Blog

Having a cutting blade out in the hills or on the trail is generally a must for most people visiting the outdoors. The Minimalmist Pocket Tool by TrueUtility not only has as its main feature a UK legal small knife which is very strong and sharp, but also a wealth of other useful features.The non locking knife is easily opened by accessing a finger groove, although this would not be possi …

You would assume it could be rather difficult to talk in depth about what is essentially two bits of plastic that fit together. Fortunately, the Gram Counter Grip Clips offer much more than they would appear with a multitude of uses.Made of molded plastic and weighing a mere 5 grams the Grip Clips, as the name might suggest, simply join (or grip to) either side of a piece of fabric to pr …

As the title suggests the Fire Box is a compact, fold-away grill, whilst still being light enough for long expeditions in wilderness areas. Growing up, any movie featuring a bunch of people in the outdoors had them sitting around a campfire enjoying a freshly cooked meal, not huddled under a tarp eating from a foil pouch. The idea of a hot and smokey piece of food whilst out in the wilde …

A step away from plastic items is certainly a priority for most outdoors people preferring a more sustainable alternative that will stand the test of time. The Eagle Spork from Vargo offers a tough but lightweight (18 grams) option that is built to last. To help prolong the life of your spork Vargo have included an integrated locking system that makes sure your spork won’t accidently go …

We are always keen to try out new walking poles as they are a must for our guides and clients alike when multi day trekking. Key elements for us are poles that function on all types of mountain terrain, are robust, have low weight, easy to pack down with a low volume, and have some adjustability, including use with tarps.Our initial impression of the poles in their storage mode reinforced …

Any knife, no matter the size, is one of those items that can be used to solve a multitude of issues. It might sit in your pack for months but can be relied upon when needed the most. With a short blade length of 4cm and a total weight of 16 grams, True Utility describe it as “a knife that’s been stripped down to the bare essentials, to provide a strong yet lightweight design.” It’s …

Every year we get sent through pieces of gear which may not be that common in the UK but are growing in popularity in other countries. The Silver Shadow Umbrella certainly fits this category. We have to say that we have never seen anyone in the high mountain ranges of the UK with an umbrella, and it did make us wonder why not? Walk around a city in a shower and you are constantly dodging …

There are many different ways to purify and filter drinking water. The days of having to boil or use tablets to make water safe to drink could often be a timely process which impeded on walking time. Nowadays a popular choice within the outdoor community is a simple bottle with filter. Just scoop water into the bottle, screw the filter onto the bottle, then with a simple squeeze or sucki …

Rab state the Xenon to be a superlight and packable insulated mitt and this certainly seems true when unpacking them. These are seriously small, almost fooling us into thinking we had been sent the wrong item until we pulled them out of the small bag to reveal a full-size pair of mitts.The outer shell is made up of two distinct materials. The first being a Pertex Quantum fabric which use …

Have you ever needed a reclining chair whilst out in the hills? The answer would most probably be, "no, but it would be nice." After all, the base of a tree, a rock, or a strategically placed rucksack will suffice for most. Luxuries tend to get forgotten about when considering light-weight trekking, so the Mountainsmith Slingback chair, weighing in at 144 grams, will be an item that won' …

Never have we been so excited about a trowel, especially one with a main job that is waste management. We all know how much of an issue human waste has become, especially whilst trekking in familiar areas. We also know that the most effective way to deal with waste is to carry it out afterwards. This method is something not many will want to do and carrying around plastic bags could end …

We are big fans of the original Petzl eLITE and always found it to be an excellent spare torch kept within our first aid kit for times when you need it the most. It's great to see that the new updated version is now almost twice as powerful up from 26 to 50 lumens whilst also packing small and light at only 26 grams! Put into practice this is a much needed increase in brightness from the …