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OTS outdoor trade show 2023, Liverpool. OTS Outdoor trade show 20-23 This blog isn’t a review of everything new at the show; even Chris Townsend isn’t doing an overview for his blog or TGO magazine. I am reporting on broader trends, Chris is waiting for some of the new garments for testing and review, (see further notes on waterproofs below). Chris was a very valuable contributor to our book “Keeping Dry and Staying Warm, How to stay dry, warm or cool in the outdoors; You, the environment, your garments and layering techniques”. It’s available on Amazon in print or ‘e’ version, and the book ..read more

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Why is understanding mountain garments complex? Why aren't rucksacks waterproof? How technical are socks ..read more

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Performance Layering is a skill based on a sound knowledge of what each layer does and selecting and sequencing for your trip according to weather, speed of group, and distance and nutrition and hydration ..read more

Context.   After five years of research and consensus building, our multi-authored cross-Atlantic collaborative book ‘Keeping Warm and Staying Dry was published last year on Amazon. As Outdoor Gear Coach, we have trained the BMC technical committee, all engineers, on textiles generally plus garments. We are now developing training courses focused on the skill of Performance Layering. I delivered a one-day course in Cumbria for BAIML. So what is performance layering?  It’s a skill based on a clear technical understanding of what each of your 7 layers does or does not do (usi ..read more

Outdoor Gear Coach/Mike Parson’s visit to OTS 2022 Outdoor Trade Show June 8th 2022 Liverpool exhibition centre, UK.    We successfully published ‘Keeping dry and Staying Warm, last year and have now added a zoom based 9 x1 hr workshop training system. The workshop content is accessible through our  Padlet.com teaching platform for reference and trainee dialogue. I decided that visiting the OTS in Liverpool would be a good catch up after extended lockdowns, so I set off at 6:30 a.m. from Patterdale but didn’t make it until 9:30 a.m., missing my first meeting appointment with Chr ..read more

Keeping Dry and Staying Warm was published on 20 January 2020, exactly 20 years since Mike Parsons and Mary Rose began working together. This is the story about the widening collaborative journey ..read more

How long is the journey to understand waterproofs as part of Keeping Dry and Staying Warm ? Our journey has built on past experience and many ongoing conversations from across the outdoor industry and mountain professionals ..read more