Review: Hydro Flask 21oz Standard Mouth Flask

- Product provided for the purpose of review -

An insulated, 21oz flask designed to keep hot for up to 6 hours and cold up to 24. 

Manufacturer's Description: "Our 21 oz is the perfect go-anywhere companion on your busiest days. It stashes easily in a small shoulder bag, your pack’s side pocket or your car cup holder, and holds enough to keep you going for hours without weighing you down."

Features: 

• Medium Standard Mouth opening
• TempShield Protected
• Keeps Hot up to 6 Hours
• Keeps Cold up to 24 Hours
• BPA-Free
• Durable, sweat-free powder coat finish
• 18/8 Stainless Steel
• Lifetime Warranty
• Capacity: 621ml

Feature Breakdown: 

This is Hydro Flask's flagship flask, their do anything, go anywhere piece of kit. Designed with maximum functionality in mind it's not too big or too small, it comes with a standard loop cap but a sports cap will also fit. It quotes pretty standard times for a flask like this, 6 hours for hot liquids and 24 hours for cold, having seen past reviews of these flasks though, I'm tempted to say these times are modest. The finish is nice, it gives the bottle some friction which is great when the rain's pouring or you're using this flask during water sports.

Field testing:

What better way to test a flask than to brew some coffee and head out for a walk. The standard mouth size is a good size, not so big that you'll find yourself with a messy front but big enough that making hot drinks in the flask isn't a pain. 

For my test I made coffee at 9.30 in the morning and headed out the door about 10. While out and about I made sure to open the flask a few times, have a couple of blows on the coffee and a sip or two before closing. Sometimes the tests manufacturers put flasks through don't mimic real life where the flask will open and close often throughout a day. 

The coffee was still too hot to drink quickly at 12.30, 3 hours after it went in. At 15.30 this was still the case, with the flask fulfilling its promise to keep hot for 6 hours, that means hot, not warm!

After 8 hours the coffee was just beginning to show signs of cooling down, not necessarily cold but definitely no longer hot. 8 hours from a simple flask which you can drink straight out of is a good amount of time, especially with a few openings here and there. Personally, all I'm looking for in a flask in the ability to keep a drink hot for a day on the hill and after 8 hours I tend to be on the homeward stretch or have the necessary equipment with me to make another hot drink so it ticks all the boxes for me. 

With this style of flask something to think about is the temperature of the liquid going in, boiling water will continue to steam inside the flask and cause the pressure to build. This can be dangerous so it's best to fill the flask and give the contents a chance to cool before putting the lid on. This is what I did for my test and it didn't cause me any problems with the coffee maintaining that slightly cooler temperature.

For the cold test I decided to keep it simple and fill the flask with ice to see how long it would keep rattling it for, once again it surpassed the time stated and there were still ice cubes 33 hours after putting them in.

Long-term use:

This flask has quickly become part of my trusted outdoor kit, the need to stay warm when out and about is huge and anything that's going to keep fluids nice and hot is always welcome in my rucksack, especially as we move into winter. 

The quality of the materials that have gone into making this flask is a clear sign that Hydro Flask want to create a brilliant product, the lifetime warranty just confirms it. 

In summary, I've been very happy with my Hydro Flask product, it serves its purpose and does so with good features and nice styling. I'd definitely recommend it to a friend.

The Hydro Flask certainly gets a thumbs up from me.

Hydro Flask are a relatively new brand, started in America back in 2009 but they're quickly becoming more widely available in the UK. If you'd like to find one for yourself please check out Tiso. If you'd like some more information about Hydro Flask please check out their website by clicking here.

Thank you for reading, please don't hesitate to get in contact with me if you've got any questions about Hydro Flask.

Review: Brunton Hydrogen Reactor Portable Charger

- product provided for the purpose of review, thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk -

Is this product the future of keeping charged while on the move? Is it ready for the wilderness or just a novelty? I couldn't wait to see what this little box could offer...

The reactor giving some much needed oomph to the GoPro.

I've got a few battery packs and solar boxes kicking around and I'm the first to admit that I'm a little bit obsessed with combining the great outdoors with technology. Unfortunately searching for wifi at any opportunity and getting pictures of beautiful landscapes tends to take the power out of any phone, tablet or camera pretty quickly. I was really keen to see if this was just "another" charger offering a drip feed of energy without much to show for it or whether it could actually transfer enough power to jumpstart a phone or camera. 

A quick rundown of what the Brunton Reactor does/offers... there's a small lightweight box (shown above) which you screw a hydrogen fuel cell into, then by the power of magic you can plug a usb cable into the box and it'll put out 5v 2amp! The joys of technology!

Straight out the box the Reactor is simple to use, I quickly hooked up my phone to see how quickly it would charge it compared to my solar battery pack which does about 1% every 20 minutes while the Reactor put 1% into my phone (in airplane mode) in 2 minutes. A few things to note when using the charger: it must be sat down on a flat surface for maximum efficiency, it needs to be in the open air as every now and then there's a burst of water vapour which makes a cute noise and it's probably best to keep it out of the sun as it warms up while charging and any extra heat could cause a malfunction.

One of the main benefits of the Reactor over other battery alternatives is the lack of lost charge, when using other sources of power they can deminish whereas the Reactor's full cells will maintain their power through all weather and conditions.

Unfortunately, while the Reactor does put out a decent charge and works brilliantly I'm still quite cyncical about this technology. £120 for the charger then £11.50 for 2 replacement cores thereafter seems extreme when battery packs and solar charges are coming down in price and going up in efficiency. Brunton are trying to push out and get charging stations into stores, unfortunately the uptake is slow so this isn't an option for the masses just yet.

The green side of the argument of course is that it's only producing water vapour, after you look into the production of hydrogen though you discover that it's not a particurly green thing to produce! I think this technology will be the future of charging whilst on the go. A small hydrogen reactor which can put out far greater energy at the same weight and cost will definitely have a market but with the current generation of Reactor I think it's more of a safety blanket than a must-have for every walker or hiker. 

Positive points:

• A quick charger
• Power doesn't deminish in the cold or hot
• A conversation starter - if used among a group it could be a good starter for getting people to think about the environment and alternative sources of power.
• A great emergency tool for group use

Not-so-positive points:

• Expensive, not only for the charger itself but for the cells after.
• Heavy fuel cells 
• Not so green when you take the production of hydrogen into account
• Quite bulky (total weight of 2 cells and charger is 365g)
• No where to recharge fuel cells
• Early stages of the technology for consumers
• A lack of clear and readable information anywhere. The box, website and third party sites all display slightly different variations of output and total capacity.

In summary, it's a great idea - one that does work. Unfortunately there's a whole heap of drawbacks when it comes to using this product in the real world, for now, I'd stick with the battery pack for value and output if you can find one which matches 5v 2 amp. Remember, this is the early stages of this type of product for consumers - over the next few years I can see this style of charger growing and becoming more of the norm for backpackers and hikers.

Many thanks for reading my review, thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk for the providing the Reactor. If you'd like to keep up to date with what they're up to then check their facebook and twitter.

Review: Lowe Alpine Talon Gloves

- product provided for the purpose of review -

Here's my review of the Lowe Alpine Talon Gloves, no Gore Tex here, just L.A's own fabric: Triple Point.

Manufacturer's Description: "A tough, mountain glove"

From the web: These gloves look good but I've never tried out L.A's Triple Point material before so I'm interested in seeing how it compares to the big daddy of materials, Gore Tex. These gloves feature a nose wiper though so I've got high hopes!

First impressions: these gloves feels well made, they're not lightweight but tough and sturdy, a good start straight away. A good fit with the insulation helping the gloves wrap around my hand. there's a real stiffness to these gloves, this can make rope work and fiddly bits a real pain when out and about so I'm interested to see if they become any softer. 

Out and about: My test for these gloves was 4 days in the Scottish mountains on a winter skills course. These conditions were perfect for the Talon Gloves: high winds, deep powder snow, sideways rain and heavy snow along with sleet. We covered rope work, ice axe arrests and plenty of other skills on the course and I'm proud to say these gloves were truly tested. 

The Triple Point fabric held its own against the weather, at no point were my hands damp or wet from rain or snow. There were times when we were breaking trail through heavy powder snow that a damp feeling crept through, this was after many plunges of my hand and no gloves can put up with that level of moisture for any amount of time so I was impressed with how long the Talon lasted before it gave in. 

The warmth of the gloves was welcome after swapping from my thin wind proof ones, my fingers had already begun cooling when they were exposed to the wind chill and snow, after getting the Talon Gloves on my hands they quickly warmed up and the smile returned to my face! 

The stiffness of the gloves was nice when handling the ice axe but was an annoyance when trying to adjust my helmet and do some rope work meaning I had to remove the gloves to do any fiddly tasks. I guess this is one of the prices to pay when it comes to warmth and waterproofness. 

Overall I was really impressed with how well the Talon Gloves handled the wet conditions with some heavy winds (55mph+), they were tough and strong, keeping me confident in them out in the mountains.

That's how you put a pair of gloves under pressure!

 Thanks for reading. A massive thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk for providing the gloves for review, if you'd like to keep up to date with what they're up to then check their facebook and twitter.

Review: Berghaus Paclite Waterproof Pants

                                                                  - Product provided by outdoorkit.co.uk for the purpose of review - 

Lightweight, strong and reliable... A few buzzwords for the Berghaus Paclite Pants. Now for a little more detail...

The basics:

• Made with Goretex Paclite Helium fabric
• 185g weight
• 3/4 zip
• RRP of £100

First impressions:

As with most orders of technical equipment these days I always think they've forgotten to pack the kit because the bag is so light! Straight away I got the familiar feel of Berghaus quality with these pants, no loose stitching or manufacturing errors to be seen. A true sense of fit to size - I went for XL with a 38" waist and they fit perfectly, it's easy for brands to be over eager with an elastic waist and create a "one-size-fits-all" product which doesn't provide a technical fit, Berghaus have avoided this problem. 

On the hill:

The pants arrived around mid July and I was itching to get them out on Dartmoor to see what they could do, unfortunately, heatwave threats from the weatherman meant I had to wait until a stormy August before the heavens opened with some beautiful British rain. 

With a big grin on my face I headed out into the pouring rain while others hid in their cars...

Initially I was worried about the "lite" aspect of the pants, I've never been one to count grams with kit and I wondered how much damage shaving a few hundreds grams off could make when it came to waterproof trousers. 

There was no need for me to worry, the pants exceeded expectations and kept me 100% dry out in the rain with the water beading and running off well. After the rain, the trousers performed well, quickly drying out allowing them to go back into a rucksack and keeping you comfortable on the hill. They were breathable, not mind blowing, but definitely there - what's the point of overtrousers if there's condensation making your trousers wet while walking? This is a common drawback with "lite" equipment, sacrificing technical benefits like breathability to save weight.

When not being worn the pants pack up into a very small ball which can easily be put into a large pocket or rucksack. If you're going for an lightweight or ultralightweight setup where space and weight are priority then these pants will save on both. 

Packed up Paclite Pants... That's a lot of P's. Fruit Pastilles for scale!

Overall I was very impressed with how well the Berghaus Paclite Pants performed under testing Dartmoor conditions. No rain got in and there was enough breathabilty that the pants didn't feel uncomfortable even with the sunny spells between showers. My main concern with the Paclite Pants is the longevity of such a lightweight material - how much of beating can they take compared with other technical fabrics? 

Quickfire review...

Positive points:

• These pants pack away to a very small size and are very light.
• Reliable material, goretex is famous for maintaining its waterproof ability.
• Quick drying, allowing you to pack the pants away and keep comfortable. 

Not-so-positive:

• "lite" pants means they can't take knocks like traditional goretex can.
• Less breathable then some other lightweight overtrousers.

Summary:

The biggest selling point of these pants is the lightweight and space saving aspect of the Goretex Paclite material, the drawback of this is the loss of breathability and robustness. Personally I think it's worth it if you can look after the pants and make full use of the 3/4 zip to help the water vapour leave the trousers.

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Thanks for reading, please share with anyone you know looking for new waterproof trousers.

Thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk for providing the Berghaus Paclite Pants for the review, if you're interested in buying the Pants then they're currently 20% off of RRP on their website.

If you want more information about the Paclite Pants please don't hesitate to tweet me, @PaulWRickard.

Or you can contact OutdoorKit through their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Thanks again,

Paul Rickard

Review: Rab Hispar Gaiters

 - Product provided by outdoorkit.co.uk for the purpose of review -

Review time! This week's review is of the Rab Hispar Gaiter, a hillwalking gaiter which won't hurt the wallet.

The basics;-

RRP: £30

Weight: 250g

Fabric: eVent and 600D ballistic polyester 

Rab description - "Waterproof, breathable gaiter with front zip closure, abrasion resistant underboot strap & drawcord top closure."

First thoughts;-

I've never used or attached gaiters before, I've just seen plenty of them on the hill and from the young people I've worked with. They're not the most technical piece of equipment so even without instructions it was clear how to get them on and "attached" to the boot. I use the word attached loosely but I'll get to that later.

My boot lace goes through the small loop.
A quick relace of the boots changed this and allowed
the hook to stay central and tight to the boot.

I had to get the laces out of my boots for the small hook on the end of the gaiter, I was going to attach it further up the laces but I went for a hook location which would stretch the gaiter tightest and gain the most waterproof connection. After getting the hook as tight as possible I moved on to tightening the stirrup and cutting off the excess, this was easily done and after about 10 minutes I had 2 boots ready to go!

Field use;-

I've just got back from a few days on Dartmoor and it was the perfect conditions for testing gaiters, plenty of water has been hitting the Moor for a number of week now so all the bogs are wet with a lot of standing water on most paths and tracks, every time we left the path we were met with tall, wet grass with holes full of water below.

The gaiter handled the wet well at the beginning of the day but after 8 hours moisture had managed to reach the top of my boot; my laces were the giveaway as they were damp on removing the boot. They protected my trousers from the wet grass very well and no water got through above the ankle as far as I could tell, this is great as high grasses can get kit soaked after rain or dew and they hold water very well!

The breathability of gaiter didn't fare so well. My calves were quickly overheating when heading up steep or difficult ground; for the price (£30) this isn't too bad, I've found that most products at the mid to low price end will do waterproof well but struggle on the breathability as the costs involved on R&D are greater. On a cold day (temperatures felt below 0°), this was almost nice but in the summer would have the opposite effect and would be a real discomfort, no one likes a sweaty leg.

The inner stirrup connection which came undone.

On their first use both gaiters had the stirrups come undone, if this goes unnoticed then the stirrup could be lost. On both boots it came undone on the inner side, I doubt this is significant but if you go on to buy this gaiter then keep an eye on the stirrup. As I said before, I've never used or set up gaiters before - perhaps a small booklet or leaflet would help first time gaiter users set themselves up properly so things like this wouldn't happen (use of the word "attached" loosely). 

Small toggle for tightening top of gaiter

At the top of the gaiter is a small toggle to tighten the gaiter, this helps stop it falling down the leg. It didn't seem to have much use, my calves kept the gaiter up while the excess from the toggle kept hitting my other leg while walking. I think an elasticated top would suit the gaiter, it would work with your calf muscle and keep the gaiter tight at all times. 

Positive points;-

• Solid zip, no harm in having a heavier zip on gaiters.
• Waterproof; seems obvious but plenty of kit says waterproof and really isn't!
• Good build quality and a reliable brand.
• Mix of materials to reinforce the areas where it's needed.

Not-so-positive points;-

• No instructions or leaflet explaining how to attach the gaiter, easy when you know about outdoor kit but it could easily stump someone new to walking.
• Stirrup coming undone, the loss of the stirrup could stop the gaiter working efficiently.
• The toggle at the top didn't seem to do much.
• Breathability needs some work, I repeat, no one likes a sweaty leg.

Summary;-

A solid gaiter, good for hillwalking but I wouldn't recommend for activities where more effort would be required. I will shy away from this gaiter in the summer, the breathability wasn't quite there for me and the level of discomfort would outweigh the benefits. On the other hand for £30 you're getting a reliable piece of kit which should last a few years with some care and attention (keeping the waterproof material clean aids both waterproofness and breathability), it'll keep your lower leg and foot dry if accompanied with a decent boot and they look very nice in "Shark Grey".

Thanks for reading my review of the Rab Hispar Gaiter, links for various related pages below;

My Twitter - feel free to ask any questions about this review or anything outdoorsy :)

Product page on OutdoorKit.co.uk (new window)

 big thanks to OutdoorKit for providing the gaiters; links to their Facebook Page and Twitter

Review: Victorinox Forester Knife

Review time... This week it's a variation of the classic Swiss Army Knife, the Forester edition, made by Victorinox.

RRP - £30.95
Weight - 136g

Victorinox description - "The capable forest worker in pocket format"

Initial thoughts

Really nice balance in the hand with this knife, it sits comfortably in the palm and isn't too heavy. Victorinox more so than most makes has a reputation for hard wearing and tough equipment, this knife feels solid straight away but I'll make sure it gets tested to its full ability. 

Looks mean too! Love the matt black colour of Swiss Army Knives.

Field testing 

I've had this knife for a couple of years now so it's been used in plenty of situations ranging from household bits to cutting up branches by Scottish lakes. The blade stays sharp for a long time so the steel is great quality and it's still very solid without the lock mechanism showing signs of wear - this is due to the uncomplicated mechanism and that's all it needs to be!

The blade is very large, around the 3" mark - sometimes this can draw unwanted attention when working with groups as it can be a bit scary! I think if you know good knife safety and the law regarding pocket knife blades then this isn't an issue - it's only when knives are in the wrong hands they become a weapon. 

When looking for a new knife I sometimes decide on the category and then style, etc.. With this knife I had originally set out for a basic Swiss Army Knife without the locking blade but I had a love at first sight moment! The lock is really handy when working with branches and bigger pieces of wood, takes some of the risk out of it. 

All the tools still feel really nice even after some not-so-careful use by the young people I work with, the knife still feels like new and I can't see it faltering anytime soon! 

Positive points

Durable
Good price
Locking blade
Reliable brand
Blades stays sharp

Not-so-positive points

Length of the blade but that's my own fault for buying such a big knife!

Summary

If you're on the hunt for a new locking blade and don't want to spend loads of money but still want a reliable piece of kit then this is the knife for you! It's super, does exactly what it says on the tin and doesn't show a sign of weakness. 

Couldn't recommend a piece of kit more than this one! Definitely recommend to everyone! Friends and family! 

Paul

Review: MSR Pocket Rocket Stove

Review time! Time for a quick review of the MSR PocketRocket, I believe this in manufactured within the USA where Cascade Designs are based but it may be produced in Asia. 

RRP - £29.95

Weight - 119g

Boil time - 3.5 minutes (1litre of water)

MSR description - "The PocketRocket backpacking stove provides full cooking function in an incredibly efficient form. Barely noticeable in your pack, it delivers impressively in camp. Precision flame control goes from torch to simmer while our Wind Clip™ wind shield boosts efficiency in breezy conditions. The PocketRocket stove’s diminutive size is also the foundation of a solid emergency kit for home or trail."

Initial thoughts 

This bit of kit is one of the most widely favoured stoves in the world, it is very well known for its compact size, durability and efficient boil time - saying this, I didn't expect the thing to be so small! This is a really compact bit of kit and very lightweight. Perfect for when every gram matters and pack space is limited. For its size it feels really well made and very solid. 

Comes with a handy holder which isn't 100% necessary when out on the hill which allows you to shave 34g off the total weight which some people would love! As a big chap I'm not sure I'd notice losing 34g in the pack but I'd certainly notice if my stove got damaged so I keep it in the holder. Also helps for finding the stove as it's very diddy!

Field testing

This stove was certainly on the Scottish expedition kit list so field testing took place over 3 days in the Scottish Highlands with some other testing taking place on Dartmoor and Snowdonia. 

The quick boil time came in super handy for keeping us warm once we'd stopped walking - keeping warm and hydrated is key out on the hill - the joy of a boiling hot coffee after 12 hours of walking is something euphoric! 

One of the biggest problems with this stove is the fact it sits straight on to a gas canister... not the safest of bases when you've got a litre of boiling water sitting on top! Positioning this stove on flat ground is key, if you can't find flat ground than you're a bit stuffed! This is very similar to the lightweight stoves due to the lightweight aspect of clipping directly on to gas. I wouldn't recommend using this kit with groups or customers because of the safety aspect. I'd go with a Trangia cooking system or one of the MSR Whisperlite which still keeps weight down but allows for a sturdier cooking system which won't tip over.

Gas efficiency could be better - it's easy to crank the stove up for that quick boil time but this can get through gas very quickly. We took 2 medium sized gas canisters for the 3 day trip being on the safe side and nearly finished off 1 of them. I'm sure this is something MSR and other manufacturers are trying to look at as pans become more efficient and the gas we burn becomes more efficient. 

I was impressed with how quick the stove cooled down - not sure if this is something MSR looked in to or just a happy coincidence! Really nice to let the stove cool down while eating and then pack away so no chance of it getting rained on. 

I first noticed how well made this stove was when it first came out of the packaging, I have to say this stove has met my expectations for durability. It's still perfectly solid after some vigorous use in Scotland, Snowdonia and up on Dartmoor, love kit that just keeps on working and it's hard to find these days! 

Positive points

Quick boil time

Very light

Durable

Not-so-positive points

Can get through gas quickly 

Not very sturdy 

Open flame

Summary

Really great piece of kit for personal use and when camping with a few friends. I really like how lightweight and tough this stove is and how well it can put up with being bashed around. Wasn't too happy with how stable the stove is especially with a pan on top but this is what keeps the stove so light. 

I'd definitely recommend this stove to a friend but I wouldn't recommend for group use due to the safety aspect.