Eighteen-months after purchase, I review the OEX Compact 4.0 self-inflating sleeping mat. This post also includes a link to the video I created.
With a view towards walking The Ridgeway in May [yes, I’m actually going to do it, this year], I recently started looking back over the kit I intend to carry with me. Much of which was purchased between 2016 and 2017.
I’d like to share some thoughts on the self-inflating sleeping mat I currently own, before I speculate upon potential weight and space-saving improvements. Continue reading “OEX Compact Self-Inflating Sleeping Mat”
In June last year, I went out to Bristol in search of a new backpack for day-hiking and walked away quite impressed with the Osprey Manta AG 28, which I believe is still stocked exclusively by Cotswold Outdoor in the UK.
Over on Olly Writes last summer, I wrote a fairly preliminary review, while still satisfied. But now, almost eighteen-months later, has my opinion of this backpack changed?
A review of the Olympus ‘Tough’ TG-4 digital camera that I bought in early August 2017.
After attending surviving this year’s Port Eliot Festival at the end of July, my second Nikon camera (Nikon S9400) gave up on me and I was left with no choice but to buy something new (the thought of spending another £90 on a second repair in three years seem nonsensical, to me).
I wasn’t keen on the thought of a DSLR, as their bulky (not to mention expensive) and I’d like to use this on my walks, of course. I thought about buying another compact/point-and-shoot/£150 item but, how long would that last, given my track record of breaking them (I’m up to three, now).
So, after reading many reviews and watching the odd video online, I came to the conclusion that the Olympus Tough TG-4 digital camera may be the one for me.
For the second time this year, I purchased a brand-new pair of hiking boots (shoes, to be specific) from Cotswold Outdoor.
My reason for this was simple: I wanted something lightweight for fast-paced, warm weather walks and also, I was curious to test a growing belief that full ankle support isn’t often necessary.
So, after around two-hundred miles in my trail-ready shoes, here are my thoughts on the Salomon X Ultra 3 GTX.
Walks With Olly 