beefcrisps
14-04-2012, 06:28 PM
Hi guys,
Just thought I'd write a few words about my first trip out of the year so far......
I decided that as 'Her indoors' didn't have anything planned for us this weekend that I would dust of my gear and give it it's first airing of the season. I walked out into my local woods and started exploring about 1730 last night thinking that it would be nice and quiet but finding that because of the nice weather it was still busy, so I made myself discreet and stayed off the main paths until the main car park closed. I then set up my tarp and my new hammock, settled in to cooking up some tea......
Over the winter and inspired by other people on here and the 'instructables' website, I decided to make myself a stove/ brassier (pictures below), it was a cutlery holder from my local Robert Dyas with a nice hole dremmeled out so I could keep a steady supply of wood going in and a couple of bolts to raise it of the floor. But on this occasion because the wood has strict no fires policy and the fact that I found it again after buying it about 3 years ago, I decided to use a 'greenheat' fuel cell, its a small pot 2-3" diameter by again about 3" tall. I bought it on impulse years ago and never really got round to using it but I was really impressed with it, its a congealed alcohol fuel that's a replacement for meths. Although I can say it was the quickest to heat up my tea, it wasn't that slow either, I was quite happy watching the Squirrels and Mutjac go by, and another selling point of it is that it burns cleanly so no black pans and should last upto 2 hours!!!
After tea I had a little wander around, but quickly returned and plonked myself down watching the wood go about its business as dusk set in. As darkness began to fall I decided than rather stomp about the place with my head torch on, I'd have an early night and prepared for bed.
This was where the virgin hammock would come into play! It's a DD hammock with mossie net, but due to the temperature I was pretty certain there were not going to be any mossies out so I was just laying on top with my thermarest in between the layers and my trusty snugpak sleeping bag to keep me warm on top. How wrong I was! it was cold last night, really cold...... not underneath as the thermarest did its job, but I wish I had dug out my bivi bag as well as I'm pretty sure that the light wind was aiding in my bag to not being a warm as I remember. Anyway apart from waking up shivering, although I wasn't actually that cold.... (think it was the cold air on my face) it was a good nights sleep it the hammock and I can definitely say that I'm a convert. It was surprisingly comfortable, as a long time hillwalker/ climber/ Military I've done my apprenticeship of slumming it on the floor.... but no more, it's the trees for me from now on!!!!!!!
Obviously, I was then up with the dawn chorus, breakfast heated and camp de-built all before 0600 and walking out the woods happy and contented....... now just have to wait for the next weekend where my life's not planned for me!!
Just thought I'd write a few words about my first trip out of the year so far......
I decided that as 'Her indoors' didn't have anything planned for us this weekend that I would dust of my gear and give it it's first airing of the season. I walked out into my local woods and started exploring about 1730 last night thinking that it would be nice and quiet but finding that because of the nice weather it was still busy, so I made myself discreet and stayed off the main paths until the main car park closed. I then set up my tarp and my new hammock, settled in to cooking up some tea......
Over the winter and inspired by other people on here and the 'instructables' website, I decided to make myself a stove/ brassier (pictures below), it was a cutlery holder from my local Robert Dyas with a nice hole dremmeled out so I could keep a steady supply of wood going in and a couple of bolts to raise it of the floor. But on this occasion because the wood has strict no fires policy and the fact that I found it again after buying it about 3 years ago, I decided to use a 'greenheat' fuel cell, its a small pot 2-3" diameter by again about 3" tall. I bought it on impulse years ago and never really got round to using it but I was really impressed with it, its a congealed alcohol fuel that's a replacement for meths. Although I can say it was the quickest to heat up my tea, it wasn't that slow either, I was quite happy watching the Squirrels and Mutjac go by, and another selling point of it is that it burns cleanly so no black pans and should last upto 2 hours!!!
After tea I had a little wander around, but quickly returned and plonked myself down watching the wood go about its business as dusk set in. As darkness began to fall I decided than rather stomp about the place with my head torch on, I'd have an early night and prepared for bed.
This was where the virgin hammock would come into play! It's a DD hammock with mossie net, but due to the temperature I was pretty certain there were not going to be any mossies out so I was just laying on top with my thermarest in between the layers and my trusty snugpak sleeping bag to keep me warm on top. How wrong I was! it was cold last night, really cold...... not underneath as the thermarest did its job, but I wish I had dug out my bivi bag as well as I'm pretty sure that the light wind was aiding in my bag to not being a warm as I remember. Anyway apart from waking up shivering, although I wasn't actually that cold.... (think it was the cold air on my face) it was a good nights sleep it the hammock and I can definitely say that I'm a convert. It was surprisingly comfortable, as a long time hillwalker/ climber/ Military I've done my apprenticeship of slumming it on the floor.... but no more, it's the trees for me from now on!!!!!!!
Obviously, I was then up with the dawn chorus, breakfast heated and camp de-built all before 0600 and walking out the woods happy and contented....... now just have to wait for the next weekend where my life's not planned for me!!