Author Topic: Bought any camping gear today?  (Read 332027 times)

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1450 on: 03 January, 2019, 11:37:31 pm »
OK so here is the specification of my new light weight steel camping plate/bowl.

Outer diameter 155mm inner diameter 130mm  depth 36mm weight 60grm.

Supply details,  The plate comes filled with a check material and a top cover to prevent damage in transit.   Prior to use it needs the top cover removing, a can opener will perform this operation satisfactorly.  The plate then needs "proving" at 230 deg C in the oven.   Following the heating the plate should be checked to ensure that it has remained leakproof over the entire surface of the plate.  If a leak is found the manufacturer will replace the plate free of charge.  The contents should then be consumed and checked for taste.  Provided this is edible and no taint is present,  the plate can be washed and enter service.  Regratably the manufactures guarantee does not extend beyond the "proving" and  checking of the plate initial packing contents.  However at the low cost (approximately £1,00)  to expect an extended
Sort of.  I was reviewing my needs since replacing the frying pan with a small none stick version.   This left me with a quanddry, why have a huge Stainless plate weiging 200 grm when its not needed to cover a big fry pan.  So after the usual serach for a lightweight steel or taitanium plate the thought hit me.  Why not use a pie tin.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=1bpegPsX&id=3DF6CCE8EA8CE2DD4ED231713A1FBBCA09286A58&thid=OIP.1bpegPsXPFpISUFFB2LzBAHaHa&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.britishcornershop.co.uk%2fimg%2flarge%2fTJ0504.jpg&exph=500&expw=500&q=freybentos+pie&simid=607986854488967095&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

Light weight, good for 230 deg C and only £1.00 but you need to dispose of the contents valued at £1.00.   I am not normally big into re-cycling but somtimes its just sensible.   working on the disposal of the contents and a check the tine is good for 230 deg C at least for 25 min. https://yacf.co.uk/forum/Smileys/classic/grin.gif
guarantee is unreasonable.  ;-).

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1451 on: 23 January, 2019, 03:43:57 pm »
Just taken delivery of a #2 trowel for hiding the "outputs" during backpacking adventures.
http://thetentlab.com/Deuce/DeuceofSpadespage.html

My kitchen scales reckon it's 16g, which is super light.  Yet to test it out in the wild but looks promising.  Could also double as an emergency tent peg in soft ground I imagine.
Bought it online from  here https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/  Efficient ordering/delivery.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1452 on: 23 January, 2019, 04:04:19 pm »
Alpkit Viper head lamp as my Gamma is playing up. Gamma is now £22 rp. I think I paid £12.50 for mine.
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Pedaldog.

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1453 on: 26 January, 2019, 08:15:51 pm »
A Snow Peak Titanium pot, around 700ml size, with a lid, a mesh bag and a Ti Spork inside it.
Charity shop find of the year, I think!
I gave them a £2.00 coin and said to put the 50p change into the collection pot.
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1454 on: 27 January, 2019, 09:59:57 am »
A Snow Peak Titanium pot, around 700ml size, with a lid, a mesh bag and a Ti Spork inside it.
Charity shop find of the year, I think!
I gave them a £2.00 coin and said to put the 50p change into the collection pot.

Amazing! Great find  :D
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Pedaldog.

  • Heedlessly impulsive, reckless, rash.
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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1455 on: 28 January, 2019, 11:42:57 pm »
I called back in today and gave then a load of carrier bags to use. Least I could do.

This one, anna Spork.
https://www.tauntonleisure.com/snow-peak-trek-700-titanium.html
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1456 on: 04 March, 2019, 09:41:49 am »
Fold-a-cup (large)
like this https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/wildo-fold-a-cup-big-p444100?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwP2NiJjo4AIVS7XtCh2pVwuhEAQYASABEgKJhPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I wanted a mug big enough to use as a food bowl but which doesn't take up a large area of my rucksack by being rigid.  This is a cheap and fairly sturdy bit of kit.  A quick test with a cup of tea and it handles fine and packs small enough. 

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1457 on: 04 March, 2019, 03:03:21 pm »
I use Orikaso, both mug and bowl, which unfolds to properly flat (about .6 mm thick?), and effectively takes up no space.
You get a free chopping mat for the cooking phase too.

There's also Fozzils, which are similar, but use poppers rather than fold-in flaps, and are more expensive.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1458 on: 09 April, 2019, 07:49:20 am »
Not today but at the weekend a Robens snowden gaslamp.

If you read the instructions first you find out that there's a swivelly ignition hole, otherwise it makes quite an effective flamethrower, ruddy glad I didn't find that out with intent. It's a nice bit of kit and throws out a lovely light, looking forward to trying it out for real at Easter.

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1459 on: 09 April, 2019, 12:07:42 pm »
Does that not use a mantle?

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1460 on: 10 April, 2019, 08:52:08 am »
Does that not use a mantle?

Nope, that was the attraction over a traditional gas lamp1, well that and the fact it's teeny tiny in comparison and it's a screw fit, you essentially get an adjustable height candle flame, a bit of a play shows that it works best2 with a cylinder of butane/propane mix.

1I've got totally hacked off with rechargeable battery lanterns after the last expensive one died a fortnight after the warranty expired, the charging port came unstuck, I reckon you could probably have fixed it, I levered the housing assembly apart and made a temporary bodge but it was never going to be right.

2 If your definition of best is MOAR FIRE, this might be down to cylinder pressure -  the butane cylinder was pretty full, the propane mix was new, but I reckon the increased volatility has something to do with it.

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1461 on: 10 April, 2019, 12:33:47 pm »
Interesting.

I reckon that burning gas as a practical way of producing a decent amount of light is thoroughly obsolete, but that's not really the point in something like this.


(Agreed about most battery lanterns being made of cheese.  The market seems to be flooded with the sort of stuff that's only fit for being taken apart by Big Clive.  As most of my camping is solo, I generally use a properly-engineered head torch.)

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1462 on: 10 April, 2019, 12:44:03 pm »
I have a couple of Streamlight Siege lanterns. They use D cells, so too heavy for bike camping. Very solid build though. One is being used during my current loft clearing adventures.
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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1463 on: 10 April, 2019, 03:24:13 pm »
took the plunge this morning on a Snugpak travelpak 2 and a thermarest neoair Xlite.

Planning an overnight ride from Newport to wokingham and as I am rather unfit at the moment this should keep me safe with an alpkit bivvy.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1464 on: 11 April, 2019, 07:47:28 am »
Interesting.

I reckon that burning gas as a practical way of producing a decent amount of light is thoroughly obsolete, but that's not really the point in something like this.


(Agreed about most battery lanterns being made of cheese.  The market seems to be flooded with the sort of stuff that's only fit for being taken apart by Big Clive.  As most of my camping is solo, I generally use a properly-engineered head torch.)

I agree it's obsolete if you really need light and agree about a decent headtorch being the best solution, virtually all my camping is car camping, camping is one of those things we do as a couple. One of the things I've noticed in recent years as LED's have improved is that the light has got 'harsher', cf car headlights, very often we don't want that kind of light, just a little glow to see where I've left kicked over the vino.

Additionally I seem to be becoming somewhat photo-sensitive. We were in the lakes last year and every time someone at the other end of the site switched their small supernova on I had to retreat to the tent with crippling pain behind my eyes.

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1465 on: 11 April, 2019, 01:02:37 pm »
One of the things I've noticed in recent years as LED's have improved is that the light has got 'harsher', cf car headlights, very often we don't want that kind of light, just a little glow to see where I've left kicked over the vino.

I reckon the problem of low-intensity light from dimmable LED sources is twofold:

- Nasty low-frequency PWM dimming leading to stroboscopic effects that even if you can't perceive as flicker, mean your eyes have to work harder to fixate on a given target, as they overshoot during the dark period.  Sort of thing that gives you a headache if you read by it.

- That the colour temperature of an LED source doesn't appreciably change[1] when dimmed.  If it's a high-efficiency (or low-cost) emitter with a fairly high colour temperature, this means you end up with a light that's far too blue for those of us used to incandescent sources, and it just feels wrong.

If it's being driven at full brightness with a 100% duty cycle then these problems go away, but obviously you then have a ludicrously bright light that's inappropriate for just loitering within tent.


Quote
Additionally I seem to be becoming somewhat photo-sensitive. We were in the lakes last year and every time someone at the other end of the site switched their small supernova on I had to retreat to the tent with crippling pain behind my eyes.

Sympathies.  As barakta's photo-sensitivity has become a problem, I've realised how ubiquitous horrible light sources can be.  Bonus points for the ones in the migraine clinic.   ::-)



[1] If you dim by controlling the current rather than the duty cycle, it goes a bit wibbly in the bottom 10% or so.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1466 on: 12 April, 2019, 01:09:43 am »
One of the things I've noticed in recent years as LED's have improved is that the light has got 'harsher', cf car headlights, very often we don't want that kind of light, just a little glow to see where I've left kicked over the vino.
One of the problems I've had with most headtorches is the lack of a properly dim dim mode, but I'm sorted now - the current version starts at 0.06 lumens (iirc) as currently configured, and will go down to 0.01, but I decided that was too dim, even with dark adapted eyes. Not too blue either.
(Zebra H600FW III)

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1467 on: 12 April, 2019, 01:18:05 am »
I find the red LED works well when I want it really dim (yes, the colour of reddish objects is sometimes confusing, but it's not like you can see in colour with a dim light anyway).  I just wish the beam was a bit wider.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1468 on: 14 April, 2019, 07:47:12 am »
I find the red LED works well when I want it really dim (yes, the colour of reddish objects is sometimes confusing, but it's not like you can see in colour with a dim light anyway).  I just wish the beam was a bit wider.
Interestingly chart table lights on boats are traditionally red as it is supposed to help you train your night vision for when go back on deck in the middle of the night.

And apropos nothing another fan of Big Clive here, I've learnt an awful lot and he has the most wonderful soothing voice (IMO).
Reine de la Fauche


Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1469 on: 14 April, 2019, 10:39:10 am »
I find the red LED works well when I want it really dim (yes, the colour of reddish objects is sometimes confusing, but it's not like you can see in colour with a dim light anyway).  I just wish the beam was a bit wider.
Interestingly chart table lights on boats are traditionally red as it is supposed to help you train your night vision for when go back on deck in the middle of the night.

Indeed.  The rod cells are only very weakly sensitive to red light, so you can use it to read charts (or avoid guy ropes) without depleting your night vision.  A deep blue (think the glow from near-UV sources) would probably work just as well, but we struggle to focus properly at those wavelengths (and it's harder to make that colour efficiently from an incandescent light source).


Quote
And apropos nothing another fan of Big Clive here, I've learnt an awful lot and he has the most wonderful soothing voice (IMO).

"One moment please..."

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1470 on: 25 April, 2019, 12:30:23 pm »
I recently bought a small light for inside the tent. It has high and low settings and for reasons which totally escape me, a flashing mode. Why on earth would you have a lantern inside a tent flashing?

Bought a very nice (at least I hope) spork and knife.

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1471 on: 25 April, 2019, 12:33:38 pm »
I recently bought a small light for inside the tent. It has high and low settings and for reasons which totally escape me, a flashing mode. Why on earth would you have a lantern inside a tent flashing?

Because you want to use the cheap off-the-shelf control chip/board that's used in all sorts of torches and low-end bike lights, rather than going to the extra effort of rolling your own solution just to not have a flashing mode.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1472 on: 25 April, 2019, 01:25:01 pm »
These are very good, not blinding white light and converts from a lamp into a torch. Seems well built and sturdy too but it’s only done a couple of camping trips so far

https://www.alpkit.com/products/trinity#product-reviews
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Kim

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Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1473 on: 25 April, 2019, 02:39:03 pm »
These are very good, not blinding white light and converts from a lamp into a torch. Seems well built and sturdy too but it’s only done a couple of camping trips so far

https://www.alpkit.com/products/trinity#product-reviews

I've had one of those for a few years now.  It's done several car-camping trips, and occasional torch duty around the house.

Main complaint is the low-frequency PWM if you run it at anything less than full brightness - barakta can't tolerate the stroboscopic effect, so we end up having to use it at full power.  AA batteries are also a bit of a double-edged sword.

But it's reasonably compact and does the job well enough.  I like the way the hook works.

Re: Bought any camping gear today?
« Reply #1474 on: 26 April, 2019, 08:57:41 am »
A dim but enough to read by and handsfree red light is also good for my (occasional) astronomy. I'm still looking for the right light for that.

Is there a frequency at which the pwm ceases to be hard work for the eyes?

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