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If there was a chance of sustained rain day after day I'd hesitate to take one backpacking because I'd worry about getting it dry overnight - and they do tend to be heavier than hardshells - but I'm already looking forward to wearing this combo again, such is the level of excitement in my life.Epiphanys are in short supply these days - but I found one - only yesterday. I've flirted with softshell …

For a large majority of us our initial thoughts of a synthetic sleeping bag often brings with it memories of our first experiences of wild camping. Many a morning began with a battle to get this barely compressible beast back into its stuff sac, before squeezing it into an oversized rucksack only to find out it had taken up over half of the capacity. Choosing a sleeping bag is an area mo …

Like with all footwear this is an area in which individual choice is important. As everyone is built differently it is best to seek advice in store to the suitability of footwear and use this review as a guideline to the materials and features of the boots. The Scarpa Marmolade Pro OD are a 3/4 season B1 mountain boot. On first appearance the Marmolade Pro have a lot going on with plenty of d …

When Multi-day Trekking the choice of trouser we take out into the Cairngorms, and its varied weather conditions, is crucial so we were very keen to see what the Haglöfs' Clay Pant offered for our guides. As with most Haglöfs gear the first thing we noticed was the build quality, bombproof stitching and apparent robustness of the materials used.

At 11.5 grams and one of the most compact fresh coffee systems we have used, the UL Java Drip is a brilliant companion for anyone who craves a 'proper' coffee whilst out in the hills. It has a very easy and quick-to-use design; simply boil up some water, fix the UL Java Drip to any cup using its clip on legs, fill with your desired amount of coffee, then slowly pour water over the ground coffee an …

Used extensively by Cairngorm Treks throughout Autumn and Winter 2017/18 in the Mountainous areas of the Cairngorms and Skye.The Thunder Shadow Jacket is extremely lightweight (285g) for what Mountain Hardware claims to be a reliable and quality waterproof, packing up nicely and easily fitting into some of the smallest nooks in a crammed rucksack. This is instantly noticeable, as when we first hel …

On first impression, the Fire Maple stove is made of materials that feel to be high quality and durable, which is a pleasant surprise given its low price. When comparing it to other all-in-one stove systems, it’s a similar size and weight, with a size of 128mm × 173mm, and a weight of 511g without gas.The components of the stove fit well together. This nesting design is always welcome when it come …

Tested regularly throughout Autumn and Winter 2017/18 in the Cairngorms and surrounding areas.The Mountain Hardwear Trango range comes with a big reputation and is a product of which most mountaineers have some familiarity. First introduced in 1995 it became a very reliable shelter and a favourite amongst Alpinists. We owned the 3-man version ourselves around 10 years ago, shared amongst a group o …

UOG Review for Kahtoola KTS Crampons and Tote SackThe night before we set off we’d booked a Bed and Breakfast in Fort William, just to make sure we had a good start the following morning. We’d both brought along Kahtoola KTS Crampons as well as Hillsound Trail Crampons – leaving the choice of which to take to the last minute when we could look up and see how much snow was on the tops.Although we d …

The Rab Alpha Flash jacket is an extremely lightweight and simple mid-layer fleece made entirely from Polartec® Alpha™ Direct 120 insulation. This fabric was originally developed for the U.S. Special Forces in order to provide them with an ‘advanced’ insulation piece in their uniforms, which all sounds very impressive. The aim behind the fabric is to provide a highly breathable material that will …

At 240g, the Petzl Ride is light, it weighs less than half as much as some of our other ice axes! This short and light axe is an ideal addition to the axe arsenal for routes that involve mostly rock with only some ice/snow (i.e. descents/approaches from alpine rock routes) or for carrying on a ski tour where its use is unlikely.We like short ice tools and really believe that the places where a lon …

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