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

Axe Safety Basics – Simple rules for using an axe safely in the woods, at camp or at home
June 30, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Axes are great. I use them every week, and have been swinging them around for at least 20 years. They are versatile tools, and as important as a crafting item as an outdoor safety/survival tool. I couldn’t do my job without one. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Lost on Snowdon? Find a fence.
June 14, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

If you have visited the mountains of Snowdonia, in particular the area around Snowdon itself, you will probably have come across one of these small, blue circular plaques pinned to a gatepost or stile. Their purpose is fairly self-explanatory, with “CYFEIRNOD GRID/GRID REFERENCE” printed around the edge. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Wild Camping Food – What should I take?
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

This is a common question from clients who are heading out for their first ‘wild’ camping trips in the mountains and forests of the UK – what am I going to eat? We have normally gone through the laws of wild camping and taken a good look at the other parts of the equipment list, but food can sometimes be a bit of an afterthought. Wet or dry, bought or made – and just how much do I need to bring? Continue reading →...
Read more →
Can I pick wild flowers in the U.K.? When is it illegal?
May 10, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

In this blog post I will do my best to explain it, pick out the relevant parts of the legislation and steer a forager, bushcrafter or ethnobotanist in what is (hopefully) the right direction. At the bottom of this blog post is the shortened explanation (a tl;dr), but for those who want to know exactly where that came from here are some blocks of legal text: Continue reading →...
Read more →
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 →

Read all articles

Outdoor Gear Reviews

REVIEW: TRC Outdoors Cierzo Shirt and Timmy Hat
September 10, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

I’ve been aware of UK veteran-owned brand TRC Outdoors for a while, so when Brian from surveillance and fieldcraft specialists Kamouflage Ltd offered to send me the TRC Outdoors Cierzo shirt and Timmy hat to try out over the summer I was happy to help out. I had the opportunity to try them both out over the last few weeks on some of our Outdoor Professional courses and a few mountain trips. This review is based on that use in the mountains and forests of North and Mid Wales and a few Scottish excursions. Continue reading →...
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REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

I reviewed the 2019 Mountain Equipment Firefly down sleeping bag for UK outdoor news and discussion site UKHillwalking.com. It’s small, light and cleverly designed – but is it warm enough for a Welsh spring? 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...
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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 →

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Latest bushcraft blog posts

Axe Safety Basics – Simple rules for using an axe safely in the woods, at camp or at home
June 30, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Axes are great. I use them every week, and have been swinging them around for at least 20 years. They are versatile tools, and as important as a crafting item as an outdoor safety/survival tool. I couldn’t do my job without one. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Certificated Foraging Courses in North Wales
June 7, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Our foraging course has been by far our most popular public skills course for a decade now. Alongside those public course dates we have been training chefs, outdoor instructors and group leaders in the basic skills of foraging – plant and fungi identification, use of guidebooks, how to use and process plants and the laws that cover foraging and the picking of wild plants in the UK. We have also covered the acquisition of wild protein – both inland and on the coast, including shooting, fishing and how to cook and prepare what you gather. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Wild Camping Food – What should I take?
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

This is a common question from clients who are heading out for their first ‘wild’ camping trips in the mountains and forests of the UK – what am I going to eat? We have normally gone through the laws of wild camping and taken a good look at the other parts of the equipment list, but food can sometimes be a bit of an afterthought. Wet or dry, bought or made – and just how much do I need to bring? Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

I reviewed the 2019 Mountain Equipment Firefly down sleeping bag for UK outdoor news and discussion site UKHillwalking.com. It’s small, light and cleverly designed – but is it warm enough for a Welsh spring? Continue reading →...
Read more →
Can I pick wild flowers in the U.K.? When is it illegal?
May 10, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

In this blog post I will do my best to explain it, pick out the relevant parts of the legislation and steer a forager, bushcrafter or ethnobotanist in what is (hopefully) the right direction. At the bottom of this blog post is the shortened explanation (a tl;dr), but for those who want to know exactly where that came from here are some blocks of legal text: Continue reading →...
Read more →

Read all bushcraft blog posts

Latest mountain blog posts

Watching James Blunt get “Cold” in North Wales
September 9, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

We took a call from a producer working with international music video and film production company Great Guns to help out with finding locations for their new production – the music video for James Blunt’s new song “Cold”. We launched straight into recommending, shortlisting and then recce-ing locations for them along the coastline of North Wales on Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsula. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Lost on Snowdon? Find a fence.
June 14, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

If you have visited the mountains of Snowdonia, in particular the area around Snowdon itself, you will probably have come across one of these small, blue circular plaques pinned to a gatepost or stile. Their purpose is fairly self-explanatory, with “CYFEIRNOD GRID/GRID REFERENCE” printed around the edge. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Wild Camping Food – What should I take?
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

This is a common question from clients who are heading out for their first ‘wild’ camping trips in the mountains and forests of the UK – what am I going to eat? We have normally gone through the laws of wild camping and taken a good look at the other parts of the equipment list, but food can sometimes be a bit of an afterthought. Wet or dry, bought or made – and just how much do I need to bring? Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

I reviewed the 2019 Mountain Equipment Firefly down sleeping bag for UK outdoor news and discussion site UKHillwalking.com. It’s small, light and cleverly designed – but is it warm enough for a Welsh spring? Continue reading →...
Read more →
Can I pick wild flowers in the U.K.? When is it illegal?
May 10, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

In this blog post I will do my best to explain it, pick out the relevant parts of the legislation and steer a forager, bushcrafter or ethnobotanist in what is (hopefully) the right direction. At the bottom of this blog post is the shortened explanation (a tl;dr), but for those who want to know exactly where that came from here are some blocks of legal text: Continue reading →...
Read more →

Read all mountain blog posts

Original Outdoors on YouTube

Latest video blog posts

Watching James Blunt get “Cold” in North Wales
September 9, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

We took a call from a producer working with international music video and film production company Great Guns to help out with finding locations for their new production – the music video for James Blunt’s new song “Cold”. We launched straight into recommending, shortlisting and then recce-ing locations for them along the coastline of North Wales on Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsula. Continue reading →...
Read more →
Axe Safety Basics – Simple rules for using an axe safely in the woods, at camp or at home
June 30, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

Axes are great. I use them every week, and have been swinging them around for at least 20 years. They are versatile tools, and as important as a crafting item as an outdoor safety/survival tool. I couldn’t do my job without one. Continue reading →...
Read more →
REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
May 22, 2019 by Richard Prideaux

I reviewed the 2019 Mountain Equipment Firefly down sleeping bag for UK outdoor news and discussion site UKHillwalking.com. It’s small, light and cleverly designed – but is it warm enough for a Welsh spring? 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 →
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 →

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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.

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Blogs, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Articles

Posts from Original Outdoors and Richard Prideaux

The Original Outdoors Blog

Latest articles from Richard Prideaux

Outdoor Gear Reviews

Latest bushcraft blog posts

Latest mountain blog posts

Original Outdoors on YouTube

Latest video blog posts

Tips From an Instructor Series

Ask Me Anything Series

Moments from Trips and Courses

The TGO Blogger Network

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Get in touch…

Blog

Blogs, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Articles

Posts from Original Outdoors and Richard Prideaux

The Original Outdoors Blog

Latest articles from Richard Prideaux

Outdoor Gear Reviews

Latest bushcraft blog posts

Latest mountain blog posts

Original Outdoors on YouTube

Latest video blog posts

Tips From an Instructor Series

Ask Me Anything Series

Moments from Trips and Courses

The TGO Blogger Network

What are you looking for?

Who are we?

Popular Courses

Latest Blog Posts

Get in touch…

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