Sonder Bikes
Self Supported and Loving It: The Case for Human-Powered Adventure
May is a reminder of why the mountains matter and who looks after them. These articles are about self-supported adventure at its best: solo routes, land-and-sea crossings and the growing movement of people choosing human power over everything else.
Going Solo?
Sarah Leighton aka Fit For Adventure is an Alpkiteer. She pedals, paddles and hikes across great distances. And manages to...
Adventure from my Front Door
I spread the map open across my bedroom floor and located my house on the outskirts of town. My eyes...
Vera Ngosi's South Downs Way Adventure
In my books, there’s no better way to spend a sunny bank holiday weekend than bikepacking a well-curated gravel route...
Why Human-Powered Adventures Are Rewarding
Your journey is just as important as your destination. That's why we've dedicated ourselves to creating equipment that enables and...
5 Top Tips for Microadventures
Microadventures are a great way to experience your local area and get out for an overnight bivvy. In this Night...
Catch the Train, Chase Adventure: Your Bank Holiday Ride Starts Here
Planning a bank holiday escape? Skip the traffic, take the train, and roll straight into adventure with your bike. It’s...
The Treasured Outdoor Moment: What Takes You Back Outside.
The moments that become memories. The bivvy at dawn, the ridge in mist, the swim that was colder than expected and better for it. These are the Alpkit community's treasured outdoor moments - the experiences that answer the question of why people keep going out.
A Treasured Outdoor Moment - Bivvying with friends
A Treasured Outdoor Moment - Conor Watt My treasured moment is from this summer. Three friends and I went up...
A Treasured Outdoor Moment - A walk up the Lost Valley
A Treasured Outdoor Moment - Richard Hartland My wife and I spent Christmas in the Scottish Highlands this year. We...
Treasured Outdoor Moment - Memories on the hills
Treasured Outdoor Moment - Elizabeth Buchanan Despite working everyday throughout this festive period, I managed to slither in a wee...
Standup Paddle Boarding delivers a treasured moment
A Treasured Outdoor Moment - Jen Rolls My boyfriend is paralysed from the knees down following a stint on life...
Solace in nature
Recently my life was turned upside down when my wife passed away. emotions have become complex and I sought solace...
Connecting with Nature
Discover powerful ways to leverage nature’s tonic in your day-to-day; slow down your walk to the bus stop, appreciate the...
Nature as Remedy: The Case for More Time Outside
The evidence is strong and accumulating. Time in nature - even short, even local - has measurable positive effects on mental health, stress and wellbeing. These articles make that case through personal accounts and the science. Early May. Go outside more. Here's why.
Five routes to finding Nature by Miles Richardson
Nature. It’s Just Outside Miles Richardson, Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness at Derby University, looks at the benefits...
Solace in nature
Recently my life was turned upside down when my wife passed away. emotions have become complex and I sought solace...
Connecting with Nature
Discover powerful ways to leverage nature’s tonic in your day-to-day; slow down your walk to the bus stop, appreciate the...
Adventure from my Front Door
I spread the map open across my bedroom floor and located my house on the outskirts of town. My eyes...
We're all born outdoor enthusiasts
We evolved over millennia to live outdoors. Our brains and bodies are hard-wired to be outdoors, shaped under open skies,...
Getting outdoors – a different kind of story
Pam gets creative with her brother's Alpkit Heiko so he can Go Nice Places, Do Good Things
Navigation: Map, Compass and Knowing Where You Are
Late April and the trails are dry. The best adventures happen when you can navigate well enough to leave the obvious path. These guides cover the skills and the kit: map reading, compass work and the digital tools that complement traditional navigation without replacing it.
How to Navigate in Low Visibility
Autumn's rolling in. So are the cloudier days, and the low sun. We spoke to experts - Trev and Dave...
Navigation Tips for Trail Runners
A week of heavy rain, then glorious sunshine, then thick cloud and more rainhas reminded us of how temperamental British...
Build your own Go Box
There's an incredible sense of freedom that comes with knowing you have what you need to go pretty much anywhere...
Backpacking Survival Kit
It can be tempting to shave every last unnecessary gram from your backpacking kit in the quest for lighter shoulders...
Best Ultralight Camping Gear: Expert Buying Guide 2025
You can get to some pretty cool places if you don't need to back for tea. Imagine if you didn't...
Lightweight Camping Kit for Multi-Day Adventures
There's a specific kind of freedom that comes from knowing everything you need for the next few nights is on...
Clothing for Multi-Activity Days: One System, Every Discipline
The kit that works for trail running in the morning should work for the wild swim and the bivvy that follow. These guides are about building a single layering system that crosses the disciplines - adaptable, light and thought through enough that you stop thinking about it while you're out there.
Best Layering Systems for Hillwalking
Layering your clothing is an important technique that lets you regulate body temperature, manage moisture, and protect against everything Mother...
Layering Guide: The principles and practicalities of layering your clothing
Whether you live, work or play in the outdoors, our clothing is designed to make your time in it more...
What to Wear When Camping to Stay Warm
You've just spent an amazing day hiking through the crisp mountain air. But as the sun dips below the ridgeline,...
Best Waterproof Jacket for Hillwalking
You are standing at the foot of Goat Fell, gazing up as rain gently begins to patter down against your...
Best Baselayers for Hillwalking
Your base layer is the foundation of comfortable hillwalking. Get it wrong and you'll be clammy on the climb, then...
Women's outdoor clothing guide: Why proper fit changes everything
When outdoor gear is designed for women's bodies, not adapted from men's patterns, the difference is transformative. Quick start: Women's...
Latest Daring Deeds - Stories from the world of adventure written by our Alpkiteers, staff and customers
Snippets of Joy: Through the Alpkit Foundation we have helped over 30,000 people across 2,500+ amazing projects. Here are some of their stories.
Alpkiteers and Sonder Riders
Find out more about the people who inspire us to run, ride, hike, climb and paddle. See our full list of Alpkiteers and Sonder Riders.
Anna Wells
I’m Anna, a climber and mountaineer, recently returned to my roots in the Scottish Highlands. I thrive on outdoor adventure...
Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys is a British Adventurer, Author and Blogger. He spent over 4 years cycling round the world, a journey...
Ed Pratt
Globe peddler, One wheelextraordinaire and adventurer based in the UK. Ed is a true adventurer, never shying away to explore...
Emma Pooley
We’re absolutely thrilled to have Emma Pooley on the Sonder bike team! Emma Pooley is one of Great Britain’s most...
Jenny Graham
Jenny holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to circumnavigate the planet by bike. 18,000 miles unsupported...
Steph Wetherell
Steph is a keen hiker with a passion for long distance paths, and always has a wish list of routes...
Making kit in the UK
We are makers at heart. Our UK production includes bouldering mats, bike luggage, rucksacks, bike wheels and full bike builds. Every product in our UK made collectioncan be customised too. Here are some of their stories.
Inside Alpkit: The Faces Behind our UK Made Products
Hiking, bikepacking, bouldering. Whatever your outdoor addiction is, we generally make kit for it and have been doing so for...
Designing clothes to be worn from the valley floor to the summit
Most people don’t think about who designed their waterproof jacket, or the hands that shaped their favourite pair of leggings....
Custom Rucksacks For Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue
After several years of designing, honing and tweaking, we’re very pleased to be handing over 10 custom made rucksacks to...
UK-Made Bike Wheels: Quality British Cycling Components
We build every Sonder to order in our UK factory. And we now build our wheels too. Right here in...
We have made 7122 Repairs in 2022!
In 2022, 7122 repairs were carried out by our skilled Repair Heroes across all of our Alpkit stores. No matter...
Why Repair and Reuse Beats Recycle
100 billion items of clothing are made every year for 8 billion people. The globalisation of the clothing industry is...
Premium UK Bouldering Mats Since 2011
Bouldering mats were one of the very first products we designed at Alpkit. Even today, every Alpkit bouldering mat is...
New UK-Made Bikepacking Bags
We’ve been at the forefront of the recent resurgence in bikepacking since 2008. We made our first bike luggage over...
Hack Patch and Sew
Gear needing a little pick-me-up? We repair all brands, all products and have become quite the experts in the range...
Going somewhere nice?
We know getting ready for a big trip is an exciting time, here are some kit guides to help you remember the essentials in your excitement to get away.
Complete Trail Running Kit List
Don’t let the unknown hold you back. With our kit list, you’ll be trail-ready no matter the weather. Learn what...
Kungsleden Ski Tour
The Kungsleden is a 450km trail system in the very North of Sweden. I guess in a way it’s a...
Annapurna Circuit Trekking Kit List
The Annapurna Circuit is one of the classic Himalayan itineraries. Most likely you will have arrived in Kathmandu, the starting...
Kilimanjaro Equipment Kit List
If you are planning an exotic adventure, Mt. Kilimanjaro, a mighty 5895m above sea level in North Tanzania, is the...
Essential Highland Trail 550 Equipment
The Highland Trail is a 560 mile, long-distance, self-supported mountain bike time-trial route through the Scottish Highlands. It’s a tough...
South Lakes 100 bikepacking Kit List
A few years back, Dan Thompson took us through his bikepacking kit list for the South Lakes 100 - a...
Iditarod Bike Race Kit List: Essential Cold-Weather Cycling Gear
The final competitor in this years Iditarod Invitational crossed the line on the 22nd March, 22 days 4 hours and...
Kit list: Silk Road Mountain Race
Faced with 1700km across the wild trails and remote mountain roads of Kyrgystan. Pete McNeil loaded up his Broken Road...
Mental Hacks to Stay Focused on Self-Supported Adventures
Embarking on a remote self-supported adventure, whether it's a long-distance hike, a cycling tour like Helen Lloyds winter cycling tour...