The kit parade: The best gear for the great outdoors

Nike+ SportWatch GPS

£180, store.nike.com

This sleek, minimalist GPS training watch pumps out speed, distance and calorie data while tracking your route for uploading to the Nike+ website later on. While it's short on advanced features compared with similarly priced Garmin Forerunner watches, it can store up to 50 runs and does have superb battery life.

Timberland Earthkeepers micro fleece

From £40, timberlandonline.co.uk

While some environmental claims should be taken with a pinch of salt, Timberland's latest might also benefit from a squirt of frothed milk. This men's fleece contains 1 per cent recycled coffee grounds to help absorb odours, improve wicking and added UV protection. It's lightweight, breathable and comes in four colours.

Deuter AC Lite 14 daypack

£55, snowandrock.com

Whether hiking, biking or exploring a city, this excellent daypack opens wide for easy access and has all the fittings for a two-litre hydration system. Clever little features include loops for hiking poles and an integrated, detachable rain cover. You'll really love the contoured, padded straps and the Aircomfort mesh, which minimises sweatiness on the trail.

Uco Micro candle lantern

£13.50, tauntonleisure.com

You can't have a roaring fire at every campsite, but this collapsing candle lantern means you can always have the welcoming warmth of real flame. Slip a normal tealight inside its aluminium shell for three to four hours of soft light. A spare tealight can be stored in the twist-lock base.

Polar CS500TdF cycle computer

£225, polaruk.co.uk

Like the bikes ridden by Contador and his peers, the CS500TdF is stylish, hi-tech and jaw-droppingly expensive. It comes with the full range of speed, distance and heart-rate monitoring functions, controlled simply by a two-way rocker system.

Mammut Redburn GTX

£115, mammut.ch

These women's hybrid hiking, biking and climbing shoes are hard to beat for all-round summer footwear, thanks to a grippy sole, abrasion-resistant fabric and flexible fit. However, they lack the Gore-Tex waterproofing found on the men's shoes.

Snugpak Bunker tent

£230, snugpak.com

Designed for intense use, with a mosquito mesh and taped seams, this rugged, 3.5kg hexagonal tent has two doors, two vents and just enough room for two people and their kit.