A Sidetracked Studios Production
Written by Daniel Neilson
Photography by Rachel Keenan
Design by John Summerton & Derek Stanley
© 2022 Sidetracked Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Sidetracked Studios Production
Written by Daniel Neilson
Photography by Rachel Keenan
Design by John Summerton & Derek Stanley
© 2022 Sidetracked Ltd. All rights reserved.
SIDETRACKED EQUIPPED // AUTUMN & WINTER 2023
Wolf Outdoors has newly arrived onto our radar. It’s a company that builds quality outdoor gear but is better known in the fishing world. Yep, gear designed to survive the cold and wet. It turns out many outdoor enthusiasts were taking its durable technology out on the hills anyway, and now the brand has launched directly for the outdoor market. We’ve tested a few pieces for Sidetracked Equipped this year and can understand exactly why this gear is flying at the moment.
The Wolf SBP-16 Solar Power Bank is a lightweight power bank for charging on the move. It weighs 357g, impressive for a capacity of 16000mAh (that’s around six full phone charges). It also charges wirelessly, so you don’t need to carry the cables. One side of the powerbank is covered in solar panels so it can charge itself as you go. It also comes with a little LED torch and a protective case. The status of the charge is clearly marked with LED indicators too. This has become a frankly essential piece of gear that we’ve found to be well-built and reliable.
PRICE: £80
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
BioLite describes the BaseCharge 600 as having a wall outlet off-grid. It’s an appealing sentiment and 100 per cent accurate. Batteries are rubbish. The amount of time on expeditions taken up with charging things can be exasperating. The BioLite BaseCharge 600 eliminates so much of this stress. Laptops, phones, cameras, drones, the BaseCharge has it all covered.
We took the smaller of the two options BioLite make. The 600 relates to the battery capacity (more accurately: 622 Wh (21.6V, 28.8 Ah), Li-Ion (NMC)) and there’s a 1500 capacity too. That’s around 48 phone charges and 34 DSLR camera charges. It’s effortless to charge the unit to full from a car or a wall socket – it’s also compatible with BioLite’s SolarPanel 100 for charging far from civilisation.
The design is easy to use – the outputs are clear, plus it is a durable piece of equipment that has been drop and vibration-tested. The dashboard displays ‘hours until empty’, battery percentage, and input/output watts. Sometimes these devices can be tricky to understand, but this is intuitive to use and easy to read without a degree in electrical engineering.
PRICE: £800
WEBSITE: uk.bioliteenergy.com
Yak wool. Yep, from that hulking great beast of the Tibetan Plateau. Animals that have evolved to be ultra efficient at warming their bodies. No surprise, then, that their wool is almost as suited to keeping humans warm. Yak wool is fine and – particularly important for insulating – hollow. This means that less wool is needed to reach the same insulating levels as other wools. And once spun, it is exceptionally tough yet flexible.
kora, a company dedicated to using yak wool in garments, has developed a series of fabrics over the years, blending the wool with other materials. The Kora Yardang Yak Wool Hoodie is 70 per cent superfine merino and 30 per cent premium yak wool. The properties of merino are well documented – it insulates even when wet, as well as being naturally odour resistant and fast drying.
This is a midlayer, designed to fit snugly over a baselayer. And it’s an incredibly comfortable one at that, super soft on the skin even during high-intensity activities. There’s a quarter-length zip and a snug hood that would happily sit under a waterproof jacket’s hood as well. Thumb loops only add to the cosiness you feel wearing this garment.
PRICE: £142
WEBSITE: koraoutdoor.com
The Blundstone Chelsea boot is one of the most recognisable shoes anywhere, believed by… well… seemingly everyone. Including us at Sidetracked because, believe it or not, we don’t spend every second on the mountain. However, Blundstone do make impressive all-weather boots, including the All-Terrain series we tested in Scotland. The key difference that the All-Terrain shoes have is a Vibram rubber outsole designed to be grippy in the mud and across the rocks. The new tread they now use is also designed to shed mud and snow.
The water-resistant leather uppers, and lack of laces, is partly what makes Blundstone’s Chelsea boots so incredibly popular across the world. That said, they’ve had since 1870, when husband and wife team John and Eliza Blundstone started making shoes in Tasmania, to build a following. Even today, 90 per cent of Blundstone’s sales in Australia are work boots.
In a recent interview with Sidetracked, joint CEO Adam Blake told us: ‘We often hear people say that Blundstone is not trying to scream for attention. It’s just there, reliable, timeless, and making durable, comfortable boots.’ But you probably know that already. What you may not know are the efforts Blundstone continue to pioneer, making them a business that does good in the world – from its vegan collection to achieving the goal of sending no waste to landfill. Beautiful boots, ethically produced.
PRICE: £205
WEBSITE: blundstone.co.uk
The Leatherman Signal is now eight years old, and it’s been one of the best-selling multi-tools for a very good reason: everything you need and nothing you don’t. With 19 tools in all, the Signal is expressly designed for outdoor use and very compact at 11.4cm. The fire-starting ferro rod, an emergency whistle, and a one-handed blade are particularly useful for the outdoors. Like all Leatherman multi-tools, there’s a pair of pliers, but you’ll also find a saw, hammer for your tent pegs, bottle opener (no corkscrew, you lush), bit drivers for your bike, and a sharpener. It comes in a nylon sheath.
The Leatherman really is the king of multi-tools for the outdoors, and we – and nearly everyone we know – swear by them. Essential gear and brilliantly built to last and last.
PRICE: £165
WEBSITE: berryuseful.co.uk
Yes, a fan could be seen as a luxury, but as anyone who has woken up in a hot tent or cramped campervan after a day of climbing will attest, a powerful fan would be very welcome. But this device is even more worthwhile when you know it comes with a light and also serves as a powerbank with a very impressive battery capacity.
First, the fan. The Wolf Voltair has an adjustable speed dial and operates almost silently. An automatic rotation feature allows the head to rotate 270º. Most impressive is the battery life – 9–60 hours depending on usage.
The light is a 1.5W LED with three levels of brightness, offering a wide ambient light around your abode. Plus, it also acts as a powerbank, allowing you to charge your phone and other devices on the go. It measures 22.1cm x 7.94cm x 26.75cm and weighs just 796g.
PRICE: £50
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
We’ll be honest, we’ve not tested jump leads on an outdoor gear shoot, but since one of our team is fully embracing #vanlife, we knew we probably should. And as any regular reader of the magazine will attest, our contributors find themselves in some pretty remote situations, where self-sufficiency is essential. ‘Expedition-ready’ doesn’t always mean fancy jackets – hey, we reviewed a portaloo too – it’s about gear that you need and that works when you need it most.
So what is the Goal Zero Venture Jump? Well, yes, it’s jump leads, but with the power behind it to kick start your vehicle’s battery in an emergency. The Venture Jump features an 800A jump starter, but also doubles as an emergency power bank for your phones, via a USB connection. Another smart little feature is a powerful LED light so you can scrabble around safely under the bonnet.
It’s a sturdy piece of kit. It comes in a tidy carry case, but the unit itself is IP67 rated, that offers great protection around sand and dirt, as well as underwater up to 1m for 30 minutes. You probably have bigger problems than a flat battery if that’s being put to the test, but it’s very protected against the wet and snow.
To charge the unit itself, either plug it into a USB-C connector for around three hours, or connect it to solar panels. It is designed to be used effortlessly with Goal Zero’s Nomad range of panels. The shelf-life is every three to six months – charge before you go basically, and you’ll be good.
We’ll be honest, we’ve not tested jump leads on an outdoor gear shoot, but since one of our team is fully embracing #vanlife, we knew we probably should. And as any regular reader of the magazine will attest, our contributors find themselves in some pretty remote situations, where self-sufficiency is essential. ‘Expedition-ready’ doesn’t always mean fancy jackets – hey, we reviewed a portaloo too – it’s about gear that you need and that works when you need it most.
So what is the Goal Zero Venture Jump? Well, yes, it’s jump leads, but with the power behind it to kick start your vehicle’s battery in an emergency. The Venture Jump features an 800A jump starter, but also doubles as an emergency power bank for your phones, via a USB connection. Another smart little feature is a powerful LED light so you can scrabble around safely under the bonnet.
It’s a sturdy piece of kit. It comes in a tidy carry case, but the unit itself is IP67 rated, that offers great protection around sand and dirt, as well as underwater up to 1m for 30 minutes. You probably have bigger problems than a flat battery if that’s being put to the test, but it’s very protected against the wet and snow.
To charge the unit itself, either plug it into a USB-C connector for around three hours, or connect it to solar panels. It is designed to be used effortlessly with Goal Zero’s Nomad range of panels. The shelf-life is every three to six months – charge before you go basically, and you’ll be good.
PRICE: £100
WEBSITE: goalzero.co.uk
‘The world’s most comfortable basecamp mat for two,’ is how Exped describe the MegaMat Duo 10. It’s a bold claim for sure and since we definitely haven’t tried out every double mattress in the world, we wouldn’t want to vouch for it. What we can say is that it’s incredibly comfortable. In fact, almost as comfortable as one at home. We chose ours to fit in the van, and found it easy to inflate, deflate and, well, sleep on.
One of the keys to it being so comfortable – bed sharers prick up your ears – is the sleeping surface. It is designed to be comfortable even on the edge thanks to it’s ‘3D’ construction. It means you don’t begin to roll off towards the edge, increasing the sleeping space. Yipee! There are two values, one for inflating and a large one for deflating quickly. There’s also a little press value to make micro adjustments to the mattresses firmness. The ‘Smart SideWinder Bag’ is a roll-top bag to pack the mattress up into and theres a carry strap for it too.
The Exped MegaMat 10 Duo comes in three sizes, with the 203 cm Queen size being the longest. It’s 10cm thick and has an extreme temperature of –40ºC. You’re getting a good night’s sleep with this mattress. The materials are bluesign certified too.
PRICE: £400
WEBSITE: expeduk.com
PRICE: £190 (sleeping bag)
WEBSITE: expeduk.com
PRICE: £60 (pillow)
WEBSITE: expeduk.com
Warmth and shelter. The two basic needs that must be fulfilled to make any trip successful. There is a time for a few chilly nights out, but not over an extended period of time. We ordered the Exped Mega Sleep Duo 25 and Exped Mega Pillow to go with the Exped MegaMat 10 Duo [LINK] mattress for our van and an exceptionally comfortable night’s sleep for two sharing. The Exped Mega Sleep Duo 25 is described as a ‘4-in-1 sleep solution’ that works as a sleeping bag or blanket. The starting point for Exped designers was to make a portable product that is as comfortable as your set-up at home, but in the field. The mattress, as we’ve written about, is incredibly comfortable, but the bedding and pillows are also essential factors. The Mega Sleep Duo 25 has heavier synthetic insulation on one side of the bag, meaning you can flip that side up on cold nights (dark blue side up has a temperature limit rating of -4ºC), or have a lighter side up on warm summer nights. Each side can also be converted into a solo bag or blanket. It’s incredibly versatile and also packs up into a pretty small bag.
All together weighs 1.81kg, perfectly reasonable for a base camp bag for two. It’s also a climate-neutral product and completely PFC-free.
The Exped Mega Pillow is an inflatable pillow with an insulation-filled cover and is supremely comfortable. Sleep is essential for sleeping, no matter where you are; this is about as good as it gets. No more thrusting jackets into stuff sacks for a pillow here. In fact, you could feasibly carry this on lightweight backpacking trips – given it only weighs 184 grams. Against the skin, it feels lovely – it’s a velvety soft nylon with light insulation.
The inflatable core allows you to very easily adjust it to the exact height you need, making it suitable for side, back and stomach sleepers. Another neat touch is eyelets on either side that allow you to secure it to a sleeping mat. Sleep tight.
Warmth and shelter. The two basic needs that must be fulfilled to make any trip successful. There is a time for a few chilly nights out, but not over an extended period of time. We ordered the Exped Mega Sleep Duo 25 and Exped Mega Pillow to go with the Exped MegaMat 10 Duo [LINK] mattress for our van and an exceptionally comfortable night’s sleep for two sharing. The Exped Mega Sleep Duo 25 is described as a ‘4-in-1 sleep solution’ that works as a sleeping bag or blanket. The starting point for Exped designers was to make a portable product that is as comfortable as your set-up at home, but in the field. The mattress, as we’ve written about, is incredibly comfortable, but the bedding and pillows are also essential factors. The Mega Sleep Duo 25 has heavier synthetic insulation on one side of the bag, meaning you can flip that side up on cold nights (dark blue side up has a temperature limit rating of -4ºC), or have a lighter side up on warm summer nights. Each side can also be converted into a solo bag or blanket. It’s incredibly versatile and also packs up into a pretty small bag. All together weighs 1.81kg, perfectly reasonable for a base camp bag for two. It’s also a climate-neutral product and completely PFC-free.
The Exped Mega Pillow is an inflatable pillow with an insulation-filled cover and is supremely comfortable. Sleep is essential for sleeping, no matter where you are; this is about as good as it gets. No more thrusting jackets into stuff sacks for a pillow here. In fact, you could feasibly carry this on lightweight backpacking trips – given it only weighs 184 grams. Against the skin, it feels lovely – it’s a velvety soft nylon with light insulation.
The inflatable core allows you to very easily adjust it to the exact height you need, making it suitable for side, back and stomach sleepers. Another neat touch is eyelets on either side that allow you to secure it to a sleeping mat. Sleep tight.
PRICE: £190 (sleeping bag)
WEBSITE: expeduk.com
PRICE: £60 (pillow)
WEBSITE: expeduk.com
Leatherman is celebrating its 40-year anniversary in 2023, and it’s the Leatherman Bond that perhaps most closely resembles the first tools made and sold by Tim Leatherman in Portland, Oregon. The story is that in 1975, Tim was travelling through Europe in a Fiat 500, a car that was liable to break down. A lot. Tim became adept at roadside maintenance but realised he needed more than a simple pocket knife to do it. And it was with his head under the bonnet that he came up with the idea of creating a scout knife combined with a pair of pliers. The Bond has 14 tools in its repertoire – including pliers – and errs on the more minimal side of the tools. The blade is non-locking, meaning it’s a legal carry in the UK. That’s what the EDC means: everyday UK legal carry.
Thanks to rounded handles, it’s comfortable to use, too – an often-overlooked aspect on multi-tools. The Bond is among the cheaper of the Leatherman tools, and great as a first foray into tools, or as an everyday backup. For specific outdoor use, however, we’d recommend the Signal.
It comes with a durable nylon sheath and, as always, a 25-year warranty.
PRICE: £70
WEBSITE: berryuseful.co.uk
The HDB in the name refers to Helinox’s Home Deco & Beach collection, a range of furniture that is designed with aesthetics in mind. You’ll find classy muted tones and sweet little additions. If the camping trip you’re going on is in a van and could possibly include fairy lights, this is the Helinox range for you.
That’s not to say it’s at the expense of what makes Helinox furniture so great. The chairs are lightweight, very durable, and effortless to put up. The poles are the same as the famous Chair One original – lightweight DAC poles – but the material is a little heavier weight. It’s a 1200 denier bluesign-certified canvas, that feels luxurious while being very durable. You’ll also see an embossed vegan leather patch. The chairs come with a two-tone carry case. Unpack this chair on the beach or campsite and it’s hard not to freely admit you’re winning at life!
PRICE: £120
WEBSITE: helinox.eu
As soon as you start packing this table in your van or on your camping trip, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. Card games, food prep, dining comfort, general blissful state with a sunset and a glass of wine… a table camping is transformative.
The HDB, as you’ll have read with the matching chairs stands for Home Deco & Beach, and is Helinox’s collection design for the more upmarket camping experience. The design and structure is the same as this ultralight Table One. It is effortless to put up and concertinas out to give a sturdy and stable surface. The DAC poles used for the legs are incredibly lightweight and durable. The key difference is the material used.
The fabric used on the Table One HDB is a poly canvas, slightly heavier than the original material, but lovely to touch and great to look at. It comes in three colours too, if you’re worried about spilling red wine. A lovely addition to the camp set, the finest actually.
PRICE: £150
WEBSITE: helinox.eu
Serious outdoor gear is about trust: trusting it won’t fail you, that it will keep you dry, and keep you warm. Mountain Equipment has that trust in the outdoor community. There are few serious mountaineers or climbers who wouldn’t own a piece of Mountain Equipment gear. Since 1961, Mountain Equipment gear has been used on the world’s highest peaks, all the way to the poles. It just works. It’s true with all categories of gear, but its sleeping bags are particularly renowned.
Mountain Equipment Classic Eco 500 Sleeping Bag is an all-rounder sleeping bag designed for spring, summer, and autumn. It’s a down sleeping bag (minimum content 700 fill power, all recycled) wrapped in a comfortable shell fabric with a water-resistant treatment. Designers have been honing the details for years, and together adds up to a brilliant sleeping bag: the angle of the baffles that avoids hotspots, the fit, the collar closure, and the shape of the hood and toe box. It all just works. It’s pretty light at 990g too. We also like the fact you can choose between a zip on the left or the right.
PRICE: £340
WEBSITE: mountain-equipment.co.uk
The Mozzi-Zappa name gives it away somewhat. If you’re a not-very-bright mosquito attracted by a flame, you’re soon to be barbecued. The Mozzi-Zappa creates a warm glow around your tent, or even outside, and lures in insects with a blue light that emits a special wavelength. It then delivers an 800V shock to quickly dispatch the irritating insect. The dead insects are collected inside the lamp and are easily brushed away (brush included!).
The Mozzi-Zappa also doubles as a lamp, sharing ambient light around the area. A stable flat bottom and hook allow it to be hung.
PRICE: £22.50
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: coffee is non-negotiable. We have tried just about every on-the-go coffee-making method possible: pour-over, cafetiere and Aeropress. And we’ve learnt that a good camping coffee-making set-up requires little cleaning, little faff and an insulated receptacle for the coffee. The new Hydro Flask Insulated French Press is a simple cafetiere-style plunger, but what sets it apart is the company’s flawless design aesthetic and, most importantly, Hydro Flask’s proven insulating qualities.
The TempShield double-wall vacuum insulation will keep the coffee hot for hours. It also means you won’t feel the heat on the outside. It’s made from pro-grade stainless steel, which means it’s also super durable: we can see this wearing in nicely. One of the issues with many cafetieres is the lid. Plunge too fast, and the nearly boiling water (93-94ºC… we know what we’re doing!) is susceptible to popping out the top. The press-in lid eliminates this and keeps it safe around the campsite.
One of the main things to bear in mind with the Hydro Flask Insulated French Press is that with an almost litre size and rather handsome looks, this is also perfect for everyday home use. Bear that in mind, and it automatically becomes a bargain.
The 12 oz Hydro Flask Coffee Mug also has TempShield double-wall vacuum insulation that genuinely maintains the coffee for ages, even with the lid off. The lid is also brilliant, with a sliding opener that avoids splashes and maintains temperature when closed but easily opens, leaving a good flow. The stainless steel design is durable, and the soft touch finish makes it lovely to hold as well.
PRICE:
French Press £60 - wildbounds.com
12 oz Coffee Mug £25 - wildbounds.com
Firstly, we should say that we’ve always found Light My Fire gear to be seriously long-lasting. One team member has well-used kit going back at least a decade. It’s all lovely design too – very ergonomic and all fitting together in a compact way. Most of the items are available individually, but this kit brings all you’ll need. The Light My Fire CampKit is comprehensive. There’s the trademarked and reliable Swedish Fire Steel that will last 3,000 strikes, as well as the Tinder-on-a-Rope: a sustainably sourced fire tinder that lights even when wet. There are stackable cups with lids and plates, four sporks and – essential – a three-part spice container, just in case those salt packets you stole from McDonalds have got wet.
Moving out of camping essentials and into the culinary space is the Grandpa’s FireGrill and Grandpa’s FireFork. The former is a clever device that grasps a stick and holds anything you fancy grilling from smores to mackerel. The foldable grill also opens out into a larger grill base. The FireFork wraps around a stick but has a spike for hotdogs and veggies (or marshmallows!). All the essentials (plus a marshmallow fork) in one handy place.
PRICE: £150
WEBSITE: berryuseful.co.uk
Ooooo this is good. You can feel immediately when something has quality. It’s an intangible feel, a little detail, the sense that time, care and a bit of fun were involved in its design. Klean Kanteen excel at creating sustainable products – they were among the first to make stainless steel bottles in the early 2000s to eliminate plastic. But they also understand how to make products you actually want to pick up and use.
The Klean Kanteen Insulated TKPro Flask is made from stainless steel and silicone, meaning it will gently wear in over years. The cap is a particularly strong feature, with a unique thread design that allows you to pour from all 360-degrees, and is also said to make it more insulated – this will keep coffee warm for hours. There’s a removable insulated cup that doubles as a lid too. It comes in 500ml, 750ml and 1000ml sizes.
PRICE: £43 (750ml)
WEBSITE: kleankanteen.co.uk
Klean Kanteen was set up in the early noughties to start the journey of eliminating plastic bottles. They did this by selling the first BPA-free stainless steel bottles, back in 2004. It’s a single cause business and one we greatly admire for this purpose. It’s family and employee owned, and has B-Corp certification. Good guys making good things. And among the things they’re making are Klean Kanteen Camp Mugs (that are equally suitable for grabbing a long black from your local roastery).
Most noticeable when you pick them up is that they’re so tactile, they feel lovely to hold and great to drink out of. They are made from 90 per cent post-consumer recycled stainless steel and have a large handle for a cosy feel while, say, drinking hot chocolate around the fire. The mugs will keep your coffee warm for up to 3.5 hours. An iced coffee will stay cold for up to 9.5 hours. A great addition to your camp set up or home.
PRICE: £25
WEBSITE: kleankanteen.co.uk
Coffee on the mountain is a luxury, an essential luxury. It would have a particularly lightweight trip for us not to pack the coffee. And on a camping trip: non-negotiable. We love the ritual, and that it forces you to slow down. Especially, it should be said, when you’re grinding your own beans, as the GSI Javagrind Pourover Set lets you do. Freshly ground beans, that’s no argument, do taste better than ready ground, and with this little compact grinder and pour over set, you’ve got the perfect morning coffee. The key element is the expanding silicone cone that collapses to two centimetres high. Pop in a #4 filter and it happily sits on any container. It also comes with a fine mesh reusable filter. The cover also doubles as a trivet for the cone to keep everything clean.
The grinder is an adjustable conical ceramic burr grinder, which is to say, great quality, and better than blade-style grinders – we’re already using this at home. A sturdy alloy handle is cranked to grind the coffee beans, and then it all packs up in a little carry case.
We also carried the GSI Glacier Stainless Glass with an insulated vacuum wall that keeps your coffee very hot or your dram very cold. Not only does it feel great to hold, but seems virtually indestructible. The ‘Glacier Stainless’ is a range of GSI cookware that is rust proof, non-reactive and really efficient at maintaining heat in the liquid. We wouldn’t go into the mountains without coffee, so may as well make it the best we possibly can. There was a lot of love for this one.
PRICE: £67
WEBSITE: ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk
Wait? What? A wearable sleeping bag? Yep, it’s a thing. And a very good thing at that. If you can get over the fact that you’ll be bouncing around the campfire like the Michelin Man, this bag/garment/erm makes perfect sense. It keeps you warm, it allows you to move, and you’re not going to get too chilly when you need a wee in the middle of the night.
The name for the bag was inspired by the Selk’Nam People from the southern end of Patagonia – a very chilly place for much of the year. This spirit and energy is imbued in the company, which was founded in 2009. There’s a sense of fun and adventure, but that shouldn’t detract from the practicalities of the Selk’bag.
Once you’ve climbed into it you’ll notice all the details: the elastic hand closures, the adjustable hood, the kangaroo pocket and leg vents. The booties are easily removable too when nature calls (or you’re dancing around the fire). Every element of the bag is made from recycled material, including the synthetic insulation. It has a comfort rating of 6°C and a limit of 2°C.
PRICE: £140
WEBSITE: selkbag.co.uk
Not the most snappily titled piece of equipment we’ve seen here, but certainly one of the most useful. And the reason for the ‘SNAP’ part of the name is a brilliant feature. The 450-lumen LED light has a magnetic attachment that affixes it to the head unit, but can also be detached for use as a regular torch (or to attach to anything metal). Such a simple idea that adds huge amounts of versatility to the device.
The light has three modes: a dimmable spot beam, a flash mode, and a red LED to preserve night vision and not blind mates in the tent.
The ‘kit’ element of the name refers to the other useful attachments included, including a carabiner mount and clip so that you can dangle it spookily from your tent ceiling or attach it to a backpack. We were particularly impressed that it included a handlebar attachment for your bike. The LED light is impressively bright at 450 lumens, as is the burn time of up to 100 hours.
This is a highly adaptable piece of kit.
PRICE: £75
WEBSITE: princetontec.co.uk
Wolf Outdoors is a new brand to the UK market, coming from the adjacent industry of fishing. It has been quietly adopted by outdoor enthusiasts thanks to its durable nature and diverse range of products (you’ll see several items in this Equipped). The Wolf MPL-400 Headlamp is a well-priced multifunction head light suited to all manner of situations. It powers a 400-lumen LED light with a tightly focused beam. There’s also a red mode so you can keep your night vision (once you’ve been shouted at by your friends). We really like the ambient mode that can illuminate a tent, diffusing the light across a wide area.
As you’d expect from Wolf Outdoors, it’s IPX7 rated, meaning that it is waterproof (immersion up to 1m), and durably made from an aluminium alloy. It’s also tiny at just 4cm in diameter. It’s easy to use too, with a clear button on the top, and effortless to toggle through the modes. Charging is through a Type-C USB charger.
PRICE: £20
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
In the outdoors, there’s always a focus on head torches. Yes, they’re essential – but so is a decent light in your tent/van/igloo/yurt, especially if there are a few of you. Enter the Wolf LPB-260 Bivvi Light & Powerbank. It was designed initially for fishing, like much of Wolf’s equipment, but that makes it equally suited to other outdoor use. And, as the name suggests, it can be used as a powerbank to charge your devices.
The Wolf LPB-260 Bivvi Light & Powerbank is a tight little unit of 10 white LED lights and four red LED lights (for night vision). Four blue indicator lights demonstrate the power status. There’s also a green LED to help you locate it in the dark or, more inevitably, at the bottom of your rucksack. Its torch mode will illuminate up to 30m. Two magnets on the top, and one on the far end, allow attachment to a bivvi and magnetic plate. It comes in a protective carry case. On any car camping or van trip, this is exactly the piece of gear that will add value to your trip.
PRICE: £25
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
The call of nature is within us all. The great outdoors, the mountains, the ocean. And, yes, you’ve seen this joke coming from the first four words, the call of nature is also within us all. And when it calls, you gotta go.
Wolf Outdoors, a brand that began life on the fishing banks of Britain, has solved this problem with an affordable and lightweight compact toilet. If you are setting up a base camp, travelling in a camper, or car camping, this is a superb solution that doesn’t damage the environment and mitigates the need for the dreaded trowel.
Small and lightweight, it weighs 1,321g and folds down to just 11cm high. When packed away the portaloo measures 31.5cm x 27 x 11cm; when erected it measures 31.5cm x 27 x 30cm.
It’s sturdy too, supporting up to 150kg. The loo comes with compostable and biodegradable waste bags and sachets of waste-managing powder, so there’s genuine containment and neutralisation of unpleasant odours.
An essential potty, even for dogs.
PRICE: £50
WEBSITE: wolf-outdoors.com
After our escapade up Schiehallion, we descended back to our van and tent ‘basecamp’ lochside. Here we had warmth (sleeping bags, mats, pillows), shelter (van and a tent), food (a rather lovely chilli), water (that had been turned into wine) and rest.
@sidetrackedmag // www.sidetracked.com