Gear / Equipment reviews on items that has been used by us.
A review of the Kovea Spider gas stove, a light & compact 4 season remote canister stove. The first stove I owned was the small Trangia 27 meths stove and this served me well for my initial camping and bivouacking forays (I still have it) but a some point I started to use gas canister stoves. […]
Pockets! Spacious flat front pockets where you can put your hand, your phone, your wallet, your notebook! And on the women’s version!? Already the Alpkit Womens Bloc bouldering pants are off to a good start. It took while for me to adopt these trousers into my bouldering habit as I tend to wear my bouldering […]
On every Rock Climbing Instructor or Lowland, Hill and Moorland or Mountain Leader course at some point someone will ask the perfectly reasonable question ‘should I carry a knife?’ The short answer is maybe! A knife is a tool like any other item of outdoor equipment and you need to have a think about what […]
AeroPress Go Review I like a cup of coffee in the morning. Just one but I do like it to be good fresh real coffee. I’ll make it at home usually on a Hario V60 filter cone or buy it in some lovely cafe ideally sitting with a friend. However when I’m away overnight, working […]
Hati shares her gear upgrades and her three new items of waterproof clothing for actually enjoying the cold and the wet in preparation for her Hill and Moorland Leader assessment. Being more of a runner and climber I’ve always been embarrassingly minimalist when it comes to waterproofs, but last year I spent more time out […]
This is a review of the Alpkit Compass, a cheaper alternative to the popular Silva Type 4. I’ve been using Silva compasses consistently throughout my life in the outdoors. First as a teenager learning to navigate in the hills and mountains. Then subsequently all throughout my career as an Mountaineering and Rock Climbing Instructor; on […]
A review of the best gear I’ve used in 2020. I haven’t bought much equipment this year because of COVID, so the gear mentioned below is not necessarily new kit but are the items that have been most frequently worn in 2020. All the items have been well used and tested in variety of tough […]
I was recently thinking about my Mountain Leader assessment (way back in the mists of time) and that I have no recollection of at any point being asked any questions about the environment or about any flora or fauna. It wasn’t until five years later while attending my MIA training and then assessment did I […]
Everyone has a different idea of essentials when spending time outdoors. For some it’s the bare minimum: a few basic tools and know-how will see them through. For others the more gadgets the better (all the gear and no idea?). Personally, I just want a cup of coffee – preferably ground. Fortunately for me, coffee […]
Not sure which bouldering guide to buy for the Peak District? We get into the nitty gritty to work out which book does what best…