London based Aquapac International Ltd has scored a hat trick by receiving The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade – the UK’s highest accolade for business success – for the third time. Previous awards were The Queen’s Award for Exports and the The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation. Aquapac designs, manufactures and sells 100% […]
AQUAPAC WINS THE QUEEN’S AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE – AGAIN! Read More »
Terra Nova are best known for their tents, with those in the know starting to appreciate their new range of packs and sleeping bags. You don’t usually associate them with gloves and socks, which is probably as they’re branded as ‘Extremeties’. Being asked to review a couple of these gloves, I had high expectations from
Extremeties Super Windy Gloves Read More »
We all know the merits of the tent, stove, sleeping bag and all the big kit, but there’s that unappreciated group of kit that’s universally ignored. These are those little bits of kit that we maybe take for granted or don’t even realise can be useful. Here’s, for once, our five undervalued and ignored bits
5 Things Unappreciated Back Packing Kit Read More »
How about a decent bottle of whisky? If you know someone who likes a decent single malt, then you should know better than to get them a bottle of Bells or such nonsense. The minimum level we’re talking about is a bottle of Talisker or another of those you see on the top shelf of
All I want for Christmas 21 A Decent Bottle of Whisky Read More »
If you want to get someone a really unique and thoughtful gift then why not get them a map of an area as yet unexplored? Not only that, but it’s also a wonderfully cheap gift. For some, a map can be as interesting to read as a book (seriously) though considering most of the books
All I want for Christmas 20 is a Map of a New Place… Read More »
Only because I truly cannot be bothered to change my tyres. We all end up doing a bit of unmuddy riding, against our better jugement, and we know that out knobbly tires and bouncy suspension slows us down on these rides. What’s worse is riding the beloved on the commute, unless you’re one of the
All I want for Christmas 19 is a Hybrid Bike Read More »
While the Satmap Active was also on our Christmas list, we then saw the new Etrex offerings from Garmin. Forget the eTrex 10 if you’re after a mapping GPS as all it is is a capable old skool gps. Their eTrex 20 and 30 however are the ones to ask Santa about. It’s not just that they’re
All I want for Christmas 18 is a Garmin eTrex 30 GPS Read More »
You may well have read our review of the Light My Fire Spork a few months back and thought, meh, if it isn’t titanium I’m not bothering. Well, the good news is that it is also available in more durable titanium as well as the cheapo plastic. While the plastic is perfectly good enough for
All I want for Christmas 17 Light My Fire Titanium Spork Read More »
The GoGo Nemo EX inflatable tent is an interesting bit of kit. Instead of a pole, you’ve got an inflatable tube that provides structure. They’re an American company and there are some retailers out there who are stocking them such as Web Togs, but not many others. So when I saw one going cheaply on
All I want for Christmas 16 Finding Nemo’s Inflatable Tent Read More »
The Montane Spektr Smock is just too kool for zips. If you’ve had enough with zips and tend to get them caught in everything, well not quite everything (think Something About Mary), then you’ll welcome the simplicity of the Spektre. Not only is it rather alternative in lacking a zip, it also uses the hard
All I want for Christmas 15 Montane Spektr Smock Read More »
With the evenings now thoroughly closed in and no end in sight, if you’ve been using old fashioned led or even bulb lighting, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’re walking or cycling, you’ll find this revolutionary. For best effect, you should wait until your companions use their puny laterns, thinking – “ah! I
All I want for Christmas 14 A Decent Headtorch/Bike Light Read More »
Kahtoola microspikes are essential for anyone who ventures outside in the winter, let alone those that are active. They’re essentially a stretchy rubber band with a bit of chain attached. The band stretches easily (once you figure it out) over your shoes or boots, and the spikes underneath provide excellent traction in winter conditions. Everyone
All I want for Christmas 13 Kahtoola Micro Spikes Read More »
Again, in our quest to get the lightest and the best, this is the true lightweight when it comes to sleeping mats. Not only is it comfortable, surprisingly so, it weight very little and takes hardly any space in the pack. At first glance, it looks like a rather unimaginative attempt at creating a balloon
All I want for Christmas 12 Klymit Sleeping Mat Read More »
Buying for the avid cyclist isn’t always easy – as for one thing they’ll probably have all the kit they need already. All is not lost however, and hopefully you should be able to find at least one gift from the following list that would make the perfect stocking filler. 1. Multi Cycle Kit These
Ideal Stocking Fillers – Cyclists Read More »
Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1 Tent £650 You know what we think of this tent. It’s the world’s lightest tent, so by that measure alone it’s got to be desirable. Cutting no corners, the TN UL1 provides plenty of space for one ultralightweight camper, and plenty of porch space to boot. Putting this on your Christmas
All I want for Christmas 7 Terra Nova UL 1 Read More »
The Hispar 500 (£419 ) and Minimus (£200) Pairing up these sleeping bags would provide an all year round camping solution…. We ranted about the Alpkit pipedreams recently, but if you’ve got a little bit more to spare then these are arguably some of the lightest sleeping bags you can buy. Of course, it’s a
All I want for Christmas 6 Two PHD Sleeping bags Read More »
Satmap Active 10 Plus with GB Outdoor GPS Map with bike mount – About £600 (but available at half price) Ok, so you insist on getting a GPS. If you’re going to get one, you should either go for the cheapest that’ll record your route or one that shows proper mapping. I don’t mean contours
All I want for Christmas 5 Satmap Active 10 Plus with GB Outdoor GPS Map with bike mount Read More »
Silva Compass Expedition–£25 (shop around and you’ll get it under £20) Not an expensive piece of kit and certainly not the height of glamour. Yet, in the hands of those who know how to use it, couple this with a £7.99 map and a case, and you have equipment that’ll do more to keep you
All I want for Christmas 4 Silva Compass Expedition Read More »
Sealskinz Merino Wool Liner Gloves £9.99 Compared to everything else on the wishlist, these are relatively cheap. Even if they do provide a level of comfort you won’t get with cheaper gloves, you might baulk at spending a tenner for what appears an expensive luxury. Being merino, they’re both comfortable and warm, even when wet and are ideal
All I want for Christmas 3 Sealskinz Merino Wool Liner Gloves Read More »
Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Sportswatch with HRM £359.99 Buying a GPS watch was the best thing I ever did for my running. Some people are happy to run to time, but I like to know how far I’ve gone on a run and it really is the thing that motivates me. What’s more, I can
All I want for Christmas 2 Garmin Forerunner 610 Read More »
Vibram Five Fingers from about £80 to £135 Barefoot running isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially with all the dog eggs on some of the local trails (just because it’s muddy doesn’t mean you can leave it there people). The Vibram Five Fingers provide a compromise for any wannabe bare foot runner or trail walker. You can
All I want for Christmas 1 Five Fingers for Five Things! Read More »
If you’re lucky enough to have a walker in the family then you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to stocking fillers this year. It makes life so much easier choosing a christmas gift when somebody has a hobby, and to top it off you don’t have to spend a fortune either. 1.
Ideal Stocking Fillers – Walkers Read More »
Now if you’re reading this, then you’ll know that it’s that time of year again when you’re trying to decide what you want for Christmas or what to get that outdoorsy type in your life (just make sure they’re not Frank Turner – you won’t believe how long I’ve been trying to get that song on here, and
All I want for Christmas is.. Read More »
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