Outdoor opinion
Seasonal suggestions
Ooh, Santa’s coming! Whether you’re drowning in hill kit or just getting started, I’m certain the chap in the red suit with his reindeer wants to bring you some goodies. Here are my thoughts on what every hillwalker should have in their life – and they’re mostly less than £20. (Hint: leave this page open on the sofa so the gift buyers can see what you fancy. Maybe with helpful annotations?)
SURVIVAL BAG – I HAVE TWO
Mine are a Blizzard Bag, which is the size of a paperback novel, weighs 300g and traps warm air between its foil walls, and a tiny Adventure Medical Bag which is an extraordinary
99g and so small you really won’t notice it in your rucksack. In winter conditions, I’d take the Blizzard. But if it’s a low level, undemanding day I’d use the teeny one. I’d never go walking without one. If you’re a trail runner, take the little one every time you go out – it’ll stop a sprained ankle turning into hypothermia. If you have a tame DofEer in the family, don’t force them to carry one of those massively heavy rubble sacks they get given sometimes – gift them one of these instead. They’re warmer, lighter and will last a lifetime of walking.
COMPASS – DOES YOURS WORK?
Or is it a bit squiffy since that day it nestled next to your mobile phone for hours? Check it – if it’s done for, replace it. Oh, and do you actually trust yourself to use it correctly? If not, then cancel everyone else’s presents and book yourself on to a navigation course (around £60 for a one-day course). If you’re the partner of the person who always does the map reading, book yourself on to the course.
MAP – AND START PLANNING!
Buy a map that will start to cement pipe dreams into actual plans (although that said, that’s why I’ve got a pristine map of Knoydart!). And have a look at Harvey Maps – I’m a huge fan of their British Mountain Maps series. £16.50, waterproof, and they manage to fit the whole of the Lake District on a map weighing just 87g. It’s a bit like magic.
It takes a minute to get your eye ‘in’ with the 1:40k scale and the 15m contour lines, but once you do, you’re flying.
HEADTORCH – THEY GET LIGHTER AND BRIGHTER EVERY YEAR
Look at the lumens (light output), weight and battery life to help you choose.
GIVE EVERYTHING AN UPGRADE
First up: first aid kit. If it’s knackered, replace it. If you’ve got the kit but the skills are rusty, ask for a course instead. Don’t do a regular office-based one. Instead find an outdoor course where you practice your skills in real-life scenarios.
And then add to that any or all of the following: a bothy bag group shelter, tick twister, bottle of base layer wash, waterproof reproofer, boot reproofer, budget to get zips replaced and tears repaired.
And all that old kit that still has life in it? Send it to someone who needs it – both the Alpkit Continuum project (alpkit.com/continuum) and Gift your Gear (giftyourgear.com) give used outdoor gear to charities supporting porters, sherpas and outdoor charities and youth projects here in the UK. Santa will love you for it.
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