Kevlar Swiss Socks that Rock!

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     Adventure gear, adventure travel gear, Kevlar Swiss Socks, kitesurfing gear, Swiss Barefoot Sock, Swiss Protection Sock, travel gear

After years spent and millions invested, we thought we’d designed running shoes for every situation, sport and pronation. Then all of a sudden someone came up with barefoot running…

Climbing in Swiss Barefoot Socks.

Selling running shoes to help barefoot running? Makes no sense. Yet there’s a lot of support for the claim that we’re better running off the front of our feet, rather than striking hard on the heel each time – and barefoot shoes just aid this.

Now whether you go for it or not, there’s definitely a role in the adventure sports for this new barefoot influenced product, the Swiss Barefoot Sock.

Barefoot Sock? Just sounds ridiculous, but it’s not… and we’ve pairs you can win!

read more

Protect Your Laptop When Travelling: 5 Ways to Keep Your Tech Safe

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     adventure travel gear, Laptop, laptops, Sell my macbook pro, travel gear, travel laptop, travel laptops, travel tech, travelling

Packing your laptop into the hold is just never going to happen. You’re going to need to watch movies, play games, even – don’t say it – work while you are on the plane.

Cool, until you drop it! Image: Flickr/ Giorgio Montersino

But if like us you wince when taking it on longer trips, you are likely to be wanting to protect your laptop on anything other than a walk around the block.

There’s a few ways to look after your most prized piece of tech, here’s what we say to would be travellers hoping they’ll have room for their laptop.

read more

The Outdoors Show 2013: New Year, New Gear

Tamsin    ash     Adventure gear, adventure holidays, Adventure Sports, climbing, The Outdoors Show, travel gear, travel kit, trekking

Now that Christmas is over and 2013 is well and truly underway, it’s the perfect time to start planning all of the adrenaline packed adventure sports you’ll be undertaking in the New Year.

Packed full of activities and new adventure gear

Whether you’ll be throwing yourself out of a plane, hurtling down a snowy mountainside or trekking through the Himalayas, the only place to go to find out what’s going to be hot and what’s not in 2013 is The Outdoors Show at London’s ExCel centre.

read more

Berghaus Bioflex 45 Reviewed by Explorer Mikael Strandberg

Mark Pawlak    ash     Berghaus, Berghaus Bioflex, daysack, Mikael Strandberg, Rucksack, travel gear, trekking gear

Choosing a rucksack is not as easy as you’d think. With the help of international explorer Mikael Strandberg we reviewed the Berghaus Bioflex 45 and found that it’s a specialist sack, but not for everyone.

Winter testing by Mikael Strandberg

Fantastically light and featuring an intriguing support system, we took an immediate liking to this rucksack.

But how would it fare once put to the test, and is it the right sack for your back?

On an expedition a 45-litre rucksack is one you take with you to use as a daysack – there’s simply not enough room for enough gear to last longer.

read more

Best Travel Speaker: Mobile Boomers Reviewed

David Wells    ash, Travel Gear     adventure holidays, Apple, Horn Stand, iHome Ip57, Jawbone Jambox, Small Group Holidays, SoundScience QSB, travel gadgets, travel gear, travel speakers, Travel Speakers Review, Veho 360, X-Mini II Capsule

We all need to bring our music with us when we travel. The best travel speaker needs to blast out some anthems for an impromptu mini-beach party and provide some volume when you review a YouTube clip on your mobile.

SoundScience QSB, USB-powered.

In recent years electronics manufacturers have really upped their game when it comes to portable speakers, and now the market is saturated with top quality devices. While that is great news for choice, it’s now harder to choose a pair.

Having great travel speakers can make a big difference to small group holidays as they help provide the party. But of course everyone’s needs are different, so let’s get some reviewed and look at all of the options that are available.

read more

Bigger, Better and Blacker: GoPro Hero3 Reviewed

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     Adventure gear, camera, extreme sports, GoPro, GoPro Hero3, Photography, travel gear

Technology jumps. Most of the time it’s not worth making the leap, instead saving your effort, and money, for the real game-changing moves. The GoPro Hero3 promises enough to tempt an upgrade, and as shown here, it’s black – sort of.

High-tech with a touch of old Kodak

Just in case you’ve had your head in the sand for the last three years, GoPro has taken a massive chunk of POV camera market.

And thanks to its compact design, range of mounts and dedication to building products tailored to the adventure sports world, it’s the deserved market leader.

So what’s new this time?

read more

SIGG Active Top Reviewed

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     Adventure gear, adventure sports gear, Drinking bottles, SIGG, Travel, travel gear

Ever take mineral water with you when walking or trekking? I do all the time. Mix it with apple juice, add a dash of salt and you’ve the cheapest energy drink ever! With this in mind SIGG has devised the Active Top and I’ve reviewed to see if it can handle the fizz.

SIGG Active Top fights the fizz

SIGG, if you didn’t know, make the aluminium bottles favoured by explorers. Easily identified by their ‘loop’ cap and high-shouldered shape, they are seen in the sleds on polar expeditions as well as found in the side pouches of many a weekend wanderer.

But putting any fizzy drink into a drink’s bottle always creates the same problem: the fizz. So let’s see what the company has done with the Active Top.

read more