Favourite New Gear of 2025

Melting snow in the Fire Maple Petrel G2 Pot

Here's my favourite gear of the year roundup following another twelve months testing gear for The Great Outdoors, this blog, and my YouTube channel. Not all the items were new for this year, just tested by me for the first time. As always they don't necessarily replace ones from previous years or old favourites and they're in no particular order. Where reviews appear in TGO, YouTube or this blog I've given links. For other items, a few of which I haven't reviewed yet but most of which appeared in the print magazine but not online, the link is to the company page.

Fire Maple Petrel Ultralight G2 & Ramen 800ml Pots

In my 2024 gear review I praised heat exchanger pots from Fire Maple, including the 600ml Petrel G3 with slots in the base for stove pot supports. In 2025 Fire Maple launched two more Petrel pots, the 750ml G2 and the Ramen 800ml. Both of these are wider than the G3 and better for actual cooking rather than just boiling water and also better for melting snow. They do weigh a little more but I prefer them to the narrow G3 because of the shape.

Fire Maple Petrel Titanium Ultralight Stove

In 2025 Fire Maple also launched an ultralight remote canister stove under the Petrel name. I've not had this long but I have used it a couple of times and it's worked well, including on a freezing December night. Remote canister stoves are more stable and easier to protect from the wind than canister top stoves but they are generally quite a bit heavier. The Petrel is the first that weighs under 100 grams. I think I'll be using a great deal.

Rab Neutrino Pro 700 sleeping bag

I used this down bag a great deal over the winter of 2024/25 and once so far this winter. At 1130g it provides excellent warmth for weight. I've been warm in it at -9C. I find it very cosy and comfortable with features that work well. It's filled with 700g of 800 fill power down and lofts wonderfully.

Jottnar Fenrir down jacket

The Fenrir down jacket provides excellent warmth for the weight (500g) and has kept me warm on many freezing winter camps. It's stuffed with 850 fill power hydrophobic down with synthetic fill in the cuffs, collar and shoulders. The adjustable hood is snug and the hand pockets are warm and roomy.

Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60

I used a previous version of this pack for a 500-walk on the GR5 Through The Alps back in 2018 and found it excellent. The 2025 Mariposa has an improved back system and is made of tougher material. It still has the same pocket arrangement and a removable back pad, both of which I like very much. I used it on several trips in 2025 including my longest one, four days in the autumn, and it performed well. It's lightweight at 1020g 

Rab Hypersphere 7.5 Down Mat

I did a comparative review of several sleeping mats for TGO last year and the Rab Hypersphere was by far the warmest and also extremely comfortable. It was warm sleeping on snow at -9C. Inside it has 190g of 800 fill power hydrophobic down and is 8cm thick when inflated. At 630g it's light for the warmth.

Ombraz Refugio Armless Sunglasses

These dark glasses were a revelation! Removing the rigid arms and replacing them with an adjustable cord makes an amazing difference. They stay in place without slipping down my nose and it's easy to slip them round my neck when not needed. I found them very comfortable and practical. A brilliant design! I like the big curved lens too. At 29g they're lightweight. They pack almost flat with no arms to get in the way or snap.

Big Agnes Zoom UL Insulated Mat

This mat was my Best In Test in my TGO mats review last year. The rectangular shape and quilted rather than tubular pattern is very comfortable. It's light at 400g and compact when packed. For three-season use it's excellent.

Paramo Aspira 360 Smock

Paramo shell garments have been my favourites for cold weather for many decades due to the comfort and breathability. In recent years it's been the Aspira jacket. Before that I had an Aspira smock. Paramo has now brought this superb design back in a more environmentally friendly form with a recycled liner made from repurposed Páramo gear and textile waste. The smock has excellent pockets, a great hood, and good venting options. Last winter it coped with blizzards and extreme conditions. I expect it will this winter too.

Polar Grit X2 Pro Outdoor Watch

Over the years I've tried many GPS watches and generally found them a bit too fiddly to use much. The Grit x2 Pro is different. It has a big bright display and controls that make sense with no need to memorise sequences of presses (something I usually forget). I found the GPS fast and accurate and the hiking information useful and interesting.

MSR Hubba Hubba HD 1P

This latest version of the Hubba Hubba HD 1P tent isn't actually available yet. It comes out later this year. The basic design hasn't changed from the Hubba Hubba NX Solo that I reviewed for TGO in 2023. I liked it then and I like the new HD version even more as it's made from tougher materials, especially the groundsheet, and has better headroom, MSR having recognised that the latest airbeds are quite thick. It's an excellent three-season tent.

Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 Original Chair

I'd never taken a chair camping until last year. I must be getting old! (Well, I am). Once I'd tried the Hex 2.0 I decided it was worth the 565g weight, especially as it could also be used as a flat mat and even slept on if necessary. It rolls up to a reasonably small bundle and is comfortable and insulates from the ground. It won't go on every trip but I suspect it'll creep in to my load fairly often.

Alpkit Radiant Mat

This mat arrived too late for the 2025 TGO mat review. A review will appear later this year. It has a similar diamond pattern to the Big Agnes mentioned above and is similarly comfortable though much warmer. At 640g it's a winter mat. I've been warm sleeping on frozen ground at -5.5C and expect it to be fine in much colder temperatures. It folds up quite small.

Last Hill & Camp of 2025

After sunset

Between Christmas and New Year I managed a last overnight trip of 2025. Without much time and given the short hours of daylight plus a forecast for the weather to turn stormy by the end of the second day I didn’t plan to go far.

I did want a high camp though, so I decided to head up into the Cairngorms and camp somewhere near Cairn Gorm itself. I set off in sunshine, though the air was chill in shadowed areas. Only patches remained of the last big snowfall, several weeks ago now, as most of December had been wet and mild. Today the ground was frozen though and the old snow rock hard.

Frozen landscape

Rather than take my crampons on and off or blunt them on rocks I zigzagged around the bigger snowfields and crossed smaller ones by carefully treading on small patches of grass or stones protruding from them.

In the sunshine

In the sunshine I needed dark glasses but not gloves or a hat. A light warm jacket was more than enough to keep off any chill.

Before sunset

Out to the west the sun was turning the lower streaks of cloud orange as it neared the horizon. Soon the sunset was intense. Reaching the broad ridge north of Cairn Gorm I dropped my pack and wandered about watching and photographing the splendid colours in the sky. Finding a camp site could wait. This wasn’t to be missed.

View to Ben Nevis and Creag Meagaidh

As the sky greyed and darkened I retrieved my pack and headed down into the bowl of Ciste Mhearad looking for a site out of the cold wind that had sprung up but not down on the floor of this little corrie where cold air would sink. A flattish area soon appeared that looked suitable. The ground was frozen hard. At other times I expect this is boggy and I’d never think of camping here but in the cold it was fine. 

Beinn Mheadhoin after sunset

As I expected the stream was flowing fast where it poured out of the steep side of the corrie so I had water and there was no need to chip off lumps of frozen snow to melt. Lower down where the burn slowed it was covered in ice.

Camp in the morning

A cold night ensued but I was warm in the tent and had plenty of food and a book to read during the long hours of darkness. Outside a hazy moon appeared but the clouds had thickened and there was no bright starry sky.

Frozen water

I left the tent doors open, as usual if it’s not stormy, but even so by dawn there was frozen condensation inside the flysheet and frozen dew on the outside. An intermittent breeze was strong enough at times to rattle the ice-up tent. The overnight low was -5.5°C. The water in my pot was frozen but soon thawed over the stove.

There was no sunrise, just mist gradually turning a lighter shade of grey. I was in no hurry to leave the tent. It was peaceful and relaxing just watching the shadowy landscape.

The sun almost shines

When I did go outside I thought the mist might dissolve as a faint sun appeared shining high above. That was the only sign of sunshine I was to see all day though. I shook the crackling tent as I took it down, shedding as much of the ice as I could.

Fogbow

As I set off blue sky appeared ahead of me and, briefly, a pale fogbow. Then the mist closed in again.

Cnap Coire na Spreidhe

Not far from my camp lay the granite tor that marks the summit of Cnap Coire na Spreidhe, a subsidiary top of Cairn Gorm. That was my final hill of 2025. I had thought of going over Cairn Gorm but in this mist I wasn’t going to bother. It was the right decision as it didn’t clear. I only dropped out of it as I reached the car park. It was a grey monochrome day. There were frequent light showers of freezing rain, matting my beard with ice and coating my pack.

Frozen beard

The trip made for a fitting end to the year though. I was glad I’d made it.

Icy pack

Welcome to the New Year: Thoughts & Plans

New Year's Day in Strathspey: clouds, wind, snow, touches of sun,

The year turns again. The winter celebrations are ending. The light is returning, albeit slowly. It's a time for reflection and for looking forward. In the immediate future lies winter, several more months up here in the Scottish Highlands. Plenty of snow I hope, and not too much rain.

This year I plan to do at least one walk of two weeks or more, unlike 2025 when four days was my longest trip. Will I venture beyond the Highlands for the first time since 2019? Maybe! I have no definite plans yet. There will be hills and camps wherever I go of course.

Blog posts, videos, gear reviews, stories of trips will all continue. You'll find my work in most issues of The Great Outdoors magazine. I still have the last trip of 2025, just three days ago, to write about. I hope to be working on a new version of an old book with Andrew Terrill again too. I'll be working on improving my video skills as well (sorely needed!). 

Looking back will take me to 1996, thirty years ago, and long my walk over all the Munros and Tops. I'll be thinking and writing about that this year.

Beyond my tiny corner of the outdoor world I'll continue supporting those people and organisations fighting for nature and wildness and campaigning on the biodiversity and climate crises. issues that are becoming more important by the day. I don't think I did enough on this last year. I aim to do better in 2026. 

I'll continue supporting those promoting diversity, equality, and inclusivity too. This is a shared world. Variety is good. 

My New Year's Day walk - more a short stroll really - took me along the edge of an old plantation that protected me from the bitter wind and then out into the full blast on snow-spattered fields. Exhilarating and life-affirming. I made a little video on the walk.

Happy New Year!

Season's Greetings Everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks to all who have supported my work here and in magazines and books. I am truly grateful. May you all have a wonderful 2026.

Update! Late camp added ! My Camps in 2025

On the Moine Mor, Cairngorms, August. Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar.

It's the time to start looking back on the year that's ending and at the trips and camps I've done. This year again I stayed in the Highlands, mostly in the Cairngorms in fact. As I've said before, there is so much to do here! There were no long trips this year, for various reasons. I am determined to rectify this in 2026. Four days in Glen Affric was the longest.

Loch nan Cnapan, Moine Mhor, Cairngorms, May. Mountain Laurel Designs SoloMid XL.

I camped at least once every month except for June and, so far, December - I am planning a trip before New Year**. Overall I had some great camps and splendid walks. Here's some pictures from each month. Eleven different tents were used, though three of them were the same model - this was the Hilleberg Akto, which was 30 this year so I decided to use it a fair bit. I've given links to my posts about the trips if you'd like to read more about any of them.

**The late December trip took place. A fine Cairngorms camp - frosty and cold. See end of post for photo.

Rothiemurchus Forest, Cairngorms, January. Hilleberg Soulo.

My first camp was with Tony Hobbs. We camped in the forest after a late start and stayed there a second night as the clouds were low on the mountains. It was a pleasant site and there seemed no sense in moving. We walked up the Lairig Ghru path to the edge of the mist and then back to camp. The Hilleberg Soulo was overkill for this trip but I'd thought we might have a high camp and the forecast was for stormy weather.

Coire Ruadh, Carn Ban Mor, Cairngorms, February. Mountain Laurel Designs DuoMid XL.

February saw a higher, colder, camp above Glen Feshie. The overnight temperature was -5.5C. I was camped on a frozen bog. In the morning the cloud was down over the higher hills so I made my way back to Glen Feshie via the lower tops west of Carn Ban Mor.

Water of Caiplich, Cairngorms, March. Hilleberg Niak.

March saw two camps. The first was by the Water of Caiplich in the Northern Cairngorms which I reached by way of the Corbett Geal Charn. The following day I had an excellent walk along the edge of the Ailnack gorge before enjoying a glorious sunset as I returned over Geal Charn. 

Feith Buidhe, Cairngorm Plateau, March. Hilleberg Akto.

The second March camp was on the Cairngorm Plateau and the only one of the year on snow. It was also the coldest 2025 camp, with a low of -9C. I broke the pole of my tent (the second Hilleberg Akto I'd had) but managed to still pitch it okay. The day following the camp I climbed Ben Macdui.

The Lairig Ghru, Cairngorms, April. Original Hilleberg Akto.

April also saw two camps in the Cairngorms. The first was in the Lairig Ghru in beautiful sunny weather. On this trip I had my almost 30-year old Hilleberg Akto that I'd used on my walk over all the Munros and Tops in 1996. It's still fine.

Beside the Beanaidh Bheag, Cairngorms, April. Hilleberg Akto.

The second April trip was in stormier weather. I camped beside the Beanaidh Bheag below Braeriach and then went over Sron na Lairig in slippery wet snow and a cold wind. The views into the Lairig Ghru were spectacular. I was using the third Hilleberg Akto of the year, this one a replacement for the one with the broken pole.

Feith Buidhe, Cairngorm Plateau, May. Hilleberg Akto.

The new Akto was out again for the first trip in May. I again camped on the Cairngorm Plateau but there was no snow now. I had spectacular views as I wandered the edge of the Loch Avon basin to Carn Etchachan. 

In Glen Feshie, Cairngorms, May. Mountain Laurel Designs SoloMid XL. 

The second May trip was a two-night one with very different camps, the first in the forest in Glen Feshie, the second by Loch nan Cnapan high on the Moine Mhor followed by an ascent of Sgor Gaoith.

Loch a' Bhealaich Leamhain, July. MSR Hubba Hubba HD 1P.

In July I finally ventured out of the Cairngorms with a visit to Lochan na h-Earba and the Munro Geal Charn. I had a lovely camp looking down on Loch a' Bhealaich Leamhain.

On the Moine Mhor, Cairngorms, August. Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar.

I was back in the Cairngorms for two trips in August. On the first I had two camps on the Moine Mhor, the second on the summit of Tom Dubh from where I climbed the Munro Monadh Mor in beautiful summer weather.

On the slopes of Bynack Mor, Cairngorms, August. Hilleberg Akto.

The second August trip was the windiest of the year on the slopes of Bynack Mor. There was a fine sunset. And the wind kept the midges away.

In Glen Feshie, Cairngorms, September. Hilleberg Akto.

In September I was back camping in the forest in Glen Feshie, from where I climbed to the Argyll Stone and Creag Dhubh on another windy day.

Near the Allt Mullach, Cairngorms, September. Bach Wickiup 3.

A second September trip took me to the tough, boggy terrain to the north of Meall a' Bhuachaille. The going was hard but the light lovely.

Site of the first and third camps in Glen Affric. October. Mountain Laurel Designs DuoMid XL.

October saw the longest trip of the year, four days and three nights in the Glen Affric area with Tony Hobbs. We had three camps though the first and third were on the same site.

Camp by the Allt Garbh, Glen Affric. October.

In between the two nights in Glen Affric we had a camp beside the Allt Garbh to the south then crossed a high ridge and descended to Loch Affric in superb weather.

By the Allt Fionnaich, Burma Road, Monadh Liath. November. Highlander Refuge 1. 

In November I had a stormy trip on the Burma Road in the Monadh Liath with a camp by the Allt Fionnaich. It was a good test for the tent I was trying. I am glad to say it was fine.

Ciste Mhearad, Cairngorms. December. Weschel Bella.

A final overnight trip in late December high in the Cairngorms on a frosty night with a low of -5.5C and a high of -1C. The first day was calm and clear with a beautiful sunset. I then woke to mist and frost, both of which lasted all day. A fine last trip of the year.

Video first looks at the Fire Maple Petrel Titanium Ultralight Backpack Stove & the Weschel Bella Tent

Two new items of gear arrived for review this week, the Weschel Bella tent and the Fire Maple Petrel Titanium Ultralight Backpack Stove (quite a mouthful, I'll just call it the Petrel Titanium stove). I've made a little video on the tent and an even shorter one on the stove. 

These clips are just my first impressions. I haven't used either item yet. I plan on doing so soon. Full reviews will appear in The Great Outdoors magazine next year.

Igloos! Igloos! Igloos!

Wheee!

I love igloos. I love building them. I love living in them. I was reminded of all this by an excellent new podcast from John D. Burns in which he talks to Andrew Terrill about igloos and hot tents. Mostly it's about Andrew enthusing about igloos and talking about Igloo Ed and his brilliant IceBox igloo tool. It reminded me of all my igloo trips so I thought I'd indulge myself and write about them again and post some of the pictures.

Igloo Ed outside our first igloo, Yellowstone, February 2007

It was Ed who started my love of igloos when he invited me on a trip to Yellowstone National Park back in 2007. It was a tough trip. Hauling heavy sleds through deep snow and up steep slopes. Building igloos late into the night (there were only two of us and I'd never built one before). Fording a thermally heated river in bitter cold. Temperatures below -30C. I loved it all! The combination of geysers and other thermal features, deep snow, and sub zero temperatures made it the strangest and most wonderful winter trip I've ever done. I wrote about it here.  

Igloo Ed outside our second igloo, Yellowstone, February 2007

My first night in an igloo amazed me. It was so comfortable - so much space, stillness, quiet. Very different to a tent. The warmth compared with outside surprised me too. -3ºC, with the stove going, -7ºC without when it was -23ºC outside.

First igloo and Lonestar Geyser on the second Yellowstone trip, February 2008

A year later I was back in Yellowstone with a group of Ed's friends. Unfortunately Ed was unwell and unable to take part. It was a great trip in easier conditions than the year before. 

Dawn after a night of snow at the second igloo, Wind River Range, April 2009

The following year we went to the Wind River Range, just south of Yellowstone. This was a spring trip and the warmer temperatures were welcome, though not when sticky snow stuck to the base of our sleds! We had company the first two nights then it was just myself and Ed.

Igloo Ed in our second igloo, Wind River Range, April 2009

By now, living in an igloo had become familiar and a pattern established. Comfort was assumed!

Igloo Ed at our third igloo, Wind River Range, April 2009

Our igloos were in spectacular situations on high points looking over the forest to the rugged Wind River mountains. I wrote about the trip here.

First Cairngorms igloo on the slopes of Carn Ban Mor, April 2010

That was my last igloo trip to the Rocky Mountains. However the next year saw the first igloo weekend in the Scottish Highlands with the Inverness Nordic Ski Club (now the Inverness Backcountry Snowsports Club) organised by Andy Ince. This became an annual event  (when there was enough snow and no lock-downs) on which I helped out with igloo building instruction and work. 

Waking to a blizzard we had to use compass bearings to find the descent route from these igloos on Carn Ban Mor in January 2011

Scottish Highlands snow not being as reliable as Rocky Mountains snow we had to be selective as to sites and times. There was usually only enough snow well above the glens too so stormy weather was more likely. 

On the slopes of Toll Creagach above Glen Affric, January 2012

As well as the Cairngorms we also went to Glen Affric where Andy knew there was often deep enough snow on the slopes of Toll Creagach.

After the thaw, February 2013

Only once did an igloo fail. That was on a trip where high winds prevented us reaching Carn Ban Mor and we built two igloos beside the path high above Glen Feshie. After dark the temperatures rose rapidly and a big thaw began. We'd built two igloos. The side of one collapsed and the four of us squeezed into the other one which just made it through the night. I wrote about it here. 

Igloo in sparse snow, Strath Nethy, Cairngorms, January 2013

Earlier the same year a group of use built an igloo on another stormy day when the weather kept us even lower down. There wasn't quite enough snow and we ended up dragging it to the igloo on plastic survival bags. The igloo was a success though.

The igloo meets went on each year, with a break due to the Covid lockdowns. Here's some more pictures.

Back on Carn Ban Mor in excellent weather and snow in April 2014

Not so much snow and not so good weather on Toll Creagach in February 2016. Successful igloo though.

Windy with spindrift for a pair of igloos in Coire Laogh Mor on Cairn Gorm in February 2017. Too stormy to go higher. 

Deep snow & perfect weather for igloos on Toll Creagach in February 2018. We reached the summit for once and had splendid views.

Four years later and a repeat on Toll Creagach in April 2022. Deep snow, perfect weather, and spectacular summit views again.

Rainbows, rain showers, and only just enough snow for our March 2023 igloos in Coire Laogh Mor. But we still built two plus a tiny solo one in which I slept.

A stormy approach followed by a superb day for the March 2024 igloos on Carn Ban Mor. For once I camped.

A brilliant starry night at the igloos on Carn Ban Mor in March 2024.