Well, in the sadly increasing BCUK bizarre tradition of writing thread titles that give you no information whatsoever about the contents, I give you 'Zebra Billy Spouted Kettle' and 'Superfeet Insoles'!
Went out for lunch with the missus yesterday to celebrate my last day of work before going back to university for 4 years (Get in there! Can't wait!). From the cafe in Westbourne, I could see a kitchen supplies ship across the road called 'Stockpots' and had a quick look before we went home. They had loads of discounted Zebra stuff, including billys, food-carriers, etc. I got myself a nice 'kettle-type-thing', takes about 3L of water, spout, metal handle on top and at side to help when pouring. Cost me just shy of a tenner and will make an excellent kettle on stove or open fire for a small (2-3 man) camp. I saw on a previous thread that someone got something similar on eBay for £5 (don't know what p&p cost was) but I couldn't find anything to compare with. So....I'm assuming it was reasonable value at £9.99.
Personally, if I have the room to carry a separate larger container for water boiling, I will. Stays constantly on the fire so hot water for brews, cooking, or washing up is always available. Also, your water doesn't really taste of whatever was cooked in the pot beforehand. It's a pain to carry if you want to be more mobile but then you have to compromise mobility for convenience.
Might try and wander back there later this month and re-look at the billys....
Now, Superfeet. I've had problems with my feet for the last 10 years. For whatever reason, my right foot expands by about 3/4 of a shoe size when my weight's on it, so my toes can bump against the end of the shoe sometimes. If I buy shoes big enough for my right foot, my left foot slops around in the other shoe. It means I've spent considerable amounts of money on shoes/boots that I've then had to sell on at a loss because I just don't get on with them. I know that custom orthotics are v expensive and have shyed away from them, mainly for that reason (see later for the 'irony' bit...).
I read an article in TGO magazine last month that talked about just my particular problem. Superfeet insoles are designed specially to provide additional support to prevent the fot expanding. I'm not going to go into the science - you can find it all on their website - but I thought I'd give them a go in order to save myself a fortune on trying different shoes/boots in the future.
I have to say, I nearly fell over when I saw the price: they're £35 a pair!
For insoles! I've bought shoes for less than that! It means that I definitely won't be able to get some for each pair of shoes/boots I have. Anyway, the good thing is that you can use them for up to 60 days and if they are not working for you, you can take them back and get a refund.
I've only worn them once so far - they are surprisingly rigid. It's not uncomfortable, just different. I was warned about this in the shop that they do take a bit of getting used to.
I suspect it'll be a while until I work out whether they are beneficial to my feet. Being impatient , I'd be keen to know if anyone else has used these, did they work and have they done what they were advertised to do? (Blimmin' well should do at £35 a pop!)
Went out for lunch with the missus yesterday to celebrate my last day of work before going back to university for 4 years (Get in there! Can't wait!). From the cafe in Westbourne, I could see a kitchen supplies ship across the road called 'Stockpots' and had a quick look before we went home. They had loads of discounted Zebra stuff, including billys, food-carriers, etc. I got myself a nice 'kettle-type-thing', takes about 3L of water, spout, metal handle on top and at side to help when pouring. Cost me just shy of a tenner and will make an excellent kettle on stove or open fire for a small (2-3 man) camp. I saw on a previous thread that someone got something similar on eBay for £5 (don't know what p&p cost was) but I couldn't find anything to compare with. So....I'm assuming it was reasonable value at £9.99.
Personally, if I have the room to carry a separate larger container for water boiling, I will. Stays constantly on the fire so hot water for brews, cooking, or washing up is always available. Also, your water doesn't really taste of whatever was cooked in the pot beforehand. It's a pain to carry if you want to be more mobile but then you have to compromise mobility for convenience.
Might try and wander back there later this month and re-look at the billys....
Now, Superfeet. I've had problems with my feet for the last 10 years. For whatever reason, my right foot expands by about 3/4 of a shoe size when my weight's on it, so my toes can bump against the end of the shoe sometimes. If I buy shoes big enough for my right foot, my left foot slops around in the other shoe. It means I've spent considerable amounts of money on shoes/boots that I've then had to sell on at a loss because I just don't get on with them. I know that custom orthotics are v expensive and have shyed away from them, mainly for that reason (see later for the 'irony' bit...).
I read an article in TGO magazine last month that talked about just my particular problem. Superfeet insoles are designed specially to provide additional support to prevent the fot expanding. I'm not going to go into the science - you can find it all on their website - but I thought I'd give them a go in order to save myself a fortune on trying different shoes/boots in the future.
I have to say, I nearly fell over when I saw the price: they're £35 a pair!
For insoles! I've bought shoes for less than that! It means that I definitely won't be able to get some for each pair of shoes/boots I have. Anyway, the good thing is that you can use them for up to 60 days and if they are not working for you, you can take them back and get a refund.I've only worn them once so far - they are surprisingly rigid. It's not uncomfortable, just different. I was warned about this in the shop that they do take a bit of getting used to.
I suspect it'll be a while until I work out whether they are beneficial to my feet. Being impatient
, I'd be keen to know if anyone else has used these, did they work and have they done what they were advertised to do? (Blimmin' well should do at £35 a pop!)
