Magellan eXplorist 610 GPSRRP £399 GPS devices appear to be the Marmite of outdoor equipment – their use scorned by some walkers who fear the loss of traditional map and compass skills, but adopted by many others as a great aid to navigation and safety (see our article on the dos and don’ts of gps navigation). The earliest units  had only very basic maps (some simply showed route lines) and were mostly used to get a current grid reference or to record tracks – but gradually GPS units have become much more sophisticated. Satmap made the first unit able to…

It rains in Scotland, so unless you fancy lugging around soggy sandwiches – and perhaps more worryingly insulating clothing – it’s necessary to take precautions against moisture ingress. Most rucksacks are made from water-resistant materials, but they don’t have sealed seams and have zips and other openings that can allow water in. Short of carrying one of the drysacks-with-straps designs like the Alpkit Gourdon, you’ll need to consider some kind of supplementary protection. Pack liners are basically big waterproof bags that are placed inside an empty rucksack before filling as normal. They can be as simple as a binbag with…

Trekking or walking poles have become ubiquitous in the British hills, deployed either singly or in pairs in the Nordic Walking style. I’m a confirmed double-pole user – coping with the cries of “Oi, where are your skis?” when walking through busy areas – and it appears that many other hillwalkers have discovered the benefits. The primary purpose of a pair of poles is to enable your arms to assist in propelling you upwards and along, as well as taking a load off your knees through use as a brake when descending. On flat terrain the benefits are less obvious –…

Inspired by the wholesome antics of such scallywags as the Famous Five, generations of children have badgered their parents for their very own pocketknife with which to whittle twigs and eat an apple really impressively. With knives carrying a stigma in modern society there are only really a few good reasons for carrying a blade of any kind, and there must be very few backpackers that don’t carry something sharp in their rucksack. Ignoring nostalgia the UK backpacker has little reason to carry some of the huge single-bladed implements available in certain outdoor shops, but the multitool certainly does have…