After reading Lyle Brotherton’s excellent Navigation Manual we were inspired to check our navigation kit to make sure that we are fully up to date and ready for the worst conditions and most waterlogged of maps. According to Mr. Brotherton (and he should know having trained SAR teams in over twenty countries), these are the best pieces of kit to keep you on the right path :

1) Suunto M3 Global Compass – a high quality baseplate compass capable of performing from -40 to +60 degrees C! Should be more than enough for a weekend in the lakes then….

2) Latest set of waterproof OS Explorer maps. Obviously.

3) Grid Reference Tool, used to quickly find a grid ref in the field.

4) Tally counter – not dissimilar to the clickers that door men use to count revellers in and out of clubs, these handy devices are useful when using a techniques known as pacing.

5) Grease pencils are useful for writing on waterproof maps and the markings can be rubbed off when you are finished.

6) Head Torch – whilst you should never navigate at night, you never know when you might have to. LED torches are best but  look for a torch with a minimum range of 50m. The classic Petzl Tikka Headtorch is reliable and one the cheapest head torches that you can trust to do the job when you need it most.

7) Backup Lithium Batteries for head torches, phones & Sat Systems.

Mobile Phone, though don’t rely on it and if you do a lot of hill walking, it may pay to invest in a ruggedised model to prevent water damage.

9) Compass Binoculars will allow you to take bearings at far longer distances than by hand compass.

10) GNSS or Satnav system. Though these can vary wildly in price, a reliable system can be purchased now for under £100.

With all this in mind, remember that the best piece of navigation equipment is your brain! Fine tune this tool as much as you can by reading the Collin’s Ultimate Navigation Manual.

Collins have been famed for their “Gem” guides which provide a handy pocket reference for just about any topic you can imagine. Whilst the “Ultimate Navigation Manual” has little in common in terms of size (it weighs in at 368 pages and is roughly A5 in size), it shares the same easy to understand writing style and excellent graphic design.

The author, Lyle Brotherton, is a professional navigation expert and has taught navigation to search and rescue teams in 24 countries so is more than qualified to write about the topic. Added to this, the fact that Sir Ralph Fiennes is prepared to put his name to the work in the form of a preface is testament to the quality of the publication.

According to the Digest of Scottish Mountaineering Incidents, navigation errors are the primary cause of mountain accidents, so whether you are a new walker or an old hand, it pays to brush up on your skills. This book makes it extremely easy to do that and provides all the necessary “micro-navigation” techniques to operate in a wide variety terrains and conditions.

The author suggests that readers follow the book through sequentially for maximum benefit, but Collin’s excellent graphic style make this an excellent book to pick up and enjoy at any point. Vivid graphics and informative inlays position this book not only as an essential manual but also as a fascinating general interest book.

The book starts with the essentials chapter, covering basic navigation equipment and tools before moving onto techniques, special environments and finally the use of modern Global Navigation, Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Digital Mapping – often erroneously referred to as GPS. The layout of the book encourages the practical application of learning through four weekend challenges.

These challenges are supported by detailed lesson plans which makes the book a great buy for scout leaders and outdoor instructors. Though the book isn’t waterproofed in anyway, it is small enough to fit into a backpack during the four learning weekends provided that you consult the weather carefully. If every mountain enthusiast bought and used this book, mountain rescue teams would have a lot less work to do!

Love him or hate him Bear Grylls does have some nice gear, from clothing for kids to survival kits all is available from his online store.

We have a 20% off voucher which is valid till the 28th. The discount can be online used with full price items and not in conjunction with any other offers.

All you need to do is head over to the Bear Grylls site and enter the code 20BR when checking out.

If you don’t know who Bear Grylls is, checkout the video below!

Located in the heart of London, Patagonia has opened its first UK Flagship store in Covent Garden in time for the launch of its autumn / winter 2011/12 collection. The store will showcase the full Patagonia offering from core technical alpine and ski/snowboard products, to Patagonia’s lifestyle range and the new footwear collections.

This is a partner store in collaboration with Outside, who successfully opened Patagonia’s Hathersage store in the Peak District and continue to be passionate supporters of the brand. As with all Patagonia stores, the Covent Garden space was
selected in keeping with Patagonia’s retail brief, to use historic sites and to preserve the integrity of the building. This is certainly the case in Covent Garden, whereby this listed location was formally part of the Watney Combe & Reid brewery, founded in
1837, which produced the popular Watney’s Red Barrel beer. Furthermore, the basement of the premises formally housed the fruit and vegetables, which were stored ready for the Covent Garden market. Patagonia and Outside intend to work collaboratively with the architects to ensure sensitivity when working with the historical aspects of this unique space, which they hope will in turn be enhanced by the bespoke fixtures and fittings which are to be sourced.

Robert Cohen, Patagonia’s VP of Global Retail comments; “We want our stores to be gifts to their communities. Because we’re trying to create a living, breathing version of the brand, we view the building as much a part of the story as the products inside.”

Patagonia’s European Marketing Manager, Jonathan Petty adds;

“The owners of Patagonia, Yvon and Malinda Chouinard, have for many years wanted to open a London store. We’re very excited to be opening in one of Europe’s premier cities, and hope this will continue to drive the fantastic momentum the brand currently
has in Europe” The store opens September 2011.

Craghoppers and Bear Grylls are offering 10% off and Free P&P on your first order, when using the below voucher code.

Please USE CODE: NEW10 when ordering.

Please USE CODE: BR20 when ordering.

Ends Midnight 18.09.11

It’s summer time, you’re ready for the beach, no doubt you’ve packed your sandals, T-shirt, shorts, beach ball and a cool bag for snacks. That’s what we did, expect all of our’s were branded by SPAM. I’m not joking.

Our choice of beach accessories isn’t however driven by hipster irony but by SPAM’s marketing department who are attempting to break into the camping market. Historically, this isn’t such as bad idea given that SPAM was the main staple for millions of allied troops in the second world war who were given it as part of their ration packs. Russia’s Nikita Kruschev once said that “Without SPAM, we wouldn’t have been able to feed the army”.

For camper and soldier alike, SPAM at least on paper, has a number of benefits; it’s hermetically sealed, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it’s versatile and it contains lots of protein, all perfect for long car trips or post nuclear survival.

Despite all this, SPAM, which is apparently derived from “shoulder of pork and ham” has been the punchline of many jokes across the years from Monty Python to VIZ. It’s easy to see why too, in SPAM’s “SPAM : The Cook Book”, there are twenty pages of SPAM facts and propaganda before you reach the actual recipes. Perhaps my favourite is the SPAM caesar salad. It’s a chicken caesar salad but with SPAM instead of chicken. Other recipes include saffron, sherry and Gruyere. Presumably if you’re spending money on “the most expensive spice in the world”, then perhaps there are better meat accompaniments than SPAM. It’s hard to decide whether this is tongue in cheek or not. The author, Marguerite Patten is either a comedy genius or in need of urgent mental health treatment.

Regardless, at Outdoor Enthusiasts, we don’t judge, we test. Then judge, actually. So without further ado here are the results of eating a week of SPAMtastic (not my words) recipe ideas :

Deep SPAM pizza : It’s a pizza, with SPAM. Apparently variations include mushrooms or green pepper slices with more SPAM. We however went for the traditional deep SPAM, with, you guessed it, cheese and SPAM. The page also tells us that the ladies who were employed to sing SPAM songs, were known as the SPAMMETTES. Just don’t look that up in the VIZ profanisaurus for goodness sake.

SPAM Pate : Actually, this one is pretty good and I can see it being used on a camping trip. Very few ingredients though presumably most campers will be leaving out the sherry. It’s easy to knock up after a hard day’s walking and tastes much better than you might think.

Pennywise Paella : Another sensible suggestion actually. To make this, all you need is the SPAM and a bit of rice plus whatever veg you can lay your hands on. Perfect for multi day trips away from shops. This page tells me that saffron is the most expensive spice in the words and comes from the crocus. Unlike SPAM which is the cheapest meat in the world and comes from pigs shoulders. Not eyelids where I originally thought. Credit where credit is due.

Pork Stir Fry: After a nearly a week of eating SPAM based camping foods I have almost totally overcome my aversion to the “meat”. Again, SPAM stir fry is another sensible camp meal that could use dried noodles, a packet sauce and of course the trusty SPAM.

Hawaiian Pork : Apparently, the Hawaiians are keener on SPAM than any other nation. There are no statistics to back this up but there you have it. The stir fry is like a vegetable stir fry, but with SPAM.

OK, It was a working week of SPAM based meals. Five days of SPAM based nutrition is enough for any body, it’s not 1948 after all. On balance, the SPAM products are good for multi day hikes where shops aren’t available, but then, so are RTE meals, which are often tastier and lighter, if not more expensive. For the budget hiker SPAM is a sensible staple which will not spoil in a ruck sack and not take up too much room, but as a dinner table ingredient?

Perhaps that’s just down to personal taste, but I personally, will be changing the settings on my SPAM filter.

We´ve blogged about self inflating mats before on the site, however with new products being released all the time we thought it would be good to create a small buyers guide.

Type : Three options, manual, self and solid. Manual you have to blow up yourself, self just open the valve to inflate and solid don´t inflate. As this blog is about self inflating mats we suggest to pick a self inflating mat, they are smaller, lighter and easier to inflate than manual inflating mats and much more comfortable than solid mats.

Thickness : The thinnest self inflating mats are around 2cm all the way to 10cm. As you would expect the thicker they are the more comfortable they are. However the thicker you go the heavier the mat, and the more space it takes up. The thinner the mat you also will be colder as you´ll be nearer to the ground. Often when sleeping outdoors the cold will effect you more from the ground than above and around you.  Prices tend to be higher for the thicker models.

Before buying try to see the mat rolled up so you know how big it´s going to be when it´s not being used.

Length: It´s an obvios point but measure yourself and then check against the size of the mat, try to  get one just slightly longer than yourself. You also need to check it´s going to fit in your sleeping compartment in your tent, lengthwise and widthways.

Some mats do come in a “short” version which covers your torso but not your legs, if you´re not too bothered about your legs these can be a good option as they are easier to carry.

Pillow : Some models such as the Vango Adventure 5cm standard include a raised pillow for your head. It´s great if you haven´t got a pillow already, however the feature does add extra weight and size.

Single / Double : Models are coming out now to cater for two people, pretty much the same as a single sleeping mat but double the width. Great if you like to snuggle at night and if you are the owner of a double sleeping bag. If you´re coming with kids you should be able to get three kids on the mat. Not great if you´re walking or backpacking as they are too big to attach to the back of a rucksack.

We´re currently backpacking around Peru and as outdoor enthusiasts the classic Inca Trail was a must do on our itinerary. We booked our trip back in March for June so we´ve had plenty of time to prepare for the 3 night/4 day trek.

First of all, a quick round-up of the trek. The whole trail was amazing. There were plenty of Incan ruins to see on the way as well as copious amounts of steps going up and going down – a trip not for the faint hearted! The first day was supposed to be the easiest but there was still a fair bit of incline to get through. The second day was dubbed the hardest, it was merely steps, steps and more steps, going up as well as going down, pretty hard on the knees! We reached the highest point of the trail on this day. The third day was the most interesting day. We stopped off at 3 ruins throughout the day and hiked through the rainforest where the colours of the flowers were just beautiful. To end the third day we had to walk down more than 3,000 steps down, also known as the gringo killer! The final day we walked a total of around 1.5 hours to reach Machu Picchu!
Gear guide
Walking boots – Make sure you´ve got a decent pair of boots on. We prefer the boots which provide ankle support as the terrain is very uneven and it is not uncommon for ankles to roll over. Other properties to lookout for is a high level of grip, especially if its been raining as the steps can be slippy. This brings us on to another essential property, water resistance. The weather in the mountains is highly unpredictable and you need to be prepared for all weathers. Another tip is to ensure that your boots are worn in as you don´t want any rubbing or blisters after the first day.

Walking socks – A good pair of walking socks are a must on this hike. Thicker socks will provide more comfort, and as it gets pretty cold at night, you will be thankful for a warm pair of socks to wear to sleep. A good excample is the Brasher Dual Trail Sock which are two layered and also provide thermoregulating properties.

Walking trousers/Shorts – It can get pretty hot during the walk so some zip off short/trousers are ideal. It also means that you can pack a pair of shorts as well as trousers in one item saving space in your bag.

Waterproof Jacket – As mentioned, the weather can be unpredictable in the mountains so a lightweight waterproof jacket is a must. One which is small to pack would be ideal as you will have to carry everything in your rucksack unless you have hired a porter. A good example would be the Craghoppers Endurance Jacket.

Warm fleece/Jumper – At night the mountains can be very cold and at such a high altitude, you will need some decent items of warm clothing. A warm jumper/hoody/fleece is a must as once you get to camp, your body temperature cools almost instantly. I took the Icebreaker Powder Hood as its thermoregulating properties which means that it can keep you warm at when cold and relatively cool when its hot.

Thermals – It is best to bring some thermals with you to sleep in at night to ensure that you are warm. Sleeping in tents in the mountains can be very cold but some of the best thermals for this are Icebreaker garments. We slept in Icebreaker leggings and a long sleeved Icebreaker top. Considering how thin the items were, they provided much warmth and didn´t take up much space in my bag.

Rucksack - If you are not hiring a porter, you will need as a minimum a medium sized bag – maybe around 40 litres. It will need to fit 4 days worth of clothes, toiletries, sleeping bag and a sleeping mat as well as snacks. A side pocket to hold a bottle of water also comes useful.

Sleeping bag – a decent sleeping bag is a must. Down sleeping bags are highly recommended as they can pack up prety small and provide a lot of warmth.

Gerber has launched a new range of multi-tools and survival equipment developed by Bear Grylls. The range, called the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series includes various survival kits, knives and fire starters – bascially everything you need to survive if for some reason you are stranded in the Amazon fighting against wild beasts for your life! (maybe a slight exageration there)

Bear worked closely with Gerber to develop the products. Our top pick is the Ultimate Knife which also has an emergency whistle integrated into the lanyard cord.

This isn’t the first time that Bear has developed his own products. He already has an established range in the outdoor clothing market.

And for all those Bear Grylls fans, you can also download the Bear Grylls Bear Essentials app. The description states that it is “the ultimate, hands-on survival tool from the ultimate survivor. Intimately presented by the man himself, this info in this app is tested and proven in the wild and may well help save your life in an emergency. A complete blend of survival hands-on advice, interactive instruction manual, wilderness quiz, mini-games and adventure photo gallery, all rolled into one.”

Time for another voucher code for Blacks and Millets. It’s 15% off at Blacks with millets have multiple vouchers giving discount according to how much you spend.

Both are valid form Thursday  5^th of May till Wednesday 11^th of May.

All you need to do is head over to Blacks and use the voucher code : atdhC4

Or

Head over to Millets and use one of the following

Spend £50 save £10 Code: LhcCC4
Spend £75 save £15 Code: uhGmN4
Spend £100 save £20 Code: JPNQFv
Spend £150 save £30 Code: tLhL8f
Spend £200 save £40 Code: dXsjuB

Good Luck and happy shopping!