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The only light source you need while hiking – a Headlamp
While hiking and camping you will need a light source at some point. You can choose between a flashlight or torch, your mobile phone or a headlamp. I always choose a headlamp when i’m backpacking and hiking, that for the convenience and the good amount of light it shines. You really do not need anything else. Come along as we delve into the different kinds of headlamps and my reasons for choosing it over something else. The convenience of a headlamp The convenience of a headlamp is the number one reason why it is my favorite piece of gear for a light source. The number of times that I was…
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How to find hiking trails near you
Of course depending on where you are but you can find hiking trails all over the place. Lets dive in what I always use to find hiking trails near me in the Netherlands and beyond. When starting out hiking you go to the trails that are familiar. The ones that your grandparents and parents started out with, or the ones that you like to walk. But after walking a same route a couple of times you start looking for other trails near and close. The Klompenpaden Where I live in the Netherlands there is a abundance of hiking trails around me on the Veluwe. It just takes a short walk…
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Different kinds of shoes and boots for Hiking
There has been a change in the hiking industrie concerning boots. It used to be until very recently that you went for the big heavy boots like the Meindl Borneo boots for hiking. I started out with them when I first got into backpacking and hiking. Sinds then I have moved away from the heavier pieces of gear and lightened my backpacking load from 15 kilograms to 8 kilo’s. This change in my loadout also makes that I don’t really need the big boots anymore. When your loadout is lighter then the heavy shoes don’t make sense anymore. But there is still a use for them. I concentrate on long…
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7 Tips to stay warm in your sleeping bag
If you are going camping and hiking your are going to sleep in your sleeping bag. With a sleeping bag there are a few tips to stay warmer during the night. In this blog post I will give you the tips that have always worked for me. Go to the bathroom before bed. Wear a warm beanie hat Wear a nice fluffy pair of wool socks Make sure there is no draft sucking warm air out of the tent Sleep in your comfortable clothing If your sleeping bag has a higher temperature rating than needed, bring a sleeping bag liner Buy a good sleeping pad Going to the bathroom before…
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Summer Hiking in the Netherlands on the Veluwe
The Veluwe is a green belt in the Netherlands where a lot of the forests are, this is a popular destination to go camping and spending time in nature. While plenty of people live in the Randstad in the Netherlands they often seek escape or go visit family in the Veluwe. Hiking on the Veluwe is a popular activity and there are a lot of different hiking trails there. Summer is always a good time of year to go hiking on the Veluwe. You can escape most of the heat of summer underneath the trees and you can see all the greenery from the forests in full bloom. Be wary…
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AegisMax Ultralight Sleeping bag – Good and cheap
When composing the camping gear or gear for a Camino like I did you have a lot of things to add to the list. The sleeping bag is a big part of any list. When you finished with your list and calculate the cost of all the gear then it could be a bit scary. Tent – 400 dollars Rucksack – 200 dollars Sleeping pad – Another 100 dollars Sleeping bag – 90 dollars? In just a couple of items on your gear list you can rack up quite the bill, but with your sleeping bag things can get very expensive real quick. When looking for a sleeping bag you…
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The story of my The North Face Horizon cap
A hat or cap is a necessity in my opinion while hiking. It keeps the sun of your head and out of your eyes. It covers your bad hair while hiking so you can look semi decent, and its something I can get attached to more than any other piece of clothing. This blog post is a love story at first sight and I know its a silly topic, but I will give you the reasons why I love this cap so much. So bear with me. My The North Face Horizon hat I got when I first started working in a popular outdoor store in the Netherlands. I was…
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Opinel No 9 carbon – My go to Hiking knife
There are a lot of options to choose from when looking for a Hiking knife. You can go lightweight and modern like the Kershaw or Spyderco knives. Or you can go the heavy way and pick up a big and tactical knife for hiking. But at the end of the day pretty on long distance hiking it comes down to weight and how wel it cuts your food like cheese and sausages. And of course the occasional string or packet. How long have I owned Opinel knives? When I was 6 I got my first pocket knives from my parents. This was a crappy Chinese made knife that was kind…
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Best navigation apps to use – Camino Portugues
When you are walking either the Coastal Camino Portugues or the inland one then it is very handy to have a navigation app on your phone. This helps in a great number of ways and is in my opinion hard to do without. The apps I list down below are great for finding your nearest Alberque, water, nearest point of interest and additional information you will need along the Camino Portugues. What Phone do you need? All you need is an Android Smartphone, get one with a decent camera and processor and your good to go. I did the Camino with my already bought Nokia 6.1. The pictures with good…
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Hike the Netherlands – Plaggenstekerspad
This is a short Hike in the Netherlands in the little village Hoenderloo. Hoenderloo is a popular vacation destination on the Veluwe in the province of Gelderland. The town grows every summer because of the many visitors to the vacation parks and National park the Hoge Veluwe. Which is connected to the town for easy access. The Plaggenstekerspad is a 12 KM hike around the town and the surrounding countryside. And can be enjoyed for a short hike. Like many popular hikes in the Netherlands this belongs to the Klompenpaden or clog paths. You can find all the Klompenpaden in the Netherlands on the following site. https://klompenpaden.nl I started the…
Finding Purpose in every Step
