Reviews
If you would like your product reviewing, and the review published on the Heason Events website, Facebook Page and Twitter account please read this.
Search by Category:
Books, Guides & Maps | Boots & Shoes | Climbing Equipment | Clothing | Food | Gloves | Jackets & Waterproofs | Rucksacks & Bags | Sleeping Bags & Mattresses | Stoves | Tents | Torches & Lighting | Other
Or by Activity:
Running | Climbing | Cycling | Walking | Camping
Or By The Most Recent List Below:
21st Dec 2017 Salomon S Lab Wings 8 Running Shoes
I got these shoes primarily for a single event. That may seem frivolous, but given that the event was the pinnacle of my running 'career' to date I figured it was fair. The shoes are...
19th Dec 2017 Kids Escape Pants - VAUDE
Kids waterproof trousers come and go in our family pretty quickly. When they were younger we bought pair after pair of cheap, thin, no-frills versions for a few quid. They'd last a few months...
5th Dec 2017 Mobile Solar Charger Kit
On a recent trip to Cliffbase in Croatia I was in need of some power. Cliffbase is an amazing place, but has no mains electricity, so is totally reliant on the sun. Last time we went there was...
4th Dec 2017 North Wales Bouldering
I can safely say that this is the biggest climbing guide I have yet reviewed. At 668 pages it's a mighty tome that comes with a hefty price tag of £36.95. It may sound expensive, but it's...
22nd Nov 2017 Power Traveller Extreme Solar Powered Charger
powertraveller are a brand name I recognise who have helped produce a decent competitive range of solar powered kit available for the average outdoor user. The 'Extreme' kit - actually titled...
16th Nov 2017 Exploring Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way
I've been reviewing guide books by Wild Things Publishing for a few years now, but they have by no means cornered the market. David Flanagan and Richard Creagh have produced a lovely guide to...
3rd Nov 2017 Montane Minimus Stretch Jacket
Weighing in at 257g this is definitely in the realm of lightweight waterproof jackets. It's made from a very thin Pertex with the usual and expected properties of being waterproof, windproof...
1st Nov 2017 Berghaus GTX Gaiters
It's a bit of a bug-bear of mine to see people out on perfectly good paths with no rain forecast, wearing sparkling gaiters when there's simply no need (it's almost as bad as the pair I once...
31st Oct 2017 Kids Escape Light Jacket II - VAUDE
I've said it in numerous previous reviews, but I will say it again; too many of us kit ourselves out with funky technical kit, but neglect our kids. VAUDE produce a decent range of junior...
6th Oct 2017 Montane Primino 140 Long Sleeved Tshirt
A very good, light weight thermal top for using whilst active. I first used it on a 12 our race around the Glen Coe Skyline. It was a bit of a risk, running for so long with something I had...
5th Oct 2017 Salomon Skin Pro 15 Set Running Backpack
I have previously tested a Skin S-Lab Salomon bag, but though it is ace, it's not big enough for runs which require full winter kit. Well, it is big enough, but stopping to get something out of...
4th Oct 2017 100 Hut Walks In The Alps - Cicerone
Cicerone have an army of guidebooks to adventurous stuff in Europe (they do cover other parts of the world too, but Europe is their main focus). This guide is a welcome addition to our...
3rd Oct 2017 Edelrid Shield Light Climbing Helmet
Weighing 220g the Edelrid Shield Lite helmet is amongst the lightest on the market. It's a single-piece moulded foam construction with a hard outer shell. Inside there is a removable lattice of...
2nd Oct 2017 The Push - Tommy Caldwell
I've grown out of the habit of reading books about famous climbers so it was with trepidation that I started reading The Push. I felt as though I knew enough about tommy Caldwell's life through...
29th Sep 2017 Wild Guide To The Lake District & Yorkshire Dales
If you read my reviews you'll know that I am a big fan of Wild Things Publishing. They started out with Wild Swimming and have since gone on to produce a whole raft of other titles, the latest...
28th Sep 2017 Hoopie Collar - Ruffwear
There's not a whole lot to say about a dog collar, but this one is certainly the best one we've owned / used. It's sturdy, but lightweight. The V-ring is attached in such a way that it doesn't...
26th Sep 2017 Climbing Ropes - Edelrid Apus Pro Dry 7.9 60m
Climbing with new ropes is a great feeling. One of security I guess. When I started out climbing a half rope was usually 9mm, with full ropes coming in at 10mm+. Obviously technology has...
25th Sep 2017 Via Ferratas Of The French Alps
Via Ferratas are perhaps one of the oldest forms of adrenaline-based mountain activity. However they weren't originally designed with pleasure in use. Originating in the Italian Dolomites they...
22nd Sep 2017 Kitchen Sink - Sea To Summit
A very handy addition to our camping kit. It's been used for water carrying, washing up, crabbing, muscle filtration (of the shellfish variety!), water collection, and as a shopping bag! It...
21st Sep 2017 Ordos 2 Lightweight Tent - Alpkit
Lightweight tents have been around for some time. Driven by two-day mountain marathon events where pairs of competitors race in teams carrying all of their kit and food weight became paramount...
3rd Aug 2017 Carbon Ultralite Vario 4 Compact Walking Poles from Komperdell
Having reviewed a few sets of walking poles over the years it's always interesting when a new design comes along. The Ultralite Vario, which weigh an impressively light 181g each, comprise...
2nd Aug 2017 Salomon Speedcross Kids Running Shoes
Review by Bryn, aged 11. These shoes are perfect for a lot of different things, running being the best. This is a list of things that I like about these shoes: My favorite thing...
1st Aug 2017 MSR Whisperlite International Stove
Way way back my then girlfriend and I travelled to Canada for a couple of months one summer whilst we were students. In Vancouver other travellers kept mentioning the Mountain CoOp. We tracked...
31st Jul 2017 Ruffwear Kibble Kaddie
Of all the things I never thought I would end up reviewing this has to be high on the list. But it's actually very good! Essentially it's a durable bag for keeping dog food in whilst on the go....
27th Jul 2017 Concertina Wind Shield from Alpkit
With the foil shield that came with my stove finally biting the dust it was time to get a replacement. The Concertina weighs a little more than a plain foil option, but is clearly superior in...
26th Jul 2017 Bikepacking Guidebook by Wild Things Publishing
Full title: Mountain Bike Camping Adventures On The Wild Trails Of Britain By Laurence McJannet At this year's Sheffield Adventure Film Festival there were enough films submitted on...
25th Jul 2017 Ruffwear Highlands Bed & Highlands Pad
It makes sense to combine these two things in the same review as one fits in side the other. The bed itself retails at £64.95 and is an ovoid, padded sleeping mattress for your dog. It weighs...
13th Jul 2017 Aquapac Waterproof Mirrorless System Camera Case
The first test was to make sure you could get a camera into the Aquapac and shoot with it, and the answer was, yes you can, and it works quite a bit better than you’d expect. I couldn’t get...
12th Jul 2017 Sealline Bulkhead Tapered Dry Bag
I reviewed a Sealline Dry Bag a week or so back and referenced a bag made by the same company which I have had and used for nearly 20 years, and which is still going strong. This one is not...
11th Jul 2017 Alpkit Lampray Light
LEDs are well and truly immersed into the lighting market now so it is no surprise that Alpkit have done what they usually do - take a look at the other stuff out there and design something...
5th Jul 2017 Ruffwear Webmaster Harness
It's a fast learning process having your first dog. I run a lot, so any dog we were going to get was obviously going to have to be a runner. I'd seen one or two dogs out running previously in...
4th Jul 2017 MSR Flex 3 System - Cookware
MSR have a certain genius for designing clever kit. The Flex Systems are essentially nesting sets of cooking pans, plates / bowls, and cups. I'd intended to get the Flex 4 System as we are a...
3rd Jul 2017 Sealline Seal Pak Waterproof Hip Pack
A handy sized waterproof bag for a wide range of sports and activities. The Seal Pak has a 4l capacity so is best used for valuables and stuff that you need quickly - wallet, phone, camera etc....
26th Jun 2017 X-Pan 21 - Sea To Summit
Another well designed bit of kit from Sea To Summit, but it comes at a price. At 21cm (8 inches) this is a pan suitable for cooking, say, a breakfast for 2, or pancakes, or frying up some veg...
22nd Jun 2017 Ruffwear Float Coat
Heading to Scotland on a sea kayaking trip with a dog we'd only had for two weeks was a bold move and required some cool kit! Having taken him down to the river at home and realising that he...
21st Jun 2017 Sea To Summit X-Pot 4l
On our honeymoon in India many years ago my wife and I spent a memorable couple of hours in a hot and dusty market somewhere in Rajasthan buying a set of aluminium cooking pots which we have...
20th Jun 2017 Sealline Boundary Pack 35 Drybag
Over the years I've managed to collect well over a dozen dry bags. Many now have little holes which is understandable given the amount of use they have had. One stands out as the toughest, most...
19th Jun 2017 Ruffwear Quencher Cinch Top
Having recently reviewed a couple of collapsible bits of camping kitchenware it seemed apt to write a few words about an equivalent dog bowl. The Ruffwear Quencher Cinch Top is a bowl designed...
16th Jun 2017 Mashk Portable Camping Sink from Alpkit
On a recent sea kayaking trip to Loch Hourn we took a couple of these sinks with us. They are awesome. Long handles mean that they are easy to carry, even when full of dishes. Having two...
15th Jun 2017 Sea To Summit Folding Bucket 10l
Folding kitchenware has been around for years, but it has come of age more recently with a whole host of materials and designs giving rise to some very useful and helpful products. The Sea To...
14th Jun 2017 Ruffwear Roamer Leash
So we got a dog. It's been a long time in coming, but we finally took the plunge and found an awesome rescue dog a month ago. This is not the place to wax lyrical about it having been a good...
13th Jun 2017 Landar Camping Stove - Alpkit
We headed to Scotland for half term, a large group of is with plans to cook together. Last year's trip had seen a vital component of our main stove forgotten at home so we had to make do with a...
12th Jun 2017 Berghaus Fastpacking Extrem Shell
Part of Berghaus's Extrem lightweight range the Fastpacking Shell retails at £170 and weighs 250g. 250g for a fully waterproof jacket suitable for extreme mountain weather is impressive. It...
17th May 2017 New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v7 Running Shoes
I was signed up to run the London Marathon in April so it was time for some new road shoes. Sadly a week before the event I learned that due to an administrative error my place had not been...
16th May 2017 Montane Featherlite 30 Rucksack
I own a very snazzy backpack and also a bum bag for racing and can't really fault them. However I was after something a little bigger that is still designed for running with. Enter the...
9th May 2017 Salomon XA Enduro Running Shoes
It's been a while since I've tested a pair of shoes with a genuinely (and obviously) new feature, so I was interested in the Enduro. The new feature is effectively an elasticated upper...
5th May 2017 VauDe Men's Larice Jacket
Weighing in at just 270g this isn’t the lightest fully waterproof jacket on the market, but it's a decent contender. It has been designed for ski touring, but obviously will work for any...
12th Apr 2017 Wild Swimming Walks - Dartmoor & South Devon
Following hot on the heels of my review a few days ago of the equivalent book on wild swimming walks in and around London this guide is a little more in keeping with the ethos of wild swimming....
6th Apr 2017 Wild Swimming Walks - London
The full title of this book is: Wild Swimming Walks - 28 lake, river and seaside days out by train from London Wild Things Publishing have released a series of very good and very...
5th Apr 2017 Mammut Tatlow GTX Approach Shoes
Smart and stylish and a long way from the gaudy colours of many other approach shoes, the Tatlow GTX have a leather outer shell with a decent Goretex lining meaning that for the time being at...
4th Apr 2017 Lightweight Folding Chair - Mountain Warehouse
I love the fact that a piece of kit seems to have run its development course, and arrived at something that can't really be bettered, and then some bright spark has an idea. Sometimes these...
23rd Mar 2017 Komperdell Explorer Contour Walking Pole
I've had a few walking poles over the years, but this one stands out as different thanks to the locking mechanisms. All my previous poles have featured the standard twist-to-lock which are...
7th Mar 2017 Sports Cloak - Charlie McCleod
Pretty pleased with this bit of kit. Essentially it's a glorified dressing gown with some very neat features designed for swimming outdoors. The idea is that you wear this when getting changed...
1st Mar 2017 The Bond - Simon McCartney
I've avoided reading any books about mountaineering for a while. Impressive though the feats are I began to find them following a pattern. It's no fault of the authors, but there are only so...
22nd Feb 2017 The Scottish Bothy Bible by Geoff Allan
Another gem from Wild Things Publishing, this is the second book on bothy's to have been released in the last year. Whilst the former, The Book Of The Bothy, featured a selection of bothies all...
20th Feb 2017 Wild Garden Weekends - Guidebook
I has been a pleasure to delve into this beautifully illustrated book and leaf through the beguiling examples of what has to be described as ‘Secret Britain’. Obviously, when reviewing...