/backpacking equipment I have used over the years. So below there is a rather wordy blog on what I took and weather I thought it worth taking again.
 Clothing:- 2 pairs Altura Airstream Cycling shorts, I only actually wore one pair as I was able to wash them every night and although some mornings they were a little damp it wasn't to bad. They are extremely comfortable, the pad is synthetic so stand the best chance of drying. Added to this they are reasonably priced and one of the pairs is several years old and show no wear at all.
Smartwool T shirt, the lightest weight) again worn and washed every day, warm enough in the breeze and cool in the sun. Excellent! It never stunk in-spite of profuse sweating on some of the climbs, except when washed when it smelt like a wet dog until it dried.
Montane windshirt, actually a running cut. Worn at some point almost every day over the T shirt because of the winds I experienced for a lot of the trip. Not alot I can say about this that others haven't already said, I always have either a Montane windshirt of one type or another in my sac or pannier.
New Balance tights synthetic and possibly a bit warm for this trip, mainly worn very first thing in the morning until the muscles warmed up, they also did sterling service under.....
Golite Reed Overtrousers, these are the older model no ankle/leg zips! They are totally waterproof, still, after 7 or 8 years. I bought 2 pairs of these, one pair is virtually unused. Because they don't have a zip at the ankle they have a really fitted cut, great on foot and on the bike. When out with other folk its often perceived that taking your footwear off to put waterproofs on is a hassle but in reality its almost as quick as the more "normal" option.
Mountain Hardwear 100 weight "grid" fleece, just a short zip type. Like the tights only worn first thing in the morning. What sort of a gear list would it be without a fleece!
 Patagonia down vest, in case it went cool, it didn't really, it was also a large part of my pillow when sleeping. On reflection this could have been left behind.
Karrimor KIMM Paclite jacket, well it kept me warm and the rain out. But god was it rubbish on the breathability front. This was one of only two gear "failures". It is perhaps unfair to damm this jacket as it was being used for cycling rather than walking/running/backpacking, and two hours of constant climbing in heavy rain is a rigorous test for any garment.
Ron Hill Hilly offroad socks, these are superb, good value, comfortable and dry quickly when washed, I took three pairs but only used two, and could probably got away with one pair.
Trekmates Goretex socks, I use these in trainers for walking and so it was a no-brainer to take them on this trip, they were a godsend on the wet days, not a drip through them. they'd already done a number of Munros and many days in the Lakes and Dales.
Specialized Tahoe cycle shoes, very comfortable, no hotspots with SPD pedals, and they dried pretty quickly too.
Outdoor Designs waterproof gloves, these were a disappointment, they failed very quickly and meant wet hands until I replaced them with a pair of Super U washing-up gloves in a tasteful powder blue! In their defence they have been used for a number of years for Motorcycling/Cycling/Skiing/Snowboarding, I've probably had my money's worth really.
Aldi cycle mitts, these were incredibly comfortable and were used every day except the very wet day. Great value for money.
Crocs, other than my cycle shoes these were all I had with me and filled the brief well. Quick drying, light and comfortable. The only downside is the bulk, more of a problem when backpacking than cycletouring.
 Patagonia Fennic trousers, these have been on many trips including being used for 10 days on the HRP. I don't know if there still made but if not they should be. They have spent much of their life in the sun and haven't even faded.
Rohan X static briefs, I took 2 pairs of these, again an easy wash and dry. and comfortable. What more do you need?
Craghopper shorts, I've had these for years, they did the job but I will look for something a bit more packable from the Montane range.
Berghaus X static zip poloneck, taken for any cool days/evenings but in the event only worn on one wet day. this could have been left behind as I also had....
Smartwool zip polo (lightest weight) this is a more usable shirt for me at least. It also takes up very little space and dries very quickly.
Berghaus Synthetic long sleeve shirt, (I've forgotton its name!) used for travelling in and for exploring in the evenings. Dries almost instantly it seems and has proved durable, again used for 10 days on the HRP as well as many other trips with no ill effects.
For Headwear I had a Buff, an Inov8 cap and a Specialized Align Helmet all good no complaints from any of them and all proven kit having stood the test of time. I took and used a pair of Bolle sunglasses and a cheapy pair of Aldi cycle sunglasses. No complaints here either.
 That pretty much sums up the clothing I wore and carried, it sounds a huge amount, but packed small and didn't weigh too much, although I take a good deal less when backpacking!

Playing with the Poncho Tarp

A beautiful evening gave me the opertunity to try the Golite Poncho Tarp using a pushbike as the main support. I was intrigued to see if this arrangement would give enough headroom and cover. Yes on both counts! I was well impressed. I just need to get an overnight trip planned now.

klymit Inertia X-lite First View

Compared to a 400ml Nalgene

Strange looking?!

I've quietly being buying several items of gear since my return from France. Todays purchase was the Klymit Inertia X-lite sleeping mat. I purchased it from http://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/ very close to work, and staffed by folk who know what their talking about. It has a pack size of 15cm x 4cm and blows up very easily to create a mat 107cm x 46cm x 4cm. Remarkably comfortable to lie on, check out the Klymit website to read the theory on this design. The weight.... only 173g! I can't wait to try it out.

Robens Mythos Duo, first view

Pitched here on only 6 pegs, has a look of a larger Phreeranger
The eagle eyed will see Ingleborough in the background.

Anyone only interested in ultralight gear best look away now. However the Mythos Duo is far from heavy, inner, outer and poleset weigh in at 1814g on my electronic scales. 12 pegs are required, those supplied are DAC V channels, not the lightest but certainly bombproof. I shall combine 8 of these with 4 old pheonix skewers, this will give a in use weight of 1900g.
I was attracted to this tent in the first place because of its very short pack length of 36cm, ideal for packing in cycle panniers. It offers loads of space for one when cycle camping, with 2 spacious bells and interior space of 120cm x 210cm. There would be good space for 2 backpacking.
It has the benefit of inner and outer together pitching or outer first. This evenings first pitch was easy even in a breeze on top of the fell, 6 pegs see it up, 6 standard guys would make it pretty secure. Its not intended to be pitched in exposed situations (I've got an Ultra Quaser for that!) but seems good and sturdy, time will tell.
The other point which put the Mythos Duo on my very short list was it's bargain price, purchased last week from Cotswold at the offer price of £179.00. The service I received from both the Keswick branch and Bournemouth, (where it actually came from) was excellent.

Good interior space, several storage pockets

Kentmere on the Dahon

A short ride after work on my new toy! The weather wasn't quite as good as I thought it might of been, but it stayed dry, and its always good to be out in the fresh air after a day in the office. I parked in Staveley and rode up the valley to Hartrigg farm and back. The woods and fields beside the River Kent were home to rafts (is that correct?) of tiny wild daffodils, whilst the rabbits were taking advantage of the evening sun.

The Dahon Helios is a great ride, I bought it over the internet from CH White in Wiltshire, and I would strongly recommend them to anyone looking for a great choice of folding bikes. They are able to alter the spec on there custom built models to suit, the route I took to achieve what I required.

Micro Tarp

The short walk near Cartmel gave me chance to see what my homemade micro tarp looked like up. Basically 120cm square and weighing 129grams including the 4 pegs needed. I erected it with 2 sections of a damaged Akto pole, which seemed to work perfectly. The space seems adequate, and I'm looking forward to using it with the recently purchased Gelert bivibag giving a total weight of 438grams (exc pole).