Walking across England from the North Sea to the Irish Sea along Hadrian's Wall

[melensdad]

Not a lot to report lately. With nearly 100 degree days back to back and high humidity, walks have either been short or non-existent. Looking forward to this evening when the temps are supposed to drop back down to the 70's. Did a miserable 5 miles in the heat and I do have a odd little piece of equipment to report upon.



GEAR UPDATE: Xylitol infused self-cooling headband from Ex Officio

Let me first state that I do not like wearing a headband. Never did. Doubt I ever will. So with that bias out of the way, I'd like to talk about a new headband that is very different than those terry cloth headbands that can be had for a couple of bucks. This was a $10 piece of fabric.

Not sure exactly what the material is, but I'm guessing its spandex or supplex or some similar combination. Its soft, smooth and stretchy and generally very comfortable against your skin. The material is also, somehow, infused with the chemical Xylitol, which is a mint like flavoring used in some brands of breath freshening gums and breath mints. Apparently the sweat generated by your body is soaked into the material, where it mixes with the Xylitol, and creates some sort of a chemical reaction. Ex Officio, the maker of the headband, proclaims that the chemical reaction cools your head by a full 5 degrees.

I don't know why, how, or whatever, but I can report, this thing ACTUALLY WORKS.

My hottest trial with this headband did 5 miles in 95 degree heat with my wife. She was also wearing one. They come in black and several colors. As far as wroking as a headband, I can say that not a single drop of sweat rolled off my brow and into my eyes or dripped onto my glasses. But hey, any headband can do that. But what this really did was cool my skin/my head everywhere that it came in contact with my body.

All that said, I still am not a big fan of headbands. If I was a fan of headband I would take this with me to the UK for our hike across England. But I prefer a towel and a hat. Will I use this? Yes, on really hot days I will continue to use this magic headband.

FWIW, I have no idea how long its cooling effect will last. I know that the bug repellent clothing is typically good for 70 wash cycles. So I suspect this is similar, it probably will work for a full summer and then fade in effectiveness? But that is just a guess.


====================


Upcoming Walk: 3 Mile Walk-a-Thon for Multiple Sclerosis Society

In Highland IN at Wicker Memorial Park => Walk MS - Northwest 2013 - National MS Society

Even if you are not planning a hike across a foreign country, you may want to go out on Sunday and find your local MS society walk. Raise a bit of money, or donate a bit of money, and walk for a good cause. My wife's mother had MS and it made the last 2 decades of her life a living hell. The head fencing coach at my fencing club's wife currently has the disease, and one of the teacher's my wife works with has a mother with the disease. We are walking for the memory of my M-I-L and for these 2 friends who are touched with the disease now. If you look around you will probably find out that you know someone stricken too.

Here is a link to the National MS Walk site, you can use it to find a walk that is local to you => https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/sit...ahdcgn2.app326a&pagename=WLK_INI_Landing_Page

 

[melensdad]

GEAR QUESTION ~ What kind of pack stove do you carry?

I've been re-thinking the whole concept of a stove and am being swayed . . . alcohol is influencing my decision.


I'm not sure if I am going to carry a stove with me on this hike. I believe in carrying what I need and since there are small villages every 8 to 15 miles along the hiking trail, there will be places to eat a hot meal and drink a tepid English ale. I am not convinced that I need to take a stove and cook meals. Still, I have to consider my options.


BUTANE Canister Stoves:

My old Optimus stove was tried and true and worked. Its long gone, it would be easy to buy another. Canisters burn for 60 to 90 minutes depending on ambient temperature, I'd need 2 canisters for an 8 day walk for hot coffee and a dehydrated meal if cooked 1 time a day. Butane stoves allow you to boil, simmer, fry (if you have a frying pan).
View attachment 21500

But canisters are bulky, expensive and sometimes hard to find.


Liquid Fuel Stoves/WHITE GAS/Multi-Fuel Pressure Tank Stoves:

Probably the most flexible for cooking, great for altitudes and cold weather conditions, but also the least reliable, we've all had one of these (or more) during our lifetime. They are good, common, and offerings come in all sizes and weights. But they are also the most complex stoves. My personal favorite is the SOTO Muka stove, its a multi-fuel that does not require priming, its got some nice innovations and was named an "editors choice" winner in 2012.

For these type of stoves, regardless of brand, you need the burner, the pump, the fuel tank and the hose to connect them all together. You fill the cannister with your choice of white gas, unleaded gasoline, etc. Attach the pump, connect the hose, pump the tank to pressurize, open the fuel valve and dispense a small amount of fuel, close the valve, light the fuel to get the burner hot (this is the priming step) and once the flame has burned for 10+ seconds and heated the burner/vaporizer then you open the gas valve again and start cooking. There is also a special process to shut down the stove to empty the hose, etc.

When these work, which is most of the time, they work very very well. They typically allow a full heat range for controlled cooking.

Soto Muka
View attachment 21501



Alcohol Stoves

This stupid simple thing is what is starting to sway me away from all other stoves. NOTHING TO BREAK. TOTALLY RELIABLE in all but extreme cold. LIGHTEST WEIGHT.

OK, the downsides are its basically a cup with holes that has 1 heat setting. ON. No simmer, just FULL BLAST until it burns out. But since most backpackers live on dehydrated/freeze dried foods like Mountain House and simply need some boiled water, then I don't see a lot of downsides to this design. There are home-made versions out of old pop cans, old beer cans, cat food cans, etc. There are high quality rugged versions made from Titanium and there are cheap commercial versions as well.

If I take a stove on this trip, and I'm not sure I will, this is probably what I will take with me:

Fancy Feast Cat Food Can Backpacking Stove - YouTube




EDIT: I bit the bullet and bought my first alcohol stove

Burns simple, cheap alcohol (HEET gas line anti-freeze, Denatured Alcohol, etc).

No moving parts. Simple to operate. Easy and light to pack. Made in America by a hobbyist/backpacker.

I opted to buy one, rather than make one out of a pop can, cat food can, etc, because I was looking for something more substantial and found this one, looks great. I'll update eventually. Probably during the cold of winter when there is little else to do.

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0XVDwjsrUkI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0XVDwjsrUkI%26feature%3 Dplayer_embedded[/video]

[video=youtube_share;0XVDwjsrUkI]http://youtu.be/0XVDwjsrUkI[/video]

 

[melensdad]

GEAR UPDATE: Tragedy has befallen the household. . . missing gear!

Somehow, while moving my pack around over the past week, from room to room, I seem to have lost my "Gossomer Gear" belt pouch.

Its this little 0.9 ounce thing:

The lovely Mrs_Bob and I have torn apart the spare bedroom, I've shined lights under every piece of furniture on the upper level of the house, into the back of the closets, searched shelving, and even emptied several drawers. Its not to be found.

As that is my primary camera carry case for the trip it will have to be found, or replaced. Given the high price ($15) for such a small piece of gear I really don't want to replace it. But it is so well designed that if I have to do so, I will replace that little pouch.


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I've started a spreadsheet to track the weights of gear that I'm testing out. My goal is to carry no more than 20# on my back, and given that water weighs 8# per gallon and I'm looking at carrying 3 Quarts each day (2 in a Camelbak bladder + 1 in a bottle) then with the container weight I'll have nearly 7# or just over 1/3rd of the total weigh taken up with water. Add about 2# for the 2000 cu.in. backpack itself and I'm at 9# or just under 50% of my maximum goal. Still to weigh, 2 rain jackets, 2 rain pants, first aid kit, titanium cups, medicine, knife, etc etc etc


-----------------------


But now its time for bed. Alarm is set for 4:30am so we can go for a walk tomorrow before the day gets started. Hope I'm feeling up to it. Been sick all weekend with a bad cold and some stomach discomfort. I'd like to at least get in a quick 3 mile walk in the morning's pre-dawn hours.

 

[melensdad]

The world is good again . . . my wife found the little Gossamer Gear "pocket."

I now have it secured to the waist strap of my back pack. The little pouch comes with a velcro tab on the back of it so it can be secured to your backpack's waist strap so that it does not slide around. It also has two elastic hoops that help hold it in place. The velcro strip, which is now stuck on the right side of the backpack belt, gives me about 3" of lateral adjustment for the Gossamer Gear pouch so I can adjust it a bit in the field.

Prior to today I did not fasten the velcro strip to my backpack, but rather relied on the elastic. Now I have it secured firmly with the velcro as I affixed the velcro strip to my pack. When moving the pack around, apparently the elastic didn't hold it firmly enough and it slipped off the pack's belt. That can't happen now that the velcro has it locked in place.

 

[melensdad]

GEAR DISCUSSION >>> Wristwatches for Backcountry Uses: Hiking/Camping/Hunting/Climbing

With some little electronics, a wristwatch can now become a tool for back country travel and hunting. This watch is an older titanium cased Tissot T-Touch Trek watch. Its now a discontinued model, but they offer other versions. Its not the best back country watch on the market. The new SUUNTO CORE is probably the best watch out there for backcountry use, its commonly available for about $275, give or take a bit. PYLE offers a watch with similar features, I've seen them on Ebay for as low as $49.00. Casio makes several versions that offer some of these features, prices vary from $250 to $500.

So what makes a GREAT back country watch?

How about a COMPASS, a BAROMETER and an ALTIMETER for starters? Add in a THERMOMETER, an ALARM and a STOPWATCH function too.​

I'll be using my Tissot T-Touch Trek for illustrations here, but the other watches do all/some of these things, some do them much better, some about the same, some a little worse. But this will give you some things to think about.

If you are lost in the woods while hunting, or if you are hiking a trail from one point to another, an ALTIMETER and a simple topographic map can help you find your location. If you think you are at a point on the map, just check the the elevation lines and check the altimeter function on your watch, it can confirm your location or show you just how lost you really are. This can let you know that you have reached the peak, or maybe just a false peak. Or confirm you are in right valley, etc.

On this watch I set the ALTIMETER function and the hands point to ALTIMETER, then the digital read out gives me my elevation above sea level.

COMPASSES on wrist watches are known to be moderately accurate. A quality magnetic compass is going to be more accurate, but some watches can do a pretty good job and most can give you a reasonably accurate indication of your direction of travel. On this particular watch you set the watch to compass mode and the hour hand moves opposite of the minute hand and then the 2 hands rotate so that the minute hand is pointing to Magnetic North Poll while the hour hand points to the Magnetic South.

BAROMETERS are probably the feature that I think are most critical for safety and for comfort. Some watches actually will give you a GRAPH showing the past 12 or even 24 hours of barometric pressure trends. Some even have little icons shaped like clouds, rain clouds, or the sun to indicate weather. Mine is pretty simplistic compared to something like the new digital watches, but it does the job. Set it into the METEO mode (which is the Barometer on this watch) and the two hands come together and then point into 1 of 3 positions. If the two hands point toward NOON then the barometric pressure has been STABLE for the past 12 hours and there will be NO CHANGE in the weather. If the two hands point toward 1 o'clock then the barometric pressure is RISING and good weather is coming. BUT, if the two hands point toward the 11 o'clock position then the barometric position is FALLING and bad weather is coming.

I snapped this photo this afternoon, about 3 hours after taking the picture the HEAVY RAINS started. Knowing in advance that bad weather was coming I could have returned to camp, or pitched a tent and prepared for rain, or taken other precautions before the rain starts.

My watch also has a THERMOMETER function. I'm not a big fan. If I'm out hiking and its cold, I know it. If its hot, I know that too. I suppose there is some use if it becomes dangerously hot or cold, but I don't see a lot of use for knowing the exact temperature. Still, the digital readout give me the temperature and the hands point toward the function to confirm its a temperature in the readout. I know of no watch that can tell me if the FUTURE temperature is going to fall or rise and then project it with a future temperature. However the previously discussued BAROMETER function can give you an idea of the future weather, and that is, in my opinion, more important than the specific temperature. I suppose if you wake up in your tent, see steam rising when you open your mouth, say "I'll bet its colder than a witches' tit out there, you could use a thermometer on your watch to confirm that fact.

TIME, ALARM and STOPWATCH functions . . . why are these important? Simple, if you know your destination on a map, and you know your current location on the map, and if you know your rough walking speed, you can use the STOPWATCH and TIME to help you determine the time to your destination or your waypoint. Or, if you know the time you left your starting point, and your rough walking speed, you can roughly find your location on a map by using the distance scale and the elapsed time since you started walking. Using the ALARM function you can set a time into the future, and based on your walking speed, the alarm should sound at/about the time you reach a point on the map that you had previously chosen so you don't pass up a pre-determined meeting point, etc.

One thing that I have NOT discussed is a GPS feature in a watch. Garmin and a couple other companies now have GPS enabled watches. The problem with a GPS watch is the same problem that exists with a handheld GPS, that is they EAT BATTERIES and/or must be RECHARGED too frequently. Out for a quick "day hike" or out hunting for the day and you probably won't come close to wearing out the battery, but what happens if you go out for a week? Odds are the battery in your watch can be stretched to a few days if you are very careful with powering down the GPS and use it only a couple hours a day. But if you are in back country then you probably should learn how to use a compass and a map instead. Leave the GPS watch behind. JMO and YMMV.


Other watches for back country travel/hunting/hiking/climbing (these have some/most/all/more of the functions of my watch):

• SUUNTO Core: Amazon.com: suunto core: Sports & Outdoors
• PYLE: Amazon.com: pyle watch: Watches
• CASIO: Amazon.com: casio barometer: Watches
• PULSAR: Pulsar Men's PS7001 Tech Gear Digital Watch: Watches: Amazon.com
• TISSOT: Tissot Men's T33789892 T-Touch Polished Titanium Black Rubber Watch: Watches: Amazon.com

In an age when many people rely on their cell phone for time and fewer people are wearing a watch, if you go back country you may find that you have no reliable signal. A watch can be a versatile and invaluable tool to help you navigate your way through canyons, over hilly or mountainous grounds, across an island, etc. Give some thoughts to the functions above the next time you rely on a GPS to get you home, could you have done it with a map and a compass, or even a map and a wristwatch?

The watches I listed above range from cheap to expensive, there is one for every budget. You might find one that will save your life if you go afield.

 

[actaeon277]

I haven't posted anything, cause I don't really have much to say.
Except these are some great reviews and thanks.
I've saved this thread in my "References" folder, so that I can access it later when I have questions.

 

[melensdad]

I haven't posted anything, cause I don't really have much to say.
Except these are some great reviews and thanks.
I've saved this thread in my "References" folder, so that I can access it later when I have questions.

Well Larry since I'll be seeing you later this evening at the Open Carry Cigar Night I'd be happy to wear this watch and let you play with it a bit. I know you work with the Scouts, maybe parts of this thread can give you some ideas. And I can still learn a lot, so maybe you can improve some of my skills.

Its been way too long since I've spent much time on the trail, I'm really enjoying my short hikes and testing out my gear. Some is old, much is new or new-ish. What surprises me on some things is how much better some things are, and also on others, how little things have changed over the years.

 

[melensdad]

Met up with actaeon277 last night at the NWI INGO Open Carry Cigar Night and got a chance to chat a bit about gear. Mostly about the use of a compass and orienteering and maps. The setting was not really conducive to anything in depth but as he teaches the Boy Scouts it was good to hear that these skills are still being taught. Its a very small % of the population that is out on a trail, or offtrail, long enough to run the batteries out of a GPS but for those who are out for 2 days or more, learning how to use a map and compass can make the difference between life and death.

 

[melensdad]

UPDATE: HOW TO ACTUALLY USE A COMPASS

Based on some coversations after I posted the information about hiking watches I get the disctinct impression that a lot of people don't really understand how to properly use a compass. It seems like a lot of people think they know but in reality they don't know, the proper way to use a compass out in the field.

This YouTube video is a great resource and explains things very well:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-N8roXXgIhM

Here is also a webpage that explains how to use a compass, this is very simple, with illustrations: How to Read a Compass

 

[actaeon277]

Or, meet up with Actaeon, and he can teach you.

 

[melensdad]

Or, meet up with Actaeon, and he can teach you.

Yea, that would work too.

He can also show you things about compasses you didn't know. I never used a mirrored compass, after talking to Larry I am glad I don't have one. But if you want one, best bet seems like buying a really expensive one. But I'll stick with a $20 Silva or Brunton or Suunto.

 

[mdmayo]

Once you learn all the neat tricks, you really learn to treasure a good compass. I've carried and used my Brunton Pocket Transit since my first year of undergrad geology study WAY back in the day. But, they are flippin' pricey. For just everyday map use the planform models from Silva, Brunton, or Suunto are all quality tools. IMO everyone should own and learn to really use. a compass. No BoB is complete without one. My Brunton is so well-loved, it rivals my guns as a cherished treasure.

 

[melensdad]

Once you learn all the neat tricks, you really learn to treasure a good compass. I've carried and used my Brunton Pocket Transit since my first year of undergrad geology study WAY back in the day. But, they are flippin' pricey. . . My Brunton is so well-loved, it rivals my guns as a cherished treasure.

"flippin' pricey" is an understatement. Those things are like fine Swiss watches and cost as much as many guns. Still, if I were to buy a mirror compass, that would be the one!

 

[mdmayo]

You said it! I paid around $280 over 20 years ago for mine. Just went to their website and looked... $536!!! Wow, just wow.

 

[melensdad]

Interesting bit of kit that OTHERS in my group will be carrying for me!

There are at least four confirmed people going on this hike. It could grow to 10. It likely will be 6 or 7.

So I decided that I will give others who go on this trip some gifts.

As I'm the oldest person on the trip, I figure that with my age comes some wisdom. And I know that liquids are heavy, in fact they are easily the heaviest things that we will be lugging across the island of England. My goal is travel as light as possible, but still enjoy some of the finer things in life.

So I will be giving GIFTS to some of the other hikers on this trip and those gifts will also benefit me! The gifts I have chosen to bestow on my fellow hikers are lightweight flasks that they can use to replace those heavy wine bottles and whiskey bottles that they would otherwise be carrying into the field for our picnic lunches and mid-afternoon snacks.

Pictured below are 2 wine flasks (one right side up, one reversed) + 1 smaller flask from some fine scotch single malt.

These things literally are feather light. I've found a couple brands, these are made by GSI. They are BPA free plastic and mylar so they should not impart any flavor into the adult beverages they will be used to contain. They were a bit pricy, roughly $10. But are reusable. The body of these modern day 'botas' weigh about as much as 2 sheets of paper. The neck and the cap are lightweight plastic. I didn't put them on a scale for an exact weight, but I'm guessing 2 to 3 ounces total.

So my cunning costs me a bit of cash, it doesn't burden me with the unwanted weight, and I still get to share in the bounty! If we add more people to the trip, I'll simply buy another couple of "gifts" for others so that there will be plenty of wine to go around!

 

[mdmayo]

Crafty... very nice

 

[melensdad]

Crafty... very nice

Every once in a while I get a good idea!

I will say that I'm pretty amazed by all the new high tech stuff available to hikers that was not available 30+ years ago when I set out on a bit of the Appalachian Trail.

I'm looking at a new pair of boots that are lightweight, but with rigid ankle support, a combination that simply didn't exist even 5 years ago. Featherweight titanium has literally taken over the cookware and cutlery (but at a price) due to its strength to weight ratio. Packs continue to evolve and get lighter and lighter while having high capacities, but careful pack selection is required if you want to carry heavier weights as suspension systems vary widely between light load packs and heavy load packs. I'm testing 3 different stoves now and am leaning heavily toward simple alcohol as the fuel because of the overall weight & size of the total package. So who would have thought that the old "wine bota" of the 1960's could be made hi-tech . . . apparently a lot of people thought it could be improved!

 

[mdmayo]

The GSI bottles seem to be an updated version of the Platypus bottles available in the late 90s. I actually dug around a bit ago and found I still have two in my gear. One is a liter, the other a 2.5 liter that can double as a hydration bladder, much like a Camelback. While I assure that they were put away clean and thoroughly dry, they now have a musty odor and are now resting in the trash bin. They were supposedly food grade, though not mylar, and not to adsorb or emit odor/taste, and did not for many years. I'll be interested to know how your lot holds up over time. Looking forward to another review!

 

[melensdad]

Anyone have any ideas about water filtration/purification? Technically filtration is not true purification.

With the exception of a couple days, I will have ample sources of clean water along the trail we are walking to simply refill bottles/bladders with safe water. But a couple of the days of our upcoming walk will either require me to filter/purify water along the way, or carry a lot of water and refill at night (we will be at a clean water source each night).

There are lots of choices. Some I do not like.

• Not a fan of the UV Light systems that kill the bugs/viruses but leave the dirt/off taste in the water.
• Not a fan of the purification tablets that can take up to an hour to work, and leave the dirt/off taste in the water.
• Pump Filters are good, when they work, some are bulky and heavy, some less so. Acceptable if under 1#.
• A "Lifestraw" would work for sipping out of a stream, but won't allow me to refill a water bottle. Fine if you are camping next to a stream/pond, but we are hiking and may not need the water when we pass a stream.

I'm hearing good things about the FIRST NEED XLE filter. Probably way more than I need for the couple gallons of water that I may need. I'd love something 1/2 the size and clearly don't need that much capacity. Lots of very mixed reviews about the MSR and Katadyn products.

Or should I just buck up and carry 8# (1 gallon) of water and slug through the day, with the load lightening up as the day goes on? It is certainly a possible choice to carry extra water a couple days. It's obviously cheaper than buying an expensive gadget that may or may not work. It's obviously easier to pack a collapseable water bottle than it is to pack a bulky filter system.

THOUGHTS?

 

[actaeon277]

What about something like this?
Rubbermaid 20-Ounce Filtration Personal Bottle, Black: Kitchen & Dining: Amazon.com
Amazon.com: Brita Soft Squeeze Water Filter Bottle, Twin Pack, Blue & Green: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: water filter bottle