Waterproof, washable, fabric maps This is an unbiased review by our Gear Editor Chris Townsend, which SplashMaps have supported with sponsorship. A map you can scrunch up and stuff in your pocket, wear round your neck, and stick in the…
New hillwalking boots suitable for winter This is an unbiased review by our Gear Editor Chris Townsend, which Keen have supported with sponsorship. Keen says it’s latest European-made boot is ‘our most technical backpacking boot yet’. The Karraig is certainly…
Warm and windproof ultralight gloves Sometimes a product comes along that really surprises me. That’s the case with the ultralight Rab Xenon gloves as they’re far warmer than I expected them to be. They weigh just 69 grams for a…
An unusual ultralight nesting cook set and stove Pots and mugs are simple items. Not in the case of Soto’s Thermostack Cook Set Combo though. This neat little set of three nesting cups, as Soto calls them, is surprisingly complex…
Shaped insoles for comfort and stability The insoles that come with most boots and shoes are soft, flexible and unsupportive. They also tend to collapse and flatten quickly. Replacing them with a better quality pair that actually supports the foot…
A warm hat that covers a wide temperature range Back in December I reviewed the Tilley Woodland Cadet Cap, the first Tilley hat I’d tried designed for cold weather. Well, here’s another. The Tec-Wool hat looks like a tweedy version…
An excellent ultralight solo tent Tarptent’s Moment began life as a single-walled ultralight solo tent a decade ago. Designer Henry Shires did the TGO Challenge with it in 2010 and based on that trip and feedback from users changed it…
A warm protective winter hat Cotton Tilley Hats have been my choice for long-distance walks and summer walking for nearly thirty years now. They’re very much sun hats though and I’ve always put them away come the autumn. However, Tilley…
How to reduce the noise of a roarer burner The Primus Omnilite TI is one of the lightest multi-fuel stoves there is but it’s still powerful and efficient. The stove itself weighs 222 grams and is all you need if…
A lightweight stretchy midlayer A thin light midlayer is useful year-round. A key for such a garment is that it’s not too warm so it can be worn under a shell without overheating in mild but stormy weather and with…
Excellent lightweight down jacket Rab launched the Microlight down jacket a decade ago and it proved very successful. Now there are three Microlight models. Recently I’ve been trying the top of the range Microlight Summit. This has a 750-fill power…
An amazing wrist computer The latest Casio Pro Trek watch, catchily named the WSD-F20, is a wrist computer with an amazing number of functions. Like similar watches it’s big and chunky. At 92 grams it’s not that heavy though. I…