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 »
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 »
Before going lightweight on my camping trips, a penknife with the usual tools and attachments would be regarded as essential kit despite weighing a hefty 200g or more. These days, I’ve barely got more than a titanium spork to fight off those Welsh mountain bears. However there’s always a time when you find yourself needing
True Utility KeyTool Review Read More »
Water can get a bit boring on long trips, and while hydration tablets are useful for adding flavour to water on a long trip, they’re both expensive and the flavour isn’t as great as it could be. So when we saw Squash’d from Robinsons, we had to give them a go. Squash’d is a small container containing concentrated
Robinsons Squash’d Review Read More »
There’s nothing new under the sun they say, but here’s at least one! Perfect coffee in a pouch. We’ve been in search of the perfect camping coffee since, well, since forever, and while we get closer we never quite get there. We got excited about the camping espresso maker by GSI, but were woefully disappointed
Grower’s Cup Coffee Review Read More »
While Google has become synonymous with web search and Facebook with erosion of privacy, so have Platypus become a generic name it seems for all collapsible water bottles. I used platys for years and still have more than a few in regular use, but when my main 2l platy gave up the ghost after five
Source Liquitainer 2 litre Review Read More »
Who’d have thought that you’d need anything more than a spork when out camping? Well here’s something that you should find useful if you intend to do anything more than boil water. The MSR Alpine Cookset comprises three items: a large spoon, a spatula and a strainer. If you want a fried egg (see this
MSR Alpine Utensils Review – Spoon, Spatula and Strainer Read More »
One of the big three bits of camping gear, you need to choose carefully. If you’ve got money to burn, then you’ll have no problem choosing the best bag, but expect little change from £400. If you’re a little more budget conscious then you’ll have your eye out for a bargain. Something that’ll keep you
Classic Gear Review 5 – Alpkit Pipedream 400 Read More »
Just like the Titan kettle, the MSR Pocket Rocket is another classic piece of kit by this company. After over five years use, this hasn’t worn in but instead has developed a patina from the heat. When first released, it set the standard for lightweight stoves and acheived the holy grail of lightweight. It essentially
Classic Gear Review 4 – MSR Pocket Rocket Read More »
The least glamorous piece of gear you’ve got, bar a pair of Paramo Long Johns, is more than likely your cooking pot. Couple that with the fact that the MSR Titan Kettle is very limited in what you can cook with it and you’ll be asking why I’m raving about it as a classic piece
Classic Gear Review 3 – MSR Titan Kettle Read More »
When the Terra Nova Laser Competition was released many moons ago, it changed the definition of a lightweight tent. Weighing in at just over a kilo, it was revolutionary for a two skin tent. At the same time the less glamorous, frumpier older sibling was released, simply called the Laser at a whopping 1.3 kilos.
Classic Gear Review 2 – Terra Nova Laser Tent Read More »
The Golite Shangri-la tent is seriously cool. It doesn’t conform to your boring hoop, tunnel or ridge shape but instead takes on the tipi shape that makes you certain to stand out. Stand out further and buy the bamboo yellow instead of the usual green. Initially called the hex as it has six sides, the Golite
Golite Shangri-La 3 and Nest Review Read More »
This is a decent budget synthetic bag from Gelert that makes an ideal entry level bag for summer wild camps or DofE. Filled with synthetic Pro Fibre™, it packs down into a pleasingly compact package, something you’d certainly not expect from a bag that’s both synthetic and cheap. Advertised at 1kg, we found it was considerably more at 1.25kg,
Gelert X-Treme Lite 1000 Sleeping Bag Review Read More »
Winter camping has been a rather hit and miss affair. Taking the usual summer tents means taking a lot of care in choosing the right weather conditions and pitching in sheltered areas if needed. A lot of umming and aaahing, basically agog at having to spend £600 or more on a decent tent that had
Mountain Hardwear Trango 4 Review Read More »
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