Pro Action Hike Lite

I felt guilty about making Mike haul the old Wild Country New Ilanos, so looked at the old “Tiger Paws” tent that pops up on Outdoors Magic every now and again. That’s “paws”, not “feet” (thank you, George).

A quick check online, and a trip to Argos last Thursday meant that a smaller packed unit went into the Atmos. Of course, I’d swapped the pegs out for a mix of lighter standard pegs (from Blacks) and some ground-grabbers from Alpkit.

Stats from the Argos site:

2000mm hydrostatic head. [The Akto’s is 3000mm]

Taped seams.

Tension adjusters.

Quick clips.

Size of overall tent (H)300, (W)120, (L)105cm.

Size of each room 110 x 290cm.

Size of living space 110 x 290cm.

Packed size (H)15, (W)15, (D)40cm.

Weight 2.1kg.

There wasn’t much of a wind, and it wasn’t raining. During the night, the temperature dropped to 4°c and rose again to 14°c by the time we broke camp. Mike carried it, pitched it, dozed and slept in it.

Back to Reality

In the last 4 weeks I have been mainly keeping my left leg elevated and following the doctor's orders. She's been a great doc, and my leg is merely itchy now, and breathing a lot better. Enough for me to get back to work yesterday (with the obligatory "welcome back" interview with HR), and thank my workmates for picking up 4 weeks of classes. Strange how much work changes in that time of absence, even when keeping in touch via emails.

So, I've a pile of things that I haven't tested yet.

The TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR trail shoes, bought on 12 hours before I phoned NHSDirect (no link implied). I refuse to wear them on my short walks that I have to take in the last week after my meds changed.

The Blackfly#3 that I bought from Tinny in the USA  - kindly resent when the original never arrived.

The doc was concerned that I couldn't look after myself - I did point out some of my recent hikes, and how much food I had in the flat. But I've still to try some FreezerBag recipes, as I'll need to find storage space in my kitchen for all the ingredients currently living in a box on the floor.

The Aquagear Survivor water filtration system needs another trip out before I write up my report. I have a Nalgene bottle carrier to strap it onto my belt, so I can access it when walking. It should allow me to carry less water in Camelbak, as I like to drink without stopping. It is important to keep hydrated, otherwise strange things happens to the body's systems.

Mike collected the Akto's inner from Tiso's. Good repair job, good price. Oh, and I measured the cord length again, and it is the recommended 165cm.

Dawn's had another clear-out, and I've a pack-full of excess gear to collect on my way down to Dartmoor later in the month. I'll need a dust-off before then, especially to make sure that my leg is up to a weekend of exploration.

In week 2, I was able to elevate my leg and use my computer at the same time (footstool with 4 cushions on it did the trick). I caught up with some tech podcasts, mainly from the TWiT stable. I lodged my interest in the new iPhone with O2, and was really enthused watching Steve Jobs' keynote speech, but was less enthused the more I listened to podcasts like MacBreak Weekly and Today in iPhone. I gave up on Trail magazine and will not be renewing my subscription, but have been reading the BPL.com forums - I haven't bought a membership there, merely the magazine subscription.

Watched a pile of dvds, highlights "Doctor Who: The Beginning" (first 13 episodes from 1963), and "The Day the Earth Stood Still", lowlight "King Arthur" (not as bad as Braveheart, but sodding close. Great kit, good sets, poor - really poor - story). Finally bought a copy of "Scottish Hill Tracks" and can see why people on the TGOc like it, and why it was useful for Gayle and Mick in route-planning their country-long trek. Also realised that I didn't have Paddy Dillon's "The National Trails", so rectified that as well as buying "Walking on Dartmoor" by John Earle.

As it is impossible to paint while keeping leg elevated and major dosage of anti-biotics setting the daily routine, I've been unable to paint figures. I have, however, been planning my trench system, and would love something as detailed as this, but doubt I can achieve that level of realism. I treated my research to a blast of the "Charley's War" reprints - I forgot how realistic they were. Pat Mills answers his critics with research.

The Palmolive bottle still hasn't been eaten by the meths/water mix, so that's another piece of kit for the dust-off test.

As to the blog, I've added some 'non-ads' to the sidebar. Unpaid, unsponsored, unasked, just highlighting some companies that do a good job. The only other change I made was to change the type of "map-amung -us" to show where about current readers are.

Think I might get the iPhone 3g as I think Web2.0 has reached it's limit for me. It becomes just noise rather than information. Despite being laid up for this time, I've still got piles of podcasts and blogs to read, as well as programmes to clear from my recorder. As people require log-ins before comments can be left, or become protective about the purity of comments (see podcast about responsibility), as there are more media-podcasts being set up in direct challenge to the dire terrestrial broadcasting schedules, will we see an end to the lowly ramblings on forums, newsgroups, blogs? Is the term "friend" being demeaned by its use in social networking? Is the brain being rewired by the reliance on the Net (or is that, shudder, the "cloud").

TGO just dropped through letterbox, time to get a move on.

Definition of Camping

I was thinking of things bushcrafting when doing the dishes this morning (yup, no kitchen scales, but I do wash up). Darren called a few minutes later and we chatted about life, the universe and other such nonsense that we can't change. At the end of it I was left with the question - just what is camping?

In the old days, I thought it was "being under canvas", but not these days. I looked at the CRoW Act (schedule 2 1(s)bans camping on Access Land) - no definition. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code fails to define camping beyond the detailed:

This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place.

So, lets think about this. Sleeping under a tent is camping. Obviously.

But car camping isn't lightweight camping.

Sleeping under a tarpaulin is camping.

But is sleeping on the ground in a bivvy bag classed as camping? Like this.

What about sleeping out when night fishing? Or in a hide like this when bird-watching? What about lying under a shelter manufacturer from natural materials? Like this. Sleeping in a sea cave? Like this. Sleeping in a hammock? Like this.

Definitions according to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary: link mentions tents, huts or other buildings. yahooAnswers elected an answer which included a tent, a primitive structure, or no shelter at all (link). Dictionary.net lists tents, huts, etc., erected for shelter (link).

So, if camping on Access Land in England & Wales is banned under the CRoW Act, is sleeping in a non-built shelter, eg a bivvy-bag, or just sleeping under the stars also banned?

Past Tents

I picked up on this from DigitalKatie - "Past Tents: The Way We Camped" an exhibition on camping by the California Historical Society. Link. There's a link from Berkeley, with a better photo.

I'm not sure if Susan Snyder's book of the same title is related to the exhibition, but I'd guess so. Link

A Year With An Akto

My Hilleberg Akto arrived last year at the beginning on July. So far, I can count 34 nights out in it. That's less than a tenner a night, and getting cheaper.

Well, it was small, and lighter than the water bottle that I had carried in that morning. It would go with me on more than 400 miles of treks in the year, and up a few Munros.

Packs

2006

2007

Weather at top of Coire Dhondail

2006

2007

Snow in the corries

2006

2007

Pitching in the Cairngorms

2006 - the first night out - Camping in Lairig an Laoigh at 750m

And the morning after - warm in tent, cold outside

A year later, I'm still not a morning person, the tent didn't change that.

But the guylines are better placed.

And finally, I was going to do a gear review, but there's more to life than the eternal search for what you take out on the hills. Is not the quality of your soul more important than the quality of your sole? Hike your own hike, pick your own nose, and best wishes for the rest of your own hiking year.

Must Be This ... Akto

Andy Howell has an article on tents across on his blog (click mouse button here to activate hyperlink). In it he gives reasons why the Akto is a fine tent and ... oh, also, mentions other single-person tents. But you can ignore that and just focus on the fine tent that is the Akto.

Legal Note: Other tents may be lighter, cheaper, more bomb-proof, or have flying ducks in their patterns. The Hilleberg Akto may go down as well as up. Your shelter is at risk if you do not secure your tent pegs.

Derry Lodge

Saturday morning. Glamping with a couple of chums at Derry Lodge. They drove past me last night when i was in the Hungry Highlander (no, i'm not on commission), so had half my jumbo cod supper (that's cod and chips to any f'r'ns reading this), stuffed rest into coat pocket and started to leg it up the path. Only to be asked if i was intending camping on NTS land by the lycra-short mountain-biking ranger. A short exchange in which i affirmed that i would not be lighting an open fire, "in this weather?"
Double-timing it up the path. Run 20, walk 20. Run 20, walk 25. Run 15, walk 30. I pass a chap with a Dick Strawbridge moustache and family. Then catch up to the ladies, trying not to appear to be a stalker in case it was the crafty weapons of war host.
Too windy by Bob Scott's so got more shelter by Derry lodge. Sparkling wine, chocolates and i got to eat the rest of my cod supper, cos the others wouldn't eat cold fish n chips. Result!

Loch nan Cnapan

Before pitching at Loch nan Cnapan

After pitching at Loch nan Cnapan

Thursday evening. Reindeer at south end of loch.

Later there were 5. Later none.

Akto + lochan + sunset = Bliss.

Loch nan Cnapan at sunset.

Change of Plan

Boulderfield too tiring. Dark clouds coming in. I'm off to a camp for night. I'll pick up path tomorrow.

Start with this...

...end up with this.

And, yes, the Akto is in this photo.

With an early finish to the day (about 5.30), I could sit and watch the clouds, read some poetry, see the reindeer and other hikers on the ridge above.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
(Wordsworth)

Lightweight Tents

When catching up on the TGO Gear pages about the European OutDoor Trade Fare, I also noted Cameron's posting on the lightweight (sub 2kg) and lower-priced tent (approx £120) from Wild Country for 2008. (link)

--

The new edition of Trail scrambled through the letter-box this morning included an item about a "reader whose ultra-light tent had collapsed in really wild weather". So some calls were made and a few manufacturers of lightweight tents were asked what speed their tents can cope with.

Golly. I didn't realise that wind speed only affected lightweight tents?

Looking back, to June 2007's Trail, with sub-2kg 2-person tents, wind speed is not rated. However, Trail's Graham Thompson did talk about the stability of the tents in his reviews.

I note that Craigdon Mountain Sports have a tent show advertised this weekend in Duthie park, I wonder if they will have a note of the wind speeds that their tents can stand up to? I think the public should be informed. Oh, they do - they have staff on hand to tell people - how handy is that?

As Mr Thompson rightly says "You need to know what you and your kit are capable of".

Doesn't everyone?

The outdoors can be a dangerous place - get it wrong, and you can die. Much like driving to work.

Be safe, be alert, be turned on to your place in the scheme of things - if you screw up, it's usually you that suffers. The rain doesn't care that you only took a showerproof jacket. The wind doesn't care that your tent can't cope. The sun doesn't care....well, you get the gist.

In a blame-centred society, it is good to have no-one to blame but yourself. Puts things in perspective.

Wild camping? He was bloody furious. Boom tish.

Lightweight tents

I was reading an article in Hike-Lite's blog from last year, and a thought crossed my mind:

If English law doesn't favour wild camping, why should lightweight tents (usually associated with wild camping) be considered mainstream?

Yes, I know that carrying less weight overall means you can, kilo-for-calories, trek further in a day. But if you are trekking between pre-booked pitches, you might not be traveling as far as walk-til-you-drop wild campers.

Sirje Hansen

Thank you, Sirje.

Fibraplex Pole

I collected the custom-made Fibraplex pole from the Sorting Office this morning. I'm looking forward to a windy weekend to try it out.

By shortening the length of the pole sections, I should now be able to pack the pole in with the tent, and should (depending on other considerations) be able to pack the whole compressed Exped drybag across the length of the Atmos pack.

Fibraplex pole Hosted on Zooomr

Bell' Buys

Here's the list from the Bellingham meet.

Footwear

X-Socks Air Force 1 (2 pairs) - this follows the Southern Upland Way, where my 1000 mile socks were my spare, and started to wear through.

Gehwol refreshing balm - I use this a lot, especially as it is similar to the fore-head anti-migraine rubs you buy in chemists.

These items were ordered from Backpackinglight.co.uk, and I asked them to take the order to Bellingham to save me on the postage (hmm, 10 hour round trip, and I save 3 quid, ach well, every little helps).

Cook System

White Box Alcohol Stove - I had a wee trangia, but was put off by the size of the meths container. I'd never really used it seriously, just a few times when I was in the TA for a very short period of time after this photo was taken. Hearing Bob's podcast and seeing his demonstration on Saturday hooked me in. I hope to try it out this weekend coming. (podcast, YouTube review, pdf manual)

Nalgene medium travel kit - this contains lots of wee bottles. I'll rephrase that for non-Scots readers: "this contains lots of small bottles." If I can break down the fuel into small containers, then I can take just what I need for the trip.

Aloksak (pack of various sizes) - to store items in. Not sure what yet, but I watched the Glen van Pleski "Lighten Up" dvd, and then had the opportunity to raid it for ideas. The main one being to only take what you need. Heck, I carry things like bug juice in the bottle it comes in, when I could decant it into something smaller. Ditto for toothpaste, etc. On the whole quite small, but put together with other things, the weight and bulk adds up. I'm lucky to be a wargamer, so I have lots of small ziplock bags around for tea bags, whitener, etc.

Cosy and windshield kit - to make a pot cosy out of. I've tried keeping food warm without one, but no joy, so I'll rig up a cosy for the weekend and give it a try. Good tips from Bob's demonstration. (link)

Drytech meals (two) from Expedition Foods - until I get the dehydrator in production, these are great treats. I seem to have eaten one for dinner on Saturday night. Hey ho.

Others

A small ultralite MSR packtowl (link) - folds down smaller than my mobile phone. Opens up to a useful size - about half the size of the PackTowl I've been using for over a year.

Alpkit tent pegs (link) - having tried them on Saturday night, I think I'll replace 6 of the Akto pegs with 6 of these 'tikes', and leave the original 4 'pins' for the lower corners (they have a hook to secure the base rings to).

The main idea then is only to take what I need. Why carry a box of 12 Bovril cubes when you're going away for a long weekend? Just take what you need. Same with food containers - I could decant some tinned food into the Aloksaks. or dehydrate tinned meals and then bag them. Lots of options, minimising bulk, minimising weight. Hours of endless fun, and who wants to rough it? Sod that, the outdoors are for living in, not suffering through.

Thoughts for next one

Okay, so I said I wasn't going to suggest modifications, but I've had a busy day, so sod it:

• A bring and buy - an idea lifted straight from wargames shows.
• DVD presentations, talks, etc - I'd certainly have paid a non-members fee to get in.

Great show, great first event, I'd love to attend another one that was as good as Saturday.

Tips 7: Taking down your Tent and Packing it

Start by sweeping out all dirt from the inner tent. Close all zippers.

Pull up all ground pegs except the ones at the end facing the wind.

Push out the pole from behind! Do not attempt to pull out the pole because the sections will separate from each other making it difficult to get it out!

When the pole has been taken out pull up the possibly remaining pegs, fold and roll up the tent around the pole and peg bags.

Make sure that while rolling the tent, air is gently escaping from it. You can also simply stuff the tent into its bag and pack away the pole and pegs bags by themselves.

To reduce condensation if the outer tent is wet on the inside detach the inner from it before taking down the tent. Otherwise inner and outer should remain linked and everything can be packed together.

Pole and pegs should not be packed right on the inside of the stuffbag but rolled up inside the tent before it is being placed into its bag. Otherwise you risk damaging the stuff bag.

[source: Hilleberg Akto pitching instructions - 2.42mb file >> download pdf version.]

The tent pegs and pole goes into their respective bags, and then the peg bag fits into the pole bag. That gets stored in the backpack separately from the fabric.

I haven't used a stuff sack for the fabric, other than the one that Hilleberg provided. I've been told a Granite Gear Stuffsack size 4 is suffice. I'll give it a try later. I find that the standard sack is okay for putting it into the base of the rucksack, or pressing the fabric flat and storing it against the back of the rucksack. If you have a large side pocket, you might find that you can store the fabric in there.

I've never yet had to detach the outer from the inner.

Tips 6: Occupying your Tent

You should now be left with one pitched tent, your hiking gear and three bags supplied with the tent. Wrap the elastic band for the pole around the bag, stow that safely - I'll use the band to hold the peg bag, and stow that inside the tent fabric bag. These get stored at the 'head' of the tent's inner.

I quickly found that items got stored in regular places, and a routine was formed. Walking poles get dropped into the foot end of the porch. Rucksack was put into porch and door dropped if it was raining. Unpack rucksack:

• Porch: hydration sack and cooking gear.
• Doorway: sandals, toilet pack, handwash, trekking shoes (when undressed).
• Foot of inner: empty rucksack, map case, softshell jacket (for under sleeping bag), food bag.
• Body of inner: sleeping mat (short Therm-a-rest), sleeping bag.
• Head of inner: gps, solar radio, book, mp3 player, head torch, first aid kit, water bottle, ointments bag, valuables bag, clothing bag, waterproofs.

Head torch sometimes hangs from ceiling tab, or stored in stowage pocket by tent door. Most of my gear is in waterproof bags and I'll use clothing bags inside a fleece as a pillow. Inside some bags are ziplock bags so I can keep gear together (eg solar-powered radio, earphones and spare batteries). I'll put them into my upturned wide-brimmed hat, so I can keep everything together.

Having been over-nighted in the tent by midges, I now keep a waterbottle inside the inner in case it happens again.

Get a brew on and relax.

Tips 5: Pitching your Tent (Ventilation)

The facts about condensation
Condensation is the exact opposite of evaporation. Air inside an occupied tent is warm and humid – which means it has lots of “evaporated” water molecules zipping around in it. That warmer, moister air rises and hits the tent wall (which is cooler because of conductive cooling), and those water vapor molecules slow down and “stick” to the cooler surface: they “condense” out of the air and onto the tent wall. The same thing can happen between your sleeping pad and the floor of the tent.

Hilleberg tents combat this process with:

• Vents situated high up to let warm, moist air out.
• Double wall design with water repellent, breathable inner tent fabric to let vapor pass through, and to keep actual water out.
• More venting via mesh panels in the inner tent doors.

Ventilation

One of the vents is an integral part of the entrance of the outer tent. The degree of venting can easily be adjusted by the size of the opening.

Zipper adjustable vents in head and foot ends of the outer tent provide good air flow, and are protected from rain by the angled design of the end itself.

Also the inner tent has a large vent with no-see-um netting at the entrance which should be kept open whenever possible.

[sources: Hilleberg Akto pitching instructions - 2.42mb file >> download pdf version. Hilleberg Tent Manual - 6.09mb file >> download pdf version]

I tend to use all the vents, only closing one of the outer vents (the one that's into the wind) if the wind and rain are strong.

Unless really cold, I'll keep the 'no-see-um' mesh open. It's midge-proof too. In fact, the only place midges go into the inner was where the 2 zips meet, and that was able to be sealed using microporous tape from the first aid kit.

Tips 4: Pitching your Tent (Guy Lines)

The tent comes with tied-on guy lines which should always be applied, even when the weather is fine.

When the ground pegs at the corners are in place one should pull out the guy lines and peg these to the ground. An angle of approximately 45° to the ends of the tent is appropriate.

The guy lines have two line runners each and are therefore easy to adjust even when they are immobilized at the pegs or other fasteners. It is imperative to pull the lines as far as possible from the tent for best results in strong wind. They should however not be pulled so tight that they they distort the natural shape of the tent.

In strong and gusty wind one can use another set of guy lines and angle them differently from the tent for more stability in shifting wind directions!

[source: Hilleberg Akto pitching instructions - 2.42mb file >> download pdf version]

When using the guylines, remember to untangle them from the tent first. It's stating the bleeding obvious, but, unlike many other tents, the guylines are fixed to the fabric in two places, so it's easy for one length to end up caught under the tent.

The guylines are great, and the 'line runners' [see picture below] are a nifty idea, allowing the guys to be located and tightened where the pegs can be secured. Useful in circumstances where the options for pegging are limited.


There are guy lines on the pole sleeve, which I always peg out. Some people don't. I do.

I just don't trust the weather, and the pegging only takes a few extra seconds. Ask yourself, "do you feel lucky?"

Tips 3: Pitching your Tent (Inserting Pole)

Insert the pole into the pole sleeve until you feel a slight resistance (about 100 cm / 40 inches into the sleeve).

Then pull the sleeve over the pole until it bottoms at the reinforced end of the sleeve.

Make sure that the pole does not bend before it gets to the reinforced end.

Take the tent by the pole tensioner (f.ex. peg loop) and insert the pole fully into the sleeve so that it bends naturally!

The pole sleeve has only one opening. In strong wind you can kneel on the tent to keep it on the ground.

Place the end of the pole into the plastic cup of the pole tensioner.

Pull it taut with the webbing until the pole is right against the side of the tent.

Pole tensioner and pole sleeve allow for double poling, enhancing stability and strength for the most demanding undertakings!

[source: Hilleberg Akto pitching instructions - 2.42mb file >> download pdf version]

Just a couple of things to watch out for here:

1. Make sure that the pole hasn't got caught on the far end of the sleeve.
2. I usually have to release the webbing strap a wee bit more to loosen the pole cup before inserting the pole, then pull it taut.