Preparedness for when

siegemode

Another fan of goretex here. I invested in a lightweight North face goretex jacket 21 years ago. At the time it was in the sale and reduced from £190 to £135. It seemed an incredible amount to pay at the time but I needed a good quality and reliable waterproof for travel adventures in different climates. It rolls up and has it's own little bag and has been a sound investment. I love it although I would choose a different colour if I was to replace it, red stands out somewhat:rotfl:so hardly low key. It's not just waterproof and breathable but is also windproof so is great when wind chill is bad.

If tempted don't just think of it as just a jacket, but more of an investment. I can see mine lasting for along while yet. If only I'd chosen a quieter colour

Anselm

siegemode wrote: »

Another fan of goretex here. I invested in a lightweight North face goretex jacket 21 years ago. At the time it was in the sale and reduced from £190 to £135. It seemed an incredible amount to pay at the time but I needed a good quality and reliable waterproof for travel adventures in different climates. It rolls up and has it's own little bag and has been a sound investment. I love it although I would choose a different colour if I was to replace it, red stands out somewhat:rotfl:so hardly low key. It's not just waterproof and breathable but is also windproof so is great when wind chill is bad.

If tempted don't just think of it as just a jacket, but more of an investment. I can see mine lasting for along while yet. If only I'd chosen a quieter colour

I also second your point of them being an investment. As long as they are re-proofed with Nikwax and looked after well, they will serve you well for many years.
And believe me, you'll be thankful you paid the money for one when it's honking down. :rotfl:

Perplexed_Pineapple

Pottering about the news sites, I came across this article about making your own vinegar:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/11/how-to-make-vinegar
I've been thinking it would be a useful skill to have, to be able to do our own preserving without relying on bought pickling vinegar, I guess it would need some experimentation to see what worked best for preserving different things. Obviously I expect half of you to have been making your own vinegar for years but for a newbie like me it's a constant learning curve

short_bird

Has anyone mentioned that bears are coming out of hibernation in the "frozen" North?

GreyQueen

short_bird wrote: »

Has anyone mentioned that bears are coming out of hibernation in the "frozen" North?

Is this one of those north of Watford sort of things?

Cottage_Economy

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

Pottering about the news sites, I came across this article about making your own vinegar:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/11/how-to-make-vinegar
I've been thinking it would be a useful skill to have, to be able to do our own preserving without relying on bought pickling vinegar, I guess it would need some experimentation to see what worked best for preserving different things. Obviously I expect half of you to have been making your own vinegar for years but for a newbie like me it's a constant learning curve

Didn't know you could make your own cider mother.

I've always liked the idea of vinegar making too, but I once saw one of those cider mothers hanging around in a very dusty manky bottle at someone's house once and it put me off a bit. Looked a bit like a lump of floppy tripe. But the idea of flavoured vinegars I like.

RAS

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

Pottering about the news sites, I came across this article about making your own vinegar:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/11/how-to-make-vinegar
I've been thinking it would be a useful skill to have, to be able to do our own preserving without relying on bought pickling vinegar, I guess it would need some experimentation to see what worked best for preserving different things. Obviously I expect half of you to have been making your own vinegar for years but for a newbie like me it's a constant learning curve

Some of my old cider (HM) might have to go that way. A bit dry even when newly brewed.

Given the price of cider vinegar, it could be worth it too.

short_bird

GreyQueen wrote: »

Is this one of those north of Watford sort of things?

Well north

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/10/polar-vortex-us-mild-weather-scandinavia

short_bird

short_bird wrote: »

Well north

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/10/polar-vortex-us-mild-weather-scandinavia

I forgot you have to be careful when googling bears. You may get hirsute well padded gentlemen instead.

Frugalsod

jk0 wrote: »

What do bears do in the winter? Go to sleep in their caves. Norway is nice in the summer.

I am also planning a couple of trips at other times of the year there. I have an open invite to Bergen, and will go to Tromso in the summer as well