Thermos Ultimate 900ml review and some general advice on flasks

Recently I purchased a new flask, I have been using one that was given to me it doesn't come with a cup and whilst useful it doesn't keep the drinks that hot over a longer period of time it was also comparitvely heavy whilst not really holding a lot.

So I did some research and there were a few candidates:

SIGG Hot & Cold ACCENT Aqua 1.0 L 

This looked a good option but was expensive and I couldn't find the weight listed it did claim to keep your drink warm for many hours but didn't say how long on their official website...

Black Trail Break Biker

Now this was a serious contender I liked the design, again not cheap but specification wise it fell down firstly on the weight 610 g   220 grams heavier than the thermos ultimate and it stated would keep drinks warm for 18 - 20 hrs whereas the thermos ultimate stated 24 hrs warm.

Thermos Ultimate 900ml  

slightly less capacity than the other two I was considering, however it weighed in at only 380g and claimed to keep drinks warm for 24hrs.  After going through several youtube videos with nothing but good to say and backing up their claims I decided this one was for me.  

The Thermos ultimate is as expensive as the others however I managed to source one from Amazon for £20.00 because it was listed as used the packaging was damaged, as the packaging would have ended up in the bin this was a no brainer.

(Long term note:  as the flask is extreemely lightweight the walls whilst strong are more prone to denting than a traditional steel flask, it hasn't been a problem for me but something for you to consider.   I just ensure I store mine in the bag not on the outside and wrap it in something.)

Overall then my choice was easy, however I think the Primus Trailbreak is a great contender and if I had more stats on the Sigg I am sure it was also a serious contender, tbh unless weight is a major consideration I think they would all be a good choice.

 (Long term note:  I am consistently amazed at how long this keeps things hot it really does what it says on the tin!!!!) 

 (Long term note:  A feature I never really considered when buying but now find immensely useful is the way you can completely remove all the lids etc.. on this flask and designed so they don't break i.e. push button flasks, this makes it SUPER EASY TO CLEAN!!)

WELL BUILT EASY TO CLEAN
GREAT INVESTMENT

So finally some tips to share that I have gleaned over the years:

1. Preheat your flask, pour some hot water in swill it round let it stand for a minute then empty and then fill it properly.  This will keep your drink hot for the maximum time as it stops the cold flask initially dropping the temprature.

2. If your going to leave your drink for a long time don't add the milk in.  I don't drink milk but have added it for others to find that after hours in the flask the drink can tase like the milk is off.   Just carry the milk with you.   I tend not to put anything in, just hot water it means you don't have to clean your flask, maximum hot water.

3. Make a flask up before you go to bed, then you can wake up in your tent/bivvy and have a warm drink to get you going before you have to venture out into bad weather.

4. Cleaning your flask - crush up some egshell, put that a little warm water and a few suds put the lid on and shake vigourously - really works.

5. Don't leave anything in the flask for a long time - trust me it's never pleasant to clean out...

6.  If you aren't going to use your flask for a while, wash it and leave the lid off till it is completely dry inside.   If you leave it damp with the lid on for an extended period it will smell.

Storing a down sleeping bag

It's getting to that time of year when the tempratures gradually rise and your thinking of storing your down sleeping bag.  

I have a Montane Deep Heat Sleeping bag which I have had modified to be extra wide, I bought a Snugpak Winter Expanda panel and had it sewn into the bag and the existing zip reused, the material was such a close match no one can tell!!! the shop did such a great job on it.

I love the bag, but don't think much of Montanes customer service though there's a blog post about it so I won't bore you with the details.

Anyhow, I wasn't to happy with their storage bag as storing it that way and on top of a wardrobe means the bag is still compressed slightly and I wanted to ensure that it had the chance to fully decompress whilst stored.

After looking about for bags no one seems to make one that allows you to really let the bag breath and decompress.  I then had a little lightbulb moments and bought one of those underbed storage bags which cost me about £4.50 including postage from e-bay, the bag fitted in perfectly and can fully decompress.   It's stored on top of the wardrobe looks tidy so problem solved, a tip I thought I would pass on.

TO THIS

FROM THIS

Camping In Norfolk - Christmas Night - New Bivy Bag - Sausage the ferretts first adventure

Dmitry a friend I met through work invited me on a mini adventure over Christmas, he had found a great campsite that was almost as good as wildcamping, with the promise that we would be the only ones on site.

This would be the perfect time to test a new piece of equipment I got for Christmas the Aqua Quest hooped Bivvy!

I arrived late at night to find Dmitry, Max & Michael already set up, it was very dark hammering down with rain so I got on with setting up the tarp and my new bivvy.   I was grateful that they had a good fire going and they put some food on for me on my arrival after a late night drive!

My tarp & Bivvy setup

 As you can see in the picture above, I had a dry night however the rain was so awful that the condensation inside the bivvy was awful, I should have taken a vbl (vapour barrier liner).

Did I mention Sausage the ferret joined us

This was a great adventure for Sausage, the guys were great with him and very patient we walked all the way through the woods to the sand dunes and beach and back with him, the locals were very curious.  Sausage loved every minute of it and showed no fear of the sea!

We took a long walk through some woods with  Sausage and
then down to the beach, this is Sausage swimming int the sea!

A curiosity in Kings Lynn

Michael, Max & Dmitry

Brighter Weather

Treating ourselves to a goodbye breakfast!

Dmitry with a mans breakfast soup

I will give a complete review of the Aqua Quest bivvy at a later date!

The First Step in my bike Restoration - Stripping the brooks saddle &

Having a quick peek at the brooks saddle I saw plenty of surface rust etc.. on the springs so I decided I would start there and strip it down.  The intention being to soak the parts in oxalic acid to remove the rust, then clean and decide if they should be re-chromed.

Surface Rust

Not looking so good

Seat off and view from the bottom

checking out how it goes together

 Notice the screws at the top, I decided straight away not to try and just unscrew them, I soaked the whole assembly in GT85 and left it to penetrate.   Getting to the bolts underneath looked a challenge but it wasn't too bad in the end.

looking down the saddle at a single bolt

 That bolt at the end looked difficult to get too, not much room for a spanner.

Stem and mounts removed

Spring removal

 This proved less than the challenge I expected, GT85 had done it's work and I used the spanner to do the work not the screw so it stayed in good condition.

 It might seem obvious but I took a photo of the saddle hooks to make sure I put them back on the right way up.

Springs

 Look at those springs all still in good condition no breaks and that nut at the end looks clean so may be easier to remove!  In the end it was easy to move that nut but very slow as I could only get it about a 1/4 turn at a time due to the clearance.

Rails

 Rails removed seem in good condition but don't know what the chrome at the ends will come out like.

All Stripped

All parts bagged and labled

 I bagged and labeled the parts, being thorough I wanted the left spring to go back on the left side etc..

Notice the saddle it is actually green but looks black due to grime and possibly the wax/leather care that has previously been used on it.  I will ask on the forum if anyone has any ideas about bringing the colour back out.

Pics of the bell stripped off

the top bell badge removed

 I love this bell it works and sounds great but needs rechroming to bring it backs to it's former glory.   I am pretty sure I can bring those grips back up to bright and shiny, surprisingly they came off fairly easily.

This is the badge from the top of the bell, they don't make them like this anymore...  I am going to make sure a good job is done on this.

Lacing a brooks saddle

My brooks like others I have seen on the web seems to be sagging a little and more to one side so I decided to lace it.  After trying with the laces and some of the patterns online I was disatisfied with the finish and the results in terms of firming up the saddle.

I got hold of some orange paracord and a rope tensioner from an old tent and did it all in one, here's the result hope you find my approach useful.

Trelock LS950 - Long term review and great company

The Trelock LS950 has been my goto front light for a while now, with it's lcd readout telling me how long I have left in power and it's adjustable power setting letting me go 47hrs on low power (still great for night riding) it has been hard to find fault.

It may be a little on the heavy side but it's positves and reliability have really made up for that.  The only failure I have had is the little rubber cover that protects the usb charging port came away due to my clumsy hands and a little too much force, completely my fault.

So after a year or so use it still retains it's charge and has been bashed rained on and still works as good as new.

So why did I choose this one over a dynamo light, well my setup puts all my charge into a 26000 Mah battery that is pre-charged before a tour, so it makes sure all my pedaling power goes into the powerbank squeezing every last ounce and starting with a 26000 Mah headstart means it's easy to recharge anything I want and haven't even come close to running out on a tour, and this light with it's own batter gives me another 47hr headstart.

I should also mention that when I broke the little rubber bit, I sent a request to the manufacturer to purchase a replacement and they came straight back asking for my address so they could ship one for free!!! how is that for customer service, they turned up a few days later but two of them just in case!!!

Montane customer service could learn a thing or two from Treelock!!

If your thinking of a USB front light, want it bright reliable and able to see you through a few days night riding you can't go wrong, it's solid strong and well made!!

Montane Deep Heat Sleeping Bag - Don't expect any help from Montane!!

For my winter trip I bought a Montane Deep Heat sleeping bag, really excited to get it however in use I found it too constrictive.  I am very broad and just couldn't move or properly get comfortable.

So I contacted Montane support and asked if they supplied and expanda similar to those offered by other manufacturers.  Simple reply was no.....

 Not to be put off I am used to "modifying" things so I sent a polite ask to them again explaining my problem and asking if they could supply me with some material, I could then match the zips and make my own..

The response I got was - we don't keep enough material to help you out..............   Needless to say I am not impressed.  I let them know and I am writing this as a heads up for anyone thinking of buying Montane products, don't expect anything in the way of support from them unless it's standard stuff. 

I don't believe for one minute they can't get hold of a piece of their material, I believe simply that they can't be bothered as a single customer is just not worth the effort and their customer support don't consider going a little out of their way as worth their time.

Contrast that with companies like "avenir" who sent me replacemnt parts twice free of charge after I lost them....  Or Specialized who paid for an entirely new wheelset after my hubs failed on one of their bikes after  a years use... those are companies who believe their reputation and customers are worth making an effort for.

Perhaps if I was doing a high profile expedition or a large customer I would have had a better response...

For the price of the Bag I expect more support from the company - I deal a lot with support contracts in my day job and one of the first things I state when negotiating or during support reviews is that I don't measure a company by them doing their job, my standard of excellence is when things go wrong how far they are prepared to go to put things right and demonstrate their commitment to "excellent customer support". 

I am not saying they are responsible for my wide shoulders or their bag was wrong, I am saying that stating their commitment to excellence should mean more than accurate manufacturing, it's being responsive to their customers regardless of the size of the order.

Well I have learned my lesson with them and this will be my first and last purchase.

I have purchased a "Snugpak" expander panel and if I can match the zips I will use that, not the perfect solution but better than Montane's "Nothing".