Just got back from Wales where I spend a wonderful 10 days in an old woodland. The place is called Merthyr Mawr and the woods is right on the edge of massive sand dunes, near the sea. The dunes were used in the Starwars movies.
Here's a couple of pics.
It was mostly sunny with a couple of days of rain, but the tarps held up once a few problems got sorted out.
The first night of heavy rain quietly allowed around 10 gallons of water to gather in a dip in my tarp, which I had left propped up. At about three in the morning, the weight was too much for the tentpeg and it ripped out of the sandy soil, dumping the water over my kit, while at the same time pulling the pole forward so it whacked off my head. This woke me up and I leapt out of the hammock, dressed only in my underpants and tried to replace the peg and pole - in the pouring rain - in the dark.
Anyhoo, I got that done and fumbled my way back to the hammock to try and get back to sleep. I somehow missed the hammock and sat in the underquilt. Now the underquilt, being supported by elastic shock-cord kind of let me fall to the floor in slow motion. However, it reached the end of it's strech then retaliated by launching me backwards out of the quilt and onto my back - soaking wet and onto a bed of pine needles. Ha ha ha, how I laughed (not)!
Still, that was the only misshap over the whole trip.
Gear wise, we had Paradise hammocks (doubles), mossie nets and I had an under quilt (make unknown as I got it in a trade). The tarps are a Tatonka 3x3 in polycotton and a Hilleberg tarp. All performed faultlessly as usual. The only new thing this trip was my whoopie slings. What fantastic bits of string they are. Saved ages, tight knots and lots of swearing. Cameron's hammock still has tapes but I'll be getting whoopies for him too.
The poles I used to prop up the tarps are clothes line extending poles (twist to lock) and cost me all of 1.99 each. They work a treat.
Thanks for looking,
Eric
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks