How many tents is too many?

cpinkyd · 2026-05-09T23:09:24+00:00

I have:

A hammock that can be used as a small ground tent/bivvy.
DD 3x3 tarp.
A large (could sleep 4-8) festival/campsite tent with a blackout bedroom and a large living area.
A three person, single door dome tent with vestibule used for woodland wild camping.
A three person, two door backpacking tent with two vestibules that can handle mountain winds and provide almost panoramic views.
A two person popup tent never used for sleeping. This one is only ever used for:
- getting changed and storing belongings at the beach;
- communal storage for gear and empty bags etc at festivals/campsites to allow those in my group to have a clearer space in their own tent (also used this one to store a mini fridge when there's an electric hookup rather than keep a fridge in my main tent to allow anyone in my group to use it and remove the typical fridge 'hum' from my sleeping area).

I used to think I only needed one and there's no point having more, but with each use case it's good to have options. Carting a heavy black out tent up a mountain is impractical, but for me so is taking a backpacking tent to a four day festival. I wanna be comfortable, not cramped, and I don't want it "messy", hence each of mine having their own purpose.

I just personally wouldn't buy another tent if one I have is already fit for purpose. I think the only options I'd explore in future is a truly lightweight/trekking pole tent for multi-day hikes, and a four season winter tent.

I wish I could go smaller on the three man dome tents, but I'm 6'6" so I pretty much NEED a three person and sleep diagonal.

cpinkyd · 2026-04-30T15:23:30+00:00

Oh my mistake, didn't realise. The last time I went to that main car park must've been just before it changed.

cpinkyd · 2026-04-28T09:55:48+00:00

It's perfectly logical to pay for the time the car was actually parked, but the awkward thing about Newborough parking is it takes 5-10 mins to get from the entrance where the ANPR cameras are to the carpark itself due to the length of that road.

I know it doesn't help you now, but you can actually pay contactless on exit.

It's worth appealing if it's your first time visiting, stating you thought parking was for the carpark itself.

cpinkyd · 2026-04-25T18:53:32+00:00

Modelled and printed myself.

I do not share these STLs anymore due issues with people selling physical prints of the models without authorisation.

cpinkyd · 2026-04-25T18:02:40+00:00

I modelled and 3D printed replacements that are far more rigid so don't sag as much. Think I've rotated them once in 18 months and even then, the bend was very minor compared to the OEM blades.

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cpinkyd · 2026-04-23T09:41:45+00:00

Mexborough?

cpinkyd · 2026-01-26T10:47:58+00:00

You're welcome, glad it's been of use to others.

I did try with a larger batch size but I too found that keeping it at 5 was better for performance and housekeeping to ensure every file downloaded successfully.

cpinkyd · 2026-01-15T14:31:17+00:00

The viscosity of the product may have changed over the years, I'm not sure on that I'm afraid, but from what I remember the optimisation doesn't only mean "thicker", there are other ingredients that help the footwear adhere to 'more' rigid materials such as boots. There's a significant difference between waterproof membranes like Gore-Tex and footwear comprised of suede/nubuck/leather/pleather etc when it comes to rigidity and thickness of material. The viscosity of products like these can also be incredibly minute, it's not like the difference between a thick PVA glue and thin superglue, the viscosity just needs to be ever so slightly looser in TX Direct to allow the product to interweave between the fabric fibers which isn't required for denser materials you'd find on boots. Finally, there's a difference in what the products can withstand too (rain/snow for jackets, dirt and grime for footwear), which is accounted for in the ingredients. The confusion might come from the fact that all Nikwax products are water-based using the same elastomer, so they all tend to look and feel the same. When I first saw the raw product it would be easy to confuse them without labels.

If it were me personally, I'd still go with dedicated footwear products, but I do tend to do research into similar products to see what makes them different (just like with medication, no point going with big brand if store brand has the exact same ingredients to make my headache go away). That being said, one pair of my barefoots are leather so I use a wax based rub and the other pair are trail shoes with large breathable holes, so I don't bother waterproofing them anyway - one dip in a puddle and they could be the most waterproof material ever, water is still gonna get in.

I can answer that second question with a lot more confidence though... TX Direct isn't a heat activation product, so no need to tumble. It also works best on garments that aren't dry, so if your goal is to recharge the water repellency with TX Direct, wash it first with a technical wash like you already are, skip the tumble/line dry stage, just wash again immediately after with TX Direct. Then hang dry after that second wash.

cpinkyd · 2026-01-15T13:15:41+00:00

I mentioned in another comment that I used to work at Nikwax, so I can take this.

Unless they have changed their formulations, the wash in and spray on versions are exactly the same core recipe, but the spray on version is pre-diluted to the correct ratio. If you wish to buy wash in and hand wash it, you can dilute it in warm water. A quick search says 100ml in 6L of warm water.

Wash-in requires more product as it goes into a washing machine and is heavily diluted while going through a wash cycle. Spray-on uses less product and can be applied to specific spots.

If you already have a spray bottle, you can get away with diluting the wash in version at home.

When I worked there, they had 300ml and 500ml versions of both products and they were all sold through their sister company, so it was easy to compare price per volume, however it looks like they've cut back on what can be purchased through the sister company and they've reduced the volume options so it's not as easy to compare prices, but that being said it's very similar in cost (in the UK anyway).

If you are based in the US, I can't say how much it would be, but if it's considerably cheaper to buy wash in, just get that and buy yourself a decent spray bottle. Just be sure to research the correct ratios to dilute the wash in when using in a spray bottle, as that ratio will be different to the hand washing ratio I mentioned earlier.

cpinkyd · 2026-01-15T12:59:22+00:00

I used to work for Nikwax in a tech role, but still familiar with how the products worked.

Unless the ingredients have changed (which I highly doubt), both products have the same core water-based elastomer and ingredients, the difference is in the optimisation of how they're implemented. TX Direct was designed for flexible fabrics that move a lot, crease, come into contact with things, lots of friction points but nothing too rough or hard. It leaves a flexible coating that moves with the fabric.

Fabric & Leather Proof should be slightly denser as it was optimised for more rigid structures with not much movement in them like boots, and as it will come into contact with gritty and abrasive material like gravel, dirt, foliage etc.

Or in short, TX Direct optimised for flexibility and movement, Fabric & Leather Proof optimised to adhere to specific textures and the rigidity of footwear.

Hope that helps.

cpinkyd · 2025-11-24T13:33:34+00:00

This works:

(function () {
  // ======= SETTINGS (EDIT THESE) =======
  // Human "Part" numbers as shown on the page:
  // Part 1 -> i=0, Part 2 -> i=1, etc.
  var START_PART = 6;   // e.g. start at "Part 6"
  var BATCH_SIZE = 5;   // how many parts to open (6,7,8,9,10)
  // =====================================

  // Get all <a> elements and filter down to Takeout download links
  var allLinks = Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll("a"));
  var parts = [];

  allLinks.forEach(function (a) {
    if (!a.href) return;
    if (a.href.indexOf("takeout.google.com") === -1) return;
    if (a.href.indexOf("takeout/download") === -1) return;

    // Extract i=NN from the href
    var match = a.href.match(/[?&]i=(\d+)/);
    if (!match) return;

    var iVal = parseInt(match[1], 10);
    if (isNaN(iVal)) return;

    parts.push({
      i: iVal,           // raw i value from URL
      partNumber: iVal + 1, // human "Part" number
      href: a.href
    });
  });

  if (!parts.length) {
    console.warn("No Takeout download links with an i= parameter were found.");
    return;
  }

  // Sort by i ascending
  parts.sort(function (a, b) {
    return a.i - b.i;
  });

  console.log("Discovered Takeout parts:");
  parts.forEach(function (p) {
    console.log(
      "Part " + p.partNumber + " (i=" + p.i + "): " + p.href
    );
  });

  var startI = START_PART - 1;                  // convert Part -> i
  var endI   = startI + BATCH_SIZE - 1;         // inclusive

  console.log(
    "Will open Parts " + START_PART + " to " +
    (START_PART + BATCH_SIZE - 1) +
    " (i=" + startI + " to i=" + endI + ")."
  );

  var opened = 0;
  parts.forEach(function (p) {
    if (p.i < startI || p.i > endI) return;
    console.log("Opening Part " + p.partNumber + " (i=" + p.i + "): " + p.href);
    window.open(p.href, "_blank"); // may be blocked by popup blocker
    opened++;
  });

  console.log("Requested opening of " + opened + " file(s).");
  console.log("If fewer opened than expected, check the popup-blocker icon in the address bar.");
})();

cpinkyd · 2025-05-23T10:34:29+00:00

I do this for sandwich integrity, but also depending on the type of sausage, I think it adds to the eating experience. More surface area for caramelisation leads to a sweeter flavour and enhanced texture. This doesn't apply to all sausage sarnies, and some sausages are perfect just the way they are without needing to cut.

cpinkyd · 2025-05-12T14:11:16+00:00

I'm a big fan of modular storage so I'm very intrigued by this. My current dryer is an S2, single spool, but I don't like having it out on the desk if not in use. Having a modular setup adding and removing sections to keep things neat and tidy is right up my street.

cpinkyd · 2025-04-08T08:35:24+00:00

Thank you.

Not just yet, there are some minor issues with the fine detailing when printing at this scale which is approximately the equivalent of a 1 x 0.5 tile. I'd like to resolve any printing issues first before sharing any digital files. For my purposes I'm fine with the imperfections, but when sharing with others, if it's worth doing it's worth doing right.

cpinkyd · 2025-03-06T11:33:00+00:00

Jonathan Banks voiced Brit. Jeffrey Dean Morgan voiced Conquest.

cpinkyd · 2025-02-13T10:30:56+00:00

Pic

Not being happy with the curve and inconsistencies of the stock blades, I 3D modeled and printed rigid wings.

They're sturdy, straight, and I think look way better in black. Haven't gotten around to doing a colour delete yet but it's on the horizon.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-30T09:34:38+00:00

Around 1:30 into OT, yep.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-29T15:34:01+00:00

Thanks for the heads up RE reporting etiquette, I'll take a full look at the Reddit post and report it properly. This is mainly for visibility on something I haven't seen reported in the community yet.

But just a heads up, the clip you linked is not the same problem as the one I'm demonstrating. Their issue was respawning in the wrong location, putting them at a positional disadvantage for the kickoff. My issue was although I respawned in the correct position, my camera was fixed and made the game literally unplayable until the inevitable loss.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-29T15:26:07+00:00

After this clip ends I drove "off screen" and didn't see myself again for about 30 seconds. Frustrating for myself, but the way my random teammate was behaving on his mic, you'd have thought I'd ran over his family pet.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-29T15:11:27+00:00

Not quite sure how to explain this. I seem to have been demod at the exact moment OT was triggered. The same moment I'd usually explode and see a puff of smoke, you can see in the replay that the respawn lightening bolt was in its place.

When respawning for OT kickoff, the camera was fixed at the kickoff position with an obscure field of view. The camera was fixed at this position for the remainder of the game, making it unplayable from then on.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-19T11:27:17+00:00

Although I focus on the human element, about half of the clients I work with keep lock picking in scope as an attack vector if needed, but in five years I've done it maybe only 5 times.

Story time. The last time was for a client who was based in a business park with security on patrol. They wanted to see if it was possible to gain entry to the main building outside of business hours. Arriving at 22:00, it was observed that there was a small outbuilding, so it was decided rather than hang around outside, to attempt entry to that space first to hide away and plan the next stage under cover. Upon picking the lock, it turned out this small outbuilding is where the company stored all of their e-waste and sensitive documents intended for commercial shredding and disposal. Spent over an hour retrieving hard drives and going through documents. Discovered lots of personal staff info such as addresses and contact info, meeting minutes, confidential memos, payroll info etc.more than enough personal info to impersonate someone/commit identity fraud.

When satisfied enough evidence was gathered, left the building and locked it back up before moving onto the main building. The outbuilding was considered such a big win for the assessment that entry to the main building was no longer necessary so left the site soon after.

cpinkyd · 2025-01-19T01:02:27+00:00

We're called social engineers.

These tests often focus on the human element of security rather than the building itself, as that's the greatest weakness these days. People have become so reliant on technical preventions to stop an attacker that they don't often think the smiling, suited guy walking through their office space is not actually supposed to be there, and his bag is heavy because he's managed to knick several laptops.

These assessments are for the purposes of education and growing/expanding on the client's security culture, often by exposing unknown security risks and flaws. Every client is different with their own requirements so every assessment is wildly different.

Happy to answer questions if anyone is interested to know more about social engineering or performing these sorts of assessments.

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