As we all trip over each other to get into a pair of trail shoes there’s a category of footwear that should be our friend, but seems to have slipped off the radar a little bit: the approach shoe. Approach shoe is a rubbish name, it says all the wrong things, particularly “I’ll get you [...]
Posted on October 26th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Gear Diary, Kit Reviews | 11 Comments »
Haglöfs got it right-first-time a few years back with the Triton, a hooded microfleece with different fabrics cleverly position for best performance, two big venting chest pockets, a good hood and a trim cut. They canned it, brought out the Bungy and the Gemini hoodies, neither of which was quite as good, although the Gemini’s hood is the best of the [...]
Posted on October 26th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Gear Diary, Kit Reviews | 13 Comments »
Ah, this takes me back. I used to wear a Lowe Alpine Mountain cap, then a Karrimor Summit cap, then had an Outdoor Research, Prism I think? And, here we have in for test, a new shot at the insulated shell cap, Berghaus’s Pro Mountain Peak II. There’s a lot of similar caps out there, but it’s [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Gear Diary, Kit Reviews | 11 Comments »
A tricky couple of days one way or another. It looked like we could get away for the afternoon, so we did. I’ve been driving by the House of Bruar just off the A9 forever, but after a photie of the Falls of Bruar on the office calendar had me googling it, it looked like a [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures, Items Various | 6 Comments »
I like my hats so I do. For this winter’s cold camps, I have here from Chocolate Fish a Merino-Possum Beanie. First off, it’s almost impossible to describe just how soft this beanie is. Possibly it’s akin to floating in warm water under clear summer skies, surrounded by dinghies full of exotic maidens who hold bowls of [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Gear Diary, Kit Reviews | 16 Comments »
I was doing the photies for a bunch of gear first looks, white roll across the living room, gear piled high. I was supposed to be elsewhere doing elsestuff but circumstances intervened, so admin is always a good thing to unbutton and adjust when left alone. However, the girls came back and Holly climbed over the [...]
Posted on October 23rd, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 11 Comments »
I can’t help it, it’s that time of year again and I’m all excited. The trees are screaming in glorious colour, the weather’s thrashing from one extreme to another, the first snows have fallen on the high ground. Standing at camp under a late evening sun in just a t-shirt is lovely, scooping up snow to [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 7 Comments »
I got an invite down to Berghaus HQ to meet the folk behind the new MtnHaus gear, and having tested some recent kit and seen the press-release with some of the new models on there, they didn’t have to ask me twice. The first highlight of the day was seeing the Angel of the North [...]
Posted on October 21st, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 24 Comments »
How many folk who buy fitba tops know (care?) that they’re just walking adverts for whatever brand is emblazoned across it at nipple-level? I suppose the same applies to me and my music shirts, it used to be a sign of allegiance in my teens, now it makes me smile, so I don’t care. Everything’s [...]
Posted on October 20th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | 18 Comments »
This place is a Ford Capri, flashy colours, but there’s a 1960′s engine revving under the hood. You know me, I just kinda bimble along with a mix of mild swearing, partial nudity and a whole bunch of what I do, be it work or play. Then there’s the gear thing of course. Martin has a [...]
Posted on October 18th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Gear Diary, Items Various, Kit Reviews | 69 Comments »
A bike ride on familiar ground sounded like a good idea. It’s been a hard week and flying down some singletrackappealed. Bobinson arranged and I would try and make the the rendezvous as best I could, having a wee bit of work to do. I’m still an engineer, it just looks like a fanny about [...]
Posted on October 16th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures, Items Various | 31 Comments »
The little burn bubbled by two feet away, I could hear it inbetween the blasts of wind. It was light, the rain was gone and I needed a cuppa. Hunched figures stumbled around camp at first, it felt like an aftermath of sorts. But as the clouds streaking by above us thinned, the sun struck [...]
Posted on October 13th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Adventures | 17 Comments »
Frank peered through the gap in the doors, tired and numb from being bound for so long. It was daylight now, the street outside was busy, in fact there was obviously some kind of incident well out of his line of sight, the people wear all going in the same direction and the traffic was [...]
Posted on October 12th, 2010 by PTC*
Filed under: Items Various | No Comments »
