Blog

Spring and Summer 2024 Highlights

Posted by Andy Neil on Jun 13, 2024

We promise you, it is actually summer. Although a glance out the window could lead one to believe that spring will lead straight into autumn this year, there are still some bright spots on the horizon that can offer solace and excitement. We are now halfway through 2024, and there has already been an abundance of new gear for us to get excited about. Okay, this one is a cheat. It's not a …
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Condensation in Single Skin Tents: Causes and Mitigation

Posted by Andy Neil on Jun 04, 2024

Single-walled tents offer significant benefits compared to double-walled ones in weight and size reduction. They are considerably lighter and more compact. Utilising trekking poles for structure, they provide ample headroom in liveable space, and often have spacious vestibules. However, single-walled tents are infamous for excessive condensation due to the lack of a barrier between the …
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Gossamer Gear’s The Two Review - “The Two allowed me to complete the TGO challenge with a lighter pack load while enjoying enough room to spread out at camp.”

Posted by Andy Neil on Jun 04, 2024

For this year's TGO challenge, a demanding two-week coast-to-coast journey across Scotland, I sought to reduce the weight of my pack without sacrificing the headroom, living space, and large vestibules I have come to enjoy with my trusty Hilleberg Anaris. Having traversed the country with the Anaris on four previous occasions, I decided to try a different trekking pole tent, Goss …
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TGO Kit List Highlights 2024

Posted by Andy Neil, Danny Pearson and Lois Fife on May 02, 2024

May means one thing in the Ultralight office: The Great Outdoors Challenge, or the TGO, for short. We are incredibly proud to sponsor this communal coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland. This year, Lois, Danny, and I are taking part in this years crossing. Lois is embarking on her first, and Danny and I are attempting our third TGO challenge.The TGO Challenge is a unique coast-to-coast trek across S …
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Gossamer Gear’s updated Mariposa. What's changed?

Posted by Andy Neil on Apr 12, 2024

n the dynamic realm of outdoor gear, Gossamer Gear consistently stands out for its commitment to innovation and performance. Their flagship 60l backpack, the Mariposa, is a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence. This backpack is exceptional; we have reviewed it twice, it's that good. It was an absolute pleasure to use on my first TGO challenge in 2022. The latest iteration of …
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GR221 Dry Stone Route – Mallorca September 2022

Posted by Danny Pearson on Jan 25, 2024

Late in 2021, I decided that with travel opening up I wanted to walk a GR route and having looked at the Cicerone book by Paddy Dillon it seemed to be perfect. Originally, I was planning to go in late March or Early April 2022 but due to the launch of our new website and a few issues with that (apologies if you experienced any problems when it launched in April 2022) this had to b …
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Ultralight Outdoor Gear Awards 2023

Posted by Andy Neil on Dec 22, 2023

2023 was an excellent year for new ultralight equipment and clothing, and we wanted to highlight some of our favourite gear that hit the market this year. Some pieces, like the Montbell Plasma 1000, pushed the limits of what it means to be ultralight even further. Others, like the Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions sleeping pad, showed real innovation by raising their R-value to an industry-leading 8. …
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Andy’s 2023 TGO Kit List

Posted by Andy Neil on May 09, 2023

May means one thing here in the Ultralight office, The Great Outdoors Challenge, or the TGO for short. We are incredibly proud to be a sponsor of this communal coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland. Three of our team, Danny, Chris and myself, are participating in this year’s TGO, so I thought I’d give you an insight into what’s in my pack and some of the gear I’ll be taking for this year’s chal …
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Mariposa 60 Rucksack Review - Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Posted by Andy Neil on Jul 29, 2022

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 …
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Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 Rucksack Review - Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Posted by Danny Pearson on Jul 07, 2022

The Gorilla 40 rucksack has been in the Gossamer Gear line up for many years and had remained largely unchanged since 2015 but was updated for 2021. This has been the first opportunity to test the updated version, the Gorilla 50. There are several changes including: An increase in its capacity to 50 litres (without increasing weight, in fact we found Gorilla 50 to be slightly li …
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Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Review - Ultralight Outdoor Gear

May 05, 2022

Gossamer Gear’s Mariposa 60 is an amazing rucksack, there are three elements to it that make it so good; 1.It has a feature set designed by backpackers that actually work 2.It has a very comfortable harness system 3.It is extremely lightweight despite 1 and 2 above. Feature Set On a recent trip to Switzerland backpacking the Tour of the Matterhorn we took the Mariposa for a tes …
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Ultralight Outdoor Gear Awards 2024

Posted by Andy Neil on Oct 12, 2021

At Ultralight, we’ve tested and reviewed the very best in hiking, camping, and outdoor gear to compile this definitive list. This year’s winners feature cutting-edge technologies, eco-friendly innovations, and user-focused designs that represent the pinnacle of outdoor excellence. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a seasoned adventurer, these award-winning products are sure to inspire your …
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