The latest TGO (February 2011) is just out. My backpacking column is about the pleasures of winter camping. I've also reviewed a bunch of soft shell jackets and written a piece on the advantages of trekking poles. And if you don't have any poles and are persuaded by the latter John Manning has reviewed a selection. In his Lighten' Up column Eddy Meecham looks at dehydrated food. On my Pacific Northwest Trail walk last summer I ate a great deal of dehydrated food of various sorts so I was interested to read Eddy Meecham's take on this ideal backpacking grub.
Elsewhere in this issue there's plenty of good reading - and some superb photography. The future of the Forestry Commission and the forestry sell-off proposals is considered by Carey Davies, Roger Smith looks at the carbon cost of travel, Keith Fergus profiles John Rooke Corbett, winter comes to Yorkshire for Ian Battersby, Stephen Venables goes ski touring on three continents, Cameron McNeish makes a nostalgic return to Eskdale, Andrew Terrill enjoys a long winter walk in the Peak District, there's a whole section on getting fit for the hills and Jim Perrin is taken with Thoreau and a raven
Photo info: Winter camp below Creag an Dubh Loch. Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF-S 18-55@18mm, 1/160@f5.6, ISO 100, raw file converted to JPEG in Lightroom 3.
Chris
ReplyDeleteOn another matter you had probs with your Golite Pinnacle straps on your recent trek in the US. Your article in TGO did not make it clear if the sac was new when you set out or well used already. Having bought one last autumn for this year's use I was slighlty concerned!
David Williams
David, it was brand new. If I'd taken my well-used one it would probably have been fine. I think it was one duff model rather than a generic problem though - I know other long distance hikers who used Pinnacles and found them fine.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the mat Chris and how did it manage the cold.?
ReplyDeleteThe "mat" in the picture is actually a Mammut inflatable pillow, which has now sprung a puncture! The mat I used on that trip was a Therm-A-Rest Prolite 3, which was fine.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI recognise this photo. The colours of the tent and mat contrast superbly against the snow.
I must confess I haven't bought a TGO magazine for a while - I don't want to be tempted to spend on outdoor equipment, though there are some good reads in the magazine too and it's always good to know what's included.
Best wishes,
Alastair