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.

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Outdoor Gear Reviews

  • mountain equipment firefly
    REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
    May 22, 2019 by
    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 →...
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  • waterproof bushcraft smock jacket
    REVIEW: Country Innovation Woodlark Waterproof Smock
    January 22, 2019 by
    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 water filter 2018
    REVIEW: Grayl Ultralight Water Filter
    December 6, 2018 by
    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,...
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  • helikon-tex bushcraft satchel review
    REVIEW: Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel
    November 6, 2018 by
    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 →...
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  • country innovation gear review
    REVIEW: Country Innovation Raptor Waistcoat
    October 30, 2018 by
    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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Latest bushcraft blog posts

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Latest mountain blog posts

  • Lost on Snowdon? Find a fence.
    Lost on Snowdon? Find a fence.
    June 14, 2019 by
    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 →...
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  • camping meals uk
    Wild Camping Food – What should I take?
    May 22, 2019 by
    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 →...
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  • mountain equipment firefly
    REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Firefly Down Sleeping Bag
    May 22, 2019 by
    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 →
  • wild plants foraging
    Can I pick wild flowers in the U.K.? When is it illegal?
    May 10, 2019 by
    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 →...
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  • waterproof bushcraft smock jacket
    REVIEW: Country Innovation Woodlark Waterproof Smock
    January 22, 2019 by
    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 →
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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.

tgo blogger network