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Is it wrong to be this excited?

I am the proud owner of a new poo shovel.

Namely the iPood by Sea to Summit.

It is compact (Approximate length 9.75 inches extended; length 5.5 inches collapsed) due to its design whereby the handle slides down over the shovel face. This I have found to be stronger than the usual folding shovel design. And most importantly it has a proper handle to grip which makes digging in hard ground much easier.

Made of T6 – strong yet light alloy with adonized blade it can take everything I’ve thrown at it so far! But still weighing in at 99 grams, it is light enough to confuse my tent companions when thrown at them after they fail to find it. Even the stuffsack supplied with it is featherlight and ripstop.

Available in Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green.

The handle is also hollow so that you can put the essentials in there – mine contains only a cigarette lighter, although a little toilet roll and a small AA battery sized hand sanitizer pump does fit aswell.

Designed to support Leave No Trace practices

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Gear Review: Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 750 Sleeping Bag

Originally published at Where is Mop? But moved here

Friday, 8 January 2010

Gear review : Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 750

Whilst there appears to be a deficit in travel at the moment I’m going to turn my spare time toward gear reviews.

So first review is the Dreamcatcher 750 sleeping bag from Mountain Equipment.

  • 3-4 Season
  • 600+ Down filling (Goose)
  • Pack size- 31 x 20 cm
  • Length 219cm
  • Weight- 1350g
  • EN comfort rating: Comfort: +10 to -12C (women to -5C apparently)
  • EN extreme rating: -29C
  • Outer- lightweight ripstop nylon
  • Inner –

Other features:

  • TDS – Thermo Dynamic System
  • Bulls eye foot plug
  • Sharks toe
  • Compatible joining zips (left and right sided)

Let me explain the “other features” first of all.
The TDS (Thermo Dynamic System) is perhaps one of the best things about this (and most of the Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher range) as it takes away one of the main reasons that some people dislike sleeping bags. TDS quite simply provides you with space without compromising on warmth. The elasticated baffles maintain a snug fit to the body without constriction, this helps to maximise thermal efficiency without a body bag feel. If like me you tend to sleep in a position akin to to the recovery position this is the bag for you.

The Bulls eye foot plug is quite simply a complicated way of saying that situated in the foot area of the sleeping bag are many baffles. This acts to cut down the amount of dead space within the bag leaving you less air to heat up. Do not however think that this will mean claustrophobic feet, the baffles are very squishy and not really noticeable.

Also creating happier feet is the sharks toe design. This is the shape of the foot of the bag. The fabric on the upper surface of the bag is longer than the bottom, this allows your feet to rest at a natural angle when sleeping on your back. This differs from other bags in which your feet are held in position with toes pointing to the sky.

The compatible zips mean you can join two bags together to make a double sleeping bag. This is best done with one left and one right hand zip bag although it is possible with two sleeping bags of the same side. When using two similar bags one bag will be flipped so the bag faces downwards.

What do I think of the bag?
So far I’ve only used the bag down to around -6c and I was toasty warm not even a hint of chill coming through the bag – a big culture shock when getting out of the bag that’s for sure. Bear in mind however, that they really are not joking about the upper comfort limit. I am a cold sleeper and using the bag at approx 14c I was sweating buckets! Although I’d imagine that with a little pre-planning and not doing the zip up fully it would be bearable to a higher temperature.

The baffle around the shoulders and along the full length zip is substantial enough to seal in the heat without feeling bulky.

Obviously one downside to this and all down-filled sleeping bags is that when wet they offer you as much warmth as a paper towel, some cheaper down bags have this problem even when it is damp – but the ME Dreamcatcher 750 loses only a little loft when damp. A wet sleeping bag isn’t too much of an issue unless you are sleeping out in the open with neither groundsheet, bivvy or tent – which, lets face it, not many people do. Another limitation of down bags is that they can be awkward to wash as it can be tricky to regain the loft within the down.

I struggle to find a fault with this sleeping bag and other than one night of being too warm (my own fault not the bag) I have never had a bad night in it. Even on the coldest of nights I have readily gone to bed safe in the knowledge that a cosy nights sleep awaits me.

at 14:02
Posted on

Gear review : Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 750

Whilst there appears to be a deficit in travel at the moment I’m going to turn my spare time toward gear reviews.

So first review is the Dreamcatcher 750 sleeping bag from Mountain Equipment.

  • 3-4 Season
  • 600+ Down filling (Goose)
  • Pack size- 31 x 20 cm
  • Length 219cm
  • Weight- 1350g
  • EN comfort rating: Comfort: +10 to -12C (women to -5C apparently)
  • EN extreme rating: -29C
  • Outer- lightweight ripstop nylon
  • Inner –

Other features:

  • TDS – Thermo Dynamic System
  • Bulls eye foot plug
  • Sharks toe
  • Compatible joining zips (left and right sided)

Let me explain the “other features” first of all.
The TDS (Thermo Dynamic System) is perhaps one of the best things about this (and most of the Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher range) as it takes away one of the main reasons that some people dislike sleeping bags. TDS quite simply provides you with space without compromising on warmth. The elasticated baffles maintain a snug fit to the body without constriction, this helps to maximise thermal efficiency without a body bag feel. If like me you tend to sleep in a position akin to to the recovery position this is the bag for you.

The Bulls eye foot plug is quite simply a complicated way of saying that situated in the foot area of the sleeping bag are many baffles. This acts to cut down the amount of dead space within the bag leaving you less air to heat up. Do not however think that this will mean claustrophobic feet, the baffles are very squishy and not really noticeable.

Also creating happier feet is the sharks toe design. This is the shape of the foot of the bag. The fabric on the upper surface of the bag is longer than the bottom, this allows your feet to rest at a natural angle when sleeping on your back. This differs from other bags in which your feet are held in position with toes pointing to the sky.

The compatible zips mean you can join two bags together to make a double sleeping bag. This is best done with one left and one right hand zip bag although it is possible with two sleeping bags of the same side. When using two similar bags one bag will be flipped so the bag faces downwards.

What do I think of the bag?
So far I’ve only used the bag down to around -6c and I was toasty warm not even a hint of chill coming through the bag – a big culture shock when getting out of the bag that’s for sure. Bare in mind however, that they really are not joking about the upper comfort limit. I am a cold sleeper and using the bag at approx 14c I was sweating buckets! Although I’d imagine that with a little pre-planning and not doing the zip up fully it would be bearable to a higher temperature.

The baffle around the shoulders and along the full length zip is substantial enough to seal in the heat without feeling bulky.

Obviously one downside to this and all down-filled sleeping bags is that when wet they offer you as much warmth as a paper towel, some cheaper down bags have this problem even when it is damp – but the ME Dreamcatcher 750 loses only a little loft when damp. A wet sleeping bag isn’t too much of an issue unless you are sleeping out in the open with neither groundsheet, bivvy or tent – which, lets face it, not many people do. Another limitation of down bags is that they can be awkward to wash as it can be tricky to regain the loft within the down.

I struggle to find a fault with this sleeping bag and other than one night of being too warm (my own fault not the bag) I have never had a bad night in it. Even on the coldest of nights I have readily gone to bed safe in the knowledge that a cosy nights sleep awaits me.

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Two weeks on…

So here we are, I’ve been home about two weeks now, only it doesn’t feel like home anymore.

Time to start planning the next trip, a little hike in Wales should sate the travel bug for a little while atleast – hopefully

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First Wilderness

You look up, you see only stars. You shine the torch to the right and can see the elegant arch of an elephants back among the trees, to the left two eyes blink slowly at you across the brush before turning and heading to the river. Turning back to the camp you feel yourself drawn to the warmth of the fire, its light summoning you. Instead you must finish your patrol, who knows what other creatures have come to the river tonight.

Placing some more wood on the fire you sit briefly and the wilderness begins to become a part of you.

You hear the wild dogs – yet do not fear.
You see the stars – but do not feel small.
You are alone and yet do not feel lonely.
You are part of something bigger, something that makes more sense than you thought possible, acceptance is the key, in the wilderness, everything just *is*, it needs no explanation.

How many others – you begin to wonder – have sat here like me?
How many millions of years ago did the first man sit here and look at the stars?
How many animals have passed by here, how many battles fought and lost, how many lives have ended, how many have begun?

So easy it is to forget yourself, to forget time, to forget the past. You imagine the future and ignore the present. Nothing seems impossible, because nothing seems to matter enough, time has stopped, it is just you and the fire and spirits of those who trod this land before you.

Your eyes wander to the fire and amid the glowing embers you see them, each with a story to tell if your heart is open to hear them.

The spirits, the souls, the faces in the fire.

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Awakening

All my life I have wanted to travel, my home has always been whereever I lay my head. It is no secret to those who know me that I sleep more soundly in places that are strange to me than in places I know so well.

I have always been a drifter, I just never had the means to drift very far. Rather than being that gust of wind that plays among the trees, I am instead that slight breeze that may or may not have been imagined.

Travelling around was always just a dream, a musing, a mere whim that I never really considered to be possible, it always seemed so far out of reach. It was a desire I could push to one side, distracting myself with books, and sketching and music.

But now, I have the travelling bug.

No longer do I push the dreams away, nor do I think I could – should I even wish to try. The desire that for so many years has been contained is now loosening the bolts on its cage.

So I hear you ask, what has brought about this change, well, I was recently fortunate enough to become involved with a youth group for which I am an instructor. Every year the group leader organises a trip to South Africa for a few weeks and now it is my job to accompany them every year, I become mentor, mother and friend to those in my care. This is a responsibility which I relish for it gives me an excuse to leave my mundane existence behind and taste life – if just for a few weeks a year.

Having spent 19 days driving, hiking, wandering and sleeping under the stars in South Africa and Mozambique I am awake. For the first time, I have opened my eyes to the possibilities that lay out in the world, beckoning me.

All that is keeping me from reaching out and grabbing them is the deficit lingering on my credit card.

However I cannot wait until the next time I fly out. Rather than it being a hindrance I am even relishing the thought of the eleven hour flight during which I can cast off my normal self and become instead who I really am, who I only seem to be in Africa, my newest home.

So here’s to this new blog, may it encourage me to have many new adventures.