CheapTents Outdoor Gear Blog

What’s the best way to the summit of Mount Everest? You could answer that it is the south col route from Nepal or maybe that it is via the north east ridge from China. Either way, the journey really starts at a point somewhere else altogether.

In order to stand a chance of reaching the summit you will require mountaineering skills and experience of climbing at high altitude, as well as physical and mental stamina. Proper planning and support are also essential. It can take several years or more to develop these skills.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• UK Everest Challenge – 2 guys, 5 days, 10 peaks
• Polar Explorer Lonnie Dupre Interview
• 10 Tips for Mobile Mount Everest Communications

On the 12/13 May the London 2 Brighton Challenge will be taking place. Now in its third year, this 100 km event is extremely popular for charity fund raising. One of the charity partners is The Hunger Project, and they are looking for volunteers to take part in the event. You can choose to walk, jog or run the 100 km route, so why not sign up and take the challenge?

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• iRoc Race: Run, Cycle and Orienteer on Durham Downs
• The Extreme Stroll Around Manchester
• UK Everest Challenge – 2 guys, 5 days, 10 peaks

Following on from our recent blog post, in which solo climber Mike Dunne talks about his loves and hates of the climbing in the Lake District, we are pleased to present a post written by a climber from the United States.

Paul Roberts is from New York state and has spent the past 3 years climbing in many parts of the USA, from New Hampshire to California. In June this year he’ll be launching a cross country/get to college/climbing trip that will take him climbing all over the country, ending in Prescott Arizona where he’ll be studying adventure education and environmental policy at college.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• Exclusive Interview! Pro Climber, Daniel Woods
• Solo Climbing in the Lake District
• Introduction to Bouldering – accessible Climbing across the UK

The Decagon Jacket is a hooded, waterproof jacket. Whilst it is primarily aimed at the skiing and snow boarding market, the Decagon is highly suitable for general outdoor wear too. It has a fashionable urban design and would look great on the street as well as on the slopes! Made from fully seam sealed HyVent 2 fabric, it is waterproof and breathable. As you would expect from The North Face, the Decagon has an array of features that make it both practical and comfortable.

The Decagon is a relatively heavy jacket, when you put it on it feels more substantial than other waterproof jackets. This is certainly beneficial for use when skiing or snowboarding, especially for those of use who end up falling over in the snow!

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• Review of The North Face Womens Arctic Parka
• The North Face Atlas Triclimate Jacket Review
• The North Face Cats Meow Sleeping Bag Review

If you are thinking going mountaineering then you will need to get some crampons, this may also mean buying new crampon compatible boots. But what if you’re thinking of going hill walking in the winter? There may only be small sections of the hike where there is hard snow and ice. You may feel that buying crampons and compatible boots is too expensive and unnecessary. Fortunately there is a solution! Winter hardware manufacturer Stubai have brought out 4 point and 6 point crampons which can be fitted onto most B0 boots.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 Review
• Asolo Footwear comes to CheapTents
• Walking Boots – Orthotics, Footbeds and Insoles

If Santa shopped with CheapTents I wonder what he would buy? I can see his email now,
“Hi Gareth, my delivery clothes are looking a bit worse for wear. I’ve seen you’ve got some great deals and was wondering, can you kit me out for this year? I’m pretty short of time, as I’ve got millions of Christmas presents to pack. I need a red jacket, its my trademark! But would prefer dark pants for a change, you should see the state of me when I’ve finished, no one cleans their chimney anymore!”

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• What’s in your rucksack?
• The North Face Decagon Jacket Review
• The North Face Atlas Triclimate Jacket Review

Time has flown by since the beginning on the new Millennium! Its hard to imagine that the now iconic structures of the London Eye and the Millennium Dome were brand new, and that they were supposed to be only temporary. At that time the internet was becoming more and more mainstream but it certainly wasn’t the everyday business, communication, entertainment and information media that it has become today.

Yet way back in the year 2000, at Adventure Centre Ltd, we started work on CheapTents. At that time there were several well-known discounting websites such as Cheap Flights. From this the idea of the CheapTents brand was born. It made perfect sense since we were selling top quality outdoor gear at discounted prices, but of course, Not Just Tents!

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• CheapTents Now Stocking Snugpak Tents
• An Enhanced User Experience @ CheapTents
• Exclusive Discounts for Members Only

We always enjoy hearing from you, our readers, about the adventures that you have been having in the great outdoors. Not only that, we like to give you the opportunity to use the CheapTents blog to promote yourselves if you’re looking for sponsorship. Recently we were contacted by Mike Dunne, who loves climbing in the Lake District. We asked him to tell us about his climbing experience, his thoughts on the climbing scene and who he rates as a climber.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• Nine Edges Race Peak District
• Climber and Urbex Legend Stepping Lightly : Exclusive Interview
• Climbing Restrictions to Protect Birds

The motto of the outdoors person should always be “Prepare, Prepare, Prepare”. This is a motto many people live by, and it’s pretty good too. In essence it means if you prepare you will succeed. So with this motto in mind I began looking for the perfect Christmas stocking fillers that I can gift to family, friends as well as other staff here at CheapTents (don’t tell them though).

I searched through out website, found a few nice ideas and so I thought I would post a few to see what you think. For each I’ve written a little review of the product and why I thought it would be a nice stocking filler this Christmas. Any feedback you can give or other ideas would be appreciated.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• A Brief Introduction to Orienteering
• Asolo Footwear comes to CheapTents
• The Happy Valley Walking Festival 2010

As with many North Face products the Arctic Parka is a best seller, normally selling out within days of arrival at our shop. To find out why the Ladies Arctic Parka is such a huge seller we asked Sarah to take it for a test, just as she did with the North Face Womens Resolve Jacket a few weeks ago.

Looks and Feels Great

When I think of winter I think of the cold, wind and rain… and not forgetting snow. Luckily the Arctic Parka can deal with all the winter weather you can chuck at it, and you will still be nice and toasty. Add to this the jacket looks and feels great, and already I think we are on to a winner.

Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:

• The North Face Decagon Jacket Review
• The North Face Cats Meow Sleeping Bag Review
• The North Face Mica 12 Review