| Outdoor Clothing | Camping Equipment | Tents | Ski Jackets | Ski Goggles | Baselayers | HikingADVICE ON CHOOSING GEAR What clobber you choose is a pretty subjective thing, but below we've tried to give you a few hints at what to look for. We will be adding to the list over the coming months. | Choosing a Tent Get your calculator out quick - if four people are camping, what sized tent would you buy? This and many other riddles are answered here ...
Tents - Click here to read more | Choosing a Camping Stove? Propane, butane, meths, kerosene, esbit, hexamine - what is this a rave or a camping shop. Stoves and their fuel explained...
Tents - Click here to read more |  | Choosing Waterproofs Strange things have happen to waterproofs recently. We all know how fantastically waterproof they are (30,000 mm of hydrostatic head.. wow) and how unbeleiveably breathable they are (21,000g/m2/24hrs ... phew) but ...
Click here to continue |  | Advice on choosing Skiwear Not surprisingly, for the majority of buyers, skiwear needs to be inexpensive, or, in your words
cheap. But being cheap doesn't mean being poor quality.
Click here to continue |  | Baselayers Advice Apart from your last purchase from Thongs-R-US, base layers are probably one of the most important items of clothing you can buy.
The world's most expensive jacket would be useless ...
Click here to continue |  | Windshirts Let's clear this up from the start - I know they aren't waterproof but they're not meant to be.
The good old fashioned layering system is still alive and well. No matter how great your waterproof jacket is, it will still have a saturation point
Click here to continue |  | Walking trousers Your hiking pants need to be many things and there are a variety of feature options. Most importantly though, one big hole at the top and a couple of smaller ones at the bottom.
Other features that would be useful:
Click here to continue |  | Advice on Insulated Jackets According to Ian McCaskill down there, or whoever now does the BBC weather, it's going to be parky this January and February, so choosing outdoor gear that will keep you warm in the UK climate could be of interest to you Here's a brief description of the beauty of insulation.
Click here to continue |  | LEKI Walking Poles LEKI USA is always written in capital letters because it is an acronym.
LEKI is pronounced, "Lake-ee". LE are the first two letters of the owner's last name, Klaus Lenhart, and KI is from the location of the company, Kirchheim/Teck, Germany.
Click here to continue | Jacket Jargon Breathability - process where body moisture passes through materials to the outside
Wicking - the act of body moisture being drawn through clothing layers
Hydrophillic fabric - materials that love water, molecular chains attract vapour and pass it through to the outside of the garment.
Microporous fabric - microscopic pores big enough to let perspiration vapour through.
DWR - Durable Water Repellent finish. Applied to the outer fabric of jackets, so water droplets appear to sit on or roll off the surface.
Wetting out - This indicates the DWR has worn off and needs refreshing or replacing. Rain won't necessarily seep in, although a water logged fabric will lose breathability and will get wet from the inside (thanks to condensation from sweating forming inside the jacket).
Ripstop fabric - Easily identified by faint criss-cross lines in the fabric. This ensures any tears won't immediately spread right across the jacket panel.
Storm Flap - Single or double strip of fabric protecting the main front zip from rain.
Retained drawcords - drawstrings, particularly on hoods. where the ends are tucked away or sewn into the jacket so they don't flap around.
Armpit zips - zips under the armpits that can be opened to allow in air for ventilation.
|
| |