Snugpak Community Blog

Our Journey to Winning the UK Outdoor Industry Awards 2017

by Snugpak April 06, 2017 in News 0 comments
For many years we have been attending the UK Outdoor Industry Awards with the hopes of taking home the award for best ‘Sleeping’ category, and this year was the year we could finally say we have achieved it! Our Snugpak Hammock Cocoon was nominated for the sleeping category award, and after some tough competition and a few knockout stages we reached the final and took home the prize. We would like to say thank you to everyone who was involved and who voted for us. Our journey to the award’s started last year when our Hammock Cocoon was put forward at the Outdoor Trade Show (OTS 2016), against over 100 other entries, safe to say there was going to be some tough competition, but our Hammock Cocoon passed the rigorous examinations and impressed the judges enough for us to be put through to the next round. Online voting was the final stage of the 2017 awards process, where outdoor enthusiasts were able to vote for their favourite finalists online. As we were up against five other finalists, we needed all the help we could get, so after some marketing meetings and a few ‘brews’, we decided that using social media […] Read more!

Ed Gold: Visiting an isolated family located in the remote bush of Alaska

by Snugpak April 04, 2017 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments
I’ve been using Snugpak clothing, sleeping bags, tents, luggage and the Ventile Antarctica smock for 12 years full-time now on my frequent long-term social documentary photography projects worldwide. When venturing repeatedly into the unknown for the first time and without much in the way of luggage or equipment I need to be able to rely on what little gear I carry with me. So using Snugpak always gives me the instant surety that I have exactly what I need to depend on and which always allows me to complete every demanding task at hand. Snugpak instills a permanent feeling of confidence in my well being and safety for any situation. For example, on my latest project, I had to fly in a 2 seat Piper Super Cub single propeller light aircraft out into a very remote area in the Alaska bush to document a family of 3 who are completely isolated and only ever see other people once every 11 months, whose nearest neighbour is 75miles away. I flew sitting behind the pilot and wore 2ndSkinz Coolmax thermal longjohns under Snugpak Salopettes along with the Sleeka jacket and Ventile Antarctica smock. I knew that this tried and tested combination, which […] Read more!

Vote Today To Help Save the Monkeys

by Snugpak March 17, 2017 in News 0 comments
We have successfully made it through to the public vote for a conservation project via the European Outdoor Conservation Association’s (EOCA) funding scheme. The conservation project will help restore the Paso del Istmo Corridor in Nicaragua for wildlife, specifically the endangered Black-Handed Spider Monkey. You can vote by clicking here before the deadline, 23 March 2017. Black-Handed Spider Monkeys rely on intact forest canopies to survive and are highly sensitive to forest fragmentation. However, over 90% of forest has been lost in Western Nicaragua, combine this with the poaching of babies for the illegal wildlife trade and these monkeys have become the most endangered primates in Central America. This project by Paso Pacifico will protect 40,000 naturally regenerating saplings and plant 60,000 native trees over 300 ha, to reconnect core forest habitats and also enrich existing forest patches with fruit bearing trees. The project will also support ecotourism by providing restored habitat, guide training and field guides to local groups developing forest tours, thus tackling poverty, the root cause of threats in this area. Finally, the project will enable over 100 children each year to get involved in conservation, and fund 7 community rangers to monitor and protect endangered spider […] Read more!

EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES CALL FOR EXTREME MEASURES WITH PERRY MCGEE

by Snugpak March 08, 2017 in News 0 comments
If you are ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in a real survival situation, having the right kit with you and knowing what it can do when you need it – can help save your life. In this article, Perry McGee our brand ambassador from the National Tracking School gives us a few tips on how one piece of Snugpak kit can be used to help save lives. These days’, outdoor gear is almost a science and as the technology develops, so does the kit. Such a piece of kit is the ever faithful Snugpak Paratex lightweight poncho. Its uses and are many and are limited only by the imagination of the user. Examples include emergency signalling, stretchers and temporary shelters. In my world, however; extreme circumstances call for extreme measures and kit, whatever its original purpose, must have multiple uses. So, in this brief article, I intend to illustrate how to make good emergency cordage from a poncho good enough to support your weight or for use outdoors in a real emergency. Don’t worry – I am not going to ask you to cut up your faithful Snugpak kit, but I do want to illustrate what can be done […] Read more!

How Ed Gold, Social Documentary Photographer, Became A Brand Ambassador

by Snugpak March 03, 2017 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments
I’m a Social Documentary Photographer, which means I record human events with a camera and make interviews of people’s stories. I’ve been doing this work for 15 years full-time and my projects have taken me from Patagonia to Afghanistan to Alaska and other countries in between. Due to the nature of my work; basing myself amongst small communities of people, usually in remote places with extreme climates over long periods of time, I need good quality clothing. I first approached Snugpak for sponsorship in 2005 after I had bought one of their sleeping bags and a Sleeka jacket. I was impressed by these products because they were extremely well made, lightweight, hard wearing, packed small and were very warm. Also the fact they are one of the last manufacturers of quality sleeping bags and insulated clothing, not only in the UK but across Europe, made me keen to promote their brand. I self-fund all of my photography projects, whether for books, exhibitions or for the BBC News and cannot afford to buy all the kit that I need so Snugpak’s help has been invaluable. I wear Snugpak clothing everyday and their series of Softie insulated jackets together with the Ventile […] Read more!

How Perry McGee, Tracking Specialist, Became A Brand Ambassador

by Snugpak February 15, 2017 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments
It was as far back as the late 1970s and prior to the internet, that I first heard of the brand Snugpak being discussed amongst senior outdoor activity colleagues. During those early days, I recall hearing that the kit was receiving great reviews from trusted sources and it was probably their experiences using it, that made me decide to pay them a visit. There was also another reason; the kit was manufactured in Yorkshire, Great Britain and only 30 minutes or so from my home. On my first visit, many years ago, it came as no surprise that I was met by friendly, helpful and informative staff, all of whom, listened and I recall being amazed how driven the staff were and saw for myself, the care that was taken in the design and manufacture of their products. It was probably a combination of all these aspects that made me realise just how good their kit was. Since that first visit, it is fair to say that I became “inspired” and have actively promoted Snugpak wherever our clients venture throughout the world. Much of the equipment is utilised during our courses; indeed, the ever-useful Response Pak is the basis of […] Read more!

Gavin’s Trip to the Bardonecchia Mountains

by Snugpak February 08, 2017 in Brand Ambassadors, News 0 comments
For this two week trip to the Bardonecchia mountains in Italy, I found the Snugpak Subdivide kit bag to be unparalleled in its capacity to carry a large amount of gear in the most practical way possible. The heavy duty lockable zip with added compression straps with this bag meant that when I packed it to capacity I felt no need to worry about it bursting open at the check-in desk or for the journey ahead. I found the easy to use grab handles great to use and all of the straps felt really well made, chunky and strong. I found myself easily dragging, shouldering and back carrying this great bag that had in excess of 25kg. I felt comfortable and confident in these occasions. The various internal pockets made it simple for keeping track of all my belongings. It was great to confidently isolate and protect valuable gear such as the camera equipment I had in the rigid backed main sub-compartment. The two main compartments made it very accessible and it saves you from having to forage around whilst looking for your gear. The Subdivide withstood being exposed in rain and snow for extended periods of time and satisfactorily […] Read more!
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