Always take a compass

So it's sitting here, writing this, that I find myself in an unusual and slightly disconcerting position in that, in terms or walking/mountaineering kit, I have everything that I need - for the time being anyway! Now it's worth pointing out that recently I have made a fair few purchases and it would probably be a good idea to review/rate these now - especially as I have no upcoming events or expeditions to plan or rave about, so here goes.  For each item I've tried to review in a set format; 1 - reason for purchase 2 - initial views 3 - tested? 4 - conclusion Crux Shox Jacket Reason for Purchase - after a long weekend hiking in the Lake District and suffering from a leaking and very disappointing experience with my Mountain Hardwear Argon jacket I decided it was time to a) send that jacket back and b) buy something more reliable. So a call (and visit) to Pegglers in Arundel saw me ordering this! Initial Views - Impressive!  This is a jacket that is made for ser

So I caved today, after reading a couple of inspiring blog posts ( The Journeyman Traveller Blog ) I started to investigate the in's and outs of Rab Vapour rise softshells and convict myself of the definite need/requirement for one of these in my kit cupboard - which, for me, is never a hard thing to do! However upon walking in to Cotswold Outdoors in Salisbury (which, I'd like to point out, is much more of a treasure trove of kit and advice than it first appears when walking through the door) and trying on the vapour rise jacket I wasn't 100% sure that it was what I actually needed to complement my outdoors wardrobe. It's worth mentioning now that there were a couple of specific requirements that I had for this piece of kit; Warmth and breathability A hood! Water resistant (nothing really serious but enough to withstand a shower) Fit - it has to fit over a base layer and under my Crux Shox shell without affecting movement in any way So as you can see it&#