Highball Blog

RightOnTrek Backpacking Meals Review

2022-07-19T09:26:00.005+03:00

About RightOnTreck

RightOnTrek’s primary mission is to get people into the outdoors, and it’s not just about the backpacking meals. Whether you’re an experienced outdoor fanatic or a newbie, the website’s Wilderness Studio has been carefully curated to offer users free resources for creating their own or suggested itineraries within the US.

There’s also a tab for information on renting gear but it’s currently only for Glacier National Park. Hopefully they develop this section with a lot more parks—it would significantly simplify the process of organizing long distance travel.

I also see opportunities for connecting visitors with local ambassadors for housing, food and guide options. Beta is key to any adventure and this one-stop service is a brilliant idea. I really hope to see them partner with other businesses and expand to additional countries in the future as well.

Backpacking Meals

RightOnTrek sent us two meals to test; High Country Pad Thai Dinner and Blueberry Bliss Granola with Yogurt. All meals can be purchased individually ($6.49 - $9.99 1 per.), created in a custom meal plan or in a complete meal kit ($39.99 - $44.99 1 per., 1 day including snacks).

Ishould note that in the US backpack meals (those that don’t taste like cardboard) will usually run you $10 - $15 per meal claiming they feed 2 people. We usually adjust that to 1.5 very hungry adults to be safe. No one wants to be hungry in the back country.

We were very happyto discover these meals were just the right amount for one “tired hungry explorer” as advertised. Customers have various preferences to choose from and there are options available for common nutrition restrictions. The meals also came with a sturdy, resealable bag to pack out the trash and keep any leftovers from leaking on your camping gear. We thought that was a nice touch.

Taste

This is the big question, right? We were very pleased with the flavors and textures of the meals. The Pad Tai was especially delicious! Right On Trek sent us the full add-on’s to try so we went all in—although, I recommend going light on the Chili Sauce if you’re not accustomed.

The flavor was rich and very savory, definitely comparable to a homemade version and especially good for a backpacking meal. Soy can be a toss-up if you don’t know how to cook it, but the curls had the texture and flavor of real chicken. My husband couldn’t tell the difference!

I would absolutely buy the Pad Thai again; it was well-worth the money. The Granola was also very tasty and filling enough to last a morning of hiking without getting hungry. No complaints about the flavors whatsoever. It left me wanting to try a few more of their dinner selections.

Final Thoughts

We usually pack a majority of our own prepped food and a couple freeze-dried meals just in case, but the RightOnTrek meals have tempted me in a new direction! They’re filling, easy to make, the flavor is amazing, and a huge overall bang for your buck. I’d like to be a lot more critical, but my only complaint is that I want them to make even more meals for me to try.

It’s clear they have been crafted by people who understand the satisfaction of dropping your pack after a long day of hiking and digging into some genuinely tasty food, while you take in the view. The combo is perfection.

ProViz REFLECT 360+ Cycling Jacket Review

2015-12-07T17:35:00.003+02:00

Cyclists, roadies, mountain bikers, tourers, bikepackers, commuters - you all know the situation - a car is approaching from behind, it's dark, they're going far too fast for your liking, and you're waiting for them to spot you before you're run off the road.

Cycling at night is something which has always worried me, even with front and rear lights I'm always fretting about how visible I am to other road users. After all, black Lycra isn't the most visible clothing. Of course you can get reflective bands to put on your legs, and your jersey or jacket may have reflective detailing but is it really enough?

Personally, I'd say no.

Luckily for those of us who like to cycle after dark, ProViz have come up with a jacket which certainly won't leave you wishing you were any more visible!

The ProViz REFLECT360+ is the British company's answer to the cycling reflective jacket. Unlike traditional jackets the REFLECT360+ is constructed entirely from reflective fabric, giving 360° visibility. Also available on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon Germany and Amazon Canada.

Apologies for the dirt, blame the autumn roads!

Features

The jacket has the usual cycling specific features, the lower back pocket and slightly dropped rear hem. It also includes two chest pockets and an inside chest pocket, handy for storing a mobile phone (although unfortunately the inside pocket won't fit a 5.5" smartphone!). The two chest pockets have water resistant zips, and the rear pocket has an external storm flap to cover the zip.

High quality zips and branded zipper pulls.

As with the majority of cycling specific clothing the jacket lacks a hood, which I consider a good thing as I find hoods just get in the way on a bike.

Materials and Construction

The body of the jacket is constructed from a TPU backed fabric covered in millions of tiny glass beads, giving the jacket it's impressive reflectivity. The material is fairly waterproof (with a hydrostatic head of 10,000mm, as compared to Gore-Tex Performance Shell at 28,000) and breathable (10,000gm/24hr, as compared to Performance Shell at 17,000).

In daylight, the jacket is a dull grey color.

Looking at the figures it's obvious that if you're looking for a jacket purely for keeping you dry it's worth looking elsewhere. However, with the well placed vents in reality the jacket is far more breathable than the numbers would suggest, and it is more than waterproof enough for the majority of rides. Saying this - it is still no match for any of the high end waterproof breathable fabrics.

However, even with the breathability probably surpassing the numbers, the jacket can end up being a bit of a sweat trap - if you're working hard you'll just have to accept that waterproof fabrics won't keep you particularly dry! A nice touch is the microfleece lined collar, something which is definitely appreciated in the colder months!

The stitching on the jacket is of a very high quality, too.

A close up of the stitching

Performance

It's certainly noticeable that cars give me a much wider berth when I'm wearing the ProViz jacket as opposed to either a standard jersey or a jacket with only reflective detailing. It makes sense, drivers can see you from further away and so have more time to prepare to properly overtake, rather than trying to nip past at the last moment.

A comparison shot taken from the seat of a car showing the massive
difference between a fluorescent yellow rain shell and the REFLECT360+.

It definitely “does what it says on the tin.”

One slight annoyance I noticed is that if you don't have the main zip all of the way up to the collar, the zipper pulls for the two pockets and the main zip all hang side by side at about the same level. Quite a few times I've gone to open a pocket and have ended up pulling the main zip open instead!

Whilst taking photos for the review, I noticed that when you are behind a braking car, the red light from the brake lights will light the jacket up bright red, pretty cool!

Taken looking through the back window of a VW Scirocco

Fit

This jacket runs large, I would wear a medium from most manufacturers but a small REFLECT360+ is as big as I'd be comfortable in. The sizing guide on the ProViz website is pretty reliable however, so make sure to check that before you buy anything!

The main problem I've found is that if you size the jacket for a trim fit like most cycling jackets the back and shoulders will be restrictive if you're riding on the drops. This isn't a problem for people riding with flat bars, but for road bikes it feels like you're wearing a jacket a size too small. The jacket fits in most other respects - correct sleeve length, a slight rise on the front hem and a slightly dropped rear hem, it's just too restrictive over the back of the shoulders.

Funnily enough, I find the jacket quite baggy around the midriff. It does have an adjustable waist which at least helps in this area but if you're a performance cyclist I can safely say the fit is not for you.

This is a jacket suited mainly to more casual style cycling, it certainly wouldn't be described as a racing fit. It would be very well suited to commuting on a flat bar bike, although saying this - if you have slim shoulders or don't mind it being a little tight it's perfectly usable on a road bike. I find that once you're actually on the bike it's not an issue.

Looks

This will obviously vary greatly as this is very subjective, although personally I really like the looks of the jacket. During the day it isn't obvious that it is a reflective jacket - it just has a dull grey colour.

The jacket has branding on the chest and rear, and it looks great! The ProViz logo and REFLECT360+ text are stylish and well designed.

Pros

Makes you far more visible on the road than any standard clothing.
Cycling specific features like dropped rear hem, lower back pocket, and no hood.
Reasonably waterproof.
Understated looks during the day.
Solid construction.
Plenty of pockets.

Cons

Strange fit.
Could do with being a little slimmer in the body and wider in the shoulders.
Not particularly breathable.
Fairly expensive

Price

The REFLECT360+ Jacket retails for £109.99 at the time of writing and is available directly from the ProViz website.

It's hard to comment on the price as there is nothing else on the market which gives anywhere near as much visibility whilst cycling, but on the whole it is expensive for a rain shell in this performance bracket.

The bottom line...

The REFLECT360+ is a solid performer, and certainly enhances your visibility to other road users. If you can get over the fit and breathability issues I'd definitely recommend it for commuting and winter riding, although if you cycle for speed I'd recommend you look elsewhere. In my opinion it's major selling point is that it can't be beaten in terms of reflectivity, and it certainly does a sterling job at this!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review!

The REFLECT360+ (as well as a full range of cycle clothing and accessories) is available at the ProViz website, here: http://www.provizsports.com

Thanks to Anthony at ProViz for the opportunity to review a sweet jacket.

Disclaimer: ProViz provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with the product.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Underground Quilts Renegade Top Quilt Review

2015-08-24T21:05:00.001+03:00

I assume if you've reached this review you know the advantages of using a quilt system rather than a sleeping bag for backpacking, whether you ground sleep or hammock camp.

For ground sleepers it's the unparalleled weight to warmth ratio, for hammockers it's removing the hassle of using a conventional bag within the hammock.

Whichever way you prefer to camp you have a multitude of options, however the UGQ Renegade quilt will cater fantastically to both, so especially if you like to camp both ways (or at least have the option) the Renegade is a solid contender.

Overview

The UGQ Renegade top quilt is quite a step apart from normal backpacking quilts. Using a combination of both horizontally and vertically oriented baffles the main aim of the quilt is maximum thermal efficiency. The vertical baffles in the upper section of the quilt give it a much closer drape, meaning a closer fit to your body and less dead space to heat. Theoretically this should in turn give you more warmth than a comparable (read, same amount of down) quilt with horizontal baffles.

The Renegade isn't aimed at just hammock campers or just ground sleepers. It's a truly versatile piece of kit and has definitely exceeded my expectations by being able to work perfectly in both applications, with the features such as the pad attachment system owing to the versatility of the quilt.

Materials and Construction

The Renegade quilt I received is constructed from a fabric called Illume15, which is an ultralight 15D ripstop nylon. The fabric is extremely downproof and has a DWR finish giving a good degree of water repellency whilst still remaining very breathable.

The Illume15 is a fantastic fabric with a lovely feel. A strong ripstop pattern gives protection against tears.

I found that the Illume15 gave a great balance between durability and light weight. It doesn't feel fragile like a lot of ultralight fabrics, and at 0.91oz/sq yd it still remains very light. I also found that unlike other fabrics the Illume15 doesn't feel clammy against your skin after a hard day outdoors, rather it has a soft but slightly papery feel to it, which although sounds strange is very comfortable.

The construction is top notch. Each quilt is made by hand in the UGQ shop, and it's immediately obvious that a lot of time and effort goes into making each quilt. There are no misplaced stitches, no loose threads, contrasting to the majority of "big name" brands which often have both.

The stitching gets a solid 10/10.

The down fill is 13.32oz of HyperDRY 800GDD down, an 800 fill power down which has a DWR coating applied to protect against moisture.

I have been hesitant to buy down products for years because of the common conception that it doesn't work as well as synthetic insulation when it's wet, however the HyperDRY down is designed to minimise this problem. Whilst I haven't absolutely soaked the quilt I have (on numerous occasions) got it slightly damp and I haven't noticed any difference in how well it insulates compared to a synthetic bag in the same conditions.

Performance

The Renegade quilt is deceptively warm, at only 744g, the 800fp down should keep you warm down to about 20°F (-6°C). As with all cottage manufacturers the temperature rating is only rough, and I'd be happy to push it a bit lower, meaning for UK conditions you have a 3/4 season sleeping bag for less than a kilogram!

Using the Renegade quilt in a bivi bag. Temperatures dropped to about 5°C (41°F) during the night.

The down is well distributed, giving consistent warmth across the quilt. This is helped by the differential cut, which although is less important on a top quilt than an underquilt, is still a nice feature to have.

On the subject of underquilts, I found that the Renegade TQ worked perfectly in conjunction with the Warbonnet Yeti UQ. In the hammock it is very comfortable, definitely working far better than a sleeping bag!

The only area I found the quilt lacked in is the pad attachment system. It's a good idea, although I found that in practice it often comes undone, and it's quite fiddly to reattach in the dark. Saying this however, I've found attaching the quilt to the pad unnecessary, as I've found tucking the quilt beneath your body works just as well, and allows you to easily vent heat or pull it in tight when it's cold.

The pad attachment system is fiddly, although fortunately is unnecessary!

Down Leakage

The Illume15 fabric has exceeded all of my expectations in terms of down leakage. Usually I would expect a sleeping bag or quilt to leak a small amount of down over it's lifetime, they all do and it's nothing to worry about. However in over three months of fairly regular use I have yet to see any down come out of the quilt. This also suggests that the down used in the UGQ Quilts is of a very high quality, and so has very few sharp feathers in the mix.

I'm extremely impressed.

(Please note that on the review sample both the inner and outer shell were constructed from Illume15 fabric, whereas UGQ have recently switched to using MEMBRANE 10 for the inner and a choice of either Illume15 or HyperD1.0 for the outer.)

Options

The joy of cottage vendors - customization. There are a myriad of options on the UGQ website, everything from overfill (extra down for better performance) to footbox construction (insulated, like the review sample, or the standard snap and draw option which can open up in warmer weather) or custom patterns.

You also have a huge number of colours to choose from, the Illume15 fabric gives a brilliant depth and is available in basically any colour you could think of. The review sample has a Macaw Green body with Moroccan Blue footbox and inner shell. As you can see in the image below the insulated footbox has snaps as well to allow you to vent or seal the quilt as conditions dictate.

Both the Macaw Green and Moroccan Blue are very vibrant and give a premium feel to the quilt.

You also have the option of four different temperature ratings (30, 20, 10 and 0°F), as well as an overstuff option. There are various size options, giving you the ability to tailor your quilt to fit you exactly.

Apart from the quality of the goods, my favourite thing about buying from cottage vendors is the personal touch, your gear isn't being churned out by a machine, so if you want something specific all you need to do is ask. I've experienced UGQ go to great lengths to ensure that every customer gets exactly what they ordered, top notch service!

Pros

The quilt is completely tailored to your needs, everything from colour, to size and features.
Flawless construction.
Ultralight at only 744g*
Small pack size, 36x16x16cm* in the included stuff sack.
Absolutely no down leakage so far.
op quality materials.
Can be used both in hammocks and for ground sleeping.
Produced by a fantastic cottage company.

*Please note that weight and pack size depend on the spec of the quilt. The quoted figures are true for the review sample.

Cons

The pad attachment system is fiddly and often comes loose.

Price

The price of the Renegade Top Quilt is highly variable depending on what options you choose, although you should expect to pay between $295 and $450.*

I feel that these are fair prices, it's similar to a lot of comparable sleeping bags from large manufacturers, although as it is a quilt and cuts out a lot of unnecessary material it beats them all for weight, and it's completely hand made!

*A quilt identical to the review sample would cost $370.95

Summary

Whether you're looking for a quilt for a hammock, tent, tarp, bivy, whatever, take a good look at the UGQ Renegade. It's a solid contender as a versatile year round, all round backpacking quilt.

For your money you're getting a high performance piece of gear made in the USA with superb construction and materials. I'd say it's totally worth it! You also have the reassurance that your gear has been made by real people who are enthusiastic about the gear they make, which means not only fantastic products, but fantastic customer service too.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review!

The Renegade TQ (as well as the UGQ range of underquilts and tarps) is available at the UGQ website, here: http://www.undergroundquilts.com

Campsite at the base of Slieve Meelmore in the Mourne Mountains.

Thanks to Paul and Missy at UGQ for the opportunity to review an awesome quilt.

Disclaimer: Underground Quilts provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with the product.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Yama Mountain Gear DIY Cuben Fiber Stuff Sack Kit Review

2015-04-27T16:08:00.000+03:00

Ever sat for hours drooling over a Cuben tarp, wishing you could somehow justify the price?

As someone who's done this a whole lot more than they'd like to admit, I've naturally wondered if it'd just be cheaper to buy a roll of Cuben Fiber and make one myself.

What's been stopping me (apart from the price a roll of Cuben) is that I hadn't the slightest clue about how easy it is to work with the material, and considering I'm completely incompetent with a sewing machine the odds don't exactly stack up in my favor...

When I came across the DIY Cuben stuff sack kit on the Yama Mountain Gear website (whilst drooling over their tarps!) I was intrigued, and shot an email to Gen, who runs the company.

Turned out he was happy to send me a sample to review here, and I don't even have to sew anything - Thanks Gen!

Contents

The kit includes enough of everything to let you assemble up to seven stuff sacks depending on the sizes you choose. The "DIY" section of the Yama Mountain Gear website includes three different templates to help you get the most out of the kit, along with comprehensive instructions.

The kit comes packaged inside a zip lock bag and contains:

21" x 54" of CT2E.08 Cuben Fiber
28' of 1/2" transfer tape
2 sheets of reinforcement stickers (one sheet of circles, one of rectangles.
14' of white spectra cord
7 tiny cord locks

To assemble the stuff sacks you'll need to provide:

A cutting mat or surface that you don't mind damaging
A craft knife or really sharp pair of scissors
A ruler
A lighter
Either a pen or pencil which will draw on the cuben

(Notice I didn't list a sewing machine?)

Once you have all of this, just refer to the instructions here

Setting up shop. (A little more light would help!)

Build Quality

The build quality is all down to you, no amount of fancy laminate is gonna stop you from ballsing it up!

Seriously though, as you make more of the stuff sacks your build quality will drastically increase. My first stuff sack was a little wonky, the drawcord channel a bit tight, and the seams a bit wrinkly. However by the time I had reached my third sack I was actually really pleased with how they were coming out, though they're definitely far from professional!

The three stuff sacks I have completed so far. Notice that the seams get wrinkled over time anyway, so if you make a wrinkly seam it won't look too bad after a bit of use!

Use and Performance

Stuff sacks only really have one use, to hold things, and I can't at all criticise the performance of these stuff sacks to do so. Honestly, the stuff sacks from the YMG kit will do just as good a job as any other stuff sack will, the main advantage is that they weigh next to nothing.

Since the sacks are made from Cuben and the seams are sealed the stuff sacks provide a good deal of water resistance, although the drawstring top will still let water in if you're not careful. It would be interesting to experiment with dry bag style roll tops!

The Cuben is waterproof, although the drawstring top is not.

With "Option 1" from the instructions on the Yama Mountain Gear website you can have a full set of stuff sacks perfect for organizing even a fairly large rucksack. I'm using mine to pack my rucksack neatly and efficiently for multi day trips and day hikes.

I've had loads of use out of the two mini sizes and the small size. The medium size ones may fit a sleeping bag or underquilt, although I'm currently messing about trying to make a custom sized one for the Warbonnet Yeti underquilt.

The template from the YMG website.

I can't comment on the long term durability of these stuff sacks, as the longest trip I've used them for has been three days long. Although over about two months of fairly regular use they are wrinkly, but are showing next to no signs of wear.

Pros

Fantastic way to gain experience working with Cuben
Effective way to get a set of Cuben stuff sacks on a budget
They weigh barely anything
Custom sizes and designs are possible

Cons

They take quite a long time to make and can be fiddly!

Summary

I think this kit is a perfect introduction to working with Cuben Fiber and is especially suited to those planning to make something bigger, whether it be a tarp, tent, or rucksack, or something even more adventurous.

If anything, it certainly makes you realize just how much work goes into producing Cuben products, and may even make you reevaluate your ideas on doing so yourself!

If you're not up for making them yourself, you can get the same stuff sacks pre-made on the Yama Mountain Gear website, here.

Thanks to Gen Shimizu of Yama Mountain Gear for letting me review the DIY Cuben Fiber Stuff Sack Kit.

Disclaimer: Yama Mountain Gear provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with the product.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Polymath Products Mini Survival Tin Review

2015-03-04T14:07:00.002+02:00

You could debate for years about what should be included in a compact survival kit (and people do!). So for the purposes of this review I'm going to comment on what is in the kit, rather than what could be in the kit.

Following the reviews of the fantastic UCSK and EDC Fire Kit from Polymath Products, here's the final kit in the line up - the Mini Survival Tin.

Tipping the scales at just 51g, it's a bit heavier than both the UCSK and the EDCFK.

Its a change from the other two, being housed in a metal tin rather than the usual shotgun cartridge, however it shares a lot of it's contents with the UCSK.

Speaking of contents...

Contents

The larger volume of the Tin compared to the UCSK means it includes a few more items.

The Housing

Metal tin
Ranger band

The tin measures 6x5cm and is exactly the same as the mini Altoids mint tins. This part of the kit was a little disappointing, although it may be my fault as it got fairly battered about! (More on that later)

The tin is sealed with a ranger band stretched around the sides which gives fantastic waterproofing and is a well known multi-use survival item.

The ranger band is one of the most simple, yet useful items in the kit. It can be used to attach the tin to a belt, knife sheath or rucksack strap, it can be used to lash items together, it can support a broken finger, and it can even be used as a fire starter!

The Tin attached to the shoulder strap of a rucksack

Fire Preparation

Fire Steel, 6.5mm Ø
Fire Steel Striker
IPA Alcohol Swab

The firesteels on the UCSK and EDCFK were both fantastic, and although the fire steel in the Tin isn't quite as good it still works just as well as it needs to! It's a little fiddly to use but it still throws good sparks.

The striker is the same as in the UCSK, a little piece of hacksaw blade and again - although small and fiddly, it works!

The IPA Alcohol Swab isn't technically a fire preparation item it works well to get kindling going after you've lit your tinder. Unfortunately though if you use it for fire lighting you obviously won't be able to use it to treat wounds!

I would really like to have seen at least one of the EDCFK's tinder sticks in the Mini Survival Tin, which would let you save the alcohol swab for first aid, but sadly this is an item that was left out of the Tin.

One of the tinder sticks from the EDCFK

Navigation and Signalling

Liquid-filled Compass
Glow Stick
Whistle

The compass is accurate, pretty much dead on the same as my Silva one. There isn't really much else to say about the compass, it works and that's that!

Good for some impromptu route planning!

After reviewing the UCSK and EDCFK I have become quite fond of the glow stick included in each kit, so it's nice to have one in the Tin. It can be used to view the compass in the dark, provide a small amount of light to aid movement at night, and as a night time fishing lure/bite indicator.

The whistle is a really nice little tubular aluminum device with a lanyard hole at one end. A whistle could be invaluable in a mountain or canyon emergency, where there may be people on nearby trails but you are out of sight and in a dangerous situation (127 hours anyone?).

Trapping

Scalpel Blade, #10
8m Fishing Line, 6lb
2x Swivel, Size 10
Hooks: 2x Size 10, 2x Size 8
2x 1m Brass Snare Wire

The Mini Survival Tin contains a fairly comprehensive survival fishing kit, with line rated to 6lbs. It seems that 6lb is a pretty respectable size for a fish, so the fishing kit could definitely make or break a survival situation!

Also included in the kit is a #10 scalpel blade which has a myriad of survival uses; cutting cord, building spears and traps and carving tools, as well as a number of medical uses.

The 2m of brass snare wire (cut into 2x 1m lengths) can of course be used to construct snares, or if food is less of a concern than shelter it can be used as shelter building cordage.

Water

Water Carrier (Condom)
2x Water Purification Tablet

The water carrier can be used with the cartridge as a water bottle, or can be used to store dry tinder when in a wet environment. It can also apparently be used as a flotation device when inflated and wrapped in a shirt!

The water purification tablets should make suspect water sources safe to drink from. They make the water taste horrible but it's much better than getting ill from the water. These things are trusted by military all over the world so I'm inclined to trust them too!

Medical

Sewing Needle
Scalpel Blade, #10
Adhesive Dressing Strip
IPA Alcohol Swab
2x Safety Pin

The adhesive dressing and alcohol swab are both sealed and sterile, and would be essential to prevent infection of small wounds in a survival situation.

The sewing needle and safety pins could have medical uses including sewing wounds and pinning bandages (although obviously this is a very last resort!), and the safety pins can double as emergency fishing hooks.

Paracord

The kit includes 1m of braided paracord, however it is inside the tin rather than outside it, so takes up quite a lot of space.

I'm not going to bother to list uses of paracord, there are far too many!

Who doesn't love paracord?

Quality

The overall quality, like the rest of the Polymath Products kits, is absolutely stunning.

The main components of the kit are all packed neatly inside a plastic bag with the paracord filling the remaining space inside the tin. An exceptional level of detail is put into manufacturing these kits!

Neatly packed

The metal tin however leaves a lot to be desired. I had it strapped with the ranger band to my belt and after a matter of kilometers the lid had become dented (maybe I'm just getting fat...). I then used the ranger band to attach it to the kydex sheath of a knife and the same happened to the other side where the tin had contacted the sheath. Eventually the hinges deformed and the lid popped off.

RIP, tin

It was a massive surprise when a component of such a well built kit failed, but apart from the dents and lack of hinges the tin is still usable. I now just make sure to put the ranger band around the tin in fear of the lid popping off and losing the contents of the kit.

If anything needs improved with this kit it's definitely the housing!

Tips and Tricks

The Mini Survival Tin comes with a printed instructions, tips and tricks sheet similar to the ones with the UCSK and EDCFK. It gives a handy refresher on basic survival techniques and alternative uses for components of the kit.

Pros

Can literally save your life, or just save the day!
Small and light
Very comprehensive, covers all survival priorities
Full fishing kit
Discreet and compact
Perfect for attaching to a knife sheath or belt
Great price

Cons

Flimsy tin
Could be improved with a tinder stick from the EDCFK

Summary

This is a great kit, very well thought out and constructed, but it's only letdown is the tin.

If you're on the fence between the UCSK and the Mini Survival Tin I'd say just go for the UCSK. The Tin is a great product, it's just outshone a little by the UCSK! Saying that though, some people will prefer the Tin.

Also, if you have the UCSK and the EDCFK already you may as well get the Mini Survival Tin to complete the set!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review!

You can check out the Survival Tin at the Polymath Products website here:
http://www.polymathproducts.co.uk/

I currently have the contents of the kit attached to my knife sheath with the ranger band - no tin necessary!

Thanks to Sam and Luke from Polymath Products for letting me review the Mini Survival Tin, they're awesome guys with an awesome company!

Disclaimer: Polymath Products provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the product in any way. These are my opinions.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Polymath Products EDC Fire Kit Review

2015-01-22T14:09:00.000+02:00

Here's another great kit from Polymath Products, following the same design as the UCSK, the EDC Fire Kit. (Hereafter referred to as the "EDCFK")

This probably isn't one for the ultralight backpackers, but aimed more towards bushcrafters and general outdoors enthusiasts.

The kit, like the UCSK, is very neat and tidy, everything bar the firesteel striker is housed inside the shotgun cartridge. The cartridge for the EDCFK is silver, and instead of the compass found on the bottom of the UCSK you get a thermometer.

Contents

The contents of the EDCFK

The Housing

Cartridge
Split ring

Unlike the UCSK the cartridge and split ring serve no other purpose in this kit apart from keeping the contents together.

Fire Preparation

Firesteel, 6.5mm Ø
Super Alloy Striker
8x Tinder sticks, 6cm
Fire powder

The contents of the EDCFK are mostly comprised of items for fire preparation, which I suppose would probably make sense.

Proof that you can light a fire with this kit!

The firesteel in the kit is identical to the one in the UCSK, however the striker is different. Instead of the fiddly hacksaw blade striker you get a full size "Super Alloy" striker, which throws really good sparks and is much more comfortable to use. The firesteel is 6.5mm diameter so should last a long time, and if you're only using it occasionally - probably a lifetime.

The tinder sticks are a unique addition to the kit. They seem to be pieces of natural twine soaked in wax meaning they burn for ages and after being fluffed up a bit light really easily!

In the kit you get 8x 6cm long tinder sticks, which if you have good kindling could light up to 16 fires (half a stick is about the minimum I'd use per fire, unless you have good dry tinder). To use the sticks you just need to bend or twist them a couple of times to break up the wax, then pull out clumps of the fibers within to make a fluffy ball of wax and natural fibers. Then you just strike the fire-steel into the ball and you should have fire!

The Super Alloy firesteel striker

If conditions are terrible, or maybe you've run out of the tinder sticks and are using damp natural tinder, you have a secret weapon with the EDCFK. Included is a small (one gram) plastic vial of "fire powder" which judging by the bright white light when ignited, burns really quite hot. In fact, according to Polymath Products, 3000°C. So yeah, toasty.

If your tinder is damp igniting it is an absolute nightmare, so in climates where it rains a lot (like the UK!) the fire powder is a godsend.

Not Fire Preparation

Mini glow stick
Thermometer

Although the primary focus of the kit is firelighting the EDCFK includes these items which personally I don't find particularly useful.

The glow stick doesn't really emit enough light to be useful for lighting a fire in the dark, although if it was all you had then I suppose you'd be glad of it! However I would much rather the glow stick be replaced with another vial of fire powder.

Surprisingly, I actually found a use for the thermometer. When I was testing the Warbonnet Yeti underquilt I was curious about the temperature rating and the thermometer gave me a fairly good idea of this. Although unless you're testing gear or refining a sleep setup I don't think this is an important item of the kit.

I much preferred the compass on the UCSK!

Thermometer vs compass, I'd choose the latter personally...

Build Quality

The amount of thought that was put into the design of these kits is instantly obvious. The shotgun cartridge housings were a good idea and they've been implemented really well, I love them!

As with the UCSK the build quality of the EDCFK is flawless. The guys at Polymath Products do a fantastic job of making each kit look like it was assembled by an intelligent machine even though each kit is hand assembled!

Tips and Tricks

The EDCFK comes with a printed instructions, tips and tricks sheet similar to the one with the UCSK. It gives a handy refresher on firelighting technique, fuel collection, cooking and other uses for fire.

The instructions are really well written, and one thing I'd love to see would be them printed on a waterproof material and offered as little cards that you could slip into a pocket or survival tin!

Pros

Great for lighting campfires
Tiny
Lightweight
Has plenty of fire-lighting material inside
Innovative concept and well designed piece of kit
Very good price
Fantastic build quality

Cons

Thermometer and glow stick aren't particularly useful

Summary

The UCSK left a pretty hard example to follow and the EDC Fire Kit followed suit and certainly left a great impression. The two kits compliment each other really well and could work as a great modular system (swapping items between the kits or adding your own items).

At only £8.99 you'd be mad not to buy one, in fact buy a couple and give one to a friend!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my review!

You can check out the EDC Fire Kit (and the UCSK, also featured) at the Polymath Products website here: http://www.polymathproducts.co.uk/

Thanks to Sam and Luke from Polymath Products for letting me review the EDC Fire Kit. They're awesome guys with an awesome company!

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Leki Carbon Titanium AS Poles Review

2015-01-17T13:04:00.002+02:00

A walking pole is a walking pole, right...? Wrong.

There are many types of walking pole, many different designs, features, materials and weights, and they're not all created equal.

Until last year I was oblivious to the benefits of using poles (and if you still are, do some research, you'll want a pair!) and since last year I've been using a single Trespass aluminum walking pole which I picked up for about £10, and I was recently sent a pair of Leki's Carbon Titanium AS poles for review, which retail at £139.95.

So should you spend the extra on the Leki poles? I tested them to find out...

Features

First of all the Carbon Titanium poles are made from an Aluminum upper section and two 100% Carbon lower sections. This gives a lightweight but durable pole and the carbon gives a much stiffer feel and nicer swing than similar poles made from aluminum.

The Carbon Titanium range all use Leki's Aergon grip giving fantastic comfort and grip. The grip has multiple positions to hold, including holding by the top for descending and holding the shaft for ascending. The Carbon Titanium also uses the Leki Skin Strap, a thin but comfortable webbing strap.

The difference between the Carbon Titanium Antishock and the standard Carbon Titanium is the Antishock system in the lower section of the pole. It uses a different locking system (SLS) to facilitate the Antishock system. The shock absorber reduces the stress put on your wrists - especially during descents - and provides greater comfort for long walks.

The poles come with the standard Trekking baskets fitted, although with a little bit of effort you can replace them with others. You have to unscrew the basket whilst pulling it off the end of the pole, it will eventually come off and you can replace it. It does take a bit of effort to get it started, but that's good as it means you shouldn't lose your baskets on the trail!

Ergonomics and Comfort

The Carbon Titanium Antishock is the hands down winner for the most comfortable pole I've ever used, the Aergon grip is soft and breathable and fits my hand perfectly. The Carbon Titanium has the grip extended down the shaft to allow a greater number of positions where the pole can comfortably be held.

The main section of the grip is Leki's Aergon grip, which is soft and comfortable with no edges or dimples in it, making it extremely comfortable with nowhere rubbing or creating hot-spots.
The same foam material is continued down the shaft but with substantial diamond checkering to aid grip. This is not necessary on the main grip as it is formed to shape, but it is really useful on the extended portion.

You can palm the pole (hold with the top of the pole in your palm), hold it normally, flip it around and hold it lower, hold it by the shaft, and everywhere in between.

Lucky I had the straps... 30mph winds on the summit of Hen Mountain

The strap adjusts with a cam mechanism making adjustment quick and easy. You just need to pull the strap upwards to click the cam open, adjust it to your desired length and pop the cam back down. If you fall the cam will also pop open to release the pressure from your wrists.

This was a big plus for me as I usually walk without straps on my poles, due to the common concern of falling and breaking your wrist. I've broken a wrist before (although not from poles) and it isn't a fun experience! Leki have solved this problem as if you fall and the strap comes under too much tension it will pop the cam open and release the strap. Great idea!

Locking system

The locking system is a hybrid between the Leki SLS (Super Lock System- twist adjust) and the Speed Lock (lever adjust). Personally I prefer the ease of use of the Speed Lock, and the light weight of the twist lock but the pole requires both due to the Antishock system.

Both types are easy to use and the pole adjusts from 69cm to 135cm.

The SLS is apparently the worlds strongest locking system, however I had some initial problems with slipping but this was just because I'd been too hesitant to tighten it too much.

Don't be afraid to really tighten down the SLS, the poles can definitely handle it and when they're tightened adequately Leki say they are guaranteed to hold up to 140kg without slipping! I haven't had the Speed Lock slip yet and I've put a fair few kilometers on these poles.

The Speed lock and SLS systems.
(The SLS system looks worn but it's just because I got the poles wet and dirty and didn't clean them for the photo!)

Durability

So far the pole has been a whole lot more durable than the Tresspass one, there is minimal wear on the tip and the carbon is holding up really well. The grips have become a little more fluffy from use but this is to be expected from foam handled poles and only makes them more comfortable!

The Carbon Titanium uses the Flex Tip (short), meaning that if you smack the tip of the pole against a rock, tree root, etc it can bend up to 30° to protect the shaft of the pole from becoming bent or broken. This is important for the carbon as it won't bend, just break!

The carbide insert at the end has suffered very little wear at all, and the plastic Flex Tip is holding up pretty well, too.

I have been careful not to hit the shaft of the poles against any rocks, as I'd imagine the carbon would chip quite easily. However it has collided with tree roots, branches, soil, gates, fences, etc. and hasn't suffered any damage at all. I'd imagine that as long as you aren't playing golf with them these poles will last you a lifetime. (And yes, I have broken a walking pole before by playing golf with it... I won't make that mistake again!)

Versatility

The poles can be used for anything from a walk around the local forest park, to a multi-day hike into the middle of nowhere and they excel at both. The decently small pack size means the poles suit climbers and mountaineers who can tuck them away in their pack when they aren't needed.

Enjoying a day walk in the Mournes, the Antishock system was fantastic on the descent!

If you are thinking of using the poles solely for winter walking I would recommend not buying the Antishock ones, but rather going for the standard Carbon Titanium poles which use the Speed Lock for both adjustments. I say this because apparently water can easily freeze within the Antishock locking system and cause it to slip.

Since the poles adjust they are suitable for almost all, if not all, tents and tarps which require poles for setup. I have set up a tarp using only these poles and they worked very well. They are especially useful for opening up a porch on your tarp as the easy adjustment lets you open and close it as you wish. I have yet to try a tent which requires poles, but these should work perfectly.

Using the poles to open one side of my tarp as a porch.

Weight

Most of the time the pole will be in your hands and not on your pack so most of the time weight isn't a major issue, but for the times when they are on your pack I find that it's nice to have lightweight poles. Also, the reduced stress on the knees especially during descents will far outweigh the impact of carrying them!

The Carbon Titanium Antishock poles weigh 468g (per pair) which is marginally heavier than the non-Antishock version of the poles. I find that my ankles can take the few extra grams when they're on my rucksack but I'd rather not mess up my wrists! If you absolutely must go for the lightest weight, Leki offer the Carbonlite poles which weigh 416g per pair and don't have Antishock.

Materials and Construction

These poles just scream "HIGH QUALITY!" at you, and it's simply impossible to ignore it.

Every little thing is just perfectly formed; from the tip, to the locking systems, to the grip and the strap. Simple perfection.

The overall construction of the poles is to a very high standard and the quality of the Antishock system especially is absolutely flawless- a work of art!

Poles? Nah, these things are works of art.

Contrary to the name however the poles contain no Titanium, rather being constructed mainly from aluminum and carbon. This isn't a problem but the name is a bit misleading and confusing!

Pros

Great reputable manufacturer
Lightweight
Antishock system to protect your wrists
Security strap to prevent wrist injuries from a fall
Extremely comfortable
Two great locking systems
Foam grip extends down shaft
Pack down relatively small
Multiple grip positions
Extremely high quality
Comfortable strap
Fitted with Flex Tip short tips
They look great!

Cons

Expensive

Summary

Although these poles are expensive you certainly get what you pay for. They should last for years and have the backing of the largest specialty pole maker in the world - Leki. They're made of carbon to give them stiffness and light weight, they're ridiculously comfortable, and to top if off they look awesome!

So if you're asking should you get the Leki poles or the cheap ones from your local outdoors store? I'd say if you can afford them I would absolutely recommend Leki!

If the Antishock feature isn't for you there is a non-Antishock version of the poles, along with a large variety of other poles at Leki's website. (Link below)

Gazing majestically into the distance... Or just wondering when the rain's coming!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my review!

The Leki Carbon Titanium Antishock poles are available at Leki's website, here:
https://www.leki.com/uk/

Thanks to Leki for the opportunity to review an awesome set of poles!

Disclaimer: Leki provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the product in any way.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Warbonnet 3-Season Yeti Underquilt Review

2015-01-12T12:25:00.002+02:00

CBS, or "Cold Butt Syndrome" is a widely encountered problem among hammock campers.

There are many solutions, but the one that stands out above all of the others is the underquilt. It's a well known fact that underquilts greatly improve the comfort of a hammock camping setup, however they're also known to be fiddly and are notoriously hard to set up.

Add that to the fact that if a down underquilt gets wet it'll lose most of it's insulation value, you'll begin to wonder why anyone uses them...

The reason? They offer simply unparalleled comfort and warmth, and with some clever thinking all of the negatives I mentioned can be solved.

Underquilts are available in many different sizes and temperature ratings, I decided that the 2/3 length 3-season Yeti from Warbonnet would be especially suitable for year round camping in the UK.

Overview

The 3-season Yeti underquilt from Warbonnet is a down filled 2/3 (torso) length underquilt designed for gathered end hammocks. Suitable for 3-season use the Warbonnet website quotes a 20°F (-7°C) temperature rating, although this can greatly vary depending on your top insulation. Weighing in at only 12.5oz (about 355g) with a 6.5oz fill, it's lightweight and warm.

Paired with a top quilt, a small foot pad, and a Rab Primaloft hat, it's hard not to stay toasty warm all night with the Yeti.

Materials and construction

The shell of the Yeti is made from 30D Ripstop Nylon with a DWR coating. The fabric is exceptionally light and the DWR should give a good amount of water resistance to protect the down. My only problem with the materials used is that I'd be slightly worried about how fragile the shell fabric is, since I'll be seeing all of its use in forests.

This certainly isn't a piece of kit to be abused, and I'd keep a healthy respect for pine needles! Saying that, I've used it in pine forests with no problems whatsoever, although I'm pretty careful to check for pine needles on the quilt, and I never set it on the ground.

The 30D Ripstop is lightweight and has a DWR coating. This is the graphite color, I think it looks pretty nice!

The down fill is 6.5oz of 800 fill power Activ-Dry down, which has a DWR coating applied to the down itself.

I have been hesitant to buy down products for years because of the common conception that it doesn't work as well as synthetic insulation when it's wet, however the Activ-Dry down is designed to minimise this problem. Whilst I haven't absolutely soaked the underquilt I have (on numerous occasions) got it slightly damp and I haven't noticed any difference in how well it insulates.

A feature I'm particularly fond of is the differential cut. What this means is that the inner shell fabric is cut smaller than the outer shell fabric meaning that even when the inner shell is stretched completely flat the outer shell still has enough loft to prevent compression of the down. This is a common feature on sleeping bags and is especially useful on an underquilt.

The Yeti has this differential cut both ways (dual differential cut), top to bottom, and side to side, making down compression near enough impossible no matter what way you lie in your hammock. I think this is a pretty much essential feature of an underquilt, but one which is overlooked by many other manufacturers.

I'm also a big fan of the draft tubes, which consist of a horizontal down stuffed tube running along the whole length of the head and foot end openings of the quilt. These seal themselves against the hammock creating an impenetrable barrier to cold wind.

The draft tubes seal against the hammock, preventing the cold wind from robbing your heat.

The overall construction of the Yeti is of an almost indescribable level. I now 100% understand the fantastic reputation that Warbonnet has earned for quality construction. Each stitch is placed with pinpoint accuracy, I honestly can't find any faults at all with the quality of construction.

I challenge you to find even one stitch out of place.

Down leakage

I haven't noticed any major down leakage from the Yeti, but of course it leaks the occasional bit of down, which is perfectly normal for any down item and is nothing to worry about.

Nothing drastic.

Setup

Before trying an underquilt for myself I had repeatedly heard of the woes of setting one up, with people complaining how theirs would slip off them during the night, be loose against the hammock, or would be so tight against the hammock that it would compress the insulation. I'd say I was pretty well prepared for more than a bit of hassle.

You can probably understand my confusion then when I tried the Warbonnet Yeti...

Step one - Loop the elastic suspension over the each gathered end on your hammock.

Step two - ...

You were expecting a step two? Yeah, so was I.

That's all there is to it. The Yeti is fantastically easy to set up, once it's hooked on you can get into the hammock and shift the the underquilt up and down along the suspension on the sewn channels or move it side to side just by grabbing and moving it.

It sits right against the hammock, and the elastic suspension is under quite a lot of tension. This prevents any heat loss out of the sides and protects you from drafts trying to get in under the quilt.

Just for reference, I've been told that the head end is supposed to be the end with the Warbonnet logo however I don't think it matters, I've slept both ways with no complaints!

On the head end, apparently.

You can see just how easy the setup is by watching the Yeti setup video on Warbonnet's website here: http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/videos/

Performance

This thing really is warm. Which is exactly the thought that occurs to me every time I lie down into my hammock with the Yeti. It's good riddance to the infamous "Cold Butt Syndrome" replacing it with a warm, comfortable nights sleep.

The week before the quilt arrived I spent a night out with only an inflatable pad as bottom insulation, which turned out to be a very bad idea. (Read the Klymit Inertia X-Frame review to understand why!) I slept for about five minutes in total that night, with the rest consisting of shivering beside a fire wrapped in a sleeping bag...

Since then I've been out numerous times, and haven't repeated that experience, or anything close to it! Every single night I have been warm and toasty with surprising consistency.

However I have found that when you reach outside your hammock it causes the underquilt suspension to be pushed down on that side - causing the quilt to droop a little underneath the hammock. This causes a bit of cold air to get in so I'd avoid doing that as much as possible, although it's by no means a major problem.

The other thing is that whilst your torso is nice and toasty your calves and feet can feel colder than usual, this is easily solved by using a thin CCF pad inside the hammock, which can double as a sit pad during the days walking.

I do feel that the pad inside the hammock is a bit annoying but the weight savings are obvious and I always have a sitting pad with me for eating lunch so why not use it?!

Annoying but necessary, I think if the pad was thinner and larger it'd be a lot better (this is just a cheap sitting pad I picked up a while ago). I've heard great things about the Gossamer Gear pads...

The Warbonnet website states that the temperature rating for the 3-season yeti is 20°F, or -7°C. A winter version is also available, with a quoted rating of 0°F, -18°C, which is plenty for the coldest of winter temperatures in most places! So far -4°C has been the coldest temperature I have used the 3-season Yeti in, and it performed exceptionally well. I hope to test it in slightly colder temperatures (hopefully pushing the -7°C) once the snow starts to fall!

Warbonnet recommend that the underquilt be positioned so that the top lies just above your shoulders and the bottom lies just below your knees. I found this was a perfect position to trap the heat where it is needed.

Make sure not to position it too high or too low or it won't hug the hammock as it's supposed to (unless you're too warm, in which case it's a handy way to vent some heat!) instead creating a gap which will lose heat pretty fast.

Warbonnet also do not recommend putting anything between the quilt and hammock which will compromise the fit of the quilt. If you feel the need to layer a pad with the underquilt it is best kept inside your hammock or between double layers if you have them.

Compatibility with hammocks

The Yeti (with no modification to the suspension) should fit any gathered end hammock, whether its a whipped end or a sewn channel. It will work better on a whipped end hammock as there's more material to hook the suspension on to, but I've been using it on my ENO DoubleNest with absolutely no problems at all.

Of course the Yeti is also compatible with all of Warbonnet's gathered end hammocks, like the Blackbird and Traveller. For bridge style hammocks Warbonnet sell the Lynx Underquilt.

If your hammock doesn't have anywhere for the suspension to hook on to, don't fret - a short length of cord or some mini carabiners will work wonders!

It fits on my ENO DoubleNest just fine.

Pros

Exceptionally good quality
Fits virtually any gathered end hammock
Lightweight, lighter than most similar UQs from various manufacturers
Warm enough for use practically all year in the UK
Simple setup
Differential cut
Highly compressible (pack size about 30x11.5cm, but could be compressed further)
800fp Activ-Dry water repellent down
Backed by a fantastic company

Cons

I honestly can't think of any cons for the Yeti. Sure, it's expensive, but underquilts are, and if you add it to the cost of a top quilt you're getting near enough the price of a sleeping bag with similar specs.

Price

The 3-season Yeti costs $190 which includes the underquilt, suspension and a nice silnylon stuff sack.

Summary

I think you'll probably have gathered that I don't like this underquilt - I LOVE it.

It's a fantastic underquilt, and if you're on the fence about buying one all I can say is, "What are you waiting for?!" If you think you'll use it often and you can justify the price then definitely go for it and you certainly won't regret it.

There's also the fact that you're dealing with a pretty small company, one which has top notch customer service and really strives to accommodate it's customers. The business is at a personal level, and Brandon is a great guy to deal with! (Cheers Brandon!)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review!

The 3-Season Yeti is available at the Warbonnet Outdoors website, here:
http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/yeti-underquilts/

Thanks to Brandon at Warbonnet for the opportunity to review an awesome underquilt.

Disclaimer: Warbonnet Outdoors provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the product in any way, if you think it sounds like a sales pitch its because I'm really pleased with the product and think it deserves a really positive review!

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

UCSK Polymath Ultra Compact Survival Kit Review

2014-12-24T19:40:00.003+02:00

You could debate for years about what should be included in a compact survival kit (and people do!), so for the purposes of this review I'm going to comment on what is in the kit, rather than what could be in the kit.

The UCSK

So what's a polymath? Well, according to the dictionary- A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. A jack of all trades, if you like. I'd say that's a pretty appropriate name for a product from Polymath Products.

Polymath Products say that a survival kit is useless unless carried and that's a hard statement to disagree with, but with the popularity of ultralight hiking growing many people are ditching their survival kits in favor of a lighter pack. That's where the UCSK, or Ultra Compact Survival Kit, comes into it's own.

Weighing only 36g (by my scales) the kit is perfect for backpackers like me, who in an attempt to lower weight have removed their survival kits from their pack hoping that they're never going to need them. Ever since I ditched mine I've been worrying about ending up in a situation where I'd need a survival kit and luckily so far I haven't. But what would happen if I were to get lost? Break a leg? Lose my rucksack?

I decided that this was a valid concern and started to look online for ultra lightweight survival kits that would discreetly slip into my pocket or onto my belt. The UCSK fits all of my criteria; light weight, tiny pack size and low cost.

Contents

The kit holds a surprising amount of gear packed neatly into a 12 bore shotgun cartridge.

Here's what the kit includes:

The Housing
1m Paracord, 550lb
Split Ring, 25mm
Cartridge

1m of para-cord doesn't seem a lot, and personally I'd find it hard to find a survival situation where 1m of cordage would be adequate. However the good thing is that since the paracord has 7 inner strands you actually have 8m in total. I found that 8m was more than enough to rig up a simple lean-to style shelter in the woods.

An example of the paracord being used in a non-survival situation, but really saving the day- extending a tarp ridgeline to fit around a tree!

The split ring and cartridge have very few apparent uses, but if you look at the sheet included with the kit you will find that the split ring clicks perfectly on to the rim of the cartridge. This means you can easily attach the condom on to the cartridge to make a handy water bottle.

The cartridge can also be used to build a rudimentary water filter (detailed in the instructions), by packing it with layers of cloth and fine charcoal.

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about trapping, but you could probably also use the split ring as a component in a trap.

Fire Preparation

Fire Steel, 6.5mm Ø
Fire Steel Striker

The contents of the kit are packed around the 6.5mm diameter fire steel. The fire steel has a machined taper at one end, allowing it to be friction fit into the hole in the cartridge with the cartridge becoming a handle.

The fire steel throws good sparks with the included striker (a piece of hacksaw blade). The striker is minuscule making it a bit fiddly to use but it saves a lot of space in the kit compared to a standard striker!

It throws good sparks

Navigation

Liquid-filled Compass
Glow Stick

The compass is compact and very accurate, to within a degree of my Silva compass.

Helping me find my way!

The glow stick seemed like a waste of space at first, but it can be used to view the compass in the dark, provide a small amount of light to aid movement at night, and as a fishing lure/bite indicator.

The glow stick makes a good fishing lure at night. (Apologies for the terrible photo, it's surprisingly hard to get a decent photo of a tiny glowstick with your hand freezing off from holding your GoPro in a river!)

Water

Water Carrier (Condom)
2x Water Purification Tablet

The water carrier can be used with the cartridge as a water bottle (see above), or can be used to store dry tinder when in a wet environment. It can also apparently be used as a flotation device when inflated and wrapped in a shirt!

The water purification tablets should make suspect water sources safe to drink from. They make the water taste horrible but it's much better than getting Ill from the water. These things are trusted by military all over the world so I'm inclined to trust them too!

Purifying some water

Trapping

Scalpel Blade, #10
8m Fishing Line, 6lb
2x Swivel, Size 10
Hooks: 2x Size 10, 2x Size 8
2x 1m Brass Snare Wire

The UCSK contains a complete fishing kit, enough to catch anything up to 6lbs (the rating of the line) which would be invaluable in a survival situation.

Combined with other items from the kit and found items you can make a fishing rod, reel and lures.

I'll be catching salmon in no time!

The kit also includes a scalpel blade which could be fashioned into a spear or used in a deadly trap. It could also be used for general cutting (food prep, shelter building) and medical uses.
There are also 2x 1m lengths of brass snare wire for setting traps for wild animals.

Other

Sewing Needle
2x Safety Pin

The sewing needle and safety pins have medical uses including sewing wounds and pinning bandages, and the safety pins can double as emergency fishing hooks.

Build Quality

The build quality of the UCSK is simply exceptional, the fire steel is neatly turned down at the end (to allow the friction fit into the shotgun cartridge) and a hole drilled to allow the split ring to hold the kit together. The compass is glued to the end of the plastic insert which holds the contents of the kit together and the insert has a ring of what looks like heat shrink tubing around it which gives a decent amount of water resistance.

Overall everything looks neat and really well designed.

Neat and tidy

Tips and tricks

The included instruction sheet includes a detailed run down of the uses of each component including helpful tips and tricks to get the most out of your kit. I found this really useful as it unveiled a load of new uses for each component of the kit, which I never would've thought of before!

Pros

Can literally save your life, or just save the day!
Tiny
Lightweight
Has tons of stuff packed into it
Has multiple uses
Innovative concept and well designed piece of kit
Very good price
Fantastic build quality

Cons

A lot of items are single use only and it's a nightmare to repack!
Limited amount of cordage
There's no way you'll get through airport security with it in your pocket!

Summary

Overall I think the UCSK is well worth every penny and is a worthwhile addition to any pack- heavy or light. At only 26g it isn't much of a burden to carry at all, in fact it rests nicely in your trouser pockets or taped to your belt.

I'd definitely rather support a small business like Polymath Products than buy an inferior kit (and pay more!) from a big company!

At just less than £10 the UCSK would make a great gift, whether it's to a friend or yourself!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review!

You can check out the UCSK at the Polymath Products website here:
http://www.polymathproducts.co.uk/

Disclaimer: Thanks to Polymath Products for letting me review the UCSK! Polymath Products provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the product in any way. These are my opinions. Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Klymit Inertia X-Frame Ultra Lightweight Sleeping Mat Review

2014-12-10T17:34:00.002+02:00

First of all, here's a disclaimer:

This is not a pad designed for hammock camping, if you decide to use it in a hammock it may break, trust me...

During my testing period I decided to use the pad in my hammock, I caught my head in one of the holes and a tube ripped. If used on the ground this is next to impossible to do, but in a hammock it really quite easy. Again, trust me on that!

If it's used how it's intended to be used (on the ground) it'll work, if it's used in a hammock it won't. I warned you!

So you're intending to use the pad as part of an ultralight ground sleeping setup? Great, this is a review for you!

The loft pockets in action. They reduce weight and in theory they should make your bag feel warmer, although there isn't a drastic increase in warmth they do seem to work.

Features

The main feature of the Inertia X-Frame is that it's extremely light, at only 258g (9.1oz) it's a true ultralight sleeping mat, in fact it's apparently the worlds lightest full length sleeping mat!

The pad utilizes Klymit's Body Mapping Technology, which should make sure that by shaving weight the sacrifice in comfort is minimal, however compromises are to be expected with a mat like this.

The X-Frame uses Klymit's patented Loft Pocket Technology, letting your sleeping bag loft in the empty spaces created by the cut outs. This lets your bag insulate as much as possible. The loft pockets work with the mat inside or outside the bag, however I found that inside was best as it keeps the mat and bag in the same place all night.

The seam welding is immaculate (but the repair kit might be handy some day!)

Unlike a lot of inflatable sleeping pads the X-Frame only takes about 5-6 breaths to inflate and is easy to deflate using the valve. You can top up the pressure in the pad by using the included pump.

Materials and Construction

The X-Frame is made from 30D ripstop nylon for the top and coated 75D nylon for the bottom, making it one of the most durable inflatable ground sleeping pads on the market. I've slept on rough forest ground with no groundsheet and have had no problems with punctures (as with all pads, check for sharp objects both in your pockets and on the ground before you lie down!). I have however heard of leaks developing in the corners, but I've had no problem with this so far, having used the pad for a total of 12 nights at a pretty high pressure.

The top of the pad comes in a cool bright green/yellow color, I think it's a great color although some of my backpacking friends say it's a bit too bright- the description "retina-burning" has been used... (They're wrong though- retina burning colors are the best!)

All of the seams on the Inertia X-Frame are heat welded, and all seem very well done. I don't expect any leaks from them any time soon however if any part of the X-Frame fails, whether it be a tiny puncture or a small hole, the included repair kit should sort it out. Do note however that if you rip one of the tubes you won't be fixing that with the repair kit. The repair kit consists of a 5" x 3.5" patch of each material and a small tube of adhesive. It's comforting to know that you can also re-weld any of the seams at home with your iron (YouTube link down below).

The tubes aren't thick, and it's obvious they weren't designed for plus comfort, but they're all you really need...

Use and Performance

Well it's light, really light. It's not until I tried this mat that I realised just how much unnecessary weight and bulk I was carrying with my self inflating mat. However what you must realise is that the X-Frame isn't designed as a plush comfort oriented pad, it's a lot smaller than many similar pads from other manufacturers. For example when you lie on your back your arms will lie completely off the pad (unless you're extremely skinny), and it could do with a bit more padding in some areas.

Klymit's Body Mapping Technology maps out specific parts of the pad to match the human anatomy. I found it surprisingly accurate.

The fact that your arms will lie off the pad isn't really an issue, your arms don't really need padding from the ground, the only problem would be insulation. I found that sticking your empty rucksack under your arms worked pretty well however the X-Frame could do with a little more width in my opinion.

I think that the padding could definitely be an issue for some. The way inflatable sleeping mats equalize pressure is to shift air from compressed parts of the pad to the less compressed parts, meaning the heavy parts of your body sink a bit. This is mainly a concern around the buttocks- where you have quite a small area distributing a relatively large amount of weight onto the pad. This causes you to sink into the pad, touching the ground if the pad isn't pressurized enough. The solution to this problem is to increase the pressure in the pad, however this makes the pad more solid for the rest of the body (especially the shoulders). There's some skill in striking the balance between too hard and too soft but once you get it the pad becomes noticeably more comfortable.

Once adjusted properly the pad is actually quite comfortable- rivaling a lot of self inflating mats. Once you get yourself positioned correctly you feel supported in all the right places due to the Body Mapping you should feel as if you're suspended by bright yellow inflatable clouds.

The Body Mapping is designed for back-sleeping, and seems to be designed fore someone around 5'9 - 6ft, any taller or shorter and you mightn't find it as comfortable. I'm 5'10 and found the body mapping to be surprisingly accurate.

Beautiful seam welding

I also tried the pad for side-sleeping and unfortunately found it to be a lot less comfortable than for back-sleeping. There is a lot of pressure on the hip and shoulder, resulting in pad compression and sore spots. I found if you increase the pressure it supports you better but it still isn't comfortable (you will need to use the pump for this).

If you're like me and you usually side-sleep it's better just to try and sleep on your back, as it's a lot more comfortable, but if you absolutely have to sleep on your side you may be better looking at another pad.

As I mentioned at the start I tried it in a hammock and the performance was worse than terrible. However as I said, this review is based on the ground sleeping performance, not the hammocking performance.

Pros

Extremely light
Packs tiny
Innovative design
Loft pockets allow full sleeping bag loft
Takes only 5-6 breaths to inflate
Included patch kit and pump
Can be used as part of a two-pad system for winter
Great stuff sack (thin cord and micro cord lock)

Cons

Not the most comfortable
Quite small sleeping area
Arms lie off the pad
Uncomfortable for side sleeping
Not at all suited to hammocking

Summary

A lot of people say that ultralight camping is all about compromise. In this case it's pretty true, you're compromising comfort for weight, but if you're looking to make your pack as light as you possibly can I'd say it's a fair compromise to make.

Perfect.

If you're looking for a really light pad, have a look at Klymit's X-Lite pad, which is exactly the same as the X-Frame but missing the lower section.

If you've bought the Inertia X-Frame but decide you want a 3/4 length pad, have a look at this video from Klymit...

Pretty cool, right?!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review! Please leave a comment below with any questions, comments, etc.

You can pick up the Inertia X-Frame at Klymit's website for $89.95 here: klymit.shopgate.com.

Thanks to Klymit for letting me review the lightest, most awesome looking pad on the market, and to Constantin Gabor for the awesome blog!

In case you were wondering, this is what happened when I tried to use the pad in a hammock- not good. If you take anything from this review please understand: this is not a hammocking pad, it really is a great ground sleeping pad but not suitable for hammocks.

Disclaimer: Klymit provided me with the product free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the gear in any way. Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

How To Vlog with a GoPro while on a Bike - DIY GoPro Pole for Your MTB

2014-11-26T16:07:00.004+02:00

Will this work? (Update: see video below)

I gotta test it and update this with a video but for now, here's my DIY GoPro pole.

Get an aluminum bar like this one, strap it along the frame of your bike with velcro tape and you're done. I used this bar for the rotor mount as well.

It might wobble on rough terrain but it should work well while rolling on smooth surfaces (roads). I'm thinking about using this setup for vlogging just to make it more interesting.

Speaking to a camera is embarrassing in itself so why not make it even more embarrassing by doing it in a public place while cycling?

Sound taken separately with a Sony voice recorder and a lapel mic that I kept under the collar of the jacket (to avoid wind noise). Check out the sound tutorial.

Vargo Ti-Lite 750 ml Titanium Mug Review

2014-10-20T14:02:00.000+03:00

The Ti-Lite 750 Titanium Mug from Vargo is an ultralight 750 ml hybrid of a cooking and drinking vessel, resulting in the perfect centerpiece for a solo ultralight cook-set. The mug weighs only 137g (4.8oz) and is large enough to cook a decently sized meal for one person.

The Ti-Lite 750 is the perfect size, you can cook a solo meal or boil enough water for a Freezer Bag meal plus a hot drink. Picture location: Tollymore Forest Park, Northern Ireland

Features

The Ti-Lite 750 and the rest of the Ti-Lite range are made of titanium, making them lightweight and durable, and simply awesome! Another benefit of the titanium construction is that it's biocompatible meaning it is non-toxic for the human body- a comforting feature to have in a cooking vessel.

The mug has foldaway handles made from titanium wire, reducing pack size and increasing convenience. It also comes with a titanium lid which reduces boiling times and keeps your food warm.

The interior of the mug is polished, acting like a non-stick coating.

The polished interior (showing some marks from heat, common on all titanium mugs)

Materials and Construction

I don't think I need to comment much here. It's made of titanium. What's more awesome than titanium?

Nothing.

Seriously though, the titanium is great. Vargo only use pure titanium (no alloys) for their products which is extremely strong, and most importantly, very light.

The construction on this mug is immaculate. I found no defects in the finish, forming, welding or construction. The spot welding on the handle plate is neat and looks solid.

Immaculate construction and well made handles

The outside of the mug has a matte sandblasted type finish whilst the inside has a polished finish, to stop food sticking to it while you cook. This seems to work just as well as the Teflon non stick coating on my aluminium pots but should be a lot more durable!

Use and Performance

For me the Ti-Lite 750 is the mug that does it all- you can cook a decently sized meal in it, boil enough water for a full dehydrated meal, make a mug of tea in the morning, anything you'd usually use a mug, pot, bowl or plate for... this replaces them all. You don't even need to be an ultralight purist to see the benefits!

The mug's use as a cooking vessel is enhanced by the included lid, which includes straining holes for draining water from pasta etc. I found the straining holes work very well, they're such a small addition to the mug but make it a lot more versatile. Some say the fact that the lid doesn't fit tightly is annoying, I don't mind it, sure it means you can't use the mug as a storage vessel but that's why you get the included stuff sack! The lid has a plastic knob on top, which does a good job at staying cool enough to touch.

The Ti-Lite 750 includes a titanium lid, which increases the efficiency of your cooking. Picture location: between Slievenamiskan and Hen Mountain, Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland.

Surprisingly, the handles also stay relatively cool to the touch. If you use a gas stove with a small burner or a single hexamine/Esbit cube you shouldn't have any problems. However if you use a gas stove with a wide burner or cook in a fire you'll have to let the handles cool before you touch them.

The good news is that the handles are made of thin titanium wire meaning that if they do get hot they radiate the finger-burning heat quite quickly. So if you're in a little less of a hurry to grab your mug you should be fine!

Another problem coming from the hot metal is burnt lips. There are many DIY solutions to this (google it- it's a well known problem with all titanium mugs!) however I think the best thing to do is just to accept that all titanium pots and mugs get hot at the rim and it's best just to let it cool a little before you drink from it straight away. Saying this, I found that the Ti-Lite rim cooled a lot faster than similar titanium mugs, I assume this is because of the flanged design of the rim, helping improve the heat dissipation.

The shape and size of the mug allow you to store a decently sized cook-set inside it including but not limited to; a gas stove, windshield (tinfoil), thin plastic chopping board (takeaway lid), pot scrubber, salt and pepper, drying cloth, small bottle of hand sanitizer, a spork/foon and a couple of Esbit cubes (backup stove). I even managed to fit a 300 ml aluminum cup in there as well.

My cook-set in the Ti-Lite 750

Pros

It's titanium!
Only weighs 137g (4.8oz)
Replaces cooking pot, drinking mug and bowl in one
Included lid
Polished inside
Folding handles
Can hold a full cook-set
Really well made
Does a good job at keeping the handles and lid knob cool

Cons

Lid doesn't fit tightly
Titanium is more expensive than aluminum

Summary

I have been very impressed with the Vargo Ti-Lite 750 mug. On my most recent 3 day hike in the Mourne Mountains it was the only cooking pot that I brought, I was a little hesitant at first to rely on a single mug for all of my cooking, eating and drinking, but it far exceeded my expectations in versatility and performance - I can safely say I won't be using my aluminum pots and pans again any time soon!

Thanks for reading!

The Vargo Ti-Lite 750 costs $54.95 and can be purchased from the Vargo website at-
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-ti-lite-mug-750.html#.VDQ4-FCCOSP. You canm also get it at:

Thanks to Vargo for letting me review an awesome mug, and to Constantin Gabor for the awesome blog!

Disclaimer: Vargo provided me with the Ti-Lite 750 free of charge in exchange for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the product in any way. Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Vango Alto 40 Backpack Review

2014-09-14T10:57:00.002+03:00

I've been walking and climbing for a while now, and there's always one thing that bugs me every time I do a one night camping trip.

Do I use the 60L rucksack, and have too much space and end up carrying extra gear to fill it, or do I use the 25L day pack and cram everything in and end up forgetting something essential?

I figured what I needed was a good rucksack to fill the void between multi day rucksack and day pack.

Enter the Vango Alto 40.

The Alto 40 is a 40L rucksack perfectly suited to anything from a single night camping trip to a long single day alpine style climb, and practically everything in between. If you pack light and small you could use this for multi day trips as well.

First Impressions

My first few hours of inspecting the rucksack were undoubtedly what gave me such a great impression of this piece of kit.

The first thing I noticed were the striking colours; subtle greys for the main body of the pack, bright green webbing straps and elastics, and a deep red back panel.

This is an absolutely fantastic looking rucksack.

Don't think good looks are it's only merit though; the pack is made from high quality Excel 200D jacquard weave nylon for the body, 420D texturised polyester for a hard wearing base, and and Airwave foam back panel. Vango's Airwave Back System is a prominent feature in their new line of packs, which uses corrugated closed cell foam with an open weave mesh face to vent heat away from the contact points on your back, keeping your back cool and free of sweat.

Barely even started testing, and this is already seeming like a fantastic rucksack!

Features

The rucksack has a useful amount of pockets; a large main compartment (accessible from top or front) including a pocket for a hydration bladder, a lid with a top pocket and inside pocket, and a mesh pocket on each side. I found the mesh pockets were ideal for storing a CamelBak Eddy 600 ml water bottle, but they'd probably fit a 1L Nalgene as well.

On the base of the pack there is a small zipped pocket containing a lime green integrated rain cover, much better than the standard drab colours, the lime green makes you stand out in bad visibility.

I think the most useful feature, at least for me, has got to be the front zip opening. The ability to access your entire rucksack without unpacking is priceless. The zip is neatly concealed behind the front panel of the rucksack, giving it a sleek appearance, and if you didn't know it was there you probably wouldn't notice it!

Especially useful in the cramped confines of a tent

Each zip has Vango's half moon style zippers. I really love this style of zipper, they look good, and they're easy to use (even with gloves on). The zips all run smoothly and I haven't had any issues with material getting caught.

The rucksack has four compression straps, one on either side, and two to close the lid. The side compression straps are just above the side mesh pockets, meaning you can thread them through any loops on your water bottle (like the ones on the CamelBak Eddy) to keep it safe! The straps do a great job of compressing the pack and I haven't found any of the buckles slipping like on other rucksacks.

The only problem I've found with the straps is that they're very long but they have nothing to keep them tidy, I'd say a rubber o-ring on each strap would help as you could thread the excess through it and keep your straps nice and tidy.

The rucksack can also accommodate a hydration bladder (should fit up to 3L) but the hole is a bit of a squeeze to get the tube through! Any brand of hydration bladder should fit. The shoulder straps have elastic straps to keep the tube in place and easily accessible, a great feature.

On the outside face of the rucksack there are two odd looking plastic things- these are the walking pole attachment clips. These are now almost a standard feature for rucksacks, no matter which brand, however Vango's are pretty unique. The plastic attachment clips simply hook on to the elastic loop, and adjust to fit your walking pole. They're very easy to use with gloves and apparently fit ice axes, so this could be a really useful feature for mountaineers. For those who don't use them, the loops at the bottom of the rucksack (for the poles/ice axes) safely tuck away to prevent snagging.

Comfort

My first few hours of wearing this pack in the hills revealed quite an important drawback; it was painfully uncomfortable...

Thoroughly disappointed I returned home and emailed Vango, and it turns out you can bend the internal aluminum frame to fit your back. So all hope was not lost, I just had to do a little modification. Bending the frame isn't hard at all, you can do it by hand and it only takes about 5 minutes. This has turned out to be a really useful feature, letting me custom fit the back panel to anyone else who is using the rucksack!

After bending the frame into a flatter shape the rucksack was much more comfortable, in fact it rivals some of my others which have about 1" of foam padding! Although the Airwave back doesn't feel very padded it remains comfortable over long periods of walking and keeps your back much cooler than normal padding. This is achieved by the molded closed cell foam, letting air move between the channels, keeping your back cool and sweat free.

The shoulder straps and removable waist strap are also designed to vent excess heat and keep you cool, they're made from perforated EVA foam laminated to tough mesh and are surprisingly comfortable.

One of the big things I noticed about this rucksack, compared to my others, is how comfortable it is on a really warm day. Big foam pads on rucksacks are really comfortable but really don't work very well to vent heat and keep you cool, instead they get soaked in sweat leaving you with big patches of sweat on your top! This is where the Alto 40 comes into it's element- I walked for hours in the mountains over the summer, and not once did I have sweaty patches all over me, the Alto 40's AirWave back panel kept me cool all day.

The cooling features make this rucksack great for traveling, as well as in the hills

Materials and construction

The main body of the pack is constructed from lightweight but durable Excel 200D Nylon, I really like the feel of this material, it's not the absolute lightest material that could be used but it should last much longer than any ultralight fabric.

The base is made from Excel 420D Polyester. This is a hard wearing, abrasion resistant fabric, perfect for the base of a rucksack. I have no worries setting the rucksack down on rocky, sandy or gritty ground, I expect it should hold up fine for years to come!

There is a small amount of reflective detailing on the front panel of the pack on the Vango logo. This is good for increasing visibility when walking near roads in low light conditions, but it could maybe benefit from having some reflective piping near the base of the rucksack. However for a general hill walking rucksack this really isn't an issue.

All of the stitching is very good quality, no problems there.

Pros

Comfortable (once you adjust it)
Looks great
Keeps you cool
Front panel zip
Walking pole attachments
Hydration compatible
Removable waist strap (not sure how useful that is...)
Plenty of pockets
Seems like it'll last a while
Great value for money
Integrated rain cover

Cons

May require adjustment before use (bending the frame)
Everyone will want to borrow it!

Summary

Would I buy it? Absolutely.

Once I adjusted the frame to suit my back I was pleasantly surprised with the Vango Alto 40, it has loads of great features and I can't think of anything I would change. Compared to similar rucksacks from other manufacturers the Alto doesn't cost much at all, at only £60. I would highly recommend the rucksack to anyone, from people walking easy park trails to doing challenging alpine ascents, it's a really versatile pack.

Looks good in the hills

I'd like to thank Vango for the opportunity to review this awesome piece of gear, and Constantin Gabor for taking me aboard his blog!

You can get the Vango Alto 40 at vango.co.uk

Disclaimer: Vango (through Karol Marketing) provided me with the products free of charge for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the products in any way.

ENO DoubleNest Hammock Review (+ Atlas Straps and Twilights LED Camp Lights)

2014-08-29T19:42:00.001+03:00

How can I sleep more comfortably when I'm camping?

This is a question asked by many outdoors enthusiasts who sleep in tents. No matter if you carry a 1" thick sleeping mat it'll never be quite as comfortable as your bed at home... Or so I thought!

Well I've got a solution, and it comes from Eagle's Nest Outfitters, makers of high quality hammocks and accessories.

The ENO DoubleNest Hammock

The ENO DoubleNest hammock is a large gathered end camping hammock designed to be able to fit two people. Why would I, as a solo backpacker, need a double hammock you ask? The answer is simple: I like to be comfortable as I sleep!

The hammock set up

Features

This hammock is designed to be a lightweight camping hammock, but that doesn't mean it lacks in features...

The DoubleNest packs away into it's own attached compression sack, this means there's no more running around trying to catch it as it disappears into the wilderness!

The stuff sack cinches closed with a cord and an interesting cord adjuster, and also has a webbing strap stitched to the side with a good quality ENO branded snap buckle. This allows you to compress the whole hammock (including suspension carabiners) down to a ball that fits in one hand! (About the size of a grapefruit) Another useful feature of the compression sack is that when the hammock is in use it acts as a storage sack, useful for a torch, mobile phone, etc.

The hammock in its compression sack

The compression sack matches the colours of your hammock and has a large ENO label on each side.

The hammock comes with a pair of aluminium wire gate carabiners to hang it from your suspension straps (sold separately) which are rated to 400lbs. These are much lighter than the climbing carabiners many people use!

The carabiners are a smart way to attach your hammock to your suspension straps, making adjustment quick and easy, ENO definitely did a great job when it comes to easy adjustment and set up.

Unfortunately the DoubleNest doesn't come supplied with a bug net, a feature most camping hammocks in this price range have. ENO do however sell a removable bug net, called the Guardian, but at $59.95 it's quite an expensive addition to your hammock.

Materials and Construction

The hammock is constructed from a single layer of high quality breathable, quick-drying nylon. Since it's a single layer of thin material it feels as if it shouldn't hold your weight but the entire hammock is rated to 400lbs so I'm expecting it to hold up fine for many years!

The ENO DoubleNest hammock is available in loads of colour combinations to suit your preferences, I was sent the Navy/Forest hammock, but I think my favourite is probably the Orange/Silver. There are certainly plenty of colours to choose from!

All other materials (hardware and webbing) are very high quality, I really can't see any part of this hammock failing!

Each seam on the hammock is triple stitched for security and safety. Unlike some other hammocks I've had in the past I've seen absolutely no loose stitches and no signs of any coming loose. This certainly is a very well constructed hammock.

Setup

Forget setting up complicated slings with sliding loops and other silly stuff, check out the the ENO Atlas Straps.

I was sent a pair of ENO's Atlas Straps to hang the hammock, and doing that couldn't have been easier. The straps are an absolute breeze to set up; loop around the tree, clip the hammock to the desired height, and "Hey Presto" your hammock is up! I've used whoopie slings, webbing tapes and even climbing rope, but for the extra couple of grams I'd choose the Atlas straps over these any day. (Can you tell that I like them?)

I have no worries using these straps, after a few days of hammocking in the Mourne Mountains quickly setting up on rough trees the straps have shown a little wear, but nothing worrying for now (only getting slightly fluffy on the edges). The fact that these straps are made from 1" poly filament webbing means they are completely tree friendly, meaning they won't rip the bark off trees! Like the hammock, these straps are triple stitched on each loop, no worries about failure there!

I can imagine these straps holding up pretty well against wear, although once they do begin to wear badly they'll be much more expensive to replace than some home made whoopie slings...

The carabiners allow easy adjustment

Performance

I found the DoubleNest to be one of the most comfortable hammocks I've slept in. The extra room of the double hammock was definitely worth it for someone like me who tosses and turns in their sleep!

I did find however that sleeping bags and hammocks really aren't a great combination, I ended up getting tangled, bunched up, and got the infamous "cold butt syndrome" during my trip. If you're thinking of buying this hammock, or any other camping hammock, I'd say an underquilt and topquilt are pretty much essential for a comfortable nights sleep.

ENO sell their own underquilts and topquilts designed to work with their hammocks (maybe another review?) but there are many other manufacturers out there. (Just google hammock underquilt and you'll get loads of commercial and DIY versions)

My main annoyance is the lack of a bug net. In the Mournes there are plenty of annoying insects to keep you awake, however for other places I realise this isn't an issue. Maybe even a simple Velcro-on design would be appropriate.

However the lack of a bug net means you can use the hammock as a chair for lounging around camp, it works really well!

Can be used as a comfy chair too! :)

Pros

Really, really comfortable
Quality materials and solid construction
Plenty of colour choices
Integrated compression stuff sack
Quick drying
Easy setup
Small pack size
Loads of space, could actually fit two!

Cons

Quite heavy compared to other camping hammocks
Relatively expensive for a camping hammock
No bug net (although you can buy them separately)
Needs a tarp if it's rainy weather (essential in the UK!)

Summary

Overall the ENO DoubleNest is a fantastic hammock, I wouldn't hesitate to take it on many other camping trips!

For some the weight may be too much, but for me the extra space and comfort is unparalleled and definitely worth the extra tiny bit of weight.

For $69.95 (about £45) it's quite expensive compared to similar hammocks from other manufacturers, especially since it has no bug net.

Also...

ENO also make a cool set of lights for your hammock, the Twilights. These come in a handy nylon pouch and weigh only 4oz.

Yeah, I get it, they may seem like a fun novelty that'll wear off in a while. But I disagree, as fun and novel as they may seem, they brighten up a campsite and even help with the inevitable "walking into a tree" thing that seems to happen every camping trip... The great news is they're not only limited to hanging over your hammock, I've had these strung up in a tent, around the campfire, and even at home!

During my latest camping trip in the Mournes I strung the Twilights up above my hammock to light up my tarp, they looked great and gave me enough light to navigate my hammock and even find my rucksack in the dark.

The Twilights take 3AAA batteries and provide 72 hours of light from 23 Ultra-Bright LEDs. They're available with white lights, blue/green lights, and red/yellow lights. Great little things!

The Twilights in their storing pouch

I wouldn't say they're essential hammocking gear, but they're nice to have, especially if it's your first time hammock camping.

Thanks for reading!

I'd like to thank ENO for the opportunity to review their awesome gear, and Constantin Gabor for allowing me to post my review on his blog!

You can get the ENO DoubleNest, Atlas straps and Twilights at...

Disclaimer: ENO provided me with the products free of charge for this review. This didn't alter my opinion of the products in any way.

Review by Jake McConnell (part of HighballBlog.com outdoor athletes team who test and review outdoor gear).

Dude, Let's Cycle to The Seaside! 1000 + Km. Thoughts and Video

2014-08-06T21:20:00.002+03:00

Click here to view the whole set of 300 pictures.
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It’s interesting how your mind can continuously expand and adopt new (preferably higher) levels of what is “normal”.

Before leaving to the seaside I was intimidated: It’s too far. Too hard. It’s not worth it., etc. My mind was trying to justify fear and lack of engagement through artificial logical constructs. I say artificial because now that I’m home writing this, the whole experience of long distance cycling is beginning to feel normal. Normal = the norm. And shit! Look at my large smile in these pictures! So none of my fears were entirely justified - they were a construct of my petty inner self.

And now the memories sink in and become a part of my being. I know I am that dude who can travel by bike. It no longer scares me. That’s funny isn't it? Your mind and body are plastic. You can actually become a better version of yourself each day if you take massive action. And the keyword here is ACTION (not contemplation). You spiral upwards into healthy beliefs about yourself because everything you now believe is based on experience - it’s simply a great shortcut to becoming who you want to become: just do stuff! Then you realize that life can be defined by possibilities not by barriers.

Getting back to my scared inner self, it’s not me who deserves the credit for this cool bike journey. Nah! I’m good with marketing and presentation but I’m a lazy motherfucker. It’s Ciri - my friend, who actually pushed me into doing it after I first mentioned the trip to him. And it’s not even an original idea. Another friend of ours went to Turkey (and even further in Asia) - that’s the dude who inspired us so let’s give credit where credit is due.

Another point that I wanna make regarding having friends is this: you may not be fully aware of it but you are to a certain extent the product of your environment. So, if you wanna become a stronger version of yourself, relying only on your will is pretty fucking hard. If you truly wanna be strong, acknowledge your weaknesses and create systems that can alleviate them. It’s a smarter approach and the changes within you happen effortlessly.

Let me explain: it’s much easier to become a better cyclist if you surround yourself with great cyclists. Your circle of cyclists is the system that supports you - it carries you forward and higher. Instead of training fiercely based on your will alone (not that it doesn’t help), develop some social skills and bring good energy into a group of already good cyclists and you’ll evolve faster. Same with everything else. Wanna read more? Get friends who read a lot and who might recommend you good books. Wanna learn business? Hang around business people. etc.

Being an autodidact has its’ value but social learning (through human interaction) is more fun.

OMG what a bunch of bullshit rambling for a bike tour! Yeah… I know. But I hope some of these insights might help you on your own personal journey.

For instance, it’s imperative for anyone to have both youthful energy and old age wisdom. That’s why I’m grateful that my younger friend pulled me upwards into this adventure. I owe it to him. He’s part of my system. Then there are other friends who are older and they offer me a broader perspective on life. I owe a lot to them as well. You see? It’s not hard work - I simply learn from people who I admire by emulating them. Be careful to weed out the traits you don’t like though. :) Don’t emulate bad behaviour just because your friend or mentor is a great whatever…

Now, let’s not dilute ourselves here. This was a peak experience, just as the 10 days caving expedition was. What I’m saying is that one needs a solid base on which to build peak experiences. We do tons of physical activity (mostly climbing and mountain biking) so this was not as hard as it would have been if we weren’t athletes already. But we did experience knee pains and fatigue. Just bear that in mind.

Conclusion

Go out there, broaden your perspective and expand your reach. Meet people and enjoy life!

Balls in Milk... Wtf?! Olympus ME 52W vs Speedlink Spes Clip-On Microphone [Video]

2014-03-14T15:23:00.001+02:00

I hope no woman is reading this...

Of course, some of the potency of the joke has gone as I'm not that fluent in spoken English.

But I laughed like crazy when I first heard it. We also use a very specific Romanian word for ....... which makes the joke funnier.

I hope you're not offended by the joke but if you are, you'll know to never come back here again. Watch the video below to see what I'm talking about.

So my vote goes to the Speedlink mic - I bought it from Amazon.co.uk for 5 GBP.

It's small, light, it has a long wire and a stereo jack. The sound quality is better, contrasted to the quality of the Olympus ME 52W.

The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that the mic doesn't swivel on the clip-on metal piece.

That's about it. Protect your balls!

Salewa Denali Gore-Tex Mitt and Terminal Durastretch Hiking Pants Review

2014-03-03T13:40:00.003+02:00

Just a few days ago, I was shooting a video with my friend. We were at a training site for IRATA. A place where rope access workers get their international certification which allows them to work in this industry.

And I had this revelation: Wow! It's so cool to work with proper tools!

We had two sliders, three cameras, a monopod, two tripods and, most importantly, we had these Manfrotto connectors with sliding plates on each of these tools. So each camera had a sliding plate connected to it and that allowed us to easily mount any camera on any tool.

So, because I was a DIY dork all these years, I was amazed at the ease of every operation. The slider worked smooth just as it was supposed to. The monopod was awesome for taking crane-like shots, etc.

What does this have to do with mountaineering gear like the Salewa mittens? Or the Durastretch climbing pants?

The short answer is: Having proper gear makes your experience more enjoyable.

Let's go out and shoot a video

A few days after our shoot, we headed up on the mountains to capture some moving timelapse with the motorized slider. We didn't do much... because I forgot to check the batteries before I left home. But that's another issue. (Note my stupidity though! And learn from it.)

Our trek up on the alpine plateau was highly dependent on gear: boots, crampons, harness, ice-axe, trekking poles, gloves, gaiters and so on. And again, I realized the peace of mind one has if he or she has high quality mountaineering gear.

It was easy for me to hit this realization because both of my friends had to improvise. One had some old crampons that didn't fit well on his boots. The other didn't have an ice axe and the plastic boots he was wearing weren't very comfortable. They both struggled compared to me. I was the luckiest of all - everything was streamlined for me. I didn't suffer a bit.


Photos by CiriVision.com. View the whole set here and here.

When we got out of the valley, on the plateau, the freezing wind hit us hard. And one of my friends really hates winter - because he's sensitive to cold weather. His hands were too cold to enjoy himself and that's when he asked me for my high altitude mittens. I know I could have offered them myself but I was literally enjoying the spectacle of nature (selfish me!).

He put them on and he said: Wow! I'm getting warm.

Of course he did. Mittens are great. All your fingers stick together and you get warm fast.

Now, I'm not gonna tell you to buy Salewa coz that's not the point. I will tell you what I like and what I don't like about the mittens though.

Pros

Sleek design
Reflective stripes - easy to spot in the dark with a flashlight
Warm and snug
Leather palm - good grip on ice-axe and on the trekking poles (especially when you need to twist them)
Nice lace-up system - fast and ingenious (without a plastic stopper)


Cool design and functionality: reflective stripes and leather palms

Cons

Not wide enough to envelop your forearm when you're wearing a fleece and jacket
Lack of a pulling flap - once you have one mitten on, you loose your dexterity to put on the second one


I'd love some pulling flaps here. I used a Head glove for comparison.

I'd like to say something about the pants as well but the truth is, I didn't want to wear them in this tour. I'll probably take them out in lighter trips.

I'm saying this with some regret because while these hiking pants are really cool and they fit very well, I kinda feel like they're too soft for hardcore mountaineering. I like to slide onto the snow in the gullies and I use the ice-axe to break when I descend so I could't bear the thought of ripping these brand new pants.

So I choose to wear a clone of Mammut pants which have Cordura on the butt, knees and inner calves. No fear of ripping them coz Cordura lasts, baby!

Since I touched this subject, I should let my bitterness out:

Dear outdoor brands,

Why the hell would I pay top dollar for mountaineering pants and jackets if they're not robust?!

They're fashionable and all but I wanna grind against the walls of a chimney without feeling sorry... Please add Cordura or Kevlar to your alpine outwear. Butt, elbows, knees and inner calves (yup, that helps when wearing crampons) should have extra protection with these high tech fabrics.

Is it that hard? Isn't it obvious that the functionality and the durability of your garments would greatly improve? Isn't that what every climber wants? Is it just me? :-)

I think there's too much fashion at the expense of toughness in the outdoor industry these days...

Okay. Bitterness ends here.

Conclusion

I go outdoors for two things mostly:

Nature itself
Having a laugh with my homies

Performance, time records and all that shit comes last. If it does.

However, you can't ignore gear if you truly want to enjoy the mountains. It's harsh out there. Be ready. Be equipped. Get your gear and learn how to use it. Salewa or whatever.

You don't want to be at the mercy of the environment so you'd better be prepared.

How To Make Hyperlapse Videos - Improvised Rig with a Cabelcam and a Slider Motor (Digislider)

2014-01-29T14:05:00.001+02:00

Here's a way to shoot a hyperlapse video (long distance moving timelapse) that doesn't require moving your tripod for every shot.

We're using a DIY cablecam, a climbing rope (red line), a strong nylon thread (green line) and the slow motor from the motorized Digislider.

This is perfect for indoors where there's no wind but I assume you can do it outside as well (on a calm day).

You wanna have a slant in the support rope - as the cablecam travels along the line, the thin rope is always tight and pulling in. You basically either let the rig descent on the rope or let it climb on it.

We have the slow motor which, at its fastest speed, is moving the rig at 1 meter/5 minutes.

Video by Ciribasa Sorin - post production and image stabilization made with Adobe After Effects.

3 Tips on How To Get FREE Gear from Sponsors + a Copy of My Presentation [Video]

2014-01-06T12:47:00.000+02:00

I've been getting quite a few items from sponsors these past few years - video gear and outdoor gear - so I wanna give you some tips on how to ask for a sponsorship.

You also get a copy of a presentation that I sent to a few sponsors, requesting help for our ongoing caving expedition.

Watch the video and click here for the rest.

Click here: How To Get Free Gear

10 Days Expedition in V5 - The Deepest Cave in Romania

2013-12-20T13:58:00.001+02:00

… and probably the longest (still being explored).

Read the Romanian version of this story on Speologie.org. Photos by Radu Pop - click here to view the whole set.

Of course I was supposed to make a video with this but unfortunately I forgot my camera at home… All this after I passionately prepared for the trip (getting an extra battery from a friend, buying lots of Duracell batteries for a video led lamp, etc.).

But I assume there were greater forces that decided we weren’t supposed to shoot much during this adventure. That’s because our photographer accidentally dropped his professional camera into a water pool (second day into the cave). I may sound new agey but I acknowledged these as clear signs telling us we should focus on exploring (and getting out safe) and less on shooting.

However, Ovidiu Pop had this compact cam - Canon PowerShot D20 - which allowed us to "steal" some images after all. Since the cam has no manual mode (or maybe we just weren’t able to access it) we struggled to get the images right. Video mode is quite poor in low light so I’m not sure it’s worth doing an edit with the short material that I shot.

The news people did use some of the footage in their report though. Yup - we hit the national evening news at TVR with this expedition. Being the deepest in Romania, this cave got the attention of the TV producers.

That’s what Andrei Biro (the reporter and camera operator) said: "If my bosses hear something like the biggest, the deepest, the most whatever then they allow me to go out in the field and shoot it." And he did a fine job - a dedicated journalist and a great comrade who also helped us get back from the mountain as our car got buried by snowfall while we were caving for 10 days.

This cave is located in Varasoaia Mountain (Padis Plateau, Bihor County). There are many holes here and the boys gave them simple names: V1 (Varasoaia 1), V2, etc. V5 proved to be the jackpot. For many years, cavers worked on the first few hundred meters for "penetration" (digging out mud, rocks, mini blasting to enlarge the tunnel, etc.)

- How big is the cave?
- Ovidiu Pop: "This is a huge system. It can be 100 km long. There are tons of unexplored passages."

There are several rivers in the cave and just one of them is currently being explored. Only 20 something km are mapped.

Mihai Badescu: "Dude, in caving you can’t say you’re done unless you hit your head against the rock at the dead end of the tunnel. You gotta explore every nook and corner. As you saw, you climb this ugly muddy slope just to find a beautiful room full of crystals with another tunnel that takes you to a suspended lake."

The first part is very narrow and uncomfortable. I wouldn't have gone through those tight passages if I hadn’t seen the veterans leading. It’s just too tight and you get scared at the thought of getting stuck.

The funny thing is that after about 6 hours of mostly crawling (and some abseils trough small vertical wells - 12 / 15 meters each), a "pipe" delivers you right in the ceiling of a giant space (Poli Matos) where you can easily fit some 4 storey apartment buildings and a suburb. It must have
been a great joy at exploration to find this massive hall after the grueling hours through wet muddy pipes. From up there you abseil and that’s your first bivouac.

Frequent discussion topics in bivouacs: women, spiritual enlightenment, continency (is that the word?) and multiple orgasms for men, Geto-Dacians history (our ancestors), women, yoga, women and so on.

Shitting must be accomplished on active tunnels (active = where a river flows) and ass wiping is done just as well with "Active" (a personal hygiene product that can be found in caves only). Since my gloves got ripped from all the abseils, my hands were muddy most of the times but, dude, my ass was clean!

Anyway, taking a shit was an adventure in itself because the active wasn’t always close to the bivouac. And then you had to postpone shitting to the next day when you went exploring (if you had to go during the night… you were basically in deep shit).

Clothes: all polyester. Underwear as well. Polyester is light and it dries fast even when you wear it. Power stretch base layer, tights, fleece, fleece overall, and cordura overall shell (the standard caving uniform). I also had a woollen west. The only place where I was cold during the night was in the 3rd bivouac but that was because of the strong draught (a good sign the tunnel is worth exploring when it "breathes" - it means there’s another exit somewhere).

Knee protection is essential (I had the ones I use for MTB) not just for the crawling sectors but for those unexpected falls you’re bound to take. I did fall a few times and I would have crushed my knees if I hadn't had the knee pads underneath the cordura shell.

It takes 3 days to get to the unexplored end of the cave. Now that we went further, I can say it takes you 3.5 days.

During day two, you get naked and take your wet suit for a few hours of walking through a river. Some wet-suits are already there from previous expeditions - therefore they’re wet and cold - and then you hear cavers making the funniest sounds: "aaaahhhh iiiiii uuuuuu". After walking through the river - normally waist deep, this time the water was low but I still managed to get my balls wet - we unzip our wet suits and we are stupefied by the small size of our dicks. A phenomenon scientists have yet to explain.

After bivouac 2 (second night slept in the cave) you abseil into the dry part of a canyon and soon enough you reach the lowest point of the cave (approx minus 700 m) - where you can find a 70 m high waterfall. Pretty sweet for an underground river. Then you walk uphill for a few hours through Titans Road - basically a canyon with 100+ m high walls where the river shows up once in a while. The cairns help you to not get lost in this chaotic bouldery landscape.

A relief in exploration is the absence of the heavy banana (that’s how cavers call their backpacks). You basically set foot where no man has stepped before but, after 3 days roaming deep into the cave, the emotion is not as strong. It just doesn't make much difference that no man has been around the corner. I was rather animated by finding another exit or some cool formations (crystals, cool stalagmites and such).

Speaking of formations - at 3.5 days from the surface you can find the Angels’ Hall with beautiful coral-like aragonites. These are some anti gravitational formations - some clusters are 50 cm large and they look like mistletoe bushes hanging from the roof of the cave. They form through capillarity (hence defying gravity) and their presence is a sign the environment was isotrope for many thousands or hundreds of thousand of years (humidity, pressure and temperature have stayed pretty much the same here). They look like crystals and are either white or colored in yellowish green, pink and orange. Some were mingled with what we call crystalictites (which don’t have the crystal aspect but they rather look like worms).

Just a bit further away from Angels’ we found a suspended lake from which a small rivers flows. Perhaps somewhere beneath the surface are the springs which feed it - this is a dead end for us - we couldn't find any other possibility of going deeper. The hall is amazing though and has a "super old" feeling to it. The lake has a gravel bank on the other side which indicates its past level.

After climbing a glazed chimney, Mitza Badescu found a beautifully adorned passage. It’s a story-like tunnel with terraced pools of water one of which houses 3 crystal clusters each big as a child’s fist. The tunnel ends with a 25 m vertical well that has a 2 meter deep pool of water at the bottom. This is another dead end but the vertical hollow looks promising - if only we can find another way up there (without having to drill the wall for artificial climbing). Mihai equipped the access here with ropes so if you wanna visit - you don’t have to climb the glazed chimney. :-)

Behind us came the cartographers (Radu & Ovidiu). They had a lasermeter, a compass and a tool that indicates the steepness of the terrain.

Ovi was the lead and he’d find a boulder or a wall which he then flooded with light from his headlamp. Radu was somewhere behind and he’d point a laser beam to that spot illuminated by Ovi. He read the distance indicated by the lasermeter from his position to Ovi’s position. Then he’d beam left, right and up. Also Radu read the cardinal orientation (e.g. 245 degrees) and the angle of the slope. All these measurements were being written down by Ovi in his notebook.

After recording all these data, Ovi would place a small aluminum plate with a number on it - e.g. V5 125 (mapping visa no. 125). From that point they’d do the same to another point which is marked as V5 126, etc. Throughout the cave you can see these plates so you know you’re on the right way.

In addition to this, Ovi was drawing each sector between visas (the map itself). You gotta do this while you’re there - otherwise you can’ remember all the details. Apart from the above perspective, Ovi drew the profile section and noted observations.

The data from the notebook is being compiled in a software that renders the 3D map of the cave. This maps (seen on a computer display) shows just the direction of the cave (not the volume). If properly projected onto the map of the surface terrain, it can give us clues about new possible entry points (bottom of sinkholes/dolines, gorges, karstic springs, etc)

Anyway, the map is not of much help for orienteering while in the cave. You gotta be there with someone who knows the route in and out. The passageway system is very complex and chaotic and you can’t find much use in the map even if you are an expert. Not to mention that you cannot be rescued if you get injured (like a broken leg or broken back - which is not hard to do…)

We charted 1.6 km of new tunnels in this trip and there’s more on a dry diaclase but we need extra ropes to continue deeper (abseils). Maybe next time.

Since the cave is very deep, the exploring is more and more difficult. That’s why finding another entry would be beneficial and it would speed up the process. Otherwise it’ll take years or tens of years (it was discovered in the 80s and there’s still work to be done) because there are few teams willing to come down here. The logistic is hard and everything is at your own expense (food, gear, gas).

It all very much resembles the ascension of a Himalayan mountain: you need to setup up camps along the way with food, sleeping bags and other supplies. Then you make a push for the summit. The thing is… we don’t know which one is the summit. Passages may very well be dead ends and then you have to go back and explore another tunnel.

There were supplies from the previous expeditions in each bivouac - we also left our own (canned food and ropes mostly). So if we come back for a short trip we might not have to carry so much food… In theory at least. In Poli Matos, we ate canned beans which expired in 2009 - this tells you something about how often (read seldom) cavers come here. The guys I went with had been here before in 2010.

Same goes for sleeping bags and mats - you leave them in the cave. A sacrifice you make for the sake of exploration. You wouldn't wanna be carrying them next time anyway.

In order to speed up the exploration you’d need a support team to carry food and supplies to the most advanced bivouacs. From there, the explorers can focus on charting and exploring without the hassle of establishing bivouacs. Of course, you need a budget for that - hello, sponsors! are you receiving this?!

Setting aside the caving and the sporty aspect of the whole shebang, I was happy to meet Ovidiu Pop. Homeopathic M.D. and yogi, at 47 years old he’s more active than many young dudes. Badescu says he’s the greatest cave explorer in Romania today. Hard working cartographer, he’s always composed and calm no matter how hard shit hits the fan. The guy is also a mountain biker, does ice climbing, alpinism and rock climbing.

A spiritual leader - he taught us to be centered within ourselves and not in external things - not to let yourself at the mercy of your environment - which will inevitably change but if you’re centered you’ll be fine.

He also said that "Manifestation is an expression of necessity" and that "Absolute freedom is to accept necessity and learn from it". In other words, whatever happens to you, bad shit especially, is necessary for you in order to learn something and to evolve spiritually. So it’s your duty to seek constructive meaning in whatever it is that you’re going through.

"It’s better to be authentic than reasonable" - be unapologetic about your true nature and act freely. You’ll feel better about yourself and people will have the chance to meet the real you (congruent self), not the reasonable persona that you put on as a mask to comply to what society expects of you.

Am I gonna return to this cave?

I’m not sure. Maybe for a photo & video trip to be able to get some cool shots but to be honest I’m not that eager to go exploring again.

I don’t like to risk my skin as I used to do when I was younger - it just doesn’t make sense to me anymore - not for a cave at least. We were on this vertical chimney with loose rocks that were almost falling on us - death was just around the corner. I ran away from there to safer places.

Radu and Ovi had no problems being there - they went on until they hit an impenetrable spot. I guess that’s why they are the real cavers and I’m not. Those loose rocks and the upward hollow might be the bottom of a doline at the surface.

My challenge was to keep calm and not over anticipate what was going to happen. I managed to do that just for a little while. It’s hard. Badescu: "The mind is a tool. You control it."

The trip made me step out of my comfort zone (both physically and mentally) which makes me appreciate the simple things even more - like taking a bath or sleeping in a warm bed. It’s a big deal to be healthy and to live a normal life "at the surface". :)

Expedition members:

Ovidiu Pop (leader, cartographer)
Radu Pop (photographer and hard core explorer of tight passages; an altruistic dude who always brought water for tea and soup in the bivouacs)
Mihai Badedscu (lead climber - he opened the hardest vertical passages then he equiped those passages with ropes for the rest of the team)
Constantin Gabor (me, apprentice - casual caver)

Many thanks to the watchmen at Cabana Padis (Sime Ion and Sas Ion) who were great hosts for us. Since our car got stuck in 50 + cm of snow, we had two options: to walk down the mountain by foot during that night or to do the same thing the next day. We had no food and no sleeping bags when we got out so their generosity came in handy.

The roads are closed there in the winter so there was basically no one around except these two men who kept watch at the cabin.

Also of great help was Andrei Biro - the TVR journalist who came there three times (as close as his car could get through the big snow). He brought us back to safety in Cluj with the TVR car. Cheers for that, Andrei!

That’s about it!

Varavon Slidecam V800 Slider Review

2013-11-12T11:52:00.002+02:00

The first thing that I noticed when I got the Varavon Slidecam V800 slider was it's weight. Or its lack thereof.

This baby is ultra light. And I'm saying this with excitement because I've been carrying the motorized slider quite a bit these past two weeks. So having a light slider is good for a change.

Lemme just get into the pros and cons coz your time is precious.

Pros

Light
Sexy - it does look cool, doesn't it?
Fold-able legs for maximum versatility
Comes with a carrying bag
You get a sling follow focus for free
Threaded holes to mount it on a tripod (in the middle and at both ends)

Cons

The holes in the rail (even though they shed some weight off) allow grass blades to come trough and you loose the smooth glide. I'm gonna cover the holes with duct tape to fix this.

Conclusion

This is just great for those on the fly manual shots where you need a slider. Please understand that I'm coming from a few years of using my clumsy DIY slider and lately I've been using the motorized DigiSlider so I'm a bit overly excited to use the Varavon.

The fact that it's shorter (80 cm) than the regular 1 meter rail makes it even better for carrying it around. And most of times, anyway, 80 cm is enough for taking those reveal shots.

But it's clear for me now: you need a ball bearing slider for smooth shots. And this one is great!

Of course, I'll want to combine the smoothness and weightless of this dolly with the high torque slow motor from DigiSlider. So I'll probably use a rope or something to drag the carriage along the rail - the rope will coil on the motor gear and hopefully I'll be able to get dynamic timelapse shots with this setup.

They also have their own versions of motorized sliders called MotorRoid and Timeroid (for timelapse photography). Check them out if you're into this timelapse thing.

Varavon Slidecam V800 is a cool indispensable slider for any videographer (you should get one) and the DigiSlider is a timelapse machine. This is the distinction you must make between these two.

You can also find Varavon products (a South Korea company) on Amazon and Ebay, BHPhotoVideo.

DigiSlider Review - Motorized Slider (Dolly) for Dynamic Time Lapse Videos

2013-10-31T11:43:00.000+02:00

My friend said: this thing is doing the work for me while I relax. :-) And he's right. You can't beat a moving time lapse shot, right?

I'm a bit busy these days so this is gonna be a quick review which I'll update as I use the DigiSlider more.

Let me just say that the biggest selling point of this slider is the motor - that's the most important piece for me. You can easily set up a timelapse shooting with the slow motor. Also, this seems to be the most affordable motorized slider on the market today (31 Oct 2013).

If you're into timelapse photography you need the shoot-move-shoot motor controller. I guess you can do it with the regular controller as well if you shoot in broad daylight (when you don't need long exposure for your shots) - otherwise, your shots will look blurry as the carriage is moving when each photo is taken.

Pros

Solid.
Handy crank handle for manual mode.
Multiple threaded holes in the rail for various set-ups with two tripods.
If you only get the motor (slow or fast) you can definitely use it with other sliders - so if you already own a slider, you can transform it into a wicked timelapse machine by adding the motor and a belt (or rope).

Cons

Heavy (the rail itself is thick and thus heavy).
It's a friction based slider - plastic bushings running on the aluminum rail (no ball bearings) - this can be an advantage because you don't want it moving too fast when you operate it manually but I find it harder to slide the carriage when the camera is heavy. Also when you wanna slide and pan at the same time. You can opt for the roller carriage if you want less friction.
There's a bit of a wobble when the crank handle makes a full turn. If your two tripods are not solid, you'll see the slight wobble in the footage.
You can't use the slider in manual mode when the motor is attached. I wish there was an even faster way to take the motor off (you do it by turning two knob-screws).
A bit intimidating to assemble - lots of parts that you need to put together. Print out the instructions PDFs from their website.
Legs sold separately...

Other tech details

The motor is powered by batteries trough a controller. I got the MK II controller that works with either a 9V battery or an array of 8 1.5 V standard AA batteries (battery holder). It's a bit more expensive than the standard controller but at least you have 2 options when it comes to power.
Max speed 5 min/meter, slow speed 1.5 to 3 hours/meter (depending o power source) - all this with the high torque Slow Motor. It moves up to 5 kg/11 lbs maximum for vertical movement

Conclusion

Is it perfect?

Nope. But it works great for timelapse shots and that's great for me. Now I can capture those sunsets and sunrises.

Not to mention that I look cool. Plus, my clients are already being impressed when I show up with this baby. :-) (Just happened to me yesterday).

So what I'm saying is I'm gonna use this for timelapse shots mostly and I'll get a ball bearing slider with adjustable folding legs for manual shots.

Drop questions in the comments if you have any.

Disclosure: I bought the slider myself and they offered me a significant discount. Cheers for that, guys! I really appreciate it.

Sony ICD PX 333 Voice Recorder + Olympus ME 52W Lapel Microphone Test and Review

2013-09-30T19:40:00.004+03:00

Update: I bought a cheaper and better lapel mic - Speedlink Spes Clip-On. I like it more.
--
I have this small compact camera which I use for most of my videos and I realized I could use a separate sound capturing gadget.

So, since the cam doesn't have a microphone input (apart from the built in stereo mike), I decided to go with the Sony ICD PX 333 digital voice recorder which, at the time of the purchase, was the bestselling device in its category (voice recorders) on Amazon.co.uk.

I matched it with the Olympus ME-52W Noise Canceling Lapel Microphone for the simple fact that it's a directional mike (unlike omnidirectional mikes that capture more background noise).

By the way, check out this review made by an Amazon customer. The guy is very knowledgeable and explains stuff like sensitivity, recording mono on two channels, the capture loop of the mic, etc.

Here's a test of these two in action (Sony voice recorder and Olympus lapel mic):

And here's proof that the built in mic is better than the lav mic (sample sound after sound cleaning):

I'm not much of a technical dude so I'm just gonna point you to the the best instructions I could find on the web: Sony-Asia.com.

Two tips

Press long on the DISP/MENU button to access the full menu
Use Voice Notes (low mic sensitivity) for best quality sound with a lapel microphone

The mic jack is mono so when you playback your clips, the sound will only come trough the left channel (speaker or headphone). But you can easily fix that in most video/sound editing software. Or you can buy a mono to stereo adapter and get the mono signal on both channels.

This is how I do it in Magix Movie Edit Pro Plus (see the pictures below).

After you import the audio, right click on the track and load the audio effects window. Then you select Stereo Wide. This splits the signal and distributes half of it (roughly) into the right channel. So what you get is sort of stereo but not really because the signals are slightly different in each channel with genuine stereo recordings.

What you really get is a mono recording on both channels, meaning the signal is identical on each channel (left and right) - and that's exactly what you need with a voice recorder. There's no need for authentic stereo.

If you're looking to better understand the difference between mono and stereo, have a look at these two videos below. They mention Audacity which is a free sound editing software that lots of pod-casters use.

Pros (Sony ICD PX 333)

Lightweight with tons of space (4 GB) and tons of battery life
Easy to download the audio files (MP3s). Just plug the USB cord and locate your files within the folders
You can store files in different folders. Example: School recordings in Folder 01, job recordings in Folder 02, etc.
The ability to pause a recording. You can resume the recording by pressing the Rec button again and there will be no noticeable gap in the recording.
You can add track marks (bookmarks) on the recordings just by pressing the T-Mark button. Example: Say your interviewee said something ridiculous. You just press the T-Mark button and you'll be able to easily find that ridiculous remark later by using the supplied software.
VOR feature - the device starts recording onece it picks up sound and pauses when there's no sound. Pretty cool, huh?

Cons (Sony ICD PX 333)

Doesn't come with a microphone. Some models do come with a stereo lapel mike but this one doesn't...
It's a Mono recorder. However, you can transform the mono signal to stereo in post production if you want.
No Micro SD card supplied. But with the built-in 4GB memory I think you won't need a card.

Cons Olympus ME 52W

Sound quality is lower than the built in mic of the recorder.
It creates more background noise than the built in mic (you need to do sound cleaning to get rid of it).
Bulky in size.
Mono jack creates extra workload in post production (you must buy an adapter in order to record sound on both channels).

Conclusion

If you're a reporter or secretary I bet you'll love this. It's handy to use in meetings or interviews.

And hey, you can wire yourself up and capture conversations just like undercover cops do. You sneaky bastard! :-)

For me though, it's an affordable add on to my videography and I'll be using it to capture sound when the subject is too far away from the camera. It's also very simple to use. But in order to reach higher quality you need to edit the sound in post production.

If you're at an event you can plug it into the mixer using the Audio In mode. This way, you bypass all its limitations and capture the sound from the pro gear that the guys at the event use.

Anyway, this is a cheap setup so I totally recommend it if you're an amateur filmmaker like me.

Get it on BHPhotoVideo.com, Amazon Canada and Amazon Germany as well.

Hanging Hangboard - No Holes in The Wall for Your Climbing Fingerboard [Video]

2013-09-01T16:38:00.000+03:00

Everything about building a hangboard + training plans now in my guide:
How To Build Your Own DIY Climbing Hangboard without Drilling The Wall Above Your Doorway

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I may have come up with an idea for a climbing hangboard that doesn't require you to drill the wall above your door frame.

This is just a concept that I imagined but I'm gonna build it and then I'll update this post with more pictures and a video.

The idea is simple: you get an expandable pull-ups bar and then you build a board (from plywood) which will hang onto the bar. The rubber pads at the bottom corners will rest against the door jamb. It's a good setup to have and it should work wherever you go since both pieces are mobile (the board and the pull-ups bar).

I currently maintain my general fitness doing pull-ups on the bar that you see in the picture but that's not enough for climbing. I need a board with crimpers and slopers for climbing-specific training.

Update: I improvised a hook out of an L piece and a bolt. Looking for some pads now...

Update 2: I drilled the board in the lower corners and added two T nuts then two bolts (one in each corner). Then I placed two sticky rubber pads onto the door frame so the head of the bolts would rest against these pads. This allows me to fine tune the distance between the board and the margins of my door frame.

If you can drill your walls then check out this hangboard design.

Stay cool and shake if you're feeling pumped!

DIY Cable Cam for GoPro Cameras and DSLRs Made with Zipline Ball Bearing Pulleys

2013-05-27T20:48:00.000+03:00

How to Shoot Smooth Footage with Your GoPro and a DIY Steadicam
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I don't necessarily recommend this setup for your GoPro cable cam.

Why? Because it's not cheap.

We got these professional zipline pulleys from the owner of a zipline park in our home city. It may have helped that we shot a video that benefited him even though someone else was the client.

My point is he's a genuine dude who just wanted to help and he spared us the expense of buying these. They're more than $100 each.

However, if you can get your hands on some second hand ball bearing pulleys, you'll be on your way to building an awesome cable cam rig.

What I like about this design:

Easy to put on the rope
Easy to take off (no need to untie the rope)
Easy to secure (just pop a carabiner and your camera is safe)

Update: As you can see, most of the moving shots are grainy - due to low light in the forest and the Moiré effect. We need better cameras for this kind of shooting.

We also damaged the tripod head, that's why some shots are shaky (the thing became loose due to the numerous shocks and the end of the line). Not to mention that I almost destroyed my compact Sony - the tripod mounting socket started to bulge out (basically my cam would have broken into pieces after another shock).

~~I'll update this post with a MTB video + behind the scene footage~~. Meanwhile, enjoy this teaser - we shot it with the ugly looking improvised rig - the only difference is that we used one of these ball bearing pulleys, not the red one that you see in the picture (that runs on lubricated bushings, which didn't spin smooth enough).

The image quality is not the best, since my compact Sony HX9V has this autofocus function which is constantly on in video mode. We do have better footage though - taken with a Canon 60D and a GoPro HD 3 Black Edition - but we'll keep that for the final edit.

Now that we have the two pulleys mounted 40 cm apart on the aluminum rod, we hope the camera will be more stable. Our plan is to add an arm which will hold a tripod head - thus we'll be able to mount any type of camera on the rig (including a DSLR)

I used to be a climber (I still am I guess, on a limited basis) so I have ropes, carabiners and other gear like that. That helps - we used a 50 meters long 8.5 mm half rope, a Grigri and an Ascension rope clamp to tighten the line.

With this extra bracket (see pics below) + the cam that is mounted on it, the center of gravity of the whole rig is below the pulleys. This makes it more stable.

Update: The safest way (that we could come up with) to attach a DSLR was to take the pipe + tripod head and clamp it onto the lateral flat-stock frame. We used two hose clamps for that. The tripod head allows us to rotate and tilt the camera in any direction we want - this helps a lot when you want to frame your subject in a certain way.

Drop a comment if you have questions. Cheers!