Worldwide Outdoor Experience

Exped Schnozzel modification

Insulated air mattresses have one decisive disadvantage compared to foam mats – inflating them takes relatively long.

One of my most loved features of my previously used Exped DownMat UL7 was the Schnozzel Pumpbag. Because with it, the air mattress was inflated within a few seconds.

2016-03 Packing List: Hexenstieg

Here is what I had along for the three-day hike on the Hexenstieg. Night temperatures were around 5°C.

Sets

For me, it has proven useful not to always start from individual pieces of outdoor gear, but to think and pack in sets. It simplifies my packing because each set serves one purpose. So I pack a few sets into the backpack and can head straight out into nature.

Since I haven’t found any ready-made sets that meet my requirements, the only option was to put them together myself. Here I will introduce my sets.

• Gourmet Cook Set (550ml & 1400ml) with Alcohol Stove
• Gourmet Cook Set (900 & 1400ml) with Gas Stove
• Small Cook Set (400ml)
• Repair and Emergency Kit
• First-Aid Kit
• My EDC

My EDC

Hard to believe that I of all people am writing about an EDC — what’s the point, anyway?
EDC stands for Every Day Carry, i.e. items that you lug around with you every day.
Over the past years, time and again I’ve been missing essential things in all kinds of situations.
On the trail without fire, walking home through the forest in the dark without a light, etc.
In the future, I want to effectively prevent such planning mistakes with it.

Beginner’s Guide to Ultralight Trekking

Recently, I have received many inquiries from newcomers to the ultralight trekking scene who want to start optimizing their pack weight when hiking. It has often turned out that the eye for what is essential is missing. Ultralight trekking does not mean taking as much of the light stuff with you as possible. Rather, it means doing without everything non-essential. Likewise, not everything that bears the name ultralight is light. So here are a few words on how to feel your way into the topic. One thing I have to get off my chest right at the start: the optimal setup for all conditions does not exist!

A Few Thoughts on Leave No Trace

Three little words that mean a lot, though. In recent years, the outdoor industry has been booming. Unfortunately, not for the good of nature. During my recent trips, I have found more litter in the local forests than a few years ago. Yet it is not hard to follow a few simple, actually self-evident rules!

1. Leave nothing but your footprints

2. Take nothing but your memories

These two rules would be perfectly enough. You do not have to adapt everything to nature just so it feels like being at home. That is one of the reasons why many people simply go outside, namely to experience something new.

Famous rules like “If you unpack it, pack it away again afterwards” become completely superfluous when dealing with nature responsibly.

Why does it always have to be a fire when you go outside?

Does a Sil-Nylon tarp really have such a bad environmental footprint compared to natural shelters, for which you need square meters of moss, which takes decades to grow, for sealing?

Does the loud music have to echo through the forest until late at night and keep the wildlife (and me) from sleeping?

Just a few thoughts from my side!

Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is a methodology used by many long-distance hikers for interacting with nature. Since a single footprint has little impact on nature, but many footprints have a large impact, hikers try to keep their impact on nature as low as possible.

2016-04 In the Palatinate: Castles and Weather

It was that time again - Bimbi had invited a small circle of friends on a tour to the Palatinate. Unfortunately, three highly valued forum members had to cancel due to illness. So once again Geri got the chance to move up.
The group harmonized very well in this new line-up too. But enough of the prologue - off to the adventure!

2016-03 On the Hexenstieg

After I had already had insane "luck" with the weather on Madeira, all that was left for me was to look forward to the next tour.

A quick look at the weather forecast for the Harz for the coming days unfortunately showed nothing pleasant. Rain, sleet and a little sun in between. The temperatures were expected to settle between seven and minus three degrees Celsius.