I recently bought myself a pair of canvas Earthkeeper boots from Timberland. I was lucky to get these in a sale at a greatly reduced price (almost £100 off RRP) because I had seen some of the blurb about them and thought they might be good for stalking.
The advertising will have us believe that these boots are for the rugged outdoors. They may well do that job for some but I'm pretty sure not for me!
Well I have now worn them a few times and here are my initial thoughts.
The first thing I noticed when they came out of the box is that they do not have a sewn-in tongue! For a waterproof, allegedly outdoor, boot this seemed to be a bit of an omission. What's the point of having a waterproof material in your boot when water will ingress as soon as you step into the nearest shallow puddle. Pointless in my opinion.
The sole is quite thin and flexible and has a very open tread pattern. They are fairly comfortable to wear and also can be quite quiet so have the potential for being good for stalking. My biggest problem with them is their lack of grip. When the soles get wet they are very slippery on a smooth surface - I nearly broke my neck this morning when I came back into the kitchen, having been outside, made a turn and lost all traction! Not impressed.
At least I now know that there is no way I will be using these boots for stalking unless it is a dry day and has been for some time. I know that these boots will slip when I step on wet branches or brash.
I am very glad that I did not pay full price for these boots as I would be totally gutted. They will be OK for general use and are quite comfy around town but I will not be using them very often for proper trips into the woods.
Timberland, Earthkeeper
Monday, 19 January 2009
Friday, 16 January 2009
Chocolate Fish ...yum!
This morning I received a little parcel from Chocolate Fish stuffed full of yummy merino.
As you know I'm a huge fan of merino wool garments and with impeccable timing I have bought some more, just as the weather has got warmer. What can I say. It will all get a dammed good cold test in February when I'm in Poland.
Over the next few weeks I'll be putting the kit through its paces and will post up reviews when I have something constructive to say about them. Having said that I have had a good look at the construction and stitching and can say that I am very impressed. The stitching is extremely good and looks very secure and the material itself seems to be of the highest quality.
The service from Amanda at Chocolate Fish was superlative and very entertaining and the goods arrived when promised. They also arrived in reusable packaging which I think is brilliant. The best thing about their stuff though, is that it is all genuine New Zealand through and through. None of this "Made in China" lark.
I'll keep you posted about the joys of merino as the weeks progress. I'm wearing some of it now and in a purely subjective manner - it is lovely.
Chocolate Fish Merino, merino
As you know I'm a huge fan of merino wool garments and with impeccable timing I have bought some more, just as the weather has got warmer. What can I say. It will all get a dammed good cold test in February when I'm in Poland.
Over the next few weeks I'll be putting the kit through its paces and will post up reviews when I have something constructive to say about them. Having said that I have had a good look at the construction and stitching and can say that I am very impressed. The stitching is extremely good and looks very secure and the material itself seems to be of the highest quality.
The service from Amanda at Chocolate Fish was superlative and very entertaining and the goods arrived when promised. They also arrived in reusable packaging which I think is brilliant. The best thing about their stuff though, is that it is all genuine New Zealand through and through. None of this "Made in China" lark.
I'll keep you posted about the joys of merino as the weeks progress. I'm wearing some of it now and in a purely subjective manner - it is lovely.
Chocolate Fish Merino, merino
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Big cats in Forest of Dean
The Forestry Commission has revealed recently that there have been two reliable and confirmed sightings of large cats in the Forest of Dean. The information relates to sightings back in 2002 and 2005 and has only been revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.
Rangers using thermal imaging equipment saw large cats during deer census work and Deputy surveyor Rob Guest has said that they are reliable sightings. But Mr Guest said there was no sign of large cats during the most recent deer census in March 2008.
Despite lack of conclusive photographic evidence of big cats in the county, Gloucestershire police believe there are pairs living in the Forest of Dean and around the Cirencester area. The force has a wildlife and environmental crime officer, Mark Robson, who has been documenting sightings since 2002. He said the Forestry Commission sightings were credible.
I find this stuff really interesting and would love to see one for myself - then there would be a chance to track it! I live in hope of one day seeing the Exmoor Beast.
Let me know if any of you have seen large cats here in the UK or in places, you think they shouldn't be, elsewhere in the world.
big cats
Rangers using thermal imaging equipment saw large cats during deer census work and Deputy surveyor Rob Guest has said that they are reliable sightings. But Mr Guest said there was no sign of large cats during the most recent deer census in March 2008.
Despite lack of conclusive photographic evidence of big cats in the county, Gloucestershire police believe there are pairs living in the Forest of Dean and around the Cirencester area. The force has a wildlife and environmental crime officer, Mark Robson, who has been documenting sightings since 2002. He said the Forestry Commission sightings were credible.
I find this stuff really interesting and would love to see one for myself - then there would be a chance to track it! I live in hope of one day seeing the Exmoor Beast.
Let me know if any of you have seen large cats here in the UK or in places, you think they shouldn't be, elsewhere in the world.
big cats
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas to everyone who reads my blog!
I hope you all have splendid New Year's in 2009.
Take care and see you next year.
Jon
I hope you all have splendid New Year's in 2009.
Take care and see you next year.
Jon
Heat loss from head - continued!
Well, I've looked into this a bit more and found some interesting stuff. Bear with the biology lesson, it's worth it.
Under normal circumstances the blood flow to the brain doesn't change because the demand for oxygen is constant. This being the case then the head accounts for about 7% of total heat loss. So far so good and pretty much what I said in the previous post.
Blood flow to the brain however does vary according to cardiac output. This means the faster your heart beats, then more blood flows to your head. This increase in blood flow causes an increase in heat loss. So when you start to exercise, more blood flows to your brain. This increases the heat loss from the head to about 50%! But, as you continue to exercise, muscles demand more oxygen and more blood. In order for your body to maintain its core temperature it now needs to shunt blood to other parts of the body eg blood vessels in the skin vasodilate to help cool the body.
This means that blood flow to the brain decreases causing the total heat loss from the head to decrease back down to about 10%. Once sweating starts this will drop back down to about 7%. Cool eh!
There is a big implication here for victims of hypothermia. Someone who is hypothermic but not shivering will be losing about 7% of total body heat through there head (see above). However, as soon as they start shivering, they are, in effect, exercising and so heat loss can rise to 50% or more through their head. So it is important to protect a hypothermia victim's head from the cold especially if they are shivering.
heat loss, hypothermia
Under normal circumstances the blood flow to the brain doesn't change because the demand for oxygen is constant. This being the case then the head accounts for about 7% of total heat loss. So far so good and pretty much what I said in the previous post.
Blood flow to the brain however does vary according to cardiac output. This means the faster your heart beats, then more blood flows to your head. This increase in blood flow causes an increase in heat loss. So when you start to exercise, more blood flows to your brain. This increases the heat loss from the head to about 50%! But, as you continue to exercise, muscles demand more oxygen and more blood. In order for your body to maintain its core temperature it now needs to shunt blood to other parts of the body eg blood vessels in the skin vasodilate to help cool the body.
This means that blood flow to the brain decreases causing the total heat loss from the head to decrease back down to about 10%. Once sweating starts this will drop back down to about 7%. Cool eh!
There is a big implication here for victims of hypothermia. Someone who is hypothermic but not shivering will be losing about 7% of total body heat through there head (see above). However, as soon as they start shivering, they are, in effect, exercising and so heat loss can rise to 50% or more through their head. So it is important to protect a hypothermia victim's head from the cold especially if they are shivering.
heat loss, hypothermia
Friday, 19 December 2008
If you want to get ahead, get a hat!
Recently, scientists have decided to bust some myths. One of them is how much heat is lost through the head. It would seem that many of us having been labouring under the misapprehension that we lose anywhere between 20% and 50% of our body heat through our heads (Guardian article).
This would appear to be total rubbish that has come about from some flawed research done by American scientists in the 1950's. Scientists, eh! Anyway, the upshot is that the amount of heat loss from any exposed skin is about the same no matter where on the body that skin is. The heat loss is proportional to the amount of exposed skin. Pretty logical really. The head accounts for about 10% of our body's surface area, so, in order for it to lose 40% of our heat, the skin on our heads would have to lose 40 % more heat, per square inch, than any other skin on our bodies. Not likely, is it?
The skin on our neck and head is more sensitive to temperature which is why wearing a hat is so cosy on a brisk winter's day. It just feels like it is stopping more heat loss rather than actually doing so.
I find this interesting so will probably look into it in more detail and post something else about it later.
Have fun!
heat loss
This would appear to be total rubbish that has come about from some flawed research done by American scientists in the 1950's. Scientists, eh! Anyway, the upshot is that the amount of heat loss from any exposed skin is about the same no matter where on the body that skin is. The heat loss is proportional to the amount of exposed skin. Pretty logical really. The head accounts for about 10% of our body's surface area, so, in order for it to lose 40% of our heat, the skin on our heads would have to lose 40 % more heat, per square inch, than any other skin on our bodies. Not likely, is it?
The skin on our neck and head is more sensitive to temperature which is why wearing a hat is so cosy on a brisk winter's day. It just feels like it is stopping more heat loss rather than actually doing so.
I find this interesting so will probably look into it in more detail and post something else about it later.
Have fun!
heat loss
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Radio gaga
Well on Monday this week I was on an informal discussion panel on local BBC Somerset Radio.
It was good fun and lasted for an hour and we talked about local and national news. I enjoyed it so much I hope to be invited back in a few weeks time to have another go! It was also a good way to get myself some publicity.
I'll keep you posted when I'm on again.
It was good fun and lasted for an hour and we talked about local and national news. I enjoyed it so much I hope to be invited back in a few weeks time to have another go! It was also a good way to get myself some publicity.
I'll keep you posted when I'm on again.
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