The pandemic has, unfortunately, put a dent in our Polar ambitions for this year, but the COVID situation in Austria has luckily improved enough to allow hiking and trekking trips again. As I’m gearing up for a busy hiking summer at home, I tested a new ultralight sleeping setup made for those warm summer nights to come. It is exceptionally light, weighing only 655g, but is it comfortable, too?
It’s a new winter season, and we’re gearing up for new adventures in the snow. Just in time, our partners at The Heat Company have sent us updated versions of their gloves. Time to see what they came up with in the past year! We’re looking at the brand-new all-in-one HEAT 3 SMART PRO and a prototype of the DURABLE LINER PRO.
Staying warm is one of the most important things to look for when you’re out in the snow and ice. Your extremities are generally most at risk of suffering cold injuries since they are farthest away from the warm core of your body. Additionally, your hands and fingers are exposed to wind and weather almost always, which is why great gloves are one of the smartest investments you can make when planning to be out in the cold for a prolonged time. Today, I am reviewing several gloves provided to us by our partner, The Heat Company. Note that they offered some of them to us for free, but I will give my honest opinion regardless. When on an expedition, your kit is your life insurance, and I would never settle for anything I consider sub-par.
Back in January, the lovely people at Intrepid Magazine selected me to be one of their gear testers and sent me a Black Diamond First Light Hoody. The idea was that I’d take it with me to Norway and put it through its paces in the airport, the city and the snow. You can read my detailed review in issue 8, but the short version is, I loved it!
The best thing after a long day of skiing is getting out of your skiing boots and into warm and dry wool socks. Unfortunately, throughout the evening and night, you will have to get out of your sleeping bag and back into the snow at times: to go to the loo, to check the tent, to get something from your pulk, or whatever reason. Enter the Expedition Down Booties.
Expedition Foods are based in the UK and are providing a wide-range of freeze-dried meals. They were kind enough to provide us with free samples, and I finally got around actually eating it. Huge thanks to Mary from Expedition Foods, who got us the samples, and sorry it took us so long to give feedback!
When camping out for a night, there’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee in the morning or a warm meal in the evening. Even on a single day trip, you may want to have a warm lunch or an afternoon tea. Unfortunately, a cooking kit takes up quite a lot of weight and space speaking in ultralight terms. Carrying an extra 700g or more for just a cup of tea or a single meal seems unreasonable. Luckily there is a solution for those of us who can’t live without anything warm in their bellies. Here’s what I use.