At 1,344 m, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland and the UK. As such it is a very popular mountain for people to climb. It is often attempted by inexperienced hikers who have no idea of the scale of the task or of the potential dangers involved. Many people attempt the summit of Ben Nevis without taking proper outdoor gear.
Ben Nevis Escape Route
If you are planning to walk up to the top of Ben Nevis the first thing you need to know is the escape route from the summit. Regardless of the weather in the valley or on the mountain tops when you start your hike, by the time you reach the summit the weather may have closed in, resulting in near zero visibility. This has happened to me.
A good pair of boots is probably one of the most important pieces of kit you can have, but with so many on offer it can be hard to make the right decision. So we’ve rounded up a selection of some of the best walking boots to make things a little bit easier for you. This post contains information about four specific models of hiking boot from Berghaus, Brasher, Salomon and Trezeta. Our advice page contains general information about walking boots, including choosing which type of walking boot is suitable for the type of walking that you will be doing.
There is nothing worse than having a pair of smelly hiking boots or climbing shoes, but what causes this and what can you do about it?
Smelly walking boots in the bin - source: °Florian - Flickr
What causes smelly boots?
The reason for boots and feet smelling is that feet sweat a lot, they have more sweat glands per cm of skin than anywhere else on the body. This causes them to sweat an awful lot and as your feet are normally encased inside boots and socks the sweat can’t evaporate and has nowhere to go.
The Mountain Equipment Mistral like the Salomon Fast Wing Hoodie is versatile, lightweight, windproof and stowable.
Clothing
The order of the day is versatility. Versatile clothes are essential when space and weight are important, Zip-Off Trousers are ideal when travelling light as they can be worn as a pant or shorts. Wicking items can be easily layered, washed and dried.
I’m sure over the years we’ve all had our fair share of blisters, but what is the best way to avoid them and what should we do when we get one?
Blisters generally occur from friction on the skin from your socks or shoes this repeated friction causes the outer layer of the skin to separate from the fiber layer. The resulting “pocket” then fills up with a clear fluid (serum) and forms a blister.
Some Bad Blisters. Source : Jason Cartwright - Flickr
How to Avoid Blisters
Make sure you have a pair of boots that are a good fit and be sure to break them in well.
What makes the best outdoor gear the best, is the way it performs. For people serious about their outdoor gear, it’s usually because they are testing it in ways that you would think it is designed for. Outdoor sports clothing is a specifically designed for it’s purpose ad one of the items of gear that has been so popular this year has been the Gore-Tex Pro Shell waterproof jackets. You might also want to check out the outdoor clothing advice section.
Gore-Tex have replaced their Gore-Tex XCR technology with the new and improved Gore-Tex Pro Shell technology. We’ve seen it across a number of jackets so far this year, and the feedback had been very good indeed.
Insoles can be used in Walking Boots. Source: Flickr by re-ality.
Cushioning for Feet
Outdoor activities such a walking, backpacking, mountaineering and fell running cause a lot of force to be applied through the knees and onto the feet. Most walking boots and running shoes provide some cushioning against this. Simple insoles can be put inside walking boots and running shoes to provide additional cushioning and absorb impact shock made by feet that are pounding on rocky trails all day.
If you are lucky this winter, lots of snow will fall on the hills and mountains near where you live. You will be able to get out your crampons and ice axes and go mountaineering. Alternatively you could do the crampon dance…
Advice about choosing winter mountaineering accessories can be found on our ice axe and crampons advice page. Obviously if you do not have any winter accessories, then you can buy crampons and ice axes from us
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Last Christmas we started running Christmas special offers as an advent calendar, where each day a new special offer was put on the CheapTents.com homepage, and then added to a list of discounted outdoor gear here. It was a massive success, so this year we are doing it all over again!
CheapTents.com | Happy Christmas - Special Offers! CLICK HERE!
Outdoor Gear Christmas Presents Sale!
In just a couple of weeks we will be counting down to the festive season with Christmas specials offers for outdoor sports gear everyday! So make sure you bookmark us: type ‘Ctrl‘ and ‘D or click on the button to add it to your social bookmarking site:
Nothing beats a special offer, especially when the special offers are permanent! but we have come up with an extra way you can save money by writing about the gear that you use…
We’re offering an extra 10% OFF anything in the CheapTents.com outdoor gear shop, on top of current discounts! Simply write an outdoor gear review…
So share your views and get money off Christmas Presents…We already discount almost all of our outdoor clothing and equipment so this is a pretty good special offer for those who like to share their opinions! It’s pretty good timing too, as if you’re shopping for Christmas presents, then this can help you save a load of money – (disclaimer: we’re not saying you’re a cheapskate!!)
