product reviews
Our team of product reviewers love the outdoors. Lynda and her family, Laura and her tribe, Jon & Hazel, Annette and Eamon, Joe and Jamie, Barry (Testing Chuf) and Jill & Andy (Editor Chuf) are out and about all the time testing clothing and equipment in a wide variety of environments across Europe.
If the product has got a size we've got a size to fit it!
We test over time, not just out of the box so all of our reviews will be visited again & again & again &... to give our readers the long view of buying a product and the reviews updated accordingly.
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Review of Primus Njord Stove 2290
We did two trials on this stove. The first was to send it off to a scout camp for a weekend to see how it would fair in a group situation and the second was a test to see how quickly we could get it to boil a litre of water.

485 x 85 x 265 mm
1.8 kg / 4 lbs
Cooking rings are 205mm in diameter. Manual ignition.
Primus describe this stove as "ideal for the family and the big outdoor group. Foldable, compact and lightweight enough to fit into backpacks and small spaces"
The feedback we had from the Scout group was that it did all that in a very robust way and played an integral part in feeding the pack over the weekend. They recommended it.
7 mins 21 secs to boil our litre of water in a Primus Etna pan using an Edelrid Cartridge. The outside temperature was 18.5°C

The Primus Ignition Steel L sparked really well even in the hands of the sceptic using it! He said "This won't spark and light the stove in this wind!" It did first time! We've still got a few thousand more sparks to go but so far so very good.
Within a minute bubbles where forming in the base of the Etna pan showing real promise of success!
Minutes 3 and 4 passed with the bubbles remaining firmly on the base of the pan.
Same with minutes 5 and 6 bubbles did not rise

At 7 mins 21 secs the first bubble broke the surface and we stopped the test at this point.

Stove provides two well engineered threaded ports for connecting LP gas cartridges next to, what seems to us as over engineered, plastic locks for securing the legs in an upright position.
The control knobs have warning labels behind them that should not be removed even though you might think they get in the way!
It does warn that no combustibles should be within 500mm (20 inches) of the stove and that remote gas sources should not be attached.
A small heat shield is located between each control knob and flame.
It may be a good idea to add a little colour to the inset embossed + - indicates to allow them to stand out more in poor light conditions.
The 205mm diameter rings can accommodate the largest of pans which is very useful when catering for larger groups.
We have assumed that the over engineered loops in the centre of the underside are just to take an elastic band to keep the legs from flopping down in transit? We may be wrong!
Conclusion
We agree with Primus "ideal for the family and the big outdoor group. Foldable, compact and lightweight enough to fit into backpacks and small spaces".
It may however be difficult to change individual cartridges whilst in use although the stove does not take long to cool down.
Nice Stove with an amazing very honest warning!
"Product contains lead and lead compounds known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm!"
For more product details go to the Primus website
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review of Keen.CNX Cascade sandals
size we reviewed UK 10 US 11 EU 44.5
approx 300g per sandal Brown / True Red
worn continuously over 31 days
We decided that a great test for these sandals would be to wear them on a drive all the way from North Yorkshire UK to Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy and back via Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Switzerland.

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nikwax tech wash and TX direct wash in on a tenson jacket
Read more: nikwax tech wash and TX direct wash in on a tenson jacket
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icebreaker oasis crewe baselayer review
Apparently guaranteed to be the most comfortable, best performing base layer system in the world!
and no stink!
We are wearing it continually, apart from having a shower or two, until it does stink!
Well we're heading for Horton in Ribblesdale to test them out in the Easter cold and snow!
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keen erickson pct walking boot review
tested on salty sand in Arran, on the stone tracks of the forests on the Southern Upland Way and the hard rock and grassy slopes of the Lake District
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powermonkey classic review
what power monkey say
"Small, agile and powerful, the revolutionary powermonkey can be left in your bag, car or desk and will be ready to provide you with emergency power when you need it most!"
Well we gave it to a number of the team to test and the result was an overwhelming thumbs up!
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salomon sky 38 rucksack review
according to Salomon the Sky 38 is lightweight, breathable, gives quick access, is stable, has airvent contact, ski carriers, extra gear carrier at the bottom and pole holders. What they don't say is that it has a separate hydration reservoir compartment! We are going to start the review in Edale at the start of the pennine way on the 24th April 2012.
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edelrid kiro ti titanium gas stove review
We have fallen in love with this stove! Just holding it in the hand feels nice! The way in which it opens out is great, simple engineering.
This is what Edelrid say...
72g
Performance 3kW Consumption 80-240 g/h
Cooking time 3 min/litre
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terra nova wild country zephyros 2 two man tent review
In high winds on the evening of 3rd April 2012 in Horton in Ribblesdale in North Yorkshire I hurriedly put the tent up so it may not look as good as it could but it did serve as a more than adequate shelter for the night ahead.
Read more: terra nova wild country zephyros 2 two man tent review
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cooking equipment reviews
flameless
trekmates flameless box cooker review
gas
jetboil sumo titanium group cooking system review
edelrid kiro ti titanium gas stove review
meths
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real turmat chicken curry review
This is what Real Turmat say...
After water added approx.: 500g
Net weight approx.: 150g
Per 100g / per person:
Energy: 483 kcal / 657 kcal (2020 kJ/ 2750 kJ),
Protein: 13g / 18g, Carbohydrates: 50g / 68g, Fat: 25g / 34g
Ingredients:
Rice, chicken 10%, red pepper, onion, wheat flour, rapeseed oil, meat bouillon, curry, mustard, rosemary extract, salt and seasoning. May contain traces of milk.
What we think...
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pinewood lappland extreme trousers
not having worn such a garment before I was sceptically about their use walking in the UK!
I've changed my mind!
These trousers are very robust, very comfortable, warm and very practical. I've worn them through the winter with a Woolpower base layer and without a base layer.







