Blogs, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Articles

Posts from Original Outdoors and Richard Prideaux

The Original Outdoors Blog

We’ve had a blog page on the Original Outdoors site ever since, well, we’ve HAD a website. The posts are a random mixture of UK-centric outdoor articles, opinion pieces, trip reports, gear reviews and even some video tutorials.

Most of the reviews are written by Richard Prideaux, with occasional blog posts by guest writers and contributors.

Latest articles from Richard Prideaux

How to choose the right map scale – 25k, 40k or 50k?
January 25, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

There are two mapping scales that tend to be used for walking, mountaineering and other human-powered travels across the landscape in the UK – 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales. The main producer of topographical maps for outdoor activities (and everything else) is the Ordnance Survey (OS), and the 1:25,000 (Explorer) and 1:50,000 (Landranger) scales are readily available at outdoor shops, online and local retailers. They also produce various digital mapping products, as well as an online mapping service and smartphone app. Continue reading →...
Read more →
We went foraging with VICE and Max Halley
January 18, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Back in November 2018 I spent a couple of days working on two articles for VICE - one was taking renowned sandwich chef Max Halley foraging for edibles on a North Wales beach, and for the other I wandered around a damp forest with writer Angela Hui and photographer Elijah Thomas. Each piece was part of a wider project promoting the idea of 'microgapping' in the UK. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Examining a wild camp site – tracking and reading the ground
December 5, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

So there I was, wandering through the woods with the dog. This is one of several woodland sites that we occasionally rent to run some of our bushcraft, survival and other wilderness skills courses in North Wales. I am far from any of the footpaths, both the public ones and the ones made by locals through the trees. It’s about 15 minutes after sunset and the light is poor – nearly time for the head torch. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Pacing, timing or ticking off – measuring distance when navigating on foot
November 28, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

On our navigation courses we always end up coming around to the subject of distance. Indeed, it’s one of the ‘D’s of navigation and unless you intend to just stand still and survey the surrounding countryside you’ll need to deal with the problem of measuring distance both on the map and on foot at some point or another. There are three ways that we cover in depth on the EST Framework navigation courses – ‘pacing‘, ‘timing‘ and the enigmatically named ‘ticking off‘. They each have their merits, but also a few drawbacks. Like pretty much every other navigational technique – they...
Read more →
UK Wild Camping Laws Explained
November 22, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Can I Wild Camp in the U.K? Good question. I suppose it depends on what you mean by ‘can’. If you mean ‘is it physically possible to find somewhere to camp?‘ then of course the answer is ‘yes’. I wild camp somewhere in the UK about once per month and have a decent success rate. I have been camping in the mountains and forests and on the coastline of the UK since I was about 18 Continue reading →...
Read more →

Read all articles

Outdoor Gear Reviews

REVIEW: Country Innovation Woodlark Waterproof Smock
January 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

After reviewing their Raptor waistcoat I was contacted by UK brand Country Innovation to take an early look at their brand new waterproof smock design – the Woodlark. It’s listed on the Country Innovation website as being “made from a tough cotton outer fabric, which, when combined with the waterproof/breathable lining, offers great protection from wind and rain“. With the wet and windy months of December and January coming up I accepted the offer and did my very best to try and kill, or at least maim, this waterproof outer layer. I was mildly surprised with how good the Raptor waistcoat...
Read more →
REVIEW: Grayl Ultralight Water Filter
December 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Water filters are becoming increasingly popular in the Uk hiking and outdoors market, and what was once seen as a niche item for overseas travel and expeditions are now starting to be habitually carried in the UK by adventurers of all types. The Grayl Ultralight purifier bottle is a bit of a hybrid between a filtration bottle and something that can be used to transfer that cleaned water to another container – something that dedicated water filter/purifier bottles often struggle with. I have been trying it out since late summer, using it on wild camping trips and expeditions with clients in Snowdonia,...
Read more →
$helikon-tex bushcraft satchel review$
REVIEW: Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel
November 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

It won’t take long to run through the features of this bag – but that is, I suppose, a feature in itself; the Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel is pretty simple. There’s an unpadded adjustable shoulder strap running between two clips, and slightly curved ‘ends’ where these clips attach. There is no padding anywhere on the bag, and it hangs symettrically – it isn’t contoured or ‘handed’ to fit on one side of the body or other. Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Country Innovation Raptor Waistcoat
October 30, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Photography waistcoats like this are basically load-carrying vests and systems for a very civilian market, and the Raptor waistcoat from Country Innovation seems to be pitched straight at that market of photographers, birdwatchers and anybody who regularly points optics at wildlife. I admit from the start that Country Innovation was a new brand for me, but a quick look through their website shows that their kit is trusted by the outdoor and wildlife photographers that I admire - so if it's good enough for the likes of Simon King and Bill Oddie then it might be good enough for a scruffy...
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REVIEW: GP Xplor PHR15 Head Torch
October 19, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Head torch technology has come on a long way since I started working in the outdoors. My first 'proper' head torch was a Petzl Zoom. It had a massive alkaline battery and came with a spare bulb - it was also like a candle in a jam jar. LED head torches started to creep in soon after, with the early ones being fairly disappointing affairs - and quite expensive. Now it seems we can't move for fear of tripping over inexpensive and fairly powerful LED headlights - is the new Xplor range from pocket-power supplier GP Batteries worth a look, and...
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Read all gear reviews

Latest bushcraft blog posts

How to choose the right map scale – 25k, 40k or 50k?
January 25, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

There are two mapping scales that tend to be used for walking, mountaineering and other human-powered travels across the landscape in the UK – 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales. The main producer of topographical maps for outdoor activities (and everything else) is the Ordnance Survey (OS), and the 1:25,000 (Explorer) and 1:50,000 (Landranger) scales are readily available at outdoor shops, online and local retailers. They also produce various digital mapping products, as well as an online mapping service and smartphone app. Continue reading →...
Read more →
New Foraging Course Dates for 2019!
January 23, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

We have added new dates to the 2019 course calendar to cope with demand for our Foraging and Wild Foods day course, plus launched brand new Level 1 and Level foraging training courses for professionals and those who want to take their foraging seriously. Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Country Innovation Woodlark Waterproof Smock
January 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

After reviewing their Raptor waistcoat I was contacted by UK brand Country Innovation to take an early look at their brand new waterproof smock design – the Woodlark. It’s listed on the Country Innovation website as being “made from a tough cotton outer fabric, which, when combined with the waterproof/breathable lining, offers great protection from wind and rain“. With the wet and windy months of December and January coming up I accepted the offer and did my very best to try and kill, or at least maim, this waterproof outer layer. I was mildly surprised with how good the Raptor waistcoat...
Read more →
We went foraging with VICE and Max Halley
January 18, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Back in November 2018 I spent a couple of days working on two articles for VICE - one was taking renowned sandwich chef Max Halley foraging for edibles on a North Wales beach, and for the other I wandered around a damp forest with writer Angela Hui and photographer Elijah Thomas. Each piece was part of a wider project promoting the idea of 'microgapping' in the UK. Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Grayl Ultralight Water Filter
December 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Water filters are becoming increasingly popular in the Uk hiking and outdoors market, and what was once seen as a niche item for overseas travel and expeditions are now starting to be habitually carried in the UK by adventurers of all types. The Grayl Ultralight purifier bottle is a bit of a hybrid between a filtration bottle and something that can be used to transfer that cleaned water to another container – something that dedicated water filter/purifier bottles often struggle with. I have been trying it out since late summer, using it on wild camping trips and expeditions with clients in Snowdonia,...
Read more →

Read all bushcraft blog posts

Latest mountain blog posts

REVIEW: Country Innovation Woodlark Waterproof Smock
January 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

After reviewing their Raptor waistcoat I was contacted by UK brand Country Innovation to take an early look at their brand new waterproof smock design – the Woodlark. It’s listed on the Country Innovation website as being “made from a tough cotton outer fabric, which, when combined with the waterproof/breathable lining, offers great protection from wind and rain“. With the wet and windy months of December and January coming up I accepted the offer and did my very best to try and kill, or at least maim, this waterproof outer layer. I was mildly surprised with how good the Raptor waistcoat...
Read more →
REVIEW: Grayl Ultralight Water Filter
December 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Water filters are becoming increasingly popular in the Uk hiking and outdoors market, and what was once seen as a niche item for overseas travel and expeditions are now starting to be habitually carried in the UK by adventurers of all types. The Grayl Ultralight purifier bottle is a bit of a hybrid between a filtration bottle and something that can be used to transfer that cleaned water to another container – something that dedicated water filter/purifier bottles often struggle with. I have been trying it out since late summer, using it on wild camping trips and expeditions with clients in Snowdonia,...
Read more →
Examining a wild camp site – tracking and reading the ground
December 5, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

So there I was, wandering through the woods with the dog. This is one of several woodland sites that we occasionally rent to run some of our bushcraft, survival and other wilderness skills courses in North Wales. I am far from any of the footpaths, both the public ones and the ones made by locals through the trees. It’s about 15 minutes after sunset and the light is poor – nearly time for the head torch. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Pacing, timing or ticking off – measuring distance when navigating on foot
November 28, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

On our navigation courses we always end up coming around to the subject of distance. Indeed, it’s one of the ‘D’s of navigation and unless you intend to just stand still and survey the surrounding countryside you’ll need to deal with the problem of measuring distance both on the map and on foot at some point or another. There are three ways that we cover in depth on the EST Framework navigation courses – ‘pacing‘, ‘timing‘ and the enigmatically named ‘ticking off‘. They each have their merits, but also a few drawbacks. Like pretty much every other navigational technique – they...
Read more →
UK Wild Camping Laws Explained
November 22, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Can I Wild Camp in the U.K? Good question. I suppose it depends on what you mean by ‘can’. If you mean ‘is it physically possible to find somewhere to camp?‘ then of course the answer is ‘yes’. I wild camp somewhere in the UK about once per month and have a decent success rate. I have been camping in the mountains and forests and on the coastline of the UK since I was about 18 Continue reading →...
Read more →

Read all mountain blog posts

Original Outdoors on YouTube

Latest video blog posts

We went foraging with VICE and Max Halley
January 18, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Back in November 2018 I spent a couple of days working on two articles for VICE - one was taking renowned sandwich chef Max Halley foraging for edibles on a North Wales beach, and for the other I wandered around a damp forest with writer Angela Hui and photographer Elijah Thomas. Each piece was part of a wider project promoting the idea of 'microgapping' in the UK. Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Grayl Ultralight Water Filter
December 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

Water filters are becoming increasingly popular in the Uk hiking and outdoors market, and what was once seen as a niche item for overseas travel and expeditions are now starting to be habitually carried in the UK by adventurers of all types. The Grayl Ultralight purifier bottle is a bit of a hybrid between a filtration bottle and something that can be used to transfer that cleaned water to another container – something that dedicated water filter/purifier bottles often struggle with. I have been trying it out since late summer, using it on wild camping trips and expeditions with clients in Snowdonia,...
Read more →
17 Different ways of making fire
December 4, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

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The Six-Bundle Fire Lay
November 11, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

This fire lay requires six bundles of dry, straight dead wood and a good ignition source. It relies on good airflow at the beginning, and the fire lay ‘collapsing’ in on itself in the later stages to ensure a good bed of coals and ash to cook over. It is also a good option for making a ‘One Match Fire’. Continue reading →...
Read more →
$helikon-tex bushcraft satchel review$
REVIEW: Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel
November 6, 2018 by Richard Prideaux

It won’t take long to run through the features of this bag – but that is, I suppose, a feature in itself; the Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel is pretty simple. There’s an unpadded adjustable shoulder strap running between two clips, and slightly curved ‘ends’ where these clips attach. There is no padding anywhere on the bag, and it hangs symettrically – it isn’t contoured or ‘handed’ to fit on one side of the body or other. Continue reading →...
Read more →

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The TGO Blogger Network

In 2017 TGO magazine launched their Outdoor Blogger Network, and Original Outdoors was part of the original group of outdoor bloggers chosen to be part of it.
If you haven’t already seen the list of bloggers that they have put together then please follow this link to find out more.