Blog

I’m a huge fan of  Mountain Equipment’s Comici pants. It was an easy decision to use them for the TGO Challenge because they tick every box as the perfect outdoor pants for everything other than winter conditions. The fit is superb and the fabric has plenty of stretch so you really don’t notice that you are wearing them. They are genuinely all day comfy. They have slim fitting legs w …

Who are Hoka One One? The name Hoka One One is a New Zealand Maori phrase meaning Time to fly™. Hoka are comparatively new on the running scene and even newer entrants to the hiking market. They were founded in 2009 by two former Salomon employees who wanted to design a shoe that helped trail runners to go downhill faster. Having taken inspiration from developments in mountai …

It’s fair to say I’m a big fan of Leki poles and have mostly been using Leki Thermolite XL poles for the last couple of years. For the TGO Challenge I wanted lighter poles but still wanted them to be adjustable to pitch my tent and have a shorter pack size to stow them inside my pack for the train journey to and from Scotland. The Leki Black Series MVC poles ticked all of these boxes and L …

The Blaze A.C. 60 pack was been a stalwart of Granite Gear’s range for number of years. Ideal for those people who wanted a lightweight but well featured pack which is capable of carrying a bit more weight. For 2019, the new Blaze 60 has been updated with several new ideas plus a few taken from Granite Gear’s successful Crown 2. The new Blaze is no minimalist pack, it’s brimming wit …

TGO Challenge 2019 - Overview and Logistics There were 14 possible start points for the 2019 TGO dotted along the west coast of Scotland. Challengers can pick any one of these points to register at and start from. Challengers can then finish anywhere on the east coast between Fraserburgh and Arbroath. For a successful crossing you had to reach the control in Montrose by the cut off time …

Planning the route was much harder than I had envisaged. There are so many possible places to start and amazing places to walk through. You have to be disciplined and accept that you can’t include all your bucket list routes in one Challenge (a good reason to come back year after year as many people seem to). In the end, I decided on starting in Mallaig and the ferry across to Inverie in Kno …

TGO Challenge 2019 Several of our customers had told me about the TGO Challenge and encouraged me to sign up. In the end I decided that I had to give it a go. In essence the TGO Challenge is a self supported crossing of Scotland over 2 weeks in May, from west coast to east coast. There were 14 possible start points on the west coast of Scotland and challengers can finish anywhere on the …

Summary Weight (g) Weight (lbs & oz) Basic Gear Carried 6779g 14lb 15.1oz Discretionary Gear Carried 460g 1lbs 0.2oz Subtotal 7239g 15lbs 15.8oz Consumables 4051g 8lbs 14.9oz Subtotal 11290g 24lbs 14.9oz …

Selecting a mid-layer is often tricky and this decision was even harder for the TGO Challenge. The weather can vary so much across northern Scotland over a 2 week period, it might snow one day and be 20C+ the next. I tend to get quite hot and sweaty so I wanted something fast drying and highly wicking. A bonus would be some wind protection in the torso so that it could be worn as an outer lay …

The Rab Muztag DV jacket is completely new for winter 2018 and is designed for the harsh conditions you might expect in the Scottish mountains during winter. When you know that the weather is likely to be extreme, then the choice of waterproof shell is always at the forefront your mind. If you are going on multi-day treks then your waterproof shell is vitally important. We love ultral …

SOTO Pocket Torch XT Review I’m a sucker for new gadgets and wanted a new windproof lighter. The  Soto Pocket Torch XT is so cool I just needed one. It’s a windproof lighter with an extremely intense blow torch style flame which is adjustable from a sensible small flame to a 3cm long beast of a flame. In addition to this the XT has an extending wand so you can keep the flame well aw …

Montane Alpine Trek Pants Review Given the changeable conditions in the Highlands in March I wanted to take a lightweight softshell trouser that would shed light precipitation, offer wind protection, and have plenty of stretch for climbing. Montane had just launched the Alpine Trek pant which seemed to tick all these boxes. I liked that it features a slimmer fit in the lower leg so they wo …