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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 …

MSR Access 1p - 4 Season TentMSR's Access tents are excellent - a four season tent weighing in at a shade over 1.3kg is a noteworthy achievement and I was delighted to have the opportunity to test one on a short excursion in Scotland during February. I was mightily impressed, the pole structure works amazingly well so the tent kept its basic shape despite strong gusty conditions.The Access tents a …

Nemo Hornet 1P tested in the PyreneesI took the hornet on a ten day trek in the Pyrenees, part of the Pyrenean High Route from L’Hospitalet pres d’Andorre to Banyuls sur Mer. The route is over exposed mountain areas for most of the first five days then more sheltered trekking down to the sea, while there was only occasional rain (and one very heavy storm shower) there was plenty of wind to te …

I have to admit I had some worries about the Nordisk Telemark tents before taking one for a spin last week, mainly because the four corners appear a bit over fussy with some heavy strengthening to keep the struts in place. As it was I came away very impressed and confident that the tent compares very well with others in the super lightweight category in terms of features, robustness and space …

Tested extensively by Cairngorm Treks from June 2017 to August 2017 during high multiday trekking in the central Cairngorms.Initial impressions would imply that this tent isn’t as light as its ‘ultralight’ name would suggest. However, and this is important, compared to the highly regarded 4 season version, the Orion II UL actually has an excellent size to weight ratio and offers 3 season use with …

Big Agnes's Scout Plus UL2 is a large single skin tent that pitches with trekking poles suitable for two people. It is completely bug proof and weighs in at just 876grams. There are other tents on the market that weigh less, even some two skin, two person tents that weigh less than this, but the big advantage you get with the Scout Plus is space.All the weight is in the tent itself so Big Agnes ha …

The Nemo GoGo Elite is midway between a bivy bag and a tent, it has an inflatable frame at the shoulders which gives you room to move about and organise your gear.If I can dispel the first couple of assumptions you might be making:1. It is easy to blow up using the featherweight pump included and takes very little effort; the pressure is created by your hand not by trying to blow hard into it.2. T …

The Exped Mira 1P is a two skin tent for one person. It has a single hoop that runs the full length of the tent with a central cross pole to maximise head height. There's a smaller pole at the head end that adds stability, ensuring the tent doesn't flop around your head due to uneven ground; it has great internal space, head height and a decent porch.PitchingSome people won't use tents that pitch …

I was prepared not to like Mountain Hardwear’s SuperMega UL tents because the name’s a bit naff, but after using the 2 person version I’ve included it as one of our top recommendations! – if you don’t really want to read much further then I can tell you why, it’s because of the wishbone pole structure at the back, which is good for wind resistance, and an impressive attention to detail that has ( …

UOG Review of MSR Hubba HP TentSelection: I was after a tent for a 6 day backpacking trip to Scotland in May taking in quite a few munros, which could result in some high camps. The weather can be pretty rough even at this time of year and it could get quite cold. I looked at the Hubba NX which is the latest version of the classic Hubba series, however, although the NX is lighter than the HP the H …

I used the Skyscape Trekker solo tent in a recent trek to Peru and I really liked it. The big pluses are the generous size of the tent and the minimal weight (614g), inevitably these impressive specs are only achieved with a few compromises - its a trekking pole tent, so if you don't use these anyway this isn't the tent for you, its predominantly single skin, and there's no vestibule to speak of ( …