At a glance Plusses: Comfort, price, weight, quality down. Minuses: Bulky pack size. Weight: 780g Features: Multi-adjustable hood that shrinks the opening to reveal just a slither of the face, an adjustable…
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At a glance Plusses: Lightweight, exceptional waterproofing. Minusses: Difficult to get laced perfectly. Weight: 640g Features: A well thought-out shoe with all the basics but no unnecessary gimmicks. It has…
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At a glance Plusses: Versatile for alpine or below the bushline trips, ventilation, adjustable harness, excellent tool carrying system. Minusses: Not so good for heavier loads. Capacity: 35-litres Weight: 940g. Features: The pack…
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At a glance The Good: Compact footprint, bright interior, lightweight The Bad: Lightweight floor fabrics, expensive Weight 1720g Area 2.7m2 Features: A single ‘unified’ pole with hubs allow the pole to...
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At a glance Plusses: Versatile venting options, lightweight, packs down small. Minuses: Hood tightens over the eyes and nose, price. 935g, Lower limit -12°C Features: This bag comes with 560g of…
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Weight: 337g R-value: Unknown Construction: This mattress is rated for use to -9℃ by Big Agnes, but it does not have an R-Value. The mattress uses PrimaLoft Silver insulation…
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At a glance Plusses: Lightweight, packable, environmentally-friendly, price. Minuses: Fabric is not as durable as others. Weight 286g (m), 246g (w) Features: Made with Marmot’s NanoPro fabric – a very light 2.5-layer...
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At a glace The Good: All in one system, powerful and quick to boil water. The Bad: Limited culinary choices, floppy handle. Features: The stove comes with Jetboil’s one-litre FluxRing…
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The Actik is Petzl’s latest offering. The light is a hybrid and can run on AAA batteries or be used with a ‘Core’ lithium ion battery ($59, sold separately).…
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Helinox poles are not available directly in new Zealand – the Australian manufacturer ships them over on an order-by-order basis – so while I had heard of them, I had...
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$129.99 MSR’s Trailshot MicroFilter is a simple, lightweight water filter. It is small enough to fit into a jacket pocket and at 153g, it’s almost feather light. In fact,…
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At a glance – Plusses: Well-fitting, tidy and flexible trousers, suitable for a broad range of activities. Comfortable with good ventilation options, functional pockets, and excellent boot closure system.…
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The Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro is a minimalist 10-point crampon designed for walking on easy, low gradient frozen surfaces. Lightweight (672g), these semi-flexible crampons come with an easy-to-use binding…
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Like its namesake, the Merlin is a wizard: it’s a reliable, basic walking axe that’s a reasonable weight (500g/65cm incl. leash) and still performs well in basic alpine situations. A...
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At a glance Plusses: Great support, affordable. Minuses: Cotton lining, cold when wet. Weight 104g Features: A classic underwire sports bra, which provides a good level of support (claiming to reduce…
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This is Tomtom’s signature GPS watch, with features tailored for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, swimming and mountain biking. It records your heart rate, speed, ascent and descent, as well as…
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Deejo knives come in three weights – 15g, 27g and 37g – and are designed to be carried in your pocket, anywhere and everywhere. Wilderness tested the 37g juniper wood...
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In testing Bushnell’s M Series, I discovered looking through a good pair of binoculars is a delight. I used them throughout the summer to spy birds in the bush,…
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This is a sturdy all leather backcountry boot, fit for tramping rough terrain while offering the type of stability one comes to expect from a high-cut tramping boot with…
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Released to mark Lowe Alpine’s 50th anniversary, the Ascent Superlight 30 is an innovation in lightweight alpine day packs. With a single compartment accessed via a top zip and no...
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The BioLite FirePit, first introduced in 2017 is a tech-heavy brazier which uses a fan system to improve campfire combustion. It is claimed to burn particulate matter in smoke,…
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At a glance Plusses: Good size, stable, durable for years of use. Minuses: Not an option for camping. Features: Best known for their hard-wearing packs and ‘free-standing’ pants, Cactus has added a hammock…
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At a glance Plusses: Cheap, versatile light with long battery life, rechargeable Minuses: Long charge-time when using solar, USB cable not supplied Features: A 100-lumen rechargeable light that fits in…
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COLD BEER in the backcountry is something you can expect to find in the luxury accommodation of the European Alps, but New Zealand? Not so much. Stanley’s 1.9-litre Growler might solve...
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Protecting Paradise 1080 and the fight to save New Zealand’s wildlife By Dave Hansford $34.99, Potton & Burton It’s interesting that books, or films, even peer-reviewed scientific papers, that promote...
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