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This is the third stove from Soto we have now had the pleasure of using, the Windmaster being a firm favourite of ours for lightweight solo adventures throughout the warmer months, whilst also spending much of last winter using the  Stormbreaker; a truly versatile multifuel option making for a reliable stove for group activities in remote and harsh conditions. The Fus …

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 …

We have long been fans of Soto stoves, especially the innovative Windmaster stove. We love the Windmaster’s quality build, ability to work in windy conditions and regulator allowing for consistent performance in the cold or with a near-empty canister. It’s a ground-breaking design that the competition has copied. There are however a couple of potential problems with canister stov …

Making sure we have safe drinking water is a key consideration for us. Especially when looking at group activities over multiple days. Even a slight illness in the group can lead to the disappointment of an early finish. So having a device which you can trust to provide safe drinking water from most outdoor sources cannot be overlooked. Fortunately, there are now many water filtra …

If like us you like to keep the weight down and calorie intake high, then you’ll most likely choose a dehydrated meal pouch as your evening food choice. New brands are popping onto the market, with a wide range of variety to suit mostly all dietary requirements and tastes. What hasn’t changed though is the time it takes for your meal to properly absorb the added water to give the meal …

I was using a Platypus 2.0L Hoser as my daily hydration system so I decided to leave the clean side bladder at home and use the hoser in its place, this brought the weight of the system down to 221g, which is reasonable for piece of mind and ease of use. There are certainly pump action filters that are lighter than this but they take quite a bit of effort to get the same filtered res …

With two glacier crossings on the Tour of the Matterhorn crampons came highly recommended, but they would only be used for a few hours on two of the days and both glaciers were at relatively shallow gradients, there was very little steep terrain to cover. Bearing all this in mind we decided on the Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampons which at 536grams for the pair weren’t too onerous beari …

I was lucky enough to get a chance to review a pre-production pair of the new Gram-counter Gear Ultra-Carbon Trekking poles, amazingly light at just 125grams per pole, actually the lightest true trekking pole we have available, and of all the products I tested on the Tour of the Matterhorn these were the most remarkable. Note the pre-production poles I had are identical to the actual …

The Kebab Stew from Real Turmat is another unique freeze dried meal option with a high calorie count of 705kcal and a low carry weight of 180 grams. This is part of their field meal range which has a good nutritional balance of fats (28 grams), carbs (85 grams), and protein (24 grams). It is also gluten free! Our Verdict First of all we have to mention how much we admire the large va …

This breakfast option from Real Turmat has a high calorie count of 706kcal, in a low carry weight of 204 grams. The Blueberry and Vanilla Muesli is focused mostly towards carbs (121 grams), with also high protein (32grams) and fibre (10.4) intake per pouch. It is vegetarian friendly and has a quick re-hydration time of 3 mins. Our Verdict Real Turmat have produced some great tasting …

The Jetboil Stash is the lightest option in their range of well-established stove systems. This all-in-one system containing a FluxRing cook pot, titanium burner, lid and stand, fits neatly together weighing only 232 grams. With an added 100-gram gas canister and a lighter, the total carried weight comes in at 456 grams. This can certainly be regarded as a compact option for lightw …