Ultralight Outdoor Gear Awards 2023
Posted by Andy Neil on Dec 22, 2023
2023 was an excellent year for new ultralight equipment and clothing, and we wanted to highlight some of our favourite gear that hit the market this year. Some pieces, like the Montbell Plasma 1000, pushed the limits of what it means to be ultralight even further. Others, like the Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions sleeping pad, showed real innovation by raising their R-value to an industry-leading 8.
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Hilleberg - Yellow Category Tents
Nov 21, 2023
Hilleberg engineer Yellow Label tents principally to be lightweight. Intended for use in warmer climates and in snow-free conditions, these models have inner tents with large mesh panels which cannot be covered, and shorter outer tent walls. This ensures they have superb warm-weather venting, but can also make them feel cold in cooler conditions. Yellow Label models are perfect for long or short t
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Hilleberg - Red Category Tents
Nov 14, 2023
Red Label tents are built for both short and longer trips in generally less demanding conditions in all seasons, such as less exposed mountain terrain, forests in both winter and summer, and the like, but where you still may encounter severe situations. Their emphasis on lighter weight makes them less than ideal for harsh environments and extended adventures in demanding conditions. They are, howe
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Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Review - “I absolutely loved the new awning style door opening”
Posted by Danny Pearson on Oct 27, 2023
Big Agnes Copper Spur tents have been bestsellers at
Ultralight since their introduction in 2008 and with good reason. For 2022, the
Copper Spur received some new updates and the TGO Challenge was a great
opportunity to put them to the test.
The Copper Spur has evolved from the original design over
the years with improvements and new features. Big Agnes works closely with Jake
La
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The Time-Saver Guide to Choosing a Tent
Posted by Mark Richardson on Sep 28, 2023
Single skin or Two skin?
Most people choose a two skin tent because
single skin tents suffer more from condensation
Two skin tents tend to be warmer because of the
air between the inner and outer
Single skin tents tend to be lighter and more
spacious
3 Season versus 4 Season?
4 Season tents handle wind and rain better and
some are capable of handling snow
4 Se
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Exped Winter Kit List
Posted by Andy Neil on Sep 19, 2023
As
the nights are drawing in and the temperature is starting to dip, we are
excited about the prospect of the upcoming winter camping season. Winter
camping can be more challenging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Cosy
nights curled up in the tents, crisp frosty mornings, and dark star-filled
skies are all only a few months away. So, we have teamed up with our friends at
EXPED to de
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Big Agnes Gold Camp 3 UL Review - ''Great for use with groups due to the abundance of headroom and space whilst keeping compact and fast to pitch.''
Posted by Trek Scotland on Aug 21, 2023
After using a pyramid tent for the first time a few years
ago this style of shelter quickly became a favoured choice of ours. Great for
use with groups due to the abundance of headroom and space whilst keeping
compact and fast to pitch. Used as simply a tarp over a bivy bag in bad
weather, or a communal base for food prep and a chat of an evening. A walking
pole can be used instead of a
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Sierra Designs Meteor Lite 3000 and Litehouse Tents
Jul 03, 2023
Lightweight doesn’t mean light on comfort. Perfect for ambitious backcountry adventures, the Litehouse strikes the perfect balance between livable space and ultralight design. This incredibly strong freestanding 2 door, 2 vestibule tent is constructed with lightweight 15D Nylon and hub-less pole set for an incredibly small pack size. Two vertical walls increase livability, while the tapered footpr
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Nemo's Ultralight Range
Jun 30, 2023
Built with the
backcountry in mind, NEMO’s ultralight gear sheds every gram possible while maintaining peak
performance and liveability. NEMO’s ultralight tents trim weight by relying heavily on stakes for tension and structure support. Fewer poles and more mesh panels net out to a lighter load — and the ability to pack down smaller!
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Andy’s 2023 TGO Kit List
Posted by Andy Neil on May 09, 2023
May means one thing here in the Ultralight office, The Great
Outdoors Challenge, or the TGO for short. We are incredibly proud to be a
sponsor of this communal coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland. Three of our team,
Danny, Chris and myself, are participating in this year’s TGO, so I thought I’d
give you an insight into what’s in my pack and some of the gear I’ll be taking
for this year’s chal
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Exped Orion II UL Review - “Strong and spacious it became the tent we would look to carry if expecting mixed weather”
Posted by Trek Scotland on Apr 18, 2023
This is a tent we are certainly familiar with, having been
one of the first pieces of kit we tested and
reviewed for UOG back in 2017. The
Orion II UL is back with us again with a few updates for added strength and
more liveable space internally.
Previously we commented on how impressed we had been with
the weather resistance of the
Orion II UL. The new DAC poles have b
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Exped Summer Kit List
Posted by Andy Neil on Mar 20, 2023
We love working with, Exped, so we compiled a summer backpacking
kit list, an all-encompassing kit list perfect for one-night adventures and
week-long trips.Exped’s new Mira II HL Tent – is a robust and roomy
two-person tent that isn’t just a place to bed down but is a nice place to hang
out; the tent has a lot of headroom, so if you are confined to it for any
length of time, you can still si
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