This Rab Vapour Rise softshell jacket is a fine example of an extremely breathable and weather resistant softshell jacket. It has a Pertex Equilibrium shell and insulation making it a great wind and water resistant jacket with massive breathability for year round use in all but the wettest weather. Rab make jackets of exceptional quality and the prices are reasonable for the garment you get.
Summer’s around the bend and once again the Craghoppers Kiwi Classic Trousers are on the shelves. This is one of the most popular walking/trekking legwear that has ever been made and the Craghoppers kiwi remains a classic. Lightweight but tough, comfortable, fast drying and cheap, these outdoors trousers will be found in many outdoors and travellers wardrobe. Made from Solar-dry fabric.
This is a rapid multi-fuel stove with good burn control. A winner of many awards this multi-fuel stove uses an innovative handle to adjust the flame from slow simmer to full boil. Features Include:-An integral Shaker Jet keeps the jet clear. A safety valve built into the fuel pump prevents accidental spillages when disconnecting from the stove. The stable pot supports/legs fold away for a compact carrying size. Has the same type of burner as MSR’s XGK stove. Usually supplied with windshield and toolkit. Weight: 487 gms. Can be used with Coleman Fuel (White Gas), Unleaded petrol, Paraffin, Aviation Fuel, Diesel & most oil based fuels.
Live For the Outdoors have a good review of this superlight sub 2kg tent. It looks pretty bombproof in design though who knows how long the lightweight materials will last. Not too cheap though at £330.
Click here to read it
The Women’s Montane Super-Fly has been is made for fast moving outdoor activities where lightweight and high breathability are crucial. The breathability of the Super-Fly is unsurpassed by any other waterproof jacket on the market today and the reduction in weight is achieved by keeping only essential features within the design of the jacket. This is a truly functional piece of kit for those who require full waterproofness, amazing levels of breathability and light weight above all else.
This is a fetching looking soft shell jacket from Montane. The thing that caught my eye is the Event proofing that it uses, apparently keeping you dry 95% of the time and offering superior breathability. I could use a bit of that. My Lowe Alpine soft shell seems to keep me dry 50% of the time and seems to have virtually no breathability. RRP seems to be £140 for this jacket which is a little on the steep side, but at the time of writing (July 07) Field & Trek have it for £90 which is a bit more palatable.
I must admit that this is one of my worst outdoors buys recently. I bought one of these aluminium kids bottles last year. It cost more than a tenner and looked nice and new for precisely 5 minutes. The bottle itself is fine and the top is leakproof, but I have three major gripes with it:
Our Sigg now lies at the back of a cupboard replaced by… well, just about any plastic drinks bottle we happen to have lying around.
The one thing that I don’t like about most sandals is that your toes are exposed to all sorts of nasty and horrific injuries. The Teva Dozer seems to have taken that into account and is a shoe that resembles a sandal but with an enclosed toe cover. There are plenty vents all around the dozer making it just as cool and pleasant to wear in warm weather as a normal sandal but with the added knowledge that you are not going to stub your toes on tree roots or worse.
The strap system on the Dozer, like most other Teva sandals involves a single velcro closure across the top of the foot making these as easy to get on and off as most other teva sandals. The strapping system actually gives a good bit of support too, feeling almost like a shoe, but not quite that strong. Still, reasonable outdoors use and walks shouldn’t cause problems. The Dozer also comes with a surface that is meant to eliminate the smelly sandal problem that afflicts some sandal wearers. (You could wear your sandals with socks to eliminate this too, but that kind of defeats the point of having sandals in the first place - and you’ll look like and extra from the Open University). I’ve used these Teva’s for a month now and so far, no problem with smelly sandals.
The sole of the Dozer is pretty grippy and also has a good bit of cushioning in it meaning comfort and security.
One possible negative point is that where my foot bends means there is a lot of wear placed on one of the stitching joints at the side of the Dozer. It doesn’t look like it’s reinforced in any way and I’m afraid that it might split there eventually.
I’ve owned simple Teva sandals in the past and in my view these are much better, especially if you want your toes protected.
Teva UK suggest the price is around £82 but the pair that were tested were under £60 from an outdoors shop in Perth.
As it now seems more like summer than winter outside in the northern outpost that is Love Outdoors, thoughts turn to swapping my well worn Merrell approach shoes for something a little more… summery. These Merrell Kahuna Sandals might fit the bill. More body to them than my old basic Tevas, and a good antibacteria footbed so they don’t start to stink too quickly. The sole is the standard Merrell pattern that is found on so many of their shoes. The Kahuna Sandal has pigskin leather on top, a Microban footbed and a air cushioned sole. Plus they look rather snazzy too, wouldn’t you say?
Price in the UK is around £55.
Eurohike aka Millets, after being guilty of introducing flower covered tents and other crazy patterns have now gone one step further. This tent, which looks like a £30 or £40 dome tent comes with a set of paints to allow you to decorate it yourself. I shudder to think of the grim images we are going to see in campsites around the UK this summer. If you just can’t help yourself, the tent & associated art materials are available at Millets for a penny short of £80.