Category: Outdoor Gear
A rucksack for a weekend?
25th April 2008 Alan Sloman may have been carrying his the length of Great Britain this time last year, but I always thought that my penchant for carrying two SLR cameras (one film, one digital) with me precluded my using my Osprey Atmos 50 for anything other than day walks.
However, this past weekend's escapade in Scotland has changed my mind. Apart from walking boots, the Atmos swallowed all that I was taking, and I was able to put most things on my back so that my hands were free while wandering along glen, by loch and under ben. In fact, I was left wanting for nothing, and that was without my putting anything in the cavity formed by the curved back.
Heretofore, my weekend pack was a heavyweight Karrimor Cougar that I recently have adjudged to be overkill for the task. Thoughts of its replacement had percolated into my brain, only to be thrown into confusion by last weekend. Before then, options such as GoLite's Quest or Osprey's Aether 70 made their way onto a tentative shopping list.
Now, I am inclined to regard a 70 litre sack as being too big for a weekend or a few days away, and contend that 55–60 litres would be sufficient if I need something a little bigger than the Atmos. That means that Gregory's Z55 and Osprey's Aether 60 come into the frame but, for the moment, I will continue to assess my current needs and what I may need in the future. While that's going on, the Atmos may be seeing a few more weekend outings yet.
Update: I have discovered since that Osprey makes an Atmos 65 and I wonder if any have made it across the Atlantic. I'll be sticking with the "50" but, on paper, its big brother doesn't seem that dissimilar in its characteristics apart from the volume and weight that it can carry.
A review of mapping software
8th April 2008 It's a slightly strange sensation to pick up a computer magazine and encounter a review of products relevant to the outdoors community therein. I suppose that it is natural given how computer technology has pervaded many aspects of our lives that a review of mapping software might sooner or later appear in a mainstream magazine such as PC Plus. As it so happens, its latest edition features a review that considers familiar names such as Anquet, Memory Map and Mapyx's Quo while also bringing an unfamiliar name, Tracklogs, to my notice.
As is habitual for many PC Plus comparisons, a general piece setting the general context takes up most of the article and, as part of this, they consider the differences between what is found on the web free of charge and what we tend to buy for our walking needs. The given overview is general in its scope and, where it does make mention of subjects such as route planning capability, it does so in not too much depth. Nevertheless, it could be seen as a reasonable introduction to the outdoors digital mapping market.
As to the results of the comparison itself, Anquet seems to score best in test and Quo gets a nod for its value for money, even if its crashes and the need to contact technical support get a mention. Another thing to note is that Anquet and Mapyx sell mapping data online while the others don't. Memory Map comes out as being being the most expensive and it looks as if all that money is going towards a user interface that attracted favourable comment in the review.
In any event, I'll be sticking with Anquet because that works for me but it remained intriguing to see the line taken by a computer magazine. However, a comparative review by an outdoors type might be even more interesting...
A change of boots
21st August 2007 Your choice of walking footwear can be as individual as it is important. Choosing footwear that is unsuitable for you or the terrain that you are crossing can bring a hike to a premature end. For instance, I remember a tale of someone who attempted the West Highland Way in trail shoes with the shoes' footbeds replaced with insoles and had to bail out at Crianlarich following several days of misery; replacing the original footbeds removed much of the shoes' foot support and padding. On the other end of the scale, there is another story told of a WHW walker who had to cry out early because his boots were not well broken in.
Traditionally, hiking footwear has meant boots offering copious amounts of foot and ankle support with waterproofing to keep those feet dry in boggy terrain and there are those who consider any challenge to this orthodoxy to be heresy. That hasn't stopped others asking if you really need that Gore Tex lining when leaving it out allows for more breathability and feet that are less sweaty. There are even outdoors folk who rate drying ability above waterproofing. Sandal fans like Chris Townsend will no doubt appreciate this thinking. Moving on to foot support, questions have been asked about the amount of support that footwear really needs to supply; the faith of Innov-8's Wayne Edy in the biomechanics of the foot comes to mind on this one. On a more conventional, I remember Walking World Ireland's Andy Callan opining that foot support was more important than waterproofing or ankle support, which seems to sale up the middle somewhat.
One thing that can answer all of these types of questions is the type of walking that you do. Of course, that consideration starts with the terrain that you frequent. The requirements of dry dusty trails in the U.S. are very different from boggy hill tracks in the Scottish Highlands and the contrast between the tow path of the Macclesfield Canal and the side of Tryfan is equally as stark. Fitness (a very dangerous word following outbursts in the OutdoorsMagic forum...) and experience also come into the frame.
For my walking, I have tended to stay with the conventional thinking and use boots most of the time. My walking does range from good tracks to boggy terrain to craggy slopes so a general purpose boot is what I tend to choose. What has brought all of this to mind is my discovery of a hole in the Nubuck uppers of one of the Salomon boots that have been my mainstay over the last few years. It shouldn't surprise you to hear that water ingress has been experienced as a result. However, I have noticed wetting out as well and would be rejuvenating the Gore Tex lining with the likes of Nikwax were it not for the hole. In addition, the other boot was letting in water too so I was on the market for replacements.
That brings me on to another potential point of discussion: buying outdoor footwear over the internet. I must admit that I have done it but there is a lot to be said for going to a well stocked shop and that is what I did on this occasion. The shop that got my custom was the Manchester branch of Cotswold. I popped in on the muggy damp day that was last Sunday and spent a spot of time inspecting their selection. The Scarpa ZG10's caught my eye so I got help from the shop staff with their fitting. To my surprise, I was told that I needed UK size 9½; and there I was thinking that it was only Salomons where you needed to go at least a size larger than your normal shoe size (I take 8's). The width fitting seems good and my heels are held securely with plenty of ankle support. There is some space about the toes but that stops them getting bashed on my way down hills. The Vibram soles look designed for the job too and the rubber rand about the uppers look as if they could deal with the rough stuff too. The other advantage in going to a shop is that a spot of boot care advice is on offer too. The Scarpa's weren't cheap so I plan to look after them.
However good the fit is, any boots are going to take time to break in and, despite the leakiness of the boots that are being replaced, I am not going to rush things. For one thing, I have an older pair of Salomons that look tatty but I never remember them to leak (they were retired before that could have happened) and I am planning to press these into service for any forthcoming outings. In fact, I took them out for a recent ramble over the Gritstone Trail between The Cloud near Congleton and Kidsgrove with a walk in along the Dane Valley Way from Eaton was the warm up. The old clobbers did that job well.
I suppose that I could use trail shoes but I'd rather the security of boots. That said, I have been using trail shoes from Columbia and Salomon on walks on paths and tracks near home, where I go a little more lightweight anyway. I might even try them further afield where I can be sure that I am crossing less challenging terrain.
Dipping a toe into the world of digital mapping
10th May 2007 Having seen in an old TGO that Anquet now allows you to buy digital mapping like you would buy digital music, I decided to take a look at what was on offer. For now, I am sticking with 1:50000 mapping; I cannot justify the cost of the 1:25000 equivalent. For instance, 1:25000 mapping for the Western Isles would set you back over £300 while you could have 1:50000 for around £12. This makes the latter look much cheaper than paper mapping and the former appear very much more expensive. The differential is enough to make me ask if one is subsidising the other. At least, you don't have to pay extra for the software required; it's a free download from the Anquet website and the installation seems straightforward, at least for a computer literate type like me.
Speaking of the required software, not only does it act as the viewer of any digital maps but it is also the interface through which these maps are purchased and downloaded. Because the files are not small, a broadband internet connection is a must. For instance, 1:50000 mapping the size of the Western Isles area is just over 65 MB and this is at the smaller end of the scale. I can only imagine what size the 1:25000 map files must be.
While you can print off maps, I don't see this as the main use of digital mapping. In fact, I plan to continue with paper maps for a good while yet; I like the idea of having a wider when I am out walking too much and cost of digital 1:25000 mapping is a factor too. That leaves route planning capabilities and it is here where digital mapping scores. For one thing, the ability to measure the distance of a walk without having to get down on your knees on an outstretched paper map on your bathroom floor is a definite plus. You can also save the routes for later and the software will generate route cards for you as well. A compatible GPS receiver would be able to download a route for use in the outdoors but this is one feature that I am unable to test since I don't have a GPS receiver and I have to admit that acquiring one is not that high on my list of priorities.
It all seems very useful though there are some features about which I am not so convinced. One example is the Virtual Landscape mode, though I suppose that it can be used to confirm your interpretation of contours. Another is the ability to download Country Walking and Trail routes through the Anquet website; I tend to plan my own, often using ideas generated by the perusal of walking magazines rather than slavishly following their route descriptions. Aside from these, the planning capabilities have me impressed and I hope to continue using these and learn more.
From walker to backpacker?
25th April 2007 Even though I am an avid hillwalker, my trips to date have either been day excursions or a case of basing myself somewhere and exploring the local area from there, a series of day trips if you will. At times, I have even done some base-hopping but I would never consider it backpacking per se. The idea of walking the last section of the Pennine Way, between Byrness and Kirk Yetholm, has been challenging this status quo. And the long sections of the Southern Upland Way, recently completed by Aktoman and related in his usual quizzical fashion, have done nothing to detract from this challenge.
First, I need a spot more education, yes, even with my reading of TGO. Last Friday after work, I was in the Manchester's Deansgate branch of Waterstone's looking for an Oracle book and had a look at other things too, trying not to get too carried away with impulsive buying. The result was that I came away with a copy of Chris Townsend's The Backpacker's Handbook; next steps are to read the thing and make good use of the contained sagely advice.
In the meantime though, I am keeping an eye up for lightweight sleeping bags. PHD's Piqolo has in the past caught my eye with its 395g payload and the 465g Minimus is another option from the same stable. By default, they come without side zips but you add them for an extra £24. Roman from Lighthiker's World favours Western Mountaineering's 541g Summerlite bag. Only Snow+Rock seem to sell Western Mountaineering bags in the U.K. and do not feature the aforementioned article on their online store. Nevertheless, they do offer the 454g Highlite which is another lightweight option. Aktoman uses a bag from another British manufacturer, Criterion, and its packed down size seems very impressive indeed. These all appear to be worthy contenders but I'll learn a bit more before coming to a decision.
