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TRAIL MAGAZINE: ReviewOur judges waxed lyrical about this 10cm-thick, warm and comfortable sleeping mat, which features Air Sprung Cell technology and boasts an R-value of over 6. Judge David Lintern said: "No corners are cut with the Ether Light - the high R value ensures protection from the ground in truly sub-zero temperatures and the regular size is wide enough that your arms don't fall off th …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: ReviewThe one-person High Route 3000 is a lightweight, versatile tent erected with trekking poles. It is a solid, practical shelter with a clever design, good interior space, and lots of features. It weighs 898g (excluding pegs and bags) and compresses down to slightly larger than a Nalgene bottle. Judge Chris Townsend said: “This European version is a beefed-up, stronger model of …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: Review"This is extraordinary,' said judge Chris Townsend, after testing this jacket in the Cairngorms. “It weighs only 115g and is as warm as a heavyweight fleece, as long as you wear a shell over it in wind. It's so breathable that just walking about in still air you lose heat. My only concern is over long-term durability, but on initial testing this is very impressive.” The OMM C …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: ReviewNew for 2021, the Montane Fireball is a warm, breathable and versatile jacket for hiking in colder conditions. Featuring synthetic insulation, which keeps you warm even if damp, the Fireball also comes with an insulated hood, articulated arms, elasticated cuffs, adjustable hem and a full- length zip with stormflap. Judge Chris Townsend said: “This is a nice insulated jacket w …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: ReviewThe Jetboil Stash is a fast, light and compact camping stove, weighing just 200g. It weighs 40% less than Jetboil's previous lightest models - the Zip and MicroMo (both 340 grams) - whilst having the same size pot. This has been achieved by simplifying the design and reducing the weight of components, but without losing what makes Jetboil special - the integrated cooking syst …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: reviewNeither an ultra-light, trainer-like modern boot nor a heavy, traditional leather boot, the Rush TRK GTX is instead a bit of a halfway house, striking a balance between the two. The aim is to give walkers the best of both worlds: a boot that is strong, waterproof and protective enough for genuine 3-season use in all conditions, but that simultaneously feels light, nimble and …

TRAIL MAGAZINEMontane Pac Plus XT £240 and 3-point adjustment. Shaped cuffs with secure Velcro closures cover the wrists superbly. As a result, it feels very protective, even in a full-on downpour. Last year, Montane's Pac Plus jacket managed to nab both Trail Best in Test and Best Value awards. All in all, we thought it was just about the best 3-season hillwalking jacket out there. So what's chan …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: ReviewThere is a lot to love about this new-for-2022 tent. It weighs just 1242g (the second lightest on test) and boasts a spacious interior, steep wallarchitecture, good features, hassle-free inner- first pitching and solid all-round stability. The eco credentials are top-notch too, courtesy of a manufacturing process that reduces water consumption by 50% and both chemical and ene …

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: MAGAZINEAt 490g, this is not something that most backpackers will want to carry on multi-day trips, but it has some unique features that make it superb at what it does. The purifier contains a large hollowfibre filter with a pore size of 0.02 microns, which means that it will filter out viruses. Instead of squeezing, there's a large handle that is used to pump water through the …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: Gear of the year 2022If you're serious about wild camping and backpacking. you can't beat this sleeping bag. High quality, 900 fill power goose down delivers an EN/ISO comfort rating of 0°C, despite weighing just 580g-so the overall warmth-to-weight ratio is top-notch. This is aided by the zoned design, with 70% of insulation placed on the top and sides (where you need it most) and …

TRAIL MAGAZINE: New for 2022New for 2022, MSR has updated the FreeLite series of tents to make them even lighter. At just 1.06kg, the 2-person FreeLite is now 270g lighter than the previous model, and includes added features for ease-of-use and durability, including no-curve door zippers, extra storage pockets and reinforced tension points (for when the weather inevitably turns). The 1-person vers …

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: MAGAZINEThe Katadyn Be Free came out several years ago, but is worth taking a look at again as in some respects it still hasn't been surpassed. This is a hollowfibre filter that screws into a standard softflask (600ml and 1 litre versions available). You fill up the flask from any water source, then either drink through the filter or squeeze into another container. The filter w …