March 4, 2010 at 9:41 pm
· Filed under Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
There is one fundamental problem with modern “Social Hiking 2.0″ is battery power – on a single device you have gps switched on, you are navigating using Viewranger (which is also updating your position online and updating the position of your Viewranger buddies on your phone), you are also sending, reading and replying to Tweets, uploading photos, reading and responding to Facebook comments and updating your blog.
All this leaves your average phone dead by the end of the day (by teatime if it is a touchscreen phone) – and that is where Powertraveller’s excellent portable power device the powermonkey comes in!… Read the rest of this entry »
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March 1, 2010 at 10:21 pm
· Filed under Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS, Walks
Our weekend camping and walking in the Surrey Hills gave us the opportunity to make sure we have the right equipment for Offa’s Dyke (now just over a month away), and to see how physically prepared we are.
Equipment-wise we have done quite well – there are a few little tweaks, but in general we have everything we need. The one key learning point for me though is the importance of caring for your feet when hiking for multiple days in a row.… Read the rest of this entry »
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February 15, 2010 at 11:14 pm
· Filed under Dogs, Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
Now I have started putting together my kit for Offa’s Dyke, it has occurred to me that there is something fairly fundamental that I have completely failed to take into account… my dog.
Now I wouldn’t even think about going on a walk without my dog, let alone a trip like this – but I had not really thought about the implications, in terms of weight to carry, that having my dog with me would have.… Read the rest of this entry »
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February 14, 2010 at 11:08 pm
· Filed under Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
It would seem that the curse involving me and tents is (hopefully) over – I have, safe in my possession, The North Face Tadpole 23 kindly leant to me by @fergycool.… Read the rest of this entry »
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February 13, 2010 at 5:49 pm
· Filed under Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
Next weekend we are off camping (yes in February!!) in the North Downs (just South of Godalming) to get some training walks in and to get some practice camping light. I don’t have any OS maps of the area, so I decided to “nip” into a local outdoor shop to pick a few up. I should have known better – an hour later and my wallet feeling considerably lighter, I left the shop with a huge bag filled with goodies.
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January 18, 2010 at 8:31 pm
· Filed under Equipment
Having put together an equipment list for Offa’s Dyke before Christmas, and crossing off a few items friends and family kindly bought me, I took advantage of the sales (and in some cases a VAT freeze) to pick up a few items I needed.… Read the rest of this entry »
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December 30, 2009 at 11:12 pm
· Filed under Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
Just before Christmas I took the opportunity to have a look around a few outdoor and camping stores to put together a rough list of equipment that I would need for Offa’s Dyke in April.
I don’t think the list is particularly comprehensive – it was more a list of things that caught my eye, but if you can spot anything missing let me know!… Read the rest of this entry »
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December 24, 2009 at 11:32 am
· Filed under Camping, Equipment
Within a few minutes of posting “Help needed in choosing a hiking tent” to twitter a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine, who is emigrating, kindly offered to donate his 2 man North Face Tadpole tent to the cause.
The tent seemed ideal, all I need to do was head into London to collect it……… Read the rest of this entry »
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December 16, 2009 at 8:15 pm
· Filed under Camping, Equipment, Offa's Dyke 4 MS
I don’t really know very much about tents – I have owned three over the years, but they were all pretty much impulse buys.
I know even less about backpacking / hiking / expedition tents – I am assuming that being light and compact is important, but beyond that I haven’t got a clue!
Hopefully that is where you come in! This is an open invitation for suggestions and recommendations on what hiking tent I should get for Offa’s Dyke.… Read the rest of this entry »
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May 18, 2008 at 11:09 am
· Filed under Equipment
After my 19 mile walk yesterday, I can now follow up on my original post on my new Sorbothane double strike replacement insoles. The terrain on the walk was varied – uneven footpaths, small rolling hills (for Northamptonshire they were hills!) and tarmac.… Read the rest of this entry »
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