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Alaska to California: Adventure with Ed Gold & Snugpak

by Snugpak January 21, 2019 in News 0 comments

Every year I have visited Alaska since 2013, to make photo essays for BBC News online about Inuit villages, a remote family in the wilderness, Harley-Davidson riders in Anchorage, and the US Army. Plus I use the ‘Last Frontier’ as an entry/departure point to get down to British Columbian First Nations in Canada and for projects in the Lower 48 States. This year, I flew back to Anchorage from the UK in late August in order to motorcycle the ALCAN (Alaska Canada Highway) for the seventh time, down to California for the winter of 2018. My project is currently to document electric motorcycles, and so far my journey has meant 9000 miles in three months and visiting the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas by petrol motorcycle. Now I am in Syracuse, New York during snow, having flown over to photograph and interview the owner of the world’s fastest electric motorcycle before completing the project in January after also visiting Alabama and finally Las Vegas to speak with as many motorcycle manufacturers as possible. For this entire project, I have relied and depended heavily on Snugpak kit. 95% of my nights on this journey, since early September, have been spent […] Read more!

Meet Our New Brand Ambassador, Matt Holland!

by Snugpak November 22, 2018 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments

We’re so pleased to introduce our latest Brand Ambassador, Matt Holland! Based in Berkshire, Matt is a creative multimedia designer and outdoors enthusiast, he’s also been involved with Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh award for 20 plus years which has created his love for the outdoors. Matt has worked with a range of brands such as the National Trust, Tesco and Heineken with his photography featured in places such as Countryfile, BBC Earth and more. Throughout 2018, Matt has been exploring the mountains of Wales for training towards his Mountain Leader course and to count, has climbed over 30 mountains this season with several Winter climbs scheduled! Photography by Owen Vachell Matt has been using Snugpak gear for years, with many of our products being featured on his website through reviews. “I rely on Snugpak because it is cost effective, reliable and offers lightweight options which do the job.” With Matt’s support over the years and the enthusiasm he brings when using Snugpak gear, it was a no-brainer to give him the title of Brand Ambassador! We can’t wait to see what adventures he takes us on. Read more!

Wendy Searle’s polar journey across the Greenland ice sheet

by Snugpak August 10, 2018 in News 0 comments

As I’m planning to write a book about our crossing of the Greenland ice sheet, I don’t want to give away everything that happened. So much happened in what is really quite a short space of time, 27 days, that it would be impossible to write it all down here. Like so many polar journeys, the weather, the food, the skiing surface and the team dynamics are the only ways one day of endless, 360-degree horizon differed from another. Leaving the arbitrary security of the previous night’s camp to strike out for another day of 70-minute ski legs was sometimes daunting, and I’d know within the first 20 minutes of the day whether I was going to struggle for the remaining hours. How did I feel? I was elated and immersed in the wilderness of it for a lot of the time. The spindrift and sastrugi were mesmerising. The raw beauty of it was addictive. But some days, all I did was look at the pulk ( alow-slung small toboggan) in front of me and try not to fall behind, critical for the progress of the team and my own morale. We went fast and short, 9 am until 6 […] Read more!

Tracking wolves in the wilderness with Snugpak Part 3

by Snugpak June 11, 2018 in News 0 comments

To illustrate just a few of the basics of how he adapted the Stratosphere and the Jungle Hammock during tracking, Snugpak Ambassador Perry McGee from the UK’s National Tracking School talks us through a recent expedition in Europe, searching for the magnificent European Wolf An ideal tracking companion “Tracking any predatory animal successfully (especially the European wolf), can be difficult at the very least. It demands enhanced human sensory perception, having a detailed knowledge of habitation and feeding habits, of territorial and seasonal behaviour, navigation skills and an awareness of the natural environment and of course, having the right kit. “The wolf in Europe is a legally protected species and is a magnificent predatory survivor, often existing in remote areas and breeding in territorial packs. They are a highly adaptable species, often displaying unique hierarchy and distinct behavioural patterns. In the main, most European wolves are normally found in secluded or covered wooded areas. “They have an outer coat which is dark grey to dark brown. Wolves often have the appearance of the German Shepard domestic dog, but the nose, trunk and snout are usually longer and the chest (is) higher and narrower. The mating season in Europe is usually […] Read more!

My Trip to Sweden – Iain Nairn

by Snugpak June 04, 2018 in News 0 comments

On Monday 5th February this year, I flew out to Sweden to spend 10 days with four good friends doing a snowshoe trek across the frozen lakes of Kloten, in the Malingsbo-Kloten Nature Reserve. The weather was expected to be in the -20c range and as we were going to be pulling our own snow sleds behind us with all our gear and canvas tents we needed to make sure our clothing and kit would be up to the task and very importantly keep us warm. Kit choice was a big part of our pre-trip planning. Sleeping bags, sleeping mats and warm clothing were vitally important. Being an ambassador for Snugpak I was very keen to try out as much of my Snugpak gear as I could. In my kit I took the following Snugpak items: Antarctic Sleeping bag, Antarctic sleeping mat, SF Shirt, Pile Shirt, Fleece Beanie, Softie Jacket, Washbag, Towel, 35Ltr Rucksack We started out from Nordic Discovery, based in Kloten. http://nordicdiscovery.se/sweden/ Mikael, the owner, is a friend of ours and he runs both summer and winter trips from his school in Kloten. Mikael took us out onto the ice the first day to make sure we were […] Read more!

Tracking wolves in the wilderness with Snugpak Part 2

by Snugpak May 04, 2018 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments

We catch up again with Snugpak Ambassador Perry McGee from the UK’s National Tracking School, as he talks about how he has adapted the Snugpak Stratosphere tent and Jungle Hammock to help him photograph wild wolves. The perfect combination Professional trackers – or tactical searchers as they’re known – are taught to be at one with nature and to respect their environment, especially in the wilderness. This principle applies when we adapted and used the Stratosphere and Jungle Hammock on our recent expedition. Both can be adapted, improvised and positioned so that they are not easily recognisable – often by positioning them against the local background or by using simple camouflage. We use whatever is to hand, or foliage, attached to the outside of the canopy. The real skill is using just the right amount, so that it looks natural in the surroundings. The art and topic of outdoor rural concealment, along with improvisation and camouflage of hides, is vast and is mostly mastered by the military or specialist law enforcement units. However, there are many occasions (especially when searching for wildlife) where there is an immediate need to create either a quick place to rest, or, to improvise and […] Read more!

Tracking wolves in the wilderness with Snugpak

by Snugpak April 26, 2018 in News 0 comments

Here, Snugpak Brand Ambassador Perry McGee from the UK’s National Tracking School explains why the Snugpak Stratosphere tent is so ideal for helping him to search for and photograph wolves in the wild: “Without a doubt, having the right kit with you in the outdoors is essential and it can be the difference between success and failure,” says Perry. “Before embarking on any adventure, detailed planning and preparation is always key. So, for me, it simply had to be the ingenious Snugpak olive green and black Stratosphere tent, along with its counterpart, the sturdy and lightweight green Jungle Hammock. We nearly always carry both of these products, especially when searching for wildlife. “I’ll begin with those all-important technical details. The entire Stratosphere kit has been uniquely designed and cleverly packed into a sturdy and sealable stuff bag. It forms a lightweight (1130 gm), single person mini tent. The design is similar to an Australian bivouac bag and has an upper section manufactured from 50D Nylon Rip stop (5000m HH) with a breathable 5000g/m2 moisture permeability. The lower section (bottom half), is also sturdy and is manufactured from durable 70D Nylon Taffeta with a PU coating (8000mm HH). “Its third – […] Read more!

Vote for Snugpak’s EOCA Project to support the plantation of 10,000 Native trees

by Snugpak March 13, 2018 in News 0 comments

As part of the European Outdoor Conservation Association’s (EOCA) funding scheme, leading British sleeping bag and insulated clothing manufacturer, Snugpak, has chosen to support the plantation of 10,000 Native trees at the Froxán Community Conservation Area in Galicia, Spain. People can vote by clicking here before the deadline, 23rd March 2018. The project has been proposed by three organisations who have already been working together for over two years on a number of environmental and conservation initiatives in the area: Verdegaia is a Galacian environmental NGO that has the goal of protecting the environment and promoting conservation. Sociedade Histórica e Cultural Coluna Sanfins is a local community nonprofit in Froxán, working together with Froxán Commons, the stewardship body in biodiversity conservation, restoration of degraded areas and environmental education. The two latter organisations hold responsibility for the Froxán ICCA Community Conserved Area. The 100-hectare Froxán Commons in Galicia was the first Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA) to enter the World Database on Protected Areas after going through a national peer-review process and has been the focus of rewilding and restoration work. It includes a diversity of important habitats, including temperate forests and heathlands. It is also a Special Interest Landscape Site […] Read more!

2 years in the making – Dan Shepley

by Snugpak February 05, 2018 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments

I have been a brand ambassador for Snugpak for almost 2 years now and wanted to write a little about it as you may have seen the tags and their gear in some of my photos on Instagram. What drew me towards this company initially was the fact it is a British company based in Yorkshire not too far from where I live, I believe in supporting local businesses wherever possible and especially a company that provides products for the outdoors where I try to spend as much of my free time as possible. The gear they have sent me is amazing and is up to any challenge, whether it be keeping warm and dry on a snowy mountain top or camping in any condition, it really is built for the task. Many of the products are built for military and tactical purposes so you can imagine the kind of performance and durability you get. Their motto is ‘With You For The Journey’ and that’s exactly how I feel about their products especially the rucksacks. I have one that I am particularly fond of (Sleeka35 if you’re wondering) and take it everywhere whether it’s out climbing, hiking or camping and […] Read more!

Ed’s Australian Adventure

by Snugpak January 09, 2018 in Brand Ambassadors 0 comments

My latest project is in remote Central Australian desert at a Warlpiri Aboriginal community. I am making a series of documentary photographs and interviews about the ‘Dreaming’ of these people. Initially I made an 8000 kilometres reconnaissance by motorcycle to and from Brisbane to the area I am now based north west of Alice Springs, to get an idea of what challenges lay ahead. For this first journey almost all of the kit I carried on my off-road motorcycle was made by Snugpak and without any or part of it none of the arduous journey would have been possible. I use Snugpak for 3 main reasons: It is high quality/tough, it is light and it packs small. I used 4 x 15 litre side pouches from the RocketPak rucksack which my water, food, tools and first aid fitted into. These pouches hung off the sides of the bike and are so practical they can be attached to many places around the motorcycle and also to other Snugpak luggage such as the Xocet rucksack. This is a 35 litre rucksack that I wear on my back at all times. It carries my laptop and cameras and is so small and light […] Read more!