Edition 47: Summer 2009

With our special feature on climbing Kilimanjaro, we thought we’d highlight a few new products that could come in handy on the mountain.

Quash hand sanitiser

Keeping up levels of personal hygiene to help maintain your health and strength, while at the same time protecting and conserving Kilimanjaro’s water resources, is easier said than done. It’s estimated that up to half a litre of water is used just to wash hands, and most soaps contain ingredients that can harm the environment.

Hand sanitisers are one answer, but most of them are full of chemicals and alcohol, resulting in dry and damaged skin. Quash, however, is the first hand sanitiser made from 100 per cent natural ingredients to be clinically proven to kill 99.9 per cent of germs (including MRSA, E. Coli, salmonella). Its hydrating properties will also leave your hands a whole lot better off than the chemical-/alcohol-based sanitiser options. Key ingredients in Quash include manuka honey, liquid Vitamin C, white willow bark, aloe vera, radish root, zinc, white tealeaf and the pure essential oils of lavender and lime.

Quash is widely available at stores such as Tesco, WH Smith and Superdrug. It is also sold direct on Quash’s website (www.quashme.com). Handy 50ml bottles cost £3.49

Olympus MJU Tough 6000 digital camera

While the fact that the Olympus Mju Tough 6000 digital camera is waterproof up to 3m won’t mean much to you on Kilimanjaro, the camera’s ability to work at minus 10 degrees Celsius certainly will come in handy, ensuring your pictures on the summit are good ones. And with frozen fingers and/or cumbersome gloves, you’ll also appreciate that the Olympus Mju Tough 6000 is shockproof from falls of up to 1.5m.

The camera is as clever on the inside as it is tough on the outside, with 10 megapixels, 3.6 times wide angle optical zoom, 2.7 inch Hypercrystal III LCD screen and an impressive editing function for removing red eye and shadowy areas. If you’ve got some post-climb R&R planned on the Indian Ocean coast, the camera’s LED illuminator will lighten up underwater scenes, making your subaqueous images as sharp as those snapped atop Kilimanjaro.

The Olympus Mju Tough 6000 is available in white, blue, yellow and orange. It is sold at retailers such as Jessops (www.jessops.com), and its suggested retail price is £299

Timex Expedition WS4 Watch

The new Timex Expedition WS4 is a lot of watch: altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph, alarm and compass all in one. Developed by top mountaineers, including Conrad Anker (pictured), the wrist-top computer incorporates accurate sensors to give precise, reliable outdoor information. It can even forecast the weather, vital on many adventures. With a bold, rugged design, the unique widescreen dashboard clearly displays its key functions to climbers at a single glance.

To test the watch, Conrad Anker has been scaling snow-capped summits in some of the most remote corners of the earth, and giving it some bashing in the process. “I put it through all kinds of torture testing during our latest expedition to India’s Garhwal Himalaya range,” said Conrad. “It was especially helpful in alerting us to a sudden snowstorm that blew in, and we were able to wait it out safely in our portaledge.”

The Timex Expedition is available in black, white, blue, orange and yellow. It’s currently sold exclusively online by Cotswold Outdoor (www.cotswoldourdoor.com) for £150

Star Product: An idea born to protect

Imagine that there existed a super-material, a material that withstands acid being poured on it, stops heat passing through it, prevents UV light from weakening it, and can receive temperatures of 110 degrees Celsius and survive it.

Now, imagine that this super-material is being thrown out everyday and burnt on roadsides around the world. Smart? Better Energy Systems of Berkeley, California were the first to think not.

They have recently introduced rugged camera cases constructed of this super-material. What is this super-material, you ask? Recycled rubber from the inner tubes of Columbian truck tyres. Yes, really.

The combination of this military-grade rubber with robust nylon thread provides tough, waterproof protection for your camera even under the most extreme of conditions, whether in Africa or the Arctic (or on Kilimanjaro, which is a fine combination of the two).

Each tread™ case has unique markings from its journey, and the packaging even shows exactly where (and how far) the rubber travelled in its previous life. Better Energy Systems rightly prides itself on having found an innovative use for an unwanted product, which would have otherwise been burnt or put into landfills.

The tread™ camera cases start from £11.95, and are available at www.tread.com. The tread™ line also includes cases for mobile phones and iPods, as well as larger bags and sleeves for laptops 

Looking (and feeling) the part

Wearing the wrong clothes on safari can hamper your enjoyment, making you hot, uncomfortable or simply too conspicuous to skittish animals while on foot. Knowing that quality safari clothes must be more than just khaki-coloured versions of typical casual wear found in high street shops, a South African-based company has recently created a line of clothing – Of African Origin – specifically designed for your time in the African wilderness.

Fully tested in the harsh African environment, the Of African Origin line is now being used by many of the guides and park rangers in southern Africa. The cotton shirts, blouses, shorts and skirts are all 100 per cent cotton, and although they are thick enough to give you protection from thorns while walking in the bush, they are still highly breathable which keeps you cool. The cut of the clothing has been developed over many years, with feedback from rangers and lodge staff so that it is the right shape to give complete comfort.

Besides blouses, shirts, shorts and skirts, the Of African Origin range includes safari jackets and fleeces for the cooler winter morning game drives and walks, along with chinos for men, three-quarter length trousers for ladies and a great array of polo shirts, T-shirts and vest tops.

This range of clothing is available in the UK from Kendrick Imports (www.kendrickimports.com)