Hike and camp on the highest point of the Mendip hills
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- Опубликовано: 2 май 2024
- A trip mainly intended to test some kit (and my ability to carry it!), before going on a extended adventure in the near future.
My camera played up on me badly, I lost a lot of footage and of what's left the quality of both audio and video is not great but the trip was so fun I wanted to share it anyway.
Camera has already been upgraded in preparation for the next trip!
Some extra details of what was on test:
Rain gear
Royal Navy current issue Gortex Coat £55 used
Royal Navy current issue MVP (Gortex) trousers £17.50 used
Both were excellent
Navigation
Garmin 62st GPS £140 used
Tiny screen makes it no substitute for a proper map but for knowing in an instant where you are and being able to stick to the trail it excels.
Tent
Polish army issue lavvu (2 ponchos) £18 used (many years ago!)
Heavy at 3kg but I love the security of proper canvas and no having flat sides makes it a good shape for coping with wind.
Sleep gear
British army softie trousers (current issue) £18 used
Royal Navy thermal jacket (current issue) £25 used
Alpaca blanket £60 new
Happy with this setup.
Camera
DJI Action 2 £200 new(ish)
Dreadful! These cameras are in two modules with the intention that the camera half can be detached and used on it's own. In practice, both the battery life and internal storage are so poor when using this way that it's not really practical and so you end up always using both modules together. This it turn means that booting up takes a long time as both modules come on line - when it's finally ready to film, the moment has often passed! On occasion the camera froze on me mid clip and wind cancellation did not work at all. The final straw was something going wrong with the charging. I had it plugged into a power bank all day even when filming, but by the evening the battery was flat. Then despite charging all night only got up to about 4% by the morning. The camera then complained it was too cold and it would shut off it's screens, before powering down completely and refusing to restart.
Were it not for for my deep hatred of littering I'd have lobbed the thing off the nearest cliff.
Lessons learnt: Don't reply on a product that appears half finished. Always carry a back up camera and audio recorder!
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Some extra details of what was on test:
Rain gear
Royal Navy current issue Gortex Coat £55 used
Royal Navy current issue MVP (Gortex) trousers £17.50 used
Both were excellent
Navigation
Garmin 62st GPS £140 used
Tiny screen makes it no substitute for a proper map but for knowing in an instant where you are and being able to stick to the trail it excels.
Tent
Polish army issue lavvu (2 ponchos) £18 used (many years ago!)
Heavy at 3kg but I love the security of proper canvas and no having flat sides makes it a good shape for coping with wind.
Sleep gear
British army softie trousers (current issue) £18 used
Royal Navy thermal jacket (current issue) £25 used
Alpaca blanket £60 new
Happy with this setup.
Camera
DJI Action 2 £200 new(ish)
Dreadful! These cameras are in two modules with the intention that the camera half can be detached and used on it's own. In practice, both the battery life and internal storage are so poor when using this way that it's not really practical and so you end up always using both modules together. This it turn means that booting up takes a long time as both modules come on line - when it's finally ready to film, the moment has often passed! On occasion the camera froze on me mid clip and wind cancellation did not work at all. The final straw was something going wrong with the charging. I had it plugged into a power bank all day even when filming, but by the evening the battery was flat. Then despite charging all night only got up to about 4% by the morning. The camera then complained it was too cold and it would shut off it's screens, before powering down completely and refusing to restart.
Were it not for for my deep hatred of littering I'd have lobbed the thing off the nearest cliff.
Lessons learnt: Don't reply on a product that appears half finished. Always carry a back up camera and audio recorder!
Damn tech! Can you tell me where you got your telescope/monocular please, if so you're forgiven for this camera debacle as your other vids are all very entertaining! Lol
@@xt7190 Ebay - search for 'Tourist 3'
Loved the journey and filing with your phone was great! Looking forward to the next adventure! Thanks for keeping us all entertained and posting details of your equipment so helpful.👍🙏
@@maximusironthumper Many thanks, had a look but prices seem all over the place 50-150, what did you pay, are they Russian made (I hope so) and did you mean Turist 3? Sorry to be a pain but been lookin for ages and so much crap available! Cheers
@@xt7190 Tourist 3 or Turist 3 are both translations of the Russian. Mine just says Tourist 3 (in Cyrillic) CCCP (USSR made) and the magnification. That's it! No idea what I paid it was many years ago, I do remember it took me many months to find one. I wouldn't have paid more than £30-40.
Brother, you have no idea what you and your channel have done for my mental health. From getting outdoors, doing things myself and keeping my SIII on the road. Thank you
Technical gremlins didn't detract from a very enjoyable armchair hike for me.
Thought I'd mention how much I've loved the journey of this series 🫡🫡
I used to climb that hill almost everyday when i was revising for my finals. It's not a long walk from the carpark! I used to mission it up to the top as fast as possible. The exertion and the feeling of freedom at the top helped keep me sane during one of the most stressful times of my life.
I remember when they put buttons on things too, what a treat to find some in 2024 xD Great vid, cheers x
Thank you.. I've recently purchased my own land and find all of your uploads a treasure trove of useful knowledge..🤓🤓
Good to hear and thank you!
Great entertainment and nice little adventure.
Stunning scenery, I really enjoy your camping content!
What a beautiful place, another great video Max.
I look forward to your hike with Keitei. Individually, the videos are very good, together they are better. Best wishes.
I'm a Somerset Boy but haven't been back for a long time, joined the army in 87 and became a bit of a nomad afterwards but I do love seeing the west country. Keep it up big guy :)
Next time your up in the Mendips pop into Priddy there's a good pub there.
Technology often spoils things. But we enjoyed this trip, amazing views too, cheers.
Lovely mini wild camping 🏕️
Shame about the camera but looks like you had fun 👍
The Polish Lavu....A bit overweight but a fabulous bit of kit. I bought one 10 years ago, so impressed I bought another unissued one as I knew they would be popular and go up in price. It's sits still unopened from the day I bought it. A great back up becoming harder to find
That was great Max! You know we all love your videos because of you - camera/audio quality is not as important as watching you do interesting things.
Looking forward to the big adventure.
The technical dramas didnt detract from the adventure Max. Wild garlic can be had in droves around Bristol. We used to make a wild garlic pesto & bacon pasta. Lovely stuff.
Love this one Max. No issues with sound and video. BTW Kaboto noodles are lush
Looks great, never been to the Mendips so thanks for sharing 👍
Pre-history, man must have had a built-in compass system. Just a simple "feeling" to know a direction without consciously knowing. The basic needs and goals would enhance the neural network to learn and develop direction finding as part of survival. Big Thumbs Up.
Excellent adventure Max :)
We're overrun with wild garlic in Derbyshire, but no vampires.
BIG 👍Max. That sun set n sun rise, said it all. 😉
Nice one mate , Iam East Harptree and recognised Prospect Stile at Hinton Blewitt looks over the lake❤ , if you get the bike out I can recommend the Crown at West Harptree , I got a 650 honda and their very bike friendly , might see you soon as I I know you bike and landy now 😅😅😅😅
Well done lad!
As my dad used to tell me on our hikes in my early days, "it's just over that hill" , While pointing in the general direction we were going.
So many steep hills later, we always got to our destination. haha. 8 )
Thanks...
Love the vid ma8 😊
Nice little video. Have a good week. Marc from Australia 🇦🇺
I’ve got that lavuu tent. It’s as heavy as F. I admire you for carting that on your quest. We’re have to chip in & get you a light weight set up.
I find it hilarious how you managed to get your hands on issue Navy foul weather kit before its rolled out to the majority of the navy. Only the special people get it for now
As others have said really enjoyed an armchair hike with you. Amazing views
Should have taken Kermit! Some of that looked to be very dodgy underfoot especially with the load you were carrying! Well done that man!!
Phil
yes!!! what a brilliant Friday evening event
You may not be familiar with the ‘Ultralight backpacking’ phenomena. Long distance hikers in the Pacific crest trail for eg are carrying a base weight of 7 or 8kg before food and water. it’s possible to do cheaply-ish nowadays. means the pack can be lighter and less need for heavy boots. critically it’s less stain on the body/feet and more enjoyable. it does however take commitment and mindset to achieve.
Awsome video buddy . Excellent review and love the russian telescope.
I was chatting to Emily when you were setting off and said I wonder if you have the food packs the English curry the best and sure enough you did .
Keep up the videos really enjoy them they heart warming ,informative and full of useful info .
Have you ever watched the Travelers Tale on you tube it's about this young guy who does amazing camping videos in the snow his latest in a giant snow dugout is a must watch .
Anyways hope the training going well all the best Mark and Emily
The Camera added it’s own input to your journey!
I really like the camping and walking videos; comparable to your other videos. Let be honest, you could shriek the audio into a set of bagpipes and film it on lithopane, and it would still be an interesting watch, but I'm glad you're sorting your camera. Looking forward to the week long.
You obviously been up Rockaway Park, Temple Cloud worth a visit
Great job. Much better attitude to your kit! military surplus is a great way to get your hands on cheap Gore-tex. Keep an eye out for the gore-tex bivvi bags we have. Not really an equivalent on the civvy market I've found.
Goretex is a useless rip off.
For another "posh" noodle in a cup, try the Soba noodles, they're REALLY good... :D
If you like spicy hot noodles I can recommend nongshim shin cup. They come in 2 sizes, standard and large.
I would agree. They are the best noodle have nice spicy kick and there a soup after that’ll keep you warm
18kg?! you're mad!
Seems like you took the long route based on all the farm fields befor passing through a town. Looked like a nice hike though.
A few more Yomps like this will assist you with the weight lifting challenge.
The next venture will be better with some company.
Where did you pick up the waterproofs, Max?
I found the trousers on ebay - they weren't listed as Gortex, just waterproof, but the label says MVP (generic Gortex).
The coat I got from a company called Forces Uniform and Kit.
These Garmin GPS's are great for geocaching as well! Are you aware of the free openstreetmaps you can load into this device?
Yes, the previous owner had loaded them on!
We've watched all of your vids for years now. Nice easy viewing mostly and so we love them. But tonight there was no Hallmark "Helloooo!". Can normal service be resumed soon please? A bit of a trek in all that rain and mud with so much gear. Yes, maybe to shed a couple of kilos off the kit and lose the telescope. Best regards from N Yorks
Would you mind telling me where you got your alpaca blanket from? They mostly cost a lot more than the £60 you paid. I'm thinking about using one for camping.
I found it on ebay and it came direct from Ecuador. Beware though many of the cheaper blankets are only part alpaca wool, even the one I bought is an 80/20 mix but that was the best I could do without paying silly money.
@@maximusironthumper thank you.
Thanks for the new, pleasing content.
Re LEAVE NO TRACE, at 3:22, did your stove leave a scorch mark in the grass?
Work on your calf muscles if you are going on a week long trip with Kate! Your clean and press routine alone will certainly give you strength and importantly stamina but I feel not do much for lower leg so get striding Max and pump those calf and also foot muscles
After the Brits spent 90 years in India I should bloody well hope that they could make a decent curry. 🥵 👍
Looking a bit sloppy for the walk
Good stuff mate but you forgot to take scissors to trim that squirrel hiding on your chin. 🤣👍🏻🙏🦘
In our enlightened times,shouldn't it be the Persondips?.
Or Non Gender Specific Dips.
Haha the 'anything-but-cis-white-male-dips'
I would like to comment as a member of the farming community on the mendips, that we welcome people responsibility hiking in our area but we do not welcome people illegally camping, please use proper camping areas.
LOL, Max was lawfully sheltering. Legal is for persons and corporations. I'll keep an eye on the Bristol Evening Post for his imminent arrest. Enjoy the free content.
I was commenting on people in general, it would be a shame if everyone watching this thought they could just pitch up wherever they like. It happens a lot and it’s very annoying to find people camping in your fields when you go to feed livestock
Potted noodles have come on leaps and bounds in recent years.