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Day 1 Inverie to Kinlock Hourn: 15 miles The Great Outdoor Challenge, or the TGO, as everyone affectionately abbreviates it, is, for the uninitiated, as I was less than six months ago, a coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland like no other. It has no set route and no fixed start or end point. All 400 challengers start within a set time frame, in this year's case over 5 days, so you a …

Famously my journeys up to Scotland are always disastrous. Last time it was my ferry to Aaron cancelling, resulting in a bus trip around the entire Kintyre peninsula to catch a different one. So, I wasn’t shocked when sitting in Middlesbrough train station awaiting my 6.30 am train to Glasgow, I received an email informing me, that my 12.30 train from Glasgow to Mallaig, had been cancel …

Making sure we have safe drinking water is a key consideration for us. Especially when looking at group activities over multiple days. Even a slight illness in the group can lead to the disappointment of an early finish. So having a device which you can trust to provide safe drinking water from most outdoor sources cannot be overlooked. Fortunately, there are now many water filtra …

The  Xenair from Rab is a synthetic jacket comprising Primaloft Gold Active+ insulation, in a low profile that can be used as a mid-layer for winter, or as a stand-alone jacket for use in autumn and spring. At 337 grams in a medium size, it’s a fairly lightweight jacket, and certainly feels so when worn. A relaxed, comfortable fit, with a nice amount of length in the arms, …

The  Perimeter 50 rucksack is a mid-weight pack with a ton of features including fine adjustments to back length, shoulder width, and hip sizing.  Granite Gear says, “Body Diversity, every person has a unique build, shape, and size. Your pack should fit accordingly.” Weighing in at 1500 grams may sound heavy compared to a lot of modern packs of a similar capacity. This …

Of all the usual gear chatter amongst the outdoor community, underwear is probably the least discussed, yet a crucial piece of kit to choose correctly.  Saxx has produced a range of high-wicking underwear with us receiving the  Volt. A highly breathable mid-length boxer, which Saxx say are, ‘Designed for the go-getters, workout or play sports in complete comfort with our …

The L.I.M Series is based on the insight that, with less weight to carry, you’ll move easier and experience more on your adventures. Simply put: Less.Is.More (L.I.M). We invented the L.I.M Series to push the limits of functional, technical, and lightweight trekking gear. If you trust what you wear, there’s no need to carry more than necessary. To pull off that equation, the equipment must deliver …

MVTR stands for moisture vapor transmission rate. It measures the rate at which moisture permeates through a fabric measured in grams/meter /day. As it turns out though, this is a very hard measurement to make and therefore figures should be used as a rough guide only.

This warm, durable mid-layer built with durable Thermic™ Stretch Pro fabric, is a must-have for trekking and climbing in cold mountain conditions, which won't hold you back as you make vertical progress. Quick wicking and fast drying, this synthetic fleece fabric is highly efficient for intense mountain activities. The lightest in the Thermic™ family with alternating stripes of low an …

The FreeLite series gets a makeover and is now lighter than its predecessors. Poles weigh 226g Flysheets weigh 416g Inner tent weighs 338g Total weight 980g The tent I was given to test has a dark flysheet but this didn’t seem gloomy in any way. We camped in high summer and the weather was good so the tent hasn’t had a long term test nor tested in stormy conditions. …

The  Black Diamond Distance tent is a good example of the kind of tent I look out for – it’s spacious for one person (although Black Diamond says it’s a two-person), has a good head height and is very lightweight. It achieves its lightweight tag by being single skin and utilising your trekking poles as its support structure. Also, there’s no porch for storing gear – so using the …

I’ve used both the  20Litre and the 28Litre versions of Montane’s Trailblazer LT ultralight rucksacks and I am very impressed, considering their overall weight they pack an amazing amount of features and functionality and are remarkably comfortable thanks to the vest-pack type harness and generous hip fins. One of the key features is the bladder pocket which sits betwe …