I'm a self confessed gear nut and could quite easily go on and on about it. However, for the sake of everyone's sanity I'll mention it here only if I get something particularly exciting and keep it to a bare minimum. If there are any other geeks out there I'm going to add a separate page where we can discuss fabrics hydro-static head, breathability and moisture vapor transition rates, stove boil times and thermal efficiency to our hearts content!
I've got a new stove!
I've always used some sort of gas stove, my latest being a little MSR Micro Rocket. I fancied something a bit different for the trail; I considered liquid or multi-fuel stoves or staying with gas and going for a Jet Boil. In the end I've decided on something completely different and just bought a Wild Stoves Wild Woodgas Stove (a bit of a mouthful!). When working out my budget I figured out that gas canister at £3 will last me maybe 2 days. Lets say i'm on the trail for 130 days, that's almost £200 in gas. The woodgas stove is a little heavier and boils stuff slower, and relies on my ability to light a fire, but it saves me a whole lot of money and means I wont have to carry any bulky gas canisters or heavy liquid fuel; just a small amount of dry kindling to get it lit on damp days. And it has a lot of novelty value!
I've now tried it a couple of times, full review to follow on the gear page!
...and a new tent. Well, hammock.
After a good years debating on what type of shelter to go for, I finally decided that I was going to hammock it, and just bought a Hennessy Hammock Expedition Asym Velcro! I've never slept in a hammock before but always wanted to, and the AT provides the perfect opportunity. And, in answer to the the question that everyone asks; I will be able to rig up a sort of bivi/ basher set-up where there are no trees. The weight also drew me to it; a touch above 1kg including the stuff sack. For a tent at a similar weight I would probably be looking at something like the Force 10 Helium 100, which is twice the price and not nearly as cool!
I managed to take it for a quick overnight test run last week and and was very impressed. After half an hour of fidgeting I found the perfect angle to lie at (kind of diagonally-ish) where I can lie straight and have my head propped up slightly to avoid using a pillow. I was surprised by the amount of room there actually was in the hammock itself; I think i'll be modifying it slightly to have a little mesh divider at the foot end to store clothes when i'm sleeping in addition to the overhead storage pouch thing. Definitely glad I went for the Velcro option as well; loads easier to get in and out of than it looks, less to break, and easier to repair should the situation arise.Fun, exciting times indeed!
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