Just back from a canoe camp on Loch Quoich

Paddling out it was below zero, but my hands didn’t feel cold so I didn’t put on the glacier gloves I had. As soon as I stopped though I found that my hands had lost the ability to do pretty much anything.
Now my hands were cold and wet it took me a good ten minutes to get the glacier gloves on, and they just didn’t help at all. Still nil desperandum, I pulled them off and found my old buffalo mitts swilling around in the bottom of the boat. Dead easy to pull on and within a few minutes my hands were working again and comfortable.
I think they cost about a tenner, bargain!

Great fotie.

Did you head up Sgurr Mor at all? I’ve a wee mission to do it from that side.

Shimano m520 pedals. £16 incl.cleats and last for year’s.

Stunning pic by the way

Tesco carrier bag for waterproofing every bag outdoors.

Deore kit.

Second the m520s. So good I bought a set for my other bike.

My vote is for cheap green [Dunlop] wellies. Less than a tenner from the local garden centre and they have outlived the posh pair I got as a Christmas present and the three upmarket pairs my wife has bought.

Seemingly indestructible. Perfect for dog walking.

Did you head up Sgurr Mor at all? I’ve a wee mission to do it from that side.

Not this time but another visit we went up the next one along, Sgurr nan Corrieachan? Golden Eagle flew by about thirty feet away. Never seen anything like it in my life.

Screw fix builders gloves very good cycling gloves for about a fiver

Deore brakes
Aldi cycling leggings
Ikea double sealed ziploc style freezer bags

520’s are great for money.
Decathlon bib shorts, under £50 and brilliantly comfy.
Planet-X Primevera jersey, my favourite jersey for under £20. In fact their merino arm and knee warmers are brilliant too.
Aldi winter cycling gloves are both brilliant and cheap.
Charles Thyritt shirts. 4 for £100 and they fit better, look better and last longer than any others I’ve found.

That pic is ace.

Hmm…Deore. Better than anything comparable by SRAM, it lasts and lasts, isn’t too heavy and does the job. Anyone who’s ever used Deore brakes will say “F*** me. These are brilliant!”.

Cheap hardtails.

You get ten speeds, tapered forks that work, hydraulic discs and everything for less than £600. Honestly, they’re ace.

Bolle Controur safty glasses work great as cycling glasses and cost less than a tenner. I like the ESP lens version myself.

Screw fix builders gloves very good cycling gloves for about a fiver

These look comfy, will have to get some. Are they more of a winter glove or can they be used all year round?

Decathlon running tights: £13 all in.

£13 all in.

I’d hope so

😆

Alpkit Gourdon 20l rucsac, great bit of kit

Singlespeed bikes.

You can buy a good one for not much more than a BSO, and then you can cycle around the world on it.

Shimano Alfine 8 if TCO is considered.

Oil. Makes bikes work better.

Gourdon.

Spent years using Lowe Alpine Flywheel and Deuter sacs.
Tried a Gourdon after recommendations on here.

It’s perfect.
Weighs nothing.
Packed or with a bladder, it only touches the middle half inch of your back, yet the simple waist, shoulder and chest straps mean it doesn’t move.

On my third in ten years – only issue is that the material on the base is too thin and wears through after resting on rocks.

Easily straps to a rack, fixable with duct tape.

+1 for Deore, Bolle Contour glasses, M520 pedals. All work brilliantly. And based on this thread will try out some of the other suggestions – “discovered” Bolle on here so all good. Thanks to all for the top tips!

Aldi winter gloves, these ones…

I have a pair of the above that are my go-to gloves for everything from dog walking to winter cycling. I _nearly_ took them to Canada for skiing, but common sense took hold and I bought some Hestras to take instead.

Plus a bazillion for bolle glasses. Easily the best clear lens riding glasses I’ve used. Cost less than a tenner (though I got them given free on the NHS as I need the uv protection they offer, whilst still being able to see at night)

Berghaus mach 12 +4 sac – £25 from local outdoor shop five years ago, takes a bladder, compressable, optional elasticated waist strap. Ideal for biking, running, summer walking. Seems to be indestructible too.
Mid/Lightweight fleece jumpers from Millets – prices vary, but can be as low as a fiver, great for layering, tough as well. I have a drawer-full of them and wear one daily for work, walking, biking in the cold.

+another for Aldi winter gloves. Only ones I’ve found to keep my Reynaud’s at bay without resorting to frankenglove layering.

Also,

Aldi’s ‘pro’ clothing – pretty good and the winter softshell I got last year is so warm I’ve only managed to wear it twice this winter.

Specialized tyres (not cheap cheap but compared to other big name brands…).

Your mum, Ohhhhhhh, no you didn’t

My decathlon dropper post. £35 and touching on a year of faultless fun.

Hypnotoad the screwfix gloves are quite warm so winter only

Bolle contour esp glasses +lots. I have Oakleys, but these things are brilliant for the cost.
Aldi winter gloves are a thing of wonder too.

Agree, Yer Yer Deore, Aldi gloves…. great

But….. What I really want is some more pics from your “canoe camp on Loch Quoich”…………Please 🙂

fixable with duct tape.

I look forward to seeing that on a swing tag in our local mountain goods emporium

Agu stuff from Planet X

WInter bib tights – lovely warm and comfortable
Agu shell top – perfect for those cold days when rain is not likely (ie never in the UK!)
Agu condom(snigger) rain shell thingy – good but a little boil in the bag – not much breathing going on!

Some stuff you buy is cheap – feels cheap etc

This Agu stuff seems to have a quality that may actually justify the RRP numbers!

Those aldi gloves are blinding right enough, they seem to go up and down a bit in quality but even the bad years are ace.

Thanks for your kind comments on the pic, im just a snapper with a compact camera chosen for waterproofness so I don’t often get much nice to look at.
Couple more for anyone interested

Thanks sweepy. Pictures are great.

Looks like a fantastic way to spend some time…I guess the car was pretty nearby to get the Canoe there

You park and put in just before where the road leaves the Loch, from there its a 5 or 6 K paddle to the spot we camped, which this visit was an island.
It is probably one of my favourite places to go, I can pop out for a night, or stay more than a week perfectly happily and rarely see another soul.