September 2012
11 posts
Now that's what I call service
I bought the GoLite Quest pack from Ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk, who have not only refunded the cost with no quibbles but also just contacted me asking how much the postage was so they can refund that, too. Excellent.
One for the freaks
Scarpa have discontinued the SL in its current form above size 48, inconvenient given that it was one of the few size 49/50 options available. However, it turns out they still have the older M3 SLs in stock. B1 crampon compatible, RRP £200, sizes 49/50 on special order. I know, because I just got a pair…
Multimat airbed
I bought a Multimat airbed in March last year. It lasted less than a month before it started deflating every couple of hours, just one in a series of airbeds from a whole bunch of companies that lasted less than a month. Disgusted, I threw it in my storage locker and forgot about it - until yesterday, when I got a decent leak test on it in a mate’s bath. I found a patch of ragged micro-holes...
1 tag
GoLite Quest 2012
There are people with unrealistic expectations for their outdoor equipment. Believing the absurd claims of gear manufacturers, such people get very agitated when their Gore-tex lined boots let in water, or their expensive, breathable waterproof jackets turn out to be neither very breathable nor completely waterproof. The term ‘not fit for purpose’ starts getting bandied about on...
Recurring themes
Over the last few years I’ve been surprised by the number of people who assume I’m ex-military. It’s funny, if only because I spent my teens, twenties and a good chunk of my thirties with hair down to my arse. It happened again this week; I met a stalker on the hill on Wednesday who came into the bothy for Saturday night. Chatting round the stove, he asked me what regiment...
I’ve been experimenting with not carrying a camera. It’s not just about saving weight and eliminating another gadget that needs recharging.
I successfully evaded the hordes on the hills and beaches this summer, but inevitably our paths crossed when I jumped on public transport. What struck me, more than ever before, was that most tourists now experience everything at arm’s...
I walked into Dibidil yesterday, dumped my kit and raced round the coast with an empty sack and the folding saw. Loaded up with 80l of driftwood I returned to the bothy and prepared to sit out today’s forecast storm. It’s been rough all day but now, as the light fades, the weather’s just gone bonkers. The coastline is a mass of white foam, waterfalls blowing back up the glen as...
