The North Face: Top Gear Mountaineer goes branded

Okay no, I haven't sold my soul. No you will not see adverts for TNF popping up all over the blog. No I'm not being paid to endorse products.

What I am doing, is through work I've been given the chance to test a load of The North Face's product range. Some of the stuff is pretty solid and has been around the block a few times, some of it is pretty cutting edge kit, brand new releases and the like. They have even leant me a brand new HD action camera to get some awesome videos of the kit on test, which is always a fun thing to have!

Most of my reviews, videos and suchlike will be going directly onto the Blacks website, but some of the better ones, or the stuff I feel is more relevant to the site will also go up here.

So keep your eyes peeled. And who knows, more freebies could come my way, and maybe I do you guys all a favour and share the love...

The Gear Spotter: Lowe Alpine Alpine Attack 45:55 Backpack Review

Introduction

I've seen in my time outdoors and in retail that packs, especially small-to-mid size packs are often underanalysed, when in truth they should be the cornerstone of a climber's gear. After all, they carry all your gear to and from the crag or up and down the hill - if they're badly designed or uncomfortable they can turn a good day bad and a bad day utterly awful.

Lowe Alpine is a solid, well-respected brand in the Outdoors world, building packs and clothing (intermittently) since the mid 1970's, drawing on experience gained by the Lowe family in climbing and alpinism. Today it's owned by Equip, a UK based company but still churns out extremely high quality gear for both outdoors people and photographers with their Lowe Pro range. Everything is designed to be sleek, go-faster, no massive frills and functional.

The Review

In use as a daysack on Etive Mor, Jan 2014

This pack has been with me everywhere since I bought it in mid-2013, from simple weekends at music festivals to carrying all my gear in Scotland and Wales. It's been used as a shopping bag and a haul sack, a pillow and a seat,as well as its intdended use as an alpinism pack. And after all this use and abuse over almost a full year, it barely looks used a day. The build quality and resilliance on this is absolutely astounding - even for a Lowe Alpine product. I had an Airzone 35:45 before that started to give way after about a year of continuous use - I've used this the same, if not harder and as I said, it barely looks like it's been taken out of the packaging. It's been used to carry gear and rack for a day on Ben Nevis and everything I need for a weekend's climbing and camping in Froggatt - there's nothing I've thrown at this that it hasn't been able to do.

The overall design of the pack is simple, streamlined and functional - a single large sack, a lid with two pockets and an excellent back system. The back itself isn't adjustable, so I'd recommend trying on in store before you buy - the 45:55 is longer and wider, for larger backs, whilst its smaller 35:45 brother is far more suited to narrower, shorter backs. If that doesn't work, they do a 'women's fit' ND version, try that on for size, it's just harder to find in store. On the standard size fits like a glove and I can honestly say it's never given me any kind of back pain, even with heavy weights and long distances. The straps are a little narrow, especially higher on the shoulder but give good stability when on the move, and the chest strap on the new (2014) version is, I think, far more prone to failure than the tried-and-tested version on my (2013) model but that's the only gripe on the load-bearing system I can think of. I'm yet to find anything that matches it as an alpinism pack. I would have preferred some extra external storage - some pockets or somesutch so I don't have to dive into my actual pack for a thermos or gloves, but I know why they haven't and I can live without them.

The headlocker system in
play - beautiful and simple

The buckle design, whilst not being ground breaking and innovative is extremely strong and effective. Unlike quick-release buckles that tend to have a tendency to fail at the worst time and let all the stuff stored under the lid spill down the side of a crag, the solid metal double-back buckle is absolutely bombproof and even comes in handy as an emergency bottle opener for summit brews! The webbing that makes up the rest of the buckle is solid, as would be expected, but the stitching and attachment points are all absolutely fantastic - almost up to the same kind of standard as used on climbing harnesses, so you can yank it down as hard as you want and it'll just ask for more - a good thing to have in a pack with floating lid capacity.

The lid itself is another work of simplicity and genius - a total floating piece, adjustable to an enormous degree to allow for the stuffing of those jackets, ropes, racks, shoes, small children and baguettes that just won't fit in the main sack. It could be potentially improved by making the lid totally removable without extensive fiddling to act as a simple sack, but that's a tiny gripe for such an impressive pack.

One item of note is the headlocker ice axe attachment system - it's simply brilliant, yet such a simple system that I'm honestly surprised that no one thought about it before. A single attachment bar passes through the leash hole that's found in the head of every axe and two attachments higher up. No matter how technical or simple the axe it'll fit, and it's not going anywhere unless you want it to. Tighten the pack up and the system is tight. Simple but brilliant.

Conclusions

Huge recommendation for the Alpine Attack packs - the one thing I'd say is to check what size you're using at the moment and work out if you need more, less, or the same space. They swallow a surprising amount of kit and when under-loaded the straps can sometimes can lack a bit of adjustment. But for the sheer amount of stuff you can...well stuff into one of these and the load remain stable and comfortable, I'd say it's definitely worth the investment. And just like any gear, look after it and it'll look after you - but this one can take a hell of a beating

Pros

+ Excellent back system for alpinism and climbing - hugs the load to the body

+ Fold-away waist strap padding makes it comfortable with and without harness

+ Headlocker ice axe system is both simple and incredibly effective

Cons

- Simple sack system lacks any exterior pockets

- Shoulder straps are a little too narrow for those with wider backs

For more in the Gear Spotter range of reviews, check them out here

What a difference a year makes

For those of you who have followed this little corner of the internet since its birth, it will be common knowledge that this blog is now a year old. So too is my love affair with climbing. A chilly evening in late January, my boss (at the time) and a measly £25 joining fee and gear rental was all that it took to spawn what is, at its barest an obsession with going up things and being extremely cold.

I would say I've done quite a lot for only a year's climbing - I've gone from top-roping 3's and 4's indoors to comfortably leading 5+ and attempting 6's indoors and  VDiff outdoors. I've gone from absolutely no knowledge of technique both technical and physical, to at least a solid base understanding of knots, their uses, weight transfer, footwork, body positioning, crampon use, ice axe technique and all the other things fundamental to climbing and mountaineering. I can build a safe belay and bring up a second, rig a recoverable abseil and use it safely, I can front-point, plunge step, (just about) climb Scottish mixed and navigate my way off a mountain relatively safely.

In the mountains I've experienced the highs and the lows - from seeing the sun rise over the Western Highlands from 500m up Etive Mor to suffering debilitating wind and rain on the summit of Glydr Fawr. I've learned success is never guaranteed - you're at the mercy of the mountain, the weather and your own physical condition. Self-reliance is a huge part of climbing - knowing that you set that bomber anchor, you placed that cam properly, you tied those knots right. There can be no space for 'that'll do' or 'I hope this works'. It must be perfect every time. The responsibility is huge, lots of the time even as a second you're attached to another human being by two dozen meters of 11mm dynamic kernmantel climbing rope, and if you fail for a split second that could be game over. It also teaches you maturity - the mountains are no respecter of manliness or drive - if it's time to back off you pay attention and listen. It's not a game for those of a nervous disposition.

The people I've met have been amazing - from building a solid friendship with Charlie, my climbing partner (who will hopefully start to contribute to this place soon enough...) to industry reps, professional climbers and enthusiastic amateurs. Being a climber is like being in a massive extended family - everyone knows what you've been through or are going through, or are looking to you for guidance. Everyone has a story and most everyone is willing to share. Even those not of the climbing fraternity, but those who support them like the lovely staff at Pete's Eats in Llanberis or the lovely couple who put us up for a whole weak in Strathssynt, Glencoe. Everyone has a part to play and I can say I'm very glad I got to meet them.

It's also shown up flaws in myself - arrogance, impatience, lack of physical condition and a penchant for obsession I didn't know I quite had. Before I started climbing I would occasionally browse motorcycle websites, glance at properties to rent or browse 9gag. Now my internet history is filled with endless climbing blogs, route plans, gear offers and inspirational videos. Hardly a day goes by when I don't think 'hey, that looks fun to climb', even wandering around the artificial landscape of London. I'm forever annoying Charlie with pipe dreams of Alpine glory or a daring first ascent in one of the unconquered ranges that still exist in the world. He quickly brings me back to reality but it doesn't last long - I'm soon dreaming again.

I've been climbing for a year and I've had a wealth of experiences that some climbers wouldn't have in their entire lives - indoor, midlands gritstone, bomber indoor ice, patchy neve, powdery welsh windslab and slabby scottish mixed. The plans for the future go even further and farther afield - Finnish waterfall Ice, French Granite and hopefully even some Alpine routes. The training is upped, but so is the interest - I've gone from having a casual interest to seriously considering this as a career. I could quite happily spend the rest of my life going up and down mountains in all conditions and sharing that with anyone who wanted to listen. There are even first steps of that happening already.

I hope you've enjoyed being with me on the trip so far, and I hope you'll continue to follow me for a long time to come. It should be a blast.

The Gear Spotter: 66° North Snaefell Jacket Review

Introduction
66° North is an Icelandic company, founded in 1926 to design and build clothing to protect Icelanders from the extremely harsh condition of their home. In 2014 it is a major player in modern technical outdoor apparel, with close connections to companies such as Polartec, YKK and eVent. All of their products are borne out of necessity and are designed for the Icelandic climate - so they are very demanding on the materials they use and many of the designs they come up with are innovative and well-thought through.

The Review

Around a year ago I managed to get myself one of the new Snaefell jackets (not to be confused with the down-filled, longer cut Snaefell Parka) through work - after reading up on the new fabric it used and several positive reviews (although from 66 staff...) I decided that i needed a new shell, and it was worth a punt. I mean, the Icelandic Mountain Rescue teams use the Snaefell jacket and they know a thing or two about existing in extreme climates. The jacket and its membrane also won an ISPO and Scandinavian Outdoor awards in 2011.

I've now had it for almost a year, and can safely say it was most definitely a wise investment. I've used many jackets over my time including softshells, hardshells, GoreTex, eVent, Windstopper and I can't quite place the Snaefell into any one category. One one hand it's fully waterproof (10,000mm hydrostatic head) over and above most of what the casual walker and climber would need, but it's also a semi-stretch membrane and extremely breathable, which are normally reserved for softshell. With the advent of these new high-breathable waterproof membranes I'd almost suggest a new term, between hard and softshell of 'firmshell'. It doesn't quite have the waterproofing of the solid hardshells or the breathability of a softshell but a bit of both to make it a great all rounder.

The cut is short, much like a softshell, with a good wide chest and shoulders for someone of my build (although the cut seems to narrow slightly in the smaller sizes, so you thinner ladies and gents won't feel like you're wearing a tent). The arms are pre-curved to give good movement, but a standout point must be the hood; it's got a solid peak to keep rain and snow out of the eyes, is fully 3-point adjustable for use with and without a helmet, has a high zip to keep stuff out of your neck and is also semi-mobile thanks to the stretch in the membrane, making looking around a far easier experience. It's got a good, heavy rubberised waterproof zip to keep bulk down and clean, velcro-adjusted cuffs. It's worked fantastically in both summer showers and around town in winter; the face fabric is hard-wearing and I haven't had any problems with it just yet, except for people thinking it's odd to see someone in a bright yellow jacket on the tube in the morning rush hour.

There are, however a couple of negative points; when using it climbing the jacket is cut very slightly too short and doesn't quite have the stretch to compensate; as a result it has a tendancy to rise up and out of the harness, which can be an awkward thing to correct halfway up a face. This could possibly be sorted by tightening the waist cinches, but I don't like that. It's all individual, after all. The pockets, although very well sited on the jacket have, I've found, been a tad too small to use with thick winter gloves; the massive pockets on my North Face Point Five jacket are I better and more useful for storing easy-to-reach spares when on the mountain. The pockets are mesh, so they don't affect breathability very much at all. 

All of these negative points are relatively minor, however, and I still believe this is an excellent jacket.

Conclusions

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the Snaefell jacket. Whilst being more on the pricey end of the scale, you get a very solid all-rounder of a jacket which can be used for pretty much everything from running in the rain to winter mountaineering. The cut is good and fitted without being tight (for me) but I would definitely recommend trying on for size before you buy.

They are available in both mens and womens in a range of colours. Check them out on the 66° website.

Pros

+ Very breathable with semi-stretch to aid movement

+ Pocket positioning is excellent

+ Fantastic, semi-mobile, 3-point adjustable hood

Cons

- Cut is slightly too short - tends to rise when wearing a harness

- Pockets are a little too small to get gloved hands into

For more in the Gear Spotter range of reviews, check them out here