My name is Colin Ibbotson but I've acquired the trail name Tramplite. For the past 23 years I’ve been an Aeronautical Engineer with a passion for the outdoors. I had a car, a mortgage, and a good wage, but I’ve not enjoyed my work for some time. In 2012, at the age of 39, I decided to reverse my career and devote myself fulltime to the outdoors. That wasn’t a hard choice for me and had actually been made many years earlier. Its taken nearly 20 years for me to be sure and in a position to follow my dreams.
I’m a believer in that life is for living and should not just be an existence. If you are not happy with your life then CHANGE it! You can do it too, IF, you really want it.
My love of the outdoors began at the age of 13 when I got involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme run by my local school. Here they make you romp around the hills with a pack that's at least twice as heavy as it needs to be, but rather than putting me off hiking for life it started my pursuit of greater adventures. Initially my targets were low but as each goal was reached I looked that little bit further. Over the next 26 years I refined my skills at home, and abroad, and realised more and more that it would not be possible to work fulltime and fulfill my dreams. A change was needed.
2012 was a transition year with me leaving employment in September. Luckily there was still sometime for an adventure or two and I was able to hike my Coast & Moor route and head over to Tasmania for a cycle tour.
My goal for the next 3 years was to complete the US Triple Crown (PCT, CDT, AT) and I hiked the PCT in 2013 and the CDT in 2015. After that I’m not so sure, one goal at a time is enough! I love the outdoors and not just hiking, I'm just as happy on a bike or the water. Expect to see many different types of adventures here.
I make a lot of my own gear and see that playing a bigger and bigger part in future trips. Keeping costs down is one reason, but I often find commercial gear is just too big a compromise for me. Function is number one in my book, fashion has no place on an adventure.
In this blog you will find my thoughts and opinions on adventures and kit, among other things. You will NEVER be bothered by advertising or paid-for reviews. I will only review kit that has actually been used for a considerable period of time, normally that means at least one long adventure. Reviews won't be the quickest on the web but they will be accurate. Staying independent and testing throughly is your guarantee of honest and impartial views, if such a thing is possible.
Thanks for reading and hopefully I will see many of you out on the trail in the future.
Colin Ibbotson
