A quote from Lawrence Clark of  Bushcraft Ventures Ltd shown in the picture wearing on of our Cotton Analogy jackets

‘I’ve been using Ventile jackets for a little over 20 years and have never been let-down by their performance. In fact I have a mountaineering Ventile jacket that is 20 years old and still going strong. Earlier this year I took my new Cotton Anology jacket along on my regular annual trip to Arctic Sweden, to see how it would cope with 2 months of teaching bushcraft and reindeer herding.

I normally use a cotton Swedish army skiing jacket, which is not waterproof, when in the Arctic but with the winters getting warmer in this region I felt that I needed a jacket that could cope with temperatures ranging from zero to minus 40C. I was very impressed with the performance of the combination of the Ventile and Nikwax Anology materials and stayed dry and comfortable whilst building snow shelters, ice fish, snow-shoeing in nearly 2 metres of snow and trying to catch reindeer.

For those of you that have lived and worked outside in extreme low temperatures, which may be most us after the recent winters we’ve had in Scotland, you will realise that moisture is a big NO NO. Although the body temperature can be controlled, by correct preparation before activities, having clothing that breathes well and that can be ‘vented’ is highly important. I can honestly say that, despite some hard physical work, I never experienced moisture or any ‘clamminess’ that I have experienced with many jackets solely made from man-made materials.

When working with reindeer and building snow shelter one can often be covered from head to toe in snow and with the temperature at the start of my trip being just below Zero (I believe is was around -24c in Aboyne at the same time) this meant the snow was ‘wetter’ than normal for this time of year. Therefore waterproof protection is vital and if your mid or base become wet and the temperature drops you could be in big trouble. The options when this happen is to dry your clothes by a fire or to let the water freeze and knock off the ice, both of these options can mean a very cold and dangerous situation if you don’t have spare clothing.

Fortunately, as I expected, I did not experience any leakage and despite the hard-work I put the jacket through I remained dry and cosy. I put this down to not only the combination of the materials but also down to the workmanship (or maybe that should be workwomanship) of the highly experienced seamstresses that manufacture a high quality product at Hilltrek’s workshop in Aboyne.

I was able to ask for larger and more pockets, to accommodate gloves and mitten, when I first purchased my jacket but I require some more alterations so I’m taking the jacket back to Hilltrek. This is not due to a problem with manufacture or materials but I have decided to make some personal design changes.  I discussed the alterations with the Hilltrek seamstress and got some excellent advice and the jacket shall be ready soon.

In summary I’m very pleased with the materials and workmanship and I’m looking forward to using my jacket over the Scottish winter and autumn and shall be taking it with to Sweden, Norway and possible Canada early next.

Thanks Hilltrek

Lawrence Clark

Bushcraft Ventures Ltd

With the second half of the summer being particularly unsettled weather wise then the chances are you will have been walking a lot in the rain recently?  Especially on longer distance walks, I head in to Glen Tanar from Aboyne the other weekend and it rained for 3 of the 4 hours I was out walking.  It was a muggy and humid day and the Fungle, felt more jungle like but my CragHoppers and t-shirt were keeping me cool enough, but on leaving the tree line behind the open heather moorland brought steady and heavy rain, and a bit of wind, nothing to strong but enough to dramatically lower the temperature.  A few years back I got a pair of made to measure water proof over trousers.  With no lining they are light to carry and easy to roll up into a pocket, zipped at the bottom to save you taking off your boots, but you still need to have good balance to get them on quickly.  I also had a shell outer jacket.  I was wrapped up from both the wet and the cold wind.  I had not been for a long-ish walk in the rain for ages, no views to take in or Buzzards soaring in the sky to watch but it was enjoyable enough, especially guessing when the could might break.   Then it came time to descend and the valley bottom was a lot warmer, the rain became more showery and I could remove the over trousers.  The day became warm before a big shower ensured I finished my walk in the rain as I returned to Aboyne.

The calendar said 15th June but high on Ben Avon and in its gullies winter was still hiding.

The walk to the summit of Ben Avon is best characterised as three long plateau walks, the valley floor walk-in, then the moderate climbed through Fairy Glen to the moorland plateau before things get a lot steeper as the gully climbs the side of Ben Avon to the long flat top of Ben Avon.  I found it a gentle and less threatening walk compared to those around Ben Macdhui however, there was a still a lot of risk around.  Mainly, whether to trust the snow bridges that were clearly being used by other hill walkers?  There were three occasions where the path took a snowy turn.  The first couple looked safe enough as the main stream was some distance way, but I did get a ‘post hole’ on the way down.  However, the last snow bridge was a straight burn crossing.  Plenty of foot prints and boot dirt stretched over the snow but I opted to follow the stream up a side gully and to cross on some expose bare granite, no fear of that collapsing.  Safety first. The weather on the summit was OK but it started to rain and add in the wind, it was not a day for hanging around in the great outdoors.  I could have opted to put on my rain jacket on but I decided for a quick descent to the mid plateau.  I wore my Hilltrek made to measure venture trousers that were ideal for the walk up and half the way down but the lower valleys had heated up a lot.  A quick change into the CraigHopper shorts made for a more comfort.  A 20 mile, 7 hour summers day when winter thinking was still required.

I am starting the planning for my walk up Ben Avon this week.  The weather forecast is where I usually start my preparations and things are looking promising for Tuesday onwards.  About this time last year I walked to the summit of Ben MacDhui and it was a hot day in the hills, so thoughts on what jacket to bring were more along the lines, will I need an outdoor jacket at all?  Of course the answer is always yes.  This year the weather is a lot cooler, the freezing level reported at 1200m at the weekend past, that is cold enough for snow on the summits in the Cairngorms.  It is going to be 20 mile walk so that is going to be a bit of an energy spend and the hike up the steeper slopes will no doubt keep me warm.  So what jacket to wear?  Two things, one the need to keep the rain off and two, to keep the wind out but I suppose thirdly, but not at the price of overheating.  For me that means, the outer shell of my winter ski jacket with a breathable shirt below and a further t-shirt below if warmth is needed.  If some warmth is need and the weather is dry I’d go for just the inner lining of my ski-jacket with the outer shell packed in the rucksack.  Given those choices I was looking around the hilltrek online store and selected the following items:

Gairn Windproof Smock for those cooler summer days when the rain and wind is likely.

Naturally Páramo Reversible shirts Explorer Light Pull on with the new lighter weight materials this versatile jacket provides maximum flexibility for cooler to warmer day use.

Made to Measure Braemar Single Ventile Windshirt for those that want want exact fit comfort and performance.

In many ways choosing a summer outdoor jacket is a harder job than a winter one but for sure one should be packed in a rucksack.

What to do on a bank holiday Monday? Answer: walk from Aboyne to Aberdeen. The warm sunny days had slipped away, so the vision of wearing shorts and t-shirt for the walk was no longer on. What to wear on a day when the weather forecast suggested a band of rain early morning that would clear the sky come evening along the coast but with a northly wind, stronger nearer you get to the coast? Well, when I woke at 5.15am it was a clear sky and frosty in Aboyne, -2c but with a quick scan of the radar image, a band of rain was steaming south. So, I chose my ventile ‘made to measure’ hilltrek walking trousers and the inner lining of my skiing jacket. Sure enough it started to rain just after crossing Aboyne bridge. My first leg of the trip was to walk to Potarch Bridge via the south deeside road, 6.6 miles according to google maps. By then the rain had past and it cloudy but with sunny spells, and it remained like that for the rest of the day. The Deeside Way, was the walk I was wanting to follow, the only snag is, that it does not exist between Aboyne and Banchory so I free walked it along the river bank to Invercranny before walking along the road to enter Banchory, a 6.9 mile leg.

River Dee Banchory

Then I met up with a friend in Banchory and we started on the official  Deeside Way path, the old Deeside Railway line walk. The train was in operation at Milton of Crathes and 6.5 miles from Banchory we arrived at Drumoak.  Not far from the edges of Aberdeen, Peterculter being the first sign of Urbanisation.  It was windy by now keeping it cool but feeling warm in the glimpses of the sun.  Now I thought, my 4 month old ventile trousers may still be in need of some wearing in but no, they felt great the whole way.  More than I can say for me feet.  I chose my hiking boots but by Peterculter I opted for my trainers.  Us hill walkers are used to soft hill tracks or soft peaty ground but the deeside way path is hard and tarred for good stretches.  I met up with another friend for the last 7 miles from Peterculter to Duthie Park but the finishing line for me was the north seas at the beach esplanade.  I think about a 32 mile walk in about 10 hours.

I was out freeskiing at the weekend, Carnferg to Aboyne, full story on my blog.  As it was a relatively warm day, I didn’t want to wear my ski pants so I opted for my ventile Cabrach made to measure trousers.  I had never skied in them before and thought they might be a bit stiff but I was proved wrong, totally flexible and they fitted round my ski boots perfectly.  This was also my first test of the ventile waterproofing technology.  While not raining, the snow was real wet from the mornings rain and it was up to my knees and beyond at times, so plenty of moisture to test out the trousers.  They certainly got wet but the water was kept out.   Near my boots the fabric got frozen and this made the material real stiff but just the last couple of inches, the snow temperature was still below freezing.  I was impressed on how well the material also dried out, the classic example being sitting down in the snow for a rest or to have some lunch.  You could feel the cold on your bumb and the material was clearly soaking in the water (ventile works by the fibres expanding and thus making a barrier to prevent the water leaking through) but within a few minutes of walking again, they were dry.  I expect I’ll choose my Cabrachs a few times in what is shaping up to be a long Spring season of free skiing on Deeside.

A repost from one of our made to measure customers.

Aboyne Mid Deeside, originally uploaded by ecotorch.

First outing for my new Cabrach ventile ‘made to measure’ walking trousers from Hilltrek.co.uk this afternoon. A cold and high wind chill day and I am please to say the new trous kept out the wind. A wee bit of powder snow around and that sometimes blew up my legs, maybe an inner elastic finish in future designs? This is my first ventile material product. I like the feel of the finish, felt like I had been wearing the trousers for months. My last pair of hiking trousers were more high tech and involved washing them to keep them waterproof, while I;m yet to see these trousers in the wet they work in a more natural way, the fibres expand thus preventing the water from getting to you. This appeals to the eco in me, sort of fits in with the natural environment I like to be part of. So, bring on the rain through it looks like it will be more snow. . .

There is superb skiing conditions at the local ski resorts for Aboyne, The Lecht and Glenshee at present.  A customer sent in a video of their 1988 made to measure ski jacket still doing the business in cold conditions on the Buzzard piste at The Lecht.