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Forclaz MT100 hiking poles
As basic as a hiking pole can get, asides from a stick you pick up, the Forclaz MT100 poles are a great first hiking pole to try out if you are on the fence with using poles. Here are all the features, and how they performed for me. I love hiking poles, and everybody that is still debating, I always encourage to try some out. The next up or down hill part, will not seem so daunting anymore for your knees armed with some poles. And you can use them to literally pull and push yourself up a mountain. Even with flat or easy terrain, they can help keep your…
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Preparing for the Camino Ingles
In April 2026 I’m returning to the Camino, this time the Camino Ingles, or English way. Starting in Ferrol, and down to the city again. Santiago de Compostela. In this article I thought I would share what i’m doing to prepare myself, my gear, and any other factors that come in to play. Why the Camino Ingles? I have done the Camino Frances and Portuguese Coastal, and once you do one, it is not unique to try and collect them all. Repeat customers on the Camino are a real thing. That area of Spain is very pretty, and the length, 118 km or 63 miles, is a good length for…
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3F UL Gear Lanshan 2 review
An affordable tent option that has sparked my interest as well as many other hikers, is the Lanshan 2 and the Lanshan 2 Pro options. Here is my review on the Lanshan 2, with 3 season inner, after the South Downs Way. I had this tent laying around for a bit after finally wearing out my Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2, after many faithful nights camping since around a decade, it was finally ready to retire. For single outings I had an alternative already in the MSR Hubba NX, however, since this is a one person tent, my wife and I couldn’t fit. Enter the Lanshan 2. For its price,…
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What size backpack to take on the Camino?
You don’t need all that much when walking one of the Camino’s to Santiago, and the choice for a backpack reflects that. Around 40 liters is plenty for most. Lets take a look at the backpack choice in this article. No camping = less stuff to carry On nearly all the Camino’s, you don’t need to bring camping gear. A sleeping bag I recommend, but a sleeping mat, tent, and all that comes with it is not needed. This is only not the case for when you are trying to keep costs down when hiking down to Saint Jean Pied de Port on the French way, when starting from your…
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What is Thru-Hiking?
Hiking comes in a lot of forms, and on any trail you will see different people hiking it, in various ways. Thru-Hiking is a unique way that gives a lot in return, and is addicting, hard, and intensely rewarding. Learn why I and many others fall in love with it, and long for the trail whenever we get back. No interruption Thru-Hiking means that you start and finish a long distance hiking trail in one go. This means that you don’t go off trail for a couple of months to return later, or hike sections of a trail, but that you see it through (hence the “thru”) in one unbroken…
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Why budget knives rock
I reviewed a bunch of budget knives over the years, and they are my go to when it comes to day to day tasks and hiking. In this blog post I wanted to share about the differences between expensive or “grail” knives, and budget knives. With many things in life I consider myself a collector, knives is something I am passionate about since I got my first knife at 6 from my parents. And have been a collector ever since. I have used pretty much every type of knife, machete, or axe out there. Except for butterfly, auto, or gravity knives, which are banned in the Netherlands. Knives I use…
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How much Knife do you need for hiking?
Many first time hikers will know that a knife would be handy for random tasks when on a hiking trip, but how much knife do you really need and use during (ultra)light hiking? Every book or guide you can read about hiking and backpacking will give the advice to take a (pocket) knife with you, if you’re anything like me, you have a couple of knives to choose from. I always take a knife with me on any hiking, backpacking, or camping trip. But what kind and size depends highly on where I am going to be and what I am expecting on that specific trip. In Europe, where most…
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Loosening a stuck Opinel knife
Opinel knives can become hard to open or completely stuck and impossible to get out of the handle. This is a common problem and can be resolved easily, without ripping apart your fingernails. Stuck or hard to open Opinel knives can be a pain and annoying, and can sour your experience with a brand new Opinel knife. Worry not, since there are a couple of easy fixes to resolve this problem. Since the handle of the standard line of Opinel knives is made out of beech, olive, or other kind of wood, it absorbs moisture and expands. Therefore closing up the joint between handle and knife blade. This issue I…
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Trail Meal | Zucchini Mac
As everybody with a vegetable garden in July, I have a lot of zucchini right now. Dehydrate it, and pack it away for your next hike with the following recipe! There are several different ways to preserve Zucchini, you can pickle it, freeze it, of dehydrate it. With the latter of course being useful for hiking. Where weight and storage is the most important part. Dehydrating the Zucchini Dehydrating zucchini can be easy if you have a dehydrator like I do, when you only have an oven I would suggest rather buying a store bought replacement instead of trying to do it in there. Since you have to run it…
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Groove Alcohol stove
Easy, single can design, and one of the lightest. That’s the Groove Alcohol stove in a nutshell. Rapid bloom time of only a few seconds and no pot stand required. I like this design, here is how to make one and some points on use. What you will need for this Alcohol stove design is a single 250 ml soda can, could be an Energy drink can, or in my case, a cola can that was kicking around in my parents fridge expired since February. Can also be made with the wider cans, or any sort you like really. The trick behind this stove is that it uses the Capillary…
Finding Purpose in every Step
