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A good sleeping mat does more than add comfort—it insulates you from the cold ground, making it just as important as your sleeping bag. Here’s how to choose the right one in no time. Types of Sleeping Mats Not all sleeping mats are created equal. The right choice depends on your balance between comfort, weight, durability, and insulation. Inflatable: Lightweight, compa …

1. Down or Synthetic Insulation? Down: Lightweight and highly compressible, ideal for packing. Superior warmth-to-weight ratio. Loses insulation properties when wet unless treated with water-resistant down. More expensive but lasts longer with proper care. Synthetic: Retains warmth even when wet. Dries quickly and costs less than down. Bulky and heavier than down. Shorter lifespan with frequen …

There are basically three types of synthetic insulation used in outdoor jackets: 1. Sheet Insulation – Fibres are woven into a ‘mat’ structure and this is used to fill the jacket, this is the ‘traditional’ way of doing this and provides excellent warmth to weight and is pretty durable. 2. Loose Fill Insulation – This is where synthetic fibr …

A Waterproof jacket that will cope with most conditions will have a Hydrostatic Head of 20,000mm and an MVTR (breathability) of 20,000g/m2. In both cases, higher is better. 2 and 2.5 layer jackets are less durable than 3 layer jackets but tend to be lighter in overall weight and more packable. 2 and 2.5 layer can sometimes feel a bit clammy next to the skin because of the lack of an in …

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 Season tents will have a fabric inne …

What are they? PFCs are ‘perfluorinated compounds’ or ‘fluorocarbons’; man-made chemicals used in the manufacturing of a wide range of goods. What’s the problem? The PFCs get into the environment during manufacturing or from finished products and don’t break down, or else they do breakdown but into more toxic substances. PFCs have been found all over the pla …