MYOG - Solo Jet Gas System

Definately worth checking this out, great design, compact size and weight. I'm always a little curious about MYOG gas systems though.

Here is a link to the authors blog albeit in Japanese.

NEWS: Accident on Half Dome Yosemite Valley

I wanted to post this tragic new article to highlight some of the risks that we, as hikers, take when out on the trail. Some of the risks are known such as this one, yet we still take them, and others are unknown.

The image shows Half Dome in the Yosemite Valley US where a hiker tragically fell to his death infront of fellow hikers. You can read the full article here.

Some of the attributes to the accident as suggested by Larry Sullivan;

The couple attributed the tragedy to a combination of factors:- The inclement weather including clouds and wet conditions. The steep granite, made smooth by years of footfalls, is doubly slippery when wet- An upright steel post had come out of its mooring and made maneuvering past it especially challenging- A thin steel strap that held the wooden cross-piece footrest had broken or come loose, making the crosspiece unusable as last ditch footrest- The victim could have used the underarm brake technique to better advantage- Given the conditions, they felt they shouldn't have been on the cables without harnesses and carabiners.

Squeezebox Stove

Too many projects, too little time. But I know what im doing next..

Read more about it here.

Great Documentary on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), here is the synopsis.

"On November 6th, 2006, 6 Southbound Continental Divide Trail (CDT) hikers walked up to a humble little barbed-wire fence on the Mexican Border and finished an end-to-end hike that started 5 months earlier at the Canadian Border. Join them on their 2,800-Mile journey hiking the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail southbound thru Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico."

Check out the site for the free download, well worth it

Archery Arrows

So today I managed to pick up a bunch of used archery arrows that I would like to turn into light weight tent pegs similar to the ones posted here by Roger Caffin.

Beer hydrates better than water - really?

According to an article published by Backpacker it does.

Read the full article here

"Now, there's no reason to wait for that post-hike beer At last, I no longer have to act ashamed whenever people discover my hydration bladder is full of Miller High Life—I'm simply ahead of my time. Our pal Science now says that beer, yes beer, is more effective for rehydrating the body than plain ol' water. I think I'm not alone when I say that this qualifies as news on par with peace in the Middle East.Researchers at Granada University in Spain found this Nobel Prize-worthy discovery after months of testing 25 student subjects, who were asked to run on a treadmill in grueling temps (104 degrees F) until they were as close to exhaustion as possible. Half were given water to drink, and the other half drank two pints of Spanish lager. Then the godly researchers measured their hydration levels, motor skills, and concentration ability."

My new Tarptent Contrail arrived last week and so far I have been able to get it up in approximately 2 minutes.

This purchase was part of my gear list refurbishment to reduce my weight to a goal of 6 kg for overnight hikes. After I get a few nights out in the tent I will post a review here. So far I am very impressed with the ease of setup and the construction.

Very excited today, I received a parcel in the post from a good friend of mine in the US.
Some of the cool things he sent me include a home made Heinekein Pot with lid, a bag full of ultra light weight droppers ranging in size from 15 cc to 3 cc. There was also an Esbit stove and tabs (these you can't get local) and something I find so interesting is a lightload towel. Oh and a really, really small pack of cards smaller than a matchbox.
I will post an update to this in a few days when I have had the chance to test this gear out.

Mugs...you know who you are, thanks very much.

Cheers
Mark

Welcome! This is my first attempt at a Blog so bear with me, Im bound to make a few mistakes here and there, weird as though my background is in Information Systems :)

So why this Blog?...very simply I wanted to create a site that was dedicated to light weight hiking providing information such as tips, tricks, links to some gear and manufacturers and most of all relevant to everyone regardless of geographical location.

Feel free to follow this Blog, pass on the link to others that may enjoy it and give me some feedback.

Cheers and Happy Hiking.