Outdoor Gear Chat – Details, episodes & analysis

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Planning an expedition to Greenland?

Cathy and Wayne are joined by Olly Sanders to chat about how to prepare, what kit to pack, why climbing style may be dictated by your kayak, the effect of comms and tech on expeditions and why wellies are always on his kit list.

There are top tips on how to travel with minimal impact, information and funding advice for those planning their own adventures all interspersed with how to pack your boat, where to strap your gun and the very real discovery that Polar Bears are REALLY big when you're lying down!

If that's not enough - we even talk Batman stunts.

This show has it all!

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Young Minds Matter Appeal | Brathay Trust

See our full range: The Climbers Shop and Joe Brown Shops | Outdoor Clothing & Equipment UK (climbers-shop.com)
Free kit advice: The Joe Brown Outdoor Academy
Olly's website: All About Rock & Sea Adventures (rockandseadventures.co.uk)

If you found this interesting then don't forget to download:
Episode 1: Waterproofs - I'm Wet Through to My Undies (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 2: Layering - The Joy of Moisture Management (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 3: Socks - My Feet Stink (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 4: Sleeping Bags - Slip Into Something Silky (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 5: Gloves - Mittens vs Fingers (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 8: Stoves - Burning Ring of Fire (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 11: Lighting - Beam Me Up (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 19: Tents - Erections Of All Sizes (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 21: First Aid - I've Got An Ouchie (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 22: Sunglasses & Goggles - Eye Eye! (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 27: Water Purifiers - That's Quite A Thirst (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 37: Ropes - All Tied Up (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 38: Baselayers - Tight Fit (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 41: How To Keep Warm With Dr Down (buzzsprout.com)

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Ever wondered what's involved in starting a new outdoor clothing brand?

Cathy and Wayne are joined by Artilect Co-Founder Trent Bush to chat about the incredible amount of passion, science, skill and global logistics involved in getting a product from concept to shelf.

Based in Boulder Colorado, Artilect offer men's and women's ethically produced base layer, insulation and waterproof clothing packed full of  innovative technologies and centered around the outdoor user.  This is a fascinating behind- the-scenes insight into the passion, knowledge and expertise poured into technical outdoor garments.

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Young Minds Matter Appeal | Brathay Trust

See our full range of Artilect: Artilect (climbers-shop.com)
For more expert knowledge on outdoor clothing: Clothing — The Joe Brown Outdoor Academy
To keep your kit working for as long as possible: Repairs and Servicing I — The Joe Brown Outdoor Academy


Other outdoor Gear Chat Episodes you may be interested in:
Episode 1: Waterproofs - I'm Wet Through to My Undies (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 2: Layering - The Joy of Moisture Management (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 12: Insulated Jackets - Snug As A Bug (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 34: Women's Technical Clothing Fit and Function (buzzsprout.com)
Episode 41: How To Keep Warm With Dr Down (buzzsprout.com)

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If trekking in Nepal is on your bucket list then join Cathy and Wayne as they chat with Denise Prior at Community Action Treks. She has 20 years experience and along with Nicola Terry from parent charity Community Action Nepal, explains not just the importance of packing the right kit but also how to travel and trek while having a positive impact on the country you are travelling in.
Both Community Action Nepal and Community action Treks were originally set up by mountaineer Doug Scott - who summited Everest in 1975 alongside Dougal Haston making them the first Brits to do so.

You can find out more about the Treks offered by CAT here:
Community Action Trekking (catreks.com)
You can donate to Community Action Nepal here:
About Us | Community Action Nepal (canepal.org.uk)
Everything you need to trekking anywhere; from water purification to boots to sun-cream to down jackets is available here:
The Climbers Shop and Joe Brown Shops | Outdoor Clothing & Equipment UK (climbers-shop.com)
Discover a TON of free equipment and clothing advice here:
The Joe Brown Outdoor Academy

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In September 2023 Outdoor Gear Chat Co-Host Wayne Singleton stepped into the water at Bowness-on-Solway on the North Cumbria coast to "celebrate" an upcoming birthday. Some say he'd taken a wrong turn as originally, he'd started out planning to swim the English Channel. When he couldn't find a pilot he decided on a different type of swim challenge, one no-one had ever tried before - to swim the entire coastline of his home County of Cumbria.
With no idea what to expect, no idea if three years of training was enough, 10 days off from work and an acute fear of sea wildlife, Wayne describes dark depths, terrifying tides and the truly monster jellyfish he came across on his journey.

You can read a "real time" account of Wayne's epic swim here:
News - The Running Concierge
To donate to Wayne's Challenge and raise money for the Brathay Trust:
Wayne Singleton is fundraising for Brathay Trust (justgiving.com)
To learn about the great work of The Brathay Trust with young people in the North West:
Inspiring young people to make positive changes - Brathay Trust

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Cathy & Wayne are joined by Author, Walking Leader and Outdoor Swimming Instructor Suzanna Cruikshank to talk about women's technical clothing for sizes beyond the norm.

This fascinating insight into clothing fit follows on from our extremely successful online symposium held back in 2021. Listen as we discuss what is available, the difficulties of finding technical equipment for larger body shapes, why technical shops can be intimidating, colour, features and dodgy swim models.

But what is being done about it?

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

To see our plus size women's clothing range: Womens Outdoor Clothing And Womens Outdoor Jackets (climbers-shop.com)
To see our XXL men's clothing range: Mens Outdoor Clothing And Mens Outdoor Jackets (climbers-shop.com)
Watch our online symposium here: Women’s Technical Clothing: Fit, Form and Function — The Climbers Shop / Joe Brown Blog (theclimbersshopjoebrownblog.co.uk)
Technical Plus Size Patterns to make: Sew Outdoorsy | Outdoor & Activewear Sewing Patterns for Plus Sizes

Lake District Wild Swimming (suzannaswims.co.uk)

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In this episode Cathy and Wayne are joined by The Climbers Shop Manager and Spine Race veteran Chris Worton to talk about the wonderful world of trail shoes.

Why are there so many different types? How is a trail running shoe different from a road running shoe? Can the right shoes make you feel less tired? How can you make shoes last longer? What is the difference between pronation and supination? What is meant by drop? gait? neutral shoes? This episode is packed with facts and information about shoes, socks, gaiters, microspikes, laces and....... marmite - Wayne even get's grossed out about toenails.

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

Click the link to see our huge range of men's trail shoes
Mens Trail Running Shoes And Fell Running Shoes (climbers-shop.com)
Click the link to see our huge range of women's trail shoes
Womens Trail Running Shoes And Fell Running Shoes (climbers-shop.com)
Click the "Running" tab to see our full range of clothing and accessories
The Climbers Shop and Joe Brown Shops | Outdoor Clothing & Equipment UK (climbers-shop.com)
Tips on fit, nutrition and ultra's:
Running — The Joe Brown Outdoor Academy

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Cathy and Wayne are joined by engineer, sewer and outdoor equipment and clothing repair specialist; Rosanna Watson from Snowdonia Gear Repairs to delve into how to make your gear last longer.

Learn about tapes, sealants, zips, seams and all the little replacement gizmo's available to make your own repairs as well as the wealth of fixes that can be done to clothing, sleeping bags, rucsacks and tents so they can be used and kept out of landfill for as long as possible. Packed full of tips, Rosanna also explains how she can customise garments for MRT's, how to spot if a garment is easily repairable and how to get the best value for money (spoiler - this may not necessarily mean buying the cheapest).

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

Our shops have a large range of repair tapes, sealants, buckles, tapes and cords permanently in stock. They're dead easy to find in the shops and we're working on improving their visibility online:

Clothing/Tent and Rucsack Spares and repairs: Repair Products Camping | The Climbers Shop And Joe Brown S (climbers-shop.com)
Cordlocks: Lowe Alpine Cord Lock - Assorted Coloured (climbers-shop.com)
Cord: Ropes Cords Climbing Equipment | The Climbers Shop And Joe (climbers-shop.com)
Footwear Spares: Proofings, Aftercare & Repair | The Climbers Shop (climbers-shop.com)

To find our how to send your item back to Snowdonia Gear Repair please click here: Snowdonia Gear Repair

Our key brands all have their own repair/servicing and advice portals here:
Rab Service Centre - Rab® UK
Returns | Mountain Equipment (mountain-equipment.co.uk)
Care of Your Product – Mountain Equipment (mountain-equipment.co.uk)
Montane Repair Service | Extend the lifetime of your product. – Montane - UK
Climbing / Walking Boot Repairs & Resoles (UK) - SCARPA UK
La Sportiva - Official Website

Other outdoor specialist repair companies in the UK:
Outdoor Gear Repairs - LSR (lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk)
Scottish Mountain Gear
home | Llanberis Resoles | approved Scarpa and La Sportiva resoler.

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Ever wondered how to zip up a jacket when you only have the use of one hand? Or how to get in and out of a tent when half your body is paralysed?

Cathy and Wayne are joined by the inimitable Paul Pritchard who re-defines "disabilty" with his continual adventures and expeditions after suffering a severe brain injury during a climbing accident.

This podcast is a fascinating insight into adapting and using outdoor equipment for high altitude traverses, desert crossings, rock climbs and navigating that most extreme of environments - the airport. Full of dodgy humour and some gruesome descriptions of blisters, listen in to Paul's adaptive life...... and why he's looking forward to someone stealing his car.

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

Joe Brown's and The Climbers Shop are proud to stock all of Paul's books:
Search Results Page (climbers-shop.com)

Paul's Films:
The Journey: An Award winning film from Griffon Media about Paul Pritchard's recumbent trike 'pilgrimage' to Mount Everest. Accompanied by Carol Hurst the ride took them on 1150km across the Himalaya from Lhasa to Kathmandu via Everest Base Camp.

To The Rainbow: Paul Pritchard climbing The Rainbow Slab with Johnny Dawes. To The Rainbow is a Bamboo Chicken Production.

Larapinta Adaptive Traverse: The "Lowest To Highest' all-abilities team attempt to  traverse the whole 237km spine of Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges on the challenging Larapinta Trail.
Paul is also recording the Larapinta Podcasts

The Mountain Path A video introduction to Paul's latest book. Watch and Read!

Rite Of Passage: In his first film 12 year old Eli Pritchard takes his disabled dad, Paul to the Himalaya. Together they climb a peak. A simple coming of age story of a boy becoming a man.

To learn more about Paul: Paul Pritchard

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Cathy & Wayne are joined by Rab athlete Jon Gupta who has a wealth of experience climbing and guiding the worlds highest peaks - so many, in fact, just listening to the intro is exhausting!

Kick back and join in the mirth as this chat offers a rare insight into life at high altitude and how little bits of kit and experience can make all the difference to being successful on a major expedition. Vital tips such as why you should never put your down suit on for the first time at 7000m, what is the ONLY eating implement you need, the importance of pillows, what type of deodorant works at altitude and just what is the mysterious item that always appears at the bottom of a pan of freshly melted snow?

With thanks to Rab for making this podcast possible.

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

Joe Brown's and The Climbers Shop are proud to be pro stockists of the Rab range and have a wide range of expedition clothing and footwear in stock.
The Climbers Shop and Joe Brown Shops | Outdoor Clothing & Equipment UK (climbers-shop.com)
Learn more about our Expedition Event: Expedition Event 2022 Round up — The Climbers Shop / Joe Brown Blog (theclimbersshopjoebrownblog.co.uk)
Expedition Tips: https://www.joebrownoutdooracademy.com/knowledge-expeditions
Climb with Jon: Home // Mountain Expeditions (mountain-expeditions.co.uk)

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Cathy and Wayne are back to talk about the humble hat and the many headwear items designed to protect your head from the cold, the heat, the sun and vicious biting mcbeasties.
What fabrics work well, what features should you look out for, why is a hat so important, does a hat define who you are, when would you want to wear one under a hood, why did Wayne look like a member of the French Foreign Legion while running the Marathon des Sables and does Cathy really have a collection of fascinators?
All this and much, much more to help you remember to protect your head in every adventurous situation.

Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Wayne Singleton is swimming the coastline of Cumbria for Brathay Trust

To learn more about this weeks topic click through to:
See The Climbers Shop and Joe Browns full headwear range here
For tips on how to keep warm in the mountains click here