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GORE-TEX comes in many forms - we look at GORE-TEX Paclite on this page and give our opinion of it. - Sunshine turns to rain. A cold wind picks up. Whether you’re commuting to work, or only halfway through your weekend walk, having a lightweight, packable back-up jacket with you means you are prepared to make more of every day. Designed to provide comfort and reliable protection, all GORE‑TEX …

With nothing weighing you down, how far could you go? If you held nothing back, how fast could you be? We design running kit design to take you places you didn’t know you could go. Lung-busting climbs, blissfully peaceful summits and lyrically soaring descents…trail running allows you to really indulge in the effort of your goals. Resting in the heart of the Lake District National Park, the i …

Black Diamond were virtually the first company to bring to market truly lightweight foldable trekking poles suitable for trekking and running, the engineering is outstanding and over the years they have honed and perfected the features so they are now among the best poles available. They aren't so good at naming them, however, since the words and letters used in the names have specific meanin …

The OMM CORE Range is a new concept in active insulation made entirely from PRIMALOFT ACTIVE ultra-light insulating fabric. Built from a synthetic plume woven through a knitted mesh CORE offers the warmth of a fleece but with less than half the weight. Paired with a shell, the CORE is an incredibly effective insulator, but the lightest breeze can take away that heat thanks to near-total air perm …

I’ve used these a couple of times on backpacking trips and a day hike in the Lake District during February & March and can verify the comfort claims straight out of the box. La Sportiva explains that the extra volume in the front area of the boot is designed to deliver comfort and this is really apparent as soon as you put the boots on, furthermore, the rest of the boot seems to be …

This is a tent we are certainly familiar with, having been one of the first pieces of kit we tested and  reviewed for UOG back in 2017. The Orion II UL is back with us again with a few updates for added strength and more liveable space internally. Previously we commented on how impressed we had been with the weather resistance of the  Orion II UL. The new DAC poles have b …

With a weight of 650 grams and an R-Value rating of 7.1, this is a mat reserved for the winter seasons or travel in below freezing environments. These were our first thoughts when first looking up the specs for the Ultra 7R. What we found out after only our first few nights sleep is this is a mat which we kept reaching to place in our kit over a winter season that fluctuated widely in t …

High Street - Lake District Eastern Fells and my Border Collie Gaston The newest addition to the Phase range from Montane, the Phase Nano is the lightest and most breathable Gore-Tex Jacket from  Montane. Aimed at trail runners and anyone looking to move fast and light, the Phase Nano has a lot of features to offer, for such a lightweight jacket, two hand pockets, …

The original Roclite Pro G 400, released in 2020, and are one of the best pairs of hiking boots I've tried; hard-wearing, supportive and very light. They went on to win the prestigious "Footwear of the Year" category at that year's Outdoor Awards show. So, when Inov8 announced they were revamping the trail shoe for 2023, I was keen to get my hands on a pair. The  Roclite Pro G …

Exped’s Lightning 60 rucksack has recently been updated to be lighter and tougher, whilst importantly keeping its minimalist roots. We gave the Lightning 60 some heavy use in the Cairngorms and the Isle of Arran to see how it would fit into life for multi-day wild-camping in the late Scottish winter months. With a weight of 1180 grams and a high capacity of 60L, you’d expect the low w …

For longer journeys an extra pair of footwear can come in very handy. This will often be a super light option to wear around camp after a long day in the hills. Letting your feet relax, breathe, and recover is not only for comfort but also helps prevent foot niggles and injuries. This is all part of self-management on route and will ultimately make your overall journey as easy as possib …

Thermarest had, for us, changed our approach to wild-camping when we first received a NeoAir XLite around a decade ago. We have now used the XLite and XTherm as our core piece of kit for multi-day wild-camping group activities since we started our business 9 years ago. We suppose that once you put trust in a product it’s easy to stick with it, with  Thermarest offering a dependabl …