Category Archives: #backtothehills

Back to the Hills – My Coffee Plans

#backtothehills, outdoors

I think it’s fair to say I like my coffee.

I’m a big Aeropress fan. But I also love my Hario V60 coffee dripper. It’s so easy to get consistent good results with.

But neither of these two great coffee making options are ideal for taking out on the hill. I should say in my opinion (no way am I being humble about it). They might be fine for you dear reader or someone else. That’s totally fine. I respect that. I’m not having to carry or pack them. So why do I care? I don’t.

Previously back in the day I used a MSR MugMate™ Coffee/Tea Filter. I still have it. And you could make a better coffee than the instant stuff you can buy (if you like and drink instant coffee that’s fine, but why are you reading this?). However it doesn’t produce an end result that comes close to the V60 or Aeropress.

Enter the Mermoo Yilan Collapsible Pour Over Coffee Dripper Cone (that I got off Amazon). Which is a reusable silicone coffee filter holder that comes with a storage bag.

I should note the storage bag can easily hold some 02 size paper filters inside with the collapsed cone. I got some from Morrisons the other day, 40 in a box for £1.50. I bought four boxes just in case that was a mistake.

With that yes you can use a 02 sized filter with this collapsible cone. Source yours from wherever.

Now if you are going the same route as me to get a bloody good mug of coffee whilst out on the hill, then you have a decision to make. Do you take grounds or beans with you?

Remember there is no wrong answer here.

For me I’m taking beans. Mainly because if the bag bursts, less mess. Plus you could still use them! And they won’t have messed up any kit.

So how am I going to grind the beans?

I got a Hario, Transparent Black Mini Mill Plus to use. Yes it’s extra weight. It’s probably not the lightest. But I think the fresh ground beans and the reason above for me justifies its inclusion.

A couple of weeks back I got given some Kopi Luwak aka cat poo coffee as I call it. This coffee is very expensive, and most definitely out of my price range. But it has been a coffee I’ve always wanted to try.

So when I was offered some I jumped at the chance to try it.

I love it. It’s not as bitter as other coffees. I’d almost say lighter. But that could be the roasting.

Definitely worth getting when/if I can afford it. Luckily I was given a 300g bag after the first one. So that will be my guilty pleasure for a week or two.

Right so that’s my coffee plans taken care of. Time to make a brew.

Back to the hills – new kit

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

Ok second time writing this post, because the Jetpack app that I use to write my posts decided instead of publishing my words it’d just throw them away into the ether and lose 40 minutes of work!

With my planned return to the wilds of the UK after such a long hiatus from them. I’m using this time to reassess my “philosophy” or approach to the outdoors.

Part of this reassessment has involved my thinking on kit. And naturally new bits have been arriving. How I’ve missed this.

So this post is a catch up on some of the stuff that has dropped through my letter box recently. It’s not all of it. But I’m sure I’ll talk about the stuff not mentioned in other posts.

First up is the SOTO Thermolite cook set. Unusual for me this is not titanium, it aluminium! I know a major shock. It’s not like I needed a new cook set. But I did like the look of this when I saw it on a YouTube video. I like it comes with a pot cozy. It is a 750ml handless pot that comes with a small pot gripper that I might also use with other pots. It’s definitely smaller than the Trangia pot gripper I have. The lid is multi use and can be used to drink from the pot, and strain liquids. I like this set a lot.

Next is the 18cm diameter iBasingo Titanium Non-Stick Frying Pan. Can you believe I didn’t have a specific frying pan in all the pots etc I have? You could get the Trangia. You could buy/add the Trangia Multi Disc for 27 Series Cookers to this. That is 18cm diameter as well. Something I might do in the future. I believe this frying pan has a capacity of about 900ml. It should be able to fit the small tortilla wraps UK supermarkets sell. And looks ideal for one person. To go along with this I got a Tala Silicone Mini Spatula so I don’t ruin the non-stick surface. It’s about 6 or 7 inches long, light. Perfect for my needs.

SOTO Thermolite
iBasingo Titanium Non-Stick Frying Pan & Tala Silicone Mini Spatula
Vargo Alcohol Fuel Bottles
Goshawk OP-100
Pure Clear Collapsible Filter Water Bottle

Ok did I need another stove? Technically the answer would be no. But this Goshawk OP-100 looks pretty cool. It’s a bit of an alternative to the Trangia as far as I see it. It has this swirling flame (yes I’ll be doing a video) that looks cool. It comes with a sealing cap. So fuel can be left in it. It did come with a handy little stuff sack.

I got two Vargo Alcohol Fuel Bottles. They are expensive for what they are. Pretty sure paying for the Vargo name. But I do like the fuel measurement marks on the bottles.

Finally in this post is the Pure Clear Collapsible Filter Water Bottle. I have water filters that are over a decade old. I’m not sure how effective they would be now. So I decided to play it safe and get a new one. A bit of research and taking into account budget and planned usage ended up on the Pure Clear.

I have a shit load to do before I get back into the hills later this year. Kit to test in over night trips. Yes I have one or two over nights planned, along with day hikes.

In another post I’ll talk about the food/ingredient bits I’ve got in. But I’ll be testing recipes and sharing them on here.