review
One-year review: As Tucas Sestrals Quilt
A wonderfully simple and effective piece of ultralight gear ‘Sleep outdoors, comfortably,’ is the tagline for the Sestrals Quilt by As Tucas – a simple, ultralight, synthetic quilt optimised for three-season conditions. As Tucas gear is made by hand in the Pyrenees by an experienced long-distance walker who knows a lot
14 months with the MLD Trailstar
Much has been written about the Trailstar, and at several points over the last year I’ve asked myself if the world really needs another Trailstar review. It’s a known quantity now. Some in the backpacking world have already moved beyond the Trailstar to other shelters entirely. But my
Follow-up review: Trailpix ultralight tripod
In my initial hands-on review of this innovative product, I concluded that ‘I think this is going to be exactly what I’ve been looking for’. After using it in the field, I’ve changed my mind. Here’s why. What and who is this thing for, again? * It’s
→ Review: Lightwave t10 Raid
The Lightwave t10 Raid is a lightweight one-person tunnel tent. While many other backpacking tents are strong but heavy, or light but not great in high winds, the t10 Raid aims to tick every box: absolutely rock-solid performance in the worst weather, despite weighing only 1.45kg. But how does
Icefall by Alex Staniforth – book review
Icefall by Alex Staniforth Books about Everest have become so commonplace that readers might wonder if there’s still anything new to say about the mountain. And, let’s face it, ‘inspirational’ is an over-used word these days – in fact, I tend to avoid it. But in the case of
Haute Route Pyrenees gear report
I recently returned from a section hike of the Haute Route Pyrenees. Here’s a brief look at how some of my items of gear performed. See the complete gear list here. Footwear Although I’ve sung the praises of the Merrell All Out Peak trail shoes before, my enthusiasm
Book review and interview: Minigrooves by Riccardo Mori
This article was originally published on pinnacleeditorial.co.uk. Since I have merged that domain with alexroddie.com, I am gradually republishing significant articles from the Pinnacle Blog. In 2014, I reviewed an innovative serialised novel called Low Fidelity. In my review I concluded that ‘The overall result is startlingly
Review: Mountain Podcast, Episode 3
Mountain A Podcast About Adventure Hosted by Christopher Sleight Mountain is a hot new outdoors podcast produced and hosted by Christopher Sleight. Having already enjoyed the first two episodes, I had a chance to catch up with episode three this morning – and I think it’s the best yet. Episode
‘Beyond the Wall’ Books One and Two by Lucas Bale launched
Beyond the Wall Books One and Two By Lucas Bale My friend and colleague Lucas Bale has just released books one and two of his critically acclaimed Beyond the Wall series as a collected volume. Here’s my summary review of this remarkable work of science fiction. To read my
Review and interview: Mountain podcast, Episode 1
Mountain A Podcast About Adventure Hosted by Christopher Sleight Podcasts are hot right now, with interest surging in the format. If you haven’t come across one before, a podcast is simply a short episode of recorded audio on any subject, usually produced as part of a series. Mountain is