Gear reviews – Hike for Purpose https://www.hikeforpurpose.com Finding Purpose in every Step Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:08:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/hikeforpurpose-logo-4-favicon-75x75.png Gear reviews – Hike for Purpose https://www.hikeforpurpose.com 32 32 Simond UL 500 Headlamp https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/simond-ul-500-headlamp/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/simond-ul-500-headlamp/#respond Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:08:11 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3886 After using the Simond UL 500 for a few months and trips, here are my thoughts on this affordable but excellent headlamp available at Decathlon. I like simple gear, the more whistles and bells a piece of gear has, the more can fail, and the more functions you usually don’t end up using. Keeping things simple also means keeping it affordable in most cases, and less of a chance of things…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/simond-ul-500-headlamp/feed/ 0 Altra Lone Peak https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/altra-lone-peak/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/altra-lone-peak/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:07:48 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3775 As so many hikers, the search for the perfect shoe or boot is a topic that comes up pretty much every season. For years I have been sticking to the Salomon Speedcross line, but sadly my blister free streak ended with them on the South Downs Way last year. As one of the standard options for many overseas hikers, I was also intrigued with Altra for their zero drop, and the fact that they have a…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/altra-lone-peak/feed/ 0 Forclaz MT100 hiking poles https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/forclaz-mt100-hiking-poles/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/forclaz-mt100-hiking-poles/#respond Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:14:55 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3774 As basic as a hiking pole can get, asides from a stick you pick up, the Forclaz MT100 poles are a great first hiking pole to try out if you are on the fence with using poles. Here are all the features, and how they performed for me. I love hiking poles, and everybody that is still debating, I always encourage to try some out. The next up or down hill part, will not seem so daunting anymore…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/forclaz-mt100-hiking-poles/feed/ 0 3F UL Gear Lanshan 2 review https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/3fulgear-lanshan-2/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/3fulgear-lanshan-2/#respond Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:14:03 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3646 4–6 minutes 1,015 words An affordable tent option that has sparked my interest as well as many other hikers, is the Lanshan 2 and the Lanshan 2 Pro options. Here is my review on the Lanshan 2, with 3 season inner, after the South Downs Way. I had this tent laying around for a bit after finally wearing out my Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2, after many faithful nights camping…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/3fulgear-lanshan-2/feed/ 0 Why budget knives rock https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/why-budget-knives-rock/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/why-budget-knives-rock/#respond Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:49:41 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3624 I reviewed a bunch of budget knives over the years, and they are my go to when it comes to day to day tasks and hiking. In this blog post I wanted to share about the differences between expensive or “grail” knives, and budget knives. With many things in life I consider myself a collector, knives is something I am passionate about since I got my first knife at 6 from my parents.

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/why-budget-knives-rock/feed/ 0 How much Knife do you need for hiking? https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/how-much-knife-for-hiking/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/how-much-knife-for-hiking/#respond Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:28:20 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3613 Many first time hikers will know that a knife would be handy for random tasks when on a hiking trip, but how much knife do you really need and use during (ultra)light hiking? Every book or guide you can read about hiking and backpacking will give the advice to take a (pocket) knife with you, if you’re anything like me, you have a couple of knives to choose from. I always take a knife with me…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/how-much-knife-for-hiking/feed/ 0 Loosening a stuck Opinel knife https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/loosening-a-stuck-opinel-knife/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/loosening-a-stuck-opinel-knife/#respond Tue, 05 Aug 2025 13:50:04 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3603 Opinel knives can become hard to open or completely stuck and impossible to get out of the handle. This is a common problem and can be resolved easily, without ripping apart your fingernails. Stuck or hard to open Opinel knives can be a pain and annoying, and can sour your experience with a brand new Opinel knife. Worry not, since there are a couple of easy fixes to resolve this problem.

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/loosening-a-stuck-opinel-knife/feed/ 0 Groove Alcohol stove https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/groove-alcohol-stove/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/groove-alcohol-stove/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:50:23 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3531 Easy, single can design, and one of the lightest. That’s the Groove Alcohol stove in a nutshell. Rapid bloom time of only a few seconds and no pot stand required. I like this design, here is how to make one and some points on use. What you will need for this Alcohol stove design is a single 250 ml soda can, could be an Energy drink can, or in my case, a cola can that was kicking around in my…

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/groove-alcohol-stove/feed/ 2 SuperCat Alcohol Stove https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/supercat-alcohol-stove/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/supercat-alcohol-stove/#respond Fri, 04 Jul 2025 13:49:23 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3485 One of the easiest designs for Alcohol stoves you can try out is the SuperCat stove, in this article I cover how to make one and how it performs. What you will need to make this Alcohol stove is the following: This stove is very easy to build and assemble by popular design by John Woods, and that is why it is such a hit for hikers that are curious about alcohol stoves.

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]]> https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/supercat-alcohol-stove/feed/ 0 Beer Can Alcohol Stove | Open Jet https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/beer-can-alcohol-stove/ https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/beer-can-alcohol-stove/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2025 04:57:52 +0000 https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/?p=3439 One stove that I wanted to make and try out for a long time is a DIY open Jet Alcohol Stove made from a single beer can. After many attempts and trial and error, I have found one that is relatively foolproof to make. This design is not my original idea, and is done a thousand times on the internet. I have picked up a few pointers however that I have not seen before. And I think makes…

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