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.