So what's so great about Soft Shell?

We’ve just taken delivery of some soft shell jackets for children. Soft shell has been taking the walking and hiking world by storm over the last couple of years and people we have spoken to that wear soft shell love it (I bought a Marmot Soft Shell Jacket before our hiking trip to the Brecon Beacons and I can confirm that I am a big fan of soft shell).

The fabric is windproof, rainproof, warm and lightweight. But isn’t a kagool 3/4 of these things? Well yes, but…. no. If you consider your waterproof to be your “hard shell” (bear with me here) nothing is going to get in and nothing is going to get out. You’re protected from the elements and if the sun comes out it can feel a bit like being wrapped in baco-foil. Soft shell trades off some of the waterproofing with breathability. Think of it as general weatherproof rather than totally waterproof. A soft shell will perform well in strong wind, light rain and snow (and from my Brecon experience I can say pretty heavy snow at that) but for heavy rainfall you will still need that waterproof.

I like to think of my softshell as being the gap between a fleece and a waterproof. It has proven particularly useful when hill walking with my son - the softshell has replaced my fleece and waterproof on shorter walks and with a quliaty base layer under it is perfect for winter hiking.

Many kids waterproofs are cut with a loose fit for heavy winter cothing underneath, which is great for a waterproof but not great for a spring/autumn jacket. Which is where soft shell comes in. Lightweight yet warm, making it ideal for cooler days. Breathable yet weatherproof, making it ideal for outdoor play or even PE. The soft fabric is nice to touch, it lacks the hardness of some waterproofs, and in the case of our Kozi Kidz jackets the fleece lining makes them ultra snuggly. Thankfully the designers at Kozi Kidz have ignored the rule that states “all softshell must be black” and have produced a kids walking jacket worthy of any catwalk. (Marmot also decided to ignore that for their ladies range, thank you Marmot!)

The soft, stretchy material allows full freedom of movement and the 3-layer construction of the Kozi Kidz Soft Shell, including a waterproof inner membrane means it is a very versatile and practical item to have in the wardrobe.



We are stocking the boys dark/light grey jacket and the girls cerise/lime jacket both of which retail at £38.

At the time of writing only the girls jacket is listed on our website but the boys jacket will be available online (http://www.littlewideworld.co.uk/) from Wednesday July 14th.

Walking Season Starts

The recent dry weather has made geting out with the kids much easier than in previous springs (and last summer!) and the walking season is really kicking off. Many local parks and woodlands have organised Bluebell walks, some with cream teas and ice creams available. And of course, the walking festivals have kicked off.

When I hear somebody say walking festival I always think of the Isle of Wight Walking festival, which this year runs from the 9th - 24th May with over 200 guided walks ranging in length from 1 mile to 72 miles! So there is bound to be something there to suit every body, whatever your fitness levels or age. There is a small charge for some of the walks, details of which can be found at http://www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk/.

Also in May there is the;

Garstang Walking Festival - running from 9th-17th May. The walks cost from £2 and include Bluebell walks, a cheese walk(?), afternoon tea walks and family cycle rides. details at www.wyrebc.gov.uk/find/garstangwalkingfestival

South and Heart of Suffolk Walking festival - runing from the 9th -25th May with 61 guided walks to suit all ages and abilities. Visit http://www.southandheartofsuffolk.org.uk/ for details.

Keswick Mountain festival from the 13th-17th May makes me wish I wasn't quite so far from the Lake District. http://www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/ has full details of the events which include guided walks, phtographic walks, climbing, scrambling and water sports.

Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival from the 16th-31st May has walks taking in coast, nature reserves, medieveal towns and the dambusters story. No website for this on I'm afraid but details can be obtained by emailing customerservices@e-lindesy.gov.uk

In Wales both the Preseli and Llanelli walking festivals run through May. Visit http://www.planned.org.uk/ and http://www.llanelliramblers.org.uk/ for details of these.

Walk Fest 09 runs from the 8th-14th May in Dumfires and Galloway with walks and social events throughout. http://www.newtonstewartwalkfest.co.uk/ goves further details of all the events taking place.

The 7th Angus Glens Walking Festival runs from the 28th-31st May in and around Kerrimuir, Angus Glen. These walks vary from lowland glens to Munro peaks taking in the wonderfull scenery and wildlife of Angus including red deer, golden eagles and peregrine falcons. The walks cost from £12 and details are available at www.angusanddundee.co.uk/walkingfestival.

And finally, the Aviemore and Cairngorms Walking and Mountain Festival runs from the 9th -16th May with walks varying from easy strolls to strenuous treks to some of Scotlands highest peaks. Alongside the walking is mountain biking, river rafting, canoeing, kayaking, canyoning and climbing. Full details and contact details at http://www.aviemorewalking.com/.

This is by no means a comprehensive list and if you have a walking/outdoors event coming up that you would like to see mentioned here please drop me a line at campingkidz@littlewideworld.co.uk.

Our family walk this week was a 6 km walk through farmland and bridle path that was followed from The AA's 50 Walks in Oxfordshire. The walk started at the unusual 14th century church in Ewelme which houses the tomb of Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Goeffrey Chaucer, and the grave of Jerome K Jerome can be found in the church yard. Taking in mostly farm track the walk wasn't strenuous with little ascent that Small managed well. I couldn't recommend the walk for puschair users as for the last 500m or so the path gets very narrow and although the path was good for walking I think I would have struggled to get a buggy through.

Whilst on holiday in Yorkshire when our son was very young the owners of the cottage we were renting had left some leaflets called "Walking with Wheels" which gave details of wheelchair and pushchair suitable walks. Many local authorities produce similar leaflets which are often available from tourist information centres or local information offices. If you know of any good publications for wheelchair or pushchair users please drop us a line and we will mention them here. Whilst OS maps are fantastic for planning a walking route trying to establish whether a terrain is suitable for wheels isn't always easy.

Contact: We are on Twitter (our Twitter user name is @LittleWideWorld) and we have a Camping Kidz page on FaceBook, so it's easy to get in touch. Alternatively we can be emailed at campingkidz@littlewideworld.co.uk and of course you can see all the Camping Kidz gear at http://www.littlewideworld.co.uk/.

Our Twitter prize draw took place last week and congratulations to @CharlieMoos who were drawn from the hat by Small. A Rukka Anorak has been sent out and we hope you enjoy exploring the big wide world in your new rainwear.

And at the online store, http://www.littlewideworld.co.uk/ we have just taken delivery of a big box of goodies from Vaude, including sun hats, back packs and sleeping bags. These will be added to the store in the next couple of days (Small and Loki have already picked out the hats they want).

And finally, good luck to everybody who is taking part in the London Moonwalk on the 16th May.

Staying Dry

As the weather warms up I start dreaming of the first camping trip of the year. As Small is still so small I like to be sure that spring is really here before we hit the canvas. I can put up with being cold, I can't put up with the moaning that comes from a cold child.

As bad as a cold child, of course, is a wet child. Whilst my kids are happy to get soaked running around in the rain they aren't happy to stay soaked, so unless we are on a campsite with a drying room we need head to toe waterproofing. Small looks cute in the yellow Rukka Raingear, as the pictures show, but the 7 year old (henceforth known as Loki after his spiritual ruler) looks a bit daft in waterproof dungarees. For him it's waterproof trousers and the worlds most hideous kagool.

Caught short on a camping trip in the Cairngorms we had to make a dash between the rainstorms to Avemore to find a waterproof that would fit him. He was too large for the all in one toddler waterproofs and too small for the waterproof jackets available, so it was a stuff mac in "medium". I'm not sure what size a "medium" child is but looking at this kagool I would estimate they are about 4' 2" and have a waist measurement of about 47". I suspect Loki will never grow in to this particular garment.

It's a little shamefull really - I run a children's outdoor clothing retailer and my son wears the most repulsive waterproofs ever produced. I've tried to tempt him into a better fitting and much more respectable blue anorak, but if you have boys you'll know that trying to get them not to wear something is a guarenteed way of making them want to wear it.

I wonder if reverse psychology will work......

We are still running our prize draw via Twitter. If you use Twitter follow us (@littlewideworld) and we will enter you into a prize drawer to win a child's Rukka Anorak. The first 100 followers will be entered into the draw - we're currently up to 53.

I am also collecting recommendations for family friendly campsites. I would like to add a directory page of family friendly sites to http://www.littlewideworld.co.uk/, so if there's a site you particularly like and think other families will enjoy please send details of the site - including the site name and location - and the reasons that you think it's a great family destination to us at campingkidz@littlewideworld.co.uk and we will add it to the directory.