Recent content by Wintrup

France is the Mecca of camping in Europe. As mentioned there are municipal campsites in most big towns and even many small ones, and they're mostly cheap and well managed. Even the commercial sites can be fairly reasonable. I've toured France for the past 20 years and have always found a...

I know this is a little old, but just in case people are still looking for a demi-nest for their Hex 3 or Shangri-la, I thought I'd resurrect it. I have the full size nest, which has been just fine, but has some disadvantages--mainly in the rain, when you need cooking space and keep wet from...

This is a brilliant series. Thankfully, it hasn't been 'Americanized' with constant scene repeats, dramatic sound track, jarring camerawork and editing. It's very well done indeed. On another note, I'm glad that I didn't know Vancouver Island had the highest cougar population on the continent...

I'm surprised you have sold this (if indeed you haven't). I used mine for the first time on a French camping trip and found it compact, easy to inflate and very comfortable. Insulation was sufficient for summer at least (I won't know until October whether it's a good 3 season mat though).

You should be able to login with your UK account details, I can. If you've got Google Chrome you can translate the page. Shipping was 4.87 euros but I included that. Saving of £10, so will use them again.

Klymit Static V arrived today from Germany, so that's just 3 days from order to delivered. I don't get things much faster than that in the UK. So at just under £50, that's a saving of £10 and no real extension on delivery. Result. As to the mat, it takes a few more breaths than I'd read, but...

I've been using a portable, folding solar panel for 10 years or so and wouldn't be without one now. My first one was a Sunlinq 12 Watt and that cost a fair bit at the time, but was worth it for the use it's had. I recently upgraded to a 25 Watt, which was probably about half the price of the...

I ordered the uninsulated one, if the insulated one is there, that'd be cheaper as well. It's worth checking out the the user reviews on Amazon.com, as they're pretty unanimous in rating it highly, even for 4 season use. Some just add a foam mat in the colder months.

I've been looking at the Klymit Static V as well. £60 on Amazon UK, but can be had for £50 if you buy from Amazon.de. I haven't taken the plunge yet though. Update. Having read the reviews on Amazon.com, I've now ordered from Amazon in Germany for £49.

A simple search term of 'Exped Down failure' will bring up lots of examples of failures, in particular the phenomenon of perforations. As I wrote, I did contact Exped after the first failure and got sent a second one that failed something like a year or two later. Two failures on such an...

I've had 2 Exped down mats. I sent the first one back because the down bunched and left huge cold spots. The second one just slowly seemed to lose air, which over time got worse and worse. I found a Youtube clip with where a bloke had exactly the same problem and found that his mat had multiple...

I have read this and I feel sick. I've just written an email appealing to Ms Ashton to do the right thing.

Once you've found the puncture spot, mark it exactly and fully deflate the bag rolling out all the air. Close the valve. Roll out the mat, find the mark and put a tiny blob of glue on. Some of the glue will be pulled in through puncture spot and should seal the puncture. Worked for me.

Just be aware that a lot of the portable solar chargers don't quite generate enough power for lithium batteries. My one is 13W but it will not charge my PDA battery. For that I have to first charge some NiMH and then put them in a powerpack to charge the PDA battery.

I've just emailed the person on ebay to ask what make it is. I don't expect an answer. I hate that kind of thing. Shame on the **** if it is an Argos.