How to make a Pinterest live wallpaper for your Android device

This is a slightly manual process but free and fun.

First download the Photile Live Wallpaper app by Joko Interactive from the Google Play store to your device. There’s a free and a pro version. (The pro version has more options in settings.) Photile turns any picture you choose into a grid of floating, fading, sliding tiles. Requires Android 2.1 and up.

Now go to your Pinterest app and find the images you want displayed in your Pinterest live wallpaper slideshow. Save these images to your Android device. (On my Samsung Galaxy S3 I do this by pressing the menu button and then selecting “Save to Device”. This saves the image to a folder called “Pins” in my phone’s picture gallery.)

Open up the live wallpaper settings. On my phone running Android version 4.1.2 this is under…

Settings – Display – Wallpaper – Home screen – Live wallpapers

Select Photile and click on Settings.

Select “Picture” and then “Choose Image”. Pick any image from the folder on your phone that contains the Pinterest saved images. On my phone this is under “Gallery” and “Pins”.

Back in the Photile Settings, go to “Picture” and then “Slide Show Options”. Check the box next to “Slide Show (Beta)”. This will add the other pictures you saved in the same folder to the live wallpaper as a slideshow.

Also in Photile’s Settings you can adjust the interval between pictures, the background colour, and adjust things like whether the tiles move or fade or react to being touched etc. Have a play around to find what you like.

When you’re happy with your live wallpaper click “Set Wallpaper” and you’re all done!

Of course this app will work with any images on your device. I just like using my Pinterest pins the best

Using The Pocket Stove as a Wood-Burner

Today I did a brief test of The Pocket Stove from backpackinglight.co.uk as a wood-burning stove.

The Pocket Stove laid flat, storage tin, and a 10p for size comparison.

This is the first time I’ve used a wood-burning stove. We usually use a Primus ETA express gas stove. The Pocket Stove was obtained to provide an alternative multi-fuel stove.

The blurb:

A flat pack, clip together multi fuel cooking stove. The adjustable platform offers two burn heights, the top slot for esbit/hexamine tablets and the other for organic matter and pop can stoves.

Weight: 141g (195g in tin)

This is my second attempt to test the Pocket Stove. The first attempt, in the depths of winter on a cold and windy day, failed completely. My lasting impressions from this original test were…

A) When it’s very cold and windy using a wood-burning stove is a very silly idea.

B) Knocking the pan of water off the top of the stove just as it’s boiling is also a very silly idea.

It’s worth noting here that a heat-exchanger pot (with a crinkly bottom) doesn’t sit easily on top of the Pocket Stove. My original test was with the pot from the ETA Express. This second test was done with a much more stable, smooth-bottomed titanium MSR kettle.

I managed to boil a cup’s worth of water using little twigs (of about pencil thickness) that I’d gathered and dried for the task.

Safety – The stove gets extremely hot. It’s impossible to touch it when the fire’s burning and for a fair while afterwards. Small hot embers fall through the bottom on the stove onto the ground. Without a durable heat-proof surface the ground (or whatever your cooking on) will be burnt.

Convenience – Wind blows ash out of the stove onto and around everything nearby. When finished there are a little pile of burnt out sticks (and whatever else you used to start the fire) to deal with. The pot and stove are covered in sticky soot that’s tricky to wash off even with washing up liquid, hot water, and a scrubbing pad.

Time – I didn’t time how long it took but at a guess it took about 20 minutes to boil the water. I’m sure that I can get quicker with practice but obviously, slower than gas.

Skill – I had pretty much ideal conditions for the test. The wood I had was bone dry. I had a large number of long matches and newspaper to hand (and a bucket of water in case I set fire to myself). The temperature was mild and the wind slight, just enough of a breeze to fan the flames but not put them out. Even so, it’s not a walk in the park to get a good little fire going and to keep it going long enough.

Stealth – This is not a stealthy way to cook food. It makes a lot of smoke and it smells. There’s ash floating around too. Not ninja.

Fun – This is a lot of fun! There’s something about gathering your own fuel, for free, from the natural world, which is satisfying. Our natural love of cooking fires, the warmth and light, sound and smells, kicks in even with this tiny stove. Then the concentration and skill to light and keep the fire burning adds another dimension of enjoyment to cooking.

I made this!

The Aftermath.

In summary, I think this is a really fun piece of kit but cooking with wood is probably more of a novelty than a practical cooking solution. Next up, a test with a hex tablet.

From backpackinglight.co.uk:

Specifications:

• Max Height: 10cm
• Max base width: 7.5cm
• Sq plate: 7cm x 7cm

Weights:

• Side Panel: 31g x 2
• Back Panel: 31g
• Door: 26g
• Square Base: 22g
• Total: 141g
• Storage Tin: 54g
• Packed Total: 195g

Will it fit your pop can stove?

• Height 100mm
• Base Plate 68mm sq
• Upper Aperture 61mm sq
• Lower Aperture 72mm sq

The Pocket Stove was designed and manufactured entirely in the UK by backpackinglight.co.uk

The Winter Months

I have a confession to make… I’m a 3-season outdoor enthusiast.

Brrr.

I don’t mean that I won’t walk on a cold and rainy day, far from it. At the moment I’m waiting for some decent rain to try out my new bargain Quechua waterproof. It’s just that from December through to March I’m not going walking or camping or backpacking. It just doesn’t happen. An hour’s walk a day with the dogs around the woods in slush, ice, and freezing temperatures is enough for me. Quite honestly, the dogs don’t want to go outside at all.

Walkies? Ok, I’ll be right behind you.

Partly this is because I feel the cold more than others and have to make extra provision to ensure I don’t have a Raynaud’s attack when out in it. If I’m wearing the right clothes and moving swiftly I’m fine but if I get caught-out then a pleasant walk can quickly become a miserable experience.

Knitting output increased as temperatures dropped.

The main reason I don’t do much outdoorsy stuff in the winter though is it’s a great excuse to stay indoors and indulge my other main hobbies, knitting and gaming. This winter I knitted two jumpers, numerous socks and hats, and played stupid amounts of Borderlands 2 with my husband and it was great! I felt justified closing the curtains, putting my feet up, and just enjoying being at home.

Adventuring from the comfort of my own armchair.

Now spring has (finally!) arrived the outdoor bug’s returned with a vengeance. Fresh shiny issues of TGO landing on the mat have me dusting off my backpack and checking my tent over. Maps are being examined, routes are being planned, holiday days booked. Yay for spring!

Photo by Neville Fenn.

Berkshire backpack – Uffington to Lambourn.

 

 

Back in 2010 I heard about the Backpacker's Club and joined. It seemed obvious to combine two of my favourite activities, walking and camping. 2011 saw us making plans but we got a puppy which grounded us until he was tent trained. All the time I kept reading of backpacker's adventures in the club magazine. Daydreaming of getting outdoors with everything needed for an adventure in my rucksack.

 

This year I was determined to make it happen. Unfortunately the club didn't have any events in my neck-of-the-woods that I was free to attend. Searching for inspiration I asked on the forum. Tony Wilson and Darren Tipper suggested the Uffington to Lambourn weekend David Topley had put together in 2008. It looked perfect. Not too far between the campsites (7 miles), easy walking along the downs, and with ancient monuments on the way.

Talking about my plans on the club's Facebook page generated a fair bit of interest for exactly the same reason I'd not been able to make a club meet, not much on in the South East in June. So, from just an idea, all of a sudden my Berkshire backpack was an official club event. My first backpack and my first club meet. What had I done?! However, after emailing the local county liaisons, and Tony, and Darren, I received so much support in reply that my fears were allayed. Also using David's weekend as a basis for mine made it very easy to arrange.

In preparation, my husband, our two dogs, and I did a few training walks. Packing our Lightwave Wildtrek rucksacks with our lightest tent and everything we thought we'd need. Surprisingly it was easy to carry the load, probably because our rucksacks are so well designed. Thanks to blogpackinglight for the review that sent us in Lightwave's direction.

 

Before I knew it, it was Friday the 22nd of June and we were driving to Uffington. Rather than using the motorway we took the scenic route through Streatley and Wantage. It was a beautiful evening and a lovely drive. We arrived at Britchcombe Farm to find everyone already pitched and friendly greetings were exchanged. Geoff Gadsby had been knocked over by a car walking to the site but was okay apart from a few scrapes and a sore wrist. The car only stopped to make sure he was still moving before driving off! He'd pitched his tarptent at the bottom of the hill out of the wind. The rest of us braved the cold wind in the top field and we all enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

 

 

Britchcombe Farm's a surprisingly big site with multiple fields, portaloos, water taps, and (in most fields) campfires allowed. Up at the farm there's a washing up area and a shower and I saw a sign for teas. It was £7 per person (which I collected & handed in Friday night) and we were allowed to leave the cars Saturday night for a small donation to their favourite charity. The best bit is their proximity to the Ridgeway although the footpath to get there from the farm is pretty vertical!

 

 

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear with sunshine. Geoff Gafford arrived early to join us and we packed up and, in a number of small groups, headed South towards the Ridgeway and Uffington's White Horse. It was perfect walking weather. A cool breeze, sunshine and intermittent light showers. My husband, Nev, and I stopped at Waylands Smithy for a bite to eat after wandering around Uffington Castle and admiring the view North from the White Horse.

 

 

We took a footpath South, West of the Lambourn Downs Way path. Unfortunately the path disappeared under waist high crops and we ended up having to force our way through for a few kilometers. Exhausting hot work until we reached a small copse of trees where the path became clear again. There we stopped and brewed up some hot chocolate and attacked the jelly babies.

 

 

The way was much easier after that and we made good progress towards Lambourn, meeting friendly locals on foot and horseback on the way. Despite big black clouds and heavy rain in the distance we kept missing the showers and arrived at Farncombe Farm at 3.30pm after walking a total of 10 miles. Anne and Donald were already there enjoying afternoon tea and we pitched our tent nearby and did the same. Later on, after a much longer trek (in some cases including pub and chips), Geoff, Geoff, Grant, Frank, and John arrived too.

 

We were joined at Farncombe by a large group of DoEers. They pitched in another field and were no trouble at all. Liz and her family are terrific. They left their back door unlocked so we could use the house toilet so we wouldn't have to share with the school girls. A very welcoming site and at £4 a night a bargain too. I collected the damage from everyone and took it to SaraJane at the house, who was looking after the campsite for the weekend. Lambourn village is a bit of a trek down narrow country roads 2km away so we all settled in for the night and, as it got dark, the rain and wind arrived. Luckily the hatches were battened down. Grant was under his green handkerchief but was still there in the morning, along with a little group of black beetles who'd decided his tarp was the best place to shelter during that wild night.

 

 

Sunday morning, just in time for breakfast, the weather cleared up and we all headed off together, taking the most direct route back to Uffington. Once again it was a clear day with great visibility, windy with dramatic dark clouds on the horizon that we never caught up to. We walked along the gallops on the Lambourn Valley Way. Stopping for a snack in a lovely grassy spot where Don found the perfect sitting stone. Eventually we strung out as everyone walked at their own pace enjoying the fresh air and long views.

 

By lunchtime we were back at Britchcombe Farm picking up the cars and saying our goodbyes. It was such an enjoyable weekend I immediately decided to do it again as soon as possible. I can't thank the attendees enough and the other club members who offered advice and support for my first meet. Extra thanks go to Donald Betts who picked up Anne Ling at short notice when her lift fell through. It wouldn't have been the same without her. Backpackers are an easy-going and independent lot so it's very simple to arrange a meet. Low maintenance! I urge anyone whose thinking of having a go to do it, especially if you're in the South of England

 

 

More photos here.

 

 

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Rab Women’s Vapour-Rise Lite Alpine Jacket Review

Originally published in the Summer 2012 issue of Backpack, the journal of the Backpackers Club.

 

New for March 2012, a lightweight version of Rab’s popular Vapour-Rise jacket. Breathable, wind/water resistant, quick-drying “soft-shell”. Made from Rab’s Pertex Equilibrium fabric with a tricot fleece lining.

Sizes: 8 – 16

Weight: 290g / 10oz (size 12)

Colours: Beluga (black), Anemone (pink), Aegean (blue)

First impressions are that the Vapour-Rise Lite Alpine is light, soft, and very comfortable. The hood can be rolled up and clipped out of the way. Stuffed into its own pocket it has a pack size of approx. 22cm x 17cm x 12cm.

Loose cuffs at the end of extra long sleeves keep hands warm and dry, or can be tightened with velcro tabs, or pushed up to the elbows in warm weather. The jacket is cut on the small side, particularly around the waist. The length in the torso is good, low at the front and back, which makes the two-way zip indispensable when sitting down.

Having a hood on a soft-shell makes a lot of sense if you want it to be truly useful in the rain. The fully adjustable hood and wired peak maintain excellent peripheral vision. The two outer rucksack-friendly pockets are fairly useless except for the lightest and slimmest of objects but the inside pocket is a unusual bonus on a women’s jacket.

This is a great jacket for middle-of-the-road weather. It stayed dry in a light shower but wetted out on the shoulders and sleeves when tested in a heavy rainstorm (with hail). In a brisk wind it’s a fine protective shell but not warm enough for a very cold day. It’s cooler than a full waterproof and is half the weight (compared to a Paramo Velez Adventure Light).

For an all round lightweight Summer walking jacket this is a winner plus it can also be used as a mid-layer on a colder/wetter day.

Rab

 

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Nemo Meta 2P Tent Review

(Photo by Grant Currin)

Recently we realised that, although our Wild Country Duolite Tourer is an excellent tent, we didn’t have a tent that was light enough for one of us to carry on a solo backpack. The Duolite Tourer weighs 2.95kg, has a reasonably large pack size, and has another disadvantage. With just one exit from the inner and a narrow tunnel shape, getting up requires the other occupant to also be awake (or at least be prepared to be trodden on in the middle of the night).

We were fairly settled on getting a Mini Peak II because of its low weight (1.48kg with the 1-man inner), twin entrances, and large internal size (5.25m2). However it’s only available with the 1-man inner for now and the square based prism shape, with a single apex held up by a single trekking pole*, might be impractical for two.

Having a final scout around I stumbled upon the Nemo Meta 2P.

The Nemo Meta 2P is a lightweight two-man tent held up with 2 trekking poles. On our digital scales at home the Meta weighs 1.55kg including dry-bag stuff-sack, tent pegs, and peg bag (excluding tags)

The Meta is a hybrid between a tarptent (single-skin) and a tent with an inner. Two sides are single-skin and the front and back have no-see-um (insect proof) mesh between the sleeping compartment and the doors. To combat condensation two long vents run down the sides with another two on each end.

Both front and back have identical entrances and vestibules so both occupants have their own storage space and door. So in the middle of the night when one person needs the loo they don’t have to disturb the other. The sewn-in bucket groundsheet covers just the sleeping area leaving the vestibules free to store wet/muddy gear separately. Total floor area is 5.5m2, 3.5m2 in the sleeping area and 1m2 for each porch.

Another helpful design aspect of this tent is that the trekking poles tilt forward a little over the end of each porch so, when the door’s open, the overhang mostly keeps the rain out. Making it easier to cook in wet weather. In good weather, both sides of each vestibule can be opened up and tied back, on each end. Which mimics the closer-to-nature feel of a tarp but with the added insect protection of the mesh.

Having two trekking poles, rather than one like the Mini Peak II or Golite’s Shangri-La 3, means there are two internal points of maximum height. The tent isn’t as tall inside as the SL3 or MPII (only 109cm) but it does allow each person to sit under an apex. Also the highest points are at the entrances/porches which is where you need the height to get in and out of the tent more easily. Also it seems to me that two poles are more stable.

Nemo are an American company but, unlike some American tents, the Meta is available through UK suppliers and is already seam-sealed.

Last weekend I took the Nemo away to Dartmoor and it performed fantastically in wind and rain. Luxurious space for one. The 2 porches were perfect for storing wet gear, muddy boots, and still having space to make dinner. There was some condensation on the cold night but nothing terribly impractical, a quick mop around with a microfibre towel sorted that out. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone significantly taller than me (5’6″) as the sleeping compartment isn’t very long. The dry-bag stuff-sack was very useful Sunday morning to pack away the wet tent for the journey home. Another thing I appreciated was the coloured cord attached to the tent pegs, which were easy to find in the long grass.

All in all, it’s a joy finding a Nemo in your backpack at the end of a day out walking.

Nemo’s website

* The idea being that you’ll be carrying trekking poles anyway so they might as well be used to hold up your tent, saving the weight of a tent pole in your backpack.

 

Surprising Kit! Merrell Siren Sport Trainers

Yesterday I cleaned my walking trainers. This is a rare event but after a 7 mile bimble along the Ridgeway with @krider2010 my shoes were 2 heavy bricks of brown mud. These are shoes that get worn for dog walks, supermarket trips, pub outings, and long treks. They’re unappreciated, used, and abused daily.

Hence when they came out of the washing-up bowl looking remarkably healthy I was surprised enough to blog about them.

They’re are a pair of Merrell Siren Sport GTX (Gore Tex) bought in late 2010. Actually they’re replacements for the originals I bought in early 2010.

My first pair of Siren Sports cracked on the edge where my toes flex and did so well within a year. This crack led to water seeping in otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed as they were extremely comfortable. In fact, when brand new, I rather stupidly wore them for a long walk in the Brecon Beacons and amazingly suffered not a single blister.

Luckily I’d kept the receipt for this original pair and Cotswold Outdoor were more than happy to swap them. At the time they didn’t have anything else that fitted so I ended up with another pair of Sirens despite my concern that these too would fail within a year. However they’ve survived so I can only assume the originals had a fault or Merrell redesigned the shoe in 2010.

Looking at my current, now clean, pair I can see hairline cracks at the sides where my toes flex and the sole has worn down on one heel. The lining is still remarkably waterproof. The Ridgeway was covered with giant brown puddles (in a drought, in June) and it was only when water flooded over the top of my foot that I got a soggy sock. (At the time our tiny Jack Russell Chihuahua was practically swimming so I wasn’t surprised.)

 

Hopefully they’ll be around for a while yet but, when they eventually go to shoe heaven, I’ll be buying another pair. Merrell are still selling them and I’ve included some marketing bumpf below.

“A Siren that sounds the alarm when the weather comes up bad, and keeps pace with the worst it can throw out. Mesh upper backed by GORE-TEX® membrane has the highest level of breathability while being completely waterproof without any unwanted bulk-up. Narrow gauge webbing and synthetic leather strapping provide support while anchoring speed lacing. Underneath it’s all about cushioning and alignment, with proprietary Merrell® Air Cushion matched to QForm® stride-centering.

UPPER/LINING
• Strobel construction offers flexibility and comfort
• Synthetic leather and mesh upper
• Bellows tongue keeps debris out
• GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort Footwear lining keeps feet dry and comfortable
• Lining treated with Aegis® Antimicrobial solution maintains foot comfort
• Ortholite® Anatomical Footbed

MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE
• Molded nylon arch shank
• QForm® Comfort midsole provides women’s specific stride-sequenced cushioning
• Merrell Air Cushion in the heel absorbs shock and adds stability
• 5 mm Sole lug depth
• Vibram® Siren Song Sole/TC5+ Rubber

UK Women’s Sizes: 4-8 full sizes only
EUROPE Women’s Sizes: 36-42
Weight: 11.5oz (326g)”

http://www.merrell.com/UK/en-GB/Product.mvc.aspx/15393W/43928/Womens/Siren-Sport-GORE-TEX

(I have size 6, narrow feet, with a prominent arch. I find Merrell shoes to be very comfortable and, for example, Keen shoes to be way to wide for me. Getting shoes that fit properly is as much dependent on whether the manufacturer’s styles suit your shape of foot as anything else. In other words, your milage may vary and, if you can, try on shoes in a good outdoor store with a personal fitter. My pair weigh 720g in comparison to the 326g quoted by Merrell but they are an older design and a size 6 rather than a size 4…)

What’s the Point of an iPad?

The Top 10 things I use my iPad for.

Filofax

In the olden days I had a hardback diary, an address book, a scribbled to-do list. A notebook. A scrapbook of cuttings and notes for my latest project. Later on this became a filofax (a really nice one with a green leather cover). Nowadays everything is held electronically and kept in-sync between my computer, phone, and iPad wirelessly. I use the tablet most of all. It’s faster to start-up than the computer, more portable, and has a bigger screen than the phone. (This’ll be a running theme.)

Newspaper

Flipboard is a great little app that pulls in content from all over the web (you pick and choose) and turns it into a personalised electronic newspaper. Headlines from the BBC, local news from the Reading Chronicle, tech news from Wired, etc.

Web Browsing.

Pretty much anything I can do on the web I can do on my iPad. Managing our movie rental list. Paying bills. Checking if that guy in BSG is Badger from Firefly. Without waiting for a computer to boot up or reading webpages on a tiny phone screen. It’s an instant web interface.

Phone Calls & Social Networking

Before breakfast each day I sit down with a cuppa and catch up on my messages and social circle news via email, Twitter, and Facebook. Using Skype’s free phone calls and video conferencing we’ve called friends and family who, inconveniently, live all over the place. (Even though we only have the wi-fi version, with apps like Skype and Beluga, the iPad can be used as a phone.)

E-book Reader

Rather than buy a separate device I use the Kindle and iBook apps on my iPad. It works for PDFs like Grand Prix Plus magazine and my knitting patterns from Ravelry too.

Portable T.V.

Whilst away from the lounge I use BBC Iplayer and TV Catchup to watch live and on-demand television. Dr Who during the ironing. Sky News when I’m brushing my teeth.

Set-top Box

By connecting the iPad to our TV we can watch movies, shows, and video clips from the internet. For example, we regularly watch The Totally Rad Show in HD. We can view You Tube, our home videos, and any shows we have digital copies of too.

Recipe book and stand

I’ve moved all my recipes to a free online cloud service called “Evernote”. Adding more to this homemade database by typing them in, photographing them, or clipping them straight from the web. Once in there they’re fully searchable by tags I’ve added (like cheese, salad, main course, etc) or by text in the recipe, including the photgraphed recipes. I can look at them on my iphone when I’m shopping for ingredients but when I’m at home I use the iPad as my recipe book and use the cover as a stand to prop it up in the kitchen when I’m cooking. Evernote is awesomesauce.

Hand-held Games Machine

It’s my go-to device for portable gaming above and beyond simple mobile phone games. Meaty games, fab graphics, at extremely cheap prices. Often with lengthy free playable demos. All directly downloadable to the device. Currently I’m having trouble putting Dragon Vale down as I’m busy cross-breeding dragons to discover new dragon breeds.

Digital Photo Frame

On paper the iPad has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi). In reality it makes photos spellbindingly beautiful. Included in the operating system is a little photo frame app. When the iPad’s screen is ‘locked’ press the photo button to start a slideshow of photos stored on the device (configurable in Settings). Used with the Apple iPad cover that works as a stand, the whole thing easily converts into a digital photo frame when it’s not in use or charging. A wireless, wi-fi enabled photoframe. Photos can be added by email, wirelessly over the home network, or saved directly from the web (e.g. From Facebook). I use an app called PhotoSync to send photos straight from my phone to the iPad.

Camping: Tent Review: Vango versus Quechua… Fight!

On our last camping trip we used the Vango Orchy 500 as our main tent with a Quechua Base Seconds Full as a separate kitchen/utility tent. This was spacious and convenient but pitching and packing away was a pain. In total it took 3 hours to dismantle and pack away camp and an hour of that was just packing away the Vango. In comparison it took just minutes to put away the Quechua.

3 hours is a long time when you have to be off a pitch by 11am. The longer it took the more tired we became and the slower we moved. We made it by 11 but were shattered and facing a long drive home.

Since then I’ve been thinking, is it worth taking the Vango? I love the size of the Vango, it’s massive. It’s well designed. The windows make it feel spacious and light. It’s withstood gale force winds and rain storms. However if it’s raining you can’t have the doors open and it’s a labour intensive, slow job to pitch it and pack it away. The tent’s still sitting in our garage waiting to be dried out because it’s so big we need a really dry day to get it out on the lawn.

When we arrived at our pitch it was poaring down with rain. We’d been driving for 5 hours with the dogs in the car. We all needed to get some fresh air, stretch our legs, and have a drink before even thinking about pitching the Vango. So we grabbed the Quechua out of the car and popped it up. Within 10 minutes we were sheltered from the rain with the kettle on.

Using the Quechua Base Seconds Full with our 2 Seconds III attached makes a similar tent design as the Vango (one porch plus one sleeping area). I used this set up when I went camping earlier in the year (see photo above). It’s a much smaller living space and the two tents aren’t actually attached to each other. Also they both take up more room in the car than the Vango.

However they are _much_ easier to pitch and pack. We could have camp set up in minutes rather than hours. The lack of space could be helped by adding a 2 Seconds I (£25) as a storage tent (or perhaps even our Wild Country Duolite Tourer) to the 2nd tent attachment point. Another advantage is these tents are much more convenient to dry when you get home. With the modular system you can dry one tent at a time by just popping it up in the garden for half an hour.

We could, of course, sell the Vango and replacing it with a quick-to-pitch alternative. Like Vango’s new Velocity 400 (£415) or Quechua’s Seconds Family 4.1 (£180). However this is a more expensive option and isn’t as flexible as a modular system of three smaller tents.

For our next trip, we’ll use the Quechua tents instead and see if we can cope with sacrificing a bit of space in exchange for less back-breaking work.

Links:

Quechua Base Seconds Full review.

Quechua 2 Seconds III review.

Vango Orchy 500 quick review.

Comment: Google + Meh

Those who follow me on Twitter or read this blog have probably guessed by now that I’m not a huge fan of Facebook. The initial idea was a work of genius but over time the site’s evolved into an insidious mess. Adverts and games that spam your friends. An unintuitive interface. Constantly changing privacy settings that seem designed to be confusing. Mystifying groups and pages (does anyone understand the difference?) Plus, if you’re naive enough to “Like” something on the web, waves of marketing updates.

The evolution of a shiny new prime social network is long overdue.

Google+ is the latest challenger. At first glance it seems refreshingly clean and simple. Selective Circles of contacts are definitely a power-up. However Google+ feels like Google’s Facebook. It’s not innovative enough. It’s CDs to MiniDiscs not CDs to MP3s. To get the crowds in there needs to be a real advantage to moving.

Then there’s the thought of putting it all into Google’s basket. If they’re handling my social networking, my diary, my address book, my documents, my check-ins, and my email they know everything there is to know about me and everything about my friends too. It doesn’t matter if only select Circles of people can see only what I let them see. Google can see the lot. That birthdate, mobile phone number, and home address that I so carefully avoid putting out there is now in the hands of the behemoth that is Google. And yours too because you’re in my address book.

In my view, any company hoping to make money through data mining and marketing via a social networking site will invariably fail to build the next big thing. The shiny new social network will be built by a genius seeing a way to significantly change people’s social lives for the better along with a userbase that grabs it with both hands because they recognise an honest revolution.

Google+? Meh.