Hiking Gear

Blisters. The little blighters can turn a pleasant hike into a hellish test per perseverance. So just how do you go about preventing blisters when hiking?

Baselayers. They’re not all made equal. So let’s take a look at what materials are best when it comes to hiking baselayers.

I’ve made no secret of my love for Mammut jackets and midlayers. But I think the women’s Aenergy Light hooded is the best of the bunch. Here’s my review and why I LOVE it so much.

I’ve been wearing Mammut midlayers and jackets for over 3 years now. So is Mammut a good hiking brand? Well here’s my takes on the pros and cons of buying hiking and mountaineering gear from them.

Even the best waterproof jacket in the world is going to need reproofing eventually. And if you want to get more life out of your waterproof jacket investment, then reproofing it properly is the key. After 6 years of reproofing jackets (sometimes well, sometimes not) this is now my go to as the best method of reproofing.

Osprey hiking bags are certainly are the higher end of the price scale when compared with other options on the market. But are they worth it? And is Osprey a good hiking brand? Here’s my honest take after just about 3 years of hiking exclusively with Osprey bags.

It has been so long since I got the Osprey Sirrus 36 that it has since been replaced with the Sirrus 34! Nonetheless, having spent almost 3 years hiking with this backpack, I now feel qualified to review it properly. So here’s what you need to know.

I bought the Osprey Sirrus 24 women’s hiking bag back in May 2022. After almost 2 and half years of use, only now do I feel qualified to actually write a review! So here’s my honest take on this hiking backpack designed specifically for the female body.

A hiking bag is a hiking bag, right? So when premium end brands start marketing some as “women’s” specifically, what’s the deal? Well, there IS a benefit for female hikers in using bags designed specifically for a women’s body. Let’s look at them!

After much deliberation, I opted for the Rab Cirrus Alpine synthetic insulated jacket to see me through my winter hiking season. After a couple of weeks of testing on some cold weather walks and in some rainy conditions, here’s my review.

Hypothermia kills hikers in the UK’s mountains every single year. That’s just a fact. Despite our relatively mild climate, the cold combined with the wet here means people are at risk of hypothermia when hiking mountains if not properly equipped. In this guide, we talk about what hypothermia is, how it happens, how to prevent it and how to spot the signs when hiking in the UK’s mountains.

So you’re shopping for a new winter hiking jacket? Chances are you’ve got 101 different decisions to make (brand, colour, style, size, breathability, pack-away-a-bility… the list goes on). And one such decision is going to be about whether to go for a synthetic insultation jacket or a down jacket. So just what is best? Let’s take a look at the facts.

In November 2023, I bought the Mammut Alto Guide Hooded women’s waterproof jacket. Over 10 months, many hikes, hundreds of school runs, many adventures and much rain)later, here’s my review.

Cold hands do NOT make for good scrambling hands. But how do you keep those fingers comfortable with winter scrambling without sacrificing on grip and mobility? And even in summer, sometimes a pair of gloves is essential to stop your hands being torn to pieces. So let’s take a look at the best scrambling gloves.

Winter hiking is on its way again. But for those of us hiking mountains, Autumn on the ground means wintery temperatures up top already. So as I prep my winter hiking kit, I’ve put some battery powered heated socks and gloves from HeatPerformance to the test. Here’s what I think.

Nothing ruins a hike quite like blisters. How can something so small cause so much pain and discomfort? So, if you’re anything like me and you’re practically phobic of getting them on your hiking days, here’s a few tips to help you prevent them.