Welcome to the Taunton Leisure Blog

Free Footwear check for Healthy Feet Month Keen and amateur walkers are being invited to take advantage of our free footwear fitting service being offered as part of a national Healthy Feet Month We’re supporting the April event, which is run by the College of Podiatry, by offering complimentary boot fittings daily during normal opening [...]

Osprey Kestrel 38l Backpack The test An opportunity to test the Kestrel 38 fell perfectly with my up and coming training sessions with Ten Tors and DofE groups.  The need for a good day sack that has enough room for additional ‘leader’ gear plus the usual personal stuff had been on my mind.  I usually [...]

Hilleberg training is no classroom lesson, it is five days hiking and camping in temperatures as low as -35 degrees C. The Trip I had never been to Sweden. I had never been camping in winter or snow. I had certainly never even contemplated the idea of sleeping out in a sleeping bag when temperatures [...]

Alice from our Taunton store tested the Rab Kinetic Plus Jacket while hiking, cycling and kayaking in the rain. Did it stand up to the test? Rab In 1981 Rab Carrington, a key figure in climbing and mountaineering, started making down sleeping bags and clothing in his home in Sheffield, using knowledge from his years [...]

Beth from our Bristol store took the Osprey Renn on a hike on the Malverns and recommends it for a first time traveller. Osprey's Rook/Renn series is the brand new, budget friendly offering. Both women's and men's versions are available in 50 and 65 litre capacities and are designed for backpacking and adventure travel. The [...]

Alice from our Taunton store took the Osprey Kyte on a hike on the Quantocks and discovers all the features. The test The Osprey Kyte is a highly versatile backpack which is suitable for most hikes and travels. The Kyte is the women’s specific version of the men’s Kestrel, and it comes in three sizes. [...]

Pablo from Bristol took his Osprey Kestrel Backpack skiing and hiking in the French Alps. What did he think? The Test I was given the opportunity to test the Osprey Kestrel 38 and took it on a week long trip to Chamonix in the French Alps. I was going to be hiking and skiing so [...]

Why buy a tent from Taunton Leisure? Here at Taunton Leisure we have over 40 years’ experience in selling tents of all shapes and sizes; so I guess you could say we know a thing or two about tents and what to look out for when buying one. With arguably have the most diverse range [...]

Peg down your dream tent at our free Tent Show If you’re looking for a tent for the summer and come from Devon or are in the area this April (2019), then we’d like to invite you to our free Camping Show. We’ll be hosting one of the largest displays and ranges of tents in [...]

Braam, our Bristol Store Manager tested the Osprey Kestrel 38 on a trip to Snowdon and here's how it performed... I have been looking to add to my back pack range for a while with the Kestrel 38 and Talon 33 the main contenders.  I was offered to test the Kestrel 38 for a weekend [...]

How to wash a down jacket A down jacket will inevitably need washing after much use, whether it's used to keep warm everyday in the winter or on a climbing trip in the mountains. The down properties that keep us warm need to be treated carefully. They can get damaged when wet and drying is [...]

Nick Baron, Exeter Manager, has used headtorches for camping, night running and climbing for 15 years and his Petzl torches remain the favourite. I have tried Blackdiamond, Ledlenser and Primus head torches and always just go back to Petzl. In my opinion they are the most efficient, reliable and most often strike the right balance [...]