CheapTents Outdoor Gear Blog

Despite the technological advances in comfortable sports foot wear over the past decade or so, there has been a recent shift towards barefoot running. For those who don’t want their feet to get too dirty, Vibram have even brought out the Five Fingers range of footwear. But its not just the world of running that has seen a shift away from high specification footwear. The world of hiking is also seeing a shift back to basics. More and more hikers are abandoning their hiking boots and have begun wearing Dutch Clogs when they’re out on the hills.

Dutch clogs are the new hiking boots. Source: Wikimedia Commons by Ra Boe.

• The reason why you should wear walking boots…
• Walking Boots – Orthotics, Footbeds and Insoles
• Brasher hillwalking boots grow in popularity…

With more and more races on the calender, Adventure Racing is fast becoming a popular sport in the UK. Consisting of multi-stage events such as hiking, swimming, kayaking, trail running, mountain biking and more, teams compete in races that may last over several days. Examples of races held in the UK last year are the Nokia Coast to Coast Race in Scotland and the Adidas Terrex Race in the Lake District. To compete effectively in Adventure Racing gear choice is vital. Your kit must be lightweight yet rugged enough to stand up to extreme punishment as well as being fully functional.

• Lightwave Fastpack Rucksack Review
• Do I Need a Rucksack Cover?
• LEKI Carbonlite Trekking Pole Review

On the 17th February, the government announced that it was to perform a
u-turn when it abandoned plans to sell 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland in England. This would have been a total of 85% on top of the 15% they are already allowed to sell off, when in the public need. This announcement came from Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman in the House of Commons, a speech in which she admitted to being wrong and apologised. A good many walkers and outdoor enthusiasts were then able to breathe a huge sigh of relief! So, are we out of the woods yet?

Mary Creagh MP

• Blog readers help to protect Birds of Prey!
• Cairngorms National Park Enlarged
• Walk4Life Day 2010 – Sunday 26th September

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand over the past few weeks we have all heard about the changes to the Public Bodies Bill which will mean that the government can sell off up to 85% of our forests, without protection for access or biodiversity. This as many of us agree cannot be allowed to happen, these woodlands are part of our national heritage and are loved by the British public.

Cycling in the Forest of Dean - Source: GeoGraph

• UK Government to Microchip Walkers
• RSPB Birds of Prey Campaign Interview
• Walk4Life Day 2010 – Sunday 26th September

A while back the UK coalition government announced the creation of the Big Society. It has been hailed as a way to give power to local communities and criticised as a way of introducing spending cuts. One potential drawback is that it could give more power to people who are intent on pushing their own financial agendas. But, what about us outdoor enthusiasts? Are there likely to be any positive or negative outcomes for hikers, climbers and mountaineers? There are certainly people out there who are not sympathetic towards walkers and climbers, and who may try to use it to hinder our activities. All is not bleak however, enter the BMC. The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has recently published an article about how it intends to embrace the Big Society for the benefit of its members and the natural environment.

• UIAA Mountaineering Federation Ethics Code
• International Mountain Day
• Interview with Mountain Leader Training Association UK

A few weeks ago I wrote a post explaining Phase One, the start of our website updates and I also talked of what was to come in Phase Two. Today, with Phase Two nearing completion I’d like to tell you a little about what updates Phase Two has included.

Phase Two updates are somewhat more complex than those in Phase One. This is to say without the changes made earlier Phase Two could not even be attempted, it also means they changes are more technically challenging and take longer to implement.

• Cheap Tents Online Shop is 10!
• Jack Wolfskin comes to CheapTents
• 2011 Christmas Delivery Information

CheapTents Now Stocking Snugpak Product Ranges

Based in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, Snugpak have been part of the outdoors industry for over 30 years. Designing, Manufacturing and Supplying sleeping bags and insulated clothing across the globe, to personal, professional and military sectors.

Today we are proud to announce that CheapTents is stocking even more of the Snugpak product range. The expert team at CheapTents are well placed to be able to give great advice and technical information about the Snugpak range.

Snugpak's Scorpion 3 Dome Ten

• Cheap Tents Online Shop is 10!
• Where do the MSR Hubbas get their name?
• Choosing a Family Tent

Today we competed Phase One of the CheapTents.com redesign and I would like to tell you a little about what we have done and what else you can expect in the near future.

Why Are We Changing?

It has been several years since our last big redesign. Since then the web has changed a lot, we’ve seen the demise of Internet Explorer 6 and the rise of Social Media and the Mobile Web. With this in mind we wanted to revamp our website and make it fit for the day and the future.

• Where do the MSR Hubbas get their name?
• New Social Feature on CheapTents
• 2011 Christmas Delivery Information

Last year we brought you an exclusive interview with John Loader from the RSPB highlighting the charity’s campaign to further protect and raise the awareness of birds of prey, we reported on the campaign and how successful it had become raising people’s awareness.

Amongst other advantages of having birds of prey in the eco system, John showed us how birds of prey helped local economies by bringing tourists to an area. In this year of cuts, doom and gloom it is nice to be able to share the success story of the Galloway Red Kite Trail where humans are working with nature, and poignantly the red kite being one of those birds of prey we highlighted with John Loader.

• Cairngorms National Park Enlarged
• Mountain Biking in Wales: Coed y Brenin
• The Lady Of The Loch – A Love Affair With Scotland

Earlier today it was announced that Ncell, the Nepalese Telecom firm, is currently installing eight 3G telephone masts along the route to base camp Mt. Everest. The highest mast will be located 17,000ft (5,200m) above sea level, meaning that the signal will be able to reach the summit of Everest.

mobile mapping may have to improve a little first.

This means that phone calls, texts, picture messaging and of course the internet will all be able to be accessed at the summit. That is of course if you want to risk taking your gloves off … though I dare say with this announcement there will be a company rubbing it’s hands in glee, for maybe they have a device that means the gloves can stay on and the hands stay toasty.

• Everest Chocolate Sherpas!
• Eric Larsen Save The Poles Challenge
• UK Everest Challenge – 2 guys, 5 days, 10 peaks