I’ve been wearing the Ladakh Jacket all winter since early November when Rab sent it to me, during every outing and course, mountain day to school run. I’ve spent 6 hours out during storm Ciara and 4 hours out in storm Dennis to gain a full appreciation of what this jacket is actually like under those circumstances.

I’ve been using this tent for a while now, but in this review ill be using my experience of this tent from out recent endeavor, when we attempted to cross the Cairngorms on a single bearing, in October, On the trip we experienced persistent heavy rain and gusts of up to 60mph, so in other words... we tested it well!

We’ve had some interest in the equipment we used for such a mobile expedition over challenging terrain, and with some of our kit being so generously provided to us my a few excellent companies, I thought I’d quickly lay out what we took with us and how it performed.

The second of a monthly series we are creating here at Howl: A Bow drill set from scratch in the wild. Crafting a set, and taking ember to flame with tinder available on the day.

I needed a lighter weight, synthetic mountain shell… I had to come to Keela for advice as they’d never let me down before. We were aiming to cross the Cairngorms for a fundraising effort, and Keela was there to support us: Enter the Stratus Shell Jacket. 

The first of a monthly series we’re creating here at Howl: A Bow drill set from scratch in the wild. Crafting a set, and taking ember to flame with tinder available on the day.

The long winter nights are bookending blustery days, sunlight is in short supply, and freezing precipitation is a regular concern. It’s the colder season, you’re only spurred on by the prospect of sub-zero adventures…but what should you add into your usual Daypack when considering a Winter day hike?

In this video I unpack my rucksack and talk you through what I carry for a typical camping trip in the woods.

What follows is a trip report, a reminiscence of sorts covering a short canoe trip myself and my colleague Max took to Glen Affric at the start of January 2019. I’ve tied my field notes together with a few captions from Max of the two nights we spent under winters Orion, in some of the finest country I’d had the pleasure to journey through.