Every now and then I try to write an article or a gear review. You can find them below:
Packraft trip planning in wilderness areas
Walking Scandinavia with Inov8 Flyroc 310… and some myths and facts about trailrunners
Gear review: ULA Epic Backpack + Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag
My current gear list for summer wilderness trips can be found here: Gear list Greenland 2013 – or here: Gear list New Zealand 2015.
Willem Vandoorne's Travel Log 
Great trip, wish you all the best & lots of fun. Will you use the spray deck on calmer waters? How does this Cricket tent hold out when it’s wind force 7 or 8? Can’t wait to see your packlist, hard to believe it’s only 9 kg!
Thanks Jeroen!
Yep, I guess I will always use the spraydeck, maybe disattach it during warm sunny weather. It will be my first real trip with the Cricket Tent, so it will be exciting to see whether it can actually handle what MLD claims. I will probably have to choose bivouac locations with care during bad weather episodes.
You never did your review of the MLD cricket. How good has it been?
Hey Willem!
In the gearlist you seem abit disappointed about the capacity of the sleeping bag you bought from me, an Alpkit PipeDream 600. Now I did a lot of thinking about why this sleeping bag did not perform according expectation. Now suddenly I remembered that I bought this bag together with an Alpkit PipeDream 400 that had the same form and -curiously- about the same degree of isolation. Now I
have come to the conclusion that the firm of Alpkit has used exactly the same outer bags for the first series of the 600 and the 400. The result is that the 400 will perform well but that the 600 does not have enough room for an optimal loft. This would explain the meagre performance of the 600.
I hope that you do not claim a new sleeping bag from me because I am a bit short at the moment but I certainly will keep this in mind.
Hey Boelo! Haha, no way I will claim anything from you 😉
There are many reviews on the internet saying the Pipedreams are not as warm as Alpkit claims, so I knew this was going to be the case when I bought mine from you. At first it kept me warm down to about -5°C. I have used the PD600 a lot since then (an estimated 250 nights) so it is just normal the loft has decreased a bit. I’m planning to wash it in spring, hopefully that will boost the bag a bit again. But overall I’ve been very, very happy with the bag, my best buy ever for 80€ 😉
I’m torn between this shelter and something lighter. Part of me likes it but the full skin out weight might be around 25 with carbon poles.
I really like the openness of the tarp, a video would be awesome if someone can make one.
What I like about this is the canopy, no need to unzip to enter. Kinda like a tarp, just hop under it to stay dry.
Can you please get some more pictures or a video man?
I’ll try to write an extensive review somewhere in the coming weeks/months if I find the time… so keep an eye on the blog!
even if its not an extensive review I would love if you just did a mini review soon.
Hello Willem,
I am in the process of switching to UL and found your gear list most interesting because I saw gear that I have bought already or that I am looking at at the moment.
I am rather curious as to know whether the Cricket stood up tot your expectations – could you make een simple Pro’s an Con’s on your experiences with it?
I bought a pait of Innov-8 Terrocs and merely walked around town in tem for now. I am planning on doing the GR20 this june and still doubt taking these trail shoes or my regular mountainboots. Did the Innov’s really wear out so fast that you needed 3 pairs for your trip ??
Furthermore I am also making an alcohol stove; is alcohol easy to find in (small) shops ? I know that it isn’t the case here in Holland (but then I rarely go out on trips here :-)).
Kind regards,
Herman
Hi Herman,
Perhaps you could try a bottle of bio-ethanol from one of the 600 Blokker shops in the Netherlands for use in your alcohol stove.
Hi Herman,
I’ll write an extensive review about my Cricket Tent within the next few weeks. Do you need it urgently?
I needed three pairs of shoes indeed, but still that is about 700-800km per pair on average. On the rough terrain of the GR20 they will probably wear faster than that. I wrote an extensive review about my trailrunners here: http://transscandinavia.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/walking-scandinavia-with-inov8-flyroc-310-and-some-myths-and-facts-about-trailrunners/
If I were to walk the GR20 now, I would do it on a robust pair of trailrunners. Although there are some boulderfields and scree slopes, many kilometers of the GR20 are still on well-worn paths.
Alcohol was very easy to find in Scandinavia (every gasoline station, supermarket, …) Don’t know about Corsica. I guess the large supermarkets (Ajaccio, Calvi, …) will sell some kind of alcohol for barbecue, …
Very instructive information and comments on the shoes! I gather I will go for a test on them in the belgian Ardennes before deciding on walking the GR20 on the Terrocs.
As for the trent review: as it’s still winter I am in no immediate hurry. I will check your site in a cuopple of weeks.
Ha Willem,
Ik ben van plan om komende zomer een flink stuk te wandelen in Noorwegen en vroeg mij af: Kan je de Leki Makalu Classic wandelstokken aanraden? Of zijn wandelstokken eigenlijk overbodig bij een kortere wandeling?
Hi Willem,
What was the average lifetime of the Sealskin socks? I mean how long did they stay waterproof. Do you recommend them for such a trip? I understand you had lots of wet areas.
Hi Michal! I was not satisfied with the Sealskinz, which started leaking after a few days. I wrote this article about my experiences: http://transscandinavia.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/walking-scandinavia-with-inov8-flyroc-310-and-some-myths-and-facts-about-trailrunners/
Thanks, how about the bivy bag made of Tyvek? I’m going to sew my own from the same material soon and I’m interested in how it performed on your trip. Mostly the big three: durability, breathability and waterproofness :). Is it closer to goretex or pertex kind of fabric?
Oh and I’d also like to know if the solar charger worked ok, as I happen to have the same model, but haven’t used it yet. Thanks 🙂
Great photos from this trip. I really enjoyed reading about your adventure in a place that is on my life list to hike.
How did you like the Epic with the 80 li Drybag in Greenland?
Wat neem je mee van voedsel op zo een trip? Heb je daar soms een “gearlist” van?
Thanks for sharing your gearlist! It’s very interesting to see what you take on an expedition like this. It also helped me get rid of a lot of items for my own (a LOT less epic) trips. Thanks!