Gareth’s reviewed the Koa 35

Gareth    Planning     Jonesnow, Koa 35, Mountain Hardwear

I usually post up on this blog reviews of kit, but as I bought the Koa 35 myself, I’ve posted it up on my blog!

Anyway, for the lowdown, head over to Jonesnow where you can read the full review

It’s not just our waist sizes expanding…..

Gareth    Planning     badminton, play, roller blading, warehouse

So here we are, the dawn of a new age, well the dawn of a new warehouse anyway. After my last blog , we finally have our new warehouse up and running.

The nice strong men have bashed a hole in our old warehouse and in to our new warehouse, so all we have to do now is to play in the new warehouse until we fill it with lots of lovely things for you and make our range better than ever before.

In the meantime, we had several important things to do, namely Roller blading around the warehouse in a roller dico stylee, & playing football with my son Ifor.

Finally we had the inter-webtogs all outdoor people badminton championship. I may be biased but I think I won more than anyone else. Lucy had to invite Ifor in (2.5 years old and growing faster than a speeding bullet) to find someone to beat so she’s got a bit grumpy at the moment.

Any other ideas for what we could do in there before the gear rolls in?

More KEEN has arrived

Keith    Planning    

We have just taken delivery of another 3 Pallets of KEEN shoes and Sandals. The warehouse are just checking the stock in and it will be available for you to buy in the next few minutes. There is only 450 pairs so be quick if you want a new pair of KEENs for the summer.

From Rugby Boots and Balls to Cycling Shoes and Lycra

Keith    Planning    

For me the transition from Winter to Spring is complete all in a weekend. Saturday was our last game of the season and after the last few days of dry weather the pitch was like sand paper claiming the knees of most who took part. A tough physical game against a strong well drilled side was a great way to end the season, even my two black eyes give me a warm reminder of a great afternoon every time I look in the mirror.

I woke up on Sunday morning to blue skies and sunshine and pulled on my Lycra shorts and got the road bike out of the garage. I planned a short, 25 Mile, route through the surrounding villages taking in as many of the good hills as I could. The roads were largely traffic free and once I was on the back roads I hardly saw any cars. The winter is now behind us, the down jackets have been put away and the sandals have been dusted off.

Lon Las Cymru

Keith    Planning    

The Lon Cymru is a 254 mile way-marked cycle route from Holyhead to Cardiff. It takes the rider down the full length of Wales, along the flat lanes of Anglesey, through the mountains of North and Mid Wales and down the valleys to Cardiff Bay. The roads for the most part are meant to be traffic free with some short sections of graveled paths.

I wanted something to warm up for the summer so I thought I would give this a crack as it is not so far that it would be a epic but is long enough to be testing. Sue has very kindly offered to drive me up to Holyhead and then take the camping kit between campsites. This will make all the difference as I will be able to travel really light.

We are off in Early May so hopefully the weather will be kind to us.

Review Of The Noughties – 10 years of highlights, Part 2 2005-2009

Gareth    Planning    

As we reach the end of the Noughties we thought it was time to take a look back over the last decade and reminisce. It’s been a strange ten years when not a lot seems to have happened at first glance, but take a closer look and it’s been eventful, innovative and a decade to remember.

2005:    The year continued 2004′s new emphasis on lightweight kit along with introducing some new classics like the Berghaus Bioflex back system, now in its second generation with the C7 Pro rucksack. Mountain Equipment entered the tent market with its Hielo 2, Torres and Helium tents whilst Brasher brought us pink boots with the Colima GTX. Helly Hanson celebrated 25 years of their Lifa technology for base layers as Merino Wool products started to make a noticeable appearance with companies like Smartwool and Icebreaker exporting to a wider world.

After over 50 years we got a new Countryside Code, complete with Wallace and Grommit style adverts, The YHA celebrated 75 years, whilst the New Forest became England’s latest National Park. The outdoor world lost legendary climber Anderl Heckmair at the age of 98. Over a 4 day period in the summer of 1938 Heckmair played a pivotal role in the first successful ascent of the Eiger’s North Face with Heinrich Harrer, Ludwig Vorg and Fritz Kasparek. Eric Langmuir, author of the definitive guide on mountain leadership also died at the age of 74.  Overseas the big news was a spectacular year in the Himalayas with records tumbling. Annabelle Bond set records in the 7 Summits callenge, Jake Meyer becoming the youngest Brit to ascend Everest and Alan Hinkes completing the 14 8000m summits with his ascent of Kanhchenjunka.

Alan Hinkes became the first British mountaineer to complete the ascent of all 14 8000m peaks

2006:    The classic Scarpa Manta got an overhaul with a new ankle flex design, and Rab brought us the Phantom. Elsewhere the focus was still on reducing the grams as pack weights tumbled and ultra lightweight waterproofs were everywhere. Soft shell continued to build its popularity with Haglofs amongst those spearheading new designs.

Sheffield saw its first Adventure Film Festival, in a move that was to see Sheffield become a major outdoor centre over the next few years, with the Kendal Mountain Film Festival dropping the “Film” as it added a book and arts festival. Overseas the British Army made an impact despite ultimately failing in their attempt on the dangerous West Ridge of Everest. Their groundbreaking website, live transmissons and TV adverts cleaned up at the global Campaign Digital Awards as the new benchmark for expedition websites.

2007:   The year of Pro Shell. Gore-Tex’s new fabric took the outdoor world by storm as Gore revamped their range of breathable membrames. The Haglofs Spitz made its first appearance and soon gained an enviable reputation whilst Berghaus became the first British manufacturer to use recycled Polartec as the outdoor world started taking notice of environmental issues.

By 2007 GPS had become both big business and reliable and accurate enough to become mainstream outdoor kit. Digital mapping was starting to make the move from CD and DVD to online, paving the way for digital releases in the next decade. YHA closures over recent years were being replaced by independent hostels and bunkhouses, and abroad China declared it’s intention of building a highway to Everest base camp.

2008:   2008 started off with the tragic news of the death of Sir Edmund Hillary, legendary explorer, mountaineer, and first to climb Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay. Sustrans won the People’s £50 Million Lottery Contest for an inspiring prgram of connected cycleways across the length and breadth of Britain and camping took on greater popularity with the growth of music festivals. Even 10 Downing Street saw the appeal of the outdoors with a reception in “Celebration of Britaish Mountaineering” for the BMC.

On the gear front Primaloft had a revamp boosting insulation by 15% and The North Face started making new fabric from bamboo. Patagonia launched the worlds first totally recycled and recyclable range of clothing, along with branching out into footwear and the world started to catch up with Jetboil in building super-efficient stoves for the 21st Century. Marmot introduced a new 4 way stretch fabric with a membrame laminate called Membrain along with the Troll Wall Pro Shell designed for use over a fleece or soft shell. To top off developments Keen, having made a name for themselves in spectacular fashion with their sandal range, diversified with the launch of their first True 3 Season Boot”

2009: Well it’s not over till the Fat Lady Sings…..presumably Auld Lang Syne…..so this will have to wait till womorrow.

Happy New Year, and may your path always be smooth and your weather fair for 2010. Have a great one, from all at Webtogs, and see you in a new decade