I think cycling is pretty groovy, actually

Stef writes:

A recent article in The Guardian proclaims that teenage girls prefer not to ride bikes for fears over their appearance. As I was once a teenage girl myself, I must admit that, sadly, this is true. My cycling days ended at the age of 13, with the inevitable onslaught of makeup and fashion prevailing for much of the years afterwards. Now in my mid-twenties, I am happy(?) to announce that I'd much rather an enjoyable bike ride over a day spent worrying about different shades of paint on my face, as this recent picture of my holiday in Guernsey shows;


So I've decided to offer something a little different to the world of teenage fashion. It's not all about looking like Kate Moss, and keeping healthy is very important. How many kids ride a bike to school these days over getting dropped off by their parents? It's time to make cycling as 'trendy' as possible (I'm sure they still use that word).

Starting with highly recommended cycling gear giant Montane, the Women's Velocity DT Jacket is perfect for bike riding in any weather. Designed for the high-energy cyclist (but can, of course, be worn by anyone), the Velocity DT is fully waterproof with an ultra low weight of 225grams - perfect for stowing away in a rucksack. The cut is female-specific, with a low drop tail (to cover more of your back) and pre-bent, extra-long arms for ease of movement. Both the main zip and pocket zip are water-resistant, perfect for keeping rain away from clothes and essential items - including the all-important MP3 player, which includes audio access from inside the jacket. For the parent's peace of mind, the 3 metres of reflective piping are visible through 360 degrees - perfect for road safety in time (though don't forget your bike lights!). While a little pricey at £107.99, this is perfect for all-round protection.

At 120grams, the Montane Featherlite Velo is lighter and a much, much cheaper price at £35.99. Perfect as an additional outer layer, the Featherlite Velo comes in a range of both subtle and bright colours for the introverted and extroverted alike. The best part? It is ultra-breathable, massively reducing the risk of turning up to any function, gathering or class covered in sweat after a three-mile bike ride.

From The North Face, the Women's Sentinel Thermal jacket is windproof, water resistant & comfortable, with Gore Windstopper maintaining wind resistance and breathability and a fleece backer for added insulation and comfort. The cuffs are elastic-bound for simplicity, with a hem cinchcord, keeping the jacket close to the body and eliminating heat loss. What is Gore Windstopper? - basically it's a lamited technology which is designed to repel wind and rain on the outside and wick away moisture from the inside, keeping you comfortable for longer. Pricey at £143.99, but will last you very, very long time.

For a good selection of jackets perfect for cycling, please take a look at the Montane and Windproof Shell sections of our website, or call us on 0208 123 5911 with any enquiries and we will do our best to answer them! Safety while cycling is also important, so head torches from brands such as Petzl are useful, as are, as always, cycle helmets.

The Black Diamond Momentum AL Harness

The Black Diamond Momentum AL Harness. It's versatile, cutting edge and bloomin' comfortable! This harness has been given a new design that pushes the boundaries for value and comfort. It has a bullhorn shaped waistbelt which has been created to give the body as much mobility and flexibility as possible, making it simple to 'bust a move' or two when dangling off the rocks. The harness has been rather cleverly fitted with adjustable leg loops which gives the wearer the oppertunity to wear numerous amounts of layers, just in case the cold gets a little too much to handle! The Momentum has 4 pressure moulded gear loops and a haul loop with a KN rating of 12, so your in safe hands with this harness! It weighs 410g, costs £40.49 and comes in a delightful slate colour.

Montane Dragonfly Shirt - best in test

We've been mad about Montane for long time (and are proud to be one of their twelve selected UK Online Montane stockists) and were thrilled to find a very positive review of the Montane Dragonfly Shirt on Live For The Outdoors. Montane's dynamic use of combining two performance fabrics as opposed to using just one (Polartec Power Dry Midweight & Polartec Power Dry Featherweight) ensures weight is kept down and yet still retains a high level of durability. Recommended usage? High-energy rock-related pursuits, and I'm not talking about ZZ Top gigs.


In other news, the OutdoorKit Winter Clearance has begun! You can check out what's on offer - all for a limited time only; Berghaus RG1 Jackets, The North Face Evolution Triclimates & Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams to name but a few - all at 30% off recommended retail price.

OutdoorKit on YouTube

Check out the video for The North Face Ultra Trail;

Cold, cold November and a beautiful duvet

We love the Berghaus Incinerator jackets. Which I why we were thrilled to find this video on the Berghaus Facebook page;

Video Diary: A Berghaus Incinerator Duvet Review from Jamie Maddison on Vimeo.

My favourite points were probably the attempt to SLEEP in the Incinerator Duvet (with goose down , Primaloft and a Pertex outer, we doubt you'd even need a house on your top half), and the claim that it is 'hotter than the sun'. Willing to give it a try? It's available in Jet Black and Extrem Red for £224.99.

In other news, we've got some rather gorgeous hats around to fend off winter's prying hands - the Mountain Equipment Powerstretch Beanie is a perfect baselayer or single-layer hat, with Polartec powerstretch for thermal warmth and comfort. The headband is double thickness, keeping the hat firmly secure on your head in high winds and similar tempests.

After something more, er, groovy? The North Face Peruvian II Beanie wouldn't look out of place around even the ultra-trendy Portobello Market, as well as being perfect for keeping your lugs warm amidst the Alpine chills - thanks to the added extra of a microfleece earband.

Fancy going for a run in the cold? The Under Armour Active II Beanie comes in male and female specific fit, 100% PolyArmour (soft polyester fleece), a breathable mesh lining and not much else! When low weight is key, this specifically designed beanie will keep the head warm without overheating.

North Face Accessories

Andrew writes:

The North Face Ear Gear...what an ingenious idea! It's made from Polartec Classic 200, and while I can't get the full rewards of the ear gear's warmth just sitting here in the office, I'm sure it wouldn't fail to impress when wearing it outdoors in the winter chill that has now descended upon us. Its incredibly soft to the touch and really lightweight so you won't feel like your carrying a buffalo around on your head. The trim is made from lycra spandex so no matter how big (or small) your head (or ears) are, it's sure to fit you! It's thin and lightweight design means that it's still compact enough to slip another hat on your head, giving you the maximum amount of head insulation as possible. It costs £10.75 so it's well worth a purchase to keep your ears happy during the winter.

A few other useful North Face winter warmers include the Powerstretch Balaclava, which gives you full coverage of your neck and head. Another little gem is the Rocket Beanie, which is an eye catching number, coming in an array of colours and of course keeping your noggin' nice and warm.

A Showerproof Fleece?!

Stef writes:

YES!!!! The Mountain Equipment Starlight Guide Jacket is showerproof, windproof and, with a deep inner fleece material, highly insulated. Perfect for wear on it's own when the weather gets drizzly, or as a high-impact mid layer when fighting your way through mountain snow atop Ben Nevis (or wherever may take your fancy - the nearby Dunstable Downs are ambitious enough for me). Check out our recent press release on Mountain Equipment Fleeces.


Our St Albans shop has had a winter revamp, and is looking rather good - we've got down insulated jackets from Merrell, Rab and The North Face, plus Under Armour base layers and an array of chic winter accessories from various brands. A selection of Oakley goggles and waterproof three-in-ones are also available in-store. Feel free to check out our High Street store during the upcoming months - opposite Zizzi's, next to the historic St Albans Clock Tower.

Timberland Men's King's Bay GTX Moc Toe Chukka

The King Bay GTX Moc Toe Chukka is one of Timberland's smart casual boots. It gives the wearer plenty of style and versatility, as well as practicality with it being made from premium waterproof leather with a very clever Gore-Tex membrane, keeping any of that annoying drizzle away from your feet. It's also extremely comfortable to wear thanks to the smart comfort chassis, giving you everything you could ever possibly want or need in one pair of boots. In fact the smart comfort technology is actually made with memory foam, making sure your own boots will never forget your footprint. The outsole of the boot is comprised of rubber pads which gives the boots minimum weight and maximum flexibility. The Chukka costs £89.99 and comes in a wonderful Oil Brown.

Salomontastic

Salomon's been doing really well this month - especially with those uber-popular Cosmic 4D GTX boots - truly out of this world. Lightweight at 630grams; protective, with a rubber heel and toe cap; and fully waterproof, with a Gore-Tex membrane. I can't wait to try on a pair of these beauties - we've just made the women's fit available to order. For now, I can just look at the picture and grin. Glee!

We're pretty keen on getting a good selection of running gear. Good reviews abound for Montane, which is good news for you - considering you can find pretty much EVERYTHING they do on OutdoorKit. Brasher Helium XCR trail running shoes are also doing well; you can check out a review on Outdoors Magic here.

Let it snow...or just be very, very cold

Oakley Snow Goggles are here! We've got everything from the fog-phobic, persimmon lens O-Frames to the extra-special, high-definition optics of the Oakley Splice. As always, delivery to mainland UK is 1-2 working days when the product is in stock, and as we use Parcelforce for all deliveries we are not affected by the Royal Mail postal strike.



In other news, Montane jackets have been receiving rave reviews recently - such as this one from Outdoors Magic on the Superfly XT.



On to the warmer side of things now - we've added a few new sleeping bags to our Mountain Equipment range, all down, all technical, all simply amazing. Press release is available here.