Outdoor Walking and Camping Gear Reviews
Read all the latest Mud and Routes outdoor gear reviews, both walking and camping, split into handy sub categories for your convenience.
Our outdoor gear reviews include almost anything that has an outdoor slant, from waterproof jacket reviews and boot reviews, to outdoor tech and walking pack reviews, we’ve got you covered.
We always review outdoor gear honestly and we strongly believe in testing in proper conditions, on the hill, usually in Snowdonia, not on the side of some grassy car park. We prefer to review fewer items, in more detail, with the exception of anything edible.
Dave Roberts reviews the Gossamer II tent by Jack Wolfskin, a quality tunnel tent for two, at a budget price. The Gossamer II is a two man tunnel tent by Jack Wolfskin that’s priced at the mid range of the market. The previous incarnation is well loved, and over the last few months we’ve seen if […]
Jack Wolfskin Gossamer II Tent Review Read More »
Dave Roberts gives his first impressions of the Hydro Flask insulated water bottle that claims to keep your drink cold for 24 hours or hot for 6. When this popped through the door, I expected a standard water bottle, albeit a good looking one. I didn’t realise that it’s actually quite a novel water bottle.
Hydro Flask First Impressions Read More »
I’ve been a keen user of digital maps ever since I bought the whole of Wales in 1:50k mapping from Tracklogs over ten years ago. That really got me hooked, but only to a certain degree as ‘proper’ 1:25k mapping was simply too expensive. I’m fully used to the way Tracklogs works, having tried out
Nia Jenkins reviews the Rab Quest Jacket. I’ve used this Rab Quest Jacket over the last few months whilst out in the hills of Snowdonia. We have had a pretty cold winter in Wales so it was much needed for the first few months of 2016! This is what I thought… This jacket is
Rab Women’s Quest Jacket Read More »
Whilst headlamps for camping can be an ideal solution, they are often far too bright for a tent and usually end up in a stuff sac to diffuse the light in my tent. So does the LuminAID solar power inflatable light, at only 83g, provide a viable lighting option for wild camping? The LuminAID is
LuminAid Inflatable Solar Camping Light Read More »
Salomon X Ultra Mid 2 GTX Review Our Salomon X Ultra Mid 2 GTX review comes after putting them through their paces out in the wilds over the past few months in rain, hail, wind, sun and mud such has been the unsettled weather. Before we get into the nitty gritty let’s just get the
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Dave Roberts takes a look at the Salomon Fast Wing Wind-proof Jacket that’s been on a thorough review over the last two months from coastal running to the summits of Snowdonia. I’ve always raved about wind-proof jackets. They’re by far the unsung heroes of the outdoors, with the waterproof for far too long having muscled
Salomon Fast Wing Windproof Jacket Review Read More »
Dave Roberts reviews the Salomon Agile Short Sleeved Tee which has been reviewed on local trail runs and the Snowdonian hills. The Salomon Agile is a technical tee designed for year round running. Boasting AdvancedSkin ActiveDry technical fabrics that wick effectively, meaning that it should be comfortable, dry and warm. Reflective details provide a bit more
Salomon Agile SS Tee Review Read More »
n his never ending search for budget wild camping kit, Dave Roberts takes a look at the bargain basement Vango Wilderness 250 sleeping bag and how it coped on some proper Snowdonia wild camping. The Vango Wilderness 250 is a hollow fibre filled synthetic bag that seems to be designed for Duke of Edinburgh Award
Vango Wilderness 250 Sleeping Bag Review Read More »
If you’re on a budget, or finding a suitable sleeping mat for kitting out a child for a Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) then you’ll realise that sleeping mats come in all sizes and prices. But do you really need to spend £50 for a mat that’s both reasonably light and comfy or can you
Vango Trek 3 Short Sleeping Mat Review Read More »
When camping, candles give off a comforting glow and add atmosphere to a tent. Yet, we hadn’t used a candle while camping for years. We’d tried a few tea-lights, placed in a metal mug, but with little success. There’s also the fire risk from regular candles as well as the difficulty of getting them lit
UCO Micro Candle Lantern Review Read More »
Dave Roberts reviews the Suunto Traverse GPS watch, which is an outdoor GPS watch that’s suitable for any sport you choose to throw at it. The Suunto Traverse GPS watch is a sturdy watch, as even if it was due for return after the review, we didn’t take any prisoners in use! We used it hill walking,
Suunto Traverse GPS Watch Review Read More »
Ascendancy Apparel – for the adventurers Founded in the summer of 2015, Ascendancy Apparel is a growing brand for the adventurers. We are enthused by the wilderness and our ever changing encounters ensure we return, again and again. The unknown entices us and we long to discover what’s over the horizon. For Ascendancy Apparel the
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We’ve used this Stretch Sportswool long sleeved base layer by True Mountain extensively for running over the winter months as well as a base-layer for full on winter conditions, and this is how it fared in our long term review. True Mountain are an outdoor clothing company who produce all their kit in the UK, which
True Mountain Stretch Sportwool Long Sleeve Review Read More »
We’ve all been there on a walk or a backpack, where you need to re-stock on water and aren’t 100% sure of the safety of the water supply. While I’ll drink straight from many mountain streams, when there’s a good flow of water, that’s not always the case. And if you’re walking a lower level
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Review Read More »
The Osprey brand is synonymous with quality in the world of backpacks. Osprey have recently developed a range of packs squarely aimed at the trail runner. The range includes a waist belt style Rev Solo Bottle Pack (£25), the Rev 6l pack (£60) and the smaller, but feature packed, Rev 1.5l pack (£50). It was the
Osprey Rev 1.5 Running Pack Review Read More »
Terra Nova are better known for their tents, but also have a good line in walking poles. A new addition to this range is the Terra Nova Unipod, a walking pole that doubles as a monopod. As a walking pole, the Unipod is sturdy and well made, weighing in at a reasonable 310g. That’s significantly
Terra Nova Unipod Review Read More »
You may have noticed that the OS Explorer maps have recently had a face lift on the covers, but maybe not that they represent what’s possibly one of the most significant event since they printed the first OS maps? While digital maps have been around for years now, they can prove to be expensive to
Free OS Digital Licences and OS Map App Read More »
If you read our Wild Camping on a budget article, where we camped out in Snowdonia with £80 to spend on gear, the Yellowstone Matterhorn 1 tent was the obvious choice. It was definately light and cheap but would it cut it during a night in the shadow of Tryfan? To start with, the weight
Yellowstone Matterhorn 1 Tent Review Read More »
We’ve been putting the Jack Wolfskin Exhalation Flyweight Softshell from Jack Wolfskin through it’s paces for the last few months or so on mountain walks and more local runs around Snowdonia. This is what we thought. Features – While sold as a soft-shell, this is essentially a very posh wind-proof shell. You don’t get any
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Dehydrated camping meals might be fine in their place, they’ll never be as good a properly cooked meal. This is normally easier said than done out on the mountain, and so we usually sacrifice this for convenience. We were understandably excited when we found one of these curry kits by the Spice Tailor in our
The Spice Tailor Curry Kits Read More »
A Chair is one thing on a wild camp, but a table? Sometimes we like to see how far we can push the luxury end of our camping and it was natural when we saw a foldable table for a bargain price that it was just irresistible! The Douself Foldable Camping Table, a Chinese import via
Douself Portable Folding Camping Table Review Read More »
Only a true wild camper gets excited over finding a new dehydrated product whilst shopping in Tesco. We’ve tried dehydrated skimmed milk in the past (Tesco, Marvel) and we’ve not been that impressed. They can be used to mix into other products such as puddings, but proved a bit vile in coffee. So while we
Nido Dehydrated Milk Review Read More »
We won’t lie to you, we love our coffee at Mud and Routes. Part of this challenge is to prepare the best possible coffee while camping, which always has to be real coffee. Instant coffee in those little sachets just don’t cut it any more! So we’ve already passed the stage of trying camping espresso
Hario MSS-1B Slim Mini Coffee Grinder for Wild Camping Read More »
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