2014 has been an awesome year at Wild Tide, so as well as looking forward to 2015 and all the adventures it will bring, I thought that with 2014 almost over, I’d do a little round up of some of the best outdoor gear I’ve tested this year and not yet written about.
 

MSR Ultralight Kitchen Set

This first item that I’m going to tell you about is a great piece of gear for backpackers and light weight campers. The Ultralight Kitchen Set is jam packed with all the essentials that you need to cook with (apart from a stove!)

This lightweight, basic kitchen set weighs in at just 136 grams. It contains all your most needed utensils and accessories and is stored in one easy, convenient package. It includes a folding spoon and spatula, a cutting board, salt & pepper shaker, a little bottle for your washing liquid and the all important kitchen towel.

This is the Ultralight Kitchen Set, pretty small ain’t it!

 
On the left: dish towel and salt and pepper shaker. On the right: chopping board and washing liquid bottle.

 
A folded spatula and an unfolded spoon. The spoon has helpful measurements on the inside!

 

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Venture WV Mattress

New out in 2014 was the NeoAir Venture WV. Therm-a-Rest make fantastic products and their new WaveCore construction allows this mattress to offer brilliant performance and quality at a great value price. It’s also 5cm thick so is very comfortable to sleep on.

The NeoAir Venture has a unique build that has over one hundred insulating cells. This makes is twice as warm as a standard uninsulated air mattress. Despite all this added insulation the NeoAir isn’t bulky at all, it’s super light (just 590 grams) and fits down into its small stuff sack (23cm x 11.5cm).

 

Platypus Platy Water Tank

This third and final piece of gear is another great item for lightweight kit enthusiasts. The Platy Water Tank is the answer to your water storage woes. It allows you to store large quantities of water without carrying around a large plastic container. I’ve got the 4 litre size which is a nice quantity to have at your camp and is very handy.

It’s made by Platypus who are the kings of high quality collapsible water storage. It’s made from top-spec BPA-free plastic which is super safe to drink from and doesn’t hold any nasty tastes. It’s got a really nice freestanding design with a large opening at the top which means you can fill it quickly and easily.

The Platy Tank has helpful markings on the side!

 
Here you can see the big ziplock top opening that makes filling a piece of cake.