Our trekking gear..........
Out on the trail...
.Each day we alternate, the riding and pack horse, to give them all a break from carrying the static pack weight thru the hills...
With two pack horses, one carries out tent shelter and firebox, along with other camping gear, while the other carries our supplies and cooking gear..
With this set up, we can continue travelling thru the mountain country for two weeks of luxury camping without the need to resupply...
With two pack horses, one carries out tent shelter and firebox, along with other camping gear, while the other carries our supplies and cooking gear..
With this set up, we can continue travelling thru the mountain country for two weeks of luxury camping without the need to resupply...
Riding horse gear
This photo shows myself in the backcountry with my riding horse of the day in typical tack.
I use a Syd Hill stock saddle, as these saddles will comfortably fit a wide range of horses from our bony withered T/Bred, thru to the wide gullet Quarter horse.
Behind the saddle,wrapped over the horses back and attached to the saddle "D" s is my own designed saddle bag system in which I can carry enough provisions for a four day trek.
On top of the saddle bag I attach my swag bedroll and atop of this I carry my wet weather gear just in case.
Either side of the saddle I have two long ropes, one as my night highline rope and the other my horse leg tie rope (explained later)
The total weight of gear behind the saddle is around 15 to 18 kgs, so it is not to heavy on the weaker part of the horses back.
All the riding horses are loaded this way and all are happy walking all day long loaded like this
Photo shows Shae and myself,out on the mountain trail typically loaded.
I use a Syd Hill stock saddle, as these saddles will comfortably fit a wide range of horses from our bony withered T/Bred, thru to the wide gullet Quarter horse.
Behind the saddle,wrapped over the horses back and attached to the saddle "D" s is my own designed saddle bag system in which I can carry enough provisions for a four day trek.
On top of the saddle bag I attach my swag bedroll and atop of this I carry my wet weather gear just in case.
Either side of the saddle I have two long ropes, one as my night highline rope and the other my horse leg tie rope (explained later)
The total weight of gear behind the saddle is around 15 to 18 kgs, so it is not to heavy on the weaker part of the horses back.
All the riding horses are loaded this way and all are happy walking all day long loaded like this
Photo shows Shae and myself,out on the mountain trail typically loaded.
If you need to use spurs on your horse then you are doing something wrong.....!
Other side view....Our total gear taken on up to four day treks...
Lunch time......!
When starting a new horse under saddle I use just a gentle eggbutt snaffle bit with the bridle, until the horse learns to become soft to rein / voice cues, then I transit onto a hackamore bitless bridle so still have control, but this allows the horse to be able to graze now and then along the days trail..
Once i feel the horse is easy and soft, I drop the bridles all together and just use a halter and a pair of reins as above shown on Shae..
When starting a new horse under saddle I use just a gentle eggbutt snaffle bit with the bridle, until the horse learns to become soft to rein / voice cues, then I transit onto a hackamore bitless bridle so still have control, but this allows the horse to be able to graze now and then along the days trail..
Once i feel the horse is easy and soft, I drop the bridles all together and just use a halter and a pair of reins as above shown on Shae..
Don't put off what you dream of till tomorrow.......!
Clarke McKenzie Saddlery
I want to thank Nathan Clarke and also Brent in the canvas room there at Clarke McKenzie Saddlery in Belfast for their ongoing patience with me in developing my ideas with trekking gear for horse travel.
Everytime I walked thru the door into the shop Nathan and Brent would start smiling.. roll their eyes.. and ask what "hair brained" scheme have you drempt up this time..?
The boys have taken my scribbled paper plans and thoughts and with their input produced the following ,
* A heavy Leather saddlebag system...that is quite waterproof, can carry provision for a 4 day trek, able to hold my swag bed roll, and sits well and comfortable for the horse. I am able to trot and even canter the horse with this set up if necessary,as the system as a seperate cinche strap to stop it flapping around.,
* A waterproof and warm canvas bed roll swag roll... I am totally comfortable sleeping out under the stars in it, which has been the case from time to time.
The saddlery had a basic bed roll kit on sale, however Nathan and I have changed and modified the original roll into a heavy duty version,(heavier weight canvas and now full length tough zip.. full head area flap that can be velcro fastened while inside to stop sandflies visiting us ) with much more waterproof and sandfly resistant serious user friendly features which has been well tried and tested.. my one is now four years old, has been used extensively, a reliable product...
* A purpose built two man quick put up and pull down tent that rolls up and ties over the front of the saddle made out of oilskin material with sewn in floor, the tent slings on a cord between two trees or bushes, and has boulder bags sewn around its perimeter to hold boulders to hold it in place.. no pegs or poles needed..!
* A canvas tent fly that has optional front and rear walls and length extension, all quick put up and pull down that is slung on a rope between two trees.and is held down with boulders put in boulder bags sewn around the bottom perimeter of the tent. Again no pegs or poles needed.!
*,Several leather waterproof bags, each designed with a large bull clip on top so can be hung on pack loads to help balance, or hung on my riding saddle... containing first aid, horse shoeing gear, water drink bottle bag, thermette bag (as we like to stop and have a brew on the trail.)
* Heavy leather waterproof and warm riding Chaps
* A Metal camp firebox for heating and cooking while tent camping that comfortably goes inside one of the soft pannier bags on the packhorse.
* Leather horse leg tie system.
* Waterproof bag to fit over the swag roll on the horse.
* Heavy duty canvas and leather horse nose bags, used for both feed and water bucket. these work a treat.!
CAUTION...Be aware that horse nose bags can drown a horse if left unsupervised, if the horse tries to take a drink with one still attached, the bag can fill with water and drown him... it has happened...!
Les Wilkins Saddlery in Harwarden
I also want to thank Les with his years of expertise with packsaddle and rigging leather work, in the modifications to my packsaddles and the building of associated harness that is strong and well built for the job.
Everytime I walked thru the door into the shop Nathan and Brent would start smiling.. roll their eyes.. and ask what "hair brained" scheme have you drempt up this time..?
The boys have taken my scribbled paper plans and thoughts and with their input produced the following ,
* A heavy Leather saddlebag system...that is quite waterproof, can carry provision for a 4 day trek, able to hold my swag bed roll, and sits well and comfortable for the horse. I am able to trot and even canter the horse with this set up if necessary,as the system as a seperate cinche strap to stop it flapping around.,
* A waterproof and warm canvas bed roll swag roll... I am totally comfortable sleeping out under the stars in it, which has been the case from time to time.
The saddlery had a basic bed roll kit on sale, however Nathan and I have changed and modified the original roll into a heavy duty version,(heavier weight canvas and now full length tough zip.. full head area flap that can be velcro fastened while inside to stop sandflies visiting us ) with much more waterproof and sandfly resistant serious user friendly features which has been well tried and tested.. my one is now four years old, has been used extensively, a reliable product...
* A purpose built two man quick put up and pull down tent that rolls up and ties over the front of the saddle made out of oilskin material with sewn in floor, the tent slings on a cord between two trees or bushes, and has boulder bags sewn around its perimeter to hold boulders to hold it in place.. no pegs or poles needed..!
* A canvas tent fly that has optional front and rear walls and length extension, all quick put up and pull down that is slung on a rope between two trees.and is held down with boulders put in boulder bags sewn around the bottom perimeter of the tent. Again no pegs or poles needed.!
*,Several leather waterproof bags, each designed with a large bull clip on top so can be hung on pack loads to help balance, or hung on my riding saddle... containing first aid, horse shoeing gear, water drink bottle bag, thermette bag (as we like to stop and have a brew on the trail.)
* Heavy leather waterproof and warm riding Chaps
* A Metal camp firebox for heating and cooking while tent camping that comfortably goes inside one of the soft pannier bags on the packhorse.
* Leather horse leg tie system.
* Waterproof bag to fit over the swag roll on the horse.
* Heavy duty canvas and leather horse nose bags, used for both feed and water bucket. these work a treat.!
CAUTION...Be aware that horse nose bags can drown a horse if left unsupervised, if the horse tries to take a drink with one still attached, the bag can fill with water and drown him... it has happened...!
Les Wilkins Saddlery in Harwarden
I also want to thank Les with his years of expertise with packsaddle and rigging leather work, in the modifications to my packsaddles and the building of associated harness that is strong and well built for the job.
Sean Pope Saddlery in Waikuku....
I had the underside of my Syd Hill stock saddle wear a hole in the fabric due to the saddlebags rubbing, so asked Sean if he could add a rear half replacement made out of leather... a tricky job to remold the shape to the original but Sean made a beautiful job of it and at a nice price..Well done and thank you Sean...
Barry White... Farrier...
Barry does all my horse shoeing for me on a 6 weekly basis.. he cold shoes and everytime makes a great job... Barry is always quiet around the horses unlike some other farriers even if a horse is having an off day.
I like it that Barry has an extensive hoof knowledge and shoes according to a horses needs.. for some reason most of our horses have odd feet and all seem to need his experienced eye to deliver comfortable fits..
Barry is also a man who is ALWAYS on time... and the odd time is may be running a little behind, will always txt and let me know... I like this service....
With my extensive back country trekking, it is hard on horse shoes, and Shae has a regular habit of loosing front shoes.. previous farriers have tried all sorts to remedy this problem with little solution..
Working with Barry, we have tried all sorts of different shoes and trimming styles, and one day I said Barry what would happen if we put a set of rears on the front as rears had side clips instead of just one toe clip.... we shod Shae with rears on the front and rear, and you know.. they have stayed on... I can often go the full six weeks between shoeing with all shoes still intact, so a tip... try this if your horse has the habit Shae had.. it works..!
Footnote...
Barry has just been again to reshoe my horses, he has been doing some research, and their now are several different brands of horse shoe with side clips for front shoes... I think they are called eventer shoes.. a bit more expensive but worth the extra money to my mind..
.
I like it that Barry has an extensive hoof knowledge and shoes according to a horses needs.. for some reason most of our horses have odd feet and all seem to need his experienced eye to deliver comfortable fits..
Barry is also a man who is ALWAYS on time... and the odd time is may be running a little behind, will always txt and let me know... I like this service....
With my extensive back country trekking, it is hard on horse shoes, and Shae has a regular habit of loosing front shoes.. previous farriers have tried all sorts to remedy this problem with little solution..
Working with Barry, we have tried all sorts of different shoes and trimming styles, and one day I said Barry what would happen if we put a set of rears on the front as rears had side clips instead of just one toe clip.... we shod Shae with rears on the front and rear, and you know.. they have stayed on... I can often go the full six weeks between shoeing with all shoes still intact, so a tip... try this if your horse has the habit Shae had.. it works..!
Footnote...
Barry has just been again to reshoe my horses, he has been doing some research, and their now are several different brands of horse shoe with side clips for front shoes... I think they are called eventer shoes.. a bit more expensive but worth the extra money to my mind..
.
Mike Brown.... our Vet..
We use Mike as our vet when needed....Mike is solely an Equine Vet and knows his job throughly...!
Mike works alone and is a very busy man, but I know that in our emergencies he will often drop what he is doing (as long as his current job is also not urgent ) and attend our equine needs
A couple of times over the past years we have arrived at the horse paddock to find a horse rolling on the ground suffering with colic, and rung Mike , both times he said he will be right there...
We have also had the horrible job of having to put a horse down now and then, and Mike has the compasion to quietly go about his job.. its a horrible horrible thing to have to do......
Thank you so much for your service Mike.....
Mike works alone and is a very busy man, but I know that in our emergencies he will often drop what he is doing (as long as his current job is also not urgent ) and attend our equine needs
A couple of times over the past years we have arrived at the horse paddock to find a horse rolling on the ground suffering with colic, and rung Mike , both times he said he will be right there...
We have also had the horrible job of having to put a horse down now and then, and Mike has the compasion to quietly go about his job.. its a horrible horrible thing to have to do......
Thank you so much for your service Mike.....
Gerry Johnstone...... Horse Trainer.. Ph 03 310 3016
I dont recommend people on this site easily, but the ones in here are to my mind a cut above the rest..Gerry is one such person who excels in his field as a green horse trainer...
Over recent years I have listened to a number of horse owners who have had trouble with their mounts and its Gerrys name that seems to crop up regularily.
I asked Gerry to carry on with initial riding and training of Gizz while I had to work... he made a huge improvement in just ten days.. he works in a quiet and soft way that brings out the best in horses.. well done and thank you for looking after Gizz for me Gerry.....
I can surely recommend him for your young stock or indeed troubled horses..
Life, is living your dream.....!
Our horses need to be reliable and bombproof.!
This photo shows why our horses need to bombproof.
On a recent trek we had to travel right alongside this main trunk railway line for several ks, and as you can see, if a train came along there was nowhere to get off the trail .
Good boy Shae..!
On a recent trek we had to travel right alongside this main trunk railway line for several ks, and as you can see, if a train came along there was nowhere to get off the trail .
Good boy Shae..!
In camp......Horse leg tie system.
Photo shows another of my own designed horse leg tie system that works very well.
At camp or even if stopping on the trail for lunch,
I tie a leather leg band around one of the horses
front legs (as per pic), then clip a 12 metre long soft cotton rope to this and the other end clip to a metal spike with a swivel head and drive the spike into the ground with a rock.
This horse tie method works well in that the horse is free to move around, roll, lie down without the rope getting tangled as often the case when tied to a halter,
At camp I tie the alpha horses with this system during the day and let the rest go free to graze as they dont go far from the alpha horse.
Just as we go to bed at nite, I tie all the horses to a high line between two trees above their head and a short rope tied to this rope and onto the halter, so the horses can move around at night and not get tangled up.
Its a safe and sure way to have ones horses still in camp next morning.!
At camp or even if stopping on the trail for lunch,
I tie a leather leg band around one of the horses
front legs (as per pic), then clip a 12 metre long soft cotton rope to this and the other end clip to a metal spike with a swivel head and drive the spike into the ground with a rock.
This horse tie method works well in that the horse is free to move around, roll, lie down without the rope getting tangled as often the case when tied to a halter,
At camp I tie the alpha horses with this system during the day and let the rest go free to graze as they dont go far from the alpha horse.
Just as we go to bed at nite, I tie all the horses to a high line between two trees above their head and a short rope tied to this rope and onto the halter, so the horses can move around at night and not get tangled up.
Its a safe and sure way to have ones horses still in camp next morning.!
Its not always the best plan to follow the latest magic gossip to "fix" your horses problems.....
In camp....Daytime leg tied.
At camp where no horse paddock is present the Alpha horse on the left and the Appaloosa are generally the only two of our horses leg tied at camp, the rest are turned loose although my wife likes her quarter horse halter tied..See the funny halter verses leg tie incident in the stories section....
If you intend to use a similar leg tie system for your horse at camp, your horses will need a little time to become accustom to it..
At home before trekking tie the leg band around your horses leg and onto a soft cotton rope..( i use cotton braided rein rope ) of ten to twelve metres in length and first for a while just sit down and hold the other end after walking your horse out to the end of it, apply a little constant pressure so he feels it and just hold that pressure as best as you can.
On the side that you are tying the leg band on, bandage the same side rear leg fetlock for the first few days of initial training just in case of a rope tangle... all the other legs are fine unbandaged..
.
Often the horse will stay right at the end with this pressure and will walk around a circle with the rope still tight.. perhaps stay with him half an hour then take it off.. repeat next day and once he has become accustom to this pressure tie an old car tire to the other end and let him drag this for a period..
Walk up to him and lead him across to the other side of this circle and let him feel the end of the line so to speak.. he needs to learn that he can walk this circle and know his leg will feel the end..
Do this practise as some horses if not used to it may start to run still tied and can flip over when the rope pulls up tight.
Next drive your metal stake into the ground and tie a doubled strand of baling twine thru the spikes D and clip the cotton rope to the string so you create a break away in the line...
I use a breakaway all the time on all my horses leg ties...
Horses soon become used to the circle restriction and give little trouble tied like this.. Initially you may get the odd tangle but very few...
I can leave Shae and Bailey all day tied with little problem at camp....
In camp..... Overnight highline system.
Unless a suitable horse paddock is present I (personally) prefer to highline all my horses overnight rather than other means, as overnight if any of the horses gets a fright and tries to bolt away they cant go far highlined, but horses have been known to run straight thru temporary night time electric fence containment if spooked.Then you are faced with all your horses loose and off ......while you sleep...!
I met a rider a while back who had her two horses enclosed in her night time electric fence at a hut , to be woken by the sound of her horse hooves running around the hut loose and out of the paddock... Upon searching out of the hut door with her torch the beam came upon a family of pigs who had crossed thru her temporary paddock forcing her horses to run straight thru it in a bid to escape the intruders....
Pigs are one thing that quite a few horses including Shae really dislike.....
At camp the Alpha horses are leg tied during the day until last thing before we go to bed at night, ....are given a drink and then high lined...They cant eat overnight so its up at day break and back on the leg tie with their hard feed and then grass for at least an hour before saddling up..
One old packie I remember had always used more than one way to secure the horses overnight... some in a horse paddock and some highlined, so in the event of "escapees" at least some horses were still in camp, being able to be saddled for the missing horse/s location ride..
This particular packie seemed to have trouble with one station hack in particular who if put in a hut paddock, would from time to time jump out and high tail it back to the station, which in turn agitated the rest and invariably the rest followed suit..of course this always happened in the middle of a muster when he needed the horse transport to be reliable.....wise thinking I feel....!
I met a rider a while back who had her two horses enclosed in her night time electric fence at a hut , to be woken by the sound of her horse hooves running around the hut loose and out of the paddock... Upon searching out of the hut door with her torch the beam came upon a family of pigs who had crossed thru her temporary paddock forcing her horses to run straight thru it in a bid to escape the intruders....
Pigs are one thing that quite a few horses including Shae really dislike.....
At camp the Alpha horses are leg tied during the day until last thing before we go to bed at night, ....are given a drink and then high lined...They cant eat overnight so its up at day break and back on the leg tie with their hard feed and then grass for at least an hour before saddling up..
One old packie I remember had always used more than one way to secure the horses overnight... some in a horse paddock and some highlined, so in the event of "escapees" at least some horses were still in camp, being able to be saddled for the missing horse/s location ride..
This particular packie seemed to have trouble with one station hack in particular who if put in a hut paddock, would from time to time jump out and high tail it back to the station, which in turn agitated the rest and invariably the rest followed suit..of course this always happened in the middle of a muster when he needed the horse transport to be reliable.....wise thinking I feel....!
I love driving my slow old ute and with a smilie on my face... it really confuses modern thinking people....hehehe !
Pack Horse Use....
On many of our treks we travel in the back country for a week or so and often take a pack horse or two with extra supplies and gear.
We have two sawbuck pack saddles and harness from the states,
The pack saddle , is designed to minimise the down hill sway, by being able to move with the horses back movements but hold the load steady..
Horses generally readily take to packing and l do introduce a bit of a training program before taking them into some of the more narrow and demanding trail areas
Packing horses is an art, it requires one to be very careful in the way the load is put on a horse, paying close attention to balance as if the load is even 1 kg heavier on one side, over time the saddle will firstly lean that way and if nothing is done to correct this it will often eventually slip right over and under the horse with the predictable fireworks that the alarmed horse will show you.
I also like to keep the top pack to a minimum, as up, and especially down steeper trails the horses sway with each step a lot and a heavy top pack will often cause a packsaddle to move excessively side to side.
Most of our longer trail rides with a three horse team , I ride one horse one day, pack him the next, and the third day he runs free with us, so all the horses have a free day once every third day, they love this freedom and often will run out in front and lead the way along trails.
Pic above shows the pack string on top of the "Bullock bow" saddle, Mesopotamia. I was asked to transport a number of hikers gear bags over the course of several days from hut to hut, as they walked over the mountains from Mesopotamia Station in the Rangitata to Lake Tekapo.
As you can see the pack load contained bags of different sizes and shapes, needing careful arranging for balance on the horses.This load of bags is tied to the saddle with our four long load straps each with a large "D" to hook to the saddle.
We have two sawbuck pack saddles and harness from the states,
The pack saddle , is designed to minimise the down hill sway, by being able to move with the horses back movements but hold the load steady..
Horses generally readily take to packing and l do introduce a bit of a training program before taking them into some of the more narrow and demanding trail areas
Packing horses is an art, it requires one to be very careful in the way the load is put on a horse, paying close attention to balance as if the load is even 1 kg heavier on one side, over time the saddle will firstly lean that way and if nothing is done to correct this it will often eventually slip right over and under the horse with the predictable fireworks that the alarmed horse will show you.
I also like to keep the top pack to a minimum, as up, and especially down steeper trails the horses sway with each step a lot and a heavy top pack will often cause a packsaddle to move excessively side to side.
Most of our longer trail rides with a three horse team , I ride one horse one day, pack him the next, and the third day he runs free with us, so all the horses have a free day once every third day, they love this freedom and often will run out in front and lead the way along trails.
Pic above shows the pack string on top of the "Bullock bow" saddle, Mesopotamia. I was asked to transport a number of hikers gear bags over the course of several days from hut to hut, as they walked over the mountains from Mesopotamia Station in the Rangitata to Lake Tekapo.
As you can see the pack load contained bags of different sizes and shapes, needing careful arranging for balance on the horses.This load of bags is tied to the saddle with our four long load straps each with a large "D" to hook to the saddle.
Pretend, you are the horse and the horse is your rider with the "whip and spurs"....!
Free, on the trail
Photo shows Baileys turn to be free for the day, he loves to be out front leading the way.
Photo is taken on the trail in the Arthurs Pass area on the way to the remote Bull Creek Hut for lunch.
Photo is taken on the trail in the Arthurs Pass area on the way to the remote Bull Creek Hut for lunch.
Pack gear
Out on the trail in behind the remote Puketeraki Ranges this time,with Bailey the pack horse loaded with our soft pannier bag option.
With the soft panniers we can load one side with our own designed,overnight tent shelter that slings on a rope between two trees and is tied down with boulders in side boulder bags for quick set up and take down, it measures 2.5 metres in length and 4 metres wide in the form of an A frame and am able to stand up within.
The tent has two ends that quickly velcro in and also we can lengthen it to 5 metres long with a separate section that again velcos together if taking a bigger party of riders.
On the other side of the pack saddle we have a metal camp firebox for cooking and heating the tent with its chimney protruding thru the roof of the tent with a special fiberglass non combustible square sewn in to accommodate it.
A top of the chimney is an efficient spark arrestor / rain cap as we dont want any outside bush fires getting started, we used to have small outdoor fires for cooking, but in summer open fires are often not possible.
This firebox measuring 12 x 12x 24 inches has a 5" dia collapsible chimney that slides together and goes inside the firebox for transporting and the whole thing weighs only 12 kgs.
When tent camping we take a second pack horse with hard panniers containing our food , camp oven, and of course the compulsory liquid refreshments.
This set up gives us the freedom to stop and camp anywhere we like in total comfort.. Bliss....!
Tent camping is a great way of getting away from it all and off the beaten track, its nice to choose a beautiful spot beside a stream in the trees with the sun shining and set up a bit of a summer camp for a week or so.... this is what life is about..!
A recent trend while away trekking is a small but intense competition in preparing and cooking better meals than the competitors efforts the night before, this seems to involve secretive shopping for ingredients prior to departure and most cooks saying "mum" as to what they have in mind for their cullinary delight. often the cook of the night will produce entree, maincourse and pudding, sometimes using only a camp oven and open fire as heat..(smilies)
One word of caution i have found... it doesnt pay to let the "cook" indulge in more than one pre dinner taste of whiskey and mountain water that we often take with us until he or she has served up his or her meal..!
See the stories section for the funny event that instigated the above cautionary note......! (smilies)
Photo above show Bailey the pack horse totally loose, following a good friend on his horse and my wife Fiona on her quarterhorse (with me taking the pic),heading for the hut some 7 hours ride from the carpark.. Almost there..!
With the soft panniers we can load one side with our own designed,overnight tent shelter that slings on a rope between two trees and is tied down with boulders in side boulder bags for quick set up and take down, it measures 2.5 metres in length and 4 metres wide in the form of an A frame and am able to stand up within.
The tent has two ends that quickly velcro in and also we can lengthen it to 5 metres long with a separate section that again velcos together if taking a bigger party of riders.
On the other side of the pack saddle we have a metal camp firebox for cooking and heating the tent with its chimney protruding thru the roof of the tent with a special fiberglass non combustible square sewn in to accommodate it.
A top of the chimney is an efficient spark arrestor / rain cap as we dont want any outside bush fires getting started, we used to have small outdoor fires for cooking, but in summer open fires are often not possible.
This firebox measuring 12 x 12x 24 inches has a 5" dia collapsible chimney that slides together and goes inside the firebox for transporting and the whole thing weighs only 12 kgs.
When tent camping we take a second pack horse with hard panniers containing our food , camp oven, and of course the compulsory liquid refreshments.
This set up gives us the freedom to stop and camp anywhere we like in total comfort.. Bliss....!
Tent camping is a great way of getting away from it all and off the beaten track, its nice to choose a beautiful spot beside a stream in the trees with the sun shining and set up a bit of a summer camp for a week or so.... this is what life is about..!
A recent trend while away trekking is a small but intense competition in preparing and cooking better meals than the competitors efforts the night before, this seems to involve secretive shopping for ingredients prior to departure and most cooks saying "mum" as to what they have in mind for their cullinary delight. often the cook of the night will produce entree, maincourse and pudding, sometimes using only a camp oven and open fire as heat..(smilies)
One word of caution i have found... it doesnt pay to let the "cook" indulge in more than one pre dinner taste of whiskey and mountain water that we often take with us until he or she has served up his or her meal..!
See the stories section for the funny event that instigated the above cautionary note......! (smilies)
Photo above show Bailey the pack horse totally loose, following a good friend on his horse and my wife Fiona on her quarterhorse (with me taking the pic),heading for the hut some 7 hours ride from the carpark.. Almost there..!
Camp firebox......
All packed up with the collapsible chimney sections sliding inside one another and all goes inside for transporting on the horse.
I have made up the swivel mesh plate on top so can adjust the heat for pot simmering by turning the plate out to the side to the desired heat required
Although small and lite weight it will take 2 foot long firewood logs and filled to the brim last thing at night and dampered right down will burn all night, keeping the tent nice and cosy
I have made up the swivel mesh plate on top so can adjust the heat for pot simmering by turning the plate out to the side to the desired heat required
Although small and lite weight it will take 2 foot long firewood logs and filled to the brim last thing at night and dampered right down will burn all night, keeping the tent nice and cosy
Camp firebox... As ready for use...
It takes about one minute to ready for use..
There are several different styles and models built, but having done some research in the State and Canada where these are used in Winter tent camping, this one seems to be prefered.
Its made by a Canadian Company, Kni-Co.... and is called the Alaskin Deluxe..
It does have accessories that can also be bought like a side table that clips to it and also has a two Gallon stainless steel water tank that also clips to the side of it with a tap, but research showed that the water tank is fine... but must always have water in it and not allow it to boil dry as the tank will crack,
Overall I am very happy with it as a trekking appliance, it goes inside my soft pannier with the tent about the same weight in the otherside pannier, ......combined is a light weight for the pack horse to carry..
Nathan at Belfast Saddlery and I, have looked at various camp fire models for a while and we decided to import two of these to try out. This is one, Nathan has the other one still brand new and unused at this stage for sale..
Nathan has secured a NZ agency direct with the Canadian Company so can import as required..
There are several different styles and models built, but having done some research in the State and Canada where these are used in Winter tent camping, this one seems to be prefered.
Its made by a Canadian Company, Kni-Co.... and is called the Alaskin Deluxe..
It does have accessories that can also be bought like a side table that clips to it and also has a two Gallon stainless steel water tank that also clips to the side of it with a tap, but research showed that the water tank is fine... but must always have water in it and not allow it to boil dry as the tank will crack,
Overall I am very happy with it as a trekking appliance, it goes inside my soft pannier with the tent about the same weight in the otherside pannier, ......combined is a light weight for the pack horse to carry..
Nathan at Belfast Saddlery and I, have looked at various camp fire models for a while and we decided to import two of these to try out. This is one, Nathan has the other one still brand new and unused at this stage for sale..
Nathan has secured a NZ agency direct with the Canadian Company so can import as required..
My own designed,quick set up Horse trekking tent with firebox......
Off the pack horse, I just tie the rope between two trees as shown, then throw the tent shelter over the rope and either just place boulders in the inside wall boulder bags, or drive in four corner pegs, velcro in the end wall depending on which way the predominant wind is blowing, unpack the firebox,slide the chimney sections together and up thru the tent roof, and its done.
The chimney protrudes thru the tent roof via a heat resistant Square especially made for the job, this was imported from the states, and I had my saddler sew it on for me...
In summer the firebox is used for camp cooking, as often its not possible to have a small open fire with the windy and dry conditions, and in the cooler months its a nice bonus to have good heat in the tent overnight..
I took a punt on the size and type of camp firebox purchased from the states as here in NZ its not possible to compare different models for heat output, but in hindsight the next smaller model may have been a better choice... this firebox in this small tent has no problem keeping it toasty even with one end wall left off
I use the pack pannier cover as a floor covering..Its a good substantial water tight tent, and with the fire cranked up a very toasty warm shelter even in the coldest weather...
I have a second tent exactly the same as shown and this can be velcroed together to form double the length, and also a front walls with a zip up door if we need to leave this set up such as on day treks etc..
This tent shelter gives us the option of stopping anywhere, and in comfort..
The chimney protrudes thru the tent roof via a heat resistant Square especially made for the job, this was imported from the states, and I had my saddler sew it on for me...
In summer the firebox is used for camp cooking, as often its not possible to have a small open fire with the windy and dry conditions, and in the cooler months its a nice bonus to have good heat in the tent overnight..
I took a punt on the size and type of camp firebox purchased from the states as here in NZ its not possible to compare different models for heat output, but in hindsight the next smaller model may have been a better choice... this firebox in this small tent has no problem keeping it toasty even with one end wall left off
I use the pack pannier cover as a floor covering..Its a good substantial water tight tent, and with the fire cranked up a very toasty warm shelter even in the coldest weather...
I have a second tent exactly the same as shown and this can be velcroed together to form double the length, and also a front walls with a zip up door if we need to leave this set up such as on day treks etc..
This tent shelter gives us the option of stopping anywhere, and in comfort..
The only one standing in your way is.......YOU...!
Fold up Fire Grill Plate......
This grill plate folds in half and is also made to be able to fit inside the bottom of the firebox for transporting on the horse...
As the photo shows when arriving at camp, its just a simple matter of finding three sticks and with some hay bale string, wrap it around the top, grab some boulders as weights and fire surround and its done... I use this a lot for cooking, having a stainless steel hot plate, its a breeze to throw in the river to clean after the meal is cooked..
As the photo shows when arriving at camp, its just a simple matter of finding three sticks and with some hay bale string, wrap it around the top, grab some boulders as weights and fire surround and its done... I use this a lot for cooking, having a stainless steel hot plate, its a breeze to throw in the river to clean after the meal is cooked..
Hard Pannier Option
Another of my own design and built pack equipment.
I wanted a hard pannier system that was strong enough to sustain hits with trees and obstacles as the pack horse pass such hazards, to be totally water proof even in pouring rain, and be functional.
The top removable trays take all my camp cooking needs and this is strapped down separately, so when the panniers are full nothing shifts inside as when decending or climbing hills and more importantly nothing rattles to scare the horse while travelling.
The top of the panniers have double lids, firstly to increase strength and to double water tightness.
I have crossed deep rivers such as the Clarence and Waiau with these on the horse and not a drop of water inside..
With both panniers filled I have enough provision using my camp oven to make bread, scones, roast meals etc as well as desert ingredients..Yum Yum...!
Who said anything about having to skimp or rough it while out in the mountains..(smilies)
Along with the camp oven and other hard objects, I generally fill the remainder of the bottoms of both panniers with horse feed in daily bag lots and tie this down. We could comfortably go trekking for three weeks without needing to resupply..
Each pannier is carefully packed and weighed so each is close as possible to the others weight.
We repack and carefully weigh both panniers each morning on treks before loading them on the horse, generally I like to have a maximum combined weight no
more than 60kgs on Baileys size and around 80kgs on Shae.
I thought I built these panniers tough, but after Baileys bush bashing of some parts of the trail recently I need to beef up the front leading edge with some stainless steel angle recessed into the plywood to take the knocks better...
I wanted a hard pannier system that was strong enough to sustain hits with trees and obstacles as the pack horse pass such hazards, to be totally water proof even in pouring rain, and be functional.
The top removable trays take all my camp cooking needs and this is strapped down separately, so when the panniers are full nothing shifts inside as when decending or climbing hills and more importantly nothing rattles to scare the horse while travelling.
The top of the panniers have double lids, firstly to increase strength and to double water tightness.
I have crossed deep rivers such as the Clarence and Waiau with these on the horse and not a drop of water inside..
With both panniers filled I have enough provision using my camp oven to make bread, scones, roast meals etc as well as desert ingredients..Yum Yum...!
Who said anything about having to skimp or rough it while out in the mountains..(smilies)
Along with the camp oven and other hard objects, I generally fill the remainder of the bottoms of both panniers with horse feed in daily bag lots and tie this down. We could comfortably go trekking for three weeks without needing to resupply..
Each pannier is carefully packed and weighed so each is close as possible to the others weight.
We repack and carefully weigh both panniers each morning on treks before loading them on the horse, generally I like to have a maximum combined weight no
more than 60kgs on Baileys size and around 80kgs on Shae.
I thought I built these panniers tough, but after Baileys bush bashing of some parts of the trail recently I need to beef up the front leading edge with some stainless steel angle recessed into the plywood to take the knocks better...
Hard Panniers at the Doctors.......
After Bailey the pack horse charging at narrow gaps in forested trails he managed to gouge out several chunks on the leading edge of both panniers, so went shopping and bought a length of Angle Aluminium then recessed it into the leading edge of both panniers followed by glue and screwing them in so hopefully the panniers will take the knocks better...
And here I was thinking I built these tough enough to stand the trail conditions.. One never stops learning....!
And here I was thinking I built these tough enough to stand the trail conditions.. One never stops learning....!
Try Again........
All fixed, and ready for a further trek starting tomorrow....!
Soft Bearcloth Pannier Option....
Recently, I have upgraded my old canvas soft pannier bags, to the above two sets of Bearcloth or Ironcloth panniers as they are sometimes known as..
This Bearcloth material has some advantages over the traditional canvas predecessor, in that over time Bearcloth wont rot, and also unlike canvas, mice wont chew a hole in the side , with them then gaining access to your wonderful cache of culinary delights as you sleep at camp
Both sets have been made in the States with the White set on the left being their standard pannier size measuring 620mm long , 250mm wide and 420mm deep..
This standard size is ideal for the average trek and plenty large enough for most things, yet fairly easy to lift on and off the pack horse.
Recently, I have also purchased a set of there poly pannier liners.. these are virtually indestructible, and slid inside the standard white pannier set give a semi hard pannier option that is light weight and more waterproof that just the soft panniers on there own...
I asked if they could also build me an oversize (Orange) set to cater for my firebox and tent shelter items as well, however on a recent long trek I found using this oversize set for general packing a lot more difficult to use, and did have some difficulty loading and unloading these on my own..
This oversize set measures 620mm long , 350mm wide , and 480mm deep..
When I have a trek planned that doesn't involve areas of tight trees or rocky outcrops etc near the track I use the soft panniers as they only weigh a couple of kilograms each, but care needs to be taken with them as even tho they are built of strong material and do have leather reinforced seams, a pack horse can easily rip them open spilling your contents neatly along the trail behind you, and unfortunately he doesn't always tell you that he has run them along side that barbed wire fence causing a nice gash in the side which in turn is spilling your peanut butter and tomato sauce out on the ground as he travels along
Experience has also taught me that although these bags are made of water resistant material they are not waterproof when the skies open on your trek, or crossing that deep river..
As a consequence I often prefer to use the hard panniers even though they are some 12 kgs dry weight either side, at least the camp requirements get to the hut in one piece and in a dry condition
Most of my horse trekking I tend to use the hard panniers over the soft set for several reasons...many of our trails involve mountain passes, and areas of tight bush to navigate thru with not too many horses caring for what's been placed on his back when they hit that rock outcrop etc..
At camp hard panniers make great seats, and at night when closed up are totally vermin proof from Mice to Opossums sniffing around as you sleep ..
One needs to be careful packing soft panniers so sharp edged items don't rest against or dig into the horses side, often propelling him along at a faster than desirable speed, but this issue is not a concern using hard panniers..
Both types have there pros and cons....
Pannier tip..
All of my pannier sets are marked on the outside with either "one" or "two" and as I load in all the items for a trek these items are written on a piece of paper and this is put inside each pannier at the top and stays for the trek duration, I do this for two reasons..
Firstly without it, one tends to dig to the bottom of a pannier looking for an item and upon reaching the bottom suddenly realise it in the other side.. a regular occurrence,
but with everything written down its a no brainer to find items easily, secondly after a day or so at camp, item have been taken out of both panniers for use and with the list these can be returned to the original side aiding the balancing again of each pannier prior to moving on next day..
Both hard and soft panniers need to be loaded with care, the heavy items divided equally between both sides and these are placed first in the centre bottom towards the horses side with the lesser weighing items packed either side and remaining light items packed near the top,,
If one, for example places a heavy camp oven in the back or front of a pannier and everything else around it then as the horse travels along with his pannier load these will cause said pannier to lean back or forth to far depending where this was placed at times coming directly in contact with the horse, this problem compounds when one starts climbing and decending hill country tracks causing discomfort to the pack horse.
These tips are from my own experiences and may differ from other packers experiences... it works for me...!
This Bearcloth material has some advantages over the traditional canvas predecessor, in that over time Bearcloth wont rot, and also unlike canvas, mice wont chew a hole in the side , with them then gaining access to your wonderful cache of culinary delights as you sleep at camp
Both sets have been made in the States with the White set on the left being their standard pannier size measuring 620mm long , 250mm wide and 420mm deep..
This standard size is ideal for the average trek and plenty large enough for most things, yet fairly easy to lift on and off the pack horse.
Recently, I have also purchased a set of there poly pannier liners.. these are virtually indestructible, and slid inside the standard white pannier set give a semi hard pannier option that is light weight and more waterproof that just the soft panniers on there own...
I asked if they could also build me an oversize (Orange) set to cater for my firebox and tent shelter items as well, however on a recent long trek I found using this oversize set for general packing a lot more difficult to use, and did have some difficulty loading and unloading these on my own..
This oversize set measures 620mm long , 350mm wide , and 480mm deep..
When I have a trek planned that doesn't involve areas of tight trees or rocky outcrops etc near the track I use the soft panniers as they only weigh a couple of kilograms each, but care needs to be taken with them as even tho they are built of strong material and do have leather reinforced seams, a pack horse can easily rip them open spilling your contents neatly along the trail behind you, and unfortunately he doesn't always tell you that he has run them along side that barbed wire fence causing a nice gash in the side which in turn is spilling your peanut butter and tomato sauce out on the ground as he travels along
Experience has also taught me that although these bags are made of water resistant material they are not waterproof when the skies open on your trek, or crossing that deep river..
As a consequence I often prefer to use the hard panniers even though they are some 12 kgs dry weight either side, at least the camp requirements get to the hut in one piece and in a dry condition
Most of my horse trekking I tend to use the hard panniers over the soft set for several reasons...many of our trails involve mountain passes, and areas of tight bush to navigate thru with not too many horses caring for what's been placed on his back when they hit that rock outcrop etc..
At camp hard panniers make great seats, and at night when closed up are totally vermin proof from Mice to Opossums sniffing around as you sleep ..
One needs to be careful packing soft panniers so sharp edged items don't rest against or dig into the horses side, often propelling him along at a faster than desirable speed, but this issue is not a concern using hard panniers..
Both types have there pros and cons....
Pannier tip..
All of my pannier sets are marked on the outside with either "one" or "two" and as I load in all the items for a trek these items are written on a piece of paper and this is put inside each pannier at the top and stays for the trek duration, I do this for two reasons..
Firstly without it, one tends to dig to the bottom of a pannier looking for an item and upon reaching the bottom suddenly realise it in the other side.. a regular occurrence,
but with everything written down its a no brainer to find items easily, secondly after a day or so at camp, item have been taken out of both panniers for use and with the list these can be returned to the original side aiding the balancing again of each pannier prior to moving on next day..
Both hard and soft panniers need to be loaded with care, the heavy items divided equally between both sides and these are placed first in the centre bottom towards the horses side with the lesser weighing items packed either side and remaining light items packed near the top,,
If one, for example places a heavy camp oven in the back or front of a pannier and everything else around it then as the horse travels along with his pannier load these will cause said pannier to lean back or forth to far depending where this was placed at times coming directly in contact with the horse, this problem compounds when one starts climbing and decending hill country tracks causing discomfort to the pack horse.
These tips are from my own experiences and may differ from other packers experiences... it works for me...!
Hook on Appliances......
I have had my saddler make up these leather bags etc with a large bull clip on the end (and a leather string at the other to tie down to stop flapping) and be made ruggered so they can individually be hooked on pack loads to aid balance or onto the "D" of my riding saddle
From the left is my personal water bottle bag that hooks to my saddle, next my leg tie bundle including metal spike, leather leg tie as well as 12 metres of soft cotton rope, as you can see the rope end, secures all the items so nothing falls off and gets lost,
Next a very important bag containing our thermette, as we like to stop on the trail and have a brew of tea, again this just clips onto the outside of the pack load.
Next is my first aid both for human and horse which is light enough to clip to my riding saddle for day treks. In here also holds my GPS and PLB.
Just recently I have had made another leather bag the same shape and size as the first aid bag to contain our daily lunch and cupa tea making gear.. I used to use the saddle bags but its difficult to unpack everything around them to gain the lunch things.. now its easy...!
The last bag is my horse shoeing gear bag, and in this is everything I may need to trim or reshoe a horse that from time to time looses one on treks,I carry a range of shoe sizes from 2 to size 6, this bag usually goes inside one of the panniers on treks.
Some folks will laugh at these bags but each one can come in very handy when needed on the trail, as we are often in remote country and need to be totally self reliant with the ability to fix what ever may break etc ...
From the left is my personal water bottle bag that hooks to my saddle, next my leg tie bundle including metal spike, leather leg tie as well as 12 metres of soft cotton rope, as you can see the rope end, secures all the items so nothing falls off and gets lost,
Next a very important bag containing our thermette, as we like to stop on the trail and have a brew of tea, again this just clips onto the outside of the pack load.
Next is my first aid both for human and horse which is light enough to clip to my riding saddle for day treks. In here also holds my GPS and PLB.
Just recently I have had made another leather bag the same shape and size as the first aid bag to contain our daily lunch and cupa tea making gear.. I used to use the saddle bags but its difficult to unpack everything around them to gain the lunch things.. now its easy...!
The last bag is my horse shoeing gear bag, and in this is everything I may need to trim or reshoe a horse that from time to time looses one on treks,I carry a range of shoe sizes from 2 to size 6, this bag usually goes inside one of the panniers on treks.
Some folks will laugh at these bags but each one can come in very handy when needed on the trail, as we are often in remote country and need to be totally self reliant with the ability to fix what ever may break etc ...
Shoeing Bag...
I have had this bag for a couple years now on treks, and it gets quite a lot of use...A number of times I have come across other riders out in the mountains whose mount has lost a shoe, and they have all been very grateful to have someone not only who can reshoe, but often have a spare shoe approx to the size of their horses foot as well..
I originally put all this gear together for Shae, who used to quite regularly drop either side front shoes on treks, as in his younger days had a combination of a short coupled body and long legs ..
When he got tired I could hear the constant clipping of front and back feet hitting each other with the result of his back shoes clipping the rear of his fronts and pulling them off..
My farrier tried all sorts to fix this problem, with some of his shoe creations ending up in a bit of a unique style, however as Shae has matured this problem seems to have eased considerably..
Recently I came across a rider whose horse had half ripped it front shoe off but was still nailed on the other side away out in the mountains,, They had no gear to even remove the bent shoe off the hoof, and again was mighty happy to learn that I had sufficient gear to take it off, straighten it and renail it back on.. so a very useful set of tools to take away on treks..
I originally put all this gear together for Shae, who used to quite regularly drop either side front shoes on treks, as in his younger days had a combination of a short coupled body and long legs ..
When he got tired I could hear the constant clipping of front and back feet hitting each other with the result of his back shoes clipping the rear of his fronts and pulling them off..
My farrier tried all sorts to fix this problem, with some of his shoe creations ending up in a bit of a unique style, however as Shae has matured this problem seems to have eased considerably..
Recently I came across a rider whose horse had half ripped it front shoe off but was still nailed on the other side away out in the mountains,, They had no gear to even remove the bent shoe off the hoof, and again was mighty happy to learn that I had sufficient gear to take it off, straighten it and renail it back on.. so a very useful set of tools to take away on treks..
Horse Covers at camp......
In some trekking circles trekking horse covers are a controversial subject, and I have to say I seem to be stuck in the middle between some saying covers are for sissy horses and others using them summer and winter..
As far as the coolers Spring and latter Autumn goes, I do take and use covers for all of my boys but in summer..... well when Fiona isn't looking I don't tend to take them..
Being a regular visitor to the StanleyVale hut, I have left two covers out there in the hut for use.. and.. I don't mind others using them when the weather turns bad...as long as they are dried and returned to the loft in the hut..
However, in many parts of our mountain country Sandflies are a bit of a curse, with some people being the target more than others, same with horses.. Shae and Bailey often get eaten alive and returning home after a week or so both horses have welts all over them from the pesty little blitters..
Now some of you will know that Fiona has a horse cover fetish, and unfortunately for her pay packet, a certain saddlery is situated between home and her work place, with her car often seems to breakdown outside it, giving her ample opportunity to browse the latest impuse purchases that are needed to fill our already overflowing tackroom.. I think each of our horses has around 25..... yes 25 covers each...lol ( well almost..)
However recently upon arriving home after a visit to said saddlery, the car boot flew up and out popped four new style anti fly covers..( the shops total supply of them) lol.....but I have to confess these would be good in sandfly country..
They are a full combo type and have long flaps to hang well down covering front and rear legs as well as a full belly flap, so once on the horse just his head and the bottom half of each leg is available to become sandfly dinner...
They are made by WeatherBeeta and are very light weight, however not water or windproof... so I will take a couple with me next trek into Sandfly country and let you know how they faired...
Update..
These fly protection covers have been used on several treks now and are fantastic at protecting the horses .... One trek into the Kiwi river area , well known as the King of sandfly country in North Canterbury, I saw Bailey happily grazing on his leg tie with the outside of his cover swarming with sandflies on it..
Perhaps the only downside seen to date, is on cold days these offer no protection from the elements resulting in horses becoming cold as their natural ability for their body hair to stand up for warmth is impeded...
I find on cold days I need to remove these covers..... Also I remove the covers over night when the sandflies are sleeping so the horse again can keep itself naturally warm....
As far as the coolers Spring and latter Autumn goes, I do take and use covers for all of my boys but in summer..... well when Fiona isn't looking I don't tend to take them..
Being a regular visitor to the StanleyVale hut, I have left two covers out there in the hut for use.. and.. I don't mind others using them when the weather turns bad...as long as they are dried and returned to the loft in the hut..
However, in many parts of our mountain country Sandflies are a bit of a curse, with some people being the target more than others, same with horses.. Shae and Bailey often get eaten alive and returning home after a week or so both horses have welts all over them from the pesty little blitters..
Now some of you will know that Fiona has a horse cover fetish, and unfortunately for her pay packet, a certain saddlery is situated between home and her work place, with her car often seems to breakdown outside it, giving her ample opportunity to browse the latest impuse purchases that are needed to fill our already overflowing tackroom.. I think each of our horses has around 25..... yes 25 covers each...lol ( well almost..)
However recently upon arriving home after a visit to said saddlery, the car boot flew up and out popped four new style anti fly covers..( the shops total supply of them) lol.....but I have to confess these would be good in sandfly country..
They are a full combo type and have long flaps to hang well down covering front and rear legs as well as a full belly flap, so once on the horse just his head and the bottom half of each leg is available to become sandfly dinner...
They are made by WeatherBeeta and are very light weight, however not water or windproof... so I will take a couple with me next trek into Sandfly country and let you know how they faired...
Update..
These fly protection covers have been used on several treks now and are fantastic at protecting the horses .... One trek into the Kiwi river area , well known as the King of sandfly country in North Canterbury, I saw Bailey happily grazing on his leg tie with the outside of his cover swarming with sandflies on it..
Perhaps the only downside seen to date, is on cold days these offer no protection from the elements resulting in horses becoming cold as their natural ability for their body hair to stand up for warmth is impeded...
I find on cold days I need to remove these covers..... Also I remove the covers over night when the sandflies are sleeping so the horse again can keep itself naturally warm....
These fly covers allow the horses to relax and feed, without them they are constantly walking......!
New style..... Camp Oven
In my late teens I had bought a brand new cast iron camp oven, as I love camp cooking.
Through trial and many errors have produced some yummy culinery delights, but on one trek the old camp oven was transported on the horse but i dropped it while unpacking it at the hut and it shattered....
I went without one for a couple of years and one day while on the net surfing came across an aussie company making these "spun steel" models.
I had a friend over there buy it and send it over..
I like it that it is unbreakable (within reason) is fairly heavy in weight, and will take hot fire embers or hot coals in the lid for all round heat, and a good feature is the lid can be lifted with hot coals and no ash falls in the food..
Some models including my old cast one was a pain having to lift the lid gently to avoid charcoal flavoured bread or stew etc...
Through trial and many errors have produced some yummy culinery delights, but on one trek the old camp oven was transported on the horse but i dropped it while unpacking it at the hut and it shattered....
I went without one for a couple of years and one day while on the net surfing came across an aussie company making these "spun steel" models.
I had a friend over there buy it and send it over..
I like it that it is unbreakable (within reason) is fairly heavy in weight, and will take hot fire embers or hot coals in the lid for all round heat, and a good feature is the lid can be lifted with hot coals and no ash falls in the food..
Some models including my old cast one was a pain having to lift the lid gently to avoid charcoal flavoured bread or stew etc...
Versatile uses........
The lid is made of quite heavy material and although is designed for containment of hot coals, can be thrown in the river, cleaned up and doubles as a great frypan for bacon and eggs in the morning that can be hung over the fire from a chain etc.
The oven also comes with a trivet (as can be seem in the bottom of the oven) when cooking scones or bread to keep the oven plate off the bottom and avoid burning the bottoms of food cooked.
I find the best heat is to get a fire going and let it burn down some then scrap some hot burnt charcoals out of the fire to one side and put the camp oven on these then shovel some more hot coals onto the closed lid.
Food that I wish to "rise" such as bread, scones, cake etc in the camp oven is achieved with only a handful of hot coals under the oven and quite a few on the lid.. I dont want much heat under as it will burn, but concentrate most of the heat from the top down..... where as to cook say a roast, some coals under and only a few on top to slow cook..
Nothing like having a roast of beef or chicken and roast veges while out at camp...yum...!
Its a bit of an art to get the right amount of heat for the various different oven heat needs..
Bread for example needs a preheated oven and not too many hot coals under it and half a dozen hot coals pieces on the lid... its easy to overheat the inside oven with excessive coals on the bottom, resulting in burnt bottom of bread loaves... but all fun learning what works...
If the camp oven is hung directly over the fire it can burn food as its often too hot. Its a bit of an act to get food cooking nicely but it doesn't take long to master it.
A camp oven can cook or bake anything that one can make in a home electric or gas oven. so bread scones, roasts. puddings are all easily cooked at camp... yum......!
This oven is a 10 inch dia model which will just fit inside my hard pannier , but does come also in a number of different sizes...
The oven also comes with a trivet (as can be seem in the bottom of the oven) when cooking scones or bread to keep the oven plate off the bottom and avoid burning the bottoms of food cooked.
I find the best heat is to get a fire going and let it burn down some then scrap some hot burnt charcoals out of the fire to one side and put the camp oven on these then shovel some more hot coals onto the closed lid.
Food that I wish to "rise" such as bread, scones, cake etc in the camp oven is achieved with only a handful of hot coals under the oven and quite a few on the lid.. I dont want much heat under as it will burn, but concentrate most of the heat from the top down..... where as to cook say a roast, some coals under and only a few on top to slow cook..
Nothing like having a roast of beef or chicken and roast veges while out at camp...yum...!
Its a bit of an art to get the right amount of heat for the various different oven heat needs..
Bread for example needs a preheated oven and not too many hot coals under it and half a dozen hot coals pieces on the lid... its easy to overheat the inside oven with excessive coals on the bottom, resulting in burnt bottom of bread loaves... but all fun learning what works...
If the camp oven is hung directly over the fire it can burn food as its often too hot. Its a bit of an act to get food cooking nicely but it doesn't take long to master it.
A camp oven can cook or bake anything that one can make in a home electric or gas oven. so bread scones, roasts. puddings are all easily cooked at camp... yum......!
This oven is a 10 inch dia model which will just fit inside my hard pannier , but does come also in a number of different sizes...
The "Swag" bedroll...........
Made by Clarke Mckenzie Saddlery in Belfast, this waterproof and tough swagroll, is ideal for horse trekking...
It has a waterproof base, with the remainder made from heavy canvas, with a heavy duty full length zip along one side... Inside on the bottom I have a good quality self inflating air mattress, if I am sleeping on the ground etc and this gives a very comfortable nights sleep..
When sleeping outdoors on the ground with this swag roll, I will just throw the canvas pannier cover over the top to help keep evening dew off.. in Summer its awesome to sleep out under the stars on a clear night.... away from the city lights in the mountains mother nature puts on a beautiful night sky show with hundreds of stars.. and to just lie on the ground in bed looking up is amazing... next thing.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..
My sleeping bag stays permanently in the bedroll, along with a small pillow....On treks I take one complete change of clothes and a couple spare pairs of sock, along with a wooly hat , toiletries, towel etc, and all this rolls up and comfortably sits up behind me on the horse out of the way during riding time..
A bit of a trade secret... the regulation trekking "Whiskey bottle" finds a nice comfortable home wrapped up in the middle of the swag roll so its well cushioned and away from possible breakage by the Orange " Irish lump" of transport used, as given half a chance he seems to have a knack of busting my valuables..lol
I also had the saddler make up a pvc waterproof over bag when rolled up on the horse and this has proved a very useful addition to keep all dry even in pouring rain..
In sandfly country I hop in and pull the front flap right over my head and velcro it down.. the sides are still open for ventilation but sandflies dont enter...
It has a waterproof base, with the remainder made from heavy canvas, with a heavy duty full length zip along one side... Inside on the bottom I have a good quality self inflating air mattress, if I am sleeping on the ground etc and this gives a very comfortable nights sleep..
When sleeping outdoors on the ground with this swag roll, I will just throw the canvas pannier cover over the top to help keep evening dew off.. in Summer its awesome to sleep out under the stars on a clear night.... away from the city lights in the mountains mother nature puts on a beautiful night sky show with hundreds of stars.. and to just lie on the ground in bed looking up is amazing... next thing.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..
My sleeping bag stays permanently in the bedroll, along with a small pillow....On treks I take one complete change of clothes and a couple spare pairs of sock, along with a wooly hat , toiletries, towel etc, and all this rolls up and comfortably sits up behind me on the horse out of the way during riding time..
A bit of a trade secret... the regulation trekking "Whiskey bottle" finds a nice comfortable home wrapped up in the middle of the swag roll so its well cushioned and away from possible breakage by the Orange " Irish lump" of transport used, as given half a chance he seems to have a knack of busting my valuables..lol
I also had the saddler make up a pvc waterproof over bag when rolled up on the horse and this has proved a very useful addition to keep all dry even in pouring rain..
In sandfly country I hop in and pull the front flap right over my head and velcro it down.. the sides are still open for ventilation but sandflies dont enter...
The Saw Buck Pack Saddle....
The first time on a horse..
This saddle is a different shape to the normal sawbuck saddle in that the actual saddle has been designed around the shape of the underside of a western saddle but hinged both ways so each side of the saddle work independantily to the other.
As this photo also shows these saddles come with a halfbreed as standard.. a nice addition....
Once set up on the horse it only takes about one minute to undo the harness and its off the horse..
As part of my order for the saddle I also bought this new design pack saddle pad..
This pad has been designed to remain stationary under the saddle and not slip backwards as others have done, and the other feature is these have a memory foam that distributes the saddle load evenly over the upper animals back...
The" half breed" which for new to packing folks is the over cover as seen on top of the pack saddle in the above photo, its job is to protect all the saddle harness from being rubbed by the panniers.. This cover is made tough with leather edges and either side a section of timber , leather sewn in to hold it in place for the panniers to sit on, without this harness would soon wear and eventually break..
This saddle is a different shape to the normal sawbuck saddle in that the actual saddle has been designed around the shape of the underside of a western saddle but hinged both ways so each side of the saddle work independantily to the other.
As this photo also shows these saddles come with a halfbreed as standard.. a nice addition....
Once set up on the horse it only takes about one minute to undo the harness and its off the horse..
As part of my order for the saddle I also bought this new design pack saddle pad..
This pad has been designed to remain stationary under the saddle and not slip backwards as others have done, and the other feature is these have a memory foam that distributes the saddle load evenly over the upper animals back...
The" half breed" which for new to packing folks is the over cover as seen on top of the pack saddle in the above photo, its job is to protect all the saddle harness from being rubbed by the panniers.. This cover is made tough with leather edges and either side a section of timber , leather sewn in to hold it in place for the panniers to sit on, without this harness would soon wear and eventually break..
Refitting the Hard Pannier.........
I had to make up a new rope hitch system for the panniers as the saddle mounts are quite different to our traditional NZ pack saddle, so will use this saddle for the hard pannier travel...
Mr Cons was more than happy with the setup and looks very comfortable on him..
I have had my saddler make up some heavy nylon webbing straps and buckles so can loop each one thru the "D" on the soft panniers and up over the new pack saddle hooks so now can use either the hard or soft panniers on either style of saddle...
This saddle with its double rigging will be much easier to use on the horses so far as having to have loads perfectly balanced as with the traditional saddles, the double rigging holds the saddle in place much better..
Another nice feature, as this photo shows is the use of rear harness buckle covers to stop the horses tail tangling as it does with uncovered buckles..
Update.
For the first time, I have used this saddle last week on the working bee trek into the StanleyVale... It was a breeze to use and it stayed put the entire time used.... Bailey has a bit of a habit of jumping the numerous little side creeks, and also likes to stop and have a quick graze as we walk.along, then trot to catch up and these two things alone will try the stablility of any packsaddle that is loaded...
I was interested at the end of the trail when the saddle was removed to see if Bailey had a sore back..... but nothing at all.. I am sold on these saddles..
2nd Update.
This pack saddle has been used on several treks now, and recently a challenging 9 day one where the saddle was well and truely tried out.. if anything was going to break or shift it would have done so by now.. Bailey has charged thru heavy scrub, tried to roll with all the pack gear and panniers still on him, has trotted and even saw him cantering along fully loaded for a bit,, he has fallen down into a creek fully loaded after a bank collaped under him, and all this the saddle has stood the test.. after 9 days on the trail, bailey had no sore back and now where did the saddle or load rub on him... so value for money,,? yes it certainly is..!
Once in heavy scrub on a far too narrow steep hillside trail, I turned around on my riding horse to see Bailey line up the narrow gap and before I could stop him, charged thru... if anything was going to break... this would have done it. but, the whole load together with saddle just slipped back.. it was my fault for having the breast plate not tight enough... but no damage to pannier or saddle.. amazing..!
Mr Cons was more than happy with the setup and looks very comfortable on him..
I have had my saddler make up some heavy nylon webbing straps and buckles so can loop each one thru the "D" on the soft panniers and up over the new pack saddle hooks so now can use either the hard or soft panniers on either style of saddle...
This saddle with its double rigging will be much easier to use on the horses so far as having to have loads perfectly balanced as with the traditional saddles, the double rigging holds the saddle in place much better..
Another nice feature, as this photo shows is the use of rear harness buckle covers to stop the horses tail tangling as it does with uncovered buckles..
Update.
For the first time, I have used this saddle last week on the working bee trek into the StanleyVale... It was a breeze to use and it stayed put the entire time used.... Bailey has a bit of a habit of jumping the numerous little side creeks, and also likes to stop and have a quick graze as we walk.along, then trot to catch up and these two things alone will try the stablility of any packsaddle that is loaded...
I was interested at the end of the trail when the saddle was removed to see if Bailey had a sore back..... but nothing at all.. I am sold on these saddles..
2nd Update.
This pack saddle has been used on several treks now, and recently a challenging 9 day one where the saddle was well and truely tried out.. if anything was going to break or shift it would have done so by now.. Bailey has charged thru heavy scrub, tried to roll with all the pack gear and panniers still on him, has trotted and even saw him cantering along fully loaded for a bit,, he has fallen down into a creek fully loaded after a bank collaped under him, and all this the saddle has stood the test.. after 9 days on the trail, bailey had no sore back and now where did the saddle or load rub on him... so value for money,,? yes it certainly is..!
Once in heavy scrub on a far too narrow steep hillside trail, I turned around on my riding horse to see Bailey line up the narrow gap and before I could stop him, charged thru... if anything was going to break... this would have done it. but, the whole load together with saddle just slipped back.. it was my fault for having the breast plate not tight enough... but no damage to pannier or saddle.. amazing..!
On the Trail
Photo shows our typical pack string !..ridden horse, no load horse, and pack horse.
As you can see, none of the trailing horses are tied, and in this photo we have travelled for 3.5 hrs from hut to hut like this. the horses love this freedom.
Pic shows us arriving at the Stanleyvale hut having trekked up from the Pool hut via the Stanley river in the St James Conservation Park. this time with the hard panniers aboard the pack horse, and the whole load tied using the box hitch method.
The lower Stanley river has a dramatic and ruggeredly beautiful narrow gorge area called the "Stanley Gates" that we rode up thru, one of this parks most scenic spots.
ps, you know when you got the pack load balanced when you look behind to see the pack horse trotting along to catch up after he decided to briefly stop for a bite to eat without telling you..(smilies)
As you can see, none of the trailing horses are tied, and in this photo we have travelled for 3.5 hrs from hut to hut like this. the horses love this freedom.
Pic shows us arriving at the Stanleyvale hut having trekked up from the Pool hut via the Stanley river in the St James Conservation Park. this time with the hard panniers aboard the pack horse, and the whole load tied using the box hitch method.
The lower Stanley river has a dramatic and ruggeredly beautiful narrow gorge area called the "Stanley Gates" that we rode up thru, one of this parks most scenic spots.
ps, you know when you got the pack load balanced when you look behind to see the pack horse trotting along to catch up after he decided to briefly stop for a bite to eat without telling you..(smilies)
A word on GPS and PLB......
GPS..
I have been in and around the mountain enviroment most of my adult life and before each trek study online maps and Google Earth carefully especially in areas that are new to ride over.
A few years back I was trekking in the lower Molesworth Region on my own and yes before the trek had studied maps, and with me did have a paper map, but in Molesworth Country there are numerous creeks and streams crisscrossing the mountain country and while heading up a river this day, knew I had the turn left up one of the side streams along the river to get to my next overnight hut..
It was around mid morning, I knew a southerly weather change was imminent and sure enough it arrived.and being fairly high in altitude here, the cloud turned to dense fog, infact so dense that ten metres was about my total forward visability.
The ride continued and although the paper map was handy it was hard to gauge which creek was the one I needed to ride up.. I did eventually find the correct one, but did think... here was an event that could easily have resulted in being temperially lost as the fog continued all day.
After this experience and home again, I thought to myself... A GPS would have been a handy thing to have, so went shopping an bought one.. A Garmin GPSmap 60CSx
Since then it has become a very handy unit, with an inch to the mile Topo map of the whole South Island, showing all the huts, rivers and streams, fences, contours, tracks, roads etc, it also has an altimeter, distance, speed, track recorder and barameter function..
The Barameter is especially handy when away for a week or so, as we can gauge when a weather change is imminent by the drop in atmospheric pressure recorded on this unit...
I lost an item of gear off the pack horse one time out on open country whille trekking and with the aid of the GPS was able to directly follow our outgoing path back along it and found the item again... so quite a useful appliance...
I can highly recommend the purchase and use in the back country...
EPLB (Emergency Personal Locator Beacon)
We all have watched on the evening Television News now and then of hundreds of people out in the bush searching for an overdue tramper or person etc
Sometimes these searches go on for several days and involve helicopters and fixed wing planes as well as all the ground crew at one huge cost and..... risk to all involved..!
Personally I have horse trekked many times on my own in remote mountain areas and have from time to time thought..... how would I feel if I came off my horse and was injured, and unable to get myself back home.... then my due arrival home time passes and my wife becomes worried, and eventually rings the police for help, instigating a search and rescue mission...
As a result of this thinking I have decided and just purchased a GPS based personal locator beacon to take with me from now on .....just in case...!
I feel that in the case of myself or one of our horse rider party becoming injured, this unit can be set off and will result in only one helicopter and crew attending this incident efficiently, and quickly as this unit will pin point our location to within 45 metres, so hopefully not wasting a lot of time with some of the other large scale use of resources often needed...
I also feel it will give my wife, more peace of mind that if something did happen then I am not lying there for a long time without help... a good insurance hopefully..!
When I am trekking on my own, I have a "self policy" when on the horse of always having my coat on me, even just tied around my waist... In my coat is aways a lighter or matches, and a couple of snack bars and my PLB on my chaps belt so in the event of me either coming off a horse or my riding horse getting away from me I have something to keep warm and something to snack on, and in the event of me being injured I have enough resource to get a fire going to keep warm..
I have experienced the odd unexpected overnight out in the open session and a fire is a good friend in these situations..Its no use having all the supplies for ones comfort on that horse that has taken off and left you on shanks pony so I like to just hedge my bets a little so to speak...!
I have been in and around the mountain enviroment most of my adult life and before each trek study online maps and Google Earth carefully especially in areas that are new to ride over.
A few years back I was trekking in the lower Molesworth Region on my own and yes before the trek had studied maps, and with me did have a paper map, but in Molesworth Country there are numerous creeks and streams crisscrossing the mountain country and while heading up a river this day, knew I had the turn left up one of the side streams along the river to get to my next overnight hut..
It was around mid morning, I knew a southerly weather change was imminent and sure enough it arrived.and being fairly high in altitude here, the cloud turned to dense fog, infact so dense that ten metres was about my total forward visability.
The ride continued and although the paper map was handy it was hard to gauge which creek was the one I needed to ride up.. I did eventually find the correct one, but did think... here was an event that could easily have resulted in being temperially lost as the fog continued all day.
After this experience and home again, I thought to myself... A GPS would have been a handy thing to have, so went shopping an bought one.. A Garmin GPSmap 60CSx
Since then it has become a very handy unit, with an inch to the mile Topo map of the whole South Island, showing all the huts, rivers and streams, fences, contours, tracks, roads etc, it also has an altimeter, distance, speed, track recorder and barameter function..
The Barameter is especially handy when away for a week or so, as we can gauge when a weather change is imminent by the drop in atmospheric pressure recorded on this unit...
I lost an item of gear off the pack horse one time out on open country whille trekking and with the aid of the GPS was able to directly follow our outgoing path back along it and found the item again... so quite a useful appliance...
I can highly recommend the purchase and use in the back country...
EPLB (Emergency Personal Locator Beacon)
We all have watched on the evening Television News now and then of hundreds of people out in the bush searching for an overdue tramper or person etc
Sometimes these searches go on for several days and involve helicopters and fixed wing planes as well as all the ground crew at one huge cost and..... risk to all involved..!
Personally I have horse trekked many times on my own in remote mountain areas and have from time to time thought..... how would I feel if I came off my horse and was injured, and unable to get myself back home.... then my due arrival home time passes and my wife becomes worried, and eventually rings the police for help, instigating a search and rescue mission...
As a result of this thinking I have decided and just purchased a GPS based personal locator beacon to take with me from now on .....just in case...!
I feel that in the case of myself or one of our horse rider party becoming injured, this unit can be set off and will result in only one helicopter and crew attending this incident efficiently, and quickly as this unit will pin point our location to within 45 metres, so hopefully not wasting a lot of time with some of the other large scale use of resources often needed...
I also feel it will give my wife, more peace of mind that if something did happen then I am not lying there for a long time without help... a good insurance hopefully..!
When I am trekking on my own, I have a "self policy" when on the horse of always having my coat on me, even just tied around my waist... In my coat is aways a lighter or matches, and a couple of snack bars and my PLB on my chaps belt so in the event of me either coming off a horse or my riding horse getting away from me I have something to keep warm and something to snack on, and in the event of me being injured I have enough resource to get a fire going to keep warm..
I have experienced the odd unexpected overnight out in the open session and a fire is a good friend in these situations..Its no use having all the supplies for ones comfort on that horse that has taken off and left you on shanks pony so I like to just hedge my bets a little so to speak...!