Three Hyundais

In 2011 I was cruising around in a dream machine. It was a 2.7litre. V6. 24V.... Hyundai. Ok bit of a damp squib there. However it did make me feel like James Bond and also transported me around during a significant point in 2007. In some respects this was my escape vehicle. 

It also took my dad and I on an incredible 3000mile road trip to Sorrento and back (2009) taking in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy.

Then something happened.

The possibility of dogs joining our family and an all too near miss with total disaster. The dogs is an easy on too explain. It's a coupe and not really suitable. 

The near miss happened on the weekend of my wife's 40th birthday (2011). She'd travelled down to Cornwall with her mate for a couple of days. The plan was for me to drive down later and spend a couple of days with her as well while her friend returned home. My very alternative route had a scheduled travel time of 6 hours 40 mins covering 315miles. 

Yes Surrey isn't 315 miles from Cornwall.

On one such section I parked on the side of the road to have a leak. I believe I was in the area of Dinahs Hollow on the B3081. While absorbing the view and wetting the ground I heard a car horn. Somehow I felt the need to go and look. 

What I saw still makes me sweat with fear. My beloved car was across both lanes of the road with the back end resting on a fence. Beyond the fence was literally straight down. Had the fence not held I would be down 1 Hyundai Coupe. I believe what had happened was that I hadn't put the handbrake on properly. I'd noticed on the Sorrento trip that on steep hills the handbrake wasn't quite strong enough so instead left it in gear. I really should have continued with this habit - from this point on I did and continue to do so!

With luck - some luck - damage was barely noticeable. A small piece of plastic trim had popped out so I popped it back in again. The fright was enough and convinced me that perhaps it was time for a change.

So what to choose? As a kid I spent most of my life in 4x4s and perhaps my destiny of car ownership was to join the 4x4 crew. There is a huge choice but very few that actually took my eye. I'm quite a rough and ready chap but my wife requires some creature comforts. This sadly ruled out Defenders. In the end I looked seriously at Nissan's X Trail. But I found them to be over priced in my opinion.

Then browsing through some car dealer websites I came across the Hyundai Tucson. It ticked all the boxes and had plenty of space. Including a cabin that would fold completely flat. The garage in question was the same place I'd got the Coupe from so I knew the salesman and was only too pleased to help and give us a good price for the Coupe. Considering we were getting dogs the good omen came in the form of a dog chew found in the boot. 

This was the car for us.

It's first meaningful test was only a month after we'd got it. You may remember the snow of 2011 and the standstill it left the country in. Well during this time we'd booked to pick up Edwid (our first dog) from the breeder - somewhere Farnham way. The breeder was going on holiday later that day so we had to get her then or face delay by a month. 

As night fell the snow covered the region. Well over a foot deep in places. Our plan was to get up and go early. Although a relatively short journey it could take hours to get there and the less cars on the road the better. So 6am came and off we went with water, emergency blankets, shovel and a sack of grit. We passed abandoned vehicles and lone cars struggling on hills - I would have stopped if there wasn't a more pressing appointment.The snow kept falling and getting deeper but eventually we made it.

The Tucson got us there without a single slip or skid. I drove carefully in the normal factory tyres and they didn't miss a beat. Not once. The journey home was a different experience. By the time we left the snow fall had abated meaning that every dick in the world had decided to drive. It took us two hours to get home because people thought their Ford Ka could make it. Junctions were blocked. Roads were blocked. I did consider following a pickup driving up the middle of the road passing all the stuck traffic.

I remember on one hill outside Camberley all the cars were struggling to get up it. A Smart car tried and then slid backwards only to try and retry with the same result. I was beginning to lose my patience now so I whacked on my full beams, punched the horn and off we went. Straight up the hill. Not a single moment of slip.

Well 5 years on and the clock is now on 85000miles - it only had 20000m when I bought him. Marlon (I do name my cars) has been a working star. It has only genuinely failed once to get me out of something and that was when mud trapped it in a field. Acceptable given a Land Rover Discovery also got stuck.

So why change? Well space is one thing. Although we can fit in all the camping stuff using a Thule Roof Bag it does mean my wife is a bit cramped. From a technical point the car is fine and could well cover another 80k before something drops off - so far nothing has gone wrong in any sense at all. 

During the search for a new car I looked and tried many of the 4x4s out there. But there is something lacking in the market place. Namely a decent non-premium SUV. I did look at Ssangyongs and Dacia and even stretched to pick ups from Great Wall and Mitsubishi. All had their plus points but the number one on my list was a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. For one year this car became a special edition. Loaded with extras and with a huge .. no ... H U G E capacity. It would be perfect. Sadly the current version in my opinion doesn't come close.

I was on the brink of just carrying on with the Tucson (which was in no way a bad thing) when I spotted an advert on the website of the garage I'd got my Coupe and Tucson from. It isn't mine yet but subject to a viewing tomorrow my third Hyundai could well be coming home.

Third Companion: Deuter Futura 32

This is possibly my most favourite piece of kit. I’d never really owned a technical sack like this so it was a case of going online and flicking through catalogues to see what was out there. I did like the Osprey sacks and of course Berghaus featured heavily too. However it was the Deuter’s back system that really attracted me.

I really hate sweaty back syndrome. It feels awful when you stop and sit down for a break and you can feel the cold air sending a chill up your back because of the sweat. So having a back system that didn’t really touch you could only be of benefit.

My previous sack was an ultra cheap Blacks own make. It basically disintegrated in the rain and everything in it got ruined. I know the Deuter isn’t waterproof but it at least comes with a waterproof cover.

As well as the back system I liked all the nooks and crannies I could store stuff as well as the space for an aqua pack. I didn’t spend too much on that as I ended up with a budget £8 one from Gelert! Anyway I also added to the sack with a couple of strap on pockets which are availavble direct from Deuter. They a pretty much the same size as the side pockets already on the sack so they are useful in storing extra rations and small equipment – even camera lenses. The other extra is a Berghaus belt mounted pocket. I was always finding that I needed to get into my coat pocket which was always under the belt. This was an ideal solution.

So I paid £75 for the sack – I could have got it for £50 but the security of actually trying it out in the shop was worth it.

I’m still working on a couple of other additions. One of which is a way of strapping my DSLR to the sack and the other is seeing if there is a way of attaching a map case in a convenient way.

What is it: Rucksack
USP: Ingenious back system
When did it come into its own: Carrying mine and my wife’s stuff whilst out in the hills.
Was it worth it, really?: I actually paid £25 more than I needed too but that was security of picking something like this and trying it on in the shop.
Where did you get it? Cotswold Outdoor, Reading
Extras & Additions? Deuter Strap on pockets x2, Berghaus Belt mounted case, Aquapack
Rivals/Decision making? Osprey, Berghaus…
Rating: 10/10

Second Companion: Scarpa ZG65

Following a disaster of a holiday in Wales 2010 when everything leaked and left me with a horrible cold it was time to invest in some gear. My list consisted of:

A new coat.
A new pair of boots.
A new tent.
A new rucksack.

My experience with the Trezetas convinced me to continue with a fabric-leather-gore tex mix. After all I’d gone through a bog with them so I knew the limitations! Top of my list was Asolo with Scarpa a close second. I’d decided to visit the Cotswold Outdoor store in Reading as I’d read good things about them.

Capturing the attention of one of the assistants they measured my foot thoroughly and we chatted about what I would be using them for and the type of fit. This was interesting because they predicted the Asolo would be too narrow – which they were, disappointingly. However I did like the Scarpa ZG65s. Very lightweight but felt solid and the chunky sole appealed.

I’ve worn them on walks up to 12 miles without over various terrains at all times of the year. Very impressive and very easy to live with.

What is it: Footwear - boots
USP: They fit perfectly.
When did it come into its own: A really long walk up Y-Lethyr. Mixed terrain and steep – those big lugs really do dig in.
Was it worth it, really? Yes and with the discount I got well worth it.
Where did you get it? Cotswold Outdoor, Reading
Rivals/Decision making? Asolo Fugitive
Rating: 9/10

First Companion: Trezeta boots

My parents got me into walking, though from a young age I hated it as my feet hurt. It was only when I begged to see a doctor they actually found I had a genuine problem with my ankles. So, fast forward to about 2003/4. Things hadn’t quite worked out for me on a personal level so I was feeling quite sorry for myself. Nevertheless I decided to go on holiday and join my parents at their Welsh mountain retreat. During the stay my dad insisted on getting me some walking boots. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then and probably didn’t even wear thick socks but ultimately I ended up with a pair of size 10.5 Trezetas. I liked them because they weren’t full leather and didn’t need resealing all the time. Also from a cosmetic appeal I liked the style of them. They were my first fabric boots and I think they cost £70.

Since then they signalled a change in my outlook and interests. Slowly but surely I became more and more drawn to being outdoors and walking. Not only that but these boots were so smart I wore them in the winter when going about my business. Over the years they’ve come to Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand, Canada.

One of my favourite moments in them was when I almost died in a bog. I was on holiday in Wales and had gone off to walk near to Lyn Bodlyn. No maps or compass in them days either! Anyway it was a gloriously hot day I think North Wales was in a state of drought. Having reached the far side of the lake I decided to follow the stream back to a small bridge. Mistake 1. I soon realised that this wasn’t such a good idea and I didn’t fancy wading in the stream. As an alternative I decided to walk in a straight line back to the path. Probably about half a mile as the crow flies. Mistake 2. Despite the drought, a bog was still in full effect. Turning round wasn’t much help so I decided to plough on which rightly or wrongly I thought would be better than trying to retrace my steps and walk downstream.

I’m well over six foot but a couple of times I ended up knee deep in ooze. There was a brief moment of panic but I quickly supressed this as it wasn’t going to help. Gradually I got closer and closer to the safety of the path but that wasn’t the end of my problems. I’d since run out of water and it was mid-afternoon with the temperature in the high 20s.

Well obviously I didn’t die but I learnt some valuable lessons on that day. It took over a week for my boots to dry out and they lost their shine in the muddy bog. They also stank for months as a reminder. Now I never go anywhere without more than sufficient water, a map and more importantly looking at the landscape and exactly what is underfoot.

Despite them still being very comfortable, the soles have worn out of grip, the lace hooks have worn to a razor sharp edge and the rubber rand is coming away slightly, so it’s now time to retire them.

They will get a new lease of life as my dog walking, gardening and allotment boots and should serve me well for a few years to come.

What is it: Footwear - boots
USP: The khaki/green style sold me.
When did it come into its own: Every time I went walking!
Was it worth it, really: Encouraged me to get out!
Where did you get it?: Beddgelert
Rating: 8/10