Poking about on Google recently, we found another great vote of confidence in brasher footwear when we came across Alex Roddie's excellent web site:

A FellWalker in East Anglia.

Alex wrote a post entitled: '10 items of gear I rely on.'

And we were delighted to see that first in Alex's list of 10 outdoor essentials was a pair of brasher Hillmaster boots.

Alex comments in his introduction:

"This article describes ten of my favourite items of gear, in no particular order. I trust these items implicitly and would recommend them to anyone without hesitation."

Here's what he had to say about the brasher hillmasters:

THE BRASHER BOOT COMPANY
Hillmaster Classic GTX
3-season hiking boots

"As boots go, the Brasher Hillmaster Classic is, well, a classic.

Still among the most (if not the most) popular boots in Britain, the Hillmasters have been made for many years, and the subsequent alterations to the basic design have only made them better.

I bought a pair in February 2005 in preparation for the May trek. Comfortable right out of the box, waterproof, and with a low-cut ankle that makes walking in them a delight, I was impressed with the Hillmasters from day one.

They don't feel quite like any other kind of boot.

Apparently Brasher modelled their original hiking boots on running shoes, aiming for the same level of comfort while still retaining a stiff and supportive upper necessary for hillwalking.

The Hillmasters have it spot-on. I've walked many hundreds of miles in these boots, and they've taken quite a beating, but they're the most comfortable footwear I've ever owned.

If you've been having problems with blisters due to ill-fitting boots, or maybe if your feet just aren't Scarpa (or whatever)-shaped, Brasher boots might be well worth a look."

Footnote. since writing the review Alex has moved to a new site: Freeman of the Hill.

Looking for a comfy pair of boots straight out of the box for Easter?

You could do a lot worse than our Borgue GTX.

But don't just take our word for it. Graham Thompson, gear tester extraordinaire at the authoritative and well-informed Trail magazine concurs.

A great review in the current edition describes the Borgue GTX as 'A great all-rounder that is ideal for most hill-walkers, trekkers and backpackers.' The reviewer also comments: 'For my money, The Brasher Borgue GTX provides more than enough comfort and performance. It transforms Brasher into a supplier of a broad range of boots, rather than simply the most popular boot in Britain.'

So if you're looking for a new pair of boots for Easter, (or the Summer come to that) you might want to give the Borgue GTX a spin.

Great news in Country Walking magazine this month !

The new Provolution pole is the CW Winner in their walking pole test.

The verdict by the magazine's resident gear tester Tom Hutton is:

"19/20. Light yet incredibly tough trekking poles, with comfy handles and straps, and a superb flip-lock locking system. Hard to fault in your hand and on your pack"

Tom compared all the poles in the test on several different walks, awarding marks for comfort in the hand, ease of adjustment, usable length (important for taller or shorter folk), weight, pack-down size and if course strength.

Can't find a McDonald's at the top of the climb?

Then how about a hi-tech hamburger?

Swiss-based company Katadyn think they can satisfy the hungriest hiker with their fast-food in the wilderness product: Cheeseburger in a can.

The company are known as specialists who develop ready-meals for the outdoor, expedition and extreme athlete markets, and you prep the hamburger by simply bunging the can into a pan of boiling water on the camp stove.

Fancy something to wash it down?

No problem, because under the same; Trekking-Mahlzeiten brand you can also get a 9.27% red wine to go with it. In powdered form, of course, just add water.

Mmmmm, sounds scrummy.

(Thanks to Gizmag for the original story.)

For some people, achieving 2 out of 10 isn't anything to crow about.

But getting not one, but two brasher boots as finalists in The Independent's review of the ten best walking boots isn't half bad in our book, (or our blog and their newspaper come to that.)

At number 8:The brasher Supalite XCR.

And at number 1: The brasher Hillmaster GTX.

So a big thank you to The Independent, and a great big thank you to the walkers of Britain who make our legendary Hillmaster the best-selling walking boot in the country.

Footnote:
Breaking news. As of mid-Feb 08 an upgraded version of the Hillmaster GTX will be available throughout the country. Features to look out for are; additional comfort points, (yep, amazingly we've made them even more comfortable), a re-introduction of leather linings, (yep, we do take notice of customer feedback), same amazing fit, same light weight to strength ratio.

We've always taken the fit of our boots seriously here at brasher.

Which is why our Sales Director Steve Fowler doesn't only know our boots inside out, but he's also a dab-hand at the all important art of boot-fitting.

Last Thursday, saw him put his skills to the test and gave a bespoke boot fitting to Trail Magazine's Technical Director, Graham Thompson, (pictured above), with a pair of our hush-hush new 'Borgue GTX' boots, due to be launched next year as part of our Spring/Summer 2008 range.

Graham is one of many influential gear testers in the outdoor industry and helps to point enthusiasts in the right direction for the very best in outdoor gear. We are certainly looking forward to his views on how the new boot performs under challenging trekking conditions.

Most people have very different dimensions to their foot which can affect both comfort and performance. And in fact, at the fitting, Steve discovered that Graham is naturally blessed with a slightly narrow foot, To arrive at the perfect fit the right combination of brasher volume adjusters and foot beds we're brought into play. This gives an absolutely fit, which can obviously make or break a day in the hills.

(Incidentally, you don't have to be a top magazine reviewer to get this kind of treatment. We train all brasher stockists to provide you with exactly the same fitting service.)

You can read Graham's verdict on the Borgue GTX in the April 2008 issue of Trail magazine.

Fingers, (and volume adjusted toes) crossed everyone.

A lot of our retailers are telling us there's been quite a surge in sales of walking poles coming up to Christmas.

(Who knows, you might find a pair in your stocking.)

Earlier this month, in a feature about Christmas present ideas, the Times Online suggested a pair of our carbon Provolution poles might make a brilliant gift.

Praised for the unique PowerLock system, which allow you to collapse the poles without removing your gloves, these carbon poles also got the thumbs up for their extreme lightness. (Little wonder then that the pole also got an amazing 18/20 from Country Walking Magazine too earlier this year.)

Designed with mountaineering, trekking and backpacking in mind, it's probably the perfect bit of kit for Santa himself as he does his rounds this year.

We've just found out that our latest women’s winter walking boot, the Gore-Tex, Tambora GTX, has been accredited with ‘recommended’ status in the December 2007 issue of TGO magazine.

To say we are tickled pink would be an understatement.

Praised in particular for its weight, sole unit “gripping well on all terrain” and decisive lacing, the reviewer Judy Armstrong, also described the Tambora's footbed as “one of the best”.

Has anyone out there tried Tambora GTX?, we’d love to hear your experiences and comments…