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It's pretty cold out here in Northern France.... Everywhere is frozen over. I shot a shot clip of a lake near my home. The most amazing thing was the noise of the cracking ice, it can just be heard in the video. Cheers Gareth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FZH5fujad4&t=6s

With temperatures plummeting here in Northern France, -8°C last night. I thought I’d do a quick list of my recent purchases of Winter clothing. Now it would be nice to go out and buy Fjallraven, but I really can’t afford £200 or £300 for a jacket or pair of trousers. So I’ve...

Hi there As temperatures have plummeted here in Northern France, with a day time high of around zero, with a windchill making it feel like -6 or -7°C... Two bits of kit that made walking the dog warm and toasty today were my Craghoppers Winter lined trousers and my Snugpak Sleeka Elite jacket...

My Magnum Elite Desert boots finally died recently, split along the sole my toe was sticking out… they were very comfy boots but from the off seemed more like a high leg trainer than a combat boot. They served their purpose for 2 years but had a significant number of flaws. So I looked...

I've always like the windproof smocks, just not camo... that is until multicam or MTP came along. Now this I actually like. I'm not inclinded to dress like a soldier, but for fishing have often worn camo...(usually some form of realtree). So I recently got an MTP windproof from Jasper at...

School holidays oblige.... its time to take the offspring out on a trip or two. Our local village forest is perfect for such trips, being quite extensive at around 570 acres, yet only a short walk from home. A couple of years ago we found a perfect clearing that we have used for overnighters...

I’ve been wearing Craghoppers Kiwi’s for the last two or three years, but have finally got fed up with the fact that they give up the ghost after that sort of time scale. The main gripe being that they split at the crotch area…. So after looking around the net for a brand in this price...

Hi there I've had a couple of utility pouches for a while, but never had a pack with webbing. Well now I've changed to the LA Sting with its Molle webbing on the front, I've finally been able to install the pouches as they were designed to be installed. Its a bit fiddly weaving them in and out...

Hi there I just took delivery of my new pack… after a careful search and invaluable help for this forum; I opted for the Lowe Alpine Sting. I’d have preferred it in OD, but they seem as rare as rocking horse droppings… So I bought the Camo version.. Not a huge fan of this type of woodland...

Hi there With the cooler weather just around the corner, I've been wondering if a Snugpak underquilt would be a good idea for use with my DD Travel Hammock. Can anyone give me an opinion on this item?... seems well priced and not overly heavy. Would I notice a significant difference compared...

I read parts of the long thread on these hammocks on the Hammock forum today and felt that another unbiased view from my experience would help give a balanced view of the product. I live in France so have no connection to the company. When I wanted a hammock at the end of last year, I looked...

Hi there I've been looking to make my own whoopie slings, but getting the cordage is not easy in France.... I have found a saling shop online that stocks this: http://www.marlowropes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77:excel-d12&catid=51:dinghy-windsurfing&Itemid=221 It says...

Just spent an overnighter out in the woods with my 15 year old son. The forest we chose was St Gobain in northern France, about 25 miles from home. It's one of the largest in the area at around 20,000 acres. First off we hiked for about 5kms until we found a likely looking camp ground. Due to...

Hi there As well as enjoying the outdoors and bushcrafty things, I've been a keen carp angler for nigh on 34 years. I now own my own carp fishery in northern France. Recently after speaking with a mate and fellow carper inthe UK, I've switched the traditional bivvy/bedchair set up for a...

I was happily eating my dinner after a spot of tench fishing (I'd had 8 to about 6lb), when the wind got up and it started spitting with rain… No worries, I just moved myself and gear under the tarp and finished my dinner. As I lay in the hammock, the wind got stronger and the rain heavier…and...

Hi there One of the things that has always swayed me away from the MSR Pocket Rocket, is that here in France you can't easily get the gas canisters. While every supermarket has the Camping Gaz version the two 'stupidly' aren't compatible. Why manufacturers can't make universal connections on...

Hi there I've had this old Alice pack for years, and mostly used it for fishing. More recently I've got it out from retirement and started to modify it a bit...(there are loads of Alice mods on the US forums). First mod was to swap the metal buckles for plastic fastex type clips on the top flap...

I'm after a reasonably priced, not too large sleeping bag, 1.5-2kg range. I've several heavy winter bags that are too heavy for a back pack. I've been looking at the Snugpack range. What is the quality difference like between the UK made stuff and the cheaper ones? I see the Extreme which...

Hi there Here are a few shots of the dawn sun rise from this week's over night fishing trip on my lakes in France. Only snapped on my phone so no works of art. Camp was luxury really with the brolly/bedchair set up rather than tarp and bivvy bag. We caught no fish but a good time was had by all...

Well I was out & about at my fishing lakes today... temps well below zero, so work was cold and not very productive... To cheer myself up I lit a nice little fire and put a pan on to make a brew... you know as you do. Well instead of the Tetley tea folk bags I had in my pouch I broke off a few...