Review: MSR Miniworks EX water filter

I’ve covered a fair few wild edibles in the past on this blog and where as I do enjoy going out collecting these plants I usually take them home to cook in a “normal” kitchen with taps. 

I wanted to talk today about stripping things back a little and heading more in a survival / wild camping direction. At the right time of year I don’t think I’d have much trouble surviving for a few days, even a week or two foraging for my sustenance however clean water would always be a bit of a worry and carrying 2 litres for each day I would be out would be rather weighty. Things to be concerned about when collecting water are chemicals, toxins ,pesticides, bacteria, protozoa, cryptosporidium and waterbourne viruses. This is where the MSR Miniworks EX comes in.

The Miniworks has a replaceable carbon ceramic filter, good for 2000 litres and with 0.2 micron filter size will get rid of all of the above apart from the viruses. For the viruses I’d suggest a using a chlorine tablet after you have filtered the water and if you are not a fan of the flavour, filtering the clean water through the Miniworks again should remove most of the pool water taste. 

Weighing in at 16oz / 450 grams some say that it is a little on the heavy side but when you think about it, it is only a quarter of the weight of your daily water needs. The Miniworks is completely field maintainable needing no tools to take it apart and just a little 3M scrubbing pad to clean the filter. On the base of the Miniworks there is a little red calliper which when able to fit over the removed filter indicates that its time to replace it. Replacement filters cost around the £40 mark but you do occasionally see them cheaper. 

The filter is operated by a hand pump which includes an Airspring Accumulator and when completely clean will deliver a flow rate of a litre a minute. It is ideally suited to the MSR Alpine 1 ltr bottle which will screw straight onto the bottom of the Miniworks. Together you have a great little set up to extend your adventure time in the wild, keep you and small group hydrated and at £77 from Webtogs won’t break the bank!

When compared to its rival the Katadyn Hiker Pro which comes in at around the same price with a similar cost for the replacement filter I would certain chose the MSR over the Katadyn as the latter filter is only good for 900 litres so less than half that of the MSR.

For more reviews like this why not check out Outdoor Gear Review 

Snugpak Jungle Hammock – Review

Working as I do in the middle of the woods and often spending several days out in the sticks, comfortable, lightweight, sleeping arrangements are quite important to me.

Last year I started using a hammock to save weight rather than lugging around a tent. The hammock I was using was basically a heavy weight, canvas, oversize job that was very nice and comfortable but only fractionally smaller and lighter packed down than the tent I used to use. I started checking out the some light weight versions using parachute material but was surprised to see the likes of hammocks by Hennessy coming in at over £120!

In instead opted for the Snugpak Jungle Hammock from blackeaf.com at under 35 quid it was a steal and appeared to have many of the same materials and a similar set up including the integral mosquito net I wanted after being eaten alive last year.

Compared with the with the old hammock it was quite a different beast, weighing in at less than 800 grams and a full 1.2 kilos less, it packed down to a quarter of the size. At this point I was wondering how sturdy it could actually be being that lightweight, nonetheless I was looking forward the end of my working day and to trying out my new bed.

Setting it up was a pretty simple and quick affair or at least it would have been if I hadn’t had a few wild cocktails with dinner. For suspending the hammock you have two lengths of 550 paracord knotted at increments making it quick to get the right tension when tying it to the tree. The hammock itself had steel carabineers at each end so simply clipped up to the paracord secured to the tree. Setting the bug net was a little trickier than the actual hammock as you need to get the tension just so. Too little and the net will sag on to you when in the hammock and too tight and I’d imagine it may tear the net when you get it. Would suggest setting it up with a loose tension with your adjustment knot accessible once in the hammock. That way you can get in to the hammock then adjust the tension to perfection. If you don’t want to use the bug net you can simply flip the hammock over and use it without.

There was plenty of space in there when I got in, I’m 6”3 and I reckon it could comfortably fit someone a fair bit taller and heavier than me. On the technical specs it says that it can take 180 kilos, which would be a very hefty individual. It was really comfortable to with enough room to curl up. It was a pretty cold night and I woke to frost on the field just outside the wood. I was pretty chilly but I put that down to the quality of my sleeping bag rather than the hammock. I’d suggest on any cold night using a roll mat or extra sleeping bag to keep the cold off your back, however in the summer having a cooling breeze on your back can be pretty nice.

Overall I’d say the Jungle Hammock is a massive improvement on my previous one and I’d recommend it anyone wanting to travel lighter and stay comfortable. I’ll certainly be getting a lot more use out of it this year at Hunter Gather Cook . Happy Camping!

Micro Head Torch Shoot-Out: Petzl E+Lite Vs Fenix HL10

 The Stats

	Petzl E+Lite	Fenix HL10
RRP	£24.95	£25.95
Max Output	26 Lumens	70 Lumens
Max Runtime: High	55h	50 mins
Max Runtime: Mid	55h	2h 45mins
Max Runtime: Low	70h	27h
Max Distance	29m	15m
Impact Resistance	1m	1m
Water Resistance	-1m IP67	-2m IPX-8
Weight	26g	58g
Dimensions	L40mm x W32mm x H23mm	L69.5mm x W29.2mm x H28.2mm
Battery	2 x CR2032 (included)	1 x AAA (included)
Guarantee	10 Year Guarantee	24 months free repair, limited lifetime warranty
Degree Tilt	360 degrees	100 degrees
Bulb	4 x LEDs (3 White +1 Red)	1 x Cree XP-E LED
Number of Modes	5	3

First Impressions:

My first impression of the Petzl E+Lite which was purchased from Nightgear.co.uk was “is this some kind of toy!” It’s absolutely tiny only a little bigger than my thumb, at only 26g and almost entirely made of plastic it doesn’t feel in anyway substantial. 

Just a smidge bigger than my thumb!

Being as small at it is has some pluses and some minuses for me. On the plus side I always like to pack light but try to cover as many eventualities as possible so the e+lite is great in that respect. On the minus side being that small means I will undoubted at some point in the torches life lose it, probably somewhere at the bottom of my bag but if it drop on to the forest floor even a small leaf could hide it from my sight forever more. The other thing I noticed is that is doesn’t appear to have the usual headband you expect with most head torches, this has been replaced with a retractable reel of what looks basically like cheese wire,  but on closer inspection seems pretty strong  and not uncomfortable to wear,  when you consider this torch is designed to be mainly used as an emergency head lamp its fine. All the 5 functions are easy to see immediately on the front of the torch, it has a low, high and strobing white beam and a solid and strobing red beam too. As well as the off setting it also has
a lock setting to ensure it doesn’t turn on whilst sitting lost at the bottom of your rucksack. The tilt function on it is the best I’ve seem with a little ball joint at the bottom giving the torch the possibility of pointing it in any angle or direction needed.

On to the Fenix HL10 which I got from Outdoorfusion.co.uk, first impressions are this is a much meatier torch and although still pretty tiny it weighs in at twice that of the e+lite. It has a “normal” style elastic headband that is as comfortable as you’d expect and is easily adjusted by a toggle at the back.  The torch itself sits in a plastic case attached to the headband, this case pops open and allows you to remove the lamp section and use it as a stand-alone normal flashlight which is pretty smart. 

The Fenix out of is casing

The flashlight section is made of adonsied aluminium and feels very rugged despite its diminutive size. It can also stand up on it end on a flat surface which I’m sure I’ll find a use for, just not sure what yet! Once clipped back in to the plastic case it is able to rotate 100 degrees up and down, which is all you would really hope for in a head torch. The button set up on the Fenix isn’t as immediately as obvious as the Petzl, it has one rubber button on the top of the lamp which you need to hold down for two to three seconds before the torch will turn on after that tapping the button with cycle through it’s low, medium and high settings. Holding the button for a further few seconds will turn it off.

The Field Test

For this test I worked two consecutive days at the Hunter Gather Cook School, both days run in almost exactly the same format  (stag dos) and both days will require me to work for around 3 hours in our off grid kitchen in the dark. Rather than using the Oil Lamps I usually work by I just used one of the head torches each day.

Standard start to the day at HGC

The first torch up was the Petzel which fared pretty well, the red light setting is great to switch to if you are having a conversation with someone you don’t want to blind, the main and even the economy settings worked well for the sort of jobs I was getting up to in the kitchen but were perhaps a little lacking when it came to foraging for ingredients out in the woods. Comfort wise my initial scepticism about the cheese cutter style head band were unfounded and once on the torch was so light and comfortable I found myself forgetting it was even there! Also the retractable style of the band meant that it could be warn on the wrist, which adds some extra versatility. Towards the end of the day there was a noticeable drain on the battery with there being little difference to the eco and standard modes. I’d say overall it performed excellently and for most people who will only be requiring a little time and light to set up camp until their fires are going it will be perfect. Considering that this head torch is designed to be an emergency back up, it actually out performs what it says it can do on the tin.

Getting down to some serious Fallow Carpaccio

The second day was a chance for the Fenix HL10 to shine and it really did! The initial 70 Lumens were just what I needed to badger away in the kitchen and woods to my hearts content. The lamp has an auto dim function when on high power and dims after a few minutes on full power.  I think if it had been left on full for the whole period perhaps the batteries might not have made it all the way through the day. Like the Petzl it did dim as the day came to a close but this is a fairly long test for a micro head torch so to be expected. The dimmest setting was fine to switch to when talking to our guests but I found the way the button set up worked to be a little less simple that the petzl although perfectly usable.  Overall it performed excellently which leaves me with a pretty close call as to which one I would choose as the winner……

Manning the kettles

The Results

And the winner is…...The Petzl E+Lite. The Petzl just scrapes the win due to it’s tiny size and massive versatility. It’s a great little all rounder and as I said previously it out performs expectations of just an emergency back up. This would be great for anyone who expects light weight and medium to light use. Only thing I will say for both of these torch is that carrying a spare set of batteries would be a good idea should you have to use them for an extended period.

Review: Kinco Pro 2051 – Cold Weather Work Gloves

Features:     Neoprene Wrist and Rubber Pull Strap

              Thermal Waterproof Lining

              Knuckle Protection

              Reinforced Shock absorbing palms

                       

Suggested uses:     Any Cold / Wet Weather Tasks

                    Mountain Biking

                    Construction

                    Snowmobiling

                    Delivery

                    Baggage Handling

Before I start this review I’d like to tell you all a little glove related story from my younger years. Before my knees told me enough was enough I was an avid ski racer, ski instructor, snowboard instructor and general mountain man. Not your Grizzly Adams type mountain man (the beard is a relatively recent thing) but someone who loved the environment I was in and would undertake any job to stay near the wilds and snow. I have worked in the stunning High Sierras of California, the freezing wilderness of the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, and the awe-inspiring Fitzsimmons Range of British Columbia. One thing that the people who work in these harsh environments all need are gloves you can rely on and across all of these places the one glove brand that all workers agreed as the best was Kinco.

Kinco are relatively unheard of in the UK but Snowshepherd Off Piste Specialists have recently begun stocking their range of winter gloves.

Review:

I was in need of a pair of gloves that would see me through the winter, keeping my hands warm and dry during the colder wetter months, be it chopping logs, mountain biking, or the various tasks I undertake whilst working at the Hunter Gather Cook School. I opted for the Kinco Pro 2051 Work Glove as they check all the boxes, have the reputation of being super durable and at £25 thought they where a bit of a bargain when you compare them to a pair of Assos Fugu S7 gloves at £91.99!

For mountain biking they are spot on for the colder days, in fact they are the first cycling gloves I have had that had withstood a long grim ride through the rain and still remained completely waterproof. They fit well and are unrestrictive and dextrous providing no problems with braking or gear changes. The shock absorbing palms are also very comfortable.

For log splitting and outdoor work they are a revelation! Previously I had just grinned and bared my freezing white knuckles after giving up wearing gardening style gloves as they lacked the movement and dexterity I needed. Now I can spend hours happily working away splitting logs with the shock absorbing additions to the glove protecting my palms from the vibration off the axe handle and keeping me warm.

In summary Kinco Pro 2051 Gloves are a must for anyone who wishes to grab the winter outdoors by the scruff of the neck and tell it “you don’t bother me anymore!”. They are well made, well padded, unrestrictive, waterproof, durable and would be recommended to you by anyone in the know.

Here are a couple of other short reviews:

 “Work great for any winter activities snow shoveling, firewood cutting and wood splitting. Add sno seal and they are totally awesome.”

 “I haven't found a more durable, warm, or better value work glove than Kinco's for the cold and snow.”