I’ve used the more conventional Mountain King trekking poles before, but the Trail Blaze is something altogether different and exciting for lightweight aficionados. Mountain King Trail Blaze trekking poles Price: £79 (pair) Weight: 250g (pair) for 120cm length weight, packed size, colours, ease of maintenance non-adjustable strap Materials and Construction There’s no huge secret here – the Trail Blaze is  essentially a beefed-up tent pole with a handle and tip. Mountain King are based in Newcastle where they import the raw aluminium tube and carry out the rest of the manufacturing themselves – things like cutting, anodising and sticking the…

RRP: £367.20 Weight: 102g Batteries: 2 x AAA (supplied) Compact and lightweight with a full range of useful features. Expensive, and perhaps too many features for the casual user. “Oh yeah, it was easily blowing 100mph plus up there” The hillwalker’s equivalent of ‘the one that got away’, it’s actually really difficult to accurately judge windspeed, with wild exaggerations commonplace, particularly if you’ve had to retreat from the hill to the comfort of the pub. An anemometer removes the uncertainty (and is usually enlightening). “This sleeping bag is rubbish – it’s rated at -5ºC but I was shivering all night”…