The Outdoors Station

The second part of my interview with Ron Moak from Six Moon Designs, where we continue our discussion regarding the current state and future of the lightweight and the ultra-light market. Is the future more about education, rather than gear for gears sake? Is it time to drop the definitions between ultralight and just being lighter generally? How have consumer shopping habits changed, does the int...

It has been 12 months now since the original "Cottage Stagnation and Recent Gems" article was published by Ryan Jordan and now that the waters have calmed as we head into 2013, I wanted to explore with some of the current key players in the lightweight cottage industry, their thoughts on the recent past, present and future of this niche areana and what the future holds, for them and ulti...

Welcome to part two, the conclusion of the interview with Keith Foskett, a UK through hiker who has completed the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Pacific Crest Trail and now the Appalachian Trail. Here he continues his chat with David Lintern about his walking experiences and some of the mental and physical aspects long distance hikers go through and have to consider. He is also the author of two...

Keith Foskett is a UK through hiker who has completed the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Pacific Crest Trail and now the Appalachian Trail and in this first of a two part series, he chats with David Lintern about his walking experiences and some of the mental and physical aspects long distance hikers go through and have to consider. He is also the author of two books based on his experiences The...

Our world is changing with the advent of more and more on-line mapping, eBook, apps and the slow decline of hard copy maps. But each have a place and this podcast is reviewing the positive aspects of each format, and how it relates to the 'real' outdoor world. I meet up with John Baker from The Map Shop, a small little shop in the hear of England solely specializing in hard copy maps and discuss t...

This is the fourth and final podcast from the four part series recorded at the 2012 Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen and the final interviews all might be of interest to those heading out for longer. Ortleib are well known for their range of waterproof bags and protective covers and for 2013 they are introducing several bags specifically for the outdoor photographer and video user. Ralf Vogt is the...

This is the third podcast from the four part series recorded at the 2012 Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen and here we look at US Brands. A new exhibitor at the show was Tae Kim with his two companies Boreas and Alite. Boreas Gear won an award for their variable sprung back system 30 litre pack. However their full range incorporated a very slick design style which elegantly flowed through the range....

This is the second podcast from the four part series recorded at the 2012 Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen and based around the topic of UK Brands. The Trailbalze, is a UK designed and manufactured lightweight collapsable pole from the small family company Mountain King. It has proved to be a great success, especially in the arena of Adventure Racing. Carolyn and Simon King take us through their st...

This is the first podcast from the four part series recorded at the 2012 Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen and based around the topic of Lightweight interests. We discuss the range of sleeping pads and other inflatable ideas with Cory Tholl from www.klymit.com including the Inertia X Frame, Static V Pad, Air Beam Pack Frame, Cush Seat Pillow. Trekking umbrellas have an ever increasing following acro...

Part Two. Much to my embarrassment, Andy prepared this two part podcast back in March while I was away in Australia, but somehow like all good plans, I just haven't had chance to edit it and launch it before now. He was joined by Steve Walton who many may know through his blog or images which can been seen here http://www.stevewaltonfineart.com/ joins Andy (whose blog is http://www.andyhowell.info...

Part One. Much to my embarrassment, Andy prepared this two part podcast back in March while I was away in Australia, but somehow like all good plans, I just haven't had chance to edit it and launch it before now. He was joined by Steve Walton who many may know through his blog or images which can been seen here http://www.stevewaltonfineart.com/ joins Andy (whose blog is http://www.andyhowell.info...

In this Podcast, Andy takes the helm and interviews two people with inspiring stories to tell. The first is author Kev Reynolds at the launch in London of Cicerone's new Swiss Alps guidebook. Another well thought out and laid out addition to their range, this stunning guidebook describes each mountain area throughout Switzerland – the peaks, passes, valleys and bases – to help you identify the bes...

The 5th May 2012 saw the official launch of the Wales Coastal Path in Cardiff, appropriately on the sea front, a stone's throw away from Cardiff Bay. The project links together all the various Welsh coastal paths and brings them all to the same standard as one official route, with way marking and a website to enable backpackers or walkers of all ages and ability to enjoy the 870 miles of glorious...

Part two - One summer, writer and musician, Jasper Winn set himself the extraordinary task . He would kayak the whole way around Ireland - a thousand miles - camping on remote headlands and islands, carousing in bars and paddling clockwise until he got back to where he started. But in the worst Irish summer in living memory the pleasures of idling among seals, fulmars and fishing boats soon gave w...

Part one - One summer, writer and musician, Jasper Winn set himself the extraordinary task . He would kayak the whole way around Ireland - a thousand miles - camping on remote headlands and islands, carousing in bars and paddling clockwise until he got back to where he started. But in the worst Irish summer in living memory the pleasures of idling among seals, fulmars and fishing boats soon gave w...

The final part of the interview with Warren and Esther Sanders after the first year of their four year cycling trip around the world. Here we discuss heading into and through the USA, the downright awkward Homeland Security and the generosity and hospitality of Americans generally. There's many interesting aspects and associated websites which have made their life easier and those of many long dis...

Time to escape and join Warren and Esther Sanders on a four year cycle trip. Wouldn't that be great, to pack up your life, cycle away from work and push off into the night? Just how easy is it? How much does it cost? What sacrifices have to be made in your life and, well, is it any fun? We join them in Jan 2012 as they rest up for Winter in Germany, after a year of cycling around New Zealand and t...

It's my first podcast of the year, which is perhaps slightly later than desired, however I do share with you all the reasons for the delay and hopefully it'll make up for it. We discuss the new 100% UK made wood burning stoves currently being released by backpackinglight.co.uk and share some of the technical dilemmas such an ambitious project entails. The new Outdoors Station website is now up and...

This is the second part of our 'Christmas within Tent', where Andy and I complete the final course of a traditional three course meal which was cooked during a storm in the worst weather of the winter so far, near Crickhowell, Brecon in the heart of Wales in 2011. Naturally an evening of fine dining wouldn't be complete without a wide ranging topic of discussion, and so we touch on manufacturing i...

Is it possible to cook a ‘real’ three course Christmas meal under a shelter, in a storm, in December, in Wales? Well the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’! Truthfully, there were a few extra influences which I hadn’t really considered as I planned with military precision, my cooking techniques while sitting in a nice warm office. Namely that the weather conditions on that particular night, in that parti...

This is part two of the Cambodia ‘backpacking on a shoestring’ trip where Beth and her friend Claire took 3 weeks to travel around Cambodia in the early part of 2011. As they moved around on public transport, they had plenty of time on their hands and so recorded conversations with locals and other travelers on route. Full of atmosphere and ideas which will make you think, that maybe something awa...

As the Autumnal weather takes hold and the chill starts to reach the bones once again, it is easy to day dream about backpacking somewhere warm, exotic and ideally, cheap. Beth spent 3 weeks in Cambodia in the early part of 2011, with her friend Claire and a shoestring budget. They wanted to record and share their experience about the travel, accommodation and people they met on route to encourage...

This is the second part of the interview with David Lintern who recently completed a 500 mile journey along the border of France and Spain, using the high mountain routes of the Pyrenees, mostly the HRP, wild camping on the way, including a week's detour into Spain and the Ordesa Canyon during the 60 days trip. In the first part he talked about his preparations and the gradual changes which came o...

You may remember the series of interviews with Chris Townsend which I released earlier on this year, where Chris was joined by David Lintern up in the Cairngorms for a series of interviews discussing conservation, writing and the art of long distance backpacking. No 321 to 323 if you're interested. Well the interviewer David Lintern himself has recently completed a 500 mile journey along the borde...

After a bit of a delay here's our latest offering which gives you a round up of recent commercial news from the outdoors trade, a look at some new products due in 2012 and a discussion regarding blogging and the increasing influences of outdoor PR companies. Of course we also update you on some of the general outdoor gossip regarding GoYomp, Inov-8 and Golite. Small decisions which may effect your...