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For some time I’m looking for a traditional cup made of wood like a Kuksa or something else. At the OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen I found something. It isn’t a traditional Kuksa made with wood, but it also an very interesting cup. The manufacturer of this cup is Kupilka from Finland. I didn’t know this company yet. Kupilka is a young and small company at the outdoor market.

All Kupilka products are made of a Biomaterial. It is a Thermoplastic Natural Composites material consisting of 50% wood fiber and 50% polypropene. Both components are heated up and pressed under pressure in form. If you compare it to plastic, the benefits of Natural Fiber Composites are a better heat endurance and a higher durability thanks to the stiff structure and if you compare it to wood, the benefits of Natural Fiber Composites are that it doesn’t require maintenance, doesn’t “absorb” smells and is insensitive to humidity. It is also possible to clean the Kupilka products in your dishwasher. Another important point is that all Kupilka products recyclable. The products can be grinded and casted again into new products or can be burned.

I have used my Kupilka 21 on several day trips and I trink my daily good morning coffee out of it and I’m very satisfied with this cup. It is not really the lightest on the market but the cup is very comfortable to hold and you can warm your hands on the drink. The handle of the cup has a hole to secure it on your pack or something else. Here are some technical details of my Kupilka 21 cup. It weighs 80g on my scale and has a volume of 210ml.

If you want to buy one of these Kupilka products you can find them at the German Outdoor Shop Bergzeit.de.

As soon as it becomes more warmly outdoors, it is time to change the waterproof GTX shoes against more breathable shoes without membrane and a better lightweight design from Inov-8. For the warm season the Inov-8 Roclite 315 are my first choice. I have these shoes since some months for testing and I am very impressed of them.

The Inov-8 Roclite 315 is my favourite shoes for backpacking trips in spring, summer and maybe autumn. They have a minimal design with nice features. I was surprised about the excellent grip and perfect fit of these shoes. Furthermore the shoe nestles up to the foot and gives him very good hold in every situation because of the Met-Cradle webbing. The sole is slightly softer as in my Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX and therefore I have a better control in rough terrain. I also like the breathability of the Inov-8 Roclite 315. It is the most breathable shoe I’ve ever had. Even in very hot weather the feet do not sweat really much and dry very fast, because of the mesh uppers.

The weight of the Inov-8 was also a crucial point. My Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX weigh 460g per shoe and my Inov-8 Roclite 315 weigh 345 per shoe in size UK 11,5. That is a difference of 115g. With every step you save 115g which must not be lifted. This are 115kg after 1000 steps. With these lighter shoes you can save your health and your energy on your hiking trips.

All in all the Inov-8 Roclite 315 is one of the best trailrunner I’ve ever had. He has persuaded me on the trail with his excellent comfort. It is like a second skin on your feet. I’ve walked over 150km with the shoes and they are still looking good like on the first day. Nevertheless, the sole is more long-lasting like from some is maintained. After a longer test period I will describe my other impressions.

Since 8 months I’m the happy owner of the Panasonic Lumix GF1. It took a very long time until I had decided to buy this fantastic camera. I had the choice between Panasonic Lumix GF1 and the Olympus E-P1.  Meanwhile the choice has become bigger. After I had read several test reports, user reviews and a good advice from Fotomundus24 I bought the Panasonic Lumix GF1 with the 14-45mm kit lens.

Port Entrance Marstrand / Sweden

The purchase of this camera was a new step for me. I had my last DSLR camera when I was fifteen. It was a Canon EOS 500N. After the Canon was broken I used different compact cameras for quick an easy photos.  Those compact cameras are pretty good for fast and simple shots at a party or something else and I’m using such a camera for these purposes. You can make a photo, have a short look on it at your computer, work a little bit with the photo and then you can upload it in one of these great Online Photo Albums like Flickr, Photobucket or Picasa. Those compact camera have one disadvantage. If you had a DSLR and have worked then with some simple compact cameras you really forget the work with aperture and closure times. But with the purchase of the Lumix GF1 something should change. I really want to work with this camera. That means that I make photos in RAW and work with it on my computer.

Now I would like to come closer on the camera. The GF1 combines the advantages of a compact camera and a DSLR.

• small
• light
• many features of an DSLR
• you can use different lenses
• using your old lenses with an adapter

One point I really like is the weight. The camera has a weight of 566g on my scale with the 14-45mm lens and the GF1 body only weighs 365g.  If you carry a lightweight tripod like the Joby Gorillapod SLR and a light camera bag you have a final weight of less than one kilo. This is excellent for such a camera. Im comparison with that, a DSLR kit would weigh the double one or even more. I’m still looking for a lightweight and waterresistant camera bag, but I still found anything suitable. A MYOG camera bag with a waterproof fabric should be the last option.

LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST prototype in winter

Blueberries in the Vosges

Meanwhile I could use the Panasonic Lumix GF1 on several trips under different conditions. I used the camera at the Trekking Ultraleicht Winter Meeting, on my trip in the Vosges and on several day trips with rainy, windy und sunny weather. The GF1 worked very well. Specifically at the winter meeting where we had -15°C. My camera worked with no problems and the battery has also held a very long time.
It was a change for me to work now with such a complex camera. Earlier I had just pressed the release button on my compact camera and the picture was on my memory card. Now I’ll take the time  for a photo and use different settings, but I haven’t done this from the beginning. When I have got the camera I tested it in the snapshot mode to get a feeling for the handling. The work with the various settings was also hard work for me, because I have recently done it 13 years ago. There is still and ongoing process which still continues. Learning by doing is the best way to work with the camera. Meanwhile I use with 90% of the pictures the aperture and the different manual modes of the camera. The photos are taken in RAW and JPEG. JPEG for a fast first look at the computer and RAW for working to get an optimal result.

Sundew in Sweden / Marstrand

The work at the computer with RAW pictures is also unknown territory for me. I have never used this before, because I just put the photos in a folder and that was everything. Working with the photos is very interesting. I really like it to spend a whole afternoon in front of my computer and editing the pictures, but it is really complicated to find a reasonable software for this work. Everything is a hobby and should be affordable. Meanwhile I got the chance to test some editing software. Most of this software was freeware. One of the best software I have tested was Gimp, but I was not really satisfied. At least I tested a free version of Lightroom. The work with this software is very easy because everything is simply structured. Lightroom is not really favorable, but there is a cheaper Student Version available.

Aquilegia in our garden

Now I want to come back to the camera and have a closer look at some details. I start with the LCD screen. The GF1 hast a really large 3 inch LCD screen with a huge resolution. If you aren’t using the attachable viewfinder from Panasonic, the LCD screen works as electronic viewfinder for you. This is not the best solution, but it still works. Making photos of plants and other things on the floor is very difficult. I have to go you knees to see everything on the screen. This problem would disappear if you buy the attachable viewfinder, because this one is swiveling up to an angle of 90°.

Panasonic GF1 with Viewfinder  (©Hendrik Morkel / hikinginfinland)

Coming now to the handling of the Panasonic Lumix GF1. The handling of the camera is very easy. All operating buttons can be reached very well with the right thumb. The camera menu is well structured with lots of different settings. It is also possible to personalize the camera with your preferred settings. You can save these settings. If you shoot photos in RAW the small wheel on the backside is really necessary. With this wheel you can change your settings very fast and it works very directly with no delay. However, this button is very smooth and could have a little bit more grip.
Next to the trigger button on the top, there is the red Video button. Yes you heard right. The Panasonic Lumix can make videos. Even really good videos in High Definition (HD) with 720p and 30 frames per second. You only have to push this button and the camera starts with recording the video. The quality of these videos is first-class and you can record a video up to 30 minutes in one piece.

Cooking with the Trail Designs Ti-Tri

At least I want to tell you some point I dislike at the Panasonic Lumix GF1. There only some small points, but I think it must be said. My first critique point is the small wheel at the backside. This wheel could have a little bit more grip for an easier handling, because it is very smooth. Another critic point is the lens cap. I read this point in several reviews and can only agree. There is no connection between the cap and the lens. For every photo you must put the cap into a pocket. Here you can quickly lose the cap what has already happened to me. This isn’t a great loss, but it is unnecessary. Otherwise I am broadly satisfied with the Panasonic Lumix GF1.

Time for the next step.

I’ve been using the Panasonic Lumix GF1 with the 14-45mm lens since 8 month and I am really satisfied with this combination, but it is time for the next step. It is time to lighten up this camera setup. The camera has a very acceptable weight of 566g at the moment, but you can still reduce the weight. You can push the weight of the camera setup with the Panasonic Pancake 20mm lens up to 466g. The pancake lens weighs only 100g and is really small. This step with this lens would  reduce not only your cam weight, but also the packsize. But the lower weight is not the only reason for this step. The Pancake lens really makes beautiful photos, is very sharp and focuses quickly. It is the perfect lens for your backpacking trip and everything you need. Finally the attachable viewfinder is also an option for me to complete the camera with all important things.

Panasonic GF1 with Pancake 20mm lens and viewfinder  (© Hendrik Morkel / hikinginfinland)

Last but not least the Panasonic Lumix GF1 is a perfect camera for beginner and for advanced user.  Furthermore the camera works very good under different conditions and is very versatile. If I would buy such a camera again I would immediately take the kit with the Pancake lens. I really like the compactness and the small weight. It is the perfect cam for hiking trips and and other opportunities. The GF1 ist easy structured and has an excellent handling even if it is could you can operate the camera without taking out your gloves.

Sorry but it took a really long time again for this article. I’m still very busy at the moment.
So let’s start with the last review of the OutDoor Show. It is about all other stuff and everything I forgot in the reviews before.

First of all I want to start with Therm-A-Rest from Cascade Designs. They released a new design of their NeoAir, the NeoAir Trekker. The new mat is softer and more robust than the old one and has also the same unique Triangular Core Matrix internal truss design as the original. Consequently the weight of the Trekker is a little bit heavier (540g /1 lb 3 oz in size Regular) and the R-Value has decreased from 2,5 to 2. This mat is available in spring 2010 in several sizes.

Another innovation was released by MSR. They presented new modular extension elements for the snow shoes from the Lightning series. These tails are for a better sustainability in deep snow and can be clicked if you need it. They have a length 12,7cm / 5 in and a weight of 257g / 12 oz. MSR also upgraded the binding of the snow shoe range. Now it is easier to step in and you can better adjust your foot position for a more enjoyable snowshoeing.

Black Diamond introduced their new Z-Poles series which is available in spring 2011. The lightest pole of this range is the Ultra Distance. This is a very light carbon fiber Z-pole with a minimal pack size. The sections of this pole are connected with a cable inside a sheath. The poles collapse by pressing a button under the grip and they extend by simply pulling outward on the first section to snap the sections into place. Moreover the Ultra Distance is available in four lengths with. They weigh 249-278g/pair (8,8-9,8 oz/pair).

Black Diamond also introduced new crampons that push the envelope in performance, weight reduction and style. The BD Neve are lightweight aluminum crampons with Flex Center Bars. The strap version of these crampons is useable with trailrunning shoes and they have a weight of 576g (1 lb  4 oz).

Exped has two new interesting products in the range. The lightened up their SynMat 7 and won an OutDoor Industry Award. Now they have a SynMat 7 UL which is available in size S and M. These mats weigh 440g/470g (15,5 oz/ 16,6 oz) and have R-Value of 3,5. The mat has a flat valve and is 7 cm thick. Exped used the lightest fabrics for the SynMat 7 UL and for filling Texpedloft  with 60g/m² was used. The pack size is not much bigger than a 0,5l bottle.

The other new novelties are two lightweight sleeping bags.  The Ultralite 300 and Ultralite 500 are two new down bags with a fillweight of 270g / 450g down in size M.  Exped used a goose down with a fillpower of 850 cuin and for the cover an Texped PA35 Ripstop Nylon. Furthermore the sleeping bags have a 140cm long zipper. The bags are available in four sizes S/M/L/XL. At least the total weight of the Ultralite 300 is 570g (20,1 oz) and the Ultralite 50 weighs 750g (26,45 oz).

Another new sleeping bag was released by Marmot. The have the Plasma 15 and the Plasma 30. Both are very light sleeping bags filled with goose down with a fillpower of 900 cuin. The new bags have an intelligent design and lots of interesting features. The Plasma 30 weighs 625g ( 1 lb6 oz) and the Plasma 15 weighs 850g (1 lb 14 oz). They are available with full-length zipper

I really found interesting outdoor dishes from the Finnish producer Kupilka. I have never heard somethingof this company before. Kupilka products are made from a natural fiber composites material. It consists of 50% wood fiber and 50% polypropene. Both components are pressed under heat in form. After the end of its life-span, the product can be safely disposed by burning, or recycled into new products.

Sea To Summit comes along with a new lightweight cutlery. The AlphaLight consists of a knife, a fork and a spoon. Everything is made with Ultra-Light Hard Anodized 7075-T6 Aircraft Alloy. It weighs 22g (0,75 oz) and is the lightest cutlery on the market.

The French company Baladeo introduced to new knifes and won an OutDoor Industry Award. 22g and 34g are the names and the weight of the new knifes. They have a length of 9cm/11cm (3,5 inch/4,3 inch). The design of these knifes has been optimized to save every superfluous gram. Both knifes have an integrated belt clip and made with stainless steel. The angle of the blade presents no risk in the closed position: the only sharp edge remains snug against the plate of the knife.

At least I want to present some gear from Aclima. I forget to put these in the Clothing article. Aclima has very interesting merino baselayer. This year they released a very light merino baselayer made with WoolNet. These baselayers have an excellent moisture transport. The WoolNet dries very fast und keeps you very warm. The baselayers are reinforced in exposed areas. Another highlight of Aclima is the overall. The overall is optimal for winter hiking if it is very cold. He has to long zipper if you want to go to the toilet. One at the front and the other behind.

The third part of my OutDoor Show review is about tents. There were lots of tents at the show this year and I wanna show you some of the most interesting tents.

Let’s start with a winner. Terra Nova won a gold award in the tent category for their new tent the Laser Ultra 1. It is the lightest double wall tent on the market und the first made with Cuben Fiber. Terra Nova tries every year to lighten up their tents. They have managed this again. Furthermore they are the first company which wants to establish Cuben Fiber on the market. Don’t worry the Laser Ultra 1 is not a complete new tent. It is based on the basis of the Laser Photon 1 which was the lightest tent till now. The Laser Ultra 1 has the same body proportions as the Laser Photon 1. Terra Nova only changed the heavy silnylon flysheet and floor against the lightweight Cuben Fiber fabric. The result is a double wall tent with a weight of round about 500g (17,64oz). Now the question is how the new tent works under real conditions because Cuben Fiber is a complicated fabric. One of the most susceptible points could be the floor, because Cuben has poor abrasion resistance and therefore this could break after repeated construction. Another cracking point is the flysheet. Most seams of the Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1 are sewn and that is a problem of Cuben Fiber. If the wind load on the flysheet is very strong, it is possible that the seams can split because cuben doesn’t extend.

Easton presented at the OutDoor show 2010 their new ultralight three season tent with the name Kilo. The name is program. The tent weighs less than one kilogram, exactly 910g (32,1 oz). It is a two person tent made with 20D ripstop-nylon and 30D ripstop-nylon for the floor. Easton used the Carbon ION pole system with Airlock. This system is 59% lighter than standard aluminum connectors with shock cord. If it’s hot in summer you can use the tent without flysheet for better ventilation. There’s enough space for two persons in the tent and it is one of the lightest two person double wall tents of the world and it looks more stable than the Vaude Power Lizard UL which got an Award last year.

Sea To Summit released two new tents. The Specialist Solo and Duo are the new tents in the range. Both are single wall tents mad with 20D ripstop-nylon with a breathability of 6000MTVR. They look a lot like the Six Moons Designs Vamp and Heaven. The Specialist Solo weighs 625g (22 oz) and the Duo 845 g (29,8 oz). Both weights include the weight of two poles, but it is also possible to use your trekking poles.

The Vaude Power Lizard UL got a little brother. Tokee is his name and it is the 1-person version of the Power Lizard UL. The new tent has a weight of 800g (28,2 oz) and it is made with the same fabrics as the Power Lizard UL.

In the heavy tent section I found a new tent from Hilleberg. They released their new 4-person tent Saitaris. It is a mixture of geodesic and a tunnel tent. Furthermore it is very suitable for trips in winter. If you interested in some pictures, please have a look at this page here.

MSR presented their new tents Hoop and Holler. The Hoop is a 2-personen double wall tent with small pack size and a weight of 2,05kg (4,52 lb), the holler is a 3-person tent and has also a small pack size and a weight of 2,73kg ( 6,02 lb). Both tents have spacious vestibules and an interior length of 2,30m for tall hiker.

At least I want to show you another tent made with Cuben Fiber. I was surprised to see this tent at the OutDoor Show. The producer of this tent is Big Sky International. They got an Industry Award in Gold for this innovative tent. It is a Cuben prototype of their Mirage 2P, a single wall freestanding tent with lots of space. I wanted to contact Big Sky  International at the OutDoor Show, but they were not present. There are no informations about the shelter available at the moment. Bob Molen from Big Sky International assured me to send the details as quickly as possible.

Sorry I was very busy the last days and couldn’t write any review of the show. Now I’ve time and start with the review of clothing and footwear.

Montane released their new smock. The Spektr is the lightest waterproof smock with eVent on the market and comes along without the front water resistant zip. They use a sophisticated ‘Tornado’ roll-closure system as weather protection. The hood is designed with no peak, but it is possible to wear the smock with a waterproof cap. Furthermore the Spektr has complete lycra bound cuffs and hem. I really want to try on this smock, but size M was too small for me, but i tried to close the roll closure system. This is a little bit tricky, but it is possible with some practice. Finally the Montane Spektr comes along with minimal weight of 210g (7,4 oz). That’s an unbeatable weight for and waterproof smock with such breathability.

The Spektr was one highlight, but Montane had still some news. The Minimus Jacket is also a waterproof jacket with a fantastic breathability. This jacket is made with Pertex Shield and has a full length water resistent zipper and a hood with peak. All seams are taped and all cuffs and the hem are adjustable. The Minimus has a weight of 200g (7,1 oz).

Moreover there is a new windproof jacket. The Montane Slipstream GL Jacket is a very light windproof jacket made with the new Pertex Quantum GL. The only drawback is that the new Pertex Quantum GL has a lower abrasion resistance.

Another fantastic new piece of gear for autumn and winter 2010 is the Montane Fireball Smock. This is an ultralight insulated smock made with Pertext Quantum Core and Primaloft ECO 4. The Fireball has an excellent loft and is very warm. It comes along with a splendid weight of 260g ( 9,2 oz). The only thing I miss is a hood.

Let’s have look at Golite. Everyone gets angry that they become heavier from year to year, but they are also able to do it lightweight. This year Golite introduced with the Malpais Trinity one of the lightest 3-layer liteshell jackets. This jacket comes along with two hand pockets and complete waterproof zippers. They use a 100% nylon fabric with polyurethane membrane. The hood of this jacket could be a bit smaller. It is the right size if you wear a helmet, but without helmet the hood is too large because she is not adjustable behind and hangs in the face. Another nice feature at this jacket are the gummed tapes of the zipper for a better grip. Finally the jacket has a weight of 193g (7,1 oz).

Another 3-layer waterproof smock was presented by Berghaus. The Mount Asgard Smock is the lightest 3-layer GORE-TEX smock on the market with a weight of 289g (10,2 oz). It was specifically designed for the Mount Asgard Operation by Leo Houlding. The smock has a short zipper and a new designed hood-system. It is possible to adjust the hood with only one hand.
There are also some other news from Berghaus. The Ignite will be soon available with a hood and only as a vest.

Patagonia also goes ultralight. After they have released the Nano Puff Pullover last year they introduced an ultra lightweight down shirt. The Ultralight Down Shirt is the lightest insulation on the market. It is made with 10-denier nylon ripstop fabric with a Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) finish and 800-fill-power goose down from Europe. The shell is windblocking and protects the down from water during a short rain shower or a snowstorm. Moreover the shirt has short zipper and the inner pocket works as stuff sack. Patagonia designed the Ultralight Down Shirt with a slim fit for a better thermal efficiency under a shell or as standalone layer.

There are also news from Sweden. Woolpower has a new baselayer collection. With the Lite-Series they released some new baselayer for summer conditions or as a whole year operation. The new merino fabric is cuddly and softer. It is a mix of 80% merino and 20% polyamide.

New socks for your feet from Smartwool. The new Toe Socks are the first socks with toes and  specifically created for walking with Vibram FiveFingers. This socks offer a perfect fit, comfort and an excellent breathability.
The PhD Outdoor Ultralight Micro delivers an extraordinarily comfortable sock. It is also a very light sock with a perfect fit.

Let’s talk about the shoes. There were a big number of shoes at the OutDoor Show. I had a closer look at some new shoes.

Montrail introduced his new Rogue Racer shoe at the show. This is a minimal and lightweight trail shoe with a low profile. The shoe has got a weight of 250g (8,8 oz).

At least some new shoes from Inov-8. The Bear-Grip 200 is one of their new shoes. This shoe combines the freedom and sensation of barefoot running with the grip of an all conquering off trail shoe. Furthermore the Bear Grip 200 is incredibly light and has no midsole so that all power and speed of the foot is transferred directly through the shoe. As the name suggests, the shoe has a weight of 200g (7 oz).
Another new shoe in the range is the Roclite 400 GTX. This is the world’s lightest leather GORE-TEX walking boot with a fantastic weight of 40g (14,1 oz). The Roclite 400 GTX is made with Nubuck leather and fits very well to the foot.
Finally Inov-8 released a shoe with the name Evoskin. This is an silicon cover, which protects you foot and behaves like a second skin. It is the perfect shoe for barefoot walking and training your foot muscles. The Evoskin weighs 100g (3,5oz).

The OutDoor Show 2010 finished on Sunday and it is time to write a detailed report about the most interesting news. In my first review I want to start with packs. I was surprised to see that Cuben Fiber is on the advance and the first company is working with this fabric which is not very easy to process. Let’s start and make up your own mind about the news.

Terra Nova is first company who wants to conquer the market with Cuben Fiber. They call this stuff ULTRA fabric and have one pack in their range. The Terra Nova Ultra 20 is the first pack of a bigger company made with cuben and silnylon. It is very similar to the Laser 20 Elite which came last year on the market. The exchanged some parts of the Laser 20 Elite against Cuben Fiber to get a lighter weight. Finally the Ultra 20 has got a weight of 100g (3,5oz). Furthermore they use a drawstring closure and cover to further reduce pack weight and it is also possible to get additional pockets which can be purchased separately.

Klättermusen known as a company for robust and not really light gear, released their new lightweight pack range this year. I was surprised to see these interesting new packs with the color citronelle. They are available in three sizes. The smallest is the ÄGIR with 35l and a weight of 800g (28.2oz), then the RAN with 45l and 900g (31,75oz). At least there is the HUGIN with 60l and a weight of 950g (33,5oz). Every pack has a light aluminum frame construction and ergonomic shoulder straps. The RAN and the AGIR have a roll opening and the ÄGIR a two way zipped opening. All packs are very well thought out and have a lot of interesting details. Another notable point is that these packs are produced with more than 70% recycled material, they have a PFOA free DWR and at least the packs are recyclable in standard recycling systems. This environmentally conscious production is trendsetting and important to keep our nature clean.

Berghaus was always at the OutDoor Show and introduced their new pack from the Mountain House Series the Octans 40. It is a specially designed pack in cooperation with the Adventure Racing World Champions of the Team Orion from New Zealand. It is a 40l pack for mountain racing and other activities. The Octans 40 has lots of mesh pockets to stow small things. Furthermore the pack has no frame, only a reinforced back part. And finally the pack weighs 480g (16,9oz).

Also Black Diamond comes along with new packs and a complete new Active Frame Technology. This new system consists of shoulder straps which move in concert with a hiker’s stride or a climber’s reach by sliding through the bottom of the pack with low-friction cable and housing. The key for this flexible system is a proprietary custom-shaped ball joint that attaches the hipbelt to the frame. This simple durable three-dimension system allows the hipbelt to move unrestricted in any direction. A lightweight 6mm customizable frame construction completes the new Active Frame Technology.

Day 3 ends with very nice impressions and interesting meetings. I could find some more products made with cuben.

Terra Nova Ultra 20 Cuben Pack 100g

Terra Nova Cuben Bivy ( not very breathable)

Kupilka Cup Made in Finland

Sea To Summit

Woolpower Baselayer

MSR Snowshoe Tails

Klättermusen Down Hoody

Klättermusen Pack

Smartwool Five Finger Socks

Another day at the OutDoor Show ends with some photos of new gear.

Golite Malpais 193g 3-Layer Jacket

Patagonia Ultra Down Shirt 159g

New lightweight Patagonia pack

Inov-8

Montane

And finally a photo of the Montane Spektr with open roll closure system

The OutDoor Show 2010 in Friedrichshafen starts today and here are some impressions of the great gear. The complete articles will follow next week.
Watch the pictures and enjoy.

Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1

Montane Spektr

Big Sky International

University of Rostock Trekking Pole Prototype

If  someone needs special pictures, please contact me and tell me what you want.

I took a long long time and now the blog of LAUFBURSCHE blog  is online with some news about the gear which you can buy in the next time.

LAUFBURSCHE Blog

Another year has passed and now it takes only one week till the biggest Outdoor event in Europe starts. The OutDoor Show 2010 in Friedrichshafen opens the doors from Thursday the 15th till Sunday the 18th of July and is only for professional visitors and for press. It is the major event for all who wants to see the newest gear and fantastic innovations. The latest innovations will be awarded with the OutDoor Industry Award 2010. This year I got an accreditation as press and I will spend the whole 4 days at the OutDoor Show. I’ll meet several other blogger and interesting people at the fair. Especially I’ll meet Lighthiker. He spends the first two days at the fair before he leaves for a hiking trip in the Alps. We try to show you the newest and most interesting things. So please follow my Twitter account and the Twitter account of Lighthiker. Our main focus will be on lightweight gear. After a hard day with lots of gear I try write some words on my blog and after the OutDoor Show there will follow lots of other interesting and detailed articles.

Here is a short forecast, so you get an idea of what to expect.

Montane will release a new smock. The Montane Spektr is a waterproof smock made with the very breathable eVent-fabric. One special thing is that this smock has no zipper only a “Tornado” roll closure system. This system saves weight and optimizes the rain protection. Now the main point. The smock is the lightest on the market and has got a weight of 210g (7,4oz).

A new year with another lightweight tent. Terra Nova designed with the Laser Ultra 1 once again the lightest one person, double wall tent on the market. They used for this tent only the lightest and best fabrics and it is a milestone on the tent market. Terra Nova is the first manufacturer who wants to establish the lightweight Cuben fabric on the market. The Laser Ultra 1 has got a weight of less than 500g (17,6oz). Let’s see more about the tent if I had a closer look and touch on it.

Cascade Designs releases with the NeoAir Trekker a new member of the NeoAir family. This mat has the same design as the NeoAir, but this time was even more emphasis placed on durability and stability. The NeoAir Trekker is still a very lightweight mat, but still heavier than the original model. I will ask again, why the design was changed.

A new lightweight trekking pole. The university of Rostock produced this trekking pole made with a mixture of bamboo und carbon. Let’s see how the pole looks and works. The only disadvantage is that the pole is not folded.

Another interesting series of trekking poles will be published by Black Diamond. All the BD poles have 3 sections of carbon and can be folded z-shaped. The carbon sections are connected with a kevlar cord. The poles weigh 270g (9,5oz) and are made especially for tru-hiker and runner.

Craft wants to release a very light mesh boxer short with 17g (0,6oz). That’s very light. Let’s have closer look at these interesting boxer shorts.
Smartwool is on the lightweight trip too. They introduce two new sock models “Hiking Ultra Light” and “PhD Outdoor Ultra Light Micro”.  Lighten up your feet.
Vaude has another light tent. They call it “Power Tokee UL” and it is the smaller brother of “Power Lizard UL”. But this tent is not light as the fantastic Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1. It weighs 800g (28,22oz).

When I think of a manufactory I combine this with a small workshop in the backyard with a freaky owner. In this way I found the workshop of LAUFBURSCHE. Only a tiny bell plate shows you that there is the workshop of the upcoming UL manufacture LAUFBURSCHE behind the doors. After a short ring Mateusz opens the door and welcomes me. I stand in the middle of the showroom. Everywhere is the neatly ordered LAUFBURSCHE gear. The great huckePACKs, the objects of desire, stand on a shelf in the showroom. My eyes espy a new version of the huckePACK made with Dyneema X Gridstop. The pack looks awesome. Everything is planned to detail and has been tested on tour. LAUFBURSCHE is a perfectionist and his packs are more than perfect. That is quality ‘Made in Germany’. Finest Silnylon and X-Pac is used for the manufacture of packs so they have a long life on the trail.

A cuben prototype and 4 huckePACKs in the showroom

The new huckePACK with Dyneema X Gridstop                                                           New mesh pocket for the huckePACK

After a short conversation we leave the showroom und go to the room where he sews the huckePACKs and manufactures the shelter. On one wall there are all his fabrics which he uses for his products (Cuben, Dyneema X Grid, Silnylon, X-Pac and other fabrics). On the other side he has boxes with accessories, buckles, prototypes and other gear. Mateusz shows me some new accessories for his LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST and the single tarp. Very great things, which he had received. But it still needs some testing, whether the accessories going into production, to ensure that they work well. For this reason I won’t say anything about the accessories. Only so much that they are fantastic, if they go into series.

All fabrics neatly ordered

The new fabric for the LAUFBURSCHE huckePACKs
Dyneema X Gridstop

Boxes with buckles, prototypes and accessories

To the LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST and the huckePACK can be said that these are still officially pre-production prototypes with a splendid quality and they are very similar to the upcoming series product. And he will also work with the same level of accuracy when he produces the shelter and packs for the series. There will be no quality loss.
In addition to the huckePack and the tanzPALAST Mateusz told me that he will release a Cuben Solo Tarp which can be used with a bivy. The Solo Tarp will also have a catenary curve like the tanzPALAST and is made of cuben with a weight of 21g/m² and it is bigger than the prototyp. The Solo Tarp will weight 150g without lines and stakes.  The tanzPALAST and the Solo Tarp will be available in green cuben.

Building opportunity of the LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST

LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST in perfection

Prototype of the LAUFBURSCHE Solo Tarp

Certainly, some will wonder why so many people have already packs and shelters, but the manufacture is not on the market yet and there is no website to order the packs. There are several reasons for this. LAUFBURSCHE is a perfectionist and would like to release only tested and finished gear on the market and it takes a little bit of time when you want to test everything. Another problem is the framework. It is very difficult to put the German frameworks and laws together with your ideas of the manufacture frameworks. That’s really hard work, but it will perform and I am sure that the company will work during the summer and the website will be only.

Prototype of the first LAUFBURSCHE Pack

Recently I have made some thoughts about the community of European UL blogger. I have come to the result that there is something missing. Each country has its blogger who meet. We in Germany have the TULFT (Trekking UltraLeicht Forums Treffen) and the Scandinavian blogger Hendrik, Gustav, Joe, Jörgen, Martin and Roger want to establish the Scandinavian Blogger Meet-up (SBM) to a fixed base and have founded Nordic Lightpacking. Some other hiker from Scotland like Phil and Steven also meet to make trips at home or maybe with Hendrik in Finland. My thought is to organize a Meet-Up of all European UL bloggers where everyone can meet each other if he wants. Such an organization is very complex and takes a long time, but it is a great challenge.  This event could be a superb start of a big friendship of all European UL blogger and a start for a European UL society.
These are just a few thoughts I had this week when I enjoyed a good dram of whisky while reading your blogs.

So what do you think of my thoughts. Is anyone interested in such an idea? Please let me know it.

The other idea I had is to start a European UL Mystery Box for all who are interested with many interesting lightweight giveaways and useful thinks. Such a Mystery Box is available in Germany and the Scandinavian Bloggers have also one.
If you are not a member of one of these boxes I’ll give you the chance to be a member of the European UL Mystery Box. Certainly all members of the existing boxes can also take part in this box.
That’s all of my thoughts. For the Mystery Box I’ll start an extra article in the next weeks where everybody can sign in.

In my first article about Trail Food I have introduced you to my dehydrator. In the next articles I want to show you which ingredients you can use and how you can dehydrate them. Today I want to present you one of the main inserts like pasta, couscous etc. I really love noodles and I can them every day. Maybe I would say that I’m a pasta aficionado. It took a very long time until I found the right pasta which I use now. At the beginning of my first steps of making my own Trail Food I have used normal pasta with a boiling time of 8-10 minutes. But I could not use them for freezerbagcooking because I have noticed two problems. Either they are not ready and hard or they are very soft on the outside and have a hard center. After a long time of searching in every supermarket around me I have found the suitable pasta for freezerbagcooking. The Birkel 3 minute pasta is now my first choice. You can get the Birkel in three varieties: Penne, spiral and spaghetti. I only can say that this pasta works very well. My normal freezerbag portions have a weight of 180-200g and I need round about 400-450ml water for dinner. The dinner is ready after 10minutes soaking in my cozy and the pasta is al dente.

Another yummy insert is couscous. I never gave him great significance, but on my last trips I have tried some menus with couscous. This was a really good decision. Couscous is a brilliant insert for meals. It tastes very good and it is also very filling. By the way couscous must not be cooked, because it is sufficient if it swell in hot water. Couscous has the property to include a lot of water. Because of that is very well for freezerbackcooking. In contrast to pasta you need a lower quantity couscous and have the same feeling of saturation. Another great advantage of couscous is the smaller pack size of the meals. For meals with couscous I need portions with a weight of 150g to be satisfied.

Furthermore there’s a lot of other interesting inserts for freezerbagcooking. For the time I am doing some experiments with rice and china noodles. Unless there are significant results, I let you know it.

For a long long time I was looking for a lightweight shelter and it took the same long time until I could decide for the ZPacks Hexamid. Some tents of MLD were also in closer selection, but Joe’s new Hexamid made the race, because I needed a shelter that is easy to set up and offers a lot of space for one person and the gear. I have decided against the netting, since I don’t really know how stable it is in the use on the trail.  After I had ordered the shelter, it took six weeks until the shelter finally arrived, because Joe had so many orders of his new gear he had to work off.

You can get the ZPacks Hexamid in several options. In Silnylon or in Cuben and with netting or without and you can also buy an optional door as a protection against bad weather. I have chosen the Silnylon version without netting and door. This wasn’t a good choice, but more about this later. My Hexamid has got a weight of 295g (10,4 oz)with lines and 8 stakes. This is a totally acceptable weight for a Silnylon shelter.

Setup of the shelter for good weather, but the folds disrupt

Performance:

I could spend over 25 nights in my Hexamid until now and I’m largely satisfied with this shelter. It is very easy to pitch because you only need one trekking pole. With the height of the trekking pole and the length of the guyline you can adjust the protection against bad weather. I had the opportunity to test the tent in different external conditions. Most of the time I had good weather and only in few nights it was windy and rained.
The performance of the Hexamid was very good. I have used a rescue blanket as groundsheet and a bivy bag overnight. Everything was dry and protected from dirt in the morning. In a few nights I had some small problems with condensation. The main reason for this was the bad choice of the campsite.

The ZPacks Hexamid offers you a plenty of space, even if you choose a lower setup for a better protection. If you have bad weather and you choose the lower setup it is also necessary to use a bivy bag because the sleeping bag comes in contact with the tent and gets wet.
I hope I can test the Hexamid in the next time in really bad weather conditions to get more and better impressions of protection and durability.

Good and efficient line locks

Bad weather setup for more protection

Some points I dislike

Nothing is perfect and so here are a few points I do not like so much at the ZPacks Hexamid. After I had pitched the shelter several times, I unfortunately discovered that it is not possible to pitch the Hexamid without a wrinkle. I think that the pattern of the Hexamid is designed for Cuben and not for Silnylon, which has a larger expansion. Another problem are the amplifications at the anchor points. Instead of using Silnylon amplifications, Joe used Cuben. The Cuben is not expanding enough and tears out when you pitch the shelter. Last but not least it would be really great if Joe would enclose some line locks to the tent.

That’s not really Sewing as an art

Conclusion

Finally I can say that the ZPacks Hexamid is a reasonable shelter for 3-season usage and the construction is OK. If you’re looking for a new lightweight 3-season shelter check out Joe’s page. In retrospect, I am annoyed that I did not buy the Cuben version.

A person with a height of 180cm in the shelter

Wow that was a great weekend in Cologne at the TULFT 3.0. A big thank to LAUFBURSCHE for his hospitality and also to all others who have brought food and drink. It was a great pleasure to meet all the people from the TULFT 2.0 again and also a pleasure to meet some new UL hiker. We had a very nice weekend with lots of gear talk and interesting stuff. I did not want to leave Cologne on Sunday because the weekend was so great. So I am not a man of great words. Enjoy these pictures of our meeting.

Building opportunities of the LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST in the show room

Alcohol stove test at night

It takes a lot of time to inflate the TAR NeoAir L

Cuben shower cap

A lightweight whistle

Lots of LAUFBURSCHE badges for packs

Another option to wear down pants

Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

First LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST (silnylon) prototype

3,5g heavy bamboo tent stake

The smallest Snow Peak cup I’ve ever seen

LAUFBURSCHE tanzPALAST on the campsite

What a fantastic group of UL-Hiker

The cathedral by night

Bonfire at the Rhine

Rain on my ZPacks Hexamid

Dancing Paclite Boys

Finally I’ve got a short video. Have a look and enjoy it.

Upcoming weekend there is another TULFT (Trekking UltraLeicht ForumsTreffen). It is the third meeting of our forum. This time is LAUFBURSCHE, the man behind the new upcoming UL cottage-manufacture with quality ‘Made in Germany’, our hosts. We will meet him in Cologne and we get the chance to visit his workshop. In addition to the known products like the LAUFBURSCHE huckePACK and the splendid shelter LAUFBURSCHE Tanzpalast we will also have a look on other great gear and stuff. I also hope to get some new information when he wants to start his cottage manufacture. This will be a weekend with lots of gear talk with crazy UL backpacker. Next to the workshop we will spend some time at the Rhine where we want barbecue. The meeting will end on Sunday and when I’m back I will tell you how the meeting was.

Normally it takes a long time till I write a trip report and it takes even longer if I write a trip report in English. But now my impressions of the tour in the Vosges are ready. There are lots of photos and not really so much words, but I hope you enjoy the trip report. Take something to eat and drink and enjoy reading. Let’s go.

DAY 1:

I definitely needed a time out to recover from work. After a short time I found a tour partner und we decided to walk the GR53 in the Vosges in France. On Easter Monday I arrived in Wissembourg where I met Daniel. After a short welcome we parked our cars near the station. Our packs were ready and we decided to start our tour. It was my first trip with my new LAUFBURSCHE huckePACK. I carried 11kg at the beginning of the tour with me and Daniel 23kg. It was a great pleasure to walk because we had great weather. We walked the first kilometers along the road before we reached the trail in the woods.

After 10 kilometers we arrived at a fantastic bothy on the 432m high Col du Pigeonnier, but it was too early for the night camp. So we decided to walk a little bit. We ran over Climbach and Petit Wengen in direction to Cul du Litschhof. Before we reached the mountain we found an excellent camp site on a hill in the forest.

After we had built up the camp, we began with cooking. I collected some dry wood for my Trail Designs Ti-Tri and boiled water for a tea and my dinner. After the meal we enjoyed a good dram whisky and a pipe and then we went in our sleeping bags.

DAY 2:

It was a very cold night. I woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning, but it was too early to rise. So I slept once again. After an hour I woke up again by the sound of some chain saws. That was not really a pretty beginning of the day. I slowly crept out of my sleeping bag and I had lots of frozen condensing in ZPacks Hexamid that night.

Daniel was already awake and we began with boiling some water for breakfast. Then we dried our gear in the morning sun packed our backpacks. I started the day with one liter water in my Platypus and with the hope to find quickly a source, but it should be different. The first part of the trail led along the road before we turned off on small trails in the forest. It was an interesting way and we past many sandstone formations.

After an hour we reached the ruin Loewenstein where we stopped briefly for a photo stop. Then we followed the trail and had lots of ruins and nice stone formations near the trail, but there was no source to fill up the water reserve.

For lunchtime we reached the ruin Froensburg and made a little stop. After this short stop we hiked to Obersteinbach where we found a fountain for filling up our water reserves. That was great, fresh cold water on that warm sunny day.

Then we decided the drink a beer in one of the hotels, but each was closed at that time of day. That was very bad, but what should we do. We decided to follow the trail instead of waiting until the hotels open. Next we went through green meadows and woods. On the mountain Col du Wineckerthal we follow the trail to the village Wineckerthal. Behind the village we found an excellent camp on a small stream for the night. The evening ended in cooking orgy because we had unlimited water for disposal.

DAY 3:

It was the same procedure like the morning before. I had lots of frozen condensing under my shelter. Drying the wet gear was not possible because we camped in a shady valley. After a short breakfast with coffee and muesli we packed up the wet gear and set out.

First we ran on the 581m high Grand Wintersberg. There we found a promising tower but the view was not very brilliant. After the long way uphill we walked downhill to Niederbronn-les-Baines.

When we got there we made a short break with a cold beer and be bought a baguette for lunchtime. We left Niederbronn behind us and followed the trail and went uphill for a long time again. When we reached the top we could see the ruin Wasenbourg. There we made a stop for lunch and dried our wet gear from the night before. The baguette tasted very good and the sun smiled on us. Then we packed our gear and followed the small and stony trail which brought us to a further ruin.

The ruin Arnsbourg. This was also a big and superb ruin, but we left this one behind us and walked to Untermuehltal where filled up the water reserve for the last hours and for cooking in the evening. After that we went uphill for the last time of the day and found a very nice camp in the forest on soft moss near Lichtenberg. We ended the evening with a splendid dinner, a campfire in the Trail Designs Ti-Tri and a good dram of 26y old Glen Elgin.

DAY 4:

Wow that was a grandiose night on the soft moss and my TAR NeoAir and without condensing under my shelter. I did not want to get up because it was so comfortable. After some time I got up. The weather on this morning was not good as the days before, but it was ok.

We had no rain, only some clouds and it was a little bit colder, but that was ok for walking. After a short breakfast with a cup of tea and some nuts we started. The first village where we get through was Lichtenberg. Then we reached Wimmenau where we found a baker and a small shop and we bought baguette, ham, croissants, wine and a bundt cake for lunch and dinner. We walked through green forest and the birds twittered. It was great.

For lunch we reached a great stone group near the trail which is called Ochsenställe. We stopped there for lunch. Refreshed we got up and ran towards our destination. In La Petite-Pierre we also stopped for a cold beer and we filled up our drinking systems.

After a while we reached magnificent source in the forest which is called Holländer Brünnle. There we stopped again for a longer photo orgy. In the zeal of photography I slipped out on a wet stone and my fantastic Velbon V-Pod broke, but my Panasonic Lumix GF1 was ok. That was important.

Then we came to Oberhof. We were tired and looked for a place to sleep. In the hills about Oberhof we found a suitable place to camp. We built up our tents and then we had a luxurious evening. At first we had a cup of Gewürztraminer, a white wine from Alsace, and the bundt cake, but the cake was not really fresh. After that we had dinner a small dram whisky before we went to bed.
It was our last night in the Vosges and these must be celebrated.

DAY 5:

The sun woke me up. That was a night. Consistently we heard some wild hogs near us in the night, but nothing happened. After we had packed we got up for the last kilometers to our destination Saverne. The trail was very boring, because we walked near the street and on wide forest roads.

Only the last meters to Saverne we interesting. We walked downhill and passed once again some great sand stone groups where we stopped for photos. Finally we reached Saverne at 11 o’clock in the morning. At the station we got our tickets to Wissembourg. After a short shopping tour in Saverne we traveled by train to Wissembourg our starting point.

Conclusion:

That was a great trip and I never thought that I could walk the 135 kilometers in such a short time without training. Thanks Daniel for the many cooking ideas. My dehydrator is still running. And a big respect to Daniel, he carries the whole trip his ultra heavy pack with 23 kg.