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Petrel Pot  The pot is over 750ml, and gives a working capacity of 750ml, manufacturers often quote the full capacity of the pot even though you can’t use it to the full. This is a brilliant size for the solo backpacker, you can boil enough water for a freeze dried meal and a cuppa at the same time. If you were trying to cook things like stews, or warm through tinned meals this would s …

Pictures: Looking back near the Bocca Palmentu (right) and Refuge d’E Capanelle (left). Day 1 – Vizzavona to (Gite d’Etape U Fugone) Refuge d’E Capanelle The first day is 9 miles and 5.5hrs and after staying in a hotel in Vizzavona I was able to get a great start, the route is easy to find and well way-marked and it was good to get going. I climbed the first section throug …

In 2013 I trekked the first half of the GR20 on Corsica between Calenzana and Vizzavona, (you can read about it here: GR20 - 2013 - Trip Report). This year I decided to complete the route. Commonly referred to as the ‘easier half’ the Southern section from Vizzavona to Conca is far from easy! Character The GR20 is affectionately known as the ‘Toughest trek in Europe’, …

Costs I took 300Euros travelling money but this wasn’t enough really. Campsite fees were generally 20Euros per night, a beer was 10Euros at the refuges and I bought one evening meal for 25Euros and one breakfast for 9Euros. A taxi on my first travel day cost 25 Euros and I bought food items along the way – all transactions that required cash. I returned with 50Euros+ which I’d k …

Outbound I flew from Manchester and booked the car into a long stay park, I usually use Drop&Go as this has always been convenient and hassle free. My flight was via Rome and there was a 3 hour transfer time, this seemed enough but I was worried about reported queues at the new Shengen terminals. As it was the machines were bi-passed at Rome in favour of the traditional booth and customs offi …

Silva Head Torches are a bit different, using two beams instead of one, and with a full range of battery and feature options we explain the different models on this page. The one thing all our Silva Head Torches have in common is Silva's Intelligent Light functionality, the unique combination of a long reach spot light and a close flood light results in less head movement, better control, imp …

Outdoor Research's VerticalX SuperStrand Synthetic Insulation is built to deliver exceptional warmth to weight ratio, it compares to 700-800 Fill Power down in terms of its softness, weight and lofting ability. On this page we explain how it works. — VerticalX SuperStrand is the lightest, softest, most compressible synthetic insulation available taking the best qualities of down and imp …

Frankly, I chose this tent because of its low weight and because having used single skin shelters of this type in the past, I know they provide significantly more space for a given weight. I don’t mind a bit of condensation, which is a fact of life when single skin camping. I soon realised however that the Mid 1 isn’t just a regurgitation of the single skin pyramid design of other bra …

I’ve had an up and down relationship with this stove – here’s how it went. I bought the version with the Piezo Igniter, thinking that it was integrated with the stove in some way – not unreasonable given other stoves in this category. However, I was disappointed to find it's actually a separate item altogether. As I always take a Firesteel as backup, I left the igniter at …

Leki are still the market leaders in trekking poles, there are lighter alternatives but there always seem to be compromises, which Leki doesn’t do. So, the SkySolo FX.One Carbon are definitely in the ultralight class just not the lightest, but what you get is a superb pair of poles with no compromises that I could find compared to much heavier brethren. The bit that impressed me most was th …

I chose Hokas for my Chamonix to Zermatt trek because of their comfort, and I wasn’t disappointed, they feel solid yet forgiving out of the box. On reflection though these were the wrong choice for this trek, high altitude trekking is tough on shoes and the Hoka Challenger ATR 7 GTX weren’t up to the task. They immediately showed signs of wear and throughout the trek suffered from bei …

I decided to try a solar power option because I expected it to be sunny quite a lot of the time. That sounds obvious, but I know from experience that to get the best out of a solar panel, you need full sun directly onto it. Attaching it to the back of a rucksack can be its nemesis. I was also conscious I’d be hiking West to East. This is not ideal since most of the walking should be done by …