» Categories » Innovation

Pierre Allain 1930s bivouac innovation revived

Posted: July 4, 2014

How does Pierre Allain’s bivouac system from the 1930s shape innovation in 2014? Why are past designs still so important for the development of innovative products? The pied d’elephant (or elephant’s foot) is a short waist length sleeping bag and was a classic design for lightweight bivouacs originated by Pierre Allain, in conjunction with his newly designed down jacket, in the 1930s.

10 Lightweight Breakthroughs

Posted: May 31, 2016

What 10 lightweight breakthroughs really made a difference? Lightweight is a state of mind, rather than a description of individual pieces of kit.

Survival : Science, and outdoor gear

Posted: July 4, 2016

How can our understanding of outdoor gear be crucial to survival and how does science help?

Waterproofs and Smart Textiles

Posted: September 6, 2016

What might be the future of waterproofs ? We don’t believe it is sensible to predict but instead looked at emerging technologies in smart textiles to see how they might influence outdoor garments.

Lightweight gear pioneers

Posted: May 1, 2017

Lightweight gear pioneers were often lead user innovators who innovated to meet their own needs rather than initially commercially. Lightweight gear is not new and was used in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by polar explorers, mountaineers and cyclists.

Photography Inspires

Posted: June 10, 2017

Good photography inspires, intrigues, makes you think and can transform a wet Friday morning in Langdale into a memorable experience.

Nutrition and Hydration

Posted: July 3, 2017

What are the secrets of nutrition and hydration in mountain sports?

Understanding Mountain Garments

Posted: August 4, 2017

Why is understanding mountain garments complex? Why aren’t rucksacks waterproof? How technical are socks?

Garment training

Posted: April 12, 2018

After over 3 years of research and writing in collaboration with Chuck Kukla (our USA editor) and Chris Townsend ( renowned TGO – gear tester) we are nearing completion of part 1.