There’s always a bit of debate about whether we need all the fancy and expensive tech gear, and of course we don’t, but it does make life easier, and even more fun at times. I found my old BMC Safety On Mountains book at my folks and had to post these pages on what-to-wear. It [...]
Posted on December 13th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 19 Comments »
I visited the new Haglöfs Scottish showroom last week, the range for 2011/12 has grown so much that the old shed has been vacated. I’ll have more on that soon, but first here’s something I picked up for test on my visit, in the shops now: the Haglöfs Cirque. The Spitz has been a big [...]
Posted on December 13th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Kit Reviews | 7 Comments »
Recently seen below… Don’t eat in this works canteen on a Friday, it’s leftovers.
Posted on December 13th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 2 Comments »
I’m doing some shelter testing in the new year, and as some of that will be tarps I though it would be a good idea to look at sleeping bags that would suit the exposure to the wet that is going to be unavoidable. So after a quick look around I had a very shortlist [...]
Posted on December 12th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Kit Reviews | 19 Comments »
Just in for test are the AKU Arriba Mid XCR. I wasn’t expecting them, and when I took them of the box to look them over the first thing I noticed was that really aggressive Vibram sole unit. It’s got a decent heel breast and the toe has one of those high-friction “climbing zone” patches, [...]
Posted on December 12th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Kit Reviews | 6 Comments »
What do you want Haglöfs to make for you? That was the question, and the answers were many and varied. The folks at Haglöfs have been knocking this about for a while and finally came up with a shortlist which Gus showed me at the new Scottish showroom during the week. There was a lot of [...]
Posted on December 11th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 90 Comments »
Thanks to a comment from wawatson on the #1000 post, I now know what the funny lights in the sky were the other day, it was a Sundog. There’s other fancy scientific names, but Sundog sounds better, even if there’s no dog as such evident within the phenomena. The park in Milton, just along road [...]
Posted on December 11th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures, Items Various | 1 Comment »
One diversion from the struggle against my personal shortcomings the other day was watching a rescue practice on nearby Beinn Chorranach. The familiar red and grey chopper leisurely circled all the peaks, then hovered above the rounded hilltop and dropped the winchman onto the snow. The chopper circled again (above) and then landed on Beinn [...]
Posted on December 10th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures, Items Various | 10 Comments »
Despite the brevity (in distance travelled if not in time taken and energy spent) of yesterday’s Arrochar Alp-ing, a few gear things are worthy of note. The Montane Extreme smock saw its first outing since last winter. I wore it over a 190weight Smartwool merino zipneck (I had the matching ¾ leggings on too) and for the first [...]
Posted on December 9th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Kit Reviews | 16 Comments »
After I posted the photies I took down the harbour I noticed it said Posts: 999. “Oh” I thought. I kinda like that number, I have no idea what it all is on here, but there’s a lot of it. I decided that #1000 was going to be anything but gear or me complaining, there [...]
Posted on December 8th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures | 14 Comments »
I got out and about today, and it was beautiful if a little hairy on the roads. Interestingly the cold seems to have broken everyone’s indicator lights? I saw some customers, got some work done and as I got back to base, the sun was setting over the heights of Renfrewshire. I grabbed the camera [...]
Posted on December 7th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures, Items Various | 7 Comments »
Oh, better today. Just in time for the both the weather and the drivers to unpick the stitching on my Santa sack of hopes. Still, I’ll maybe be cough and snotter-free in another day or so and the roads will be better/worse and I can/can’t get to Kinlochleven before it all thaws and trees start [...]
Posted on December 6th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 7 Comments »
You know you’re finally an adult when the blue sky and sparkling white peaks across the river aren’t the Top Trump, “Giving it another day or two, ’til this bug is away” is. I was watching Al Murray’s German Adventure show on BBC3 or 4, 4′s more likely I think. It was interesting in several ways, [...]
Posted on December 5th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 12 Comments »
