Me and Maria (Alexander von Bronewski Manufaktur & Feinschmuck ) went for our annual Indian Summer Bivouac up the hill for less than 24 hours – offline. A great time to exercise, being outdoors, collecting the thoughts, getting inspired, watching shootingstars, drinking some good redwine, roasting some sausages, watching a fire burn, watching deer, eating blueberries, making good coffee, trying to name the surrounding mountains and exploring new paths – priceless!
First of all thanks to Albert Dörp from Absolut Canoe for organizing me this amazing Backpack – but i should start with some facts.
Ok, Frost River with a history of about 250 years (“kind of”) of constructing packs does it quite likely as they did in the gold rush days. The backpack is constructed of heavy duty waxed 18oz canvas, leather from the sb foot tannery (this should ring the bell the famous Red Wing´s are made from leather from the same tannery) and rocksolid brass hardware.
My first thought when I received this backpack was “heavy” but not in a negative way. I rather carry 1 kg more of backpack with me than a piece of crap which gives me trouble be-cause its badly and lightweight constructed. (I lost a not properly attached waist belt buckle on a Lafuma backpack before I started a 10 days trip in Norway and a Vaude shoulderstrap buckle broke in the middle of Patagonia – one was about 60L and the other a 80L backpack – so no toys). I started to look for a bad construction or weak spots but could not find one, seams, material and hardware is bombproof. A Land Rover Defender has quite the same characteristics – loved for its proofed design and construction.
It took me probably about half a year to finally field-test the bag. It was packed with 20kg+ of camping equipment, food and drinks (Pernod and Redwine) and cloth. At the first 500m I had to move a hard piece of equipment because the backpack has no backplate construction. I rather packed the pack lazy 21th century not as I learned in the army. A bit later I had to adjust the shoulderstraps a bit and the rest of the 6 hour hike up to 2400m above sea level (1500m up the hill) went smoothly. The only little problem I had on the first day was the waist belt was too big for me since I only hiked with a Polo shirt, so i might punch another hole in the leather strap.
What I really liked about the backpack is it huge capacity to overload it. It is rated with about 45 Liter but due to the long straps I guess even about 60 Liters seem possible I would say. So it will be a perfect backpack for a quick overnight trip with lots of stuff packed in on a night on a bonfire or even a bigger hiking trip for up to 2 weeks. Albert mention a headstrap “Sherpa Style” for bigger trips – since the D-Rings are there to attach a device like this I will give it a try next time I carry a lot of weight in there.
What else can I tell you about the backpack, the images speak for themselves. Have a look of the nicely leather lined and very comfortable leather shoulder straps attached with 9 rivets!
Honestly I´m sure this backpack will outlast me and I do not see any reason to get rid of it. I will post my experience with this new friend over the years. Thanks again to Albert Dörp for making this great brand hassle free available to us. He works together with Frost River since 2006 and is the Distributer for them in Germany and most of Europe since 2008.
A direct link to the backpack he offers in his webshop @ Absolut Canoe is here:
We probably caught one of the last weekends for our bivouac in the alps. Probably a week to late, the yellow leaves already dropped down. After about close to 3 hours we reached the summit and our campground. On the way up there I spotted a badly wounded tree which blood/resin I took as a fire starter. Two years ago I collected some wood and leaned it to a tree, it was still there so the fire was started really quick. We barbecued some Frankfurter/Kraken and had a good bottle of red wine.
The night was very mild for end of october but quite windy. Tillmann had his sheep skin and thick felt army blanket which were sufficient for the night. Sunrise was great and a task on this trip was to review the abilities of the Trangia alcohol stove with non conform add ons.
First task was to get good coffee, with the Bialetti espresso maker he worked just great.
Second task was to heat up the De Buyer fried egg pan which worked perfect as well.
Unintentionally the Trangia frying pan served as a water cup for Tillmann and the 2 pots for collecting blueberries.
It was a great trip, perfect weather and very comfortable. The Trangia stove added very much to its comfort. The Trangia cooking system is a absolute fool proof compact way to dine outdoors. Alcohol is widely available to run it and has the huge plus that its smell is way better when spilling some of the content than petroleum, diesel or gasoline. Gas cartridges I somehow dislike since they are always a big hassle to get, produce a lot of litter and can not used up all the way. (and are pricy)
If you wonder why this images look somehow familiar to you check a post about this spot two years ago. (it was more than 2 weeks earlier, thats why the leafs look much nicer)
Hiking to the Sarotlahütte – AustriaLast weekend we went to the Sarotlahütte in Austria, a perfekt spot for stay for a night and to do further hikes in this area. Snow came early this year and the hut was closed, as most huts at high altitude do. We enjoyed the warm sun the stunning panorama and of corse our “Brotzeit” / picknick up there.
Trangia Cooking Set 25-3 UL spiritus/alcohol outdoor stoveToday I received a test sample of the Trangia Cooking Set 25-3 UL by Scandic. This is just a short unboxing post. This outdoor cooking set will be tested within the next weeks on my outdoor trips. I´m just sick about broken O-rings and leaking high tech and high powered multifuel burners. Without any doubt the Trangia is the “Landrover Defender” of the outdoor stoves. Im really optimistic it will proof my expectations.
From saturday till sunday we went to a hike to a 2395m high alpine hut which was on my absolute to see list since years. Bad weather or snow and bad maps were the reason I did not made it there yet. After a steady 5-6 hours wandering uphill we made it to the already warmed up cabin. 2 hiking couples moved already in and they even made too much pasta. We were generous enough to help them to recycle this well made dinner. In exchange we did the washing and I shared my last drops of Flor de Cana Rum with them.
This was also the first time I was just in time to feast on blueberries, they were always too green or too ripe. The mountains and the landscape in this area is great as well. On the way we passed some really rustic cabins for shelter and as hunting base as well.
I definitely have to head back there before winter comes for one or two nights.
Hiking – Kaltenberghütte:I just spent one day in the Alps and discovered another great hiking area with possible winter hike possibilities. The area around the Kaltenbergerhütte is not just surrounded by a great panoramic scenery but also the area to run free for easy more than 100 Haflinger horses.
Hiking Trip from Sibratsgfäll to Schönenbach, Vorarlberg – Austria:
This is one of the standart hikes we do when weather is bad or the snow is still trapped in the mountains. Not too high in altitude but in a nice surrounding – scenery. At the end of the valley there is the village Schönenbach which is only inhabited in summertime. Famous for their milk and cheese we do not fail to restock some local made stuff there.
Hohe Kugel – Austria, hiking:
Nothing too special about this hiking trip. Bad/moody weather but the good think, less people. It even snowed a bit on the peak. The nature up there is at least 2-4 weeks delayed in its progress.
Snowshoe Trip Day 1 – St. Anton – Konstanzer Hütte:
After some delays be-cause of heavy snow on the motorway and too much snow on the pass, we finally made our way to St. Anton at around 2pm to our starting point of the trip.
Unfortunately after about an hour in the route we found out that the “Rosanna-schlucht” / “Rosanna canyon” indeed is something steep. That is usually obvious by the word “schlucht/canyon”. Walking this canyon in summer and the in winter can be a different league. A couple of times we were close to turn around and walk back to the official winter path but due to laziness and courage we made (digged) our way trough. After another 3 and a half exhausting hours, taking turns who will be the first to compress the powder about 30 cm down, we arrived half an hour after darkness at the hut. After the oven ran and the first snow was melted to prepare some hot soup the party began.
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