Best of the tests: The ultimate gear review

Best of the tests

Need to buy something we’ve not tested in this issue? Here are the products that scored highest in our recent reviews

Helmet Cams (issue 15 March/April 2013)

Go-Pro Hero 3 Black Edition | £359.99 | Best in test bar none, but the lack of an LCD screen as standard is woeful | 9 out of 10
Drift Ghost | £299.99 | Tough and compact, the Drift Ghost takes some beating | 8 out of 10
Contour Roam 2 | £169.99 | The best value-for-money entry-level cam on test | 8 out of 10

Full-Face Helmets (issue 14 Jan/Feb 2013)

Schuberth S2 Lines | £529.99 | Mortgage the kids and buy one! | 10 out of 10
Arai Chaser V | £379.99 | Quality, if you can live without a sun visor | 9 out of 10
X-Lite X-702 | £349.99 | Nothing to dislike here; comes highly recommended | 9 out of 10
Shark Vision-R Syntic | £279 | Comfortable, quiet and worth every penny | 9 out of 10
Shoei Qwest | From £289.99 | Quality helmet, but loses a point for the lack of sun visor | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Socks (issue 13 Nov/Dec 2012)

Klim Klim Sock | £19.50 | No less than you’d expect from Klim but without the hefty price tag | 10 out of 10
Klim Covert GTX Liner | £89.95 | Not cheap, but warm, dry feet may be worth the investment | 9 out of 10
Seal Skinz Mid-Weight Knee-Length Sock | £34.95 | Great all-round sock for cold, wet weather conditions | 9 out of 10

Best of the tests

Hydration Systems (issue 12 Sept/Oct 2012)

Kriega Hydro 3 | £85 | A versatile and worthy investment | 9 out of 10
Camelbak Classic 2ltr | £44.99 | Small and convenient, ideal for the trails | 8 out of 10
Osprey Raptor 10 | £85 | A good pack with additional storage for a long day out | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Summer Pants (issue 11 July/Aug 2012)

Kyrano G8 jeans | £199.99 (knee and hip armour inc) | A perfect 10; they’re not cheap but they’re simply the best biker jeans | 10 out of 10
Lindstrands Wrap Jeans | £109 (armour available from £19.90) | They are what they are and we like them! | 9 out of 10
Draggin Jeans Biker | £169.99 (knee armour inc) | Good-quality jeans and good value for the money | 8 out of 10
Draggin Jeans Cargo | £139.99 (knee armour inc) | A totally unassuming, comfortable biker trouser | 8 out of 10
Hood K7 Jeans | £99.99 (armour not inc) | A good old favourite; pity the armour isn’t included | 8 out of 10

 

Best of the tests

One-Man Tents (issue 11 July/Aug 2012)

Hilleberg Akto | £400 | A wonderfully made tent for the harshest conditions | 9 out of 10
MSR Hubba HP | £320 | Light tent with a lot of space at a good weight | 9 out of 10
Vango Helium Carbon 100 | £400 | Great for the uber lightweight adventure biker | 8 out of 10
The North Face Mica 1 | £220 | Great tent at a good price for all but the tallest adventurers | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Flip-Front Helmets (issue 10 May/June 2012)

Shoei Neotec | £470 | Well done Shoei, no doubt this will be another best seller | 9 out of 10
Shark Evoline S2 | £299.99 | Two quality helmets in one! | 9 out of 10
Nolan 104 Classic N-Com 3 | £269.99 | Sure to be a hit with Nolan fans and quite a few others too | 9 out of 10

Best of the tests

Camping Chairs (issue 10 May/June 2012)

Sunncamp Super Deluxe Comfy Low Chair | £32.99 | Comfortable chair for the larger biker | 9 out of 10
Regatta Delux Folding Camp Chair | £29.99 | On the big side but you’ll enjoy the comfort | 8 out of 10
Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair | £29.99 | Great for the long-distance size-conscious traveller | 8 out of 10
Vango Venice Chair | £22 | The rally-going ABR’s fireside chair of choice, no doubt | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Adventure Helmets (issue 9 March/April 2012)

Arai Tour-X4 | £474.99 | Quality that comes with a price, but the Tour-X exudes quality | 9 out of 10
X-Lite X-551 | From £320 | It’s the one I’m going to be wearing this year | 9 out of 10
BMW Enduro | From £330 | A great Enduro helmet to suit all, and not just for BMW owners | 8 out of 10
Shoei Hornet-DS | £330.95 | Another great helmet from Shoei, which would have scored higher if it had a longer peak | 8 out of 10

Rainsuits (issue 8 Jan/Feb 2012)

BMW ProRain 3 rainsuit | £87 | If you can afford it, buy it | 9 out of 10
Held Monsun | £76.99 | One for the shortlist – we like it | 8 out of 10
Alpinestars El Nino Suit | £99.95 | Great suit, would have scored higher without the mesh lining | 7 out of 10
Jofama Rainsuit | £94 | It’s a lot of money; it’s a lot of suit | 7 out of 10
IXS Niagara | 99.95 Euros (£87) | Good product if you like your suits to come fully lined | 7 out of 10
Rev’it Rainsuit Pacific H2O | £74.99 | Ticks most of our boxes | 7 out of 10
Evolution TO2 | £59.99 | Tough, hard-wearing and does the job | 7 out of 10

Best of the tests

Head Torches (issue 7 Nov-Dec 2011)

Petzl Tikka 2 | £35 | If you’ve got the money, buy one now! | 9 out of 10
Mammut Lucido TR1 | £35 | No-nonsense no-frills head torch that does the job | 8 out of 10
Lifesystems Intensity 80 LED Head Torch | £24.99 | A great price for a very bright and useful torch with a brill hands-free operation | 8 out of 10
Silva Otus | £34.99 | It does what it should and it does it well | 8 out of 10
Coleman Axis | £14.99 | A reasonable battery life, very bright light and a great price; an excellent budget option | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Boots (issue 7 Nov-Dev 2011)

Sidi Adventure Gore | £249.95 | The new definition of perfect: ‘Sidi Adventure Boots’ | 10 out of 10
TCX Infinity GTX | £229.99 | Great quality, top comfort | 9 out of 10
Altberg Roadrunner | £194.99 | Quality, comfortable footwear that you can have made to measure | 8 out of 10
W2 4-Dirt Adventure | £149.99 | Excellent value-for-money adventure-style boots | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Multi-Tools (issue 6 Sept/Oct 2011)

Victorinox Outrider | £38.99 | A well-mead tool with a brilliant knife and saw | 9 out of 10
Leatherman Kick | £39.95 | Basic tools, but an affordable quality Leatherman | 9 out of 10
Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Multi-Tool | £49.99 | A tad more expensive, but all the tools you might need and a handy survival guide | 8 out of 10
Highlander Condor Socket Tool Set | £16.99 | Very nice price, lovely socket set and an overall good buy | 9 out of 10

Best of the tests

Touring Pants (issue 6 Sept/Oct 2011)

Klim Traverse Pants | £ 279.95 | Simple, practical and fantastic. Love ‘em! | 9 out of 10
Rukka Kalahari Pants | £549.99 | Superb quality and performance, as you’d expect from Rukka | 8 out of 10
Rev’it Dfender GTX Pants | £369.99 | Well designed, quality construction, a great pair of pants if you can live with the looks | 8 out of 10
Held Matata Pants | £216.99 | Not faultless but close | 8 out of 10
Richa Camargue Pants | £139.99 | Tough, versatile and good unrestricted movement | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Cook Sets (issue 5 July/Aug 2011)

Coleman Non-Stick Cook Kit Plus | £34.99 | Could nest better, but nonetheless a quality, strong cook kit that’ll have you feeling like a master chef in no time | 8 out of 10
Edelrid Ardor Duo | £45.75 | Nicely made, strong and durable, but a bit pricey | 8 out of 10
Gelert Altitude II Cook Set | £36.99 | A good-quality, tough cool set, but I would have liked a proper lid | 7 out of 10
Vango 2-Person Non-Stick Cook Set | £17.99 | Good value for money cook set | 7 out of 10

Best of the tests

Touring Jackets (issue 5 July/Aug 2011)

Rev’it Defender GTX Jacket | £416 | Excellent product, a genuine all-climate jacket | 9 out of 10
Held Hakuna Jacket | £270 | Morocco here we come, in style and comfort | 9 out of 10
Richa Adventure Jacket | £150 | Performs and good as a jacket twice the price | 9 out of 10

Best of the tests

Sleeping Mats (issue 4 May/June 2011)

Aerobed Active | £59.99 (79.99 double) | A bit pricey, but fool proof, and once it’s up it’s a comfortable place to sleep | 9 out of 10
Exped Downmat 7 | £125 | Impressive comfort, warmth and small pack-size justify the price tag | 9 out of 10

Best of the tests

Top Boxes (issue 4 May/June 2011)

Metal Mule Max Top Box | £459 | If you’ve the money, treat yourself to a Metal Mule | 9 out of 10
Krauser Alu Basic | £184 | Looks good, perfect size, competitive price | 8 out of 10

Best of the tests

Camping Stoves (issue 3 March/April 2011)

MSR Superfly | £60 | The most versatile canister-mounted stove bar none | 5 out of 5
Trangia 27-1UL | £55 | Just buy one | 5 out of 5
Vango Folding Gas Stove | £20 | Great price, great performance, highly recommended | 5 out of 5
Primus Etapower MF | £145 | Versatile, fuel efficient and big enough for two | 5 out of 5
Edelrid Hexon Multi-Fuel | £110 | Verstaile stove for the serious overlander | 5 out of 5