The Travel Blog Collective.

Review: Btwin bike bag (or.. how to pack a Surly Long Haul Trucker)

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:45:39 +0000

Usually people transport their bikes in cardboard boxes, but i felt that having a dedicated bike bag would be better as it is more compact, has more room for accessories and most of all because of the reason that the bag can be stowed away easily at a left luggage counter or in a hotel and can be used for the return trip as well. That last item was the major selling point for me as i didn't want to run around looking for cardboard boxes especially on the return leg of my journeys. The Btwin bike bag being sold in Decathlon looked perfect for my needs so i went ahead and bought it. And here is its review..

Kari Dosa at Madurai

Niranjan@kettik.com (Niranjan Kumar) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:41:54 +0000

Great place to eat authentic Madurai recipe - Must try @ Konar Kadai, Madurai

My 2012 Spring/Summer Travel and Trekking master plan..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:44:35 +0000

Trek.. Trek.. Trek.. I've finally decided what my next trip is going to be all about. Initially i wanted take my cycle along and do a mix of touring and trekking, but the more i researched on the trekking routes the more i realized that i can do most of my trip on foot.

I plan on starting from the Gharwal region of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand and end up in the Rupshu plateau of Ladakh traversing the Kinnaur and Spiti valleys. All these regions are connected by a series of high altitude passes. With the right timing and a bit of luck i should be able to safely trek across them all with good (not the best) weather conditions behind me.

2012 : Wildlife Volunteering options at Bandipur and BRT hills in South India

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:26:18 +0000

Wildlife Conservation Society of India has just released their internship/volunteering requirements for 2012. These field workshops will be held at several reserves in Karnataka including Dandeli-Anshi, BRT, Bhadra, Bandipura and Nagarahole. Please check the below post for more details on the requirement and on how to register yourself for one of the programmes.

Top Five Treks in Ladakh

Wasil@kettik.com (Wasil Girish) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:57:19 +0000

Ladakh is a paradise and a haunt for trekkers.

Tips for sharing a single CPL filter with multiple lenses

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:40:04 +0000

A circular polarizer (CPL) filter is an important piece of kit in any photographers bag. Especially that of a travel/landscape photographer. In this post we'll examine some tips that will allow you to efficiently share a single CPL filter across many of your lenses.

Cycling Trip in Ladakh

Wasil@kettik.com (Wasil Girish) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:08:37 +0000

Ladakh Travel Diaries - Cycling in Ladakh.

Cycling in Ladakh Himalayas has its own unique appeal.

An experience at the top 5 wildlife parks of south India

Wasil@kettik.com (Wasil Girish) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:43:37 +0000

I have always heard and read about the best wildlife spots in southern India, and in 2011 I managed to visit them as well. Let me go ahead and tell you what I saw, felt and experienced at the top 5 national parks of wildlife India. And if you are an adventure seeker like me, you would be thrilled visiting these places, don’t miss the opportunity when it comes.

The Tsomoriri Trip.. A troubled trip that couldn't have gone any better..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:48:05 +0000

It was a trip where Murphy's law was in full force. Everything that could go wrong did, and some. I drove around in circles trying to find fuel for my motorbike, got lost in the dark on the shores of the Tsomoriri lake, camped out in the wild, got bike's tires punctured and was rescued by the unlikeliest folks possible.. the Changpa nomads living high up in the mountains around the Tsomoriri lake. Needless to say, this was one of my best trips in Ladakh and i thoroughly enjoyed every minute of i

Read on to hear the story of my Tsomoriri trip..

Cycling the long high road to Leh..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:46:13 +0000

Ladakh was the reason why i decided to take my bicycle with me to the Himalayas. The lure of cycling in the mountains with its crisp blue skies and snow capped peaks was too enticing to ignore. I had traveled Ladakh by motorcycle back in 2008, but this time i decided that a bicycle would be a better option. Going by cycle meant going slowly.. a 200km trip from, say, Leh to Pangong lake which can be done in a single day on a motor cycle would take 3 to 4 days on a bicycle. Which means stops in the smaller villages, seeing more sunrises & sunsets, more photo opportunities and more interaction with the local people. I had the one thing which i did not have in my other trips, the luxury of time.

Then i thought that if i was going to be cycling in Ladakh then i might as well cycle TO Ladakh. I knew that i was in no shape to tackle the road but i had a get fit plan. It was brilliant. First spend a month in Rishikesh learning yoga, then spend the next month slowly making my way to Manali on my bicycle by which time i hoped to be fit enough to tackle the Manali-Leh road in early september.

Backpacking through Rajasthan..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:57:42 +0000

This was my first ever backpacking trip in India. I had traveled alone in China and Thailand before this but still i was a little nervous about traveling in my home country. Turns out all that nervousness was unwarranted and i ended up having a wonderful time. Here are some stories from that trip.

Thailand Traveltales

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:53:15 +0000

On my way back to India (after a 6 month stay in Beijing), i decided to have a stopover in Thailand and have a 15 day break. I would've preferred to have stayed longer, but the only visa i could get to Thailand on a short notice was a transit visa and it was limited to 15 days only. Never much of a beach person i went to Thailand with mixed expectations and came out refreshing and raring to be back.

CNY HuangShan Trip 2009

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:59:03 +0000

For the Chinese New year holidays i decided to go to HuangShan. I was looking forward for a change of scenery from the usual tibetian mountains that im drawn to. And what better place than HuangShan to get a perfect taste of the Chinese mountain scenery. The Chinese people, and poets alike, never seem to tire of coming up with new ways to praise the HuangShan scenery. And all the photo's i've seen of the place seem to backup their claim. I was a bit circumspect about going there during winter but after a bit of research i found that the winter scenery is supposed to be the best with clear blue skies and the trees and mountains covered by snow. One day before i was due to leave it was snowing in Huangshan... I was excited...

My first visit to Ladakh...

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:47:20 +0000

Ever since i was bitten by the travel bug, Ladakh was one place that i always wanted to go. The pictures i've been seeing from friends on Flickr were all stunning and it looked as if it was almost impossible to take a bad picture in Ladakh. So with all these high hopes i finally got a chance to travel to Ladakh for a couple of weeks during October 2008. And it didn't disappoint.

Pictures from my Travels..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:07:48 +0000

A select collection of pictures from Travels over these past few years. Just everyday moments that appear extraordinary when you travel.

Its funny, i normally hesitate taking pictures of people but when i look back most of my memorable pictures are the ones with people in them. Any favorite subject, landscapes feature very less in this collection. I guess there's a lesson to be learnt here..

DIY: Using camera sling straps with a tripod L-bracket

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:14:03 +0000

I have a tripod L-bracket always attached to my camera (as it allows me to use the tripod at a moments notice, easily attach the camera hand strap, and provides extra protection for the camera against bumps and nicks). Removing it inorder to connect a (Black Rapid type) sling strap was never an option for me and i assume most other L-bracket owners would also feel the same.

On the flip side, i like carrying my camera in the sling position but the regular camera straps are not ideal for this purpose. So naturally i wanted some manufacturer to come with with an ideal solution which would allow me to use the sliding sling straps with an tripod L-bracket without having to remove the strap to use the tripod and viceversa.

Unfortunately the solutions that the manufacturers came up with were all pretty weak and completely unsuitable for me

Black Rapid : Their FastenR-T1 adaptor allows the adapter to remain attached to the Quick Release plate when mounted on a tripod. This solution just avoids having to un-screw the adaptor while using a tripod, you still have to have detach camera strap though. And this adaptor is designed to work only with the Manfortto QR plates, not sure how compatible it will be with the QR plates of other manufacturers.

This adapter alone costs 18$, totally not worth it in my opinion.

Carry Speed : The carry speed plate is a better solution as it allows any QR plate to be mounted no it thus allowing the user to use both the tripod and the camera strap to be used at the same time. Unfortunately while this solution works great for the normal QR plates, it will not work with the L-brackets.

Luma Loop : Luma loop had the best solution of them all with a Lanyard attached to the camera's strap connector notch. This freed up the base of the camera to use whatever attachment you like down there. But unfortunately Black Rapid filed a patent suit against them prompting the company to withdraw their product from the market. Its a shame really coz it was the perfect solution for my needs.

On the down side it was also the most expensive strap of the lot, costing around 70$.

My go anywhere sleeping bag..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:31:31 +0000

At 75$, this was one of the best gear purchases that i ever made. I live in South India and i wanted a sleeping bag which i can use in a variety of conditions from hiking in the tropical jungles of South India to backpacking around China to summer/autumn camping in the high Himalayas. Over the course of the past 4 - 5 years (i purchased it mid 2007) this bag has proven itself to be perfect for my needs.

Before i go into the detailed review of the sleeping bag, i just want to list out some of the different conditions that i've used this bag in. Although the bag is rated as -1C, i've used it at much lower and much warmer temperatures. Granted it was not always very comfortable when the temperatures dipped below 0C, but i lived to tell the tale.

Slept out in the open on the Great Wall. -15C, no tent, no bivy, just an inflatable sleeping pad which failed during the night. Not the most comfortable night but i survived.
Camping in the Himalayas, in altitudes all the way up to 4500m. Temperatures did dip a few degrees below 0C, but a few extra layers were enough to keep me warm during the night.
Backpacking around India and China. In conditions ranging from below freezing, all the way upto 35C. This is where the quantum expander came in handy. Whenever the temperatures was warm (>10C) i just unzip the expander and have a more roomy, comfortable bag for the warmer conditions. And when its really warm (> 20C) i fully open the bag and use it as a blanket.

What i liked about this Bag:

What i love about this bag is its versatility to be used in temperatures near freezing all the way up to the high thirties. At a little over 1Kg the bag is light weight and packs small. The material is soft and feels great against the skin. Although not waterproof, i've not had any problems with the condensation seeping in to the inner layers of the bag.

What i did not like about this Bag:

There is a small ventilation tube near the foot of the bag (where the zippers end). This lets in a lot of cold air in freezing conditions and makes the bag cold. I usually end up stuffing my heavy socks or scarves into the opening to seal the bag and keep it slightly warmer. This is my biggest complaint about the bag.
The zippers sometimes snag against the fabric while opening or closing the bag. This is a minor issue and i generally run my fingers below the zippers to keep them from snagging.
Another minor annoyance with this bag is the drawstring cords used to close the hood. They are a bit unwieldy and can be all over the place. Not sure if this issue is common with the other bags as well.

To sum up, i think that it is a great bag. Especially for its price. It served me well for the past 4 years and i'am sure that it will serve me well for a long time to come. It is definitely my go to bag for hiking and backpacking in conditions where the temperature is above 0C.

For colder conditions i've just recently purchased the Marmot 0F (-18C) Never Summer down bag. The bag has got some great reviews and i'am looking forward to using it during my winter trip to Ladakh early next year (2012).