quantum meechanics

Sun, Oct 5, 2008

The new look TGO is out and I found it a mixed bag. I think Jim Perrin already commands the ethereal and spiritual high ground so not sure what the new lawyer bloke is about, time will tell I suppose. The rock star is obviously for a different audience than me and Martin over at Summit and Valley has taken the time to write a review of the new content. I was interested in the tarp war between Andy Howell and Lord Cameron of Neish (it’s froochay btw Cammy!) but the view of the outdoor nobility wasn’t particularly convincing, being weather and midges, the stock answer against most innovations in the UK. Interestingly, Cameron would rather use a very lightweight tent instead but those same arguments stand against very lightweight tents. They’re not suitable for the UK either, if you use the same geographical sweep in your argument. I wouldn’t use a laser-lite thingy in the mountains, wouldn’t trust it in a storm. But I’d use a tarp in the right conditions on the summits with a bivvy bag, which I’m hoping to try to do next spring. As ever, it’s horses for courses. In the height of summer you’d get away with sleeping starkers on a suitable summit and that brings me nicely to the next part, my hero of the outdoor mags!

Eddy Meechan is interesting to say the least. He has a wealth of information on things you’d prolly never try yourself, such as using a hammock instead of a tent or wrapping yourself in cling film to utilise natural body warmth and his early article on night vision was fascinating for the ocular science included. You see, that’s where he differs from most writers. You get some science/history thrown in for free, such as the origins of the word hammock. Fascinating. He deals with the science of the small and light, relatively speaking. Is he the Einstein of the outdoor mags?