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After a long day of trekking or cycling, you’ve made your camp. The tent is up and the sleeping gear is all laid out, waiting to welcome you to the Land of Nod. There’s just one more thing to do before repose and that is to eat. So break out the cooking gear and knock up a feast to replenish all those burnt calories. But what’s the best cooking system for the intrepid traveller?

This is a test of stoves that you might take with you on a trekking or cycle-touring expedition, when you’ll be carrying everything you need, so pack size and weight is a big factor. It’s also important that a stove is easy to set up and reliable. Then there’s fuel selection – which one you want will depend on what you plan to cook and where you predominantly plan to use the stove. Camping stoves generally use three types of fuel – gas, petroleum and alcohol – or, of course, there’s natural fuel like wood. Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons of each…

Staying dry while out hiking is a top priority. Wet clothes are both uncomfortable and heavy, and if your clothes are wet in any conditions other than still and hot, you’re going to get cold and put yourself at risk of catching hypothermia.

In an ideal world there’d be no use for waterproofs – it would only rain at night and a loincloth would be the only protection from the elements we'd need. Sadly that's not the case and, as you’ll know too well, we can be walking in beautiful sunlight one minute and torrential rain the next.

It’s for this reason that no matter what type of walking we’re doing, whether it's hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc or strolling around the English countryside, an ideal walking jacket will be one that doesn't weigh much and packs down as small as possible into your rucksack.

The main priorities for ski and board trousers and salopettes are to keep you warm, dry and comfortable. As is the nature of the sport, and if you're like me, there’s the chance that you’ll be taking a few falls while you’re out on the slopes, so they should also be made with protection from bumps and scrapes in mind.

Typically, ski leg wear will be have either two or three layers, and both offer advantages and disadvantages over the other. Two-layer pants will be simply an outer (usually waterproof) layer and an inner liner layer, while three-layer pants will have an added insulating layer. Three-layer pants will be warmer, comfier and offer more protection from falls, but they have the disadvantage that they’re heavier, bulkier and you might overheat. Two-layer garments aren’t as warm, but as they’re lighter they’re more versatile, so could double-up as mountaineering leg-wear.

In August I went on a month long cycle tour around Europe, where I somehow managed to travel 700 miles by bike, and 2000 miles by train. During these 700 miles, I discovered that choosing the right bike for your cycle tour is probably a more important decision than what to name your child.

There are so many choices on the market, and trying to figure out if you should get a cheaper, but heavier mountain bike and convert it, or splash the cash on a bike that is specifically designed with touring in mind is a hard choice.