All | translate:/Global/SiteRating: 4 | Not Yet Reviewed | 100-199g

A tight fitting, athletic top built for high-energy activities, and as such may frighten off more casual users. The tight fit ensures that moisture is lifted quickly away from the skin and sent to the outside. Body-mapping has also been used to provide a little extra insulation in key areas. Best of all is the seamless construction, which means a ...

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Montane Bionic Long Sleeve Crew Neck (2012)

£60.00

A really lightweight base-layer made from Sportwool – a unique fabric that blends the best properties of merino wool on the inside, and polyester on the outside. Merino wool excels at trapping water vapour perspiring from the skin, whilst polyester transports moisture to the outside, spreading it out so the fabric dries extremely fast. So this base-layer works just as ...

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Ring Cyba-Lite Sensor (2012)

£31.00

As the Ring Cyba-Lite Sensor’s name suggests, this headtorch has a motion control sensor built into it so you simply need to sweep your hand across the front of it to turn it on or off. This sounds like a good idea, but in use I found it rather irritating as you need to move your hand in just the ...

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Alpkit Gamma (2012)

£13.00

Alpkit is well-known for providing great kit at incredible prices, although the drawback is that you can only buy the gear direct from the brand, so you won’t find this headtorch in your local outdoor store. The Gamma has a main LED that punches out a good beam of light, but it is not as clean or as wide as ...

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Rab Latok Glove (2012)

£62.00

While most gloves are designed to be warm, waterproof and hardwearing, there is another important requirement that many users would benefit from – and that is a good grip. The Rab Latok Glove is special in that it has a silicone print on the palm that is incredibly sticky, which makes gripping rock when scrambling, trekking poles or ice axes ...

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Sealskinz Performance Activity Glove (2012)

£45.00

Sealskinz is best known for its superb range of waterproof socks. The company has used the same technology to develop an extremely wide range of gloves too, and these benefit from that same close-fitting style that made the socks so popular. The Performance Activity Glove benefits from Primaloft insulation for extra warmth yet the glove still manages to fit very ...

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Extremities Corbett Glove (2012)

£45.00

The Extremities Corbett Glove has been around for many years and it is a well-proven glove for hillwalking. Surprisingly for the price, you are getting a Gore-Tex waterproof lining inside, which is insulated with a brushed polyester liner and this is precisely fitted to the shell so that nothing snags and you can easily get your hands in and out ...

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Lifesystems Intensity 80 (2012)

£25.00

On first appearances the Lifesystems Intensity 80 looks very much like the Alpkit Gamma, but it has some important differences. Primarily the Intensity 80 has a motion sensor that allows you to wave your hand across the front of the headtorch to turn it on and off. The benefit of this is that it makes it extremely easy to operate ...

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Mountain Equipment Guide Glove (2012)

£40.00

This glove is a well-established and decent all-rounder. It benefits from Mountain Equipment’s own DriLite Extreme waterproof insert, which helps keeps the price down. Inside, the fleece and pile lining does not snag when you slip your wet hand inside, which makes it really easy to put on. As the glove is precurved and the lining is not too thick, ...

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Coleman Multi-Colour LED Headlamp (2012)

£30.00

I particularly liked the rotating control knob on the Coleman Multi-colour LED Headlamp as it made switching between settings a doddle. You get three power settings from the main white LED; however this provides a very narrow beam of light, which is not as useful when hillwalking or camping as the broader beams provided by other torches. There’s also a ...

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Mammut X-Shot (2012)

£85.00

The Mammut X-Shot benefits from a good range of white light outputs, from a full-power beam that is very clean, bright and wide to a more expansive flood for short-range use. You can buy an additional ambient light diffuser, which transforms the headtorch into a source of good general light when camping. The excellent quality of the light should make ...

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Memory-Map Adventurer 2800 2010

£250.00

In 2000 Memory-Map changed the way hill-walkers plan their routes. Now they are about to change the way walkers navigate in the hills, if this GPS receiver performs as well as their PC software. Already dominating the PC mapping software market, Memory-Map has released the Adventurer 2800, yours for just £250. DesignThe Adventurer 2800 is a small, neat, quietly understated ...

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Silva Trail Runner 2010

£50.00

The Trail Runner, a new headtorch from Silva, is designed for runners as the name suggests, but it should be equally at home on the heads of less speedy mountain movers. The headtorch has a high-powered LED plus a pair of standard LEDs, and together these combine to provide a wide flood as well as a longer beam for searching ...

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Arc’Teryx Rho LT Zip 2009

£75.00

Arc’Teryx has long been known as a purveyor of quality kit: they put a lot of thought into the workmanship of their products, and keep their gear lean and nonsense-free. The Arc’Teryx Rho LT Zip base layer is supremely comfortable: its fit is on the close side, forcing the soft-feeling microfleece layer against the skin for excellent wicking action; and ...

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Helly Hansen Hybrid Top 2009

£65.00

The Helly Hansen Hybrid Top base layer is very ‘engineered’: it’s one of a new wave of hybrid tops that use a range of materials in various areas for various purposes. This includes Helly’s three systems – Cool, Dry and Warm – in one feature-stacked top. The merino wool component to this base layer (27 per cent) is good at ...

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Marmot Midweight Long Sleeve 2009

£44.00

The Marmot Midweight Long Sleeve is an exceptionally light yet weirdly substantial-feeling base layer. Put it on and it’s warm, yet it wicks well. This is down to the Polartec Powerdry fabric, which is warm, slightly stretchy and good at managing moisture. It uses an ecologically aware ‘Upcycle’ policy, which utilises industrial cast-offs. This base layer also uses Cocona technology, ...

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Páramo Cambia Base Layer 2009

£40.00

The Páramo Cambia Base Layer is reversible, so it’s great value. One surface is for use in cold weather, and is pocked with small indents designed to trap air next to the skin. The other is for warmer conditions and is a dense, silky-smooth surface, which pulls sweat away from the skin. The top is comfortable, looser-fitting and has no ...

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Howies NBL Light Long Sleeve 2009

£40.00

The Howies NBL Light Long Sleeve base layer is the surprise of the test. Howies has long been established as a funky eco-fashion brand, but it also has good technical credentials – as attested by the many mountain bikers who have picked up on it. I suspect this is due to the cut: this top is very long, with a ...

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Patagonia Capilene 2 Zip 2009

£32.00

The Patagonia Capilene 2 Zip is a fine base layer: very light, with a loose fit that provides plenty of airflow, a relatively open weave that allows plenty of breathability, plus a good cut and a generous zip that means you won’t be overheating. Patagonia has used its own Capilene synthetic fabric, which wicks especially well and is treated with ...

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Lowe Alpine Lightweight DryFlo Zipneck 2009

£30.00

Lowe Alpine has excelled at producing base layers for many years, and the Lightweight Dryflo Zipneck is a fine exponent of this high quality. It’s exceptionally good at wicking away sweat, utilising different grades of polyester weave on the inside and outside of the fabric to draw moisture to the outside surface. The garment has an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) ...

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Keela ADS Long Sleeve Zip Top 2009

£20.00

The Keela ADS Long Sleeve Zip Top base layer is a steal at the price; if it was a tenner more it would still be a bargain. Keela is very good at backing up its fine reputation for affordable quality, and this base layer is a great example of a basic yet does-the-job piece of kit which outperforms many comparable ...

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Vaude Thermo Base LS Shirt 2009

£70.00

The Vaude Thermo Base LS Shirt base layer weighs 189g (size 46); closer fit; light; excellent wicking; very breathable; antibacterial treatment; Bluesign ecological standards; perspiration zones aid moisture movement; good stretch; really durable. But incredibly expensive; cut shorter than some; only available in white or black (the former is not ideal for summer and the latter shows dirt). (01165) 510660; ...

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Salomon Merino II Zip Tech Tee 2009

£60.00

The Salomon Merino II Zip Tech Tee base layer weighs 159g (men’s S); closer fit; merino wool aids warmth, giving the best of both worlds in theory; good cuffs and close-fitting collar; very comfortable against skin; wicks well; light; quick-drying. But zip a bit short; shortish sleeves and hem; only 20% merino, so name could mislead; pricy. (01276) 404860; www.salomonsports.com

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MSR Titan Kettle 2009

£43.00

The MSR Titan Kettle’s titanium pot and lid provide outstanding performance for the weight and packed size. The 0.85 litre pot is large enough to accommodate a 250g gas cartridge and small enough to be used as a drinking cup. A spout makes pouring easier. But it’s just one pot and lid, so it’s not ideal for more ‘culinary’ cooks. ...

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Vargo Ti-Lite Mug 2009

£32.00

The Vargo Ti-Lite Mug is a titanium 750ml pot and lid combo that is extremely lightweight and compact provides outstanding performance for the weight and packed size. The pot comes with a mesh stuffsack that weighs 14g if you are counting! But one pot and lid limits use to pretty basic cooking. The lid slips off a bit easily too. ...