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Sunderland-based outdoor company Berghaus is launching an £800k marketing campaign that will include adverts on the TV, making it the first British outdoor brand to advertise on telly. The ads will feature Berghaus-sponsored athletes such as climber Leo Houlding and boulderer Leah Crane, and there will also be publicity on boards and screens in railway stations as well as in print and on the web. “We want to show that adventure is fun and usually about grinning not grimacing,” Leo told journalists at a press announcement on Tuesday.

It was also the official launch of the second generation of the BIOFLEX rucksack, seven years after the first generation was released, and journalists (like me looking sexy in the picture) got to have a go with one. The new BIOFLEX has three key elements: the hub, the Cross-Load frame and the Hyper-Link hip-belt.

Want to test a waterproof jacket for the day to help you decide if you want to buy it? Gore-Tex is offering you the chance to do just that with a ‘try before you buy’ scheme on products including Berghaus, Mountain Equipment and Haglöfs jackets using its new technology called Active Shell.

The scheme will run from outdoor shops in the Lake District and Scotland in September and October. You can either turn up for one of the participating stores on the day and select a jacket, or reserve one in advance via email. 

“Consumers will be encouraged to put the jackets through their paces in order to experience the high level of breathability offered by this new membrane,” says Gore’s Nicole Wheatley. “You leave a deposit for the jacket which you’ll get back in full if you return the garment in the same condition – although we’ll allow you to get it as dirty as you like!”

We’re overflowing with gear news here at Adventure Travel HQ – July and August are trade show time in the outdoor world, which means we get a preview of all the fab stuff that’s coming up in the next couple of seasons. There’s an extra gear scoop in the next edition of Adventure Travel (the Sept/Oct edition, out in about a week) and here’s some more….

Outdoor gear manufacturer Trekmates has launched a new cook system that works without the use of flames.

The new Flameless Cook System, which will retail at about £30, takes the appearance of a Tupperware box and works by using a chemical reaction rather than flames to create heat. The cook system is looking to be a particularly exciting piece of kit as it means that you'll be able to cook safely inside your tent without the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or fires.

Micro Scooters, a company that specialises in making small, foldaway scooters, has launched a new and rather unique scooter suitcase.

The Micro Luggage suitcase scooter is exactly what it says it is: a suitcase that can be turned into a scooter.

It's been designed to be able to fit into the overhead locker on aeroplanes, making it an interesting gizmo for those who travel a lot.

The idea behind the scooter suitcase is that if you're running late you can hop on it and whizz to wherever you want to go, or it can be used as an alternative form of transport to and from work.

Not only that but I can see the Micro Luggage case being great fun for tearing around airports while you're waiting for your plane.