Outdoor Discoveries

What originally was a news section for the rest of the website soon became a place for me to write about human-powered wanderings in the countryside. Photography inspires me to get out there, mostly on foot these days, though cycling got me started. Musings on the wider context of outdoor activity complete the picture, so I hope that there is something of interest in all that you find here. Thank you for coming!

Something for muddy going

12th March 2024

The amount of rain that has beset our lives since last summer has made some places so muddy that I am contenting myself with wellington boots on local walks. They are not the most comfortable, but they deal with the surface water and the greasy conditions underfoot.

These are not the times for crossing fields and the like with footwear that you might like to keep in a respectable state. Aside from formal wear, this also includes anything that I might use for hiking overseas. Meindl boots are the mainstay there, so I also have a pair of Scarpa Ranger II Activ GTX boots that I do not mind covering with mud.

These replaced a pair of Berghaus boots that frankly were too big for me and even hurt my feet enough for their becoming a charity shop donation. The Scarpa boots fit better, though going a European size down might not do any harm either. So far, even they have gone overseas, even if that might change if they start to look too muddy.

Thus far, the Scarpas have been all around Great Britain as well as Ireland, the Channel Islands and France. Aside from a trip beside Loch Morlich, their size has done no harm and certainly has not caused any foot injury. Thus, I am sticky with these. It might be useful to have older boots like my now retired Meindl Bhutan pair (after losing a sole, repair was unrealistic given how battered the uppers looked) for muddy walking, but these will do for now.

Recent changes in mapping technology

15th February 2022

There have been a few things that I have been meaning to write about in recent times but I never got around to doing that because of other distractions. Anyone who has been here before should know that I have a fascination with maps and the advance of technology has done nothing to change that. If anything, it has meant that two interests of mine come together: computing and hillwalking.

As part of going lighter weight, using the OS Maps app on my phone has become a common occurrence and I still bring paper maps with me on longer hikes even if I use phones with long battery life. The old skills remain invaluable when technology fails because of a lack of signal or electrical power.

The OS Maps subscription also means that you gain access to extra content on the associated web portal and that got a recent refresh. One advance is that it can be made full screen but a hardware driver issue meant that it would not work on one of my PC’s until I sorted the software problem.

Aside from the OS Maps app, I also have made much use of the ViewRanger app, especially on overseas trips. Ones to Ireland and Canada come to mind but the mix of content from existing providers with freely available mapping data proved to be a very useful one. That I managed to acquire enduring licences for some of these instead of subscriptions was an added attraction. It certainly made the option better in my eyes than what Geolives was offering through SityTrail even if subscriptions are how things are moving nowadays.

However, ViewRanger became part of Outdooractive so things changed. Because the pandemic kept me in the UK, I have not looked into the new operation so much but it could be something that I need to check for overseas escapades now that restrictions are easing again after the arrival of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 near the end of last year. Others have commented that the changeover has not been smooth but the free maps look comprehensive and I appear to have been able to carry over access to mapping data that I already had.

Speaking of travelling overseas, I am now a subscriber to Backpacker magazine and so have access to content from the Outside network. One part of that is GAIA GPS and the things are with hiking maps in the U.S.A. means that this is an interesting offering, especially if I get access through my existing subscription. When I tried before, I was able to see maps through its online portal but it would take an actual visit to really check out what is on offer. Though I am cautious, that might be more realisable than it has been for a long time.

An insulated jacket for downpours

2nd February 2022

One of the problems with a down jacket is that it loses its heat retention properties when it gets wet. Hence, I am reluctant to use them whenever rain is forecast. Jackets with hydrophobic down are available and I have one of those made by Rab but even these cannot be assumed to be downpour proof, particularly the outer does not feel rain resistant and the Rab jacket is like that. Whenever I have got caught out in the rain with it on me, a Mountain Equipment that I acquired years ago did not suffer too much and even that still does not assuage my concerns.

Having gotten baptised by heavy rain at the start of the year, my mind turned to a solution I had known for some time: insulated jackets with synthetic fillings. These are not as susceptible to lowered performance as their down counterparts but have not been as warm. With the latest materials, that has changed a bit so I started looking at possibilities.

Haglöfs Särna Mimic Jacket

Thus, an item from the Swedish manufacturer Haglöfs has come into my possession and it’s a Särna Mimic like the one in the photo except that mine is blue. Mine came at a reduced price from Cotswold Outdoor, which was even nicer. It can be ordered direct from the manufacturer too but that means paying full price and possibly incurring the delivery costs and extended delivery times as well.

So many jackets like it come with hoods that some might wonder why I went for something without a hood but I tend to wear caps and hats instead. The fit is slim but still fine for me and the bulk is not as much as the jackets to which I am accustomed. The pockets are not lined like the down jackets that I have so you might wonder how it works on winter nights.

It looks bulkier in the photo than is in the flesh but this did not affect how warm it felt while wearing it. For really cold nights with no chance of rain, a down jacket remains my preference and I have no qualms using them in snow or hail. Nevertheless, the new jacket has supplanted what I used to wear a lot because of the added assurance of its wet weather performance. It also has helped that I walk everywhere a lot and so heat up, especially when out walking for evening exercise after working from home during the day. As I had hoped, the jacket works well in the rain too so I am happy with this purchase.

Refurbish or replace?

27th August 2020

Around two years ago, windows in a house that I own were overdue some attention. Many of the double glazing panels had failed and I was minded to replace them all and leave the frames in place. However, everything was more than twenty years old and the option of replacing whole windows presented itself even if that scared me a little. In the end, windows were replaced with the logic being that whole new windows were a better bet for longevity than repairing the exiting items. Doing this brought other benefits like the ability to lock them as well as being able to have some ventilation while still having the partly open window locked in a way that still retained added security.

Meindl Bhutan

What reminded me of this episode is the state of my old pair Meindl Burma boots. Their soles are beginning to part from their well worn uppers and I have had them more than eleven years. It is possible to get the boots resoled as I discovered on the websites of Bramwell International and Lancashire Sports Repairs. Of course, the boots would need better cleaning if I chose this route and the repairs could be costly too. Just like with those windows, the end result is that I still would have had an old pair of boots even they gain a much needed refurbishment. That decided me and I instead chose to repurpose boots previously used on international excursions and replace those with a pair of Meindl Bhutans instead. There is such a thing as false economy at times so I hope that my decision is the right one.

A baptism

23rd August 2020

It may seem an odd thing to do in the middle of a pandemic but, once I regained trust in home delivery, I have been replenishing or reinforcing my collection of hiking gear. Some items have lasted until now and need replacing while new needs also get identified along the way.

One of those new needs was having a smaller daypack than my somewhat worn 35 litre Lowe Alpine Walkabout 35. The reasoning was my not wanting to be so conspicuous on public transport during the times in which we are living. Usually, my Osprey Atmos 50 might have been out and about on many day trips too but I fancied something much smaller than that again.

In fact, I have stripped back what I carried to the bare minimum and none of my hiking trips have gone any further than Kinder Scout this year in any case. That may explain why I have navigated using the OS smartphone app in so many places when I knew so much of where I was going anyway. Even with staying close to home, the messaging about public transport usage remained with me so I even resorted to using a shopping bag in case any questions got asked. That worked until it amused a fellow hiker so it was time to get something more auspicious and it also helped that everything was opening up more and more by that point.

Lowe Alpine AirZone Trail 25 daypack

The result was the acquisition of a Lowe Alpine AirZone Trail 25 daypack. It had not come to my notice at the time that the item’s maker had gained an association with fellow outdoor gear purveyor Rab and that was less obvious that the number in the pack’s name because it was the 25 litre capacity that better suited my needs.

The pack’s profile is long and narrow but it accommodates necessary items like waterproof clothing, camera equipment, folded walking poles, water bottles and maps. The last of these fits into an exterior pocket while anything else that I need goes into trouser, shirt and jacket pockets anyway. In short, it swallows so much that I wonder how I managed to need bigger packs anyway but I suppose that anyone can fill whatever they have to hand.

While the exterior of the pack does share its feel with waterproof clothing, it was not something that I intended to test quite as soon as I did. That happened on a walk from Whaley Bridge back to my house while a long hefty shower soaked me near Windgather Rocks. Nothing inside got wet so I was left to dry out as I sauntered over Cat’s Tor and Shining Tor. The sun even came out to heat up the day as I passed Lamaload Reservoir and stayed that way as I went around by Rainow.

Rain performance has not been tested since then but the pack continues to see use and there was a reprise of the route a few days later in better weather so any irritation caused by not passing the way is well absolved by now. Now that I understand how people manage with smaller pack sizes, the AirZone Trail 25 could see ever more use yet.