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I used the mat over the weekend, and then before I fully deflated it, I tried giving it a bit of a pummelling where the down has clumped, and it did seem to disperse it a bit. I had to stop because I wanted to get the tent down before it started raining, but I'll have a proper go at it when I...

I’ve always done it like that, SaraR. I’ve had it 10.5 years now. My other half always inflates his to the point that I’m amazed it hasn’t burst. It’s weird how mine looks perfectly normal and is still comfortable. It’s only when I came to roll it up that I realised that the down had migrated to...

Reviving an old thread. I bought a Downmat 9LW on Toddy’s recommendation many years ago and it has been the best mat I have ever used. Thanks Toddy! A few days ago, I was rolling it up and noticed that all the feathers now seem to be compacted into the middle tubes and the outer tubes are...

Excellent work! I have never successfully got a fire from a bow drill. I broke my knee years ago, and I can't put weight on it bent for long enough, and I can't kneel on it either. I almost got there when I put the hearth on a tree stump, got it smoking, but never quite got an ember. One...

I use Pages, on my iPhone, iPad and Mac. Because the document is stored in the Cloud, I can open it on any device and it will synchronise to whatever the last edit was. I can use it without an Internet connection, and it will synchronise whenever it gets one. Rather than actually typing the...

There's a few of my relatives that I wish I could have learned from. My maternal grandfather was a keen gardener and was pretty much self sufficient during WWII. He was incredibly thrifty and practical, and would never throw anything away (perhaps that's where my wombling tendencies came...

Hi Decorum, long time no see! I'd love to come down to a Rough Close meet some time, but won't make it to this one, unfortunately. One thing I can't find mention of, is whether or not dogs are allowed. Si and I have a rescue dog who cannot be kennelled or left with someone else overnight...

I bought an Aldi 'Rugged Powerbank' 5200mAh - I think it was about £10 and it will charge my iPhone three times. Once the phone is charged, the powerbank switches off automatically, so I'm happy to leave it plugged in whilst I sleep. It also has an LED torch which is ok for personal space use...

This is Rita the rescue dog. It has been suggested that she could be a Beauceron, or perhaps rottie crossed with something. She's definitely part-idiot, and loves to crash around in the woods, chase squirrels, snooze by the campfire and follow my other half everywhere. Sent from my iPad...

I have a little pick knife by Ben Orford, and it's one of my favourite knives for finishing off spoons. It's really lightweight and fits perfectly in the hand. It was rather dear, though.

Wonderful reading, as usual, Wayland. I would love to go to the winter market. I'll stick it on my list :)

Bizarrely, last week, I found a knife in a box in the shed, and I don't ever remember buying it. It's a Mora Scout knife with a sheath, and doesn't appear to have been used. I'll give it to the OH's daughter, it should be perfect for her.

Oh how I agree. It's just lazy, IMO. OK, Pride and Prejudice is something of a girly film, but 4 films, at least 6 TV adaptations is just too much. I believe there's even another remake in progress! Then there's all those "The Making Of..." programmes. Maybe they'll do a 'making of the...

I'm not surprised that that Policeman crashed. Silly boy, wearing sunglasses whilst driving in the dark!

Something gluten-free would be good :)

People pretending they can play musical instruments, with the sound dubbed over the top. As a fiddle player, it drives me nuts when you can see the actor sawing away at it like a kid with their first junior hacksaw, but there's a nice gentle melody playing. I read somewhere that Benedict...

PM sent :)

"So, when camped along the ocean it is customary to wade out into the surf to go poop and if toilet paper is needed it is taken back with you to burn in the fire." I'm not sure that bog roll would be much use in the sea, and certainly not burnable afterwards - it'd be too soggy!

Good write-up, thanks. However, I've never had any difficulty lighting hexi blocks. If you use the matches out of rat packs, then you just light and lay the match on the block and up it goes. With a lighter, turbo-flame or ordinary, it's even easier. Saying that, I do allow myself the luxury...

I heard on the news earlier that the company has decided to scale back their operation at Balcombe, on the advice of the Police. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-23721713