Category Archives: Gear

Strong, lightweight alpine climbing pack

Comfortable and luxuriously soft mid layer.

likes: very cosy, soft, light, great colour and fit

dislikes: would like a draw cord in hood to be able to pull in tight.

Weight: 520g

My rating: 4/5

Lightweight heat resistant foldaway cooking utensils

likes:  adds some home luxury to camping, very light, fits perfectly into Jetboil pot

dislikes: none

Weight: 36g

My rating: 5/5

General purpose folding saw

likes: heavy gauge steel rips through wood., locks inside the sheath

Lightweight softshell trousers

likes:  Stretchy fabric, great for rock-climbing, very breathable and

dislikes: could like some side pockets but they would add to the weight.

Weight: 385g

My rating: 5/5

Relaxed fit durable cotton trousers

likes:  good quality manufacture and material, fits great too. Can be rolled up at bottom and buttoned.

dislikes:  a bit neutral about the side pocket, not sure why it has buttons over the opening

Weight: 650g

My rating: 5/5

Medium weight, high UPF protection trousers

likes:  comfortable, secure pockets and fit

dislikes: n/a

Weight: 440g

My rating: 5/5

Pot support and stabiliser for using pans with Jetboil stove

likes: Insulates gas can from the snow, can use own pans, fits inside Jetboil

dislikes: adds a bit of extra weight

Weight: 350g

My rating: 4/5

1.5 litre cooking pot

likes:  base can be used as plate, plenty space for storing gas and other accessories in pan, cooks very fast.

dislikes: can be bit hard to clean but that’s probably down to my cooking skills, non stick version would be excellent

Weight: 369g

My rating: 4/5

Heavy weight all-mountain trouser.

Easy to pitch lightweight 2 man tent

likes:  Extremely light, huge storage area, colour coded poles, strong build. Used this tent in all weather so far and stood up to whatever thrown at it.

dislikes:  Hard to change clothes inside, a little claustrophobic for 2 when on long camping trip in rain.

Weight:  1.94 Kg

My rating: 4.5/5

Extreme conditions require extreme devices.

likes:

dislikes:

Weight:  n/a

My rating: 5/5

Lightweight technical t-shirt

likes: silky feel and comfortable

dislikes: gets a bit wet and looks stupid with my puny muscles.

Weight: 95g

My rating: 3.5/5

700ml drinks bottle

likes: ergonomically pleasing, great build, encourages use

dislikes: none

My rating: 5/5

Weight: n/a

Like the way it contours your back and has a good design compared to some of the other camelbak style hydration packs. The magnetic clip and valve switch are a couple of great additions to make it stand out.

I have since broken this – it decided to split inside and is not fixable.

Weight: ?
My rating: 3.5/5 – was a 4.5 until broke.

Officially this is a touring PFD – I have used it canyoning many times now. The straps hide away and the back is well padded.

The waist belt and side straps are easily adjusted.

Great for in the Kayak too, has loops for camelbak style hoses. Pockets are fleece lined and excellent for warming up the hands!

Weight: ?
My rating: 5/5

tech specs
Like the reinforced kneepads on this, zip bit of pain in the arse but get used to it after while, wear base layers if using in colder months

Weight: ?
My rating 5/5

Have never felt so secure on wet slippery rocks, tree roots, riverbeds and down by the sea.

Amazing boots – really comfortable, would recommend them with a pair of seal skin socks of suchlike for the colder months (not that I have any but think it would be more like wetsuit warmth.

Weight: 600g
My rating 5/5

tech specs
Never notice if this is on or not, so light and headlamp clips perfect for the Duo5
1 hand adjustment and can be clipped on 1 handed no problem either.

Didn’t notice till recently it’s recommended for canyoning too – excellent!

Weight: 305g
My rating: 5/5

This tiso walking axe is made by Grivel, the one pictured is the Grivel version of the tiso branded one, the tiso one is black and much cheaper, I have found this axe excellent quality.

I covered the shaft with duct tape to insulate.

Mountain gaiter, ideal for deep snow or wet conditions

Likes: very sturdy – I’ve had these for double the time of any other set of gaiter and still not had any crampons rips. Breathable and waterproof too.

Dislikes: can be quite hard to put on when covered in snow/icy

Weight: n/a

My rating: 5/5

Distance: 19m
Battery Life: 45h
Output: 16 lumens
Petzl site

excellent light, just hope i don’t loose it! Every motorist/cyclist/climber should have one!

Weight: 28g
My rating: 5/5

Distance: 28m (leds), 100m (halogen)
Battery Life: 65h (leds), 4h (halogen)
Output: 40 lumens
tech specs

Arrived day after ordering – some service!

very bright – its excellent for cycling too – the light still looks white thru my orange glasses. the halogen is powerful but not been anywhere dark enough to test full potential.

You can tell this is well made and will hopefully pass my water test whenever that may be – night canyoning anyone?

Weight: 300g

Anodised aluminium telescopic shovel

likes:  Handle is comfortable, shovel is sharp and very portable. Digs a snow hole rapidly!

dislikes: not enough snow?

Weight: 586g

My rating: 5/5

Best buy of the year – never have it off – not waterproof but very cosy, so handy for the colder nights – was excellent when used out in snow with just a merino base layer, does get bit warm when going up steep slopes tho but can be zipped both ways. The Zip has a storm flap behind it.

I give this jacket 10/10 for comfort, design, functionality.

the hood can be worn over helmet as well, and the sleeves are easy to adjust, i really  like the stretchy fabric too.

Weight: around 300g?
Rating 5/5

12 point crampons with the new classic binding. They feel very secure while attached to the boot. The points are quite short for use while hillwalking, also widely used by mountaineers.

Have now used them several times in the Scottish Mountains – feels very secure when on and light. Did not need adjusted or tightened after being on for hours at a time.

Weight: 888g
My rating 5/5

Lightweight, water resistant and wind proof.

Likes: Light, versatile, great as a spare for extra warmth

Dislikes: The top is very flappy and noisy when in wind also tag on the zip hurts and sometimes gets in eye.

Weight: 290g
My rating: 3.5/5

I got this for £170 from Tower Ridge in Perth, The shop is amazing for goods from Rab, so much cheaper than the rivals.. The customer service is excellent too, they always keep you up to date with your order and very approachable for any info required.

The comfort level for this changes depending on where you look but on the Rab site it says -4. Looking forward to trying it out in some decent “harsh” conditions..

The bag is very light, about 500g less than my summer sleeping bag, it packs into a very small bag and comes with a larger cotton store sack. Extremely cosy. It only has a half zip and it’s on the left hand side, same as the Assault bivi.

UPDATE – Feb 2010

Now used out in snow on Ben Alder, -13 at night – comfortable sleep, my bivi bag was frozen in the morning due to the condensation, cold night, but not for me in the sleeping bag!

Weight: 850g

Excellent head torch so far.

It is supposed to be water resistant to 1m underwater.

not tested that function yet..

Full beam is very bright and a powerful spotlight, the adjustable light function is handy when not needing it to be so bright.

The red light is perfect for night walking/reading when not wanting to blind yourself with the cree bulb. Unfortunately when using red the contours on map invisible..

The casing on the torch is adjustable so handy when wanting to focus different distances.

The only thing i dislike about this torch is the outer cabling, could get tugged or snapped, but it does seem quite strong.

UPDATE – March 2010

Foolishly taken into hot tub – the hot water managed to get into torch no problem.. woops!

UPDATE – August 2010

As I had previously worried about – the outer cable broke. Has been soldered back together – still works but cannot be depended upon anymore. New headtorch on its way – Petzl Duo 5.

My rating: 3/5

These socks are very comfortable.. only £4.99 at go out doors and I feel that they are much better than more expensive rivals. Used them many times and they have kept their shape, fast drying and never had a blister so far!

Dislikes: Slip down inside boots sometimes

Amazing piece of kit. Very fast boiling, easy to clean and the cup is an excellent pot.

Make sure you press the igniter as soon as you turn on the gas though.

UPDATE – Feb 2010

Now used out in snow – as expected the usual couple minutes boil turned into 20.

Weight: 425g

Very handy, everything with one hand.. perfect!

Would love a titanium version tho..

UPDATE 15/05/10

Now have a titanium one – it is perfect.

These gloves are merino lined and say that they are waterproof.

They are great for kayaking as the sticky rubber gives great grip, they also feel similar to a wetsuit when wet.

I do not feel that they are as waterproofed as advertised and when wet they do get really heavy, had to squeeze them out allot. Used them up mountain with snow, fingers got numb after few hours.

I really think they are excellent, very useful.

my rating: 4.5/5

These boxers are the bomb. Very quick drying and not “chaffable” Keep you very secure.

My rating 5/5

I bought these boots for use in Skye. The first day out in them went up Sgurr Nan Gillian and the laces snapped.

Likes: They feel like trainers, feet feel very secure and the sole sticks to rock never had a blister. Very easy to clean and waterproof, to a certain extent.. when wet thru they are still warm.  Just been able to use them on ice and snow. They fit the grivel airtech crampon

Dislikes: Not very good in mud. The standard laces were not so brilliant.

Am very happy with them.

Weight: 1300g
My rating: 5/5

Long sleeve merino wool base layer

Likes: Comfortable and great for out in the snow, Thumb holes on the sleeves keep base under gloves.

Dislikes: Scooped back would be great – rides up sometimes and leaves skin exposed at back.

Got this for the mosquito net and the length.. Plenty room for me and my rucksack, mosquito net keeps the lovely midges out so can sleep in peace.

So far spent few comfortable nights in this (well as comfortable as possible) Zip is on the left side and old sleeping bag had RHS zip, so quite awkward to get out of.

Like the glow in dark zip pulls – great for night time toilet use!

Not had any rain while in yet but bivi challenge may change that.

UPDATE – Feb 2010

Now used out in snow in -13 at night – comfortable sleep, the bag was frozen in the morning due to the condensation, cold night but not for me!

UPDATE – May 2010

3 Nights of rain and still dry – excellent!

Weight: 780g

My rating: 5/5

Got this rucksack due to weight of it. Was sick of carrying a 2kilo rucksack when so many lightweight models available now. The build quality is amazing, there are so many little features on this sack that are well thought up and also well placed.

Weight: 920g

I got this to use as a Winter Daysack, and for overnight bivis in summer. The front section fits my snow shovel and enough room inside for all the extras you need for a winter day trip.

Weight: 790g

Daysack, perfect for cycling.

Weight: 600g

Great baselayer

Likes:

Dislikes: Tends  to stretch a little

since ripped on back – think it must have been wetsuit zip, hopefully not natural erosion!

Merino wool leggings

Likes: Comfortable and very cosy, great to wear under shorts on the colder cycles. Great under the Fuera trousers but too warm when moving around in the Cascada – very useful on Ben Alder trip in Feb 2010.

Dislikes: the wool has ripped around crotch area, maybe cos I’m a fatty.

Weight:
My rating: 4/5

Put it on and sink into the warmth

Likes: Very cosy, pit zips, shape, material

Dislikes: none

Weight: 580g
My rating 5/5

These trousers have won awards and it is easy to see why.

Likes: Waterproof and extremly breathable.

Dislikes: Rip very easily,

I ripped these after a fall on Sgurr Nan Gillean – sent them to Paramo to be repaired. they made an excellent job repairing – now has entire extra back panel layer so should prevent future rips!

UPDATE – Jan 2010

I’ve ripped them again – the material is just so soft my crampons went right thru them. Was only using ankle gaiters at the time. Got some longer gaiters and easily stitched up the trousers.

Weight: 572g
My rating: 4/5

Waterproof, light and well made. Got this from Go Outdoors for £110 and worth every penny!

Likes: Excellent features such as the hand-warming pocket, scooped back and detachable hood.

Dislikes: Bit to warm for summer use, maps don’t survive rain in the chest pocket.

Weight: 723g
My rating: 4/5

Won these in the Paramo 500 competition. Excellent product.

Likes: Light and versatile. Water resistant and extremely fast drying. Leg zips allow for both putting on over boots and ventilation.

Dislikes: Rip easy.

Weight: 297g
My rating: 4/5

Gerber. Fend For Yourself.

likes: excellent range of tools. Pliers, knife and scissors been handiest so far

dislikes: quite hard to get all the tool pieces out, a little bit heavy

Weight: 255g

My rating: 4/5

Have had this many years, just recently fixed the puncture in it that was there since purchase. Was horrible waking up when it deflated and the cold ground started to come thru, never realised was a tiny hole in it. Easily repaired with some glue and much better being able to sleep the night without waking up to blow up!

Weight: 814g