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A bivy adventure for us is all about feeling connected to the environment you wish to lay in. Tents are great and offer a lot of comfort and safety, but once you close the doors you miss that immersive experience with what’s going on outside. Bivying also avoids many of the issues surrounding pitching a tent for example, due to unsuitable ground or finding a large enough area, especially whilst ou …

Wechsel tents are mostly unknown in the UK but don’t let that put you off. Wechsel are a German brand designing tents for use in Northern European conditions which makes them ideal for the UK.Wechsel's Exogen 1 Backpacking Tent uses a similar cross pole design to the MSR Access, increasing stability in the wind and making the Exogen truly freestanding. Combined with a fly sheet which is cut low to …

The Lightwave Sigma range of single skin tents is unique. Lightwave claim that they do not to suffer from the condensation usually associated with this style of tent. The breathable X-Tex fabric is carbon coated to absorb moisture and actively transport it through the fabric.The Sigma tents perform significantly better than any other single skin tent that I'm aware of when dealing with conden …

The MSR Pro Bivy is currently one of MSR’s lightest bivy bags. At 246 grams, it packs down small with MSR describing it as being “Designed for professional alpinists and serious adventurers, the Pro Bivy delivers quick-pitch protection in cramped spaces too small for a tent.” On first appearance this is a bivy that’s very much on the simple side. The fly fabric is made up of brigh …

The Rab eVENT Ridge Raider Bivi is a product that had us a little baffled at first. It weighs in at a little over 1kg and packs to about the size of a 3-season sleeping bag. This makes it quite a sizeable bivi bag with modern solo trekking tents coming in at a similar weight and size. So why would you choose a bivi bag over the comfort of a tent? With all good products the proof is in ho …

Extensively tested and reviewed by Cairngorm Treks throughout late summer to winter 2018/19 in the Cairngorms, and surrounding mountainous regions. If you're familiar with the Copper Spur HV series, then you will instantly recognise the distinctive shape of the latest edition of this popular shelter. Big Agnus claim the HV2 Expedition to be a beefed up, burly, take-anywhere version, rea …

Extensively tested by Cairngorm Treks in the highlands of Scotland. I think we have a strong claim to have used this tent more than most.We received the tent shortly after its release and have used it on all our multi-day treks this season.As a lightweight operator in some of the harshest UK mountain conditions, we were really excited when the MSR Access solo and two-person tents came on the marke …

To begin, Ultralight Outdoor Gear asked us to pick a few products that we believe would fit into our approach to lightweight multi day trekking. One of the shelters we picked had to fit the criteria of an ultra-light and compact shelter, which incorporated a walking pole to reduce carrying extra poles, and also most importantly had full midge protection. We are big fans of the versatilit …

The Lightwave G15 Ultra Tent is described as a storm proof compact and light 2 man tent which is often also used as a larger 1 person tent. Although I found it to be a tad too heavy and bulky for solo use, it certainly worked well as a compact 2-person tent ideal for lightweight treks where reducing the size of equipment is of importance. Just enough room inside for 2 sleep systems and spare gear. …

TFS Dawn Tent ReviewAs a quick overview I wasn't a huge fan of the tent to be honest, and was surprised that seemed so highly rated by others. Although I think that a few of my issues with the tent would probably be fixed by using Dyneema Cuben Fibre or another more rigid fabric. Also media around the web and from TFS show it pitched more like a tarp, without the mesh insert which would make it a …

MSR Access 2 ReviewWhen MSR heard that I was heading to the Highlands they very kindly offered to let me try one of their new Access tents. Mark at UOG had previously tested the Access 1 tent earlier in the year in snowy conditions so I had no doubt it was a great choice for this trip. He’d been extremely impressed when using one in the Cairngorms so I was looking forward to trying one for myself. …

Tested regularly throughout Autumn and Winter 2017/18 in the Cairngorms and surrounding areas.The Mountain Hardwear Trango range comes with a big reputation and is a product of which most mountaineers have some familiarity. First introduced in 1995 it became a very reliable shelter and a favourite amongst Alpinists. We owned the 3-man version ourselves around 10 years ago, shared amongst a group o …