Alite Mayfly Chair

One of the most expensive chair we ever owned. The Alite Mayfly chair weighs slightly more than the Alite Monarch chair. Assembly does take awhile because of it's additional leg support. 

The chair is comfortable to sit on however we noticed it is very low. Myself weighs around 60kg and sitting on it my butt is around 2 inches from the floor. As the sitting profile is low, it makes getting out of the chair slightly difficult. 

Definitely not a beach chair, it will sink into the sand and ended up sitting on the sand instead, will need to place on a beach mat. 

The Alite Mayfly chair is slightly bigger than the Alite Monarch chair however it packed just almost the same size. Material is the same as Alite Monarch using 210D Ripstop Nylon and 7075 Aluminium Rods. 

So which chair do we prefer? Both, atleast after a few beer drinking session you will not fall back with the Mayfly chair.  

Logos Trek Egg Holder

There are many cheap egg containers but somehow we landed 2 Logos double Egg container. Construction was very good except we found some smaller egg felt too loose in the container.  This container is ideal for short solo or partner camping trips but not for family however we found a solution is to get another set. Doesn't really take up space but it does protect the eggs.

One flaw we found was the container made too wide and some smaller eggs will rattle in the container. Found a solution by adding bubble wrap at the base of the container and that solved the problem.  Do we like it.... answer is yes. Carrying eggs besides car camping is not a problem but  other forms of camping such as hiking or biking, these egg container comes in handy. We have use the 6 eggs container before so we understood what was better. Logos Trek Egg Holder..Thumbs up!!

Steripen Traveler Handheld UV Water Purifier

Just saw on the News about fresh water from Fresh Water Station. The News team had tested 3 different stations and after laboratory test, they found in the water there were high dosage of 大腸桿菌 Escherichia coli is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms in all 3 Fresh Water Stations. All other test results were good except this. 

Our Gear Reviews 2013 Spring

Last couple of months, we had been laying our hands on new gears. Recent camping trips both  comfort and off-road bike camping under wet weather condition was excellent which put many of our new and old gears to the test. 

Reviews Below 

• Bikes
• Ortlieb Roller Classic Panniers
• Travel Life Bike Carrier
• Tents
• Alite Monarch Chair
• DoppleGanger Mini Fold Chair
• Fire Maple Micro Folding Table
• Vargo Titanium Hexagon Wood Stove
• Trangia Alcohol Stove, Fuel Bottle and 6.5" Cast Iron Skillet
• Cobb Premier Grill
• Daiso Stuffs
• Paradox Rain Suit
• PureEasy Water Filter
• Petzl Tikka XP2 Headlamp

Vargo Titanium Hexagon Wood Stove

Ordered this stove because we had seen Japanese campers have been using this stove with Trangia Alcohol Stove very effectively so decided we should try it out. We paid USD59.95 and it came from USA which took around 5 days to arrived. 

Our Ultimate Outdoor Chair

Having owned these few chairs, we were curious to find out which is our ultimate chair for all condition usage, from biking, hiking, travelling etc. All these 4 chairs have different seating profile.  Below is a table created and rated on each condition to pick our top outdoor chair.

Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair

We owned these chairs for many years, it a great camp chair and we love it. Using our existing Therm-a-Rest Mattresses, we could convert it into a lounge chair. We can set the chair comfort by deflating or inflating the mattress. The only down side for this chair is setting it up and it did not come with any stuff sack.

Fire Maple Micro Folding Table

We decided to own this micro table for few reasons, we are changing our camping style to mini version or Japanese style camping. Another factor is that this table packs small and it is not heavy at all, it weighs 750 grams. We carried the table on our bike and went BBQ picnic or can use it on the next beach outing. 

Alite Monarch Chair

Alite Monarch Chair is a 2 legged chair, designed in USA and made in Philippines. For the size, we could consider these are our most expensive outdoor chair we owned. 

The Monarch Chair is not the lightest chair but still light enough for any hiking or biking trips, it weighs at 554 grams. It does packs small and does not take up much storage space. Overall construction is very well made, material used are 210D Ripstop Nylon and 7075 Aluminium Rods which is better quality than most bike frame set. 

Cobb Premier Grill

We had been using the Cobb Primer Grill for a while, twice at home and another was a BBQ picnic by the lake. When we received to Cobb Premier, our first impression was the set is huge. However after using it we found it was extremely useful. We could grill, roast, bake, smoke and now we found we could even boil water with it. Partner wanted a bigger oven so we can roast whole chicken, now I had convinced her we do not need one, the Cobb Premier Grill can do the job. 

在剛收到 Cobb Primer Grill 時覺得體積有點大，但在實際使用後覺得非常有用。我們已使用Cobb Primer Grill兩次了，一次在家中另一次帶著它和家人去湖邊烤肉。它可以烤、烘、燻，甚至煮開水。原先還想將家中的烤箱換個大一點可烤整隻雞的，有了Cobb就不需要了。

Doppelganger Outdoor Micro Folding Chair

This is the first time we ordered items from Japan, took 12 days to arrived. Found this mini chair amazingly cute, the smallest chair we have seen. Recently we ordered the Alite Monarch Chair, will be doing a review later. This will be an add on to our mini camp furniture when there are camp guests. 

Emergency Kit

This kit is basically a First Aid, Repair and Survival Kit that I have put together. Every once in a while this kit will be revamp or improve. Those days I used to have 3 different kits in each pack, now I have all in one. I have used smaller Ziploc bags so that the items can be properly organised. 

Do not under estimate this setup and every outdoor person including parents with kids should have one, a must have item for any trip. Personally this kit have helped us many times, in India during black out, in an off-road training accident when pain killer was useful. Daughter MTB accident and the bandages came in handy. In Thailand when Son had a fever and the kit had assisted and many other more incidents before.

Ganzo G704 Survival Folding Knife

Ganzo is a Chinese company that produces many kind of knives and multi-tools. This Chinese branded G704 knife had many good reviews on the internet. Youtube has some reviews but it was this review on Blade Forum that made me decided to get one to see for myself.

Company Specification
Brand: GanzoLength: 20cm
Blade: 8.5cm
Handle: 11.50cm
Handle Material: Epoxy Fiberglass Insulation (G10)
Blade Thickness: 0.4cm
Lock Type: Axis
Blade Material: 440C
Hardness: 58-60HRC
Weight: 140G (without packaging)
Processing Technology: CNC

EDC Everyday Carry

I have been carrying EDC for awhile since back in 2000 due to my work. Even when I am travelling, MTB or hiking, I will have the EDC with me at all times. Hated the idea that I kept forgetting to carry item when needed it especially when you place items in pants pocket. Sometimes the items in the pocket simply feels too uncomfortable.  

These days I have narrowed down the EDC just to a simple pouches from Flyye and DIY nylon webbing. At times I would still use the MagForce OCTA Versipack. It rather a comfortable pack, the only problem I encountered using it when driving, I needed constantly remove it from my hip. Also on backpacking trips I cannot carry it on the hip, the fully loaded backpack is in the way. However for day hike or biking, this is the best. 

Tarp Camping

Tarp is one of the most versatile shelter in any outdoor activities and highly recommend that oneself must have it. It protect oneself from the sun and rain. Others might feel a tent is sufficient to provide shelter but they have forgotten that they will have to spend most of the time outside the tent such as cooking, dinning or get together for a simple board game. Tarp is cheap and lightweight, with a Tarp you can still camp without a tent which we use do in younger days.

TMC M4 Magazine Pouch

Made of Condura material which is wear resist, this pouch was meant to hold M4 magazine. I found that it can fit the 16oz Nalgene bottle perfectly and there is an elastic band to secure it. What was even better, I could fit over my backpack hip harness and this allow accessing the drink bottle easily during any hike. For any hike my hydration will be a 2lts Platypus bottle and 16oz Nalgene bottle which I can make mix drinks.  

The pouch weighs around 86gm, I would say is much lighter than other bottles holder. At the bottom of there is a drainage hole

Leatherman Bit Kit

Since 1998 Leatherman Wave has been my primary work tool. This is a must have everyday survival tool for me. In 2009 the tool broke down and I was given a replacement by Leatherman. The replacement was the second generation Wave which comes with replaceable tool bits, a better design than before. 

Shark Skin Soft Shell Jacket

Ideal for use during Winter, light snow and rain. For heavy downpour or snow, a hard shell jacket should be used over it. Material is stretchable and breathable ideal for outdoor sport use.

Jacket comes with

• 6 ventilation points (under arm, breast and back)
• 6 pockets
• waterproof fabric but not on stitches and zippers
• YKK Zippers
• 2 Velcro shoulder patch
• 2 inner pocket D-rings
• Double layer arm stitching against abrasion 
• Small sizes weights 820gm
• Inner fleece layer for warm 
• Rollable hood with draw cord
• 4 earphone loop holes (2 shoulder and 2 breast)

PureEasy Pocket Water Filter Maintenance and Upgrade

Maintaining any water filter is rather important. Most hand pump water filters comes with couple of O-rings and seals. If these O-rings and seals are not maintained properly, it will loose it properties, start to crack and leak. PureEasy Pocket Water Filter review.

I have upgraded the hoses to black hoses. These hoses can be bought from an aquarium pet shop. Like any clear hoses, in no time algae will start to grow if not kept properly dry and will look unsightly. A black hose will prevent such growth. Algae growth will not affect the water filtration quality, is just that the hose will look ugly. By the way I felt it look better with black hoses.

I have extended the suction hose which was 70cm long, to 100cm long so that I can have the suction hose at a further cleaner water source. The delivery hose was 27cm long and now it is 40cm long to fit on the Platypus water bottle when set on the ground.  

I have also replaced the existing stuff sack to a self DIY breathable stuff sack. This will allow the wet filter for quick drying. 

The filter scrubbing sandpaper was replaced with a small piece of Scotch scouring pad, this pad will last longer compared to the supplied sandpaper. 

I found a method to fill up hydration bag without removing from the backpack. Not sure it will work, will try it out one day. Also made an improvised soda bottle cap to fit the Platypus water bottle for filling.

Travel Life Bike Carrier SBC-01

We have owned couple of bike carriers before and  for almost 2 years we have been hunting for a second hand bike carrier that can fit our Delica rear. It was not easy looking for such bike carrier as our vehicle rear is rather tall.

Finally we found someone was selling his for a good deal. He was a police man and we had to drive to his station to view the bike carrier. Formerly he had use it on his SUV until his car crashed. The original price for this model SBC-01 cost NT7800 but we only paid NT2800.