Total adventures this year: 12
Black Mountain: Hammock Hang
29th December 2012
Wild-Camp:13
Hammock hang with Strider. Squatt didn't come on this trip as he said he was too ill to go, maybe I should have been as wise as him. He was missed but we had a good time anyway. I think I found the temperature limits of the Snugpak underquilts (2 degrees celsius) as both me and Strider used them and had cold backs at the same time. I actually got INTO my sleeping bag instead of using it as a top quilt.
Black Mountain: Hammock Hang
8th December 2012
Wild-Camp:12
Hammock Hang on the Black Mountain. We also tried out a home made Hobo stove.
Pen-y-fan: with uncle Strider,
and Auntie Mini-Strides.
10th November 2012
Wild-Camp:11
An overnighter that was supposed to be a trip up to Pen y fan then camp below Corn Du beside Llyn Cwm Llwych. It ended up with us just going up Corn Du then pitching near the obelisk as other people were already camped where we were going to camp.
One thing that happened on this trip did upset me, At the time I was not sure if it did actually happen but the more I've thought about it there is no other explanation. Also I was not sure whether to recount this experience on here. I had decided that I would take some pictures on this trip for my other website, so I was carrying just over 5kg of camera equipment that I don't usually take. I don't take the traditional style of landscape shots, preferring long exposures at night, which means I need a relatively clear night with no wind, because if I'm taking a 10 minute long photograph of a tent flapping about in the wind it'll be a bit blurred to say the least. On this trip I got up at 4:30am and the weather was kind enough to give me a half hour break in the mist and wind before the sun came up and I managed to get 2 shots.
Please click on the images to see larger versions. |
Anyway, I did not sleep much during the night and was laying awake when I heard a tent zip being opened very slowly and carefully, one tooth at a time, I called out to 'Strider' to find out if it was him but had no reply, the zip immediately stopped.
I was thinking of buying a small tent with a tiny porch and keeping kit outside the tent, instead I think I'll buy a padlock! Mynydd du photography
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Garden Tarp Adventure:
31st October 2012
We hadn't had time to get out in the hills this month so I promised Squatt a night under the tarp in the garden.
Troserch Woods: Hammock Hang
28th September 2012
Wild-Camp:10
Overnighter in Troserch Woods. We wore bugnets for the first time and they were a Godsend though very hot. A tree fell down during the night very close to our camp and Squatt said he was never going to camp in Troserch again.
Black Mountain: hammock Hang. Random Letters First Hammock Hang
11th August 2012
Wild-Camp:09
"Random Letters" came with us on this trip. We didn't leave until quite late as Dad was busy and as we were setting up it was starting to get dark under the trees. It took longer to set up than usual as Dad had borrowed Uncle Strider's Hammock and was trying a few different ways of hanging it and attaching the underquilt. During the night we had thunder and lighting which was exciting but it did keep us awake until 3:30am.
Black mountain: Hammock Hang
28th July 2012
Wild-Camp:08
My brother had bought a Snugpak Jungle Hammock so we went to try it out in a location we had found the previous week. It took a couple of attempts to hang it as neither of us were sure of the best way to hang it as I am used to my hennessy and this one looks like a DD but I think if it was hung with a sag you could lay asymmetrically. We got it hung eventually but because it was on a really steep slope it was fun trying to get in it.
I have to be honest after lying in it for 5 minutes max I found it really comfy, more so than my Hennessy. I would like to spend a whole night in it to see what it's really like. It was a bit unnerving getting in for the 1st time as the material of the hammock if so thin you can easily see through it, and the suspension is knotted paracord, but it didn't dump us on the floor. For someone looking for a 1st cheap hammock I would definitely recommend it. In fact I'm going to borrow it from my brother to see what it's like to sleep in for a full night and I may buy one to use instead of my Hennessy.
I have to be honest after lying in it for 5 minutes max I found it really comfy, more so than my Hennessy. I would like to spend a whole night in it to see what it's really like. It was a bit unnerving getting in for the 1st time as the material of the hammock if so thin you can easily see through it, and the suspension is knotted paracord, but it didn't dump us on the floor. For someone looking for a 1st cheap hammock I would definitely recommend it. In fact I'm going to borrow it from my brother to see what it's like to sleep in for a full night and I may buy one to use instead of my Hennessy.
Black Mountain: Hammock Hang
22nd July 2012
Wild-Camp:07
We wanted to go to the other side of the river to where we usually camp as we had looked at the spot from our usual site and it looked a good place to hang the hammocks. Instead of the gentle hours walk it usually is, this side of the river was a very strenuous walk up and down steep hills... it took us about three hours and we were both really hungry when we got to the site so the first thing we did, even before setting up the hammocks was cook food.
We couldn't hang the hammocks as close as we would have liked but it was OK. My hammock was hung from ONE tree, between the trunk and a very large branch that hung almost to the ground. Squatt's was about 200 ft away.
We couldn't hang the hammocks as close as we would have liked but it was OK. My hammock was hung from ONE tree, between the trunk and a very large branch that hung almost to the ground. Squatt's was about 200 ft away.
Black Mountain: Hammock Hang
2nd June 2012
Wild-Camp:06
The following video is of a one nighter on the Black Mountain. The weather forecast wasn’t very good but we went anyway as we wanted to try out the tarps in wet weather, The DD tarp stood up excellently to quite a strong wing and 14 hours of constant rain, the Vango tent would have leaked.
Even though it rained it was the best HAMMOCK trip we have been on (though this is only the 3rd) because we spent about 2 hours setting up the hammocks; adjusting the hang, the tarp and the underquilt.
During the night Baldy got woken by something tripping over one of his guy lines, then the wind kept him awake for over 2 hours.
Anyway I hope you enjoy the video.
Even though it rained it was the best HAMMOCK trip we have been on (though this is only the 3rd) because we spent about 2 hours setting up the hammocks; adjusting the hang, the tarp and the underquilt.
During the night Baldy got woken by something tripping over one of his guy lines, then the wind kept him awake for over 2 hours.
Anyway I hope you enjoy the video.
Troserch Woods: Hammock Hang
6th May 2012
Wild-Camp:05
We had planned on setting up near a derelict mill in the woods for Dad to carry out some night photography of the building, but when we got there a lot of trees had been blown down in the strong wind the previous week and any other suitable locations were heavily overgrown with brambles making it hard to find a site where we could hang 2 hammocks close together near the river. It took another 45 minutes of backtracking to find a suitable site. Even at the spot we had hung from previously in these woods one of the trees had been up rooted by the wind.
We had our new DD tarps and Snugpak underquilts which we will review once we have finished tinkering with the setup and can give an honest opinion of them.
The video is split, the 1st showing the 1st day and the 2nd showing the night and following morning.
We had our new DD tarps and Snugpak underquilts which we will review once we have finished tinkering with the setup and can give an honest opinion of them.
The video is split, the 1st showing the 1st day and the 2nd showing the night and following morning.
Pen-Y-Fan:
7th April 2012
Wild-Camp:04
We went for a one night wild camp on Pen-y- fan and spent the night beside Llyn Cwm llwch. Strider, 'Random Letters' and her father came along too. The weather was ok, the rain was more mist and the wind didn't really hit until we got to the top and dropped again as we went down the other side until there was hardly any wind at all at the camp site. There was still snow on the ground in patches and in some places this was quite deep. We were a bit disappointed by the temperature which at it's lowest was only plus 5 degrees Celsius. My pack weighed 4.3kg as Dad had almost all my kit in his pack which ended up weighing 19.3kg with 2 sleeping bags, 2 sleepmats, enough fuel to make sure 4 people had hot food and drinks. I wasn't feeling to well but insisted on coming on the trip so Dad ended up carrying my pack as well. We started at Storey Arms and walked up the path until we were level with the obelisk, we then cut across, away from the path instead of following the path up then back down. We rejoined the path at the obelisk and followed it down to Llyn Cwm Llwch. Here is a map showing the actual route taken and a video showing parts of the trip. Unfortunately it was a bit wet to get the camera out too often so not much of the walk up was recorded.
Black mountain: With "Random Letters"
1st April 2012
Wild-Camp:03
We took this trip on Saturday 1/4/12 to try to find a location where we would hang two hammocks and pitch two tents. We found a nice spot with an added bonus for Dad... right outside a derelict cottage. Dad photographs derelict buildings at night as a part time career option. We camped in the same spot as we have done previously, 'Random Letters' came with us. After we had set up camp we went for a walk to find a location for the hammocks. When we got back to the tents it was 8:30ish pm and we were cold and hungry. We had food and went to bed just to keep warm. During the night it went down to -2 degrees Celsius or 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of the ice.
Troserch Woods: our first ever Hammock Hang
15th February 2012
Wild-Camp:02
This trip was a one nighter in local woods. The purpose of the trip was to try out the hammocks after having them for Christmas and not used them yet. It only took 10 minutes to get to where we were going to hang from where we parked the van, then another 10 minutes to find suitable trees near the river and without any widow makers (dead branches caught in the trees above). Last time we camped in these woods we took the tent and although we got there at 2pm by the time we had found a suitable location to pitch a tent it was getting dark.
We had removed the original suspension on the hammocks and bought whoopie slings, this made it faster and easier to hang the hammocks and get the tension right. We don't have underquilts yet so we used our full length sleeping pads with anti slip mat underneath so that they didn't slide about under us or end up on top of us during the night and us waking up with a cold butt. We were a bit disappointed that the temperature only got down to 4 degrees Celsius as the night before it was -2 degrees Celsius.
Anyway, this video shows the highlights of the trip with a speeded up take down of the hammocks. We forgot to video hanging the hammocks but its just the take down in reverse. We do like the karabiner idea to attach the suspension to the hammock as we don't have to worry about which way we hang the hammock, if we want to turn the hammock around we just unclip it and turn it around.
We had removed the original suspension on the hammocks and bought whoopie slings, this made it faster and easier to hang the hammocks and get the tension right. We don't have underquilts yet so we used our full length sleeping pads with anti slip mat underneath so that they didn't slide about under us or end up on top of us during the night and us waking up with a cold butt. We were a bit disappointed that the temperature only got down to 4 degrees Celsius as the night before it was -2 degrees Celsius.
Anyway, this video shows the highlights of the trip with a speeded up take down of the hammocks. We forgot to video hanging the hammocks but its just the take down in reverse. We do like the karabiner idea to attach the suspension to the hammock as we don't have to worry about which way we hang the hammock, if we want to turn the hammock around we just unclip it and turn it around.