Rigid Friends were the first cams available - Ray Jardine's own design. They were revolutionized when flexible stem came along, opening up much greater flexibility in cam postitioning, especially in horizontal placements. Wild Country seem to be promoting the new Helium Friends as the next big revolution. Are they really as big a leap as flexible stems or dual axles?

Well, honestly, they're not revolutionary at all. They are, however, bloody great cams and anyone looking to fill out their rack should definitely take a look.

My rack consists of DMM Dragons (honestly I think these are nigh-on perfect), a single WC Tech Friend and from this summer a single WC Helium Friend, bought mostly on impulse just to see what they were like. I've used BD Camalot C4s and DMM 4CUs before, so I have a reasonable base to judge these against (and on a variety of rock).

Turning the Heliums over in your hand, you're struck by how bombproof they feel. They're really, really solid. And pretty darn beautiful to boot - all rounded edges, perfect casting and not even any mold lines on the plastic parts. Phenominal. I know it's something of a moot point to obsess over the appearance of something that's going to get stuffed into cracks and dragged up chimneys, but they're tiny works of art. It's all rather confidence inspiring.

Design-wise WC seem to have borrowed the best bits from various other cams. The thumb-loop is clearly borrowed from BD's Camalot C4 design and is honestly a pretty huge improvement over the old Tech Friends. Very easy to use even with gloves and allows the sling to pivot nicely. The sling itself is a really beefy job and is just about the right length (although I do prefer DMM's extendible slings). The stem is really long - much longer than the Tech Friends or Dragons. I don't have a Camalot C4 or a 4CU to compare it to but I'm confident it's longer than them too. The stem is somewhat flexible, similar to the Dragons, although not to the extend of the Metolius Mastercams. The trigger bar is nice and wide and again handles well with gloves on.

The business end is really solid. Big burly lobes which are nicely cast to reduce weight. A big fat axle that inspires confidence. Quality wire. The lobes are anodized in a logical sizing scheme. All very good.

In use they are fantastic. I've not taken a fall onto one yet, but they place really solidly and make you want to push yourself above them. The spring are really strong and they really don't seem to walk much - the freely-moving sling helps as well, I think, even if you don't extend them quite enough. Additionally they're not too heavy (much lighter than the Tech Friends) and they rack nicely, so they're not a burden to climb with.

Overall I would highly recommend them. They're lovely to place thanks to their strong springs, good ergonomics and long stem. They are however bloody expensive! Are they worth more than a DMM Dragon? Perhaps not. If you can get a deal, though, definitely consider them.

Double boots are funny, really. No-one actually likes them and everyone would rather be in single boots if they could be. Doubles are heavy, clunky, complicated and uncomfortable. Right?

Having just lived in them for 5 days straight, including four open-air bivvies in sub-zero temperatures and lots of cascade ice and mixed climbing, I believe the Spantiks go some way towards addressing these issues.

Firstly, let's just get the obvious out of the way: they're warm. They're really warm. Fit them right so that your circulation isn't compromised and I have no doubts you could take these up to 7000m or so. That's something for another person to cover - not my area - but you will not get cold feet in these if you know their limits.

Doubles, for me here in Japan, are all about moisture management. No, temperatures don't reach -50 C, but being able to bivvy for days on end and not worry about cold or frozen boots is a huge deal. Just take off the outers and leave them next to your bag and then either wear your inners in your bag or keep them in there with you. No worries.

I had trouble fitting these initially. Wearing a thin Coolmax liner and a midweight hiking sock it took hours of playing with lacing and insole combinations to get the fit right. Even so, I was still getting a fair bit of heel lift. Pushed for time and with a lack of options (thanks, Japan) I took the plunge anyway and relied on thermoforming the liners to solve my problems. Let me just say this: if you take the time to follow La Sportiva's instructions (see their US website) and thermoform the liners properly, these boots will fit like a dream. It's essential to get the most out of the boot as far as I'm concerned.

So, with the fit sorted, how do they perform? In a word: brilliantly. The lacing system makes it dead easy to get a solid, secure fit on both the inners and the outers with a little bit of practice. You can even do it with gloves - important in cold weather and often overlooked. It's easy to dial in the fit for climbing and walking without wasting too much time, too. The inners are toasty warm on their own and have a slightly grippy foam 'sole' so they can be used as camp slippers - I'd usually not bother with the outers for late-night toilet outings, etc.

Despite the rigidity, the flexibility around the ankle and the massive rocker on the sole make them surprisingly comfortable to walk in. That rocker can make it tricky to fit some crampons, but more modern designs (like the BD Stingers I used on this trip) are no problem.

When climbing they're pretty awesome. Obviously they're not as nimble as a single boot but they're arguably not far off - they're not THAT heavy, not THAT big and definitely a world away from classic plastics. Monopoints on doubles seems like a weird combo but with Spantiks I actually found it worked really well.

So in short? I would highly recommend them! Relatively nimble, comfortable and they climb well... what's not to like? Maybe the price...

Touted as the ultimate portable cooking system, the Jetboil has been around for years and still holds a firm grip on its market segment despite there being many competing designs. Is it really that good?

So, the good. The stove is very neat and compact. A small canister and the burner unit will fit inside the 'cup' section to give a self-contained unit for transport. The cover that protects the bottom of the cup can be used to measure things. The lid has a drinking hole which works reasonably well, although if you're going to pour liquid I highly recommend removing the lid first! The cooking pot is insulated with a neoprene cosy, complete with a beefy stitched-on nylon handle (beware that the newer Hypalon handles appear to be weaker - not due to the material, which is bombproof, but likely due to over-stitching!).

The burner unit attaches to the cup with a solid set of lugs. It sort of clips together and then twists to lock. The canister screws onto the bottom of this. When the whole unit is attached together you can pick it up as one - I've walked around, holding it by the handle, while brewing coffee before! This also means it can be hung - more on this in a bit.

The twist knob to begin gas flow is reasonably sized although not the easiest to use with gloves. You then press the built-in piezo ignitor button and the stove is lit. Or so the idea goes. In practice I found the ignitor unreliable and the ceramic covering cracked on mine, resulting in it becoming completely useless. I can't be bothered replacing it because I figure it'll just break again. So there's a warning: always take a lighter with you!

The stove boils water very quickly. It is also INCREDIBLY efficient - hanging the larger 2 man version (same burner but a 2 litre pot) in a basecamp tent we got a 250g canister to last for about 4 days of boiling water and melting snow for 3 meals a day enough for 2 people at constant sub-zero temperatures. All we had was a simple foam cover to keep the canister warm, and it was pre-warmed in sleeping bags or down jackets when possible. Pretty impressive!

So, the problems? Firstly, it's very fierce. That makes it awesome for melting snow and boiling water (hence the name), but terrible for cooking actual food. If you want to cook haute cuisine, use something else. The ignitor is useless, as I mentioned previously. I also found the pot often sticks in the slots on the burner, resulting in difficulty removing it and, on occasion, throwing hot water everywhere! This is a major issue, especially in tents or portaledges containing down bags. Finally the branded hanging kit is junk - expensive and needlessly fiddly, especially with gloves. Buy some split rings and wire and make your own (Google it).

So, is the Jetboil really all that? Well, as a light expedition-type gas stove it's the best around. It has flaws (don't rely on that ignitor, make sure you can detach the pot easily, make your own hanging kit) but I defy you to find anything better.