WINTER WISDOM

Waterproof packs will often display an IP (Ingress Protection) rating. If followed by two numbers between 1 and 8, it has been tested against dust particles (the first number) and water (the second number), with 9 being the highest rating. If an X follows the IP – for example, the IPX6 rating of the Aquapac featured here – it means it has been tested for water but not dust (the dust rating is more relevant to electrical goods). The official description of a 6 rating for water is that the product ‘can resist highpressure, heavy sprays of water’.