CheapTents Outdoor Gear Blog

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!

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

Let’s you and I take a little trip down memory lane. In the last 2 or 3 years we’ve had some of the worst winter weather on records for the UK. It has been so bad that many people have complained to both us and other companies that they didn’t receive an Christmas Gift orders in time for the celebrations, due to delays in delivery by Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

This year, as we did last year, we are advising all of our customers about which dates they should order by. This is to ensure the best chance of receiving the products in time for Christmas.

• Christmas Presents and Special Offers from CheapTents.com!
• Upgrades to CheapTents.com Online Store
• Bob Kinnaird appointed as Head of Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre

Mobile phones could soon be ‘powered by walking’ according to a recent report on the BBC news website. Boffins at the University of Wisconsin have come up with a technique for generating electricity using a device that is placed in your shoe.

The device captures the energy of moving micro droplets and converts it into electrical current.

These lazy feet could be generating electricity! Source: Flickr by goose3five

• Brasher hillwalking boots grow in popularity…
• Asolo Footwear comes to CheapTents
• Best Songs for Walking, Climbing and Running

When ‘PoleKitty’ left a comment on a post we wrote in February about the Gear needed to climb Ben Nevis,  the name made us wonder if it was spam at first. We soon realised it wasn’t as we watched in awe at the sight of Kat pole dancing at the top of Ben Nevis, as part of the 3-Peaks Challenge. The video is below.

Once we’d watched the video we decided to contact Kat to find out more about this rather odd celebration at the top of Ben Nevis. We wanted to know what had driven her to do it, and if there was any other mad outdoor stunts she had done. Here is our interview with Kat ‘PoleKitty’ Humphrey, outdoor enthusiast & extreme pole dancer!

• Tom Buckley Completes Mammoth Charity Trek!
• Tom Buckley Charity Trek across the UK
• The Extreme Stroll Around Manchester

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!
• Asolo Footwear comes to CheapTents
• 2011 Christmas Delivery Information

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

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
• Street View on Mountains with Google Sherpa-Cam

The UIAA have announced the appointment of a new executive director. He is Ingo Nicolay, who is also the president of the Heilbronn Section of the DAV, the German alpine club.

Ingo Nicolay will be replacing former executive director, Judith Safford. UIAA stands for International Union of Alpine Associations, but the organisation is also known as the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.

At this time we must express our gratitude to Ingo’s predecessor, Judith Safford, for all of her hard work in the past and we wish her all the best in the future.

• Indian Mountaineering Foundation Museum, New Delhi, India
• Exclusive Interview! Pro Climber, Daniel Woods
• BMC gets reception at 10 Downing Street…

At last the waiting is over and the Harrogate Climbing Wall is now open.

Get yourselves down here and get climbing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre (HCC) offers both indoor climbing and bouldering, as well indoor and outdoor climbing courses and qualifications. On offer are taster courses for people new to climbing, beginners courses and courses for climbers to develop their skills and even leader courses.

HCC's 14 meter multi-angled climbing wall.

The main indoor climbing wall is a whopping 14 meter multi-angled wall, designed by Entre-Prises. Climbing grades range from 3+ to 8a. There is also a bouldering section which features problems from V0 – V8, as well as a Fr7b stamina circuit.

• Newcastle Climbing Wall now open!
• Interview with Mountain Leader Training Association UK
• Talented Youth Climbers Day, Rochdale, UK