In the quest for the lightest possible weight, backpacking tent manufacturers often supply extremely minimalist pegs. They’re fine on a still, beautifully manicured campsite, but in a wild camping situation they can often be found lacking. And certain terrain such as snow requires more specialist techniques. Here are some generic alternatives: 1. Snow Stakes – eg. MSR Blizzard Stake Camping on snow or loose ground requires a different approach. Snow stakes such as the red MSR Blizzard (right) or the larger unbranded model are long, with a large surface area and concave shape to hold firm in sand or snow.…

Kovea have been making stoves for a number of other companies for years, but this year sees the introduction of the Kovea brand onto the UK market for the first time. We spent some time with the Spider stove, a remote gas canister stove ideal for winter backpacking trips. Kovea Spider stove Price: £50 Weight: 191g (max) 168g (min) build quality, stability, preheat tube, packed size, price nothing Concept As alluded to in a previous review the remote canister design has definite advantages over a canister-mounted stove for winter use: by moving the burner away from the gas canister the…

While it’s a convenient categorisation there’s no doubt that the traditional seasonal sleeping bag rating system (where sleeping bags are designated one, two, three, four or even five season) is highly subjective, and the introduction of the standardised EN13537  testing procedure was designed to make things a bit simpler for the consumer. Thanks to the variances in the way people sleep (a hot or cold sleeper, a side, back or front position, male or female, whether you’ve just eaten etc) I’m not convinced that it is. Nonetheless, put simply, the EN13537 Comfort rating is the lowest temperature that a woman can…

Often regarded the preserve of climbers perched on inaccessible rocky ledges or soldiers hidden in the bushes, in the right conditions the bivvy (bivi, bivvi or bivouac) bag can add a whole new level of enjoyment to an overnight camp. They’re basically a waterproof cover for a sleeping bag, ideally made from a breathable fabric to reduce condensation build-up within, and sometimes fitted with a zip to make access easier. Combined with a sleeping bag and a ground mat (placed within the bivvy bag or left outside) the small footprint makes it possible to sleep in places where a tent…

Simple, clean, lightweight and efficient, the canister-mounted stove is justifiably popular. Most stoves in this category are simply a burner head with pot supports that screws on to the top of a pressurised canister containing a blend of propane, butane and/or isobutane. Simply open the valve and light. No priming, no smelly fuel and it’ll all fit into your cooking pot for transport. What’s not to like? Well – as the gas is in a liquid state in the canister it can be a struggle to get any gas out of the canister in cold weather, so a liquid fuel…

Your cookware setup will be dictated by a number of factors – if you’re car-camping there’s little to stop you bringing a range of pots and pans and a twin-burner gas stove (and steak). If you’re backpacking you may think differently. My personal backpacking set-up is limited to a single pot with a capacity in the range of 900ml to 1400ml for non-winter use, perhaps stretching up to 2000ml pot when I envisage melting a lot of snow. It’s important to consider the number of people eating too – being able to boil enough water for two people in one…

The mainstay of the backpacking tent market, a two-person model is the ideal combination of living space and weight for the backpacker that wants one tent for use (almost) all year round. As a plus-six-footer most one-person tents are too small for me, even if they have a long enough living area my feet invariably end up touching a sloping wall. A two-person tent may not be much longer, but the extra width allows me to sleep diagonally, or even share with a close (and smaller) friend. Of course, if carrying a two-person tent alone it can’t be too heavy,…

This is going to get a little geeky, so take a look at my recent sock review if you don’t get excited about this kind of thing. For those that do – read on and confess all in the forum – it’s a safe place. I reckon that the new breed of stove that can take isobutane/propane gas canisters as well as liquid fuels such as white gas could change the way backpackers view stoves forever. Liquid fuel stoves were once the preserve of mountaineers and explorers that operate in very cold temperatures, where normal isobutane/propane gas canisters cease to be efficient,…