Blog

As the summer draws to a close and the cooler months start to creep in, we thought it would be a good time to look at some of the kit we’ve been using over this year’s spring and summer backpacking season. Not all of its brand-new kit, and not all of it is as ultralight as we could have gone, this is the gear that has worked for us on some of our most recent trips. We’ve been testing this gea …

I was lucky enough to be spending 2 whole weeks in Scotland hiking, two weeks, in Scotland, in May, you know you are going to rely heavily on your waterproofs, and the unpredictable nature of the Scottish weather meant that I could definitely predict rain. So, I was after something robust, light, and capable of shielding me from some truly awful weather. So, when Rab’s newly updated  …

I was off on a quick one-night visit to the lakes, my plan was to pitch late, leave early, bag a summit, then back home to feed the cats. So, I was travelling fast and light, I wanted to enjoy my time at camp, so wanted a roomie tent with some liveable features. We had just got the new  Dagger OSMO 2P Tent in stock, so it was perfect timing to try out this brand-new tent! I arriv …

Picking a sleeping bag for a 2-week trip is a difficult one; the time of year, where you are hiking, how changeable the weather is, and what altitude you are camping at, should all be taken into account when choosing what bag to take on a trip. May in Scotland is arguably the most unpredictable month, in the most unpredictable of places, it could snow, and it could also be a heat wave, …

The L.I.M (Less Is More) range from  Haglofs, it is all about saving weight without compromising performance. So when it came to choosing a mid-layer for my 2 week trip across Scotland I was set from the start on the new  L.I.M Mid Comp Hood. Wanting something close fitting to work with a layering system, and thinking I would be in my wet weather gear for long spells of t …

Intro and route history The West Highland Way, or simply The Way, is a 96-mile-long distance walk that is usually tackled from south to north. It is arguably the most popular long-distance trail in the UK, completed by approximately 36,000 walkers a year. In contrast to the Coast to Coast, another popular trail, which is only completed by about 10,000. By no means is the trail busy, it …

I've never really got on with any of the stove systems I’ve used in the past, I am constantly looking for something else to suit my style. Recently I've been using the  MSR WindBurner 1.0L, which is brilliant, however, for an upcoming two-week trip I had planned, I felt the WindBurner was overkill, bulky and a tad on the heavy side, at over 650g (if you include the 100g gas canis …

Cnoc water bottle, water container, and versa flow water filtration set up Cnoc water containers and collapsible water bottles have been a mini-revolution in the outdoor world, since they were first brought to the market. Strong, durable, lightweight, and innovative, it’s easy to see why they have been adopted by so many hikers. The Vesica 1L Collapsible Bottle comes in 2 main o …

I spent 2 whole weeks, day in, day out in  Haglofs rugged flex Pant, a soft shell, durable hiking trouser. I walked a coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland and, wanting to save weight, brought one pair of trousers to hike in, and a Marino woollen base layer to sleep in, so this pair of trousers and I became well acquainted, they come with one caveat, as I will get on to, but overall …

I have been fortunate enough to hike almost 300 miles with this pack, I first took it out on The Great Outdoor challenge, a coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland, and also the Cleveland way, so it’s fair to say we are well acquainted. It’s American in design, rather than the more classic European style, so at first, it appears bulky as it has no compression straps, though you won’t notice …

Hilleberg tents are the pinnacle of durability and performance and are designed to last a lifetime. Our customer service team and the experts over at Hilleberg have put their heads together to come up with some tips to help you care for your tent. Make sure it’s dry The first and most important, and we all know this, but it happens all the time anyway: never put your tent away wet. …

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 …