They are usually made from lightweight, waterproof, ripstop fabric and are secured around your rucksack with elasticated drawcord. When not in use they can be packed away into their own little stuff sack.

Trekmates Backpack Covers are available in small, medium and large to fit different sizes of rucksacks. Small fits 20-45 litre rucksacks, medium fits 45-65 litre rucksacks and large fits 65+ litre rucksacks.

Do I Need a Rucksack Cover?

The purpose of rucksack / Backpack covers is to protect your rucksack from the rain, but are they really necessary?

A wet rucksack is heavier than a dry rucksack, so the rain cover will help keep your rucksack lightweight. It will keep most of your backpack bone dry, although it does not cover the shoulder straps or hip belt. If you have been out all day hiking in the rain, bringing a soaking wet rucksack into your tent can make the rest of your outdoor gear damp. If you are staying at a hotel or guest house, or simply going home you will still need to dry out your rucksack if it is soaking wet. The rain cover will dry out much faster than a rucksack.

When packing a rucksack most people would use a rucksack liner, Mountain Equipment Wet & Dry Stuffsack or plastic bags to keep their outdoor gear dry. Therefore the rucksack protector is normally unlikely to keep your kit much drier than it would otherwise be. However, water does have a knack of finding its way into places, so if you are on a long hike and unfortunate to be in constant bad weather, the rain cover might be the difference between damp or dry camping gear. Camping can be bad enough in the rain, without having a soggy sleeping bag!

One thing to watch out for is that since the cover does not form a watertight seal, water can get inside the rain cover where it collects in a puddle at the bottom.

Rucksack covers do not only protect your rucksack from rain. If you are cycling with a rucksack, the cover will provide protection from mud on splattered up from your bike’s rear wheel.

If your rucksack has garish colour that is just too bright, then a black rain cover can be used to keep your back pack looking more sombre.

One of the cons of using a rucksack protector is that they are a hindrance if you want to carry things on outside of rucksack. Items like sleeping mats do not fit easily underneath rain covers.

In high winds the rucksack cover can get blown off. Therefore, after putting the cover over your rucksack and pulling the drawcord tight, it is worth tying the drawcord to the rucksack’s grab handle. Then if the wind blows the cover off, at least your cover won’t blow away down the mountainside.

In my experience, using a rucksack protector is worthwhile, but they are not everybody’s cup of tea.

Rucksacks with Built-In Covers

Some rucksacks have the covers built into them, for example, some Lowe Alpine and Berghaus rucksacks have built in rain covers. The raincover is normally zipped away in a pocket. When it starts to rain the cover can be pulled over the rucksack and is normally held in place with elastic. These covers are a much better fit that the generic rucksack covers since they are designed to fit a specific rucksack. They also have the benefit that they will not get blown off your rucksack in high winds.

Rucksack Covers for Travelling

If you are travelling a Life Venture Combi Transporter Rucksack Cover would be useful. This type of cover is not only a rain cover but also a transporter cover. It keeps all of your rucksack’s straps tidied away, preventing them from getting snagged and broken during flights or train travel.

Another worthwhile product if you are going travelling with a rucksack is a Pacsafe Luggage Protector. This is a wire mesh which prevents thieves gain access to your rucksack by slashing it open with a knife.

Review a Rucksack Rain Cover!

What is your opinion of rucksack rain covers? Are the worth the bother or are they your kit’s saviour from the rain? Let us know, click on comments below!

The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.

It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.

Both the shoulder and chest straps are height adjustable. The shoulder straps are not uncomfortable, but could do with a little more padding. However it is worth bearing in mind that too much padding on rucksack shoulder straps could restrict your arm movement. The length of the hip belt is adjustable from both sides so that the buckle remains in the middle.

The Berghaus Arete opens up like a suitcase.

Rucksack Features

The feature that struck me as being different for a rucksack of this size is that it is entirely “unzippable” allowing you to open it up like a small suitcase, for quick and easy access to all your equipment. This feature is typical of rucksacks designed for ski touring. However, being able to get to any piece of your gear without having to empty the entire content of your rucksack is a benefit on any walk, climb or expedition. Let’s face it, no matter how well you pack your rucksack there will always be something that you’ll need in a hurry and you can guarantee that it will have found its way to the bottom of your rucksack!

Inside the rucksack, underneath the lid there is a bivi draw cord to seal in all your outdoor gear and a Y-shaped rope compression strap for securely storing climbing rope. The lid is fastened down with a single buckle, although personally I prefer rucksacks to have two buckle attachments on the lid. The buckle is mounted on an adjustable strap so that it can be used to compress your gear, increasing the stability of your pack. It also has side compression straps to help stop your gear moving around sideways.

Opening the lid reveals more features: bivi draw cord, rope compression strap, mesh pocket and safety instructions.

A very versatile rucksack big enough for hut to hut routes, designed for cragging and rock routes where you plan to be out for the day. Berghaus

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack has more pockets than you can shake your walking pole at, which is great for organising your gear. There are large external pockets both on the lid and at the bottom of the pack, ideal for getting quick access to your waterproofs. The hip belt (waist belt) has small pockets on both sides and there are elasticated pockets at the bottom on either side on the rucksack. Inside the rucksack there are also many pockets and compartments: a large internal pocket, a mesh pocket on the lid and two elasticated pouches, one of which is for holding a hydration pack. There are also two long thin internal pockets which are “shovel and probe storage solutions”. If you’re not going out in the snow you won’t need your avalanche probe, in which case these pockets are ideal for stowing sticks of seaside rock.

The large outer pocket has two zips fasteners. One is red and one is grey, which I assume is to help stop you from accidentally moving both zip fasteners at once, thus opening and closing the pocket in one movement.

Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem Mountaineering Rucksack

Outside the rucksack

On the outside of the rucksack there is a grab handle at the top and there are plenty of straps to hold gear, such as walking poles and ice axes. On each side of the rucksack there are straps designed to hold your skis which have removable, anti-slip pads. The only outer feature that it does not have is an elastic bungy that can be used for holding a climbing helmet or wet clothing.

There are built in safety features such as a small whistle in the chest strap, reflective lettering and safety instructions inside the lid. The whistle is not very loud so it would be best to take along a proper whistle, especially if you are skiing or mountaineering.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem has a capacity of 40 litres, its dimensions are approximately 65cm (H) x 32cm (W) x 25cm (D) and its weight is 1.41 kg.

Arete Tour 40 Extrem

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem is a solidly constructed, well thought out rucksack. It is comfortable, adjustable and offers easy access to your gear. With plenty of pockets you can stay organised. It is highly suitable for climbing and mountaineering and, in particular, for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Definitely recommended!

Have you got a Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem or similar rucksack? What do you think of it? Click on “comments” and let us know!

Why not write a review about your outdoor kit?

There are plenty of excellent countryside walking routes in the UK. Source: Flickr by eamoncurry123.

There are several criteria by which the walking guide websites have been judged, as follows:

• Route choice and searching within the walking website
• Grading of walk in terms of technical difficulty and fitness level required
• Quality of walk description
• Descriptions of points of interests
• Are there any maps showing the walk, or GPS waypoints
• Any inspiring photographs?
• Information about pubs and tea rooms along the route
• Amount of advertising

In order to get an idea about the quality of the descriptions, about 3 or 4 walking route descriptions have been viewed for each website. The quality of the walks themselves is much more subjective. Unless stated, each website has a variety of walks covering a range of terrains, distances and technical ability. Therefore it is up to you to make a judgement about whether you may or may not enjoy a particular walking route.

There are five walking routes planners reviewed in the first part of this article, these websites contain walks that cover most, if not all of the UK. In the second part of the article, to follow soon, walking route websites that cover specific regions, e.g. Scotland, The Lake District and Snowdonia will be reviewed.

The walking route planners featured in this article are:
www.go4awalk.com
www.walkingbritain.co.uk
www.walkingenglishman.com
www.countrywalkingroutes.co.uk / www.trailroutes.com
www.walking-routes.co.uk
For those of you who just can’t wait to get to the end:
Best Walking Route Planner Summary

www.go4awalk.com

General / Searching for a Walk

This site is very busy with lots of text on the home page. You can search using a simple search box at the top of the home page, or select from menu options at the top or from a long list down the left hand side of the page. This list includes a selection of pub walks. Using the search box pulls up a huge number of results in a list over several pages, especially if you search using a general term like “Peak District”. Of course this is not surprising, but there is no option to refine your search, which would be helpful. The top two search results when searching for walks in “Northern Ireland” were for walks in the Lake District!

You can also search using a mapping system based on Ordnance Survey maps, which is a useful feature. There is a map of England, Scotland and Wales on which you can click specific OS map areas. Each walk is then represented by a coloured circle, with a number showing the grade of the walk. Move your mouse over a dot and the walk route is indicated. Click on the dot to see summarised walk details appear on the top left of the page. The full walk details are downloaded as a pdf file, which are handy to print out and take with you on your walk. You can also download GPS waypoints from here, if available.

In order to download a walk you must buy credits. For £14.95 you can buy 50 credits. Each walk is worth 1 credit. Walks are updated and you can download the same walk in the future without losing another credit.

Why should you open an account with go4awalk.com? On the join4walks page it clearly states that…

Every go4awalk.com walk is hand-crafted by walking professionals who really know and understand what makes a walk – a good walk.

However, on the “Talk To Us” page, people are encouraged to submit walks and rambles which will be published on the site. So there seems to be a bit of contradiction there!

There are an enormous number of questions on the Q&A page. Although you can search the questions, they would benefit from being put into a directory style structure to make it easier to find the question you are asking.

go4awalk.com - the walking information is good, but its easy to get lost on this website!

Walk Descriptions

The walk descriptions are downloaded as pdf files. There is a summary of the route which includes distance, time, grade and ascent. The walking route descriptions provide a semi-detailed map, showing roads and paths that intersect the route and some features such as pubs and trig points. The map does not show any contours, however there is a diagram showing elevation along the length of the walk which I like. The actual description of the route is quite detailed but it is wholly factual with no information about points of interest. There are no photographs or anything to provide any inspiration. Around the map are lots of blocks of text about various features of the go4awalk.com website, which I find a bit annoying.

It is possible to view photographs of walks which have been uploaded by users of the go4awalk.com website. There is also a section where people are encouraged to share information about points of interest. Since this information does not come with the walk description it can easily be overlooked.

Summary – go4awalk.com

In summary, there are lots of walks featured on go4awalk.com, however I found the website very busy. It is not always easy to navigate the website and I spent a long time looking for information. In particular, trying to find information again that I had found previously was difficult. The descriptions of the walks are thorough but uninspiring. The ability to search by OS map is a the best feature. The pdf downloads are handy to print out to take on a walk, but they could do without so many plugs for the website.

www.walkingbritain.co.uk

General / Searching for a Walk

The presentation of Walking Britain is very clear and easy on the eye. Walking routes can be found using a directory structure focussing on National Parks, National Trails, Areas of Outstanding beauty and Counties & Areas.

There is also a search facility where you can search by National Parks or Areas by grade of walk, search for walks near a postcode or grid reference. For some regions, such as the Lake District you can also search by map.

There is some advertising but it is not too intrusive.

Walking Britain - a well presented website with lots of walks.

Walk Descriptions

Each walk has a summary including distance, grade and ascent.

The full description of the walk will depend upon which one you happen to chose and who the author is, which should perhaps be expected since anyone can submit a walk to www.walkingbritain.co.uk. Walk 3209 – Llanfrynach and Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, is a scanned image of a walking map produced by the Youth Hostel Association. However, most of the walks appear to offer personalised written descriptions.

Some of the walking routes have basic descriptions with little detail. For example, Walk 1182 – Kinder Downfall from Hayfield, the description is short and to the point with only a small amount of additional information. There is not much in terms of additional navigational notes or points of interest. There are photographs, which is always a plus in my opinion.

Other walking routes have more detailed and interesting descriptions, such as Walk 1601 – Bowcombe Down, Ashengrove and Upper Watchingwell from Carisbrooke. This description would benefit from having some headings to make it easier to find your place in the text whilst out walking. It does contain grid references throughout which are useful to relate the text to the map.

There are outline route maps on the website, however these are basic so would need to be used in conjunction with an Ordnance Survey map. There does not appear to be any support for GPS.

Summary – walkingbritain.co.uk

In summary, walkingbritain.co.uk is easy to navigate and not overburdened with text. It is easy to find walks in the area that you are looking at. The quality of the walking route descriptions is variable, some stick to details of the route only whilst other walk descriptions contain photographs, additional interesting points and comments about the walk. It would benefit from having an improved map based search and more detailed route maps.

www.walkingenglishman.com

General / Searching for a Walk

Mike Brockhurst’s Walking Englishman is a popular website which passes on his enthusiasm for walking. Mike has walked all of the routes himself and his descriptions reflect his personal experience. He states that it is…

my intention is to inspire you all to get out and enjoy the country as much as I do. Go on, you won’t regret it.

The site has a simple, straight forward design. The walks can be searched by region or long distance path name from a list down the left hand side of the page. Most of the walks are in Northern England: Yorkshire, The Lakes and the Peak District. There are also walks in Scotland, Snowdonia, Crete and Italy. The walks can be selected from a list within each category by the name, which is either the name of the walk, the place or the mountain, e.g. “The Mosedale Horseshoe”. There is also a one sentence summary of each walk.

The walks are graded into easy, moderate or hard which is denoted by a green, yellow or red circle respectively. There are also a few scrambles which are also denoted with a red circle.

All the walks are free and there is no advertising!

The Walking Englishman - inspiration to get out there and walk!

Walk Descriptions

The walking route descriptions start with a walk summary, including time, distance, ascent, hazards, parking and refreshments. There are OS maps onto which the route has been overlaid. Next there is an elevation profile followed by the Story of the Walk. There is not a huge amount of navigational detail about the walk. The story of the walk really is a story, describing the weather conditions, details about the terrain and the feelings and opinions of those on the walk, especially when faced with technically difficult parts of the walk or scramble. Featuring classic quotes such as…

I stuttered down like a geriatric for the rest of the walk vainly trying to keep up with the two goats ahead of me.

…in the Kinder Scout from Edale route, The Walking Englishman makes a compelling and inspiring read. The are also a number of photographs for each walk which help to visualise the story and the route. For some routes more photographs can be found as slide shows on The Walking Englishman You Tube channel.

GPS Waypoints and Memory Map files from the walk can be downloaded. For some walks a “Route Card” is also available. The route card contains waypoints and some observations.

Summary – walkingenglishman.com

The menu system makes it is easy to find good walking routes on the walkingenglishman.com website, although it is advantageous if you already have a knowledge of the area where you intend to walk. The route descriptions focus on telling the story of the walk, as opposed to describing the navigational aspects of the route. However they do contain interesting details and provide the inspiration for getting out and going walking. Whilst there are a lot of walks featured from the North of the UK there is only the Cornish Coast Path in the South of the country.

www.countrywalkingroutes.co.uk
www.trailroutes.com

General / Searching for a Walk

The walking routes on these websites are provided by Country Walking magazine and Trail magazine respectively, hence they are only available to people who have a subscription with the magazine.

It is possible to search for routes by name, location, post code or grid reference. There is also an interactive map, however this is very basic and only allows you to select from one of nine areas within the UK and Ireland. Once you have a long list of walks you can then refine your search, which is a useful feature. You can search within the results based upon distance from a particular location, walk length and difficulty levels of easy, moderate and hard. With Trail routes you can also search for routes with scrambles.

It is also possible to view walks using Microsoft virtual Earth. This enables you to zoom and pan the map, select to display aerial photography, see a descriptions and open route details. This is a feature that will be improved for the Country Walking and Trail routes website relaunch.

Country Walking & Trail - Lots of good walks, but only if you have a subscription.

Walk Descriptions

The route summary for each walk contains a short written introduction and summarised details such as distance, time needed, difficulty and the magazine issue in which the walk appeared. There is a brief description of the terrain. In the case of Country Walking the number of stiles is given, whilst for Trail routes the total ascent is shown. From here it is possible to view the detailed description, a route map and an OS route map. You can also download a PDF route card, GPS waypoints and Memory Map data. Trail routes also have a elevation profile.

The walk descriptions are quite detailed, in particular pointing out turnings that may easily be missed. There are a limited number of comments about points of interest and the terrain.

Summary – countrywalkingroutes.co.uk and trailroutes.com

There are a good selection of walks across the country. The search facility works well when the refined search is used. The map based search is does not show the location of each walk, which it should do given that the websites support popular, well established walking magazines. This may well be improved upon with the forth coming relaunch of the sites.

The walk descriptions are thorough and of consistent quality, but could contain a bit more detail about interesting features of the walk.

www.walking-routes.co.uk

General / Searching for a Walk

Walking-routes.co.uk is a directory of links to many other websites that contain walking routes. Some of the external websites cover the whole of the UK but many are specific to small areas.

This website has a straight forward design that is quite clear and it is easy to see where everything is. You must like orange.

The home page is split into five main categories based on walk locations, i.e. Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and National Parks. Within each section there is a list of counties and cities or National Parks, with a number in parentheses indicating the number of walking websites in that sub-section. Click on the the sub-section and pop-up window appears containing a list of place names or website names. These are all links to external websites. Clinking one of these links opens the website in a new window. I would prefer for each sub-section not to open in a pop-up window. Also, the sub-section page would benefit from having a map of the area showing place names, since this would help people who are not familiar with the area to get their bearings.

“Walking-Routes” – 100’s of links to 1000’s of walks.

The links are to other websites containing walking route descriptions and not to the walks themselves. This means that there is no easy comparison between walks, in terms of exact location, length, time or grade.

You can search all the sites that walking-routes.co.uk links to using a customised Google search. This displays Google style search results within the walking-routes.co.uk website, providing links to the other websites and walking routes. When you click a link you leave the walking-routes.co.uk website.

There is some advertising but it is not intrusive.

walking-routes.co.uk - a compendium of links to UK walking route websites.

Walk Descriptions

Since walking-routes.co.uk links to lots of other different websites the descriptions of the walks are extremely variable. Its pot luck whether the site that you end up on has good, detailed walking route descriptions or not.

In some cases I found that the site that I clicked through to did not appear to have any walks and that I had to spend time trying to find the walks. In these cases walking-routes.co.uk would benefit from having a link direct to the walks page of the external website.

I did not find any walking routes that were compiled by walking-routes.co.uk themselves.

Summary – walking-routes.co.uk

Since there are links to so many external websites you are sure to be able to find a walk in any area of the UK using walking-routes.co.uk. The directory style search is reasonably straight forward, however, the external links could be improved upon in some cases by linking directly to the walks page of the external website.

Since the links are to external walking websites, rather than to specific walks within the websites, you still have a bit more searching once you are on the external website. Using the custom Google search it is possible get straight to walks in a specific location.

Which is the Best Walking Route Planner?

In order to create the best walking route website you need:

• an easy to use text search facility, including the ability to refine your search
• a simple directory style search facility
• a good map based search facility
• summaries of the walking routes, including distance, time and grade
• detailed descriptions, including grid references and information to help with navigation so that you do not go the wrong way
• information about coping with the terrain in different weather conditions
• quality mapping
• photographs and descriptions of points of interest to provide inspiration
• easy to print route cards
• downloadable GPS waypoints

A feature that could be useful is for people who have done the walk to give a review about it.

There is no definitive best walking route plannar out of the ones that have been reviewed here. If I already had a subscription to Country Walking magazine or Trail magazine then I would have a look at those websites first, but I would not get a subscription just for the walking routes since there are plenty of good walking routes available for free. The Walking Englishman has done lots of great walks and tells a good story, so is well worth looking at. The walk descriptions and pdf downloads on go4awalk.com are good, but I find the website is too busy and its not easy to search for walks, unless you use the OS map based search. The design of Walking Britain is easy on the eye and the search works well, however it could benefit from a better map based search and better maps of the routes. And finally, using walking-routes.co.uk you are certain to be able to find a walk in any part of the country, but you still have a lot of work to do trawling through the external websites that actually contain the walks.

Which ever walking routes planner you chose to find a walk we hope that you will find a walking route that enjoy!

We spend a lot of time in this industry, and in life lauding the most prominent, products and people. When Cheryl Cole wore a Berghaus Cascade GTX hat for Comic Relief, everyone wanted one. Thermarest released the NeoAir range in a blaze of industry publicity and demand outstriped supply. We demand innovation, new technology, cutting edge features and too often we all forget the unsung non-glamorous products and just take them for granted.

Well I would like to, pause and salute an unpretentious, ordinary, “does exactly what it says on the tin” piece of camping equipment, that my mum loves and given the choice, would probably swap my dad for.

Take a bow (imagine a drum roll please) the Trekmates Self Inflating Sit Mat.

Yes, A Trekmates Sit Mat

Many of us have used self-inflating mattresses and know that they aid a night’s rest by proividing insulation and comfort. How may of us have considered that the sit mat can be just as valuable a friend, not limited to out in the wilderness but for use around town.

I guess at this point you may be saying what is so good about a self inflating cushion?
It’s true they do not have the variety of uses as your average Swiss Army Knife, but in their favour they are lightweight, stow-able, quick to inflate/deflate, insulating and can be used anywhere.

A Trekmates Sit Mat, My Mum And The Salford City Reds

The Hard Seat And The Hero Of The Story

Why?

• Her plastic seat is hard
• It’s uncomfortable
• It can be cold
• During and after a match her bum and back hurt
• Consequently this can spoil her enjoyment of the game.

Cue her Trekmates Self Inflating Sit Mat coming to the rescue, rapid inflation in an instant a comfy warm seat. She can sit and cheer on the team in comfort, making the game and experience more enjoyable. Let’s be honest if you uncomfortable, sitting around for even a few minutes can seem like a life time. When the game is over she opens the valve, rolls the sit mat up into its stuff sack and then she puts it in her pocket or hand bag.

I only wish it was this simple to make Salford City Reds into a winning Rugby League team, it doesn’t even have to be every week, just most weeks, is it to much to ask for a trophy, just one big trophy please, just one big final before I die . Anyway I digress.

“When I sat on the seat without the mat it was really uncomfortable after a few minutes and I ended up with pains. I couldn’t really watch the match as I was moving around all the time to get comfy.

I can’t stand for long and have to sit down. The cushion Gareth got me (Its called a self inflating sit mat mum!), is great, it’s really light, comfy, fits into my bag and inflates quickly. It’s increased my enjoyment of the game no end, I just have to remember not to throw it on the pitch when Salford are playing rubbish!”

Source: My mum a happy sit mat user.

Just For Camping? I Don’t Think So

Getting back to the Self Inflating Sit Mat. We state they are ideal for camping or trekking, but what about other everyday scenarios where we have all been, and wished for somthing comfy to sit on.

• Sports Events; such as football, rugby, cricket we have all I am sure paid top dollar for a plastic seat to watch our team. Its bad enough when they get beat (I’m use to it at Salford City Reds), to get beat and have aches is worse.
• Other events such as festivals, parades, concerts etc.
• School Sports Day; I bet all parents look forward to watching their children at sports day. I bet they all really look forward to watching it in those uncomfortable school chairs too!
• The bus/train/tram is late (again) there is a steel bench at the stop but it’s so uncomfortable and cold, after two minutes you are standing up again.
• I often see people talking a break during the day it may be during their dinner hour or they me be shopping, they will rest on a wall or low stone to enjoy the weather. Why not do it in some comfort with a sit mat?
• How about for your child in school? Does being comfortable aid attention?

So Do You Still See JUST A Boring Self Inflating Cushion?

So the Trekmates Self Inlfating Sit Mat may not be sexy, it may not be bent double under the weight of industry rewards, nor does it have magazine reviewers pouring over it, its not expensive, waterproof or able to whistle Dixie. It just provides comfort, and for me, it makes my mum enjoy her rugby more and that’s priceless. It’s a true star, unpretentious, in the shadows, and doing its job.

Thanks to her Sit Mat, my mum has a great view of the game
Special Thanks To Salford City Reds For Permission To Take And Use This Photograph

What Other Products Are Hiding?

The “mundane” sit mat can be used for its purpose in lots of aspects of everyday life. I wonder what other outdoor products can be used for more they we think, why not use a head torch for you car torch and free up a hand when using it, put shopping in your rucksack and save carrier bags, there are so many more and I would love to hear from you with your suggestions. Just click on the “comments” link below.

UIAA Promotes Climbing and Mountaineering Internationally. Source: UIAA.

The UIAA has 82 member associations worldwide, representing almost 1.3 million individual climbers and mountaineers. In UK there are two member associations of the UIAA, namely the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and The Alpine Club (TAC).

What is the UIAA?

What exactly do the UIAA do and how do they help individual mountaineers, climbers and member associations? We asked Judith Safford, Executive Director of the UIAA, for an insight into the UIAA and their work.

International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation Interview

CheapTents.com: How long has the UIAA been established?

Judith Safford: It was founded in 1932 when 20 mountaineering associations met in Chamonix, France for an alpine congress. They wanted to start an international federation which would be in charge of the

study and solution of all problems regarding mountaineering.

One of those problems was the lack of a universal climbing grade system, which was finally resolved with the creation of the UIAA climbing grade 40 years later. Count Charles Egmond d’Arcis from Switzerland became the first president and he gave the new federation the name UIAA – Union Internationale des Association d’Alpinisme.

CheapTents.com: What are the main functions of the UIAA?

Judith Safford: I think this question is best answered in the UIAA Mission Statement, which was approved earlier this year: In order to promote the growth of mountaineering and climbing, the UIAA strives to:

preserve their spirit and traditions, advance safe and ethical mountain practices, promote responsible access, culture and environmental protection [as well as] support youth participation and the Olympic movement.

CheapTents.com: Who are the most famous climbers / mountaineers that are (or have been) involved with the UIAA?

Judith Safford: Famous is rather subjective. I would rather highlight the UIAA honorary members: Walter Bonatti, Robbert Leopold, William Lowell Putnam, Jordi Pons-Sangines, and Pit Schubert. Mr Schubert, from Germany, was made an honorary member last year not only for his climbing exploits but for his pioneering efforts to make mountaineering safer through the introduction of safety standards for equipment.

CheapTents.com: How is the UIAA funded?

Judith Safford: Mainly through membership fees from national federations and licencing fees for the internationally recognised UIAA Safety Label that you see on mountaineering equipment. It gives climbers the assurance that when they buy a piece of equipment, it meets the highest standards.

The UIAA Safety Label logo trademark is registered internationally. It can only be used on climbing and mountaineering equipment which have been certified to meet UIAA safety standards and registered by the UIAA.

CheapTents.com: How does the UIAA promote mountaineering and climbing?

Judith Safford: Mainly through its contacts with national federations, by providing invaluable advice on standards and practices such as safety which I’ve already mentioned, as well as training and medical issues. UIAA commissions also work to assist its members on issues such as access and mountain protection. Of course, the UIAA also promotes the sport through its website and monthly newsletter which informs interested parties, including mountaineering and climbing magazines, of the latest developments.

CheapTents.com: How can the UIAA help people who are new to climbing and mountaineering?

Judith Safford: One of the UIAA’s most active commissions is its Youth body, which, among other tasks, co-organises international events to assist national federations with youth meets.

Dawa Steven Sherpa nominated by the UIAA for the IOC Environmental Award. Source: UIAA.

CheapTents.com: How does the UIAA help indigenous peoples in mountain regions and promote environmental awareness to mountaineers and climbers?

Judith Safford: This task is taken care of by the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission which raises awareness through various activities of the need to take care of the mountain environment, and preserve mountain cultures. The UIAA is pleased to have as the commission’s new president, Linda McMillan who is an executive member of the IUCN-WCPA Mountains Biome network. She brings to the job tremendous experience and commitment.

CheapTents.com: Can climbers and mountaineers become involved in UIAA projects which help protect natural resources in mountain regions?

Judith Safford: The UIAA’s job is to support local institutions, not to carry out projects itself. That said, we are happy to inform people of UIAA-supported projects, and help make connections.

CheapTents.com: What are the biggest challenges that the UIAA currently faces?

Judith Safford: The world of mountaineering and climbing has changed enormously in recent years. In earlier times the UIAA played an important role supporting federations and individuals planning their tours. Today you can even book a tour to the summit of Everest on the internet. The resulting commercialisation of mountaineering and climbing has had positive aspects in making our sport more accessible, but also has raised ethical questions about the way our sport is practised. Global warming and other environmental problems of degradation are also big issues for mountaineering. Mountaineers have been aware of melting glaciers for many years, and the destruction of the mountaineering environment touches us personally because a love of nature is common to almost all mountaineers. The “playing fields” of our sport are in intact environment, so the UIAA must help support ways to protect the mountains. Finally there are increasing concerns in society about the effects of current lifestyles on health and the practice of sports. Many of our federations are experiencing a decrease in membership, and wish to find ways to attract more people to our sport, particularly Youth.

CheapTents.com: What are the most exciting projects that the UIAA has planned for the future?

Judith Safford: Members of the UIAA executive are working on the development of a new code of best practices and ethics. It is currently in the consultation phase. The aim is to have the code approved at the annual General Assembly in Porto, Portugal in October this year.

CheapTents.com:

Thank you Judith for telling us about the organisation, aims and work of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). For more information visit the UIAA’s website.

It is worth noting that our every day activities have an effect on the mountain environment. By contributing to global warming through our carbon emissions we are all indirectly responsible for glaciers melting in mountainous regions of the world. Many mountaineers and climbers are involved in campaigns to stop climate change, including Pro Ski-Mountaineer and Climber Alison Gannet. Alison suggests calculating your carbon footprint as a starting point to help you reduce your emissions.

If you enjoyed reading this interview you might be interested in our interviews with Steve Long – Chief Officer for Mountain Leader Training Association and Colonel Ravinder Nath of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

Before commencing the round up, congratulations are in order for Snugpak. A Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category has been given to Snugpak! The sleeping bag manufacturer, who still manufacture in the UK, won the award for increasing their export business by 77% since 2006. They export to 28 different countries across the world, from Latvia to Australia and to the USA. Over 50% of Snugpak’s total production sold overseas.

We are thrilled to receive this award as recognition of our hard work and success at developing high quality, durable products that can withstand rigorous use in harsh and sometimes extreme conditions throughout the world.

Proclaimed Snugpak Sales Director Darren Burrell.

Snugpak: From Birds of Prey to Big Softies

CheapTents.com have been selling Snugpak sleeping bags on the internet since we first set up our online shop in 2001. Back in the early 1990’s, long before the internet became an everyday media, we were selling Snugpak sleeping bags in our Warrington shop, The Adventure Centre. Below is a scanned image from our 1993 printed catalogue. In the olden days Snugpak’s synthetic sleeping bags were named after birds of prey: Merlin, Hawk and Kestrel. We also stocked the Osprey and the Discovery.

Our 1993 Brochure - Snugpak Sleeping Bags

Snugpak Sleeping Bag Round Up

The current Snugpak Sleeping Bag range that we stock is called the Softie Chyrsalis range. The name “Softie” refers to the synthetic fill material used in these sleeping bags. Synthetic sleeping bags offer good performance at a reasonable price. “Chrysalis” is the name is the baffle system which is used to prevent heat escaping, keeping the inside of the sleeping bag warm.

Softie Synthetic Fill Material

The fill material that Snugpak use for many of its sleeping bags is called “Softie”. Softie is a superfine, high-thermal, polyester filling which uses superfine yarns bound with special resins to produce a luxurious down like feel.  Softie is made from “staple yarns”, which is where a continuous fibre is chopped up into staple lengths before spinning. Additionally, a more random effect is created by using curled, crimped and unaltered fibres. By incorporating a random element into the yarn the end product more closely resembles the structure of natural down.

Softie is easy to care for, washable and retains a lot of its thermal properties when wet.

Snugpak Softie Range

The different bags in the Softie Chrysalis range that we currently stock are called the Winter, Autumn, Kilo and Micro. All of these sleeping bags feature the Chrysalis Baffle System, are profiled and have an anatomically designed foot system. They also have variable length and unique rolling systems.

The warmest sleeping bag in the range is the Softie Chrysalis Winter, with a comfort temperature of -10°C. This should be warm enough for use during the Winter in most places in the UK. For the weight conscious backpacker it is on the heavy side at 1950 grams, but this is not a problem if you do not have to carry it very far. With a relatively low price tag, it offers good value for all year round camping. The compressed pack size is 26 x 24 cm.

The Softie Chrysalis Autumn is a three season sleeping bag. With a comfort temperature of -5°C it can be used for camping most of year when conditions are mild. The compressed pack size is 21 x 19 cm, about the same size as a football.

With a comfort temperature of +7 °C the Softie Chrysalis Micro is a summer only sleeping bag. Compared to the warmer Autumn and Winter bags, the Micro is much lighter at 1000 grams.

Snugpak Softie Chrysalis Kilo Sleeping Bag

The Softie Chrysalis Kilo bag features “Reflectatherm“, which is a metallised fabric fill material that is designed to reflect heat and retain warmth, providing at least 15% additional warmth. Reflectatherm is a highly breathable material which adds little to the weight or packsize.

The outer material of the Kilo Bag is Paratex Micro, which is a tough yet breathable ripstop material with a water repellent finish. The inner is Paratex Light, a fabric that is exceptionally breathable and able to wick moisture away.

With a weight of 1300 grams, it is unclear why it is called the Kilo bag!

We also stock the Navigator sleeping bag, which has a cotton lining and can be opened up into a quilt. It also has an outside pocket.

Snugpak Sleeping Bag Comparison Table

Image	Model	Temperature (°C)	Weight (g)	Packed Size (cm)
	Softie Chrysalis Winter Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -10 Low: -15	1950	26 x 24
	Softie Chrysalis Autumn Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -5 Low: -10	1400	21 x 19
	Navigator Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -2 Low: -7	1700	22 x 21
	Softie Chrysalis Kilo Sleeping Bag	Comfort: 2 Low: -3	1300	19 x 18
	Softie Chrysalis Micro Sleeping Bag	Comfort: +7 Low: +2	1000	16 x 16

What do you think?

Have you got a Snugpak Sleeping Bag? What do you think of it? Let us know using the “Comments” link below.

MSR Windpro

MSR Windpro Stove

The MSR WindPro stove is one of the most efficient and versatile stoves available, as the name suggests this MSR Stove preforms brilliantly in the wind. Due to the fact this stove has a remote burner, you can safely use a windscreen around it without dangerously enclosing the fuel canister. This massively boosts stove efficiency and the remote burner also offers better stability with large pots than other canister-mounted stoves which makes finding a place to set it up easy and allows you to swap out an empty canister without moving a hot pot.

MSR Windpro Pros

• High heat output
• Low Maintenance
• Usable with windshield

MSR Windpro Cons

• Doesn’t work in very cold conditions

MSR Pocket Rocket

MSR Pocket Rocket Stove

The MSR PocketRocket stove is an extremely lightweight and compact canister mounted stove. The stove is a popular choice for mountain marathons and adventure races. This MSR stove also has an awesome heat output boiling 1 litre of water in about 3.5 minutes. The flame controls are also easily operated wearing gloves, as well as being easily adjusted from a simmer to a boil. The main disadvantage of the MSR Pocket Rocket is the fact that due to the fact it is canister mounted you can’t use a standard windscreen as it would cause heat to build up around the canisister which could be quite dangerous. The Pocket Rocket can also be quite unstable at times. The quickclip wind shield that this model features does seem to provide some protection from light winds but performance suffers greatly in high winds.

MSR Pocket Rocket Pros

• High heat output
• Lightweight
• Low Maintenence

MSR Pocket Rocket Cons

• Difficult to use in windy conditions
• Doesn’t work in very cold conditions

MSR Whisperlite Internationale

MSR Whisperlite Internationale

The MSR WhisperLite stove is a strong, reliable and versatile multi-fuel MSR Stove. It burns almost anything including white gas, kerosene, and unleaded petrol, making it perfect for backpacking and traveling especially in more remote parts of the world. The stove itself is easy to use (once you’ve read the instructions) you simply pump the bottle to build up pressure, release some fuel into the priming cup and light it. When you flames start to die down then you can open the control valve until you hear a slight hissing and then you’re cooking. This process is slightly more complicated than that of a canister camping stove although I personally rather like it. It feels like you build up some sort of relationship with the stove and get to know how it likes to be treated! The most frustrating thing about the MSR Whisperlite is the simmering control, its very fiddly to get right at first but once you do its no more difficult than any other stove. The other issue with the stove is that when using less clean fuels like petrol or kerosene the whisperlite needs to be cleaned regularly to maintain optimum performance, this is a simple procedure especially with the shakerjet.

MSR Whisperlite Internationale Pros

• Reliable
• Can burn almost any fuel
• Works well in all conditions
• Fuel efficient
• Can be stripped down and maintained in the field

MSR Whisperlite Internationale Cons

• Learning curve
• Awkward simmer control

To sum up it all comes down to personal preference and what the stove is going to be used for, for longer trips I prefer the MSR Whisperlite Internationale due to its reliability, efficiency, ease of obtaining fuel and the fact that I find it easier to judge how much fuel I need and have used. For shorter trips or competitions were weight is a concern then I would go for the pocket rocket its lightweight and lights instantly making it ideal. While the MSR windpro is perfect for people who wants the ease of use of a canister fueled MSR Stove while having stability and being able to use a proper windshield.

What is a Hubba?

The Hubba name is something we (MSR) came up with, based on the tent’s unique hub and pole frame. The “hub” is the circle that connects various tent poles sections together, thus cutting down on the total number of poles needed. In the photo below, you’ll see how the pole branches out into two legs–the sections join together at the hub.

Where the hubbas get their name.

So, for the original Hubba selection of tents, we used Hubba for the single-person tent, Hubba Hubba for the two-person tent and Mutha Hubba for the three-person tent. We were attempting to be clever with those names. 

What about the HP?

In 2008 the Hubba HP tents where released, this isn’t an affiliation between MSR and the manufacturers of the tasty brown sauce, which would be very odd and I’m not quite sure what the result would be!

What do you get if you cross a Hubba with HP Sauce?

The Hubba HP tents are “high performance” versions of the original Hubba tents. These tents are lighter, stronger and warmer, designed for people who need a warmer tent for early spring/late autumn camping, and for camping in sandy areas. They have exactly the same footprint, height and interior volume as the original Hubba series, but feature less mesh and more advanced fabric for increased protection from the elements. These tents are available in single, two-person and three-person versions.

The MSR Hubba range at a glance

Here’s a quick summary of the Hubba range, for more information have a look at our ultralight tent page.

All the Hubbas are 3 season tents although as I mentioned earlier the HP range do preform better in colder conditions.

Do you have any other bits of outdoor that you wonder how they got their name? Let us know and we’ll get in touch with the manufacturer for you and try to find out.

Thermarest neo air mattress

The other main selling point of this mat is it’s size, when deflated the NeoAir takes up the same amount of room as a 1 litre water bottle. The NeoAir has an R-value of 2.5, which is slightly warmer than the ProLite which has an R-value of 2.2, but not quite as warm as the BaseCamp which has an R-Value of 6.2 . This means the mattress should be warm enough for 3 seasons but not quite up to preforming in very cold conditions. (The R Value is a measure of thermal resistance, so the higher the value the warmer you’ll be at night)

The other thing that struck me about Therm-a-Rest NeoAir was the fact unlike most thermarests, it is not self inflating. The good thing is it doesn’t take much effort to inflate and only takes a few minutes. The mattress is easy to deflate by opening the valve and putting weight on it, which forces most of the air out.  Then you fold into thirds length ways and start to roll it up, pressing out any excess air as you go.

The material used in this neo air feels very thin but also quite strong and thus shouldn’t have any problem coping with use over the years. My main criticism of the material is that it makes a crinkly noise which could become very annoying especially if you’re a light sleeper. It also has a slightly sticky feel to it which combined with the horizontal baffles prevent you from slipping off in the middle of the night.

Overall the the Thermarest Neo Air is a great, lightweight, small warm and comfortable mattress.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Pros

• Very Light
• Extremely Compact
• Comfortable

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Cons

• Noise made by material
• Not Self inflating
• More expensive than other Matresses

We’ve got the NeoAir on sale now at our outdoor equipment shop so go ahead and have a look.

Here’s a table with all the figures, so you can easily compare the size and weight of the various models.

The process of producing the raw bamboo does have a low environmental impact. However when it comes to processing the bamboo into a fabric there can be a significant ecological impact. Basically there are 2 ways in which bamboo can be turned into a fabric, mechanically or chemically.

Mechanical Processing of Bamboo

Bamboo Close Up - Source pietroizzo:flickr

Mechanical processing involves crushing the bamboo plant and then using natural enzymes to break down the bamboo into a pulp which can then be combed and spun into yarn. Bamboo fabric produced in this manner has a low impact and is generally known as bamboo linen. However this is not generally used for clothing due to the fact it is more labour intensive and costly.

Chemical Processing of Bamboo

There are a few different chemical processes that bamboo can go through to be transformed into fiber, some of these are more eco-friendly than others.

Hydrolysis alkalization with multi-phase bleaching

The process used for producing bamboo fabric is known as hydrolysis alkalization with multi-phase bleaching. It consists of the following stages;

1. Bamboo leaves and the soft, inner pith from the hard bamboo trunk are extracted and crushed;
2. The crushed bamboo cellulose is soaked in a solution of 15% to 20% sodium hydroxide at a temperature between 20 degrees C to 25 degrees C for one to three hours to form alkali cellulose;
3. The bamboo alkali cellulose is then pressed to remove any excess sodium hydroxide solution. The alkali cellulose is crashed by a grinder and left to dry for 24 hours;
4. Roughly a third as much carbon disulfide is added to the bamboo alkali cellulose to sulfurize the compound causing it to jell;
5. Any remaining carbon disulfide is removed by evaporation due to decompression and cellulose sodium xanthogenate is the result;
6. A diluted solution of sodium hydroxide is added to the cellulose sodium xanthogenate dissolving it to create a viscose solution consisting of about 5% sodium hydroxide and 7% to 15% bamboo fiber cellulose.
7. The viscose bamboo cellulose is forced through spinneret nozzles into a large container of a diluted sulfuric acid solution which hardens the viscose bamboo cellulose sodium xanthogenate and reconverts it to cellulose bamboo fiber threads which are spun into bamboo fiber yarns to be woven into reconstructed and regenerated bamboo fabric.

Source:LotusOrganics.com blog

What are the effects of the chemicals used to process bamboo?

Carbon Disulfide(CS2)
At very high levels, carbon disulfide may be life-threatening as it affects the nervous system, at low levels of carbon disulfide can cause tiredness, headaches and nerve damage. It has a quick affect on wildlife especially aquatic life and has long term effects including; shortened lifespan, reproductive problems, lower fertility, and changes in appearance or behaviour.

sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
Low levels of exposure to sodium hydroxide can cause irritation of the eyes and skin while high levels can chemical burns, scarring, and blindness.

So we can see that the chemicals used in the hydrolysis alkalization, the most common method of producing bamboo fabric definitely can have an impact both on the environment as well as the workforce.

Other methods of chemically processing bamboo

Newer manufacturing facilities have begun using other technologies for processing bamboo which are more eco-friendly. The chemical manufacturing process used to produce lyocell from wood cellulose can be modified to use bamboo cellulose. The lyocell process, also used to uses N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide. This lyocell processing is much safer for workers and more eco-friendly due to the N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide is claimed to be non-toxic to humans and the chemical manufacturing processes are closed-loop so 99.5% of the chemicals used during the processing are collected and recycled to be used again.

Bamboo growing - Source shenxy:flickr

Summary

The commercial growing of bamboo is quite an eco-friendly process, however the way in which it is processed and turned into fabric currently is not, as well as having health consequences for the workers involved.

I do however believe bamboo does have a future as an environmentally friendly fabric. The bamboo should be easily sustainable, the material has fantastic properties all that is needed is for manufacturing processes to become more eco friendly, which seems to be starting to happen. So in my opinion there definitely is a future for truly “green” bamboo fabric.

Before I finish I have to thank Graham for commenting and providing the impoteus to write this article. “Question everything people!”