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Overall: The Ratio series of bags from Mountain Hardwear are filled with 650 Fill Power hydrophobic (Q Shield) down. Hydrophobic down means that your sleeping bag is less susceptible to moisture compromising its performance, this can be important on multi-day trips if you don't get a chance to air your sleeping bag off properly. Its also useful if you are going to be using the bag in damp conditio …

Primaloft Gold Insulation Breathable: Encourages the passage of air and moisture to keep you from feeling cold and clammyPackable: Packs down easily for stashing in small places and layeringAll the warmth you need with very little weightSoftness: Enjoy superior softness that feels great on your body and contributes to a flattering fitWarmth without Bulk: A high warmth to weight ratio means you do …

I recently retired my Sunday Afternoons Solar Bucket in favour of trying something new, the great thing about the Solar Bucket is its wide brim and packablity, so I needed something with at least those two attributes – the Helios hat fits the bill and in fact has a wider brim than my trusty Solar Bucket and as neither hat has a wired brim they can be stuffed into a rucksack witho …

Primaloft Gold Insulation Down Blend Breathable: Encourages the passage of air and moisture to keep you from feeling cold and clammyPackable: Packs down easily for stashing in small places and layeringLightweight: All the warmth you need with little weightSoftness: Enjoy superior softness that feels great on your body and contributes to a flattering fitWarm: Mimics the warmth of downWater Resista …

Primaloft Silver Insulation Breathable: Encourages the passage of air and moisture to keep you from feeling cold and clammyPackable: Packs down easily for stashing in small places and layeringLightweight: All the warmth you need with little weightSoftness: Enjoy superior softness that feels great on your body and contributes to a flattering fitWarmth without Bulk: A high warmth to weight ratio me …

A very useful piece of kit to take trekking, weighing 175g and easily attached to the outside of a backpack there is no reason not to carry it. It offered great thermal protection, no matter what terrain I was sleeping on. The night when my tent was submerged in ice cold water I was very warm and didn’t even realise I was in water until the morning when I unzipped the tent door.A great design feat …

ULA's CDT pack is remarkably lightweight, I took one with me for a few days on the Cleveland Way. with a stripped weight of just 580 grams its a very lightweight 50Litre pack that's nevertheless got a very good hipbelt, well padded shoulder straps and is very tough there are no compromises made anywhere on strength and durability, except perhaps for the main stuff pocket on the outside of the pack …

I was prepared not to like Mountain Hardwear’s SuperMega UL tents because the name’s a bit naff, but after using the 2 person version I’ve included it as one of our top recommendations! – if you don’t really want to read much further then I can tell you why, it’s because of the wishbone pole structure at the back, which is good for wind resistance, and an impressive attention to detail that has ( …

Testing the ULA Circuit 68 Rucksack while backpacking the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon National ParkWe were lucky enough to be in California for a sales meeting, the last time we visited Yosemite. This time we wanted something different and opted to backpack the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon National Park. Even in May the weather up high in the Sierra can be challenging and this year was a much …

Primaloft Silver Insulation Eco Breathable: Encourages the passage of air and moisture to keep you from feeling cold and clammyPackable: Packs down easily for stashing in small places and layeringRecycled Content: Made from at least 60% post consumer recycled contentSoftness: Enjoy superior softness that feels great on your body and contributes to a flattering fitWarmth without Bulk: A high warmt …

Life in ActionMasters - since they were founded in 1977 - have always believed in innovation, cutting edge technology and manufacturing skill. Through this they are now celebrating 40 years of entrepreneurial spirit with unparalleled knowledge of their products and customers producing produce quality poles for every kind of activity that requires the use of these accessories: alpine ski, cross-cou …

I was really keen to try out Lowe Alpine's Caldera jacket because its the lightest hooded softshell jacket that we stock, and weight means a lot to us! I took it for a spin on a Scottish backpack which saw variable conditions that were ideal for testing such a garment.A Softshell is supposed to keep you dry and comfortable on a showery day rather than during a full downpour. Day One of the trek wa …