backpacking – Three Points of the Compass

A hiker’s library: Knots

One or two books on knots and their uses on the hiker's bookshelf will not go amiss. These are mine and there is not a bad volume amongst them

Skill

Trail talk: knotty years

Three Points of the Compass is looking back on a lifetime of knots. Time to refresh familiarity and learn a couple more

knife

Knife chat: No.07 Mon Premier Opinel

No.7 My First Opinel is an affordable introduction for inexperienced young people to learn safe knife use

Gear

Gear talk: HydraPak flasks

Three Points of the Compass is looking at his hydration system- do the collapsible HydraPak Ultraflasks have anything to offer?

Gear

Knife chat: Slim, attractive… No, not me, it’s the often overlooked Victorinox Excelsior

Victorinox still offer a much overlooked slim and simple knife in their 84mm range. This is the Excelsior

first aid

Knife chat: Is this the best, lightest, sharpest, folding knife available? It bloody well might be!

Is the Nitecore NTK05 the best, lightest, sharpest, folding knife available for backpacking- it bloody well might be!

Gear

Knife chat: breaking down the Victorinox Midnite Manager

While theVictorinox Classic is one of the most popular choices […]

Gear

Knife chat: breaking down the Victorinox Classic

The majority of backpackers frequently choose one of the excellent […]

Cooking

Knife chat: Opinel knives

French manufactured Opinel knives have a long history- they celebrated their 130th birthday in 2020. These are ideal lightweight knives for backpacking

Cooking

Gear talk: Kovea Spider

As the temperature creeps down, it is time to use a gas stove admirably suited for winter use- the Kovea Spider

Gear

Knife chat: A ‘best-seller’ from Gerber- the Paraframe Mini

Gerber have released a number of different Paraframe models over […]

Gear

Knife Chat: is this the most practical minimalist knife on trail? The Deejo 15g

Not a lot is required of a knife for 99.9% […]

first aid

Gear talk: First Aid Kit

It is perfectly possible to go on a walk carrying no first aid capability at all. However knowing how to cope with issues and carrying something to deal with blisters, […]

ditty bag

Gear talk: ditty bag contents

It is a number of years since I showed the contents of my hiking ditty bag. That place where I keep this ‘n’ that, bits ‘n’ pieces, spare stuff, repair […]

Cooking

Trail food: Gofio

Visit many restaurants on the Canary Islands and you will find a small dish or bowl of pale finely ground flour in the centre. This is gofio, roasted and milled, […]

Food

Gear talk: carrying a tin opener on trail

While it is doubtful that many backpackers would dream of packing such an item, Three Points of the Compass advocates carrying a tin opener while on trail, especially on a […]

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