Mountain Warehouse review of camping gear

To escape from the peak holiday invasion of the Spanish, Italians and Portuguese into Tarifa, I moved out of town in summer. I went camping equipped with Mountain Warehouse review camping items. So back to basics with battery, water, bladder, and ant management being daily business.

Falling asleep watching the flickering lights on the other side in Morocco,  waking up with the smell of pine tree and eucalyptus and nothing but sounds of nature, make it all worth it!

The camping has been made comfortable to me by Mountain Warehouse, a budget outdoor brand from the UK. I couldn’t believe the low pricing they attach to their outdoor gear (& 50% discount November 2014) . So I did a little research and testing for the mountain warehouse review. This can help you decide on getting gear together for your next camping trip. I’ve tested the following Mountain Warehouse review outdoor gear on my camping trip:

• Tent Festival Mountain Warehouse
• Ride 25L Hydro Bag
• Extreme Cree 1 LED Head Torch
• Traveller 50 Sleeping Bag
• Nolana Womens Fleece

Before testing gear and doing an actual Mountain Warehouse Review I want to know how it has been made and where it comes from. Is no person, nor nature suffering from me going on a budget friendly camping trip?

I did my research and can tell you it is responsible to purchase the Mountain Warehouse budget outdoor brand. Mountain warehouse has suppliers all over the world and works with suppliers that: do not use child labour, meet minimum wage criteria, as designated locally, meet health and safety regulation, as designated locally. Mountain Warehouse’s buying team visits their factories in-person to ensure that these criteria are met. The close contact with the suppliers enables Mountain Warehouse to keep and deliver the quality and value to us outdoor enthusiasts.  As they make all their own products themselves, no middle man is needed and gear prices are significantly lower than with other outdoor brands. So how’ the quality? I put it to the test in my outdoor explorations with Mountain Warehouse. Below the reviews!

Update! : Like with other outdoorbrands (NorthFace, Patagonia, Mamoet, Wolfskin etc.)  I also question Mountain Warehouse’s environmental impact. A recent Greenpeace study showed that most outdoorbrands produce their clothing and gear with PFCs for the waterproofing, a highly toxic chemical (causing reproduction problems) that has been found now in the highest snowpeaks and rivers. I’m investigating this. Read “Travel Packing for the Planet” to learn about my latest discoveries on the eco-concious travel kit.

‘Camping: the art of getting closer to nature while being further away from hot shower, phone charging points and cold beers!’

Mountain Warehouse

Review Tent Festival

I picked this tent because it was cheap and blue. It appeared to be one of the strongest of the whole campground. I had a night with wind gusts up to 60 knots and it survived flawlessly. It’s a one-piece tent, with a good waterproof bottom. I took me about 5 minutes to have it all set. There is no extra cover so you probably don’t want this tent in heavy rainstorms. There is a nice window in the top of the tent for extra air circulation. Of course, it comes with pegs.

Cool factors:

• The simplicity
• The ease of set up
• It’s very lightweight. Easy for travelling.
• The price

What I would improve:

• Sometimes the zipper get stuck between the fabric. Although I acknowledge that I can sometimes zip with slightly more care ;).
•  The size. I would make it 10 cm longer so I can stretch out more. I do realise I belong to the tallest race in the world.

Mountain Warehouse Review Ride 25L Hydro Bag

This backpack hasn’t come off my back since I have it. It’s comfortable, highly practical and looks cool. It’s the perfect size for a day trip. It has many pockets and zippers in which you can hide stuff. On the side, you can put your drink bottle and outside there is a section to quickly put your sweater or helmet, it’s big enough for that. You can wear it on your hips with the comfi hip straps. There are also some click straps for the chest which makes it comfortable in time of action. It has an air back that keeps the back nice and breezy instead of sweaty. It has a raincover underneath in case it rains. Also, it has the option to insert a water bag with a tube so you can drink while running, biking or hiking! It has some reflectors so people can see you in the dark. I’m definitely gonna score one of those. Zippers and fabric are of good quality. I LOVE this backpack and I think every outdoor enthusiast will do.

Cool factors:

• The bright blue colour
• Option to put in a water bag
• Multi-purpose outdoor backpack

What I would improve:

• Make the nets of the bottleholders from stronger material
• Put even more reflector material

Mountain Warehouse Review Extreme Cree 1 LED Head Torch

Destination eXploration has been made easy at night with this powerful head torch. It reaches up to at least 40 meters so If you want to go riding, hiking or biking at night this torch is what you need. By twisting the thingy you can change both shining angle and focus. It is comfortable on the head.

Cool factors:

• It shines super far
• It has 3 options, bright, 50% bright and disco
• Battery life seems to last forever. I’ve been using it intensely for 2 months now and it still shines bright.
• Lightweight. Handy for travelling.

What I would improve:

• I would make the attachment of the cover for the batteries a bit more secure. Although it’s comfi on the head, it’s falling off fairly easily

MountainWarehouse Review Traveller 50 Sleeping Bag

I will bring this sleeping bag to many more travel adventures. I don’t even notice the space and weight of this sleeping bag cause it hardly has any. Is it warm enough? I intend to be cold at night. It has kept me warm during cool summer nights. I wouldn’t go for this one below nights of 10 degrees. The zipper works well. Comfortable fabric. Super useful item!

Cool factors:

• It’s ultra-lightweight and compact
• The mummy shape keeps you comfortably covered

What I would improve:

• The colours could be more exciting

Mountain Warehouse Review Nolana Women Fleece

This hooded sweater fixes cold me in no-time! It’s thin, light and SUPER warm. The material is very soft and comfortable. When ordering I doubted between size 8 and 10. I took size 10 which happened to be a perfect choice. Not too big.

Cool factors:
– the hoody with high neck nice to keep you warm
– ultra-lightweight AND SUPER warm. Perfect for travelling.

What I would improve:
– Nothing!

Mountain Warehouse has stores in the UK, Germany, Poland, Canada, and a webshop. Most of their products they ship internationally to anywhere. Before you buy new, think about the planet and check the second-hand market on sites like Preloved. Perhaps someone is having what you’re looking for.

Other recommended camping gear:

– Treklights’ worlds lightest hammock!

– A filter water bottle or straw! This way you can drink from any river and never ever have to buy a plastic bottle again!

– Lifeproof water/shock/sand proof phone / ipad cover. This cover has saved me from having to get 5 new phones. I dropped my phone in the sea! It still works thank to this investment!

Update: Over the years I’ve become more and more aware of the impact we’re making when travelling, camping and the impact we can make with the purchases we make. Learn more how you can be part of solution with these 70 easy actions and check what else is in my eco-concious travel kit. Curious to hear your ideas!

Disclosure: the outdoor gear testing has been made possible by Mountain Warehouse.  This Mountain Warehouse review post contains affiliate links. By purchasing via this blog I may get a little piece of the pie at no extra costs for you. Also, check out my tips page to learn what I use for travel planning -budget/eco/adventure style, Thank you! It helps raising the adventure fund. All views expressed above are 100 % mine.