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Keeping your hands warm, especially when winter walking or climbing is crucial. Whilst away for multiple days we will regularly carry 2 winter gloves, and 1 pair of mitts, along with a light liner-type glove. Each one has a certain role which is often dictated by the weather and activity. Obviously with this comes a high cost, especially winter kit, which is often a much higher price than …

A lightweight hip flask for keeping that all-important camp beverage safe in our pack. The SilverAnt Hip Flask is very lightweight at only 91 grams and with a capacity of 248ml, it’s the perfect size for sharing a couple of drams of an evening. It’s easy to open and importantly you cannot lose the lid due to the cap mechanism. The finish which we received was the very sleek-looking sa …

Extra consideration is often required when choosing a winter kit. Especially kit you wish to spend a night in below zero conditions with potentially a long walk away from the nearest road. How much each piece of gear weighs will be a factor but more importantly, it needs to be up to the job. A sleep mat is a key item as it is the main barrier against the frozen ground, to help provide a wa …

The Montane Trailblazer 25L is a meticulously crafted backpack to elevate your hiking experience. This innovative pack seamlessly blends comfort, functionality, and sustainability, making it an ideal companion for day hikes, gym sessions, and daily commutes. With its 25-litre capacity, I found the Trailblazer 25L a perfect-sized day pack for hiking and hill walking. It was large enough to …

Despite my fondness for extended week-long treks and cross-country journeys, I still cherish the simplicity of brief overnight adventures close to home. For me, the allure of minimalist camping, carrying only the necessities, is just as exhilarating as a week-long hike. So, I was thrilled when Lifesystems approached me to try out their innovative Venture Solo Hooped Bivi, which promised …

It was an exciting day when the new MSR Hubba Hubba 1P Bikepacking tent arrived at the Ultralight Outdoor Gear HQ prior to its 2024 launch. Yes, it is a single occupancy Hubba Hubba, moving away from MSR’s historic names where the Hubba Hubba was a 2-person, Mutha Hubba, 3-person etc. This bikepacking tent will also be available in a 2-person version, which has 2 entrances, but it …

Incredibly eager to start this year's winter camping season, I headed to the Cairngorms for this year's first glimpses of snow. I wasn't planning to camp on the plateau itself, and the expected temperature was supposed to hover around 0° throughout the night. I arrived at the Corrour Bothy at about 3, pitched my tent, The Hillerberg Soulo, next to the river Dee, and settled in for …

I have to admit that this review is a tad late. In my defense, I was waiting for some appropriately cold weather to test the jacket; thankfully, November has arrived and brought some wintry conditions. Montane has brought two new down jackets to the market this season: the  Alpine 850 Lite Down Hoodie, and the jacket I have been testing the Alpine 850 Down Hoodie. The l …

The popularity of fleeces seems to come and go. Sometimes they are everyone’s go to mid-layer and other times lightweight synthetic insulated jackets become the trend. Ultimately though, everyone has at least one fleece in their outdoor wardrobe because of their versatility. The Abisko Lite fleece uses Fjallraven’s own grid-backed fleece fabric. Being made from 100% recycled polye …

Picking a waterproof shell jacket can make your head spin. The lightest jackets will be ideal to keep pack weight at a minimum but how will they hold up when used under a backpacking rucksack with several days of food? This was the conundrum when deciding on a jacket to use for the TGO Challenge. It needed to offer dependable protection for a crossing of the mountains of Scotland in Ma …

Surprisingly, Montane’s new Dart Lite T’s are made from recycled plastic bottles so are helping to reuse plastic waste. The resulting polyester fabric is quick drying as polyester doesn’t absorb water so is perfect for wicking away moisture. I have used the standard Dart long sleeve base layer before and prefer this new Lite version. I tend to get quite hot when hiking especially up hill …

Big Agnes Copper Spur tents have been bestsellers at Ultralight since their introduction in 2008 and with good reason. For 2022, the Copper Spur received some new updates and the TGO Challenge was a great opportunity to put them to the test. The Copper Spur has evolved from the original design over the years with improvements and new features. Big Agnes works closely with Jake La …