Eat Sleep Wild
Routes Recipes and Wild Experiences from the West Coast of Scotland
We recently purchased the Solo Stove Ranger Cooking Bundle which we’ve been using almost daily since it arrived. Since then I’ve had a few messages from people who’ve seen my pictures on Instagram and asked if the Solo Stove was as good as it looks and worth the high price tag. Here is my honest …
Review of the men’s Osprey Talon 36L Rucksack gratefully provided by Mark! I have been after a day pack for a while. I had a brief dalliance with a Rab Aeon Ultra 28l pack – which incidentally failed on its first outing, the shoulder strap stiching came undone. So I tried an Osprey Talon 36l. Very different pack to …
Imagine the scene, van parked up in Glenn Orchy, next to a river, evening sunshine, fire pit ablaze, G&T ready. Monica offers me her camping chair. So I obliged and assumed the position. The chair didn’t, however. The chair failed structurally, more to do with design that its load bearing ability. I jury rigged a …
I’ve been living in the Scottish Highlands for years, surrounded by hills. In the last few months I decided it was about time I start walking up some of those hills, but there was one major thing I was missing: hiking boots (alongside other crucial bits of gear but that’s a post for another time). …
This thing doesn’t just look good, it is good! I looked at various packs for a while before I came across the Big Agnes Parkview 63L. Like most folk I enjoy internet shopping…up to a point! When shopping for backpacks, you reach that point very quickly! I like products that ‘appear’ to have been designed …
I take my backcountry coffee pretty seriously and have long sacrified weight, bulk and convenience for the promise of a good brew at camp. That said, there have been numerous times – often when the weather is poor and I’m fatigued from walking – when digging out the V60 or Aeropress from my pack feels …
Geoff Allan’s Scottish Bothy Walks books is a superb companion to his earlier book The Scottish Bothy Bible. Whereas The Scottish Bothy Bible provides details on each individual bothy in Scotland, Scottish Bothy Walks focuses on 28 select bothies and the beautiful journeys that will take you there. It’s somewhat unfortunate that Allan’s new book was …
The Cafflano “Klassic” coffee maker is an all-in-one grind and brew coffee maker with stackable components and travel-friendly features that make it possible to enjoy great coffee wherever you go. This, of course, includes outdoor adventures, picnics, and wild camping. I’m not one for skimping on coffee when backpacking. I love the morning ritual of …
The Big Agnes Copper Hotel HV UL2 is an awesome lightweight 2-person tent for backpackers, bike packers, pet owners, and anyone else who wants extra room without the extra weight. Here’s my tried and tested review. This website wouldn’t be complete without a review of the Big Agnes Copper Hotel. This ultralight two-man tent has …
The Jetboil Summit Skillet is by no means a necessary piece of backpacking kit. People who are happy to eat energy bars, instant coffee, and just-add-water-to-a-bag freeze dried meals will no doubt find it overkill. But for the backcountry gourmet camper, this ultralight skillet is a game changer. I’ve been using it for the last …
Last winter I picked up a Thermos Stainless King Food Flask for hiking, spurred on by cooler weather and the desire to enjoy hot food while on the trail. It’s become an indispensable piece of kit for outdoor adventures so I thought I’d write a little review to expound on its virtues. Now that I’ve …
This review of the MSR Pocket Rocket camp stove was originally written in 2008, two years after I purchased the stove. It’s now 2019 and this little wonder is still going strong. Here is the original review, with a few updated links: The petite MSR PocketRocket Stove has been my constant camping companion since I purchased …
UPDATE: Big Agnes have since updated their King Solomon 15 which looks even better than this one! My UK friends can find it over on Ultralight Outdoor Gear along with the 20 and 35 for even greater warmth. If you’re part of a couple that likes to sleep in a tent, whether you camp with …
Those of you who already use a GPS (or an iPhone for that matter) will probably roll your eyes throughout most of this post. But for me, both are a novelty, and “the new” hasn’t quite worn off yet, so I appreciate you letting me have my moment. A couple weeks ago I blogged about …
