Rohan Bags for Bags

We have been sharing stories of our old Rohan Clothing on Rohantime, some still going strong or handed down to the next caring owner. We have discovered another little talked about option, reuse. Below is a great creative example from Cath. If you have any Rohan Clothing reuse options please share them with us all.

“My mum said she was making a bag out of some old Rohan walking trousers and I thought this was a good idea… so I nicked the idea for myself! I cut the pockets out and sewed them together.

The bag has lots of zips and pockets in it, making it the perfect size to carry the Time Out Book of Country Walks”

Check out other innovative ideas on Caths Flickr Page

Works well together

All Layered Up…..

No doubt matching your clothes to the weather for maximum comfort and protection makes a lot of sense. In the recent weeks of plunging temperatures, snow swept motorways and lengthening icicles, I have found I am wearing my winter walking kit all day, including my boots.

The three layer clothing system which underpins modern outdoor clothing is a fantastic way of dressing. Layering clothing to produce maximum thermal efficiency is a well established and efficient way of ensuring you get maximum protection from your clothing, but it hasn’t made the leap to high street clothing. That was obvious the other day when I was out and about on the streets of Birmingham. I witnessed many incidents of people hopelessly dressed for the conditions that they had to deal with. Guys in suits and not much else and ladies well… we can do better girls.

My preferred layer system is a light weight, but good looking base layer. There have been times in over heated offices that I have had to expose the base layer. So my tip is make it nice. Recently, I have used the Rohan Core T, a good looking T shirt that acts as a wicking and thermal layer. Next, Microgrid Stowaway Top, great warmth to weight ratio and again looks good. Finally on top, my trusty Cityscape and Inner Flame Jacket. Rohan Bags and occasionally Merino Leggings complete the ensemble.

I guess there are many successful layer combinations, if you are using Rohan Clothing all day during the big freeze please share your preferred layer system.

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Bags of Colour in Rohan Keswick

Ben Evans and the Rohan Keswick team have been very busy in the last few days. The Rohan Originals collection, of early Rohan classic garments, has just been got bigger with the addition of some really of the wall Rohan Bags colours. The new colours of the Bags pink, emerald and yellow were loaned by Peter Clinch, who is a regular user of Rohantime. Thank you Peter.

So what colours are we missing?

If you have any of the more unusual colours tucked away in the back of the wardrobe, please let us know. If you have a black pair of Bags, we are really interested. Not many left. I understand the word is out for a lovat and spice pair. You remember spice maybe if I said rust!                                                                                                                                                                   The red carpet would go out for a Mark 1 pair of Rohan Bags.

Rohan & Barry grown together

Let me tell you a little about Rohan and me:

Have bought Rohan gear every year since 1978 – and took the first gear solo mountain trekking across Finnmark and the the North Cape.
Am still wearing some of the original Rohan gear. Why not?
Have led 180 expeditions across the whole of the high and sub Arctic, using Rohan gear on every one.
Former award-winning geographer/teacher. Now professional survival instructor across the UK and the whole of Scandinavia – wearing the Assignment  Jacket everywhere.
I’m an Outdoor Education Safety specialist – again multi-award winning, and a Chartered Geographer and FRGS (since 1974), running my own company.
2002: 10,000 kms 3 month solo expedition to North Cape and Russian border : awarded Churchill Fellowship & silver medallion for research. The Rohan (Goa) ‘anorak’  went with me across 6,000 miles of driving. I wore it today.
The Striders and Super Striders are still worn, the Rohan Bags are still there, the old Rohan Pampas (bright orange and navy !!!!) still there too. The Axiom jacket was admired by an Icelandic Guide recently and it mysteriously disappeared at the end of the exped! I have loads of Rohan Polos and T’s, Icelanders, Uplanders, and am 6′5″ so Rohan was the first clothing I could get to fit me – ‘off the shelf’. I am just about to buy my fourth Pampas jacket – they are the best.

The purpose of telling you all this?

1. I’m proud to be a ‘Rohanist’
2. The products have actually been with me since I started instructing mountain craft and survival professionally – so we’ve grown together – and that’s in a way sort of comforting.
3. I’m still buying.

No doubt you get loads of emails by other Rohan users. Well that’s good, but I thought you like to know that 31 years ago – one Autumn I was in a shop in Brentwood, Essex…..and it all started from there.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

Barry Howard
Director & Chief Instructor
Hunter Outdoor Training

A selection of photo’s from Barry’s album below. More on Rohantime Flickr

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Rohan Bags – Off the wall

We are happy to report that the Rohan Original Collection in Keswick is developing well.

Ben Evan’s owner of Rohan Keswick now has eight excellent examples of original early Rohan garments on display in the shop. Among the collection is a Mark 1 Moving On, One Piece, Tundra, The Starkhorn and a very rare example of a garment in the Pacer range. There are others about to go up on the Keswick shop walls.

Ben told us.

“The collection is a talking point in the shop. There is nothing Rohanists like better than talking about their own Rohan collection. We have had some great stories about trips and the customers early memories of Rohan clothing”

Ben is trying to track down some particular colours of Rohan Bags to add to the collection. Over the preceding 30 years there has been a kaleidoscope of Rohan Bags colours. Remember the pink, the white and yes wait for it spice, or was it rust? The collection is missing many colours, for example, red, mulberry spice, lovat, yellow, chestnut, black and taupe. Does anyone else have any of these colours, or any other colour not listed- especially the more off the wall colours that found their way on to the market in the early days? If you have please let us know, drop us a note in the comments and Ben will get back to you.

No pigeon-holes for Rohanists

Looking back over the archive material that I have on early Rohan I have tried to find the first references to the word Rohanist. I came across the text below that was printed in Autumn 1985 TQQ. Please take a few moments to read it. It may make you smile – it may not. I was going to extract a paragraph or two but after I re- read it I thought no lets see what another 24 years have done.  Are we any nearer to understanding us Rohanists. Tell us please.

(Be warned this text was written 24 years ago by the late Paul Howcroft co-founder of Rohan it was not very PC at the time it certainly isn’t now!

Travelling Light with Rohan

Sometimes not fitting into the stereotype that our surroundings dictate leads to interesting things happening.

One grey winter’s morning I woke up to be confronted with the overriding need to see my grown-up son. The fact that he lived in Pasadena in the environs of LA meant an 11 hour flight. At this point, I realised maternal instinct/carbon footprint no competition. ‘It a mother thing’!
The trip had to be focused, catch up and see a little of his part of the world. Six days tops.

There was another gem of an idea developing. I had a chance to see if I could successfully do the week’s trip with what I stood up in. Stupid and why, came to mind. Liberating and interesting to myself. All your worldly goods for the trip on your own body. I have to own up at this stage to the addition of a very old and faithful Patagonia bum bag. This has doubled as a general bag for 20 years plus. I am now looking at Eagle Creek to see if I can bring myself to replace it.

So the decision made, flight booked and body clad. My one-body wardrobe consisted of my well worn Rohan Bags, Rohan Pampas, T Plus short sleeved, Microgrid Hoodie and lightweight cross trainers. That said, my bum bag did contain a cunning Core T and a pair of Superfine Merino Leggings. The Rohan layer system at work.
I glided through the airport departure lounge and slid into my seat bum bag on lap and observed with a smile the chaos that ensued with the stowing of what is laughingly called hand luggage.
We flew into the west over Baffin Island and the top of Canada and down the West Coats of America landing 11 hours and four meals later at LAX airport. xxxxx tons of Co2  dispersed into the atmosphere.

Off I trotted, ignoring the baggage reclaim. I was on a Shannon (Ireland) to LA flight, American immigration is cleared on Irish soil. Not a lot of people know that. So when you get off the plane the other side you are ready to go. No standing in long lines, documents in hand ready to smile nicely at the immigration officials. Worth knowing. As I trotted towards the main exit a completely irrational thought struck me, would I recognise my son. Having not seen him for over a year strange things happen in the mind of the mother. Ring any bells?  My trot was accelerating with anticipation when I felt the firm hands of two imposing airport security ladies, one on each arm.

The conversations went something like this

“You have forgotten your baggage Mame – We will take you back” said one
“Don’t worry its confusing” the other chipped in.
“After such a long flight it’s easy to forget your belongings” and so on….
At the same time, I was being walked towards the baggage carousels, all under the watchful eyes of my fellow passengers.
” You have come off the Dublin Ireland flight your belongings will be along soon”
” I do not  have any luggage” I meekly interjected. That was the trigger “What is the purpose of your visit can I see you documents please Mame?”
With that we were heading for another part of the vast building. If you have ever been ‘guided’ by security you will know what this feels like.

On reflection, my guess was they were torn between two possibilities. I was a runner from a supervised home, or I was up to no good. I am on the wrong side of 50 (young at heart), gentle disposition and not really stereotypical bearer of trouble. Whatever that is. After some dialog based on ‘the purpose of my visit’ and scrutiny of my documents and questions as to why no baggage. “Everybody has baggage on long haul or cabin luggage at the very least”. I was told.
“Why not – it makes the plane lighter” – my reply. That was a very silly thing to say.
I meant to go on and say it uses less fuel and causes less CO2 emissions . What would have been smart would have been to blame time and anyway clothes are so much cheaper in The States.
Even better to have said because it’s possible with Rohan, they may have even warmed to that. Anyway I was released into the arms of my son. I guess young adults don’t expect to see their mothers escorted to them. He had not changed instant recognition.

What of the trip – fantastic, three days walking in the Joshua Tree National Park. Laughed and smiled alot and watched the whales in Long Beech Bay. My Rohan garments came back much like they left, fit for the purpose, washed and dried twice and no I didn’t smell. Well, I hope not. Mission accomplished.

I can’t wait for next time. He has moved to the east coast of America which offers even more scope. I have been looking into the possibility of a trip across the Atlantic on a cargo ship. Heavy on the carbon footprint, but I know when I wake up with that feeling again I will be off. Just looking at my options.

Any stories of travelling light, please share.

Sarah Howcroft

Rohan on the CDT

“It gives me great pleasure to introduce the third guest post for Rohantime from Chris Townsend.
I really appreciated and enjoyed the first and second post from Chris. From your feedback many Rohantime readers enjoyed them as well. A big thank you Chris.”
Sarah Howcroft.

Rohan on the Continental Divide Trail

Chris Townsend

Three years after completing the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) I set out on a longer and more adventurous undertaking, the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which runs for 3,100 miles down the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian border to Mexico. Back in 1985 there really wasn’t much of an actual trail and few people had hiked the route, making it a serious and exciting venture. The number of Continental Divide Trail signs I saw on the 51/2 month 3,100 mile walk could be counted on one hand. The route was a mix of trails, old dirt roads and long cross country sections. Sometimes I was route finding in dense forests on steep mountainsides, at others treading narrow rock ridges high above the forest. For the last 500 miles in New Mexico, where the Rocky Mountains dwindle away I was mostly in open desert country with little shelter and across which swept strong dusty winds. Overall the weather on the CDT is wetter, cooler and stormier than on the PCT. For several weeks in the Colorado Rockies and then again for the last week in the Mogollon Mountains of New Mexico I had heavy snowfalls to contend with while throughout the walk thunderstorms were a hazard. I learnt how quickly I could run with a heavy pack when caught in the open with lightning flashing all around! Even more than on the PCT my clothing needed to be capable of dealing with a huge range of conditions including freezing cold, hot sun, high winds and heavy rain. Added to the weather was the fact that the first 1,000 miles or so was in grizzly bear country, which meant not cooking or storing food in my tent, regardless of the weather. I carried a small tarp to erect as a cooking shelter in rain but was dependant on my clothes to keep me warm. I couldn’t rely on my tent or sleeping bag for warmth. You really don’t want your sleeping bag to smell of food in grizzly country!

In the years between my PCT and CDT walks Rohan had developed new designs and introduced new materials, most noticeably a light, thin synthetic fill for insulated garments. Because Rohan didn’t make warm clothing in 1982 I’d carried a pile jacket and a down vest on the PCT. On the CDT I took Rohan’s new synthetic insulated Sohao Jacket and Wild Vest, a combination that was lighter and more compact than the PCT clothing and just as warm. As the garments were shelled with polycotton they were also windproof, unlike the pile jacket, and quick drying and reasonably warm when wet, unlike the down vest. These properties were important in the Rockies, especially when cooking and eating outside. Worn together the two synthetic tops kept me warm in below freezing weather whilst I was sitting outside waiting for the dinner to cook with no need to protect them from wind or rain.  Today similar garments are found in every outdoor shop. It’s only in the last decade they’ve become popular though, twenty years after Rohan first made them.

As on the PCT I wore a wicking Cool T throughout the walk but with a new wicking shirt called the Jekyll over it in cooler weather and the polycotton Moving On windshirt when it was breezy. Only in very cold weather did I walk in the Sohao. On my legs I wore Shorts or Bags, depending on the temperature and the mosquitoes, while in rain I wore a new Rohan Gore-Tex top called the Master Jacket. This set of clothing was light and compact and gave me a variety of combinations for different weather conditions. I was never too cold, too hot or wet so it all worked well. It all proved durable and lasted the whole rough and rugged walk.

The CDT was a wilderness adventure, a much wilder and more arduous walk than the CDT. But the reward was months spent in spectacular mountain country from the snowy peaks of Glacier National Park to the spouting geysers and bubbling mud pots of Yellowstone and the red desert cliffs of New Mexico. The walk was a magnificent time of my life and one I will never forget. I came back to magazine editing and writing and the direction of my life was set. Rohan was an essential part of that, both with the clothing and the encouragement and support of Paul and Sarah Howcroft. I will never forget them either.

Rohan clothing used on the CDT with weights in ounces.

Cool T 4
Jekyll shirt 9
Shorts 7
Bags 12
Moving On II 10
Sohao jacket 24
Wild Vest 14
Master Jacket (Gore-Tex) 21

Photos : Chris Townsend in early Rohan Clothing 1979 – 1985

Latest Rohan Swaps

The latest Rohan Swaps on the Rohantime Forum are very interesting. Now might be the perfect time to sort through your Rohan wardrobe to see if you have any potential swaps. Rohan Bags or Rohan Bags Shorts in spiffy colours wanted in return for some great Rohan garments. Take a look below or see all the Rohan swaps available and wanted on the Rohantime Forum.

The latest Rohan Swaps:
“Some things folk might want… in return I’m open to offers in men’s medium (‘A’ for the vintage stuff!) 32″ waist and 40″ chest (or come to think of it stuff in the old Kids’ range that would fit 8 yo). Not really interested in waterproofs, unless it’s the cycling one. If anyone’s got Bags or Bags Shorts in spiffy colours that would be particularly good and since my wife has now stolen all of my Tropic Waffle shirts one of those would be most welcome too…

Essential Trousers, dark grey, MM, used but not excessively and not much obvious wear, I’ve just never got on too well with the cut of the legs.

Uplanders, MM, several models ago, olive green, very light use, I thought I’d give them a try but came to the conclusion I like stretchy legwear better.

Women’s Backpacker Trousers, WM, navy, unused, wife just never got on with the cut and pockets, we never did find the Round Tuit to send them back.

Action Jacket, M, pale green outer, olive lining, actually the only reason for sale is I got a blue one with a smart reflective wash I like better on eBay so this one isn’t used much now. I took the external belt out but the slots and channel for one are there if you want that 80s look to it!

Explorer (I think) windshirt, XL, a nice bluey green, dates from my preferences for Super Baggy and is just plain too big for me. The wee catch to roll the hood is slightly ill but works with suitable care.

Moving On, MM, blue and mulberry. The colours have faded a fair bit and the waist belt has been trimmed back to get rid of excess tape but it is otherwise fine”

That’s a lot of great items. Thank you. So get into your wardrobe and see what you are not going to use again. No kidding yourself that you will get into that pair of trousers again one day, or just maybe, you will wear that jacket again.

Some guidance notes to make swapping on the Rohantime Forum simple and easy:

• Register on the forum.
• An email confirmation will be sent to you.
• Follow the instruction in the email.
• Log into the forum with your new users name and password.
• Reply to any topic’s of interest.
• Put your own topic’s on the forum.
• When you need to make  direct contact with a forum user to arrange postage etc use the private message facility. Not a good idea to disclose your email address or phone number to the world ( see send PM at the bottom of each listing on the forum). The FAQ’s answer a lot of questions. If you still have questions contact Rohantime any time

Drylight of the Week

As mentioned in a previous post Clive Tully has shared some great Rohan anecdotes with us…

Drylight of the Week

We all know Rohan clothes dry incredibly quickly, but did you know there’s a way of getting them dry enough to wear almost the moment you’ve finished washing them? Now that’s something really handy to know when you’re pushed for time.

This works especially well in a hotel, as the secret to instant dry clothes is not a blast with a hair dryer, but a large towel – if it’s a nice big fluffy bath towel, then so much the better. So once you’ve wrung out your Rohan Bags or whatever it is you’ve just washed, lay the towel out on a flat surface, and then the trousers flat on top.

Fold any spare towel over the top, and then start to roll it up tightly, so what you end up with is a large towelling sausage with the trousers sandwiched inside. If you have someone with you, get them to grasp one end of the sausage while you hold the other. Alternatively, hold down one end with your foot, while you use your hands to twist the other.

Keep twisting until you can’t twist any more, then unravel the whole thing. You’ll find the trousers come out almost bone dry – a little creased, yes, but they drop out quickly as you wear the garment.

Thanks again Clive worth knowing. Share your Rohan Clothing drying tips with us.

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