Single biggest impact to the trails in this area is motorcross bikes, or 4x4. The latter group tend to stick to properly designated tracks, but they still have an adverse impact on the areas they do use: rutting > water flow > erosion > sedimentation/ permanent water logging. The Moto-x lot just ri...

Sorry Dave, not a lot of use to you but I haven't worn a watch in over 10 years now. Time is all around you on every electronic gizmo and when I'm away from all the electronics I'm happy to be in a mindset where time doesn't really matter.

Tough one. My initial thoughts are things like waymarker posts on Monks Trod, a few places where bridges would make things a bit more comfortable, but then I'm thinking Why would you want to sanitise an area where the main attraction is it's wilderness feel. The challenge of the Monks Trod is it's c...

Puts me in mind of an old Welsh joke: when a tourist travelling through Wales asks an elderly lady standing outside a chapel why are there always two chapels in Welsh villages she replies "Oh, that'll be the one I don't go to, me". I used to do the sponsored ride around the churches and ch...

If it's a loop then I'd say the Ridewithgps route has less climbing but the Garmin route would have more downhill so it's a tough call...

Sorry! Being serious, I don't know the answer to your question.

Thats a fair old bit of generalisation there! LOL, yes. A lot of the fun is researching and investigating kit, experimenting with different things and probably never reaching the utopia of a perfect set-up as new products and ideas are developed. Sometimes getting it wrong can cause anxieties out o...

I always find a sense of irony when I read threads like this. Whether it's hillwalking, mountaineering, bikepacking, or whatever, one of the oft-given reasons for getting out there into the great outdoors is to leave stress and anxiety behind. Now, it's this whole leaving stress and anxiety behind t...

ooh, one for us old'uns! Oldest bit of kit in regular (almost daily) use is a canvas military shoulder bag issued about 38 years ago. My regular bivi bag is an early Phoenix Gore-Tex one and my regular tent is also a Phoenix (Phreak), both I'd guess from the 80s and both in remarkably good condition.

You're only lost if you need to be somewhere else and don't know how to get there. What you're describing is a state of mind; you can only really find true freedom of travel if you leave security behind - both materially and mentally. You have to let go of the security blanket :cool: You can enjoy p...

One day I'm going to design a bivi bag with an external sleeve for a sleeping mat, a couple of Velcro tabs on the inside at shoulder level to clip in the sleeping bag (OK, will have to sew a couple of corresponding loops to the sleeping bag), and a full width pull over wired hood. In the meantime it...

That would sit nicely alongside my "Toughen up Princess" Charlie the BM sticker

What we call bikepacking can mean all sorts of different things to different people. Where I imagine the likes of Crikey, how much's involvement will lead is to organised bikepacking holidays in exotic locations; you'll carry your own lightweight kit in soft luggage along a mapped route to pre-arrag...

Sorry, double post

If it's coming via Royal Mail then they charge duty & VAT on delivery. Usually... but not always, they sometimes slip through if you're lucky. Will be based on the value of product advised by the seller.

Taylor wrote:Apparently it's a friend of a friend according to faceache.

What, the bear or the climber?

I'm going to chuck another option at you, the Bugaboo (depends very much on your weight constraints and budget - and if they're still available!). I'm fortunate to still be getting good use out of an old Phoenix bag, am dreading having to replace it as and when it finally gives up the ghost although...

I thought that Guy was wasted a bit and didn't really know the subject as well as in his other shows. I know what you're saying. This was a longer programme at 90 minutes and was more about the Vulcan than it was Guy. In his other shows it's been about him achieving something with a scale of engine...

Yep, enjoyed it too and agree that it was interesting learning some of the history of the time (although I do remember its being brought back into service during the Falkland Conflict). A lot of mutual respect between Guy and the crew working on and flying the plane.

It does stick! But in the same way as it sticks to itself when you buy the roll, so it's still tacky when you unroll it. May well leave some adhesive on your pump though. Don't know the science though

What sort of headroom are you looking for to set up a chair and sit? You may need to compromise on the chair to meet your other criteria or maybe look at pyramid styles?

Well written and a good read !

I've got a PHD half bag I use in the summer with my down jacket. Saves a few grams and a bit of space over a quilt or full bag if you're trying to go ultralight. I'm totally the opposite and use a half bag with a down jacket in the winter (which is when I'm carrying a down jacket anyway). Saves wei...

Blackhound wrote:I have been considering some of the down trousers for camp and sleeping in but they never seem to appear in the sale.

Have a look in their bargain box Kevin (though probably too big for you?)

Looks more like a seatpost with those dims.?!

I'm with Stu, never really bothered. Indeed, I don't even possess an electronic tracking device. I do however spend hours pouring over paper maps plotting routes and estimating distances/riding times. Have to say though that I am becoming more tempted to dip my toe into maybe a gps device. We'll see...