Confessions of a Gear Freak...

For those of you who don't know me, I am a Gear Freak. Yes there you have it, a confession of sorts. I am a borne and bred Freak de Gear....Freako dos Gearo....Freakicht das Gearstein.... whatever you want to call it, I have an addiction which I should warn you all about.

Yes a dude carrying a kitchen sink ( must be American! )

I'm not sure I can put my finger on when it all kicked off. Maybe it was when I was a little Scout and at aged 10 all I wanted was a pair of Troll Omni Climbing trousers that all the grown-ups had? ( now that is a confession ), or maybe it was walking past the old Jack Shorne's shop in Harrow looking in the window and trying to work out how to buy a Whitby Black Widow catapult or original US Army Alice Backpack ( isn't it already worrying that I can remember gear wants from 20 years ago? ). Maybe I was just born with it? Either way it is pretty hard for anyone other than a Gear Freak to comprehend...but let me try to explain.

An Original Alice Backpack ( still awesome )

1) Being a Gear Freak is not just about having the latest kit. It is more than that, it is about getting the kit before anyone else. By the time it is on the shelves it is just too late. The Holy Grail of the Gear Freak is 'The Prototype'.

The Prototype of the Pyranha Burn ( the last kayak worked on at Pyranha )

2) Being a Gear Freak seems to be intrinsically linked to Outdoor Sports. If a Gear Freak knows the difference between an original Berghaus Mera Peak and North Face Mountain Jacket ( in Yellow of course ), then they will also know the differences between an Original Pyranha Acro 270 and Perception Mr Clean ( as well as the difference between a Orange Clockwork and Santa Cruz Heckler etc etc ).

3) The Gear Freak knows the stats. 'Know your Hydrostatic Head!'

Yes it's a Hydrostatic Head Tester ( of course it is? )

4) The Gear Freak is your friend, they will be the one with the spare hat ( ok it won't be spare to them as it will no doubt be designed for a specific requirement ), in fact if you need to borrow anything ask a Gear Freak, they either already have it or they just need an excuse to get hold of one. Just don't use the term 'don't worry, it doesn't have to be a good one'.

5) The Gear Freak is passion unleashed. Don't pretend to understand them, don't try to engage in meaningful debate... just remember pretty much every company which makes cool stuff, be it Outdoors, Automotive, Tech or whatever, was created by a Gear Freak. Steve Jobs= Computer Gear Freak, August Horch ( founder of Audi ) = Car Gear Freak, Werner Von Braun ( one of the guys who helped set up NASA ) = Space Gear Freak. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Come see the Freak Show!

In short, embrace the Gear Freak ( and no that doesn't mean I need a hug )

One last thing ( though I have a feeling this might be a reoccurring topic ), how do you spot a Gear Freak? Well check their reading material.... yes they do like their niche core magazines in their chosen passion ( check out the new Privateer Mountain Bike magazine if you are that way inclined ), but for the most part you will find them reading catalogues. Yep, for me it was growing up with the old Survival Aids brochure, this then morphed into the Cotswold Outdoors Catalogue and it now is firmly stuck with Howies and Patagonia catalogues.

Got to love the concept of every one of these catalogues ( Lomotastic )

It simply is all about the Gear...

Badge of Honour

It's that time of year when the wind has changed direction and along with the rain there is an icey wind blowing. That of course means the trusty Down Jacket comes out of the closet has a bit of an airing and then gets thoroughly abused until the Spring comes. I've had this beauty since sometime in the late Nineties when I bought it on a Staff Deal directly from the Carringtons ( it was actually Sue I dealt with, wife of Rab Carrington ). It's a 'Kinder Guide' which means it has the re-inforced shoulders for carrying a pack and a better face fabric. Not sure if tney still make this model ( The company was sold a while back and I don't think it is family owned anymore ), not that I would replace it.

I've always seen a well used Down jacket as a Badge of Honour for those who enjoy the Outdoors. These are not the dreaded 'Puffa Jackets' full of nasty polyester, these are technical bits of kit which will serve you well for years. So if you have a Rab, North Face ( like the Missus ), Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardware, or Patagonia ( like the nipper! ) get them out of the cupboard and use them with pride!

It's a pity that Immy's jacket won't last as long as mine ( she may have grown out of it by next Winter )

Ingleton Waterfalls Walk and White Scar Caves

Click Here to see all the pics

Easter was really early this year...really early. Looking at the weather charts the original plan of going up to the Lakes was dropped ( good move as people were rescued off Scafell in Blizzards ), so we took Mother-in-Law Sadler up for a walk in the Yorkshire Dales.

Having already done our homework we headed up to Ingleton to do the famous Waterfall route. It was cracking! A good couple of hours out, 2 blizzards, lots of waterfalls and some lovely Lemon Drizzle cake ( courtesy of Vicky's fair hand ).


We followed it up with a walk down the longest show cave in the UK...White Scar Caves. A constant 8 degrees and plenty of weird and wonderful underground stuff. Not a trip for fat Americans or the clostrophobic!


If that wasn't enough we popped into Kirkby Lonsdale for a wander and then ate at the awesome 'Highwayman' Inn... Definately a place we will be returning to.

Easter Sunday morning came around with a blanket of snow, so it was off down the M6 to Stapley Water Gardens. Not a bad place for a bad weather trip, but it is no Chester Zoo or South African Nature Reserve ( and the actual gardens are pants ).


Off to stay in a Tipi next weekend for the Wedding Anniversary...can't wait!

Click Here to see all the pics

Click Here for details of Ingleton Waterfall Walk

Click Here for details of White Scar Caves

Click Here for details of the Highwayman Inn

Click Here for details of Stapley Water Gardens