Mares Frontier Expedition

Advantages: Lightweight, robust, colour coded poles, reflective guy ropes
Disadvantages: It's not true 4-season, small cooking area, lack of headroom

...of your rucksack (it you're not a purist!) Because it is primarily designed as a lightweight expedition tent, there isn't much room left once there of two of you in it with all your kit - it's not designed for luxury living! The groundsheet raises off the floor in a bowl shape, which is good when there is surface water around after a particulary wet night. However, it isn't good when you spill your hot drink over yourself! At night, if your mate/girlfriend/wife turns over, you kind of have to turn over as well. Getting ready for bed and getting up in the morning is tricky and (at 6'4") I find it a struggle to get over-the-head tops on. The cooking/storage area is small and you need to do quite a bit of kit management to cook safely when its pouring with rain. During hot weather, it is nice to sleep with the fly-sheet removed... Read review

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Advantages: Leak free, looks good
Disadvantages: None!

...First things first - the actual name of the product is: Mares Lirica Tech Black! Not that I'm trying to be difficult - but I thought I'd be accurate! I was looking for a mask which fitted me well without the need to perform a power inhale just to get it to fit my face: this mask fits the bill perfectly. I actually discovered the Lirica range whilst flicking through the Mares catalogue and thought that it looked like a stylish bit of kit to own... oh like so many divers, don't I base my decisions on the most important aspects! Anyway, having gained an interest in it, I obviously wanted to try it for fit - so, a couple of days later - at the NEC dive show, I tried on a foul looking yellow version and asked the people at the stall if they had the tech black... to which I was replied "sorry mate, they don't make it in black" - hmmm, having... Read review

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Advantages: warm enough, comfy
Disadvantages: the colour scheme isnt to my taste

...No surprises here but I like to scuba dive, sadly for me a good 90% of my dives these days are working with students and of those over half are in the local pool when assisting on confined water dives or conducting the Discover Scuba program (try dives to the rest of the world). So for me a good quality wetsuit is essential as in the pool I would look slightly ridiculous in a dry suit and it doesnt look overly professional for me to be bimbling about cellulite on display in my bikini. My original shorty suit cost me less than £30 over 6 years ago and is currently developing holes in the shoulders so time to invest in a new one. I have to admit my choices of suit to walk in to my LDS to just pick up and walk away with were limited to the Mares range or Cressi, but after trying on several other suits at other shops I settled... Read review

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