Mountain Laurel Designs Poncho Tarp - on the way

For all those interested, intregued or a a complete UL junkie like myself you will of at some stage looked at Poncho Tarps. They are not only a great dual use item (tarp and poncho) but generally their weight cannot be matched by combinations of jackets and pants.
After quite a lengthly process of investigating whats out there I had decided on the MLD Poncho Tarp due to its light weight, great hood design, functional tarp design and Ron's (owner of MLD) proven track record. The timing could not have been better for me as I managed to get one from Backpackinglight forums that had not been used and at a considerable cheaper price. Now is the waiting game, and I will report back on its use when we hit winter. Here are some images from Ron's website.

nanoSTRIKER

How small is this striker?

"Our collapsible ferrocerium fire-starter takes all excuses and throws them into the fire! This may possibly be the smallest ferrocerium fire starter on the market today. Attach it to your key chain, throw it into your pocket or tie it to your pack but never again leave home without one."

DeLorme and SPOT connect

Okay so this is a very cool toy, you will all know or have heard of the spot messenger, well picture that with a GPS and the ability to send custom messages from the one device. More info here

"As you may have heard, DeLorme has partnered with SPOT to release a new PN-Series GPS device that will use the SPOT satellite system to communicate text messages from remote locations where cell phones don’t have coverage. The PN-60w will connect wirelessly to the SPOT Communicator and be able to send free form text messages to friends and family as well as to websites like Twitter and Facebook. We’re also working closely with the folks at Groundspeak to deliver some very exciting geocaching features, including the ability to log finds directly from the field!"

Youth dies during bushwalk - ABC News

Direct from the ABC news website;


Youth dies during bushwalk
Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 7:10am AEDT
Updated Sun Jan 3, 2010 8:48am AEDT

Map: Perth 6000
Police are investigating how a teenager died while bushwalking in a national park near Perth.

The 17-year-old's body was found on the ground by a passer-by in the John Forrest National Park about 6:00pm (AWST).

Police say she was walking with her father when they became separated, possibly following a disagreement.

Police say there are no visible injuries and a cause of death will not be known until a post-mortem exam is completed.

They say there is no evidence so far to suggest she was murdered.

The Major Crime Squad is on the scene along with local detectives.

New Pack by MLD

Hi all,

Ron Bell from MLD posted these images to his group on facebook showcasing his next pack, codenamed the Newt.

Details straight from facebook.
"Finished a 'close to ready' prototype of the new smaller prophet pack- code named Newt. 10 oz stripped but plenty tough in Dyneema X and the and the same mesh, etc as the Prophet/Exodus/Ark packs. The design is very traditional but uses the best quality materials and a few really nice pieces of hardware no one else is using on UL packs. This one is about 15% too big...SO -weight may come down a bit. Strippable 3/4" waist belt- lots of spectra cord loops to attach the removable and ultra cool mini bungee clips. We Should have it up on the site in about a week or two. Simpler design makes it more efficient to make so the piece will be lower than the Prophet- around $130. "