What distinguishes the Haglöfs design of such a travel bag from its competitors, is that despite its simplicity, it packs an almost limitless variety of possible uses. This means that as your required demands of a primary storage gear change with the time of day, the environment or climate, or even just your location, you will always be able to rely on the adaptable Travel Pouch for safe preservation of your most valuable possessions and documents.

Patagonia’s Nano Puff Vest is striking. Indeed, as I was somewhat taken aback about just how brilliant the blue was on this range, selecting it ahead of the only marginally sombre alternative colours, jet-black and mango.

Haglöfs started in a shed in Torsång, Sweden in the spring of 1914. The very first product Victor Haglöf made was a backpack which sold for a mere SEK 0.9 … Read more

Excited and ready for my new Nepalese adventure, I landed in Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmadu Nepal with optimism and eagerness to climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. Knowing that you … Read more

Adventurers in western France and northern Spain naturally look to the Pyrenees for a multitude of summer and winter explorations. Given that I would be in north-eastern Spain in mid-March, … Read more

The Talus Ridge is Columbia’s attempt to fill the gap between lightweight trail running shoes and the heavier, more sturdy walking boot. Capable of perfoming across a range of disciplines and weathers the shoe has been referred to by its manufacturers as the ‘opitamy of trail multi sport’, an apt description for any outdoors shoe.

At a an altitude of 1,344m, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Located in the Grampian Mountains in the west of Scotland, it represents one of the many highlights of Scottish highland hiking. Being within two hours of Glasgow, and less than three hours from Edinburgh, it is also a very accessible peak which could even be summited as a day trip from one of Scotland’s cosmopolitan cities.

Trekking Poles. Some people hate them, some swear by them. Unlike glacier travel or backcountry skiing, while hiking, poles are not required. I have found them to be extraordinarily useful, however, as I tested the Komperdell C3 Carbon Power Locks extensively over the past two months. These poles helped me up Mt. Democrat, a Colorado Fourteener, in December and shredded Vail with me. For a pair of lightweight poles that collapse down small and have a removable basket, the C3s are a handy partners on the trail, or in the pack during the final summit push.

Malawi is not famous for its mountains, rather for its wide fresh-water lake and internationally renowned Lake of Stars Music festival. In fact there is only one mountain in the entire country, … Read more

Garmont’s Dragontail MNT is part of their ‘Mountain’ range of footwear and as such is aimed at mountaineers, climbers and boulderers to use as an approach shoe to the crag. … Read more

TORQ are a UK-based fitness consultancy that specialise in training and nutrition. Owing to the success of their performance coaching which started in 1999, TORQ moved into performance products to complement their existing services.

Last September, a small group of friends and I decided to conquer the infamous Four Pass Loop, a 26.5 mile tour of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness in the White River National Forest. The Loop not only challenges both physical and mental stamina, but takes you deep into one of the most breathtaking regions of Colorado.

For those who relish the more unusual and obscure adventure trips,  a visit to the shrinking Aral Sea is well worth the journey. Labelled as the ‘biggest man-made disaster’ in … Read more

When I was asked to review Marmot’s Sawtooth sleeping bag I jumped at the chance, Marmot has a reputation of producing some of the world’s finest down sleeping bags. I wasn’t going to be disappointed with the Sawtooth, a down sleeping bag rated to have a lower comfort of -9oC. Marketed as an all-rounder I felt sure the Sawtooth would be great for a Scandinavian Spring/Autumn bag and equally at home for Scottish winters.

Mountain Safety Research (MSR) describe the 4-season Asgard tent as “the most liveable, 2-person expedition shelter we’ve ever made”. In order to assess this claim and put the tent through some rigorous testing, Christian Hacking and I took the Asgard to Switzerland.

A quick word one of Marmot’s patented technologies here, the MemBrain Strata. This is Marmot’s very own waterproof material, similar to Mountain Hardwear’s Conduit DT (dry touch) comparison. Marmot’s fabric has come up with some impressive figures: at 20,000mm in waterproof performance and 20,000 gr it is comparable to the more widely known Gore-Tex fabrics. Another note-worthy feature of MemBrain Strata is the fabric has “micro inorganic particles” impregnated on the inside of the laminate. Putting
technical jargon to one side this basically means the inside of the jacket has a dry feeling when wet on the outside, so avoiding that clammy feeling of waterproofs of old. This allows for greater comfort when wearing just a T-shirt or less under the jacket.

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, located in between northern Norway and the North Pole at 90 degrees north. The island plays host to a wealth of breeding sea birds, marine mammals and of course the infamous polar bear. Spending time in the area is inherently dangerous, but as mere visitors to the area we have to take every precaution against the native dangers.

Secret Compass are a young tour operator that pioneer expeditionary trips around the world. With 2012 departure dates set for trips to Mexico, South Sudan, Afganistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, founders Levison Wood and Tom Bodkin are working on new itineraries in Madagascar, the Congo, Argentina, Iraq and Brazil. As such as young company, Secret Compass are in a great position to refresh adventure touring and create demanding adventures with team action. One of Secret Compass’ focuses is to find trips that have a historical relevance, particularly within exploratory myths. Their tour in South Sudan follows the footsteps of one famous explorer, Samuel Baker.

However, not everyone in the industry has subscribed to heavily reduced, high impact trips.. G Adventures was one of the first companies to bring sustainable tourism into the crowded holiday market, offering “adventure-craving travellers an alternative to the resorts, cruises and motorcoach tours”: holidays which take travellers off the beaten track for a genuine glimpse of the lives of the country’s inhabitants, and which are focused on ethical behaviour and serving the communities they visit.

To me the key performance indicator of a tent is that it keeps me dry. The biggest test of this: 2 days of near continuous rain in Slovenia, the tent passed. After a brutal night of rain I woke, and in my usual wet routine, got dressed in the tent into my cycling kit. This requires some contortion due to the tents compact size but is possible. With waterproofs on and kit packed into dry bags I dived out and was able to drop the tent in 2 minutes. Pannier on and I hit the road.