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I started out with the BA DPM Bivvi, (and matching basha), it's great, very breathable, and durable. But so damn heavy. I have a Alpkit Hunka XL, it works great for my usecase. Light, compact, breathable. If I was to buy only one of these two, I would get the hunka. J

Dunno if it's too late to be useful, but I'm the one that wrote that review all those years ago. I still have that tarp, but haven't had a reason to use it for a couple of years. I never had truly epic monsoon level rain when using it, but it certainly held up to everything I used it in. I never...

For about £25 a year, they also offer an insurance to go with the inreach. It basically covers you for rescue costs upto a suitably high amount, as long as you're not in a competition (it doesn't cover you in a race say). Not really needed in the UK, but useful if you venture further abroad. J

I don't wear a watch. I used to wear one all the time, but I took it off when I got on a Dive boat in 1999, and never put it back on. I have been looking at the wrist compasses like that tho. The other one I pondered is the Suunto Clipper. Probably good enough for my needs... J

The bag is the furthest I can get from ferrous metals on the bike. There's some aluminium in the bag frame, but the rest is fabric. J

I won't be wearing a belt. Round the neck I have a steel pendant I always wear (it's a section of bike chain, which has a lot of meaning to me), and what few pockets I have will have a mobile phone in it. Accuracy is largely about being able to orient the map correctly, and keep me going from...

For a trip I have planned (if we ever can travel again). I would like to take a compass with me. The route is a long one, with all bar about 20km out of a couple of thousand being on roads or well made paths. But that 20km includes crossing a plateau. I would feel a lot more comfortable having a...

Last summer sleeping with the window open for ventilation lead me to being eaten alive by mossies (a downside of living in a swamp). Closing the window isn't an option, it's too hot. So I'm thinking to get a mossie net for my bed. I've never needed a mossie net in a domestic setting before...

A bit of a mixture of both. My bike is built to cope with both, but the main thing is to cycle through pretty scenery and get away from everything for a bit. I have a destination in mind, so in order to keep the speed up I will have to do some bits on tarmac roads, but I don't want to do the...

Unfortunately in order to cover the distance by bike each day that I need to make the trip in time, I have to average 150km per day, which isn't going to give me too much time to museum hop as I go. On the way back I have 2 days planned in oslo meeting friends, will check out the viking museum...

Hamburg, up to Copenhagen, across at Helsingborgs, Varberg, Goteberg, Trollhatten, Åmal, Charlottenberg, Kongsvinger, Akrestdrømmen, Røros, Hell. That's the rough area. J

I live in a swamp... I am covered in mossie bites as I've concluded it's better to have the windows open to lower the temp, and accept some bites, than it is to shut the windows and boil. My trip was always planned to be September to minimize the insects, before it gets too cold, and when I can...

Not really an choice for me, I am limited to when I can get the time off work. Also if I push it later than September the weather is going to make it harder. It's also going to be colder. J

Thanks. I did some googling of what the situation is in Norway, looks like an open fire ban is in place in areas there too. Shall have to keep an eye on it. J

Thanks for the heads up. I shall have a good read of that page. The ban including camping stoves is going to be a problem. May have to rethink how I do food on my trip, unless northern Europe can get a substantial amount of rain some time soon (tho not while I'm cycling please!) J

Because they have down or insulation in them, and so you kinda need to treat them the way you do sleeping bags. I have 3 exped mats, and I treat them with the same storage care as I do my sleeping bags. You also want to control the humidity inside the bag so that you don't get mould growing...

A group of us in Kent did an experiment a couple of years ago (read about it here: https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/wye-not-forage-for-dinner.143232/), where we tried to do a hike, while carrying our bivvi kit, and forage for dinner along the way. We rapidly came to the...

When storing you kit outside of your house, take the time to make sure that there's no food, food residue, or smell on your kit, you don't want to take your pack out of storage to find a mouse has eaten it's way through the bottom to get that kendle mint cake you forgot about. Consider also...

This trip is starting to get near, just over a month til I leave. I'm going to be starting in Hamburg and heading north, through 4 countries and 1500km total. I think I have most of the kit I need, Am going to get myself a silky saw so I can make firewood easier, which brings me onto a...

I emailed Primus to ask advice, but got no reply. I bought a new pump unit as I need a working stove for next week. Had to by a multifuel Conversion kit for an Eta ef power stove. Meaning I now have spares for a stove I don't own. Will see if I can move on the parts I don't need onto someone who...