Find Faraway Nearby 2023

SPRING PRODUCT BRIEFING 2023

EVERYTHING FOR A SPRINGTIME OF GOOD TIMES OUTSIDE.

Hazel flowers and murmarations, queen bees and curlews, sunshine and frog spawn with the last throw of snow. As we track to the equinox, we take a moment to breathe the joy of spring. And in that moment we find faraway nearby.

A springtime of good times outside.

04 EVERYTHING YOU NEED RUN, HIKE, CLIMB, CAMP, SWIM, BIKE / 06 PRIVATE KEEP OUT AL HUMPHREYS & THE FINE ART OF TRESPASSING / 08 HOME RUN FLYING WITHOUT WINGS WITH KATIE PALMER / 13 ALPKIT FOUNDATION RECONNECTING RAMBLES / 14 REPAIR STATION SEWING STORIES / 15 BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER CONTINUUM - PASS IT ON / 18 HOW TO GET INTO COLD WATER KATE REW EASES US IN / 20 LET US DRINK TEA JENNY GRAHAM AND THE KINDNESS OF THE ANTI-ATLAS MOUNTAINS /

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We love to hear about the treasured moments that you create and then carry with you forever. Thank you to all our amazing customers for sending them in and keep them coming!

treasuredmoments@alpkit.com or share them on social: #alpkit #goniceplacesdogoodthings #sonderbikes

22 WHAT’S POSSIBLE IN 55 HOURS BIKEPACKING LOVE AFFAIR / 24 OUR SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFIT / 26 MEET OUR MAKERS DREAMS CAN COME TRUE / 29 GLORIOUS GRAVEL 2023 EVENTS / 31 STORES HELLO INVERNESS!

Everything you need to Run, Hike, Climb, Camp, Swim and Bike this spring.

Our design team work hard and our kit works even harder. Our products are made for using, and abusing, and using all over again. Our gear outperforms. We weave sustainability into everything we do - 80% of our products have at least one significant sustainability feature. And when your kit needs a bit of TLC, send it to one of our Repair Stations.

KEep OUt PRIVATe

and will not engage with the biodiversity crisis caused by the way we treat our landscape.

Personally, I am not that bothered about wild camping on Dartmoor. I’d probably pick a dozen or more places in England where I’d rather roll out my bivvy bag and sleep under the stars. But when millionaire Alexander Darwall bought 4,000 acres of the moor to go along with the 16,000 acres of Scotland he already owned, he set in motion something truly brilliant that I do care deeply about. I fervently hope that the banning of wild camping on Dartmoor is the catalyst that reinvigorates the land rights movement in England. The indignant outpouring of anger it provoked highlights an even bigger issue than the implications for those who love Dartmoor. Losing that tiny scrap of access has woken people up to the injustice and absurdity of being excluded from almost all of our wild places.

We do have an excellent network of footpaths to enjoy, but they are mere threads across the beautiful canvas of our country. 92% of that land is legally off-limits to us, as are 97% of our rivers. If people cannot access nature, they cannot connect with it,

If people do not care about nature, or feel a connection and responsibility towards it, then of course a few will be more inclined to drop litter and leave gates open. Nature remains such a low priority to the government that less than £2,000 a year is spent promoting the Countryside Code and educating people how to act responsibly in the great outdoors that all of us reading this love, and yearn to spend time in.

So what can we do about it, beyond ranting with words and preaching to the already converted?

A few suggestions:

Get out there and wild camp! I have been bivvying and wild camping all over the country for many years, trespassing discretely and politely, with no problems at all. Evangelise about it, encourage others, and teach them how to do it properly.

Leave a positive trace. This is an important escalation from the established leave no trace convention. Leave the landscape better than you found it. This not only includes tidying up litter, but also having courteous, open, positive discussions with farmers, landowners or hikers you meet.

Make a noise. We all feel strongly about these issues, but getting involved with campaign groups is far more effective than just getting cross on

Al Humphreys on the injustice and absurdity of being excluded from our wild places. And the fine art of trespassing politely.

Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Al Humphreys

your own. Sign up online with Right to Roam, get involved with Trash Free Trails, and send a letter to your MP to let them know that a fair and responsible access to nature is important for everyone.

Educate yourself. Read The Trespasser’s Companion. I didn’t really like the title of the book, as I’m too wimpy and conformist to be a rebel or a trouble-maker. But I loved the book, it made me furious and motivated in equal measure, and I have never made so many notes in any book that I’ve read.

Scotland has an enlightened Outdoor Access Code. Much of Scandinavia enshrines every person’s right to roam, to forage, to swim, to paddle, and to wild camp responsibly. That we in England have meekly allowed those simple rights to be removed is astonishing. Alexander Darwall has done us all a great favour by drawing a line in the Dartmoor mud for us.

Wild camp

Essentials kit list

Wild camping is camping anywhere outside of a recognised campsite. Pitch your tent on the mountainside and prepare for a sunrise summit, string your hammock up in your local woods, or a weekend bikepacking bivvy trip.

Piece together your own multi-day adventure with overnight stays in secluded spots.

Elan – A lightweight shelter to sleep in £119.99

Pipedream 400 – Ultralight sleeping bag £219.99

Cloudbase – Inflatable sleeping mat £49.99

Mytipot 900 – Titanium mug to cook with £49.99

Koro – Camping stove & gas for cooking £54.99

Balance – Waterproof just in case £199.99

Prism – 400 lumen rechargeable head torch £44.99

Orion 45L – A backpack to stuff it all in £99.99

‘Wild camping’ at alpkit.com

Enough. No more. It is time for everyone to be able to enjoy, to share, and to care for the wild places that mean so much to us.

What’s so good about running in the Lake District? Grass, mud, sheep and flying without wings.

Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Katie Palmer

A good fell runner once told me that most people are surprised to find out just how much walking is involved in the average fell ‘run’. The Lake District is a trail/fell runner’s paradise but don’t be put off by the misconception that you actually have to run continuously – it is, after all, home to some of the highest and steepest mountains in the UK. You’re allowed to walk when gravity requires and besides, some of our most fiercely contended fell races are won by those who can walk the fastest up those vertiginous ascents.

The descents on the other hand, well that’s another thing altogether. From the gentle, grassy contours of Loughrigg to the plunging, rocky drops of Bowfell, for many, it’s all about the downhill. Requiring a combination of nerve, skill, strong quads and grippy shoes, running down the Lakeland fells is a unique experience; the ultimate ‘mindful’ activity because you can’t afford to let your mind wander to anything other than where your next footstep is going to land. Sometimes you need to force yourself to stop and admire the views or else it all rushes by in a blur of grass, mud and sheep. In a description of the Cautley Race on local running

club Helm Hill’s website, they liken the descent to ‘the closest thing to flying without apparatus’!

The Lakes are also a great place for classic horseshoe routes that make navigation easier (as long as the cloud’s high enough to actually see) and give you the chance to experience the thrill of ridge running (where the ground drops away on both sides of your feet). The Kentmere, Fairfield and Coledale horseshoes are also host to some of the area’s best-loved fell races and once a year, have their ridges covered by a long line of athletes marching to the summits before soaring down the other sides.

Fell running in the Lakes isn’t easy. There will be copious quantities of mud (even in the summer), slick rocks and ice-cold rivers that can only be crossed by actually getting in. When the cloud comes in, you’ll need good navigation skills and the cloud comes in a lot. But the magic of scaling a fell under your own steam, be it in a race, during a club run for one of the many Lakes-based running clubs or simply on a weekend outing, makes the discomfort worthwhile. Standing on the summit and taking in the endless views of towering peaks and sparkling lakes is always a special thing. And then, of course, you get to let gravity do its thing and try your hand at ‘flying’.

MOVEMOVEIT, IT WE LIKE TO

We humans are good movers. In fact, humans have evolved to be the best runners on the planet over a long distance.

Enjoy the freedom that a love of running gives. Run short, run long, off-road or in the dark. Here are a few event ideas to get you started. Just go do it.

Love the night life?

For some people a run at night is a quiet form of mediation. For others night runs are the fastest, spurred on by the am-I-being-chased-by-a-beareffect (yes, this is a real thing). Either way a run in the dark is one of the best things about this time of year.

Dark Skies Festival Night Run 10K

Celebrating the Yorkshire Dales National Park Dark Skies festival, join us for a night run in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Try a trail race

Free yourself from the pressure of how fast you should run a mile by running miles where every aspect is different. Terrain, gradients and let’s face it, views. Trail runs are where we’re at home.

Edgy Trail Run

This route will take you through the best of the Peak District, with stunning 360° views that will keep you distracted as the kilometres fly by.

Tunnel Racing

The Tunnel Race is based in Bath. It’s a mindbending 200 mile race through the UK’s longest tunnel. There’s a 200 mile long tunnel in the UK? No, it’s a mile long and competitors run out and back 100 times. A step too far? How about this shorter option that goes through the same legendary tunnel?

Two Tunnels Railway Races

A truly special race that not only takes in many of Bath’s beautiful attractions, but also has the longest underground section for each race distance in the UK!

Run for a whole day!

Love running? Make a day of it. A whole day.

24 Hours South - The Offa’s Dyke Ultra Challenge yourself to new heights with an epic 24 hour ultra marathon on this stunning yet challenging route.

Make it appen in 2023

RunkeEper

Track your runs, get training plans, reminders and strangely addictive challenges.

A few of our favourite running apps that you might not have tried...

NHS Couch to 5k New to running? Here’s the perfect way to get going without having to stop after a week because you’re injured.

Running Kit List

Open the front door, hit your stride in the hills, over the moors or along coastal paths, travel light, feel fast. Smile.

1. Qark – Rechargeable head torch for no excuses night runs £39.99

2. Gravitas – A barely-there-barrier for wet weather running £179.99

3. Koulin Cap – Lightweight sun protection that stuffs into pockets £22.99

4. Koulin Trail Tee – Wicking and fast-drying base layer t-shirt £25.99

5. Artlu 10L – Running backpack for ultra runs or fast and light days in the hills £49.99

6. Carbon Marathon Ultra Twins - lightweight full carbon poles for ultra running £89.99

7. Vayper Shorts - Lightweight trail running shorts designed for maximum comfort when moving fast £34.99

OS Maps

Never again think, ‘I wonder what’s down there.’ Turn runs into a way to explore new trails and places.

Komoot

Find route inspiration through curated collections and routes shared by Komoot’s ever-growing user base.

‘Run’ at alpkit.com

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Woodsmoke shirt

SHIRT GOT REAL USEFUL

The most comfortable riding, hiking, climbing, working, relaxing, maxing shirty jackety thing you’ll ever own. It looks like a shirt but because of the clever ThermocoreTM hollow fibre fabric, it traps heat to work like a fleece. With Polygiene® anti-odour technology you’ll also be able to wear more and wash less, perfect for multi-day trips by bike or foot. It’s light, soft, fast wicking, quick drying, looks and smells fresh and rolls away neatly so you can always have it to hand.

Your new favourite do-it-all shirt. Buy well, put less in your wardrobe.

£89.99

Tiny homes for sale

If you’re starting to think that bricks and mortar are getting a tad pricey, take a look at these beauties. Deceptively spacious and in whatever desirable area you fancy.

The Polestar has a class leading room to weight ratio. Pitch it with your walking poles, then pack it down to the size of a melon. It’s spacious but still weighs under 1kg. Make it even lighter by just using the outer if you’re really into shaving the grams. It’s tough and stable. Like all our products, it comes with our amazing AlpineBond guarantee.

Polestar 1-person trekking pole tent £159.99

Campsites are back open at the end of the month and we’re itching to get out. The clocks are changing. Evenings are coming back. Catch nature off guard. Beat the crowds and treat yourself to a night outdoors among all the first signs of spring (you might even get to spot some hares boxing – yes, really!)

Other must view diminutive dwellings on the market:

Rambles Reconnecting

Alpkit Foundation supports the Mind Over Mountains bursary programme. It’s set up to offer free spaces to those who need it.

Mind Over Mountains

Alex Staniforth is the co-founder of Mind Over Mountains. It’s a registered charity to restore mental health through therapeutic outdoor experiences. There are guided hill-walking days, professional NLP coaching, mindfulness and counselling.

This holistic approach to well-being helps participants to build whole-body resilience, develop self-help skills and find a safe, confidential space to walk and talk with like-minded people.

“It took longer to access NHS mental health services than it did to cycle and run 5,000 miles around the highest county tops of the United Kingdom (72 days). That’s when the lack of support available truly dawned on me - and I became determined to help others access the outdoors to manage their mental health too.” - Alex.

People with difficult life circumstances don’t always receive the mental health support they need. That’s why Mind Over Mountains offers a more immediate form of support - an alternative for high-demand services with long waiting lists.

They work with adults, whether they’ve got a diagnosed mental health condition or not. The service is open to everyone, no matter how physically active they are. The attendees often haven’t had chance to access outdoor places or traditional mental health services.

Finding Community

It was fantastic to hear about the success Mind Over Mountains had last year. They delivered 13 day -walks for 104 attendees. 22 places were free of charge because of the Alpkit Foundation’s support.

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Andy, one of the participants on the Peak District retreat, said it was an uplifting and life changing experience: “The coaches, team and participants were incredible and made me feel like I could take on the world. Thank you for giving me another chance of life where I hope to live not just survive.”

Mind Over Mountains gives participants a safe space to reconnect with nature and find community. They visited locations including the Brecon Beacons, Lake District, North York Moors, Peak District, Snowdonia, Pennines and New Forest. One participant found the events enabled her to ditch the small talk, to talk about what really mattered.

The Alpkit Foundation understand the huge benefits of spending time outdoors. We’re delighted to support these bursary places through 2023.

To find out more about Mind Over Mountains please visit mindovermountains.org.uk

Spending time outdoors is a powerful intervention to build resilience and positive wellbeing.

Grassroots projects supported so far.

Mending isbetter than endinG

7,122 REPAIRS IN 2022!

All Alpkit stores have a repair station where we repair any brand.

Clothing, sleeping bags, tents, packs, equipment – our repairs are famous across the industry.

Meet Viri! She’s one of our Repair Heroes in our Keswick store. She’s been hacking, patching and sewing your kit for 4.5 years. Viri’s awesome.

when

didyou start in The Repair Station?

Back when we opened our store in Keswick, I joined as store staff. As soon as our Repair Station opened, I jumped at the chance to join. I was always a crafty kid. I love doing stuff with my hands, being creative, recycling, upcycling, repairing and thinking sustainably. Repairing kit means we can keep it going for longer and keep it out of landfill.

What do you repair the most?

Keswick is famously dog friendly. And thanks to all those dogs hunting around for treats in their owners’ pockets and chewing up their gear, we get a lot of kit sent in for repair. Living in the Lake District means we get plenty of wetsuits sent in too. If you’ve got nails and a wetsuit, you’ll know the struggle.

What’s the most difficult thing to repair?

Some repairs seem easy until you start sewing! Like rucksacks – they’re too three-dimensional to

alpkit.com/pages/returns

fit easily under a sewing machine. Another tricky thing is that not everything is going to look seamless. Some of our favourite repairs are the visible ones, where they’re a real feature. It makes for a better story to tell, anyway.

What’s the best thing you’ve repaired?

Oh, we’ve had so many great ones! Last year, we had a customer come in who’s an amputee. He was about to embark on a two-month cycling and swimming adventure. But he needed neoprene stump socks for cycling and swimming. He has no feeling in his stump and kept getting injured. We made everything from recycled materials, including a Cordura panel on the inside of his cycling sock to prevent damage from the chain.

Bring in your gear to any Alpkit store to get it repaired. From the big fixes to the small wins, our Repair Heroes keep gear going, going, going…

DOWN AND OUT?

DOWN AND OUT?

We now offer reproofing and relofting in all our stores, so breathing life back into your favourite gear has never been easier. But if the time has come to part company, for whatever reason we can help. We’ll always reuse products where possible. But when we can’t we will recycle them. We’re working with Re:Down to turn your old down products into something new. The down gets graded and reused in jackets, sleeping bags and duvets. It’s incredibly hard to recycle down duvets in the UK. Hardly anyone accepts them – we didn't used to do duvets but now, yes we do do duvets. Bring your gear for reproofing or relofting, or donate your old down-filled gear for recycling into an Alpkit store or send it by post, free through the Alpkit Return Process.

Reproofing, Relofting and Recycling your down.

BRINGING

The Continuum Project keeps kit going. Stuff you don’t need, you’ve forgotten, or stuff you just don’t love anymore can be loved again. Send it to us and we’ll pass it on.

Last year, Mir Jansen launched Peak District New Beginnings. She wanted to bring asylum seekers and refugees together to integrate into life in Sheffield through volunteering, employment and education support. To help them Go Nice Places Do Good Things.

To create the project, Mir worked with refugees, Arts Council England and seven other partners, including Peak District National Park, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Voluntary Action Sheffield.

They had some super keen folk who wanted to take up walking. So Mir organised some walks in nature reserves and the Peak District. She told us that these walks would “help build on their confidence and enthusiasm to hopefully start up their own walking group. Being able to access some more suitable outdoor clothing and equipment would make a huge difference.” But not everyone had the kit they needed.

Loving unloved kit again

Mir got in touch with us. She needed outdoor clothing and equipment. The sort of stuff that makes a real impact to getting people outside. That’s where the Continuum Project comes in.

We sent boxes and boxes of donated kit from the Continuum Project to our store in Hathersage. Armed with a list of shoe and coat sizes and loads of kit, we invited 11 participants to join us. They tried on walking boots, coats, jackets, and trousers. Then they tested it all out on a local walk.

Mir asked the group what they enjoyed the most about the day. Some said reaching the top of hills.

Others loved meeting new people. For some, it was interacting with nature, learning about the area, learning new skills and challenging themselves.

It was a fantastic day of feeling all the benefits of being outside. And it couldn’t have happened without your wonderful, generous donations. But getting outside is just the beginning! There’s so much more on the horizon for Peak District New Beginnings.

Winnie told us a bit more about it (she’s the Participation Coordinator for PDNB).

“We facilitate the engagement of refugees in nature for personal well-being, and for some to develop skills and leadership qualities that can lead to employment, particularly in the environment sector through our Sustain Nature project, so being able to bring people to this walk and provide more suitable outdoor clothing will make a massive difference for them. It will certainly enable them to get out into nature even more. We are incredibly grateful for the support.”

Peak District New Beginnings have already got plenty more adventures planned. We can’t wait to see what they get up to.

TONNES

‘Continuum’ at alpkit.com

FIND FARAWAY

sun bursts through the grey

Curlews on the breeze

frog spawn glistens at the waters edge the world returns to green

and as the equinox marks the season change

Faraway is found nearby

Cold water - how do you get in?

Why do you do it? Is there any way to make it easier? Alpkiteer Kate Rew eases us in.

I am either monumentally rubbish at getting into very cold water, or monumentally good, depending on which way you look at it. ‘Rubbish’ because I experience very little high from the whole experience, and every type of regret before I take off my clothes. ‘Good’, because I do it anyway, even though it isn’t easy for me, because it makes me feel (variously) alive, stoic, awake (there’s always that shot of adrenaline) and pleased to be part of this beautiful rain-lashed wind-whipped planet.

What is considered cold water swimming?

Perhaps the first thing to do is understand temperatures in bands of experience: 17 degrees C plus is summer swimming, lazy hazy and idyllic; 12 to 16 degrees is fresh (a little gaspy getting in perhaps, but not too bad); 6 to 11 degrees C is freezing (swims become shorter and more therapeutic as the thermometer goes down); and below 6 degrees is Baltic, and for most not about swimming at all, more about dealing with a brutal experience.

How to get into cold water

One: the gasp reflex that you will experience getting in mutes very quickly – as few as five or six three-minute immersions where the whole body (not the head) are immersed in cold water will halve the ‘cold shock response’. So however dramatic things feel for you, bear in mind they will get better.

I recommend calming things down further by splashing water over yourself when your feet are still on the ground which helps bring breathing under control. I like to stand in the water and dab it in my pulse points – wrists, neck, chest, back –before lunging forward. A physiologist has told me it’s irrelevant where the water goes, it’s just how much skin you cover, but it’s a ritual.

Two: find your own method of breath control. I like to exhale through my mouth, a long slow full exhale, just before I step in. That long slow exhale is a letting go, a decisive moment, a point of no return. (I am not a fan of hyperventilation myself: give me a long, slow exhale any time. Part of what I love about swimming is the prana, how it engenders deep, calm, rhythmic breathing, an opportunity to reverse the shallow, fast breathing a lot of us fall into).

Three: keep it short! And purposeful. For that first little bit nudge any drama aside in favour of counting strokes (10 may be enough), swimming to a close rock or a tree, focusing on your breathing. Those internal questions like: how much does this hurt? How much do I not want to be doing this? Have no place here. Give your body time to regulate its breathing, and light its internal fire, where you can feel your skin burning. Let the cold annihilate all thought.

How to warm up after cold water swimming

Get out and get changed as quickly as you changed getting in (in winter you can lose a lot of warmth on the banks). Reward yourself with a warm drink and a warm coat, and a pat on the back.

Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Kate Rew

Why go cold water swimming

Cold water has had fans for hundreds of years, and is inspiring a cultish devotion at the moment, with wild and insistent claims about its health benefits. I don’t engage with any of it, not just because of the lack of science, and excess of prescriptive instruction, but because I suspect that giving swimming a utility, turning it into something that we consume for our own material benefit, is missing the point.

I suspect the real richness of swimming comes from doing it not because it’s good for you,

but because you love it. And the real transformation it offers us is that of sinking down and becoming part of the planet again, skin to skin with the elements.

Kate Rew is an Alpkiteer, founder of The Outdoor Swimming Society and author. Buy Kate’s new book The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook £19.79

Dulsie

Long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit using ECONYL®, with extra warmth and sun protection. £37.99

Hurley

Long sleeved swim top using ECONYL®, for extra warmth and sun protection.

Men’s and Women’s £32.99

Duel Front Zip Shorty

Shorty wetsuit easy to get into, easy to get out of.

Men’s and Women’s £139.99

Terrapin Natural Swimming Wetsuit

Swimming wetsuit designed for natural position in the water.

Men’s and Women’s £129.99

Lotic Swimming Wetsuit

Fine-tuned to maximise comfort and time in the water; our best all-round wetsuit for swimming.

Men’s and Women’s £179.99

Silvertip Thermal Swimming Wetsuit

Increased buoyancy and thermally lined, the ideal wetsuit for swimming in cold water. Men’s and Women’s £249.99

Let us drink tea

Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Jenny Graham

There were some small buildings made of stone, so subtly built into the hillside you barely notice them. He shouted over enthusiastically to his family and friends, and each welcomed me with a handshake and a smile. Then came Housin’s wife – the life and soul of the family, Laila.

I’d been in Morocco for 10 days touring sections of the Atlas Mountain Race on my Sonder Camino. The route had taken me through the Anti-Atlas range. The enormity of the landscape blows your mind. Every corner brings a new view - jets of chossy, strata rocks shooting out of the ground, congealed together in an array of colours. Greens, purples, red and yellow tones merged across the hillside.

I was welcome wherever I went. But the most wonderful connection was made when I met Housin. Housin was a Berber man who lived in the mountains with his extended family. Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa. Many are herdsmen and crafters - completely connected to nature and their landscape.

When Housin shouted down at me, I jumped. “Cooeeee!”. It was the last place I was expecting to see someone. He was high up on the side of the gorge. It took me a minute to spot him amongst the layers of sandy rock. He descended to the riverbed and welcomed me with a hearty smile and his warm, jovial eyes. He wore a blue turban, matching blue Adidas t-shirt and tracksuit top. He signalled to come for tea using a thumb and pinky finger. I followed him up the side of the gorge on a tiny path that I hadn’t even spotted before topping out onto a wind open ledge, halfway up the gorge.

She walked over to me with open arms. Radiating and glowing, she began shouting French pleasantries at me. She rattled them off. We all paused then begun to roar with laughter, and so she went again. Her willingness to laugh was so close to the surface, she was infectious to be around.

She lifted my hand and kissing the back of it, I felt officially welcomed into the family. They brought me 3 eggs, a frying pan and a gas stove and instructed me to make my own omelette. Then we sat around drinking tea, piecing together conversations.

Housin had built a well which then meant they could have a garden. We spent the morning picking carrots and weeding, while Laila made enough dough for 12 loaves of flatbread.

We shared large warm chunks of fresh bread between us. The next hours passed, and we sorted out the old dates to make food for the donkey and goats that were roaming around the hillside. As the sun set, we ate from the same pot of tagine, using bread as cutlery.

I didn’t have the language to articulate what my time with them had meant, how nourished their company had left me. But I have a feeling they probably knew.

REAL STORIES OF JOURNEYS, EXPEDITIONS AND ADVENTURE.

Sonder Rider Jenny Graham’s surprise encounter in the Anti-Atlas mountains and the treasured moments you discover while bikepacking.

Jeans with uperpowers

Jeanius

Slim-fit jeans with hidden superpowers. They may look and feel just like regular jeans. But with BCI-certified sustainable cotton and four different fabric technologies, these aren’t your average pair of jeans. Cordura® fibres are 4x tougher than regular cotton denim. It makes your jeans tough, durable and longer-lasting. T400® polyester provides a superabundance of stretch and instant comfort. Coolmax® and Thermolite® hollowcore fibres regulate temperature and wick away moisture in all seasons.

Slim-fit tailored jeans to climb, walk and ride with subtly articulated knees and a diamond-shape gusseted crotch. Do it all in style and they’ll still be smart enough to grab tea out later.

One pair of jeans to rule them all.

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*with great power comes great responsibility. Wash at 30 degrees.

It’s 55 hours from 5pm Friday to midnight Sunday. Enough time to flip a weekend of chores into two days exploring what lies beyond your front door. Sarah Leighton found the love of bikepacking with her Sonder Camino.

There’s something extremely satisfying about packing everything I need for a few days outdoors, and heading straight out from my front door. It reminds me of being a kid, when every bike ride was a real adventure. At the end of October, I plotted a 2 night bikepacking route from my doorstep in Cardiff city, to explore the Welsh valleys and the Gower Peninsula.

Cycling past Saturday shoppers

We’re fortunate to have a pretty good network of cycle routes in South Wales, which makes route planning a little easier by giving you a place to start. I’d planned the rest of the route around 2 places that I wanted to camp. So I headed out of the city following the River Taff. It’s quite funny to be all kitted up ready for an adventure, whilst cycling past Saturday shoppers. As soon as I’d left the city though, an overwhelming feeling of excitement hit me. The bike riding child was free, ready to explore. I’d given myself plenty of time to get to the camp spot for my first night, with the first day only totalling around 60km (a hilly 60km though I will say!) It was all pretty easy riding in terms of terrain, with only the very last 500m requiring a bit more concentration to avoid stacking it before dinner.

The bright lights of the Welsh Valleys

I had a restful night in the tent, with the autumn darkness being the perfect setting for a chilled evening. The stars shone bright and I hoped for a good sunrise, because I’d purposely picked a very pleasing east facing view in anticipation. The sunrise wasn’t ground breaking, but the view still had me drinking my coffee with a smile.

The south side of the Neath valley, descending towards Neath, offered incredible views as I blasted my way down gravel tracks with wind turbines towering above. The terrain changing from gravel, to hillside paths, and eventually to the canal path that runs alongside the Neath canal. After successfully negotiating the extremely low bridges across the canal path without losing my head (literally), I made my way to Swansea, in anticipation of a much needed café stop.

From moorland to cliff tops

I headed on towards the Gower Peninsula, famed for becoming the UK’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I took inspiration for this from a route I’d found on Bikepacking.com, and following that I quickly turned off the road to cross a section of moorland. From moorland to cliff top coastal path, and then the real challenge. A hike-a-bike section across the sand dunes. I had the time of my life! I spent way too long going back up the biggest sand dunes to get another shot, falling into ferns, and then doing it all again.

Words & pictures by Sonder Rider

Sarah Leighton

Got 55 hours but no bike?

Scan for another 55 hours of inspiration, this time in search of open water adventures.

take

Power

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Go further. Explore more. Get lost in the outdoors with the knowledge you can stay powered and stay connected.

1. Sonder Alpha 700c Dynamo Wheelset £399.99

2. Cinq the Plug 5 & Expander £215.00

3. Juice Holder – 20,000mAh tough tested battery £34.99

4 Hadron – 1800 lumen light £99.99

I didn’t want to leave, but equally I still had a way to go to my second camp location. So I powered on, pushing hard to get to the top of a hill at the centre of the peninsula for sunset. The next morning, the heavens opened as I made my way back to Swansea. My plan was to get a train from Swansea back to Cardiff, and as I rode towards the city I questioned how muddy was too muddy to get on a train. No one batted an eyelid, as I sat caked in mud and pondered when I could next do this all over again.

bikepacking kit list

Sarah’s 55 hour essentials:

Aeronaut 1 – Inflatable pole tent £219.99

Numo – Inflatable sleeping mat £46.99

Cloud Nine – Ultralight down quilt £219.99

Mytipot 900 – Titanium mug to cook with £49.99

Koro – Camping stove & gas for cooking £54.99

Viper – 240 lumen head torch £25.99

you said you were going to be home 2hrs ago!

ZERO minerals or raw materials from conflict zones are used in our products.

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People and Planet Before Profit

Alpkit Sustainability Principles:

Our love of the outdoors and the World’s wild places guides the way we do business. It's in our nature to look after what's important; the environment, our staff, suppliers, animals, community or our customers.

Everything is connected. Sustainability is not a collection of single issue projects but a comprehensive way of working. It's our way of life.

Respect our environment

Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle

All this supports our ethos that there’s no place for elitism in the outdoors. Our belief in nature drives what we do. This simplicity is best encapsulated in our phrase - Go Nice Places Do Good Things.

We are determined to use business as a force for good and have written our entire strategy in six simple principles that guide all our decisions.

Treat animals humanely

Work with people we believe in

Build a better business Give back

Th nk you!

All of us at Alpkit are delighted that The Great Outdoors readers have voted us Outdoor Clothing & Equipment Brand of the Year. What a moment!

For a small brand like us, this is a massive deal. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and to everyone at Alpkit for building a brand we’re so proud of. This comes after another big year. We were awarded brand of the year by Country Walking magazine. We were highly commended in the edie

Sustainability Awards and awarded Ethical Consumer Magazine best buy - alongside Patagonia, Vaude and Paramo. We extended our size range, took on new Alpkiteers, hosted more events than we can count, done a second Crowdfunding raise, been certified as partners for 1% For The Planet...And so much more.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who took time to vote for us. And thank you for all your wonderful comments.

made in

NOTTINGHAM

We’re incredibly proud of the products we make right here in Nottingham. Our team of expert makers scrutinise over design detail, prototype, test and create products to the highest standards. They make bikepacking bags, bouldering mats, backpacks and chalk bags. Every piece is built to last with care and pride in our UK factory. That’s why we cover every piece with our 25-year Alpine Bond. And of course we hand build all our bikes and wheels to order right here too.

Our dedicated custom makers are incredibly talented. If you want to geek out over the details with them and customise your kit, email custom@alpkit.com

Hirea maT!

Or if you want to try before you buy, you can hire a mat from any of our stores for just £10 a day. Just give us a call to reserve a mat and pick it up on your way the next day. For store locations see page 31.

‘Stores' at alpkit.com

MAKERS OUR MEET

The Alpkit factory’s home to a group of incredibly skilled, highly passionate individuals that make our dreams come true. Here’s a snippet of our wonderful team and what they do.

Emma

Emma’s our Factory Manager, who’s just come back to work on Monday after a weekend wassail (if you’re wondering what that it is, don’t worry! So were we. It’s an ancient pagan ritual where you bless cider trees, although Emma promises us it’s not as bohemian as it sounds).

What is the factory working on at the moment?

We’re updating our range of Koala saddle bags. We’re bringing out two new products – 0.5L and 2L options, as well as modifying and upgrading our pre-existing 7L and 13L bags. We’re producing bouldering mats and our UK Product Developer Gemma is developing a new range of wax packs to streamline our factory efficiency.

How did you get into this role? I used to work in the theatre industry as a wardrobe supervisor. But then Covid came along and all my contracts got cancelled. I found a part-time job as a sewing machinist at Alpkit. Not long later, a job came along for a Factory Manager and I went for it! It’s a great way to mix my two worlds.

Lily

Lily’s been at Alpkit five years. She’s our factory supervisor, and she works on our range of custom gear.

What’s your favourite thing to make? I love making the Fuel Pod because I don’t even have to think about it. I can just go. You’ve got a lot more

going on when you’re making something like the backpacks.

How did you get into this role? I’ve been here five years now! I started off doing a fashion degree in Northampton. I graduated into an office job which didn’t suit me but starting here back in 2018 suited my background much better.

Sarah

Sarah’s one of our cutters. The cutters are the first step in getting our UK-made products to the shelves. She loves running, and riding on the bike Santa got her this Christmas.

What’s your role? As the cutter, I lie the fabric out and lay the patterns over it. I use a circular knife to cut it out. Once I’ve done a certain product a few times, I can draw myself a plan in my notebook to make it easier the next time. It’s all about efficiency.

What’s your favourite thing to make? I think some of the faffiest things to cut are also the most interesting! Like the Big Papa Harness. It’s an intricate shape so it’s hard to do, but once you’re finished it’s so satisfying to look at all the little curves. It’s definitely one of the trickiest ones to sew for the machinists. Our bouldering mats are fun in their own way, as they’re just big rectangles!

Our amazing factory team can make anything you like. Roll-top bags. Zips to match your kit. Bags to your every specification. You ask. They’ll (flex their creative muscles and) make it.

Contact support@alpkit.com to talk through your custom dreams.

A world’s first PFC-free mountaineering jacket that doesn’t leak nasty chemicals into the earth. You don’t need to compromise to consider the planet.

30K hydrostatic head offers exceptional waterproof protection and 20K breathability means you’ll keep dry inside even when you’re active. And because this jacket is for the high mountains and for climbing, it’s a slim active cut with a helmet compatible hood and pockets set high to clear your harness or hip belt. YKK Aquaguard® zips help to keep you dry, and reinforcing them is an internal storm flap and chin guard. Pockets are generous, with one big enough for an OS map. And of course it is built to last with abrasion resistant, super durable fabric.

The Definition £259.99

anywhere

The Camino. Go anywhere and everywhere.

The new Camino is smoother, stabler, faster and more responsive over the bumps, lumps and loose stuff than ever before. The perfect gravel bike whether shredding your backyard byways or setting up for global races. The Camino is ready for deep forests, multi-day tours, sand and grit and everything on the way there.

The Camino from £1,099

sonderbikes.com

Pedalling, people and planet before profit. Europe’s only B CORP bike brand.

Please Sir, I WantSome More... GLORIOUS GRAVEL GRAVEL

The UK's most popular off road events! Ride the glorious gravel across the country from the Isle of Wight to West Scotland and discover the UK way off the beaten track. All rides have a three route options suitable for first timers and experienced off roaders alike. You will ride on a mix of fire roads, back lanes, singletrack & bridleways in beautiful locations and events include fully signed routes, proper food at regular checkpoints and a beer & medal at the end. Plus, Alpkit customers get 15% off any UK ride - use code Alpkit15 at checkout.

No gravel bike? No problem, hire a Sonder Camino for the day at any ride.

Gravel X

Cotswolds Gravel X The Wild Westie: Wales

Dunoon Gravel Epic Kent Gravel Epic

Kielder Borders Gravel Epic

Peak District Gravel Epic

Somerset Gravel Epic

For more details of each ride and to book your place, wave your fancy camera phone at this

JOIN FREE!

Join Member Rewards now!

It’s free. It’s easy. It’s wonderful. All you have to do is create a customer account.

If you’ve already got an account just login. Otherwise:

1. Create an account: Click ‘register’ on the account page and use the email address you use to shop with us.

2. Click the activation link in your email: Check your emails for an activation link we’ll have sent you.

3. Log in: Click the Member Rewards section on the left-hand side. In here you'll see details of your rewards.

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Become a member and get access to exclusive rewards and benefits.

Get 10% back: Earn as you go. Get 10% back with our 10% Discount Dividend. Gift to a friend, school, group or use yourself.

Get £5 per review: We love your feedback and pictures of your gear. Earn £5 back for every product review on our website.

Get Access To Alpkit Outlet: Get exclusive access to our outlet and save with our biggest and best deals.

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