camping

Gear talk: the BRS-55 gas powered ‘Dream Candle’ lantern

Three Points of the Compass has previously looked at a couple of small and light lanterns for use in camp or home. One was candle-powered, the other was gas-powered. As an alternative- the little BRS-55 is a gas-powered 'candle' lantern.

knife

Knife chat: Victorinox’s Flagship Store in London

On their 125th anniversary, Victorinox opened a new Flagship Store in the UK. Three Points of the Compass ventured into London to see what was on offer.

Gear

Gear talk: the Primus Micron gas lantern, with steel globe

Winter is around the corner. Three Points of the Compass went rummaging through the gear locker to see what there was for lighting the long dark nights. An old favourite was found. Time to put it back into service.

Gear

Gear talk: the UCO candle lantern

Three Points of the Compass has a lingering fondness for this piece of 'old school' technology. Undoubtably these lanterns still have a place today, if only as a means of embracing old technology that compliments new. The UCO lantern I have used most is the Original Candle Lantern+LED. Unsurprisingly, this is powered by… candle.

Knife chat

Knife chat: 84mm Victorinox Recruit and derivatives- the Tinker Small, Tourist and Sportsman

The 84mm Victorinox Recruit, Tinker Small, Tourist and Sportsman are pretty similar to each other. They share a majority of their tools. However, there is the opportunity to choose a particular combination of functions that may be 'just right' for you. Not only that, but they are all well-priced, well-made and well-regarded products from a famed Swiss knife-maker.

Gear

Gear talk: repairing holes in tent mesh

Backpacking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path this year, I camped at a farm site one night. While I was away from the tent, the farm cat decided to rip holes in the mesh side of my tent. I took time out this week for repairs.

Electronics

Gear talk: Nitecore NB10000 Gen2 powerbank

The NB10000 Gen 2 Quick-Charge USB-A/USB-C 10000mAh Powerbank was released by Nitecore in summer 2022 as a generational improvement of the original NB10000 that astonished the lightweight backing community in 2009. Nitecore have now released a second generation of the NB10000 with just a handful of welcome upgrades, while continuing to ignore a few other areas that could do with improvement.

Electronics

Gear talk: Pad-Pal, the world’s lightest electric sleeping pad inflator

A pair of lungs is lighter than the little inflator looked at here, but the Pad-Pal is, by far, the lightest electric sleeping pad inflator in the world. It is doubtful that anything lighter could be made.

Planning

Trail talk: the Pembrokeshire Coast Path: a backpacking itinerary

There are many ways to tackle the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Section-hike, thru-hike, bed & breakfast or backpacking. If camping, which to choose- campsites or wildcamping? What follows is simply how Three Points of the Compass tackled it in September 2022.

Gear

Gear talk: the Pembrokeshire Coast Path- post-hike gear review

Three Points of the Compass has just returned from backpacking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Two September weeks in Wales threw at me varied weather conditions- from strong wind and horizontal rain, to hot sunny days and cold nights. This is a post-hike look at the lightweight backpacking gear I carried.

ditty bag

Gear talk: repairing a punctured Thermarest NeoAir sleeping pad

A quick look at the repair of a punctured Thermarest inflatable sleeping pad using the Instant Field Repair Kit

Electronics

Gear talk: RovyVon Aurora A5 USB-C ‘glow-in-the-dark’ Keychain Flashlight

Following a couple of upgrades, the third generation of RovyVon Aurora A5 glow-in-the-dark (GITD) keychain flashlight is now (probably) the best ‘keychain’ hand-held light available to backpackers. It has now replaced my Nitecore NU25 headlamp on trail

Cooking

Gear talk: Vesuv titanium windshield

A new purchase- a simple titanium windshield sized to fit my favourite Evernew pan. It may be expensive, but improved efficiency is something always to be sought.

Trail talk

Trail talk: Pennine Bridleway. Settle to The Street, Ravenstonedale

My final days on the Pennine Bridleway. The walking steadily improved but the rain continued to laugh at the concept of summer. However, I had Kirkby Stephen in my sights, and nothing was going to stop me

Trail talk

Trail talk: Pennine Bridleway. The Settle Loop

The 205 mile long Pennine Bridleway has two included loops. The first is the 47 mile Mary Towneley Loop that I completed on my way up from Middleton Top. The second is the ten mile Settle Loop. My plan was to traipse round it in a few hours and call the remainder a day off in Settle. But first I had the aftermath of a night of torrential rain to contend with.

Trail talk

Trail talk: Pennine Bridleway. The Mary Towneley Loop to Settle

My Pennine Bridleway continued. I had walked the 72 miles from Middleton Top in Derbyshire to the Mary Towneley Loop. Having walked all of that 47 mile loop, I was now continuing to trail's end in Cumbria. But before then, I had to get to Settle for yet another optional loop.

Trail talk

Trail talk: Pennine Bridleway. Middleton Top to the Mary Towneley Loop

The Pennine Bridleway doesn't get a lot of attention from backpackers. Cyclists will tackle much of it over a couple of days, horse-riders will go out for a day's hack along parts of it, however few people walk the complete path. Three Points of the Compass ventured out in the summer of 2022 to walk the 205 mile National Trail from south to north.

Gear

Gear talk: peg selection

Three Points of the Compass has tried various combination sets of pegs (OK, stakes to our friends across the pond) with my various tents over the years. I suspect many of us have. There is no one-size-fits-all peg, though some come damn close to being perfect. Some ground or soil types or weather conditions such as wind or snow lend themselves better to more specialised pegs.

knife

Knife chat: Victorinox Pioneer X and Pioneer Farmer

The Pioneer X and Farmer each provide one additional tool over their two-layer cousins. That extra tool, either scissors or saw, may be enough to tempt you

Gear

Gear talk: a replacement of the Zpacks Duplex vestibule double-hook apparatus

Backpacking the Southern Upland Way recently, I reached out one evening to close and tighten the vestibule doors- twang! One of the hooks had broken. I tied it shut for the remainder of that hike and simply used the other side of the shelter. Back home, I found thirty seconds to replace it with one of those sent to me by Zpacks

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