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: Berghaus Mera Peak Jacket

Review time! Today's review is the Mera Peak Jacket made by Berghaus, from what I can gather on their website it is manufactured within the UK.

RRP - £260
Weight - 741g

Berghaus description - "Classic Lightweight 2 Layer GORE-TEX Performance Shell Jacket"

Initial thoughts

Straight out the box there's a really nice feel to this jacket, it feels like a proper hard shell and it's got the recognisable sound of Gore-Tex too! It's a good weight, feels comfortable while wearing it and as with most Berghaus products it's well made. I'm quite a big lad so I went for the xxl and it is big! I could have probably got away with an xl but managed to tighten it in using the various toggles to get a tight fit. Other Berghaus products in this size are a big smaller so I'm wondering why the cut changed so much.

To sum up the initial thoughts, feels like a tough jacket and well made. I remember hoping for it to hammer down with rain when this jacket first arrived!

Field testing

Another piece of kit from the 2012 Scottish trip! Strangely for Scotland it didn't rain until we'd been there for 4 days!

On the 2nd night of the expedition it begun... the famous sound... tap, tap, tap on the tent! At last! The rain was here and it didn't stop! From the 2nd night through to arriving at the minibus on day 3 it poured it down. This jacket was on from first thing in the morning till the minibus and I managed to keep pretty dry!

Setting off on a gradual climb I had some trouble with being too hot in the jacket so I decided to take the hood down and keep it zipped up, it managed to keep my torso very dry even with the hood down. In hindsight I should have done the pitzips before taking the hood down but I tend to run pretty warm in general so I wasn't too worried about a cold head!

With this level of waterproofing the challenge lies in making it super breathable so the person wearing it doesn't get covered in condensation from their own sweat, I think Berghaus and Gore-Tex did a pretty good job in this aspect, only on the big climbs did I find the jacket locking in a lot of moisture.

Positive points!

Great feel to the jacket
Tough Gore-Tex
Pit Zips
Plenty of pockets

Not-so-positive points!

Big size!
More breathable, a fault of most jackets, still!
Price is a bit high

Summary

A solid, well made jacket that is great for conditions in the UK - I'm not sure how this jacket would fare in more extreme weather. For the price I think you could find something better but if you love Berghaus and are loyal to them then it's a winner.

I'd recommend to a friend but would make sure they look around for a better price than the RRP.

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.

Review: Osprey Aether 70 Rucksack

Review time! Today's review is the Osprey Aether 70, a pack made by Osprey who are an American company with manufacturer taking place in Vietnam.

RRP - £160
Weight - 2.24kg

Osprey description - "Lightweight and comfortable Aether 70 is a versatile pack with adequate space and organization for weekend or weeklong trips lasting 3 to 7 days"

This pack is also under the backpacking/mountaineering category.

Initial thoughts

Straight away you can see the toughness of the pack, when holding it the fabric feels strong and there is a lot of stitching keeping it all together, as I mentioned in my previous review, I love strong and well made kit and this bag straight away filled me with confidence. In the shop I managed to have it weighted up with a few bits of kit just to get a feel of the pack when loaded and it felt like part of me! The range of sizing options allow for this pack to be fiddled and jiggled till it's just right. This is a very large pack for me as my normal pack is a 52 litre and a bit more streamlined.

Overall the initial impression of the pack is that it's well made, a thought through design and should be able to handle 3 days camping with ease due to its size.

Field testing 

The reason I bought this pack was for a trip to Scotland to supervise a couple of Gold DofE teams in the Cairngorms so some really good testing conditions!

As I said before this pack is big so getting my kit in for a 2 night/3 day expedition was easy - sleeping bag and sleeping mat fit together snugly at the bottom of the pack with clothes/food/stove/gas fitting in comfortably above them - even managed to sneak in a luxury inflatable pillow! This bag has a special hip belt which allows for the pads to be molded to a person, unfortunately the store in which I bought this bag doesn't have the correct machine but even without the custom molding the bag is super comfy on your back, after adjusting the back and getting the Osprey bladder in to the bag I was ready to take on some serious walking!

The first day of walking is always the hardest especially when you're carrying a not-so-technical tent and emergency group kit for a 3 day expedition - this pack really helped me focus on the map work and keeping hydrated due to the comfort and weight distribution. I find some big bags can cause problems in windy conditions due to the added surface area of you as an object but the Osprey has 3 tightening straps which help bring the pack in and bring that surface area down, I found that on some of the more exposed part of the walk the bag would catch the wind a bit but I think it's fair to say you'd expect this from most 70+ litre packs.

Once we arrived at our wild campsite - a beautiful lake located up around 1,000 metres - we got around to setting up the tent, getting the bed ready and sorting some food! This pack has a feature known as J-panel access - basically on the front of the bag there is a zip which allows for access as if the bag were a holdall as opposed to reaching into the unknown and hoping to grab what you're looking for - this feature was really useful as I may have not packed in the most efficient order meaning food was not near the top! I had some worries about the position of the zip, if this was to break then the pack could easily become quite redundant - I think Osprey have thought about this as the zip used is a very tough weather resistant one, so the weight and durability factor was taken into account.

Day two was a very gentle day walking down from 1,000m up to around 700m and following a stunning river towards the next camp which was around 15 miles away by the Corrour bothy. The pack was a tad lighter due to dinner and breakfast being eaten and a little less water in the bladder because of the proximity of the river. Once again the rucksack felt really nice on the shoulders even though they were a little sore - I think the pack caused some of the soreness, maybe due to rubbing but also because my mat had decided to break and cold Scottish ground doesn't do wonders for the back, neck and shoulder area. We continued on to the night 2 camp after seeing both groups and catching up with them. Once again the J-panel access feature was useful and the pack was handling being thrown around the Scottish wilderness quite well, no damage was showing up which I was impressed by as there had been a few overly casual pack throwing incidents.

Day 3 was the final day of walking and what we had been waiting for finally arrived... Scottish rain! We didn't get walking till around 11am as we had to wait for the group to pass through before we continued pass them and out of the mountains through the Charlemagne Gap. Me being the super mountain man I am didn't realise that there's a waterproof liner located somewhere within the pack - luckily I always bag up all my equipment within dry bags so this didn't cause too much of an issue - I would have liked to be made more aware of this sort of feature as it could have cost me a few night's sleep on a longer expedition. After a 12 mile walk in the rain (felt like many more miles!) we got back to the minibus and went off to find a bunkhouse!

A few extra little points which I really like about this bag; there's a small message on the inside about the ethics of the outdoors and reminds people to leave no trace when out camping in wilderness, plenty of straps and cords to get the bag really tight together and bring down the surface area and the guarantee is lifelong for defects and damage - there's something very nice about a company with that much confidence in their own product!

Positive points!

Very well made
Strong fabric
J-Panel Access
Cost
Custom molded hip belt*
Zip Pulls**

*Although I didn't have access to the machine which heats up the heat belt I'm sure this could only be a positive as it brings the pack closer in to your body and allows for a better distribution of weight on your hips.

**Didn't really mention these in the review but each zip has a good sized loop attached which helps when the fingers are a little numb!

Not-so-positive points!

Sore shoulders on day 2 may have been caused by the pack but it's hard to say.

Summary

This is a really well made pack produced by one of my favorite rucksack manufacturers with a lifelong guarantee and a solid build quality. I'm very glad I brought this pack and it's still going strong around 11 months after purchase - as with most products of this quality the real test will be how long it lasts and I'll mention it in the blog if anything goes wrong! Really impressed with how the rucksack performed and I'm going to try and take it on a longer expedition to push the weight distribution and see how much kit it can take! If and when this happens I'll put up another post with any more findings and feelings towards the Aether.

Solid pack and super comfy! I'd definitely recommend purchasing this pack to a friend.

Kit review - Arcteryx Atom LT Jacket

Review time! This week it's the Arcteryx Atom LT Jacket, this is a lightweight insulated jacket manufactured in Canada by Arcteryx.

RRP - £160
Weight - 336g

Arcteryx description - "Insulated, mid-layer jacket with wind and moisture resistant outer face fabric; Ideal as a layering piece for cold weather activities."

Initial thoughts 

This is a seriously light jacket, I was shocked at how light the box was when it arrived and on pulling it out you can see why it's light - it's a very thin jacket compared to some of the down insulated jackets available. I wondered how warm something that light could keep you so braving the weather I chucked the jacket on with only a t-shirt underneath and it definitely kept me warm, the weather was hovering around 2°C with wind chill involved the weather was probably 0°C, as the description said this jacket is designed as a mid-layer so I was waiting for some serious cold weather before I could actually test the jacket! 

As with all Arcteryx products you can immediately tell this is a well made piece of kit, the fit is perfect for walking and climbing, it doesn't ride up and get stuck above trousers so no chilly belly button. The elastic cuffs keep the jacket nice and tight to the wrist so wind can't get up there and also just helps with the general comfyness level. 

Field Testing

As I mentioned before I'd managed to get this jacket out in weather around the 0°C but I was sure this jacket could handle scarier weather than that! 

Luckily a climbing trip was scheduled and with the weather looking cold and dry I grabbed the Atom LT for some serious testing! Up on Dartmoor with the thermometer reading -3°C and with some harsh winds blowing through the Tors this jacket was tested and I may have got a bit chilly! In all fairness I was wearing a t-shirt and baselayer under the jacket with no hard shell so not exactly what this jacket was designed for but I did have higher hopes for it as a stand alone jacket. 

I've been out in this jacket and caught in showers a few times and the rain beads up and falls off very well, some of the heavier showers have caused a bit of dampness but I've still been warm. This is where synthetic insulation jackets are superior to down, the quick dry time and other benefits of synthetic keep you warm through the rains where a down jacket would turn into a soggy pillow. 

I've now owned the Atom LT for around 8 months - it's currently got 1 strip of tape on it over a small tear and a few tufts where the material has taken a hit - It's been a pretty solid jacket, reliable in the cold weather we receive in England, for the price I struggle to think of a similar jacket in terms of the quality of workmanship and fit. The DWR coating is still very good and water continues to bead on the jacket, I'm interested to see how long this lasts and whether the jacket this has some usefulness when water can easily access the insulation. 

Positive points! 

Lightweight jacket
Stuffs down very small
Great fit
Elasticated wrists 
Very well made

Not-so-positive points!

Outer fabric strength

Summary

This is a solid insulated jacket for when the weather is around 0°C anything colder than this and I'd want something a bit more solid. A really well put together jacket, one of the things that upset me was the tear in the fabric - this may have been me going through brambles and branches a bit too aggressively but I can't remember where it took place - I like to be able to rely on equipment and this took some of my confidence in the jacket away. For the weight of the jacket the outer fabric is never going to be bullet proof and as it's designed to be a midlayer I can't really put too much of the blame on the jacket. A really comfy and cosy jacket which fits well and should last a long time.

When it comes down to it this jacket is a beauty and I'd happily recommend it to a friend.