Are you training for a marathon, a triathlon, or simply enjoy long hikes no matter what the weather? Whatever the reason you end up pushing yourself in all weathers, you will at some point need hydration and the longer you are out the more you will need. If you have ever tried to run a long distance with a bottle in each hand, you will know this simply isn’t a comfortable option. A hydration pack is the most sensible option for day-long training sessions.

One of the biggest pains in the butt when it comes to camping is actually pitching your fabric home. It often involves a whole bunch of poles that look exactly the same and trying to work out where on earth they go. The Igloo from Khyam takes away some of the hassle, but using their ‘Khyam Rapidex Quick Erect System’ (no giggling please), where all poles are sewn into the flysheet, all you have to do is simply click them into place which takes a matter of seconds. This makes it easy to move between sites and just sit down with a beer.

I have always struggled standing still for any length of time, I discovered this when I was 7 and a hairdresser asked me to stand still for the duration of the of the haircut, I passed out. I can walk and walk all day, dance at a gig all night, but ask me to simply stand and my body goes wrong. I’m like the soldier face-planting the tarmac during an official ceremony.

Perhaps it’s hard to imagine at this time of year that you will ever see the sun again, let alone need sunglasses, but I have heard rumours that it will return next year and what better way to prepare than treating yourself to a new pair of sunglasses. The Sand Island from Maui Jim combine a Matte Black frame and Neutral Grey Lens made from Maui Jim’s Maui Evolution material, they are also available in Gloss Dark Brown. Starting with the frame they feature an 63mm eye width, 46mm eye height and 15mm bridge length with a temple length of 120mm.

The Meridian 75 is a wonderfully large travel bag with a load of attributes that make those longer journeys as easy as possible. Starting with pure vanity, the Meridian 75 comes in 3 beautiful colours, Lagoon Blue, Metal Grey and Rainforest Green, all distinctive enough to stand out on the luggage carousel.  The Meridian 75 comes in two sections, a large 59L main pack and 16L daypack that clips together in a neat package, there are thick flaps of material which hug the daypack in place, giving it more protection as well as providing a cleaner profile.

Last month we reviewed the Handpresso as a standalone product and I have just got my hands on the Minipresso GR by Wacaco, so for this review I will be playing them off against each other.

Both are attractive pieces of kit with the Minipresso being slightly smaller and compact, although I felt the Handpresso came in much better packaging – the price of the Handpresso is £73 against the lower price of the £48 Minipresso.

Last month I went trekking in Snowdonia and was given the opportunity to try out my first pair of Mammut Hiking Boots the Mammut T Advanced GTX Men.  I received them the day before I was to drive up to Snowdonia, so there was going to be no bedding in time with these they were going to be thrown straight into the deep end!

It is always difficult to write about something without bias when you are already completely in love with the brand, but I will try my hardest. Waterfield likes to combine the super masculine look of distressed leather with practical urban bags, and the Rough Rider is no exception. Its naturally-tanned distressed leather core material contrasts wonderfully with a choice of five accent colours. Personally the Green and the Pine are my favourite as they complement the tan brown so nicely.

When we took the Neoair Dream out camping we also took out a bog standard blow up Argos basic air bed, once they were blown up, my partner, being a gentleman, asked me which I would prefer I looked at the Neoair Dream and then the thicker basic bed and choose that, epic mistake! In the morning my air bed had deflated so much my butt was touching the ground it was really uncomfortable and the material itself felt horrible if it touched my skin, so I made a big fuss and he gave up the Neoair dream to me for night two.

The Icemule Pro Cooler claims to be, “The World's Most Portable High-Capacity Cooler”. It has all the power of a hard luggage style cooler but in the form of a soft backpack, it has reinforced back-straps and ventilated back pads which make the Icemule Pro comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The Icemule Pro doesn’t muck about, it understands your need for lots of storage space, never again will you have to choose between keeping you BBQ meat cold or having an ice cool beer by the campfire.