The journal
Understand before you go
Start with the guides: they answer once and for all, and we correct them in place. The notes come next, newest first: what we tried outdoors, what the engine was getting wrong, what changed in the catalogue.
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
A 100 g canister weighs 200 g full, a 230 g weighs 394 g. Once you need more than 100 g of gas, the 230 g carries less dead metal.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
40 g of gas per person per day, x1.6 in winter. The calculation in grams, the cartridge to pack, and the 500 g net ceiling not to cross.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
The rule is binary: waterproof the moment the forecast can turn, windproof only in dry weather. And a rain jacket packs to 3.5 L/kg.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
On a day hike, the 1.5 L you carry is often enough. From your first night out, treat it: filter, tablets or boiling. One clear rule.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
0, -5 or -15 C? The right down jacket isn't the warmest, it's the least warm that covers your night. The three tiers, and how to read yours.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
Your night hits 0 °C in spring, 10 °C in summer, and drops 6 °C per 1000 m. Start from that figure to pick the right comfort rating.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
R4 below 0 °C, R5 below -10 °C: fixed thresholds. Give your season and altitude, we work out your night and the R-value you need.
4 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
A 0 C comfort bag covers spring and autumn in the lowlands. At 1500 m your night drops to -9 C, so it no longer holds. And in summer it's too warm.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
No need for a 4-season tent if your night stays above 0 C. We work out your night from season and altitude, and tell you when to switch.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
A 1.3 kg tent is already a sixth of your 8 kg wild-camp target and nearly 6 litres of pack. The weight to aim for before you read the specs.
3 min read
Guide
Updated August 26, 2026
As a pair, the tent and cookpot are shared: your bag stays in the 40 to 50 L wild-camp range. With four, the group kit swells it. How to split the load.
4 min read
Guide
Updated August 1, 2026
20, 45 or 60 litres? Volume doesn't come from how many days you're out, but from what you put in. The ranges, the coefficients, and the calculation.
4 min read
Note
August 1, 2026
Five people, three winter days, and a bag setting off with 400 g of gas when it needed 960. Here's where the gap came from, and what we changed.
2 min read