Tag Archives: toys

Detecting a faulty baseplate compass

Posted on 26 March, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

My Silva Field 7 Baseplate Compass. Usually when intuition says one thing and a compass says something else, it means your intuition is wrong. More than a few times, I or a group I’ve been in have had a compass … Continue reading →

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Research of Interesting Outdoor Whistles

Posted on 20 March, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Several years ago, and soon after a couple of occasions when I’d wanted a whistle on very short notice but didn’t have one, I went out to buy a whistle to attach to my pack. With very little research I … Continue reading →

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My new GPS and digital red-lining

Posted on 17 September, 2009 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I’ve spent the last few weeks playing with GPS receivers, initially with Craig‘s old one and very basic Garmin eTrex which he loaned me. (Thanks Craig!) A basic eTrex was certainly nothing flash at all. Having only a low-sensitivity antennae, … Continue reading →

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Claustrophobic bivy bags

Posted on 31 July, 2009 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

It’s bright orange! I commented to Craig and a couple of others earlier this afternoon that to me it seems the most embarrassing kind of tramping accident that didn’t necessarily involve idiocy might be to become trapped inside a sleeping … Continue reading →

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Torches, boots, hills and Wellington

Posted on 13 June, 2009 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

For all of today, Wellington was doing a cute thing that it does several times a year. The clouds come in low over the harbour and drift over the city. Living in the hills, it’s possible to either be inside … Continue reading →

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It’s only a magnet with a circle attached

Posted on 7 April, 2009 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I bought myself a new compass yesterday, which was another Silva Field 7 baseplate compass, identical to the one that I lost last October. It’s the most basic Silva compass on the market. It’s often marketed as being “ideal for … Continue reading →

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Buying packs and buying spinach

Posted on 14 December, 2008 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Wow — the Tararuas have had three weekends of fantastic weather in a row, and I haven’t been there for any of them. I guess I did at least get out to the Ruahines a week ago, though. This Saturday … Continue reading →

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Flashy hydration systems

Posted on 15 November, 2008 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Michelle recently posted thoughts about her Platypus hydration system, which inspired me to write something about my own experiences. I’ve been thinking about writing about this for a while, but hadn’t really formulated it in my head until now. In … Continue reading →

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I really hope I’m warmer from now on

Posted on 1 November, 2008 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I’ve spent the odd night over the past winter feeling rather cold. The most “interesting” of these was that episode in the wood-shed between 3am and 6am on a Saturday morning. The absence of sleep before 3am and after 6am … Continue reading →

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And now I need a new one

Posted on 26 October, 2008 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

That could have gone better. My compass has just been claimed by the Ruahine Range during an “unscheduled” pack-floating incident in the Oroua River near Iron Gates Hut. I think it must have floated out of my pocket while I … Continue reading →

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