Primus Primetech 1.3l Stove Set

Over the years I have become far more jaded about the latest whatever piece of kit that is flavour of the month for this expert or that magazine. I confess I still waste a fair amount of cash on stuff for the outdoors, although in my defense until you have tested things in your chosen environment no amount of poking in shops or reading of reviews like this will necessarily help.

Just a selection from the stove collection

By now I have tried most cookers, from ultralight titanium meths burners, wood stoves, multi fuel, canister top and remote. My chosen playground is mountains, Scotland, North Wales, the Lakes or more likely the Pyrenees, generally the higher the better and this is the main influence on my stove choice. Bad weather high up is when I need hot food and drink if only to lift the spirits, so the ability to work well in cold and windy conditions is essential, as is simplicity in set up. Until now my favorite would be the MSR Reactor, robust, effective and simple but, and it's a big but on long trips, I find it really difficult to do much more than boil water with it.

Then whilst mooching around our local outdoor emporium, Trail Outdoor, I came across the Primus Primetech Stove.

Primus Primetech 1.3l Stove

The second pan, stove, handle and igniter all store inside the main pot for transport, and although not as neat and tidy as a Trangia did a reasonable job at making a compact unit. In use the handle clips to the pan and feels secure and the strainer lid works really well with pasta or rice. The integrated heat exchanger on the pot together with a partial windshield on the burner reminded me of the simplicity and robustness of the Reactor and with a multi month trip coming up, which will require I do more than just boil water, it had to be worth a go.

Long gone are the days when I measured the grams of every item, that lead to some very miserable trips! Now items are far more performance driven, having said that I'm not daft and I'm not strong so out went the second pot, the igniter and the transport bag, added were my trusty firesteel and a cuben fibre bag from Treadlite.

Primus Primetech 1.3l Pot and Stove 

A couple of nights camping high in Snowdonia confirmed what a great stove this appears to be, cold blustery conditions with intermittent rain the stove was fast to boil for hot drinks and simmered when asked allowing thoughts of a varied menu. The main pot is non-stick meaning at least initially I won't need the titanium chisel to keep it clean, scrambled eggs or pancakes anyone? The next 4 months will reveal any weaknesses but for now I'm really rather excited!

Post Via-Alpina Update.......

Ok so the stove did a lot of things pretty well. It does appear very frugal on gas, copes with both cold and windy conditions well. We cooked inside our tent on many occasions in foul weather without the worry of knocking anything over. Above all we even managed to "cook" scrambled eggs, vegetable curry, halloumi burgers and other real food from scratch, a real boost on a long trip.

However that was all whilst the stove was still working because on day 67 it fell apart.

This reduced the stove to a useless piece of ballast to be carried for the remaining 27 days of our hike. Earlier concerns we had over the stove's build quality now came to the fore. Within the first few weeks small bits of plastic fell off the handle, these were supposed to help the gripper hold the pan firmly without damaging the non-stick surface, they did appear from the beginning to be a bodge.

    

Whilst not affecting the stove or pans performance the damage is irritating and the pan handle fit was now sloppy. At the same time the pan lid started to display cracks. Now the whole system was packed in a sleeve and carried very near the top of my pack so very little on top of it, for years I have carried a reactor with a similar plastic lid with a climbing rack to no ill effect.

In conclusion from experience I expect better quality from Primus. I think the design idea is good but I am not sure the finished product lives up to either expectations in use or the Primus name.

I have spoken to Rosker, UK distributors for Primus who in turn have spoken directly to Primus who indicated there was a manufacturing batch problem that they were aware of that has now been resolved. Obviously this may or may not be comforting.

Shoe Review: La Sportiva Raptor and Synthesis Mid gtx, Salewa mtn Trainer gtx, Millet Trident gtx, Super Trident gtx and Garmont Dragontail MTN

Ok so this is a real mixed bag, but these are all shoes I have worn, abused and destroyed in the last 12 months or so. Despite big names, much marketing hype and sometimes misleading reviews I will try and give it straight, particularly as it's my money that paid for them all.
Obviously fit is hugely important, my feet are fairly standard for Northern Europeans, a fairly broad forefoot and across the toes and a low arch in a size 45, somewhere between a hobbit and a ballerina! (have you seen a ballerina's feet!?)

La Sportiva Raptor

La Sportiva Raptor

Firstly these really fit my feet, plenty of room up front, a very supportive mid section and incredibly stable heel, this shoe is so right in many ways. The lace system is simple, but given the elasticated integral tongue I more often than not just slip them on. Then we have the sole, stable in the right places and bendy where it needs to be, it will grip to pretty much anything. Lastly the mesh upper is super breathable making them really comfortable in hot weather.

The perfect hiking shoe? Well for me not quite, that super breathable mesh upper lets water straight in, now most modern ultralight hikers seem to love this but I struggle on multi week trips to stop my feet falling apart in the end. Bashed feet when tackling lots of boulder fields and scree can be wearing as can the amount of debris that finds its way through the mesh and don't try and kick steps in a snow slope with them. Good for about 500 miles so on long trips they will need replacing.

La Sportiva Synthesis Mid

La Sportiva Synthesis Mid GTX

Well I fell for the marketing guff and shiny reviews on their release expecting the "STB Technology stabilizes the foot by wrapping the midsole and unifying the midsole with the upper for the perfect locked-down fit" would be similar to the Raptor. Unfortunately there is nothing remotely fitted about this shoe, it has none of the arch support, heal stability or forefoot stability provided by the Raptor, it is just wide, baggy and the foot slides around on a flat innersole.

Despite all this they were light and waterproof which I needed for an upcoming hike, what the hell. Well they lasted 16 days, and it was only that long because it took a few days to hike out to a town big enough to replace them, by which time both shoes leaked, both lace systems were broken and the sole was coming away from both. If after all this you are still tempted do not attempt wet rock unless you enjoy skating!
I did contact La Sportiva's UK distributor on my return, Lyon Outdoor, who kindly provided a refund through the retailer.

Salewa mtn Trainer

Salewa mtn Trainer GTX

Whilst reasonably broad in the forefoot these are narrower across the toes causing some discomfort to the small toes. Support under the arch is quite pronounced and takes some getting used to, but once you are they feel particularly stable and comfortable( if your feet are the right shape). I have worn these a lot day to day on and around Dartmoor and in most conditions have been reliable except on damp or wet rock where grip is at best average.

Millet Trident

Millet Trident GTX

Broad across the forefoot, just broad enough in the toe box, a supportive heal and a very stable sole unit, goretex too. I had great expectations for these shoes and in many ways they are my favorites. The fit isn't quite as good as the Raptor or as comfortable to walk in but they still have great grip and a "connected" feel to the ground. Very happy across boulder fields, up and down steep scree or kicking snow steps.

So what's wrong, well they have had a hardish 25 days and they are in bits! Cuillin Traverse nearly 3 days (we are slow!), Ogwen valley easy climbs 3 days, La Porta Del Cel (Pyrenees) 4 days, Pic's Lliterola, Royo and Perdiguero (Pyrenees) 2days, Troumouse-Barroude-Rioumajou and return (Pyrenees) 4 days, Pic Grande Fache (Pyrenees) 2 days, plus a couple of bimbles on Dartmoor and a day climbing at the Dewerstone prior to going to Skye hardly makes the 25 but I'll be generous. The side protection rand is sewn, rather than bonded to the shoe like the toe bumper, and through abrasion both sides have blown out. 

I have tried contacting Millet about the poor construction/design flaw of these shoes but had no response.

Millet Super Trident

Millet Super Trident GTX

I bought these in the Pyrenees last year when the Sportiva Synthesis shoes failed so completely. I am not keen on Mids generally as I end up with sore achilles, as I did here, but there was little choice and the rest of the fit was good. They have covered a good 300 miles of hard mountain trails and show little real wear other than the rand blowing out again as above although these have retained their shape and integrity better than their fabric counterparts. However in both cases it seems ridiculous that footwear apparently created for the Chamonix Guides last less than a month and are less durable than a pair of trail runners.
If however Millet were to bond a rubber rand around the Trident Mid or Shoe as other manufacturers do these would be as near to perfect for me as I would expect to find.

 Garmont Dragontail Mtn

Garmont Dragontail Mtn GTX after 94 days hiking

I bought these in the Pyrenees (2016) as cover for a pair of Millet shoes (see above) that were falling apart. Fast forward to spring 2017 and I was undecided about what to wear for our Via-Alpina through hike. Knowing the Millet boots or shoes were unlikely to last even halfway, I wore the Dragontails to work and around Dartmoor in the run up to our departure. Pleasantly surprised they were chosen.

The fit is broad across the forefoot and very secure in the heal, with lacing down to the toes it is very easy to customise the fit. At first they felt harsh and "clumpy" but they wore in quite quickly becoming comfortable for long days even on hard ground, although not as comfortable or connected as the Millet.  

However I think the fit is a little short, great for scrambling but not so good for long descents. The original insoles are a rubbish piece of foam that once damp (sweat or rain) will just rot your feet, they need to be swapped out for a proper insole. The other negative was the Goretex leaked from the first rain storm we had in Slovenia which meant managing periodic bouts of wet feet over the next 90+ days.

All that said they lasted to the end, tired but relatively intact (my wife's boots had to be replaced at Samoens) so the general construction, apart from the goretex liner, is extremely good. As a result I will buy these again in the non gtx lite version as I think they will be great for summer scrambling and easy climbs.

Locus Gear Menkaura Sil Review

Menkaura camping high in the Pyrenees

I have long been a fan of single pole tents for both their simplicity and their weatherliness and like many our first was the Golite Shangri-la 3. Whilst this provided a comfortable home on extended trips it was not particularly light, the door zip always snagged and strapping trekking poles together as a centre pole to keep the weight down was an unnecessary faff.

Shangri-La 3 on the HRP

A search of the web will now reveal a myriad of " mids" constructed by cottage manufacturers around the globe using the latest gucci fabrics.
Locus Gear first caught my eye because I couldn't find a picture of a badly erected tent, testament to their cut and design, but initially their models were either too big or too small, that is until they came out with the Menkaura. At 270cm x 270cm it had great floor space for 2 and a height of 130cm meant only needing  a single trekking pole to set it up, but still plenty of headroom to sit up for breakfast in bed and getting dressed and generally hanging around in shitty weather.
In the real world this is a shelter that is up in moments whether using just the Sil Nylon fly or in combination with the mesh inner. Total combined weight of ours including stuff sacks, additional tie outs and a good set of pegs is just under 1500g (this includes the heavier PU Taffeta inner).

Menkaura with a view to Posets

Whilst I had high expectations for this tent they were very soon surpassed as we encountered storm after storm on it's first outing to the Pyrenees. The slightly lower profile and pyramid shape give the wind very little to get hold of, allowing a more relaxed approach to pitch selection. An 8hr storm with all the proper accompaniments will still be bumpy but I don't worry about the tent anymore.
It's very nice when the sun shines too!

Locus Gear Menkaura near Iraty Pyrenees

Menkaura mesh inner, Iparla Ridge

Down sides?..... as with any lightweight tent and mesh inner combination condensation can be an issue and I am not convinced the built in vent does much, however undoing the door a little from the top is pretty effective.

Sil Nylon holds on to water, so whether it is condensation or rain from last nights storm and you want an early start you are going to have a wet fly. I always pack mine in the compression straps of whatever sack I am using and if possible give it the chance to dry over a lunch stop, no big deal. Sil nylon is also more forgiving than cuben fibre when it comes to difficult pitches without even looking at the comparative costs.

So how good?..... this is about the only gear I have not changed in the past 3 years, in fact I have just bought another Menkaura Sil in another colour because we need something a bit more stealthy for a long trip next year, love it!

Our new Locus Gear Menkaura in Snowdonia 

Locus Gear Menkaura on a cold and snowy morning
Via-Alpina GR5 Mont Thabor French Alps

More snow for the Menkaura in the French Alps