Founded in 1790 on the Potomac River, Washington DC has it all. The city booms with life as congressmen walk the steps of the Capitol, tourists explore the Smithsonian, the President hosts foreign emissaries and students party it up in Georgetown. However, when the weekend comes around locals and foreigners alike might be inclined to escape the city limits in search of tranquility and adventure. While these two concepts might appear contradictory Great Falls National Park caters for both those who want to simply relax in the wilderness, and for those who want to break a sweat or two.

Ever since Joseph Gerber launched his Gerber ‘Legendary Blades’ in 1939, the brand has taken off in the outdoor tools market. Specializing in knifes and tools, it has pioneered the way in compact products that service an adventurer’s daily needs. The multi-tools meet the demands several outdoors activities, helping the brand develop a strong relationship with outdoor enthusiasts across the market.

Nick Bennett writes about his kayaking holiday to Norway this summer

What distinguishes the Haglöfs design of such a travel bag from its competitors, is that despite its simplicity, it packs an almost limitless variety of possible uses. This means that as your required demands of a primary storage gear change with the time of day, the environment or climate, or even just your location, you will always be able to rely on the adaptable Travel Pouch for safe preservation of your most valuable possessions and documents.

Haglöfs started in a shed in Torsång, Sweden in the spring of 1914. The very first product Victor Haglöf made was a backpack which sold for a mere SEK 0.9 … Read more

As the name suggests, Steamboat, CO-based nutrition company Honey Stinger have a preference for making quality sports nutrition using the natural power of honey. Bars contain over 30% honey and their … Read more

The history of humankind is punctuated by extraordinary revelatory moments, the birth of great ideas and the enactment of outstanding achievements. Moses’ parting of the Red Sea, Newton’s falling apple … Read more

Montreal is famous for many things, but its proximity to world-class white water is not usually considered one of its celebrated assets. Nevertheless, a 75-minute drive from downtown Montreal will land you in the beautiful Rouge River Valley. During the Spring, the mid-sized Rouge River can flow up to 450 m³/sec, while for the rest of the Summer and Fall one can expect anything from 30 to 200 m3/sec.

The Sea to Summit brand has vested themselves as a company that provides the adventure traveller with useful accessories to make life on the road, and in the water, far easier. Over the last two decades they have produced lightweight and durable products, with the Ultra-Sil Dry Sack being a good example of innovative, amphibious product. This highly recommended outdoor accessory made my adventure experiences far more convenient, keeping water from harming my valuables any longer.

TORQ are a UK-based fitness consultancy that specialise in training and nutrition. Owing to the success of their performance coaching which started in 1999, TORQ moved into performance products to complement their existing services.

Most of us do our sports during the day, spending evenings to resting or relaxing with friends – usually anything other than getting our heart rates up with some exercise. Word is out that there are countless new nightclubs that few are aware of. It might not be the typical dance scene that you expect it to be. Ladies, gentlemen, and especially those adrenaline-seeking freaks, I bring you the Petzl Myo RXP; a headlamp that will bring light to your darkness, show these new “nightclubs” and unlock these long-hidden nocturnal instincts inside of us all.

The Youghiogheny or Yough (pronounced ‘yaach’) is a river with a split personality. Split between four distinct sections, and changing in feel and flow with the seasons, it’s a river … Read more

I have had the Plam Torrent for 10 months now. In that time it has been all over Scotland, Corsica, Norway and the East Coast of the US. I love it, it has kept me warm and dry in almost all situations and it is one of the most important pieces of kit I own. As far as increasing the number of rivers paddled per £ spent it wins hands down. However it is my first dry suit and many of the things I love (mainly being dry and warm) come as standard with all dry suits.

Mountain Safety Research (MSR) describe the 4-season Asgard tent as “the most liveable, 2-person expedition shelter we’ve ever made”. In order to assess this claim and put the tent through some rigorous testing, Christian Hacking and I took the Asgard to Switzerland.

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, located in between northern Norway and the North Pole at 90 degrees north. The island plays host to a wealth of breeding sea birds, marine mammals and of course the infamous polar bear. Spending time in the area is inherently dangerous, but as mere visitors to the area we have to take every precaution against the native dangers.

Secret Compass are a young tour operator that pioneer expeditionary trips around the world. With 2012 departure dates set for trips to Mexico, South Sudan, Afganistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, founders Levison Wood and Tom Bodkin are working on new itineraries in Madagascar, the Congo, Argentina, Iraq and Brazil. As such as young company, Secret Compass are in a great position to refresh adventure touring and create demanding adventures with team action. One of Secret Compass’ focuses is to find trips that have a historical relevance, particularly within exploratory myths. Their tour in South Sudan follows the footsteps of one famous explorer, Samuel Baker.

Jinja is a small, vibrant town located in the South East of Uganda, around 50 miles from the capital, Kampala. Due to its proximity to the Nile River at the … Read more

Immersion Research is a kayaking gear company based in Pennsylvania and run by kayakers, for kayakers. Coupled with a desire to make the best and most innovative kayaking gear is a success story that saw the brand grow from a small backyard company to a major player in the small world of kayaking.

As technology takes a greater hold on the way we run our lives, it’s no surprise that adventure brands are jumping on the digital band wagon to enhance user experience. To bring their adventure software in line with established platforms from other watch manufacturers, Suunto released Movescount, their version of performance tracking. As well as updating training data features, Suunto introduced a neat social networking element to enhance the Movescount product. Here I’ll outline some of the key features, and guide you through the process of setting up an account.

Sitting alongside a number of prestigious outdoor brands in the Cascade Designs family, SealLine has a lot to stand up to. The Boundary Pack is SealLine’s go everywhere-do -everything pack and is designed to be as comfortable as a backpack on a the train as holdall deep in the canyon.