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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 …

We take water treatment very seriously and have seen first-hand the effects that water born illnesses can have. On first inspection,the Sawyer Select Series appears to push further than any non-mechanical water filtration system we have used before, so we were eager to see how it faired against our usual choice. Made as three separate models, the S1, S2 and S3, all of which combine two k …

MSR's Trail shot brings new convenience to the task of water treatment, it's designed to be carried in an external pocket so that it can be deployed instantly when the need arises. Its effectiveness in removing bacteria and protozoa is in-line with other filters in this category and is detailed elsewhere, suffice to say that it meets U.S. EPA drinking water standards and NSF protocol P231 for remo …

At a reasonable length of 165 mm and weighing in at a mere 9 grams per peg, they are certainly much more compact and packable than our usual choice. Out of the pack it’s instantly clear just how light the Vargo Titanium pegs really are feeling almost weightless to the hand. Using the classic shepherd’s hook design, they are a tried and tested design although became a little too basic to …

SOTO Pocket Torch XT Review I’m a sucker for new gadgets and wanted a new windproof lighter. The  Soto Pocket Torch XT is so cool I just needed one. It’s a windproof lighter with an extremely intense blow torch style flame which is adjustable from a sensible small flame to a 3cm long beast of a flame. In addition to this the XT has an extending wand so you can keep the flame well aw …

When we first received the Luci Outdoor 2.0 we were a little confused as to why you would need such a product. Packing light, counting every gram, with a weight of 130grams this would certainly be considered a luxury item. Due to its nature it would also never be able to replace a head torch and to be quite honest using a head torch within a tent or other type of shelter has never been n …

When considering what pieces of kit to take on a lightweight expedition, a coffee press probably isn't high on the 'essential' list. But then again, we are into those colder months and as guides our job is provide our clients with as much comfort as possible. So, at a mere 44 grams, the MSR Windburner Coffee press has made its way into our kit on many occasions. Freeze dried coffee just …