backpacking

Gear talk: the Viking 8×25 ED monocular

For those backpackers amongst us that like to carry a small optic for nature watching and the like, there are surprisingly few decent options. The Viking 8x25 ED monocular is a well made instrument with features that belie its reasonable price.

Gear

Gear talk: choosing a monocular for use on trail

Three Points of the Compass recently made a plea for those venturing into the outdoors to consider carrying and using a lightweight monocular. But what to buy? Just a few minutes browsing Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and the rest of them immediately reveals how much dross there is to choose from. Take your time, read up on the subject and specifications and choose wisely.

Gear

Gear talk: a plea for the monocular

Three Points of the Compass only occasionally carries a little monocular on multi-day hikes, but one of these little gadgets almost always accompanies me on a day hike. I tuck it into my packs hip pocket, there to be (fairly) quickly pulled out should I see something of interest. I actually seldom use it, but just occasionally it has really proven its worth.

Gear

Favourite gear: the Leatherman Squirt S4 keychain multi-tool

None of us require much in the way of a knife or multi-tool when backpacking. A small blade will normally cope with most tasks. However greater functionality can be useful on multi-day excursions. The diminutive Leatherman Squirt S4 has been a favourite of Three Points of the Compass across thousands of miles of trail.

Cooking

Gear talk: the Fire Maple FMS-300T ‘Hornet’ gas stove

The Fire Maple FMS-300T gas stove is a well made product from a manufacturer with many years of experience in producing stoves. This particular stove has been on their catalogue for ten years now. In that time Fire Maple have sold tens of thousands of them and they remain a favourite for those looking for a truly lightweight small burner, specifically for heating water rather than cooking. In operation, the stove benefits greatly with protection from the wind and if treated with due care should perform faultlessly for many years. While not the cheapest, or the most efficient, or even lightest for that matter, the FMS-300T will fill a particular niche more than adequately.

Trail talk

Trail talk: the Gritstone Trail

Backpacking along the edge of the Peak District, with hills to my left and the Cheshire Plain stretching far off to my right. It snowed, rained and (occasionally) shone brightly for this three day February trip. The Gritstone Trail went up, it went down, very rarely was it flat. Regardless of the gradient, mud was a frequent companion.

Gear

Gear talk: Salomon Soft Flask XA filter

Salomon have paired up with HydraPak to produce a handy lightweight water filtration set up for runners. It is also an ideal choice for backpackers looking for a lightweight solution to filtering water on trail.

Gear

Favourite gear: the Katadyn BeFree water filter

The Katadyn BeFree filter has been a favourite piece of gear for the past five years. Unsurprising as it is light, compact, easy to use and has been successful in preventing me from getting sick on trail

Gear

Favourite gear: Katabatic Gear Elite and Flex quilts

Katabatic Gear make some of the best down quilts available. Three Points of the Compass is fortunate enough to own two of their range. They have been used for hundreds of nights while backpacking and each is amongst my favourite pieces of gear. They are superb. I take a look here at the Katabatic Palisade 30°F and the Katabatic Flex 15°F quilts

Cooking

Gear talk: fitting the Edelrid Hexon stove to the Trangia Stormcooker

The Trangia Stormcooker is old school efficiency. Many people now fit a gas burner or multi-fuel stove inside it. Installing an Edelrid Hexon multi-fuel burner is easily done with a handy little adapter.

Trail talk

Trail talk: the Miner’s Way

The Miner's Way is a now largely forgotten trail that loops around the East Kent countryside, visiting the former collieries of the short lived Kent Coalfield. Once heralded as a fitting tribute to the miners who came to toil, live and die in brutal working conditions, local authorities now seem to be doing their best to ignore this trail.

Gear

Gear talk: Nalgene bottles- hydration, hot water bottle and more…

Nalgene bottles are one of the original pieces of modern backpacking gear. Having updated over the years, they remain one of the best options for a rigid sided bottle on trail

Knife chat

Knife chat: which to choose- scissors or pliers? Why not have both, with the NexTool Mini Flagship multi-tool

The NexTool Mini Flagship is a unique option amongst keychain multi-tools. It provides a large pair of scissors together with pliers, alongside a small yet handy set of additional tools

Gear

Gear talk: the search for a pillow for a restless side-sleeper

Three Points of the Compass has spent years looking for a pillow to suit side-sleeping while backpacking. A glance at some near misses and what is now working

knife

Knife chat: The Wenger Esquire and derivatives

The Wenger Esquire was a 65mm knife with blade, scissors and nailfile. There have been subsequent rebrands and changes over the years, many of which deserve consideration

Trail talk

Trail talk: Facilities on the Great Glen Way

The Great Glen Way is remarkable for the number of on-trail facilities provided. This is a simple account of those seen or passed by Three Points of the Compass on a six-day backpacking trip in November 2021

Trail talk

Trail talk: Slighe a’ Ghlinne Mhòir- six days in November. Part two

Three Points of the Compass backpacked the Great Glen Way in November 2021. My final three days take me the length of Loch Ness, to finish in Inverness

Trail talk

Trail talk: Slighe a’ Ghlinne Mhòir- six days in November. Part one

Thick with cold and unfit, what to do? It was obvious, go and backpack the Great Glen Way in Scotland. I waited a week to see if the aches and cough went away and the headache subsided. They didn't. It looked like one of those 'super-colds'. So I booked train tickets and was away within days.

Electronics

Gear talk: looking at Power Adapters

My search for an efficient, small, lightweight power adapter with USB-C port for UK use continues. A look here at three prospects.

Cooking

Trail talk: weighing fuel canisters

Three Points of the Compass believes there are two essential tools required when looking at fuel requirements for a backpacking trip. These are digital scales and a sharpie

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