Vikings Your Under a Vest !! For Fashion Faux Pas....

Dont be scared by "old " Technolgy !!

I have recently been testing some "Old Tech" kit,

some kit that works very well in our Outdoor Enviroment.

While working hard and then standing still. 

Some kit that uses a natural condition to its best advantage. 

Kit that just works!

Our bodies work best when warm and dry its technical name is Homeostatis
We work hard to maintain this balance when we are outdoors

Thanks to Rhodri Lewis from Nordiclife and his passion for staying warm and comfatable during his work offshore and in the outdoors. He brought the Brynje brand back to the UK for us.

When anyone mentions String Vests this is what springs to mind

and if your lucky this
or maybe even this if your old enough




However thanks to modern fabrics and technological advances and some "new" thinking from elite atheletes and military personal.
String Vests have reappeared.

Brynje have been around in Norway since 1887 and began by providing wool clothing to Norwegians. By 1949, when Henrik Brun, a Norwegian army officer, and Jacob Jacobsen officially formed Brynje, the pair had begun a revolution in extreme weather clothing. Brynje quickly inspired the devotion of elite mountaineers, outfitting John Hunt’s legendary 1953 expedition. This made Brynje the first base layer to the top of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing!

Rhodri explained the science to me and told me just to try it; 'The secret to the high performance is that it draws excess moisture away from the skin while maintaining a warm regulated cushion of air next to the body. With conventional solid knit underwear the perspiration cannot escape quickly enough through the fabric, so the fabric next to your skin becomes sodden and you quickly become cold.' 

Rhodri went on to explain This is not the case with Brynje's mesh system as the air pockets in between the holes allow the body to 'breathe' more easily and naturally -  which also explains why mesh systems work equally well in  hot and cold climates.  "Everyone hates that cold wet base layer stuck to the skin, and that virtually disappears when you use mesh. Firstly, you only have a small amount of material in contact with the skin, and secondly it's the 'cap layer' that holds the moisture as it leaves your skin as vapour and condenses on the cap layer, which is held away from the skin by the mesh."

I have worked with Mike Parsons and Mary Rose who have a great book called Invisible on Everest and a long standing knowledge and understanding of outdoor clothing. This is now included on their site Outdoor Gear Coach so I gleaned more knowledge from them. 

I also read Andy KirkPatricks blog on staying Warm from UK Climbing and he mentioned his Brynje mesh base layer.

So the Vikings brought this garment to the UK

 

Over the centriues it has come to be adapted and adopted by runners

 This is Ron Hill one of GB greatest distance runners 

Cyclists This is Greg Lemond who wore Brynje as preferred base layer to stay cool.

Cool Dudes 

 

Shackleton wore one on his trip to Antartica      

 

And the Commandos were issued them or made them from one piece of string that could be used when unwound for a multitude of uses 

                                     

I have been using it with a Montane Krypton Jacket over the top as my capping garment, along with this I have used a silk layer and a Montane Primino Merino Base Layer.  The mesh also works well with just a windproof such as Montane Lite Speed Jacket; Temperature regulation and a degree of waterproofness is great with this system.

This for me has been a winning combination, maybe not for everyone else.......

 

Two different styles for vagueries of weather. I have even used a mesh vest under a shirt in monsoon India this year. Its works like a layer of insulating scaffolding, keeping my wet shirt away from my skin. Helping with the dry feeling and aiding my shirt to dry quicker when the rains stopped.

I think I look like this  In reality its more like this........

Summary; Brilliant piece of outdoor kit that really works. 

It takes a bit of re-education on how to use it to best effect. Its all about the minor gains that give us the best results along with value for money and durability. 

As the Norwegians say 

Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær

Scafell Trail Race at Keswick Mountain Festival

High Terrain Events  put on a tough hard route from Keswick to the roof of England Scafell Pike. 

This was part of the Keswick Mountain Festival and at the end of very busy week of events. 

I was marshaling at Styhead Pass with Joe Faulkner from NAV4 on the summit of Scafell Pike, I think Joe managed to have a clear summit for part of the day. I was in the cloud all day thankfully not windy. This meant an early start at 05.30 for us to briefed drink tea and be in place ready for the runners to come through. 

                                                                                                                                                                First Runners Donald and Daisy at my Checkpoint were chased very closely by the winner Ricky Lightfoot a  local lad from Cumbria.

The conditions at the checkpoint did not change until all the runners were heading back off the mountain onto the trails to finish back in Keswick

Fist lady was Victoria Mousley, an old friend re-aquainted from many years ago. Its a strange world we live in.

Off they went into the mists this was a good test of folks navigation and mountain running and some fast trail running back to Keswick.

Joe and I met up at Styhead as we swept the mountain to make sure all the runners were safe and off the mountain. 

 There are also some pictures on my Facebook Page 

For a full selection of pictures I managed to take CLICK HERE.

Nav4 TDH Dec 22 2012

This year is the 3rd year of the annual event of the Tour De Helvellyn. Organised by Joe and I from the NAV4 with a lot of help from the whole team. Its traditionally run on the shortest weekend of the year, this year was very close to Xmas and we wondered if people would get a pass out to do it. Its fast becoming a classic in the calender as the weather in the past years has been a massive factor in the days events. This year proved no exception being forecast as "serious winds and rain" the south of England was battered by storms.

 Its  not a standard fell run or trail race drawing on traditions from the LDWA and Orinteering . You have to have some navigation experience you also need some cunning as to plan your start time between 07.00-09.00. NB daylight is at premium and therefore you need to suit your speed to the day. Patterdale Checkpoint (10 Mile) opens at 09.30. I was tasked to kit check again this year and folk were very patient as we try to be fair but keep a level of integrity to the rules. Last year I cheekily asked one person "what was on his butty's" as I would see them at Chk 3 and could help lighten the pack. This year people were volunteering to show me their buttys and survival bags etc. I didnt get to eat any though as it was very wet at the bridge.

Thanks to the people who gave me a hug shook my hand or said thanks its very appreciated especially after 3.5 hrs  in those conditions.

 Some pics from the route. Rachael after trying to sabotage the event. Achille Ratti lads

Bradden still smiling famous for it now. Well done Kim Collinson for going very quick but well done all for pushing him around.

 Trail Running Magazine editor Claire Maxted nicked my brew in an Eden Runners mug at the finish.


A great picture of two of the original Dragons Back finishers from 1992. Martin Stone and Helene Whittaker won it and Joe himself did himself proud this year again.

 More pics can be found here on my Picasa page if you click on this pic. on the right

See you in 2013 at another event?

Nearly the OMM time again

This is the Bridge on the way to Blacksail YHA on the 2008 OMM

Not long now till the @theomm in howling howgills. remember 08 in borrowdale but with wind.  Then you have the Howgills. Big round hills steep climbs and tough decents. The Rab MM was there in 2009 and it doesnt get easier. 

Have a look on the OMM website for more details I think this is my 18th event and hoping to do 21??

This is last years video from Scotland I had a technical problem. answers on a postcard please
Watch out for updates from Adventure In Mind

Ancient Cumbrian and Viking Byways

On a wet day after sitting plotting and scheming with  Joe Faulkner from Nav4 we decided that our eyes were getting square and Keela dog needed a walk. I brought Joe a Tyvek jacket to try out. They look a bit funky and its not writeable what Lindsey said he looked like in it... I was running in one in a cloudy wet windy night and it worked well.
There are many uses for Tyvek try it out on You Tube or Wikipedia

Watch this space on further tests and uses.

So we set off on a new route for me and went by some ancient byways to stretch our legs. We set off towards Ullswater and ended up at Dacre Church  As early as AD 731, the Venerable Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History, speaks of a monastery at Dacre, written as 'Dacore'. There is no later reference to the monastery, and it is assumed to have been destroyed by the Vikings. A church, however, has been present on the site for over a millennium. Archaeological excavations support the view that the church may be built on the site of the former monastery.

The present church is a Norman design. Several notable archaeological remains are at the site. These include various stone bears - the celebrated 'Dacre Bears', and inside the church two fragments of Viking crosses. Above the tower doorway, there is a plaque stating that the church was partly rebuilt by William Pollock. The south door has a large lock dated 1671 inscribed 'AP', referring to the Countess of Pembroke, Lady Anne Clifford The resting place of Viscount Whitelaw, the former Home Secretary, is in the church grounds.

Joe and Keela looking at the quadrangular walls 

 Dacre Castle was a quadrangular building with four turrets, a pele tower design, and built around the time of Henry VII. The castle was restored as a private dwelling in 1688. By 1816 it was being used as a farmhouse. The castle is presently in an excellent state of restoration. It featured in 2007 in Robbie Coltrane's ITV series, "Incredible Britain", where he travelled from Glasgow to London in a classic 1958 Jaguar XK 150 using only minor roads.

A classic gate post in the grounds of Dalemain House This is the site of the start of the now classic Lakes 50 and half way around the 100 mile route. Come have a look at some history if you are around recceing the course or just in the area.