“Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it” (Richard Lamm)
This last year I seem to have acquired more new items of kit than usual and, despite promises not to buy any more parangs, more parangs too!
Although I don’t see myself as a kit junkie it may well be true that this is like an drug addict in denial about the extent of their problem and, on the basis of the amount of camping equipment I have, the evidence does seem to be mounting against me.
Part of the reason for this splurge on camping stuff was the revelation of ultralight camping. When I was younger the need for a lighter pack was not so great and I could lug around heavy rucksacks for days without (much) complaint – now I am older, less fit and more lazy and a heavy rucksack is something I will go to great pains to avoid.
I had hoped to cover more on ultralight camping this year but didn’t get round to it so it’s on the list for the New Year.
Anyway, I thought I’d do a short video on some of the products I came across this year that I liked and it might give you some ideas of what to ask for this Christmas…
…and all the best for the festive season from the jungle!
Thanks again for the new Video, it is informative and also very interesting to see the evolution of your gear. I would not call you a gear junkie (probably because I to have accumulated a fair amount of stuff), you just seem to like to find things that work better. I enjoy the quest myself.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the comment and making me feel a bit better about my accumulation of gear! I do enjoy finding better pieces of kit and it’s nice to fine tune your pack the way you want it. I also try to hand down/sell off old bits of that I don’t use anymore rather than let the moths get at it…..and yet, the gear still seems to be accumulating!
Cheers!
Paul
Paul,
I’m curious about your experience with the Nano. I’ve been eyeing that hammock as it weighs less than half of my current one (Hammock Bliss). I’ve heard it’s a bit narrow as well. What do you think? Have you done a video on your mosquito net? I use the ENO net and find it bombproof, but it is quite heavy.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the comment and I’ll try and do a more complete review of the hyperlite hammock system early next year. I find the nano is fine for me and very comfortable but then I am very skinny! The mozzi net is a half net which I made up to try and reduce weight but, truth be told, I hardly ever use a net these days in the jungle as I find them a bit claustrophobic. Again, I’ll put it in a video soon and you can see how I’ve set it up.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
What is your opinion about the comfort of the Nano Hammock? I have the mosquito traveller, and exept the weight (530g) and the weight-tolerance (100kg) I just love it!.
And, again, I would need your opinion on the Hennessy hyperlite rainfly.
My tarp is currently 700g… Not cool at all!
Thanks,
Wawa, who curses his backpack everyday.
Hi Wawa,
Thanks for the comment and I will do a review of the hammock/tarp soon….but basically the hammock is very comfortable and the tarp is waterproof (who could ask for more!). The only downside, which applies to a lot of UL gear, is that the material is not as robust as it is for heavier versions so you need to be a bit careful with them.
Cheers!
Paul