Jim Lockey

For multi-day hikes, comfort when walking is of huge importance to me. My body is on the heavier side and so I quickly decided that my strategy for what I carried was to reduce weight as much as was reasonable. The ultralight 40l pack I received from Atom Packs fitted the bill perfectly. Coming in at approximately 650g with a generous middle compartment, I can carry all my gear and consumables for 5-days or longer without any issues. The pack has a simple frame that ensured that the pack sat well on my back and was comfortable, I was initially concerned that without the ventilation features of more elaborate packs that I might experience discomfort from a sweaty back, but this wasn’t the case. The pack remained comfortable throughout the day.

Speaking of the feature rich design of traditional packs with their many pockets and zips, The Atom pulse counters this with a clarity and simplicity of design and high-quality construction. Everything is built around that single roll top compartment. Whilst the pack features pouches on the front and sides, elastics, and a gear loop there’s nothing extraneous. This is a big positive for me. On all my previous packs there’s been some D-ring never used or a compartment that doesn’t really fit anything comfortably. Any extra features can be added by the end user according to their needs, for instance I ended up purchasing a second pouch for the included hip belt and I have some ideas about how I’ll adapt the straps to allow me to clip other useful items.

At purchase Atom Packs are highly customisable as they’re made to order. In my case I didn’t have this choice as I was generously gifted a factory second that was already made. The pack’s customisability makes each pack unique and a real stunner! My pack has panels in pink, yellow and two different shades of blue. I love how recognisable the pack is as a result. My pack features stretchy Dyneema side and front pockets and I would highly recommend that Dyneema front pocket. It easily swallowed all my bits of gear that I wanted quick access to (such as my first aid kit and snacks) and hugged them tightly so that they felt secure. I would however change out the side pockets as I found that Dyneema side pockets made it difficult for me to access my water, necessitating my taking off the pack each time I wanted a drink.

The heavy-duty fabric used in Atom Packs is waterproof… but the stitching is not. This means that whilst it’ll handle a drizzle, in order to be prepared for the whole days of rain Scotland can provide a pack liner, or cover is required.

I would enthusiastically recommend the Atom Packs Pulse, if you are looking for an ultralight pack there is so much to commend here: The customisation, the build quality, the design and comfort are all great. The one caveat I would give is to ensure you’ve thought carefully about the size and weight of what you’re putting inside. If you have a pack like this and you stuff it full of heavy and bulky gear then you may be disappointed… and end up missing the ventilation and back padding that more traditional packs have.

At just over a kilo the DD pyramid tent has been with me for several years. It has weathered storms and freezing conditions without issue but it isn’t the perfect tent. The tent pitches with trekking pole in a teepee style, and this makes a roomy interior that accommodates two people, or one person and all their gear.

I love that the tent has good head height. I can sit or kneel thanks to the high roof in the middle of the tent. However, the sides slope sharply meaning that at the sides there isn’t a lot of head room. In order to ensure that my sleep system stayed dry I slid my pad toward the centre, There’s essentially a six inch strip of unusable space on all sides making the inside more cramped than initially appears.

It rained on the last trip I took with it, and I stayed dry, so the tent does perform well in this regard. However, the fabric used on the outer tent is is sil-nylon: In the wet it stretches and sags, even a well-pitched tent looks less like a pyramid and more like a jelly after only little rain. The outer fabric seems to initially take on water and then repel the rest of the rain well, it definitely works but on rainy nights I felt a little anxious.

The tent pitches quickly and looking at the tents of other hikers, I think I was certainly more comfortable on dry nights. On rainy nights I think I would have felt a little more confident in a tent with less saggy material, even though, I should state again – the tent stayed dry.

The DD Pyramid tent has served me well over many years.

I purchased this sleeping pad at the last minute prior to hiking the Great Glen way in 2024 as I had experienced some issues with lower back pain on previous trips and I couldn’t afford for that to happen on a multi-day hike. It was time to do away with my thin basic pad. My review for this pad will be brief – its amazing! I slept comfortably and the experience was more comparable to a mattress at home than over sleeping pads I’ve used in the past. This is the first time I’ve spent serious money on a sleeping pad so maybe I should not have been surprised but I was seriously impressed.

The pad comes with an innovative inflation sack, which makes it quick and easy to inflate without any need to use your lungs, or carry any battery powered pumps.

I would highly recommend this pad not only for hikers but also for car camping. It’s great. The pad has some insulation and can be used year round (if you are properly equipped). I went with the regular width which was fine but if you’re looking for comfort over weight the extra couple of inches on the wide pad may be preferable.

This down quilt is another piece of equipment I’ve had for a few years. Its lightweight, packs down into an integrated pouch that’s about the footprint of an A4 sheet of paper, and its kept me warm on many a trip. In winter I pair the Cloudcover with second blanket but for this trip it was perfect by itself. I like quilts as they allow me to move around in my sleep. The cloudcover has a drawstring at the top and bottom and poppers down the sides so you can sinch the whole thing in tight if you need. I like to do up two poppers at the bottom and tuck my sleeping pad inside, thus making a cosy footbox that ensures my feet stay inside and warm, whilst at the top the quilt is open for me to move around in and uncover myself on warm nights.

                  If you are a sleeping bag user I would really encourage you to try a quilt. I find mine so much more comfortable, its easier to get in and out of, there’s no weight wasted on insulation that I would only end up laying on top of anyway and in the case of the cloudcover it packs down into an integrated pouch that eliminates the need for extra bags.

Featuring a strap to hold it in place to your sleeping pad and a relatively small pack size, the trekology inflatable pillow is everything you need and nothing you don’t. at under £20 it’s a bit of a no brainer. I’d be interested to see what more fancy camping pillows can offer, because I struggle to see what improvement can be made for such a small and simple piece of equipment.

For some time I just used spare clothes as a pillow but I ditched that method after too many times of waking up in the morning with aches and pains.

• This item was provided by Valley & Peak

When undertaking any outdoor activity, ensuring you have enough water is vital. On a day trip you can carry all your water with you but for a five day hike it is necessary to have some means of collecting water safely.

                  The Katadyn BeFree is a compact water filtration system that has some key features that set it apart from competitors.

• Included soft bottle has a wide mouth making it easy to collect water.
• Water flows quickly through the filter making filling up for the day really simple.
• You can drink directly from the filter with the sports cap style top.
• Simple cleaning and maintenance

I really liked how the filter was small and out the way when not in use, but I could fill it and keep an extra 600ml of water ready to filter when I needed it.

There is too much more I can write about this filter – it does one job and it does it well. What I can say is that filtering water is a lot less faff than boiling and a lot more convenient and tasty than using purification tabs.

I’ll be carrying the BeFree on all future adventures.

This item was provided by the manufacturer

A next level alcohol stove. I’ve made little stoves out of tin cans in the past and their performance was thoroughly OK. This stove should not be confused with those. It can boil enough water for a hiking meal in just a few minutes and features graphite foam that soaks up and holds the fuel making it spillproof.

The stats speak for themselves-

• Stove 12g
• Windshield and pot hooks -33g

Most gas stoves weigh more than that without any windshield. I used about 90ml of fuel on my trip, and when that fuel is used there’s no more weight to carry. Something that has always annoyed me about gas cannisters is that an empty gas canister that weighed 200g when full, still weighs 100g empty. I am happy to sacrifice another 90 seconds of cooking time to save all that weight and bulk.

My entire cook kit fits into a 420ml titanium cup – what more could one person alone need?