Blog

I took a winter camping trip to the Cairngorms spending two nights in temperatures that dropped to minus 12C and struggled to get above freezing during the daytime. I combined a Firelight 750 with an Exped Downmat Winterlite and was very cosy.Down Quality and ConstructionHighest quality down available – 970 Fill Power (US Method)Minimum Box-wall baffle constructionSlant Box-wall baffle constructio …

When it comes to fire-lighting, quick and simple is the best option. The Vargo Titanium Flint Lighter is just that. Compact, well-built, and lightweight coming in at a mere 10 grams, it’s a reliable way to light your stove no matter the weather conditions. We tested it out on a range of stoves and found that it worked best with either a meths or a simple gas stove.

At Ultralight Outdoor Gear we profess the use of lightweight footwear appropriate to the type of activity you are undertaking – the key word there being appropriate – so in choosing footwear for Scotland in April, when there is a chance of winter conditions, it not the absolute lightest footwear that I reached for it was Scarpa’s new offering – their Marmolada Trek boots.As it turned out they were …

Picking the right socks for trekking can be tricky and once you find a certain brand you trust, you tend to stick with them. So when we were sent a very innovative product from X-socks we were very interested to see if they matched up or bettered our usual chosen brands. On arrival it was evident these are not just your average pair of socks but are the Swiss Army knife of the sock world …

Before the jacket arrived, we were already fairly familiar with the Axiom. Although we didn't have the experience with previously owning one ourselves, it's seen to be a popular choice amongst the outdoor community and also previous clients. The obligatory 'gear' discussions that take place whilst trekking with groups were all favourable towards the Axiom. Its good water repellency was m …

…

MSR Access 2 ReviewWhen MSR heard that I was heading to the Highlands they very kindly offered to let me try one of their new Access tents. Mark at UOG had previously tested the Access 1 tent earlier in the year in snowy conditions so I had no doubt it was a great choice for this trip. He’d been extremely impressed when using one in the Cairngorms so I was looking forward to trying one for myself. …

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 …