Review: Nextorch Trek Star

Hot on the heels of my head torch head-to-head comes another head torch review, this time the Nextorch Trek Star. I wasn't planning on posting another review so soon, but as this torch falls into the same sub-£15 category as those in the head-to-head, I thought it best to get it up quick before you all rushed off to buy one of the aforementioned.

The Trek Star is the big brother/successor to the Eco Star, and big improvements have been made in almost every area.

This version now makes use of three AAA batteries, but Nextorch have still managed to keep the weight down to a respectable 84g inclusive of these. Changing them is slightly fiddlier than on its predecessor; while still accessed via an end-cap, this end cap is screwed in place rather than being hinged. A tool to undo said screw is conveniently built into the headband buckle.

Maximum output has increased over 300% to 140 lumens, with an additional "mid" mode of 75 lumens accompanying the 6 lumen low output. Run times have also seen a huge increase over the Eco Star; 4 1/2 hours/12 hours/150 hours for the high/mid/low modes respectively.

Along with an increase in light output comes an increase in beam range, doubling to 60 metres, and the much-missed memory function has been added to this model, allowing the torch to turn on in the same mode that it was in when last turned off.

Red and SOS modes are still present, and all modes bar SOS feature a "soft start"- when the torch is turned on it ramps up to the chosen output level to give your eyes chance to accustom themselves.

Waterproofing has been increased to IPX6 rating, which should withstand a downpour but don't go throwing it in a lake.

The ability to pivot has been restricted by its triangular shape, but while the Trek Star doesn't offer the full 180 degree range of its little brother, its still capable of considerable upwards and downwards travel.

The Trek Star, like the Eco Star, is quickly and easily detachable from the head strap mount for hand-held use and both share the same strap and mounting.

Looking at the Trek Star's obvious competition (based on maximum light output), the Petzl Tikka+ is about the same weight and has an extra light mode, but is only splashproof (IPX4) and falls way short on run time.
The Silva Ninox II boasts better waterproofing (IPX7) and significantly higher run time, although it lacks a memory function.
Black Diamond's ReVolt is another worthy contender and a very close match, though its run times look like pure fabrication (300 hours in full output?! Come on....) and is only splash-proof. Spot, another Black Diamond model, is again very similar, with similarly fictitious run times and only splash proof.

While the above mentioned models all offer reasonable competition for the Trek Star, none manage to include all the features of the latter. But they still give it a good run for its money, right? Well no, not at all, and that's the thing. At the time of writing, all the above models are at least two-to-three times the price of the Nextorch, and try as I might I cannot find a similarly-specced head torch from a renowned manufacturer for anywhere near the Trek Star's price tag.

And that is why I say that not only is the Trek Star best in class, its the best in several classes above.

Nextorch Trek Star

Head-To-Head: Nextorch Eco Star Vs Black Diamond Gizmo

Today I thought I'd do a comparison of two sub-£15, similarly-specced head torches (head-to-head- see what I did there?), the Nextorch Eco Star and the Black Diamond Gizmo.

On paper these are very similar torches, and at a fleeting glance you'd probably not favour one over the other, but a more detailed look shows that one has the edge- so which will it be?

Both torches run on two AAA batteries, and have nothing between them in weight with the Eco Star tipping the scales at 61g and the Gizmo at 58g, both including batteries. But lets call that +1 to the Gizmo.

Both sport two white LED's, with maximum/minimum outputs rated at 35/4 lumens and 30/5 lumens for the Gizmo and Eco Star respectively. Another +1 for the Gizmo- or is it?

Despite having a marginally higher output, the claimed beam range of 15 meters for the Gizmo is exactly half that of its counterpart. Then look at the run times; The Nextorch trounces the Gizmo's respectable 6 hours/75 hours run time in high/low modes with a whopping 9 hours/105 hours. That's an extra full day and them some.

And it doesn't stop there- the Eco Star also features a red LED for preserving night vision. While both torches can tilt, the Gizmo is limited to approximately 45 degrees of downward movement; the Eco Star swivels 90 degrees up AND down, giving a full 180 degree range. And if that's not enough, it also detaches from the headband mount to use as a hand-held torch.

Both offer water resistance to IPX4 standards, which is more splash-proof than waterproof, and while the Gizmo features a dimming mode allowing you to dim the light anywhere between high and low outputs, neither torch features a memory function so the torch will always turn on full whack. More annoyingly in the case of the Eco Star, it always turns on in white light, having to cycle through high mode then low mode to get to red.

While Black Diamond added a flashing mode (they call it strobe, but its more like a steady beacon) for emergencies, Nextorch went one better and incorporated an SOS mode- hold the power button for 5 seconds and the light will flash out the SOS signal. In addition, the SOS mode can easily be accessed at any time, i.e. whether the torch is on or off, where the Gizmo's "strobe" mode requires an on/off/on sequence of presses; not ideal for moments of panic in an emergency.

Changing batteries is an altogether less-fiddly affair with the Eco Star, with a simple hinged cover allowing the batteries to be slotted into the end, where as the Gizmo effectively splits into two halves, held together with a flimsy-looking piece of plastic tape.

Talking of flimsy plastic, the Gizmo certainly has a "cheaper" feel to it, and well it should as the Eco Star claims to be made of glass-reinforced nylon (GRN), a polymer often used for knife handles and firearms. This enables the Nextorch to withstand drops of up to a metre (official rating- I haven't been throwing it on the floor to test this).

Aesthetically the Gizmo follows the conventions of head torch design, and while it doesn't push any boundaries it does seem more pleasing to the eye than its rival. It also features an auto power-off after two hours, but even this handy feature isn't enough to save it from an Eco Star battering.

The Black Diamond Gizmo is by no means a bad head torch, in fact for its meager price tag it packs a lot in- two light modes plus flashing and dimming function, a tilting head, long run times, water resistance and a very low weight.
But the Nextorch Eco Star goes that one step further- several steps in fact. The devil is in the details, so they say, and its when you start to look at the details that the Eco Star emerges as the clear winner.  

Nextorch Eco Star

Black Diamond Gizmo

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Gear Obsessions

Its fair to say that Bob and I, like many others, are obsessed with gear. Even if I am perfectly content with my kit, I still find myself drawn to reading reviews and browsing websites just in case there is something better out there.

Bob likes to buy the best that he can afford, where as I like to buy the best that I can justify, which is slightly different.
I could just go straight out and blow my hard-earned cash on those items percieved to be the best, but I find there's a lot more fun to be had hunting out products that perform just as well, but for less money- after all, "the best" is subjective, is it not?
As such my kit, as you'll see from my reviews, is quite literally a mixed bag. While some items really were the best that I could afford, many others were much cheaper options that belie their price tags.

Some of my gear has remained since day-one, like my rucksack. I can't see me replacing that until it falls apart, and when that happens I have a spare (well, it was on sale!). On the other hand I've lost count of how many different knives have been designated my "camping knife". This time I've got it right, I tell myself.

I've seen many an argument that an obsession with gear gets in the way of actually getting out and enjoying the outdoors. That all the expense is unnecessary.

The latter is a rather subjective statement. For a brisk walk in the country on a warm summer's day, you probably don't need to invest in much more than a decent pair of walking boots/trainers, if that. But if you're planning on climbing the side of a mountain, there's a much bigger onus on having the right gear. That doesn't have to mean expensive gear, but gear that is up to the task in hand.

And lets explore this further; hobbies themselves are by nature not a necessity. Life would be pretty dull and tedious if we only did what was necessary to survive. Its not necessary for me to take my stove on a hike, I could just as well take a flask of coffee and a sandwich. Neither is it necessary for me to take my camera. But do you know what? I happen to enjoy taking photos, and I enjoy the ritualistic pleasure of making a brew out in the open air on my stove.

As for the former, well I would agree that if anyone is sat at home internet shopping for gear rather than being outside enjoying their hobby, then yes their obsession has got in the way. But I really can't see many people fitting into this category. 

If you wanted to get philosophical on the evils of consumerism and how, by falling victim to it, you are somewhat hypocritically contributing to the slow demise of the Earth's natural resources and beauty, and spurring-on global warming, you could make a far greater argument against gear obsession than any I have read thus far. But I don't want to get philosophical; not today at least, I have a new head torch to buy.

Litter

Litter drives me wild. Anyone who thinks its acceptable to throw their rubbish on the ground must be, to some degree, mentally unbalanced. There's no other explanation.

But as much as your general litterer must not be wired up correctly, those who litter the countryside are a different breed again. I'm not talking about someone who drives down a country lane and throws their McDonalds wrappers out of the window, I'm talking about the person who goes out of his or her way, hiking or biking out into the hills and fields to appreciate the natural beauty, and then simultaneously ruins it by throwing their rubbish on the floor.

The most troubling thing, and the part that really makes me question their mental stability, is the complete lack of logical thought process behind their decision to spoil the landscape:

That bottle of pop, that they were quite happy to carry round with them when it was full and weighed half a kilo, suddenly becomes such an impossible burden now that its empty, weighs next-to-nothing and can be squashed down to a fraction of its original size that the only rational, reasonable option of dealing with it is to throw it on the ground.

There's no way that that crisp packet, that took up a portion of rucksack real-estate on the outward journey, could be transported home now that its empty and can be folded up into something the size of a credit card. No way. It must go on the floor. Or, if they have a pang of conscience, stuffed between the rocks of a dry-stone wall.

I really believed that the countryside might offer some escape from mindless, selfish, brain-dead idiots, but it seems they still manage to find a way through.

A Sunny Sunday Round Derwent Reservoir

One day last year, on a rare occasion when the sun was out, the wife and I took ourselves to Derwent reservoir. It seemed the perfect opportunity to give my (relatively) new camera a whirl.

Derwent reservoir is a man-made reservoir in the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, a short drive from Sheffield and Barnsley, and was used by 617 Squadron to practice the low-level flying manoeuvres used in the "Dambusters" raids of WWII. On the other side of the viaduct that divides Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs (see photo, above) lays the ruins of the village of Derwent, which was flooded to create Ladybower - and which can apparently still be seen when the reservoir is low.

There is a visitors centre at the northern end, providing ample (charged for) parking and offering a great base for exploration around both Derwent and Howden reservoirs, as it is sited more-or-less between the two, and there are plenty of free parking spots around Derwent res itself. Bicycles can be hired from the visitors centre if you fancy being a bit more energetic.

Our route took us clockwise from the visitors centre, down to the viaduct that divides Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs, then back round. This is somewhere in the region of 5.5- 6 miles, but its pretty easy going- fairy flat with proper paths- and there are bench seats along the way if you fancy a rest or a bite to eat.

There are plenty of photo opportunities, and all-in-all its a great place to go if you fancy a nice steady walk or bike ride in the country.

Upper Derwent Visitors Centre

About Bob

Right then!, about me?

Well I'm Bob. I'm 32, married with 2 young children.

I work as a specialist cabinet maker for a kitchen company in the same town I live in. I love good coffee.
I've always loved anything outdoors for as long as I can remember and would rather sleep on a mat outside and eat food from a stove top pot than stay at a five star hotel.

I enjoy mountain biking as often as I can and am lucky enough to have some great trail centres within a short drive. I love getting up early riding a single track with friends and making it back to McDonalds for a breakfast roll and a coffee.

I have a fascination with outdoor gear! And a bit of an addiction to buying the stuff! I tend to go for the best I can afford and am a bit of a brand wh#re. I like quality stuff and and good design.

I've traveled a little with my wife but only as holiday and have seen the pyramids in Cairo and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and have swam in the Dead Sea in Jordan, the lowest point on earth. I missed the boat on traveling in my youth but intend to do more as the kids get older. For now we are just touring the UK's Centre Parcs resorts.

Both Rob and myself are fond of reading up before we buy anything or plan a trip. We find the opinion of others invaluable so on our last outing we decided to start this blog. It's intended to be a one stop shop for gear reviews useful links to other sites we find and an insight into the places we visit.

Above all we will always give our full honest opinion whether its good or bad regardless of the cost and will give it as we would like to read it. We may sometimes review the same thing but this is to give our different sided opinion and hopefully give the readers a better experience.
We are big boys so if you see anything we maybe got wrong feel free to drop us an email on the contact us page and we'll do our best to fix it.

If you like what you read please share with others as after all that's what it's for.

If you made it this far then I'm happy!

Bob aka Bullsh#t Bob

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Review: Asaklitt (Clas Ohlson) Spirit Stove

I'll start this review with the bad news- this product has sadly been discontinued. I'm not entirely sure why, as during its several years on the market it has gained somewhat of a cult following. The good news is if you check the link at the bottom of this post it's still for sale under a different name albeit it at double the price.

My first camping stove was a Campingaz Micro Bleuet, a tiny gas burner powered by canisters of a butane/propane mix. We didn't get on. Then Bob bought his Trangia 27, a spirit burning (meths, bio-enthanol) stove* of no little fame, and I was slightly envious to say the least.
With plenty of other gear still to buy, however, I just couldn't justify the expense of the Trangia, but then quite by accident I stumbled across Clas Ohlson's Asaklitt-branded spirit stove, for a mere £14.

The Asaklitt is similar in concept to the Trangia, but different in many ways. The contents are roughly the same- two pans/bowls, a lid/frying pan, a grab handle, upper and lower windshields and a burner, but to a degree that's where their similarities end.

The Asaklitt's pans are larger for a start- 1.25 litre and 1.5 litre respectively as apposed to the Trangia's two at 1 litre. The Trangia packs down into the upper windshield, where as the Asaklitt packs into the larger of the two pans. The Trangia's pans (and kettle, if you choose a set from the 1001 different Trangia configurations that comes with one) sit on flip up/down pan supports, where as the Asaklitt pans sit directly into the upper windshield.

The Asaklitt is a copy of the old Optimus 91 stove (with elements of the Optimus 77a mixed in- possibly an attempt to avoid breaching patents?), itself a highly regarded classic, and once you know this you realise that you aren't just buying a £14 stove, you are buying a design that has been developed and tweaked over many years.  

When I first bought the Asaklitt, I viewed it as a poor man's Trangia, a put-me-on until I could afford the latter. When I eventually bought a Trangia, I sold it on without even using it, having by this time decided that I preferred the Asaklitt.

Why do I prefer a £14 stove over everyone's favourite spirit stove you may ask?

Well, for starters, its lighter. Even lighter than the ultralight Trangia variant (600g vs 690g). And because the bowls are larger, you can easily ditch the smaller of the two, thus cutting the weight even further, and still cook up a food pouch AND a rice pouch in the 1.5 litre bowl with room to spare.

Furthermore, the Asaklitt's pans can be stacked- small pan first, then large pan, then frying pan (or either pan and frying pan). In this configuration the clearance between the small and large pans is minimal- maybe 2cm- but enough to get some bacon or a fried egg in. This means you can have all three pans on the stove at the same time. This is just not possible with the Trangia.

Frying pan stacked on the larger pan

The lack of pan supports means an after-market kettle cannot be used with the Asaklitt, but this is no bad thing in my book; I can boil water in a pan, why would I need to carry the extra weight of a kettle? That said, if you were desperate to take a kettle on your trips, a couple of metal rods or tubing of the correct diameter could be popped through the holes in the upper windshield to make a perfectly capable kettle support.

Unlike the Trangia, the Asaklitt's windshields lack indents to lock the two halves together. This can be a bad point- it's certainly easier to knock the upper windshield off the lower if you're not careful- but it also has its advantages; it makes it much easier to access the burner, particularly when the stove has been in use and the windshields are hot. The upper windshield can be lifted off with the grab handle upon which you can quickly adjust the simmer ring, or extinguish the burner.

The Asaklitt burner is an inferior copy of the Trangia, and doesn't come supplied with a regulator/ simmer ring. I replaced the stock burner with a Trangia and it's a perfect fit. This also means the Trangia gel fuel burner will fit in the Asaklitt should you prefer to use gel. I found the included strap a little sub-par as well, so replaced this with a Trangia one.

There is an army of die-hard Trangia fans who will never be swayed, but for me, I can say the grass wasn't greener on the other side. I bought cheap, bought twice, but for once cheap won- the Asaklitt's combination of low weight, high capacity, design features and dirt-cheap price make it a no-brainer. Now all you've got to do is find one!


*For those not familiar with spirit stoves, in their basic form they consist of a burner, into which you pour meths or bio-ethanol, and a pot stand. Light the meths, stick the burner in the pot stand and put your pan on the top. The burners generally come with sealed lids so you can transport them with fuel inside, and some, like the Trangia, have an adjustable cover or "simmer ring" to adjust the flame and therefore the heat. Stoves such as the Asaklitt and Trangia are complete all-in-one cooksets, developing the simple pot stand into a more robust windshield set-up, which offers greater stability and protection from the wind.


Same Stove, Different Name

New Links Page Added

We've just added a new links page to the blog- look to the far right on the top menu bar.

There are a few links in there already, with more to follow over time. This is collection of FREE resources, not links to manufacturers/ retailers or other commercial enterprises. Check them out.

If you have any suggestions for pages we should add links for, please post them in comments section below or email us at the address on our contacts page.

Cheers!

A Summer Holiday In Buxton

Last summer the wife and I had our first proper camping holiday, in the charming spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire.

By nothing more than pure chance, we happened to book our jaunt for what ended up being the best week of weather we had all year, and so we made sure we got out and enjoyed it.

The wife booked us into Staden Grange camp site, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The tent pitches are under a copse of trees surrounded by fields, giving the impression of being in the middle of nowhere despite being only a 5 minute drive away from Buxton centre. The toilet and shower facilities were brand new and immaculate, in a purpose-built free-standing unit, and the owners were very helpful and informative and kept a well-stocked information desk in the reception area.

But some idiot always has to spoil things: on the first morning I stood in a dog sh*t yards from our tent door. Luckily another idiot had left a bent tent peg lying dangerously around (not to sound too melodramatic, but is was bent in such a way that if I'd have stood on the wrong end first, the other end would have been through my foot), so I was able to use this to broddle the turd out of my trainers.

Buxton itself is a lovely little town, with an excellent park at its centre- the Pavillion Gardens- which was pleasantly free of white lightning-drinking neds. There's plenty of historical architecture to take in, including the Crescent (see top photo), the Devonshire Dome, the Buxton Opera House and the Natural Baths, and we were lucky enough to time our visit to coincide with the Buxton Festival, a rather cultural affair.
There are plenty of camping and outdoor shops in the town centre, along with a disproportionate amount of charity shops.

Just out of the centre is Poole's Cavern, a fantastic limestone cave, and a short walk from here will see you to Solomon's Temple which offers unobstructed panoramic views of the area.

Buxton is a great base for some local sightseeing, with Chatsworth House, Bakewell and Matlock Bath being a short drive away. We popped over to Matlock Bath for the day, which while in itself doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment, is the home of Gulliver's Kingdom theme park, and you can take the cable cars up to the Heights of Abraham, a ticket for which gives you access to a number of other exhibitions and cavern tours. We decided to not to bother this time around, instead opting to walk the couple of miles into Matlock, which sports many antiques shops and another nice park.

The weather was beautiful all week, and we chose to spend most evenings sat outside our tent basking in the sun, during which time I almost swallowed a wasp who had mistaken my fruit cider for his own.

On our last morning, we were bid a fond farewell by the local birds who decided to launch a sh*tting raid on our tent. Did I say it was nice camping under trees?

Visit Buxton

Review: Look What We Found! Food Pouches

If you browse the food shelves of your local camping shop you are likely to come across familiar brands like Wayfayrer, Mountain House or Beyond The Beaten Track. What you probably won't see is the rather oddly-named Look What We Found!, probably because they don't market themselves as camping food- a missed trick on their part.

So what is this mysterious food?

Look What We Found! offer a range of packet foods including but not limited to chicken tikka, meatballs, beef bolognaise, chilli con carne and beef casserole.  The packets are around 270g and can be microwaved, pan-heated or boil-in-the-bag- perfect for camping.

They claim they are made from 100% natural ingredients with all their meat sourced from local farms, and in fact they even name the farm and farmer on each particular packet. They have very long shelf lives (usually beyond a year), thus proving you don't need to pump food full of chemicals and rubbish to make them keep.

The dishes generally need an accompaniment, such as rice or pasta, so the combination of a microwave rice pack such as Uncle Ben's or Tilda (which can be heated in a pan with a splash of water) and the Look What We Found! pack can get pretty heavy at around 520g, but for this you get a proper meal- you certainly won't go to bed feeling hungry.

If your pan is big enough you can heat the rice/pasta and LWWF! meal at the same time (you may still need to add a splash of water), giving you the option of only taking one pan with you if you want to save on pack weight/bulk.

Of the popular brands, I've only tried Wayfayrer, and while I found them OK, the meat was a bit thin on the ground and not always the best quality. I have to say I much prefer the LWWF! range, which seem a lot less processed by comparison (I've even had them for tea at home when I've just wanted something quick to make), and at half to a third of the price of "proper" camping food, they really are worth a try. 

Although the Look What We Found! website states their products are available in Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco, I've only managed to find them in the latter, and only three items from the range at that. Amazon have a reasonable selection, although often only in multipacks, but they are also available direct from Look What We Found!'s website.

Look What We Found!

Review: Terra Nova/ Wild Country Zephyros 2 (First Impressions)

I finally unpacked my new backpacking tent the other week- Terra Nova/ Wild Country's Zephyros 2- and while I haven't had chance to spend the night in it yet I thought I'd write a preliminary review.

I'll start at the end; getting it back in its bag is no fun. Its not the worst I've had to contend with, but its a bit of a wrestle, namely because the bag is end-opening and a bit of a tight squeeze. Its also pretty long (I haven't got a tape measure to hand, but I'd guess around two foot) due to the front and rear pre-installed mini poles that this tent sports. I'm paranoid that these poles may rip through the tent fabric at some point when I'm trying to ram it back in the bag. A wider bag with compression straps to pull it tight after packing the tent away would make the world of difference.
Its long, relatively thin form when packed makes it easier to lash to your rucksack in the vertical position, rather than slung underneath horizontally, I find.

Though the tent does come with instructions on the inside of its bag, after the first pitch you won't need them.
Its a single-poled design, with, as I mentioned, two pre-installed mini poles. Stick the pole in, peg out the fore and rear tapes, peg out the guy lines, then peg out everything else. That's it, job done.

Using the tent-specific footprint makes pitching even easier, as you can hook at least four of the fastening loops onto the pegs used for the footprint. You can also sit the pole-ends in the footprint eyelets while erecting the tent, which keeps the tent from shifting as you're trying to peg it out, although I found that the pole didn't naturally want to sit in these, and after pitching I removed the pole from the eyelets and let it flex to where it wanted to go.

On my first attempt I had the whole thing up in about 10 minutes, and that's including pegging out the footprint and reading the instructions; I reckon next time I'll have it down to under 5 minutes.

Having been used to the generous length of the Coleman Cobra 2, I was worried I'd find the Zephyros 2 a little cramped. I have to say in my brief dive inside it, it wasn't too bad. One major plus is that at all points the inner is kept well away from the fly, so if my feet are up against the inner at one end it doesn't matter, there's no danger of the two touching.
I've yet to try getting in there with my pack (I'm not one for leaving my pack in the porch), but it looks like there should be enough room, even if my bag and I do have to get a little cosy.

Terra Nova advertise the packed weight at 1.81kg, which for once was spot-on* (on my scales it weighed in at 1.814kg), and as far as I can see you'll need to spend a lot more money to get a lighter "2 man" tent.

Its overall footprint and profile are pretty compact, and its rather dull green colour should help it "blend in" a bit. I'm incredibly impressed with how quick and easy it is to pitch, and I'm looking forward to spending the night in it to see how it holds up.

2021 UPDATE: Technology moves quickly even in the camping world, and just a handful of years after writing this, the Naturehike Mongar 2 has come along and trounced the Zephyros in terms of weight (when including the weight of the tent's footprint), size and cost. The Mongar 2 is a true two-person tent, weighs in at a few hundred grams less, and costs about 2/3rds as much as the Zephyros, making this my new top pick for lightweight hiking tents. See my full review of the Mongar 2 here

 Terra Nova Zephyros 2


*I recently weighed all the items in my pack, only to find that virtually every item was over the manufacturer's stated weight.

A Murky Day Up Kinder Scout

Easter weekend seemed like the ideal time to get out and about. Top of the list was Kinder Scout in the Dark Peak area, as we'd had to cancel a planned trip there last summer.

Off we trotted, packs on our backs, full of enthusiasm and optimism that the dismal weather would clear and we'd be in for a sunny day. That didn't happen, so its a good job we packed the waterproofs.

Not to be deterred by a little rain (it wasn't exactly hammering down) we soldiered on, knee-deep in mud, until we were faced with a sign- and a dilemma: "Jacobs Ladder". To go up or not to go up. 

The original plan had been to avoid it- many a forum post had warned how tough going it was, and plenty of these comments came from walkers who presumably didn't have 12-15kg packs on their backs. However unfit Bob claims to be, I am certainly many degrees worse than that. So, I lit a fag and we mulled it over. 

I knew Bob wanted to go up, and to be honest it didn't look that bad stood at the bottom. In fairness it wasn't. Yes, we stopped every few yards, had lunch halfway up and generally dragged it out. But all in all, given my dodgy knees and pack on my back, I'd say we didn't do a bad job. Without our packs we'd have been up it in no time, so don't be too put off by what you may read or hear from others.

Having conquered that, we mooched around for a while looking for (and failing to find) somewhere suitable to pitch up for the night, but after a week of solid rain the ground was so sodden we decided to forget about it. Hardcore.

We found some nice rocks to sit down on for five minutes before heading back down, from where I managed to capture this lovely photo of some fog:

Annoyingly, even out in the middle of nowhere people still manage to wind me up. Someone had kindly had a sh*t in a plastic bag and left it lying on the only decent rock there was to sit on on the main assent up Jacobs Ladder. Maybe it wasn't a human poo, maybe it was a dog poo. I don't care. Its now there for the next god-knows how many years encased in plastic.

Several items of rubbish were also to be found- water bottles and the like. It beggars belief that someone can go out presumably to enjoy the natural beauty of the countryside then throw their litter down.

Then there was the obligatory gates left wide open, despite many signs and general etiquette dictating that they be shut behind you. ARRRRGGGGHHH!!


Despite these grievances and the less-than-perfect weather, it was a good day non-the-less and I can't wait to get back up there.

No News Is Good News?

We don't really have any news, other than to state the obvious that a mere two weeks after first discussing the idea of starting a blog, we've actually got it up and running. Anyone who knows us will understand what an achievement that actually is. 

And without resting on our laurels, the first "proper" post has been published- a tent review, with hopefully many more to follow.

Maybe someone will read this and find it useful, interesting or informative, maybe not. At least it keeps us occupied.

Rob & Bob

Review: Coleman Cobra 2

The Coleman Cobra 2 was my first solo backpacking tent. I say solo, because like most "2 man" tents you'd have to be pretty lithe and have left your gear at home to get two of you in there and have anything resembling a comfortable night's sleep. At 6'3" with broad shoulders, this is definitely a "solo" tent as far as I'm concerned.

As a man who doesn't buy anything without first reading up on the potential purchase, I knew reviews were very favorable for the Cobra 2, although its not without its downsides- we'll come to those later.

So lets start with the good points. The biggest thing the Cobra has going for it, in my view, is its internal length; at 257cm it trounces the competition, offering a good foot of extra length over many of its rivals. That it does this while still keeping the weight to a minimum (2.05kg according to Coleman, although it tipped my scales a little higher than that) is fantastic.

The tent's two "wings" give sizable porch/storage areas, with a second internal door making the opposing side accessible, and the tent can be pitched as-one (Coleman state it pitches fly first).

The supplied storage bag opens along its length rather than at one end, making the tent very easy to pack away, although this does leave it more susceptible to water ingress if you're caught in a shower (despite the flappy bit of fabric designed to cover the opening when the bag is closed).

The tent is a very stable design, which in my experience so far has stood up fine to the wind and rain, and I've always felt quite secure bedding down for the night inside.

Now for the bad points. Well, for starters its blue, and this coupled with the fact that the winged design gives the tent a very large footprint (compared to its contemporaries) means you're going to stand out like a sore thumb when pitched up on a hillside. Not ideal for a bit of discreet wild camping.

The inner seems to sit very close to the fly in places, which although hasn't created any issues so far, it does raise concerns that the two may end up touching, particularly in high winds.

The worst part though, is Coleman's rather thoughtful move of declining to provide any proper instructions. Now, I'm a bloke, and blokes don't read instructions. It's a small tent, how hard can it be?

And this is the thing. For all the times this tent has been pitched, I've never once felt satisfied that its up 100% correctly. Depending how you choose to peg it out, you either seem to have too many pegs or not enough. Once the tent is pitched, the tension on the fabric at the master pole is such that the outer door is almost impossible to zip shut from the inside. Looking at online videos doesn't seem to offer any further help, and a phone call to Coleman led to me being given the mobile phone number of their "technical expert", who neither answers his phone nor replies to voicemails. Minus one point to Coleman.
Now I'm happy to accept that I'm a complete idiot here- that its just me who can't figure it out. All I'm saying is a simple set of instructions wouldn't go amiss, and that of all my tents this is the only one where I feel I actually need to use them.

When compared to what appears to be the Cobra 2's main rival, the Vango Banshee 200, the Coleman is lighter, larger inside and cheaper, so it certainly has a lot riding in its favour, but I have to say that in terms of build quality/execution of the design* the Banshee seems to have the edge, not to mention its greater ability to blend in with the surroundings. For the taller man like myself, though, that extra length makes it worth putting up with the minor niggles, and when taking everything into consideration its impossible not to recommend it. 


2021 UPDATE: For those who have asked for alternatives in the comments section, check out the Naturehike Mongar 2 (or see my full review here). The Mongar 2 is a capacious, true two-person tent yet it weighs in at around the same as the Cobra 2. While shorter in length than the Cobra 2, the near-vertical walls of the Mongar 2 mean you can comfortably use the whole length of the tent without feeling cramped, even for the taller person like myself. It's also much easier to pitch!

Coleman Cobra 2


*In my view the Cobra's design, in concept at least, is better than the Banshee's, but it feels like the "beta version"- the first draft if you like- where as the Banshee feels a lot more "perfected". Its not one thing in particular, maybe a combination of small details, that give the Banshee a more refined feel over the Cobra.