Ricoh GRD2 - a big up for Ricoh repair & service in the UK!

Anyone who knows me or follows this blog will know I really like the Ricoh GRD series of cameras. All three variants are superb, no frills, damn good outdoor photographer's cameras.

Like anything that gets used frequently a Ricoh GRD2 can go wrong.  My much-used Ricoh GRD2 developed a fault a couple of weeks ago.  It would not let me upgrade to the latest firmware, throwing up an error along the lines of  'file could not be found'  when attempting to install the download.

Movie, Manual and aperture priority modes were also lost with the only option to shoot images being in programme mode. It was looking like a very sick camera, having been heavily used since I bought it and being one of the first batch in the UK, it is well beyond the warranty period.

I submitted a service request from the Ricoh UK website, packed the camera up securely and posted it off to the the repairers as per the online instructions.

I waited patiently for the diagnosis and the expected hefty repair bill.  What came back 4 days later was an email to say the camera had been posted and was on it's way back to me.

Less than one week since I sent my GRD2 in for repair, it has been returned to me fully repaired, checked, cleaned, serviced and with the latest firmware installed.  Completely free of charge!

Well done Ricoh, it's good to know that this kind of technical support, service and customer care is still available.  You will retain one very loyal customer!  You would anyway.  I'm looking at a new GRD3.

Exped Downmat 7 Short

I've used a Therm-a-Rest Ultralite 3/4 on backpacking trips for at least 15 years, but the world has moved on and new products have become available.  The Ultralite no longer keeps me warm enough when camping in winter and I have increasingly found myself waking up cold during the night, although I do like the small packed size and light weight.

The Holy Grail of sleeping mats is that it is lightweight, durable and above all, in winter  conditions, warm.  Unfortunately for the T-a-R NeoAir, numerous forum and blog reports about leaking valves and overnight deflation put me off buying one, although the early problems with the Neo may well have been resolved by now.

I settled on the Exped Downmat 7 Short with integral pump.  It's an interesting concept as a sleeping mat and completely different from the self-inflating foam core construction of the T-a-R range and various clones.  The mat is filled with goose down which is held in place by internal baffles. It promises warmth!

Out of the packaging, the Downmat comes with a repair kit consisting of a tube of adhesive and patches.

Shown below in it's black stuff sack alongside the Ultralite for comparison, the Downmat packs smaller than the Ultralite by 2-3cm.  The Ultralite weighs in at 490 grammes and the Downmat is 620 grammes on my kitchen scales.

Side by side comparison with the Ultralite reveals that the Downmat is a similar length, but is wider by around 10cm whilst deflated.

The pump is on the underside. Open the valve, cup the left hand over the valve and press down with both hands as per the diagram printed on the mat.  The self-inflating foam inside the pump forces air through the one way valve and the mat inflates in around a minute.  It's much easier than I expected and the system works reasonably efficiently.  The dump valve for releasing air is at the top of the mat.
The pump does require some force to operate properly, so this system is probably not to be recommended for people with weak or injured wrists and other hand/arm problems.  

Sleeping side up, the mat quickly takes shape.  The side profile is considerably deeper that the Ultralite and it is warmer and far more comfortable to lie on.   When inflated, the Term-a-Rest Ultralite and the Exped Downmat 7 are equal in width.

That extra 130g is a price well worth paying for the increased comfort and warmth that the Downmat offers.  The new Exped Downmat 7 Short is as good as it currently gets in lightweight sleeping mats.

Richard III. The Last Plantagenet.

Needing to get some fresh air this afternoon I set off for a Christmas Eve walk close to home.  The site of the Battle of Bosworth Field lies near to where I live and there is a pleasant walk around the area in rural Leicestershire.  The battle, which took place on 22nd August 1485, was the  decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster.  Richard III was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and his defeat by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond (subsequently King Henry VII) at Bosworth Field marked a defining moment in English history.

I passed this memorial stone to Richard III and spent a few moments pondering the course of our nation's history if Richard had been victorious at Bosworth Field. He was the last English king to be killed in battle on English soil.

Winter Solstice

Today is the winter solstice which marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  I went down the lane to Thornton Reservoir this evening to take a few images as the sun went down on the shortest day of the year.
The winter solstice is a pagan festival which has been celebrated for thousands of years, long before the arrival of Christianity. The Romans celebrated it as the feast of Saturnalia, the Greeks as the birth of Zeus and the ancient Druids celebrated it as the rebirth of the sun as the days gradually lengthen.

Io Saturnalia, Happy Yule!

A new Challenge!

I made number 84 on the TGO Challenge standby list so it looks unlikely that I'll be lucky this time.

Plans are being made for an alternative: in October 2010 I'm looking forward to a three-week trek in Nepal.

Watch this space!

Argos Pro Action Hike Lite Tent Review

I used the Argos Pro Action Hike Lite 1 person tent that I bought a couple of months ago on a two-day walk on Dartmoor.  This tent has had plenty of exposure on outdoors forums and blogs for quite a while, with mainly positive reviews.  I was keen to see for myself if it really does present a cheap, viable option to more exotic and vastly more expensive offerings.  The first thing you notice is the weight in comparison to the packed size.  It's a small tent, it packs reasonably small in it's compression sack but it weighs around 2kg.  That is heavy for a 1-man tent by most standards, but it's not really surprising.  You won't find any exotic lightweight materials here.  Just good old pu coated polyester, but for a price anywhere from £50 (rrp) to £17.99 depending on what the latest Argos offer is, there isn't much to complain about.

What you get is a well-made piece of kit with two shock cord linked alloy poles and 7 (1 spare) round wire alloy pegs.  The inner is suspended by plastic clips to the poles and webbing and buckle straps connect inner tent and fly.  I have described the contsruction and pitching earlier on my blog and the images show how the tent pitches.  Pitching is easy, there is nothing fiddly to annoy you it's possible to get a reasonably taut fly apart from the door which would benefit from an extra pegging point.

  There are some mesh panels in the inner.  The mesh is a tight weave and should keep out Scottish midges.  The downside is that in cold weather the tent can feel a little draughty, but not as bad as my old MSR Microzoid which had more mesh. 

Ventilation is good with a front vent that is propped open by a reinforced stay.  It can be closed by a velcro strip if not needed.
There is a useful hanging loop at the apex of the inner, I like to carry a candle lantern when winter camping as it frees me up from having to constantly use a headtorch.  The candle gives off a surprising amount of heat and light and the warm glow is good for morale! 

Three guying points give some stability, but the guys and plastic sliders could do with upgrading to something better.  The strap and buckle arrangement works well to link and tension the inner and fly.

I'm 6' tall and can sit up in the tent without my head touching the inner, headroom is commendably good.  There was room in the tent for my 65 litre Macpac Ascent when the cooking gear, food and water was stowed under the fly.  The downside is that my 2 litre Platypus froze solid overnight and my Innov8 Terrocs were also frozen solid.  The only way I could thaw and soften them enough to get them on my feet was to dunk them in the stream next to my tent.  I wouldn't want to do that with Goretex-lined boots!

The porch is very small and not at all practical or safe for cooking in without unclipping the inner and rolling it back.  It is impossible to use an alcohol stove in this tent with the fly zipped up without seriously risking a fire.

I used a White Box Solo alcohol stove and the flame spread would easily have caught the fly, even with a windshield in place.  Be warned!

So having used the Pro Action Hike Lite in early winter on Dartmoor, what are my thoughts?  It's a good, cheap, well-made tent that works well within it's limitations.  It's not a tent I would want to use for full-on UK winter conditions.  For the weight, I would take something bigger and stronger with more room to move around inside during those long winter nights.  It's a tent I would use on commercial sites and for wild camping during summer when the weather is more suitable for cooking and sitting outside, but at the price, who's complaining?

Scorhill Stone Circle, Teign-e-ver clapper bridge and a couple of Hawthorn Trees

The hawthorn tree has had great significance since prehistoric times.  I often see these twisted and gnarled old trees on moorlands, usually near to some feature such as an ancient crossroads or burial site, and always wonder at the aura that surrounds them.  Hawthorn trees have long been associated with paganism, witches brooms are reputed to have been made from them and there are often hawthorns growing beside wells and springs, many of these sites are considered to be sacred and by association, the hawthorn has connections with the Otherworld.

The tree itself was once known simply as 'May'.  This is the month when it comes alive with sweet-scented blossom.  Until recent times in some parts of the UK,  'Mayers' would leave hawthorn branches outside cottages, singing traditional songs as they went from house to house.

The prehistoric round pound at Batworthy Corner (above) on Dartmoor has a fine solitary hawthorn.  On quiet evenings when all that can be heard is the breeze and occasional ravens calling as they fly overhead, spend some time at these ancient places and wonder about the hawthorn.
 

Teign-e-ver clapper bridge over the infant North Teign.

Walla brook clapper bridge with it's hawthorn tree to mark the way.

Scorhill stone circle at moonrise.

I was lucky enough to have a clear evening as the full-moon rose over Scorhill stone circle. One thing you can be certain of is that the temperature will drop rapidly when the sun has gone down.  By 5pm at this time of year, it was too cold to sit outside the tent and a long night was in store.  This is the best way to enjoy Dartmoor, you have to immerse yourself in it's ambience.