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 »
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 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 »
If you’ve seen our how to fry an egg article, then you may be interested in one of these. They’re available in a wide range of colours that make very little difference unless you want one to match the shade of your inner tent. More relevantly, this is a decent pan for frying a single
Chefmate 12cm Mini Frypan 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 »
This little puzzle has always perplexed me on the hill. Easy enough to cook an egg sunny side up in a large pan with oil, but that entails carrying a larger frying pan than needed up a hill and the problem of waste oil at the end. This method means you can use a 12cm
Perfect Camping Fried Egg… Read More »
If you’re looking to camp out this winter then firing up a backpacking gas lantern can add a more than welcome warm glow to your evening gatherings. It goes without saying that you’ll need to use caution at using these in any sort of confined space and that they can be dangerous if not properly
Five Things – Backpacking Gas Lanterns Read More »
This is a novel sleeping bag. At only 460g. This will be ideal for use in youth hostels and bothys, and probably camping and bivvying too. It achieves this impossible balance of weight, price and performance by only having the down in the lower half of the bag. The upper is just a pertex vest
Alpkit Pipedream 200 Read More »
I’ve just come across this file on my mapping software. Intriguingly, it’s all the spots at which I’ve wild camped in Snowdonia and it certainly shows that I need to get south a little more! The striking thing about this is that of all the times I’ve walked along Nantlle and Mynydd Mawr, I’ve never managed to camp
5 Things – Choosing Your Wild Camping Spot… Read More »
We recently reviewed the Mountain House dehydrated meals and while we like the choice, it would be great to be able to cook an even wider variety of meals on the hill. This is where the Mountain House dehydrated chicken breast comes in handy. I’ve looked at this on American sites with envy in the past as
Mountain House Dehydrated Chicken Breast Read More »
My first brush with dehydrated food was way back when, with a brand called Raven. I’m not sure to this day if it was off, or there was too much of one ingredient, but it was truly inedible. It tasted of bad parmesan, and a lot of it. I had much more success with the
Mountain House Meals Review – Lasagnae Read More »
I’ve taken to buying old books on ebay, and I recently got one called Backpacker”s Handbook by Derrick Booth. Ok, the cover”s good for a laugh. It even has them posing in jeans on the front (which he does, to be fair, say is not recommended wear for the hills). Originally published in the early
Backpacker’s Handbook Read More »
If you’re looking to kit out lightly and cheaply, then you can’t go far wrong with a Light my Fire spork. It’s a spoon one end and a fork, with a cutting edge, on the other. Ideal for those meals when a spoon alone isn’t enough. Not only is it highly functional in exactly the
Light my Fire Spork Review Read More »
You’ve read, possibly, out previous jaunts into the hills, and being staunch day walkers you’ve thought it not for you. The luxury of the b&b and the pub, a comfortable bed and a good night’s sleep are all you crave between your days of walking or biking. Well, we’re a soft bunch here really, and while
Lightweight Luxury Wild Camping? Wild Glamping? 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 »
You may just be tempted to defy the weather and get out this weekend on a wild camp. Here are some suggestions where to go or avoid. 1 – Wyddfa. It’s a bank holiday and a relatively small area. Probably not the place for a quiet wild camp. There are a few spots where you
5 things – Wild Camps for the Bank Holiday Weekend 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 »
Not only but also, the Golite Poncho Tarp is primarily a light weight tarp shelter made from SiLite fabric that doubles up as a poncho, though is more of a Tarp Poncho than the other way around. Tarp – The main problem with tarps is working out how to pitch them. The second problem, once you know
Golite Poncho Tarp Review 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 »
The Klymit Inertia X Frame pad is the worlds lightest full size inflatable sleeping mat, measuring over 180cm in length and under 260g in weight. It packs down into a tiny package, invariably described as smaller than a “soda can” and takes up virtually no room in the pack. It’s also claimed to be one
Klymit Inertia X Frame Sleeping Pad Review Read More »
If you’ve read part one, then you’ll know that following on from the Wild Camp on a Budget challenge, we wanted a new one. This time, we decided to wild camp in proper mountains by using just the tiniest Sea to Summit 20 litre day pack. Now the first thing you quickly realise is that
The Superlighweight Challenge 2 – On the Hill Read More »
This is our first, rather disasterous attempt at making a video… It seems that my camera takes great photos, useless at video and worse at audio. It didn’t help that it was getting late and we’d had a few in the pub before setting off and the wind just drowned out all the audio. That
Superlightweight Challenge Video Read More »
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