Gaiters can be a divisive piece of outdoor kit – some walkers swear by them for keeping mud and wet undergrowth from soaking their feet and trousers, whilst others find them a fussy hindrance. In the winter season, though, they become truly essential to prevent the snow from entering the top of your boots. Over the last few months we’ve been testing a wide variety of gaiters. Here’s our vedict: Rab Latok Alpine Gaiter GTX Recommended price: £55Weight: 212g pair (women’s medium) Goretex fabric on the legs and reinforced Robic nylon at the ankle has proved to be a breathable…

Recommended Price: £85Weight: 108g Canadian brand Tilley are famed for their hats – whether you think that’s famously well-made and durable or famously expensive. For many years I baulked at the price being so much higher than alternatives, but I was bought one as a present around a decade ago – and have been a convert ever since. There are three factors which really lift Tilleys above sunhats I’d worn previously. One is that renowned construction. These are robust hats, covered by a lifetime guarantee. That’s not your usual guarantee covering faults in manufacture, but a guarantee that covers normal…

RRP: £32 Available in 2 colours (black and khaki) and 4 unisex UK shoes sizes (3 – 5.5, 6 – 8.5, 9 – 11.5, 12+) I’ve worn waterproof socks regularly for winter running for the last few years, for comfort with unlined footwear and to stop chilblains from being in cold and wet footwear. More recently I’ve also started using them for walking in lightweight boots and trail shoes when I know I’ll end up with wet feet but don’t want the added weight of my waterproof boots. Despite keeping toenails short and taking care to rinse and dry the…

For most walkers socks are one of the most important but least considered items of kit. With us for every step of the way…

RRP: £45 Weight: 100g (including batteries) Headtorches have improved in leaps and bounds in the last few years and now come with an array of different light settings and features. I’ve been testing Black Diamond’s updated ReVolt on my weekly night runs, a couple of short night walks and an impromtu hill descent as darkness fell. Having been used to a basic Lenser headtorch with one light and two options for adjusting the brightness and field, I was a bit flummoxed by the options on the ReVolt. It features a main triple-power LED which comes on when you click the…

RRP: £120 per pair Weight: 285g per pair (110cm length) I had thought my previous go-to trekking poles were lightweight until I picked up these carbon poles from Black Diamond. Weighing in at a mere 285g for the pair the weight is truly featherlight, you genuinely don’t notice them when stowed in a pack and barely notice them in use or carrying them in one hand. I was therefore very interested to find out how these spindly-lightweights would perform in Scottish conditions. The main trade off on the weight v. features is the lack of adjustability. These poles come in…