Sad to hear these news. Nigel was my guide when I did my very first trip in a big cave that happened to be OFD. He also taught me the first steps of cave photography. Later we did a trip in Alum Pot with him, and I have never seen as good rigging as Nigel did - it was just perfect. He also...

I've read the original book, and in Wales OFD is the most familiar cave for me. There are plenty of hard sections in that classic cave while some parts of the cave are beginner friendly. In the "not for the faint-hearted book" I could see the through trip from OFD I to II or Cwm Ddur via the...

Thanks for the tips. I prefer lightness but also good grip is essential, of course. I really miss my Gelerts. They were both light-weight and had a good grip.

The page says that the sole is of PVC. I have understood that rubber is better, is this true, or do they have equally good grip?

I'm not sure which Beavers the others here are using but I have had these, and I have been satisfied: http://www.berniescafe.co.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=knee+pads&x=0&y=0 They are soft enough, and they also have a very good grip when climbing...

Hi, I had a pair of very good Gelert wellingtons but last year someone accidentally took them from the SWCC drying room, and I never got them back. I can't find similar Gelerts in my size (39/6-6,5) anywhere anymore, and I'm still looking for a good replacement for them. I have been thinking...

Hi, Thank you for the replies. I have been using my Fireflies a couple of years, and they have been working fine. After I noticed that the Vivitar wasn't firing, I tested the Firefly with my two other flashguns, and it worked as it was supposed to. I also have two cameras, one with a preflash...

Hi, I just bought a Vivitar 285HV which is also recommended here http://www.pjcaver.com/sidfirefly.htm . The problem is that the Firefly 3 doesn't seem to trigger the flash. The flashgun works properly when test fired. On Cavechat.org I found this topic...

Thank you all. Whatever causes nausea and shortness of breath, it's always a good move to turn back when you don't feel well. Caving should be fun, and it's not fun when you are feeling unwell. I have read that bad air causes same kind of symptoms, so that was my hypothesis after our experience...

Thank you for the replies. The weather wasn't very warm - the coldest winter for years on Tenerife. It had been raining but it didn't rain that day. We have been caving a lot in limestone caves but this was our first time in a lava tube. The other parts of the cave felt normal, and the air was...

I think it was maybe too much CO2 then. We didn't feel any air current after we had climbed up those boulders. The air was thick, warm and humid - different from any other parts of the cave (we didn't try the right hand side passage though). The shortness of breath and nausea weren't very good...

I have long wanted to see a lava tube because lava tubes are primary caves, and thus different from any other cave I have been in before. Our trip to Tenerife offered a chance, and it turned out that as we wanted something else than a tourist trip, Cueva de san Marcos on the northern coast of...

Thank you for the replies. There are currently a couple of Vivitars on Ebay but for some reason just now everybody seems to want them, and the prices go high, unfortunately. Is Vivitar 283 as good an option as 285? What about Sunpak 433? I can also check those other options you were suggesting.

I'd like to ask some questions about flashguns, so I think I don't have to start a new topic. I had a very powerful Nikon flashgun which I got from my dad but it got wet and is not working properly :( . I have been using small Rollei flashguns when I like to take quick shots because I can carry...

Thank you for your suggestions. I must now consider which bag to purchase. I don't want a too similar bag which I already have. The flat profile of the Warmbac bag is at least very different from my Phoenix bag. It also has that internal pocket which is an advantage too.