titanium – Three Points of the Compass

titanium

Knife chat: going minimal with a cheapo keychain blade

Sometimes all you need is a little blade. It will open packages, slice an apple, trim tape and cordage, even attack an onion. A little keychain blade can be all that is required. They don't come much cheaper than this.

Cooking

Gear talk: Fire Maple Hornet II stove

The Fire Maple Hornet II canister top gas stove is intended as an upgrade to the popular smaller and lighter Hornet and is safer when used with wider pots and pans

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.

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.

Cooking

Gear talk: Fire Maple FMS-116 and FMS-116T gas stoves

Some backpackers prefer a wide burner head on their gas stoves. This feature can add both weight and bulk to a cook kit, but not always. Two canister top options from Fire Maple have proven themselves as reliable performers over the years, one is light and expensive, the other is heavier and cheaper, the choice is yours.

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.

Cooking

Gear talk: A lightweight windscreen for the Kovea Spider

A glance at the excellent Flat Cat Gear Ocelot windscreen for the Kovea Spider stove, and knocking up an even lighter titanium version

Gear

Gear talk: Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper tweezers

I was looking recently at the various First Aid […]