Pages

24 October 2010

Forgotten Treasure!

Digging about in the blanket box this morning, just one of a number of an embarrassing number of repositories of my old walking gear, I found all manner of stuff that I had almost forgotten about. There was my old red Buffalo, (that really was a love/hate relationship) various micro fleeces that now look fine for knocking around the house in, an old much loved 2 person Trangia set (wow that was heavy!) my old Akto which I bought in 1995 and which did twelve years excellent service, and joy of joys, my old Hilleberg Nallo 2.

I bought this tent in 1998 to use on the 1999 TGO Challenge when I walked across with Phil, Tini & Lynnie. It stood up to one hell of a storm halfway across. I was amazed at it’s resilience. The only use after that was in 2003 on the PreWalkDaunder – a three day backpack designed as a “loosener” for the Challenge – with my son Oli. Now Oli is a monster of a chap; a strapping 6’ 3” of walking machine, and it was a bit of a squeeze in the old Nallo. He also snored for Britain and so we decided that the Challenge would best be achieved in separate tents.

So the old tent has only ever spent a dozen nights, or perhaps even less, camped. I was fascinated to see what condition she would now be in. I was concerned that the fabric and inner suspension elastics might have perished.

But, quite incredibly she is in absolutely perfect condition. Here she is, in all her splendour, gracing the garden:

Nellie the Nallo
Nellie's rear end

Hilleberg cognoscenti will notice that Nellie is the original model – later editions have a reduced size rear hoop. Ventilation was never a problem as the venting is excellent, with the inlet at the raised rear and the exhaust at the front top hoop.

I shall now have to see if I can swing a few days away in Nellie.

12 comments:

  1. What a splendidly aggressive colour. No stealth camping with that monster!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Stealth Camping?" Bring on the landowners! I'll 'ave 'em!...

    I have just been having a natter with Lord Elpus and we have been adding up the nights Nellie has been pitched.

    Eight.

    She's a brand new tent, bless her!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Look on the bright side (no pun intended) - it won't show the blood next time you go "mano a mano" with the barbed-wire :-)

    Hope you're healing well, Alan.

    (Word = subbiler)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Stef. It still aches a bit and the finger seems to have a bit of a permanent 'set' to it. I believe that both problems can be sorted by exercising the hand by grasping beer glasses for the physio and pain killing effects.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, I think we'd all assumed that glass-raising would be part of your recuperation regime anyway, Alan. Just be careful that you don't overdo it and and up with RSI instead!

    (Word = dirdingl)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah yes, I remember that daunder well. It was the first time that the Binder within burst forth.

    Poor old Binder. Despite much chatter on the walkie talkies whilst we consumed the medical supplies, he never located the elusive camp one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, I wouldn't mind finding tents like that lying around the house! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Al, old Nellie the Elephant looks in good fettle! To good just to be caged in for life, and she’s blushing too.
    She needs to roam the hills and dales again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Phil - There has always been Binder lurking within. Just occasionally he lurches to the dreadful surface, aided and abetted by his terrible team of Jungle, Prone, Constant, Burley & Shute. They know who they are. They always found Camp One and the supplies. Binder, on the other hand...

    Maria: Nellie will soon, I hope, be put to good use, establishing binder's Camp One. At last, Binder's luck seems to be changing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Alan - I am not sure if Nellie will be doing too much roaming - she is a little weighty. Wanda will still be my little Honey for the Hills.

    ReplyDelete
  11. PW: To wake in the morning beneath the sunburst glow of red flysheet and yellow inner is a delight and pleasure, even when the rain is hammering down with elephantine gusts slamming onto the shelter.

    To wake up in the sallow green pallor of a green 'stealth' flysheet is to wake up to misery and sloth.

    ReplyDelete

Hi.
Because of spammers, I moderate all comments, so don't worry if your comment seems to have disappeared; It has been sent to me for approval. As soon as I see it, I'll deal with it straight away.
Thank you!