Search found 56 matches

by Eton Rifle
2 Sep 2017, 8:29am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: exped down mat - short life
Replies: 30
Views: 2749

Re: exped down mat - short life

Sweep wrote:I can't get over how tolerant you exped folk seem to be over these failure rates. Is exped a deity working in mysterious ways?


The plural of anecdote is not data. People complaining about the premature failure of any product are a self-selecting sample. All the other folk who have not had a problem don't tend to rock up saying so. In that respect, I'm an exception. :)

The thing about Exped mats is that nothing else comes close to their comfort and pack size/weight. My first downmat transformed my wild camping experience; an Exped is as comfortable as your bed at home. Using Expeds is the only way I can get my wife and daughter to camp with me these days - they really are that good. As for product failure, the first mat I ever owned finally failed last year after about 10 years of use. Like any item of lightweight kit, you do need to take a bit of care with it but the benefits make it worthwhile.
by Eton Rifle
26 Aug 2017, 6:48am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: WHAT FOOD
Replies: 40
Views: 3577

Re: WHAT FOOD

Just to go back to the OP, given that water availability is not a problem, the lightest option is undoubtedly dehydrated food.

There's a stack of good advice on the interspaz, mostly backpacking sites.

Given the high cost of commercially available dehydrated food (and the variable quality of same) have you considered getting a dehydrator and doing it yourself? You do need to be able to cook (obviously) but the results can be really good. I have adapted a Gordon Ramsey Shepherd's Pie recipe for home dehydrating and I think the man himself would approve. :D
by Eton Rifle
26 Aug 2017, 6:27am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Pictures of your tents.
Replies: 698
Views: 94427

Re: Pictures of your tents.

hujev wrote:Image

Hilleberg Akto (I hate this tent - looks fine here, but it condenses like a greenhouse in all conditions... I finally stopped using it and now use a tent that actually keeps me dry - rain or shine!)
Lake Superior shoreline, Luce County Michigan, 2007.09
(I had to drag my bike through ~100m of heavy jackpines and up a dune hill to get to this secret spot)
Olympus Stylus Zoom, kodak portra 800-2, scanned with Nikon CS5000


Have you considered modifying the inner by replacing the end panels with mesh? A seasoned backpacker who runs vg backpacking reckons it makes a big difference.

http://v-g.me.uk/GearTech/GearTech-Equipment-AktoRV.htm
by Eton Rifle
24 May 2017, 8:54pm
Forum: Health and fitness
Topic: How To Lose Weight
Replies: 208
Views: 17795

Re: How To Lose Weight

Interesting thread. Exercise has been mentioned a few times but the dirty little secret is that (on its own) it is a very inefficent way to lose fat. Also, people tend to reward themselves with extra food, easily undoing the benefit of the exercise. How many times have you seen somebody jogging on a treadmill for twenty minutes, then sucking down 200 calories of sugar froma 'sports drink'?

Exercise is great for many things - strength, mobility, cardiac fitness, mental wellbeing etc but it is pretty rubbish for weight loss, as several studies have shown. I am convinced that this is why so many folk start on exercise programmes and abandon them after a couple of months when they see no change in their weight.

I am convinced that diet (not fad diets) is the most important element, unless you have the time and inclination to do a lot of intense exercise - think infantry recruit levels of effort. As a rough rule of thumb, it takes 10 minuts of moderate exercise to burn 100 calories, so It is a heck of a lot easier to simply not eat those 100 calories in the first place if you are trying to maintain a calorie deficit.

I use My Fitness Pal and, although I was vaguely aware of calorific values of certain food before, a few months using MFP was a massive eye-opener. It really doesn't take much to destroy that 500 daily calorie deficit that most people need to lose 1lb a week. I also use a fitbit charge 2 to track activity and calories burned. Yes, it is not 100% accurate but it is plenty good enough for the purpose intended and changes in weight broadly follow how the week has gone in calorie deficit terms.
by Eton Rifle
20 May 2017, 8:37am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cycle lanes putting ambulance patients lives at risk [Telegraph]
Replies: 48
Views: 16778

Re: Cycle lanes putting ambulance patients lives at risk [Telegraph]

Hilarious isn't it? Motor traffic is gridlocking our towns and cities, killing thousands of people with noxious fumes and collisions, making drivers fatter etc but hey, a miniscule change to accommodate cyclists is the real problem. :lol:
by Eton Rifle
20 May 2017, 8:33am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Dawes Galaxy Classic 531 2016
Replies: 51
Views: 15543

Re: Dawes Galaxy Classic 531 2016

Old thread, I know but I have recently bought one of these from Evans in a clearance sale for just under £1,100. Now, I haven't got much to compare it with but it seems like a lovely bike to me. Looks magnificent (yeah, I know), surprisingly nimble to what I was expecting and a velvet smooth ride. I agree that it is not a £1,800 bike but it feels like a good buy at £1,100.

I'll probably replace the unbranded rack with a Tubus Logo and, having been spoiled by disc brakes, I'll have to see how the cantilevers bed in as they seem to lack bite but this is a superb bike that is a joy to ride.
by Eton Rifle
25 Mar 2017, 8:40pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Anyone Ditched their Car Completely for a Bike?
Replies: 91
Views: 6692

Re: Anyone Ditched their Car Completely for a Bike?

Since changing jobs and swapping my 2-hourly plus daily car commute for a 12-minute bike ride each way, I have started to think about it. At the moment, the car rarely gets driven at all during the working week. At the weekend, it's only used either to take my daughter to dance class (otherwise it is a long bus journey with two changes) or for a bit of shopping.

Living in Bristol, we do not, of course, even think about driving in the city :( and always use public transport.

Thing is, once summer comes, we will head out for camping trips and other days out and you really need a car for those. I do a bit of solitary camping/fishing in Wales where public transport does not practically reach, even if I could cart the camping/fishing gear with me (which I can't). The simple fact is that the public transport infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is now so poor now that a car is often the only practical option. I guess car hire is an option and I might give that a bit more thought. I don't like driving anymore and certainly have no emotional attachment to cars. The fixed costs of running a car are quite high when you tot them up and I'm sure the money could be better spent elsewhere - on more bikes, for example. :D
by Eton Rifle
6 Mar 2017, 6:59pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Stoves: cheap comparison
Replies: 50
Views: 5278

Re: Stoves: cheap comparison

Tangled Metal wrote:BTW if anyone is starting a stove self help group I will only admit to owning the following stoves. micron, Vango remote can, Whitebox stove, Vargo triad, caldera cone for an AGG 3 cup pot, mini trangia clone, AGG can type stove, home made can stove (not very good and possibly lost now), 2 ring camping stove (car camping from a big blue camping gaz can), a 7g esbit stove from a Scandinavian company, honey stove from BPL-UK and probably more I just can't remember. I went through a stage of buying them and I don't even know if I have unpacked all my stoves I have bought. Reckon I have thrown away a few without even using.


At the last inspection, I had two Trangias - a 25 and a 27 - both converted to gas and the meths burners sold on. A jetboil for winter walking, a superlight Toaks Esbit set-up for brews when fishing, a Vargo Jet-ti (lovely sturdy can top stove), a Speedster superlight meths burner (can't resist trying meths one more tiem), a Vargo Triad, an MSR remote canister gas stove and a Soto Micro Regulator canister top stove. Oh, I sold a few more on some months ago...
by Eton Rifle
6 Mar 2017, 6:45pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: To cook or not to cook?
Replies: 37
Views: 3139

Re: To cook or not to cook?

SA_SA_SA wrote:You could just bring a very small and lightweight coffee/tea only meths stove, perhaps using mug as pot eg


1) A local UK cottage stove: http://speedsterstoves.co.uk/custom-combined-windscreen-and-pot-rest-built-for-your-own-pot.html
Also sells burners (or make own).

2) A caldera cone http://www.traildesigns.com

3) Make your own (eg Captain Paranoia) Caldera cLone: http://zenstoves.net/PotStands-Conical.htm#ConeTemplates

4) some other DIY design


Aye, if all you want to do is boil water for brews or a dehydrated meal, you can get away with absurdly light and compact set-ups. My current brew kit for fishing is a Toaks titanium pot, homemade foil windshield, Esbit burner stand and folding spork. Together with fuel, matches (Esbit can be tricky to light with a lighter) and a clean-up kit, it all packs into the pot and weighs about 150g.
by Eton Rifle
6 Mar 2017, 1:50am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Do you actually like camping?
Replies: 118
Views: 10402

Re: Do you actually like camping?

Of course, the enjoyment is heavily dependent on the weather but I love it. Actually, even when the weather is bad, there is something hugely satisfying about being warm and dry in a tent whilst the rain drums on the flysheet.

I often go fishing in Wales and usually camp in preference to using a B&B, especially if it is a for few nights. I don't tend to cook much on these trips - just porridge for breakfast and hot drinks. I usually dine in a pub before retreating to the campsite, sitting outside the tent reading as the sun sets, a glass of win to hand.

Having the right kit is at least half the battle. My wild camping experience was transformed by the Exped downmat. A truly superb mat that enables you to sleep as comfortably in a tent as you do at home, yet is light enough for backpacking. Lightweight kit is getting so good these days that I find myself using the same items for car camping that I backpack with; a heavier alternative is not more comfortable.

I'm in the process of buying a touring bike and really looking forward to cycle camping.
by Eton Rifle
6 Mar 2017, 1:26am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Gas cooking on a Trangia - views?
Replies: 51
Views: 8026

Re: Gas cooking on a Trangia - views?

Lord knows I've tried to get on with meths over the years but it just isn't for me.

The last straw was trying to use meths with a Trangia on a family camping trip. A [rude word removed] to light, even in summer temperatures, incredibly difficult to control, you have to wait for the burner to cool down before you can refill it, soot on pans, hotspots. A nightmare. I ended up buying the gas burner during the holiday, just to avoid having to use meths any more.

With the gas burner, the Trangia really comes into its own as a stove. It's nicely controllable, a remote canister, so no problems with overheating and it takes seconds to fit a fresh canister. The canister rotates freely on the hose, so you can invert it for liquid feed in cold conditions. The burner itself fits inside the Trangia kettle and, of course, you have no concerns about smelly meths contaminating the pans.