European Animal Tracks Handbook Review A long while ago I lived and worked on the North Yorkshire Moors and in a small Pickering bookshop I spotted an intriguing book. It was a copy of Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs by Preben Bang and Preben Dahlstrom. I promptly bought it and consequently spent my…
Rab Evolute Hoody Review In my decades of climbing, walking and working in the outdoors I’ve been lucky enough to witness and also be part of a revolution in outdoor clothing and equipment. When I began climbing and mountaineering as a teenager the age of thick woolly jumpers, breeches and heavy cotton canvas smocks was…
Sungod Renegades There is always a dilemma with sunglasses; buy a cheap pair knowing that they will break at some point and that’s fine because they were cheap. Or buy an expensive pair and hope that you might look after them a bit better but knowing that eventually you will probably break or loose them…
PHD Wafer Down Jacket Review Review of the PHD Wafer Down Jacket. An amazingly light and warm down jacket made in the UK. Last year I consciously made an effort to reduce my pack weight while wild camping on Mountain Leader training and assessment courses. Just by trimming the weight of a few key items I…
Alex’s Top 5 Best Items of Gear in 2024. This years equipment choices have been based around a winter road trip to Utah and Arizona in the USA and lots of Mountain Leader training and assessment courses. Cold and dry conditions in the American South West deserts and then the usual mixed weather in the…
Our equipment reviews and tests have always been a very popular feature of our website. Everyone loves outdoor kit and here at Beyond the Edge we are all secret gear freaks and we get very excited by a new bit of equipment to try out. Our instructing and coaching team use their kit in the worlds…
The South Yorkshire Moors Book Review A hand drawn guide to walking and exploring the moorlands of South Yorkshire and Northern Derbyshire, covering large parts of the Dark peak. Books are great resources for all trainee Lowland and Hill and Moorland leaders. Over the years we have recommended various titles and some have now become…
Five Road Trip Essentials One of the greatest traditions and pleasures of the outdoor life is the road trip. Sleeping on the back seat of your car or bivouacking on the side of the road. Or the ultimate road trip luxury of a camper van or RV. What’s important isn’t what you accomplished, it’s how…
A review of the Nortent Vern 1 Tent When I first saw the Nortent Vern 1 I was immediately intrigued, low and sleek, it just looked different. I’ve long been a fan of tents in which one sleeps side to the door. This design allows a bigger door and a better view of the outdoors…
PHD The Worlds Lightest Down Clothing If you spend any time wandering around the worlds highest mountains you might see a flash of an unfamiliar logo or the same logo seen in a picture of someone stood atop a 8000m Himalayan mountain. In the deserts, hills and mountains the same logo is seen on those…
Hati’s favourite gear of 2023 This was a year of attempted gear streamlining, which does not come naturally to my womble instincts. But alas, in a bid to minimise consuming, save a bit of money and instil some peace in my household, I have been most careful in what I acquire and where I acquire…
Rab Mythic Ultra Down Jacket First Impressions The timing of the arrival of this jacket couldn’t have been better. The forecasters had been warning of arctic weather arriving throughout the UK and as the temperature plummeted the Mythic Ultra down jacket was delivered by a chilly looking postman. My first thoughts were how light the…