WINTER EQUIPMENT

Your clothing layers will keep you warm and insulated against most storms. Now add these items to your gear list to make your outdoor holiday even more comfortable. able.

Little Hotties toe warmers

Peel away the plastic film covering a pair of adhesive pads – one for each foot – and you’ll initiate a warming chemical reaction. Put the pads on top of your toes or underneath them, on the outside of your socks, and enjoy foot warmth for up to five hours. Ample time to build a snowman. R40 at Outdoor Warehouse (also available for hands)

Yeti sheepskin slippers

It’s the middle of the night and you absolutely have to go. These puppies are far easier to slip on than your muddy hiking boots. The slippers have actual fleece on the inside and an EVA rubber outsole. R900 at Cape Union Mart

Emergency blanket

This is a mandatory part of any hiker or ultra-marathon runner’s emergency kit. It weighs practically nothing and takes up less space than a handkerchief, yet it could mean the difference between life and death. R18 at Clicks

Cadac Safire heater

Use this to heat up a caravan, a tent or the cabin of a boat. It features triple gauze to prevent blowback when you turn it off, and there’s an ignition switch at the back, which makes it less scary to ignite. R695 at Outdoor Warehouse

First Ascent Ice Breaker

This sleeping bag will keep you alive at -18° C and comfy at -3° C. The contoured cowl has a drawcord to completely cocoon yourself and an internal pocket for keeping all-important camera batteries or a cellphone warm. R3 900 at Trappers and Sportsmans Warehouse

Wolverine Hawthorne 8" hunting boots

These tough-looking stompers are more extreme than the footwear you’d usually wear. The 400 g Thinsulate Ultra Insulation should keep your feet warm after walking through freezing water and the sole is as knobbly as a motocross tyre. R2 000 at Sportsmans Warehouse

LK’s refillable gas lighters

It’s difficult to strike a match or flick a Bic while wearing padded gloves, and the trigger guard on a longnozzle lighter is also a pain. Here’s the solution. R40 at Spar

Zippo hand warmer

This gadget works like the well-known lighter, but without an open flame that will set your clothing on fire. It’s hot enough to warm your hands through gloves, but not too hot that it will scald bare skin. R565 at mantality.co.za