I bought this charger to both charge batteries and back up my other charging capabilities. It worked well but I think I needed to do more to get the charge times right.

• Lightweight
• Charges AA batteries from USB
• Has a setting to charge other things via USB
• Construction is slightly flimsy
• AA batteries are a bit old school now but if you really need them this is a good device

I bought this solar panel after doing considerable research on options that were out there. At the time (2013) there were a few options but most of them, from what I heard, were not great performers. Particularly the compact, gimicky products that promised to charge your phone but actually couldn’t charge a very tiny watch battery successfully.

Features

• Loops for attaching to backpack
• High efficiency solar panel type charges from light (not just bright sun)
• 4 USB ports
• Cost £80

Pros

• Sturdy construction
• Good value price
• Easily foldable away and fold out for more coverage
• Portable

Cons

• Bit on the heavy side

My Take

This solar panel worked great for charging all my small devices by USB such as:

I bought these from Sports Direct. They seemed to offer the same spec as much pricier alternatives. I used them for every day over 8 days on a hike.

Cons

• Rubber studs wore out after 2 days

Pros

• Comfortable handles
• Handy strap to prevent slippage
• Lightweight and strong (carbon fibre)
• Telescopic so easy to store
• Cheap
• Improved walking efficiency and stability

Conclusion

Perhaps more expensive options have more durable rubber studs. Otherwise a bargain.

I used the Gopro Hero 3 Black Edition on a walking trip in Spain. I was attracted to the wide angle lense because I was shooting footage along a riverbed. I appreciated the small size as I was carrying everything on my back.

Features

• Video resolutions up to 4K
• 1080p60 / 960p100 / 720p120 fps
• 12MP photos up to 30 frames per second
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• SuperView™ and Auto Low Light modes
• Waterproof to 131’/40m
• GoPro App + Wi-Fi Remote control
• Takes a micro SD card
• Charge via USB

Pros

• Small
• Robustly built

Cons

• Battery life
• No viewfinder

My take

Good for action footage. The wide angle footage is good for novelty value and impressive landscapes.

I was looking for a new mountain bike. I went to the cycle show last year, searched online and checked out local bike shops regularly. At first I was looking at any bike but I started to read more about how geometry has evolved. The first time I came across this idea was in 2014 with this article in MBR:

Size matters, why we are riding bikes that are too small

The Diadora X-Country mountain biking shoes with SPD cleats are a budget to mid-range shoe that performs well under most conditions and are durable. I’ve owned these shoes since 2011 and still using them in 2018.

Description

The shoe is white with a black sole. the upper is made from a synthetic material a bit like like a felt material covered in a plastic coating. It has breathing holes in it so it’s not fully waterproof.

I was looking for some ways to strap stuff onto my bike. I started searching “bikepacking straps”. This is a thing, but the straps are silly expensive. Cue ebaying and finding alternatives. This is a product of some of my research.

The repurposed ski straps

Rubber straps with a buckle originally used for strapping skies together when carrying.

The ebay leather straps

Simple leather straps with a buckle off ebay. Not sure how durable these would be.

ebay listing

Very good condition. Frame has a few minor paint scuffs from use.

Bought as new from previous owner. I’ve used it for a recent bikepacking trip to Wales and in local forest trails. Total miles done approx 250.

The best points IMO for this bike are the steel frame which is very responsive and the big plus sized tyres which you can run at a variety of pressures. The SRAM drivetrain ensure smooth gear shifting and brakes offer good performance.

Sometimes steel frames and older frames use a 27.2 (inner diameter) seatpost size. Many newer frames don’t and therefore dropper seatposts for 27.2 are a bit more rare. Here are some options from my research.

• X-Fusion Hilo
• KS Eten
• Thomson Elite External
• Satori borata pro
• Kind Shock ExaForm 861 Remote Adjustable Seatpost
• DSP Racing Bighorn
• Gravity Dropper Descender
• KS Lev
• RSP Plummet

• Syria Assad (old Assad)

• Gaddafi (wannabe revolutionary)

• Facebook echo chamber content reinforces content

• Blackrock Aladin servers, analyse past to predict markets & manage money

• Tony Blair iraq war evidence chemical weapons in glass recepticles based on “The Rock” film with Nicolas Cage. Never usually used for chemical storage