Whats happening with Jon...

 What's happening .....    

I thought I would give you an update on my condition...

Dog lies sential over Hanmer Forest

In early June I suffered a minor stroke so I found myself tired and a bit confused. I was in the hospital for 1 week and then I was thinking I was done with it. Then in early July a had another which was a bit more serious and affected my speech to a high degree.

Fantails up the tree. Hanmer Forest

Despite the effort to kill me a have now recovered and I am starting my tramping program once again, I remain commit to my original plan to go walk the Milford Track in December but we will have to see...

A trio of rats in Hanmer Forest

This eagle is near the forest clearing, Hanmer Forest

Despite that here are some photos of the forest in Hanmer to see you thru...I visited Hanmer in early August and have not yet posted the photos here. These carvings are in the forest at the start of  the walk around the forest. They have been carved by a artist from Canterbury...

A sleeping deer waits to be roused

The rest of 2023 will see me out and visiting a few old haunts as I build my fitness for the Miford Track.

One of the final carvings in Hanmer Forest...

I will post about my travels once the are done...

Tramping Equipment: Orson Raider XL I

Orson Raider XL 1   

Over the last couple of months I managed to by another tent for using...it is the Orson Raider XL tent and this one is in the orange. You can get this tent in orange and green. I thought the orange would be a better color to buy. The tent is easier to see as well as looking different...

..the Orson Raider 1 in orange...

Designed with tall individuals in mind this tent provides plenty of length with a size of 230cm reaching even the tallest of trampers. Often this is a problem as taller trampers find it impossible to fit inside the more shorter offerings from tent manufacturers. 

...the Orson Raider with the fly removed...

The dimensions of the tent are 230x90/50x92 which gives room for the tramper and all of their gear inside. The tent has a fly with a 3000 cu cm's head to it making it heavy enough to handle conditions here. It has a 5ooo cu cm's head on the floor and a bath tub base so it is effectively waterproof. 

..Dimensions of the tent...

The Raider tent offers easy side entry and an extra area opposite the entry for use as gear storage or for cooking in the tent. There is plenty of space in the tent with a wide vestibule providing space to allow you to use it for cooking, gear storage or what ever else you might need it for. 

Interior shot showing the taped interior of the tent

With weight of 1.75kg it is heavier then my Copperspur UL 1 but the added water proof-ness and extra pole has led to compromises with the weight. The second pole has given it added rigidity but it has also added to the weight. The tent is fully seam sealed and has a number of useful storage compartments on it...useful for storage of gear and ancillary's.

I had yet to use it so I don't know how it will perform but I hoping it will be fully water proof. I'm looking at some options for camping to practice set up and tearing it down. I have had a go with setting it up and it looks fairly easy.

Orson Raider: side view of the tent

The tent will become my go to went it is rainy and cold and I'm looking forward to use it to its full potential. I'll put some photos of the tent erected when I have them.