Tag Archives: walking

Nov 13 2025

Autumnal walk

I had the choice of hitting the gym or going for a walk today and decided on an autumnal walk. While out and about I record this quick review of a poncho I’ve been using for a few months.

This light weight poncho from Kombat UK is one I’ve been using for a few months. Overall I feel it works pretty well as a lightweight poncho, that packs down small, meaning it can be thrown into a pack for summer showers.

I’ve been using it for 6-9 months off and on and it’s proved really useful on a couple of occasions when I was carrying my laptop bag and need to ensure it and me kept dry. I am a bit of a convert to ponchos over carry waterproofs when out and about for short walks. It is very light weight weighing about 350 grams and comes in a small bag.

One tip I forgot to say in the video is to carry it into a small zip lock or dry bag. This way when you are using it and packing it away wet it won’t get you bag wet.

The one downside I have for it is the neck hole is a bit small as is the hood. I have caught the poncho on brambles while testing so I don’t think it’s really ideal for full on bushcraft use as I think it’s a bit too thin, but for a light weight quick throw over to keep you dry it works ok, especially if you want something to cover a day sack. It’s not the largest poncho on the market, but for me being 5ft 8 it works ok, though I would like it to be longer to cover the back of my legs.

I’m not going to give it a rating out of 10 like some sites do. What I will say it’s comparatively inexpensive and useful. I do need to re waterproof mine though as it has seen a fare bit of use and abuse. It’s good for light showers and not something to rely on in an emergency situation.

You can check out their website https://www.kombatuk.com/ and the poncho I was showing is the US style Poncho in black (https://www.kombatuk.com/product/us-style-poncho-black/) retailing for £24.95

I bought it from T.W Ryder Ltd in Birmingham where I’ve bought loads of kit over the years https://www.twrydersinbirmingham.co.uk/ The hoodie is from Northern Movement and is probably one of my favourites and been using for a couple of years https://northernmovement.co.uk/

Just as a quick update, I took the opportunity to test it out in strong wind and heavy rain today as storm Claudia hit the area. You can check out my thoughts, definitely need a couple of paracord loops for the eyelets.

Thanks for reading and watching

First Aid Kit
May 12 2018

Carry a simple first aid kit

It is the time of year when the days have been getting longer and we are out more often. Some will be out on two day shoots, camping in some beautiful British countryside, or maybe course laying in readiness for the shoot.  The downside of the warmer days is it results in me having to start taking antihistamine tablets due to slight hay fever and possibility of insect bites.
I’m pretty lucky, as I’ve been bitten or stung by most things including a swarm of angry bees one time when we disturbed a nest putting in a new target. The only bug that tends to result in a very bad reaction are horse fly bites and those I really react badly too. You can see below how my hand swelled up after a few hours, following one. Luckily I got my wedding ring off before the fingers swelled up too much or I might have had to have it cut off. (The ring not the finger)

horsefly bite

horsefly bite = very swollen hand

It is also when I go through the first aid kit on my quiver belt to check things are still in date. I do it every year and whether camping, skiing, hiking or enjoying field archery I always carry a simple first aid kit, either in my backpack, day sack or on my quiver belt. It doesn’t take up much space and weighs nearly nothing.
Top tip – put everything contained within the kit into waterproof zip bags. It keeps the kit together and more importantly dry.
The kit is pretty basic, the sort you can pick up from most outdoor stores with a few extra items, I’ve added  like antiseptic wipes, spare micropore tape, antihistamine cream, dehydration sachets etc. I’ve also added in a tick removing tool, as the numbers of ticks seem to be on the increase and we as field archers tend to frequent areas infested with the little things.
When asked why I bother carrying one as the organisers are bound to have something I tend to reply saying “It’s one of those things you hope to never have to use but am glad to carry”.
Thanks for reading.
Yosemite National Park - article
Dec 9 2017

National Geographic – old magazine, new memories

National Geographic January 1985

National Geographic January 1985

Ok so apologies first as this has very little if anything to do with archery, but I wanted to share it with readers.

So firstly here is a little bit of background history. When I was growing up I wasn’t what you could call the healthiest of children. In fact I think I spent more time in and out of the doctors’ surgery or hospital than at school. The up side of this was I got to spend a lot of time with two wonderful people while my mam was out at work, these being my maternal grandparents. During this prolonged absence from school, I developed a love for old black and white TV shows and movies that were shown on British afternoon TV. The downside of my absence from school, was my schooling suffered and I was bullied a lot when I did go back to school.

So what brought on this trip down memory lane and insight into my childhood?

Well my Mam has been clearing out some stuff from my family home and she has given me a few boxes to sort through, actually quite a few boxes. You know the sort of thing, old books, school reports and numerous magazines. I’m sure those of you that may have gone through something similar would agree that the process can bring back a whole lot of memories, some good and some bad, a few happy and a few sad ones. I found a folding penknife my grandfather gave me when I was about eight, he had an identical one. In the same box I found his penknife too, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP emblazoned on them both. I’ve given one to my Mam and kept the other.

pen knife

pen knife

In another one of the boxes was a collection of National Geographic magazines from the early 1980s. My Mam had been buying them for me as a child to try to encourage my reading and interest in nature and the outdoors. The first one of these I found had an article on Yosemite National Park in the USA and how it was trying to cope with the increasing numbers of tourists, whilst maintaining its natural beauty.

Yosemite National Park - snowy image

Yosemite National Park – snowy image

I found this kind of ironic since only a couple of years ago Sharon and I visited the national park when we were doing a short road trip in the USA. Who would have thought that 30 years after the article was published I’d find the magazine in a dusty old box.

Yosemite National Park Map

Yosemite National Park Map

Of course my clearing and sorting for the night stopped there and then as I sat and read the article.

So there I was reading the article but now I was remembering walking some of the routes pictured, having visited it, seeing the views and knowing first-hand the beauty of the land.

View form the top

View form the top

One memory it triggered was of all places based on the Parking areas, where we’d parked up and photographed deer grazing in the early morning long before many visitors arrived.

Yosemite valley deer in early morning

Yosemite valley deer in early morning

I recalled the sound of the thunder storm as it rolled through the valley, having just climbed down from the falls.

Yosemite Falls, seen from the valley

Yosemite Falls, seen from the valley floor

Life is strange as I have to say that when I first read this all those years ago I might have thought how great it would be to visit but doubted I ever would. I guess that finding this and reading this again, what it has showed me was a sick kid growing up on a council estate in North Wales can not only develop a love for the outdoors but also travel. So enjoy your travels and reading, you never know where it might take you.

Thanks for reading