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

[hooky]

Okay, so I learned something here... The Sawyer uses an osmotic membrane (like Gore-tex or our skin)? It would explain the hard back flush followed by lower flow rate I've read in reviews.

If you really lean on it during the back flush it will flow again, Hooky? That sounds to me more like a rupture of the filter, given the media. Osmotic membranes are by their nature a one-way semi-permeable street. Hmmmmf...more dang research.

Good read right here... REI

This is all i really know about the Sawyer technology Sawyer® Products - Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More

The lower flow rate could also be caused by calcium buildup. After some time of use in the field, if a forceful backflush doesn't return the flow rate to normal, Sawyer suggests soaking the filter in vinegar.

FAQ Link --> http://sawyer.com/waterFAQ.html

 

[hooky]

So I have a question about compasses.

I have a Brunton and I know how to set the declination with my compass. Its a tool-less design but it can get loose and move around if you don't pay attention.

Maybe asking for a new compass for Christmas but I want to know, if you have a SILVA and you want to change the declination, how do you do it? Does it require a tool?

Same questions for the SUUNTO compasses . . . how do you set the declination and does it require a tool to set the declination?

My Silva doesn't have an actual adjustment, just the scale. It's a manual process with the map edge if the map isn't marked with magnetic north lines.

 

[actaeon277]

You manually add or subtract the declination.
Old school.

As long as you know it in the first place.

 

[melensdad]

My Silva doesn't have an actual adjustment, just the scale. It's a manual process with the map edge if the map isn't marked with magnetic north lines.

You manually add or subtract the declination.
Old school.

As long as you know it in the first place.

Hmmm, maybe I'll stick with Brunton because they allow you to adjust for it.



GEAR UPDATE: KEITH TITANIUM COOKWARE . . .

. . . not yet tested, and not sure if this is even going to the UK with me because I'm unsure if I will need it for that specific trip but figured I'd add it here because I'll be testing it before the trip and I may decide to take some/all of it.​

​

Got some brand new Titanium ultra-light backpacking pots/pans from a company called KEITH. They make a lot of ultra-light stuff for bicyclists so if you are bike rider you may be more familiar with them. This stuff, like most of the Titanium stuff, is made in Asia. Keith brand stuff comes from China.

They sell different sets, I chose a 3 piece set because it was simply the best value of all the options and picked it up on Ebay for $61.20 (total price including shipping) which is pretty outrageous for 3 tiny pots/pans but is actually pretty cheap compared to other TITANIUM cookware.

The set includes a MESH BAG, a 1.2 Liter pot, a 0.8 Liter pot, and a 0.4 Liter pan which, due to its sloped edges near the base, allows the pan to work as a "double boiler" when teamed up with either of the 2 pots.

The 1.2 Liter pot is the tallest, narrowest of the 3 pieces and flares a bit wider at the rim to allow the pan to rest on top. The 0.8 Liter pot is just large enough to allow the 1.2 liter pot to nest inside, and the 0.4 Liter pan fits comfortably under the 0.8 Liter pot to nest inside.

Entire weight of the 3 pieces of cookware + the bag = 12.1 ounces:

Should you choose to carry without the bag, then you will save 0.6 ounce:

All 3 pieces of cookware nested:

The 3 piece set gives you some flexibility in options, if 2 of you are going out for a trip you can carry all three pieces for those rare trailside gourmet meals, but if you want to go lighter you can mix & match your cookware and carry only those pieces you need for making hot coffee/tea/cocoa and rehydrating some Mountain House meals while saving a bit of weight and pack space.

Small Pot (0.8 Liter) + Pan = 6.8 ounces

Large Pot (1.2 Liter) + Pan = 7.7 ounces

Large Pot alone = 4.6 ounces

Medium Pot alone = 3.8 ounces

Pan alone = 3.0 ounces

Honestly have no clue how this stuff performs as I have not yet tried it. TITANIUM cookware has a reputation of having hot spots and not doing a very good job of spreading the heat across the surface of the entire bottom of the cooking surface so it will be interesting to compare this to my ALUMINUM cookware (GSI Halulite Micro Dualist ~ now discontinued) cook set.

 

[mdmayo]

This is all i really know about the Sawyer technology ...
The lower flow rate could also be caused by calcium buildup. After some time of use in the field, if a forceful backflush doesn't return the flow rate to normal, Sawyer suggests soaking the filter in vinegar...

That seems a very logical conclusion; vinegar is an acid, which dissolves the calcium carbonate (it effervesces, bubbles carbon dioxide) releasing it back into solution from the precipitated buildup like many see in their shower heads. Stronger acids produce a stronger reaction. In the field geologists use a ~10% solution of hydrochloric acid to assist with identification of carbonate rocks and sediments.

Typically, unless surface waters are in direct contact with calcium composite sediments or bedrock (limestone) they don't have an overabundance of calcium. Though, like anything else, that doesn't always hold true. An example of the exception would be the rivers and streams (hell, kettle ponds and sinkholes too) in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky where the water has a very blue-green appearance; that coloration is the calcium mineral in solution refracting light. Higher water temperatures increase the rate of precipitation, as does lower pH.

 

[mdmayo]

So I have a question about compasses.

I have a Brunton and I know how to set the declination with my compass. Its a tool-less design but it can get loose and move around if you don't pay attention.

Maybe asking for a new compass for Christmas but I want to know, if you have a SILVA and you want to change the declination, how do you do it? Does it require a tool?

Same questions for the SUUNTO compasses . . . how do you set the declination and does it require a tool to set the declination?

Yup, Silva you have to compensate old-skool for declination. My Suunto came with a little "key" attached to the lanyard, simply inserting it into the adjustment screw and turning it allows for calibration of east/west declination, depending upon the direction it is turned.

 

[mdmayo]

GEAR UPDATE: KEITH TITANIUM COOKWARE . . .

. . . not yet tested, and not sure if this is even going to the UK with me because I'm unsure if I will need it for that specific trip but figured I'd add it here because I'll be testing it before the trip and I may decide to take some/all of it.​

​

Ooooh, me likey. Looks like your stove and maybe a fuel canister would fit inside it as well...

​

​

 

[melensdad]

[/INDENT]

Ooooh, me likey. Looks like your stove and maybe a fuel canister would fit inside it as well...
[/B]

​

I can easily fit the Snow Peak GigaPower stove + Fuel canister inside the cookset. I can also fit my entire alcohol stove set up with fuel inside the cookset. The Soto Muka burner will fold up and fit inside, with the fuel line, but not with the fuel bottle.

But that said, my 1.1 liter GSI Halulite cookpot will also hold the same equipment just as easily. I'm not sure what the weight is on the GSI set, I'll have to pull that out and put it on the scale.

Honestly I've never used most of the pieces that came with the GSI set. It came with 2 cups, 2 insulated bowls w/lids, 2 sporks and a hard anodized aluminum 1.1 Liter pot that has a strainer lid. I bought the set because I wanted the pot. Its been a good pot, doesn't show any signs of wear at all. I think the set was discontinued by GSI in 2010? You can still find them on the internet but the price seems to be about $15 OVER RETAIL for a new set. Oh, and the sporks that come with the set are pretty flimsy. Like I said, I've never used them!

 

[mdmayo]

I still haul my old aluminum MSR stuff around, with a Snow Peak Titanium spork and cup. It is relatively heavy, but for an overnight (or maybe three) I don't really worry too much about the weight of my gear as long as it isn't completely excessive. I should be far more concerned about my own weight which, as it's varied over the years, has shown to have more impact than the gear. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total gear-fiend when it comes to some things (my fishin' stuff mostly), just not so much as backpacking gear. I know my father-in-law, who is a freak of nature climber/runner/kayaker/musher/packer, frets over every ounce of gear. I've seen him drill holes in titanium tableware to shave even fractions of ounces.

 

[melensdad]

I still haul my old aluminum MSR stuff around, with a Snow Peak Titanium spork and cup. It is relatively heavy, but for an overnight (or maybe three) I don't really worry too much about the weight of my gear as long as it isn't completely excessive . . .
. . . I know my father-in-law, who is a freak of nature climber/runner/kayaker/musher/packer, frets over every ounce of gear. I've seen him drill holes in titanium tableware to shave even fractions of ounces.

My aluminum GSI pot (I think its a 1.1 liter?) is a heavier than this new Keith 1.2 liter pot but its not crazy heavy, in fact its still darn light. It also has silicone on the handle so you don't burn your hand. I really like the fact that it has a strainer lid, but honestly I only use it for water boiling.

Some people cut half the handle off their toothbrush to save weight so I get that people will drill a hole to save weight. Me, I'm not that obsessed. I'll cut weight by buying lighter or carrying less, but there is reasonable and then there is obsessed. I'm not obsessed.

 

[actaeon277]

You know Melensdad, I'd swear you were going to the moon with all this planning and gadgets.
I feel like a luddite with all my old school boy scout stuff.

 

[melensdad]

You know Melensdad, I'd swear you were going to the moon with all this planning and gadgets.
I feel like a luddite with all my old school boy scout stuff.

But Larry, the "Boy Scout" stuff is generally for CAMPING.

What I am buying/discussing is generally for BACKPACKING.

There is a lot of OVERLAP between CAMPING and BACKPACKING but while there are plenty of similarities there are also a lot of differences.

Backpackers carry their gear long distances and the point of the trip is the actual journey. This little hike across England that I am making is a SHORT HAUL by most backpacking standards. We are planning to walk for 8 days, and that is stretching things out so we can visit museums along the path. That means we are walking reasonably short distances each day, trail distances of only 11 miles, with additional walking of probably an additional 5 for roughly 15-16 miles per day. But if we were not stopping at historical sites, this is a path that we should cover in about 3.5 days, walking roughly 25+ miles per day. I know backpackers who string together 25 to 30 mile days for 30 to 60 days in a row to complete their trail. I'm gearing up for a 498 mile hike from southwest France to western Spain that should take about 30 days. Hauling heavy pots and pans, plus clothes, plus food, plus water for long weekend is a pain, but doing it for a month is unbearable.

Because of the long distances Backpackers have seen gear evolve. When I started this in the late 1970's a pack was a pack was a pack. But now there are packs for hiking, packs for alpine use, packs for climbing and packs for peak ascents. There are packs for carrying specific weights, with load transfers to shift the load with each step. And the trend, which must have started at least 10-15 years ago while I was away from the sport has clearly been toward lightening the load with technology. And I must say, as I'm in my 50's and arthritic I welcome a lighter load!​

The point of CAMPING is the events at and around the camp. The fellowship around the fire, the short nature hikes, the swims in the lake next to the campsite. The food cooked in cans on the open coals. You haul a heavy load a fairly short distance and you set up "camp" and use that as your base from which to do your exploring, orienteering, etc.

From our casual conversations I would guess you are looking at this thread from the eyes of a camper. Jedi had a thread about camping out one weekend, he went with loonhoosier and Wild Deuce on a church event with their boys. They hiked in their gear a total distance of about 70 yards and brought in coolers, and propane camp stoves, and large tents so they didn't really have to carry much.

Camping is generally a 'group' activity with family members, or groups of friends and each of different skill levels. You bring entertainment, you look forward to the camp cooking, etc.

Backpacking is generally a solitary or intimate group event. 1 or 2 people on a trail. Perhaps 3 or 4 close friends on a trail. But all of similar skill level and all of similar mindset that the journey is the adventure, the walking & the scenery are the entertainment. Food and camping are necessities that get in the way of the walk. That is generally what you find with Backpacking.

 

[mdmayo]

This is a good take on hiking vs. camping. Very well put Melensdad!

 

[melensdad]

This is a good take on hiking vs. camping. Very well put Melensdad!

Larry and I are both sitting at the cigar lounge now talking about these differences.

 

[mdmayo]

Explain trekking to me please. Is it hiking minus a gear-load?

 

[melensdad]

Explain trekking to me please. Is it hiking minus a gear-load?

From what I understand Trekking is generally hiking/backpacking in a mountain area like in the Himalayas. I think it may simply be more of a regional term? Sort of like the difference between "soda" and "pop" since both mean the same thing but 'soda' is more prevalantly used in some areas of the country while 'pop' is more commonly used in other parts of the country.

But I'm not professing to be an expert.

EDIT:

I looked up hiking poles and trekking poles and apparently they are both the same thing. Just depends on what the company making them wants to call them. I have Leki brand poles and they are called "trekking" poles by Leki.

The purpose of "trekking poles" are to help transfer part of the load of a heavy backpack off his knees and onto the poles.

So if trekking poles are used for the above purpose then there is no way that "trekking" can be hiking without a load. I think this logic may actually reinforce my guess that "trekking" and "backpacking" are essentially the same thing, with the possibility that "trekking" would have some additional connotation toward backpacking in the mountains while the term backpacking would be a more general word.​

 

[mdmayo]

I'll buy that for $1.00

Gotta say that my trekking poles were one of the best investments I ever made, at least my knees think so. Being able to have the additional muscle recruitment uphill is awesome but not essential, downhill they are abfab.

 

[melensdad]

Looking at the AVERAGE temperatures for the area where we will be hiking, the morning temps will be in the mid-40's and the afternoon high should be about 61-degrees-F.

I've never owned a WOOL baselayer shirt (a "Merino" wool undershirt) and am considering investing in a few of them. And I use the word "investing" because when I started looking at the prices, they seem to cost from $45 to $85 each. WTF? I know that people who have them swear by them as being great. I understand that they don't get all funky smelling like synthetic fabrics when you sweat. Can they be worth that price? I was figuring on buying 3 and rotating through them, washing them in the evening during the hike. That way I wouldn't have to wash every night.

But at $45~$85 each, I'm not convinced to buy any of them. And if I do I'm thinking buy one, wash it every night, hope its dry by morning.

Are the "Merino Wool" base layer shirts worth the high cost?


Linky => http://www.rei.com/product/855512/icebreaker-anatomica-crew-underwear-top-mens
Linky => http://www.rei.com/product/828662/smartwool-microweight-crew-t-shirt-wool-mens

 

[melensdad]

Anyone?

 

[BravoMike]

Anyone?

Sorry, no experience here, but I have been wanting to try out a Merino wool base layer for a while. I use a polyester base layer and it does get stinky, which is another reason I would like to try the wool.

Your distant relative, Mr. Skurka does recommend them for multiday backpacking trips in his book, The Ultimate Hikers Gear Guide.