Depends on the trip. The Cairn 65 is built for five-plus days out — extended ridge traverses, multi-day stalking circuits, anything where you're carrying a tent, food, and a full kit change. The Strathmore 45 covers the two-to-three night range well and sits better on your back when it's not fully loaded. If you're mostly doing overnighters with the odd longer push, the 45 is the more honest choice. The 65 earns its size when you actually fill it.

The Nordhavn runs a 3-layer GORE-TEX Pro construction — 40D face fabric, fully seam-sealed, with a hydrostatic head rated above 28,000mm H₂O. That spec matters when you're moving hard in sustained rain: the 3L breathes better than a 2.5L laminate under load, and the face fabric takes a beating from pack straps and scrambling without delaminating. For short walks in light showers, it's overkill. For a full day on the hill with a loaded Strathmore 45 on your back, it's the right call.

Our Merino 200 Base Layer Top sits in the mid-weight bracket — 200gsm, which works from early autumn through to late spring in the field. It's not a next-to-skin racing layer and it's not a thermal you sleep in. Worn under a softshell on a cold October morning on the hill, it manages moisture without that clammy feeling you get from synthetics. If you run warm, it works as a standalone in shoulder seasons. If you're standing still for long periods — a high seat, a cold river bank — layer it.

Yes. We ship to the UK, EU, Norway, and Switzerland as standard. For Norway and Switzerland, import duties and VAT are the buyer's responsibility at the border — we declare goods at full value and don't mark packages as gifts. Delivery into Norway typically takes five to eight working days from dispatch. UK orders usually arrive in three to five. We send tracking on every shipment so you know where it is.

Every pack we make carries a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects — faulty seams, buckle failures, frame issues that weren't caused by misuse. We repair rather than replace wherever we can, and turnaround in our workshop is usually two to three weeks depending on the season. What we won't do: we won't patch a pack that's been overloaded past its rated capacity and then asked to pass as a warranty claim. Honest wear gets looked after. Abuse doesn't. If you're not sure which yours is, send us a photo and we'll tell you straight.

Yes, within 30 days of delivery, unused and in original condition. Fit is the one thing you can't always judge from a spec sheet, and we'd rather you get it right than end up with a pack that sits in the garage. If you're between sizes or not sure whether the Strathmore 45 or the Glen 28 suits your use, reach out before you order — we can talk it through. Exchanges are free on first return.

We do. Bring in a Drystone Carry pack that's genuinely used — not destroyed, but honestly worn — and we'll assess it, give you a store credit, and either repair it for resale or strip it for parts. It's not a marketing gesture. We've been doing it since the beginning because a well-made pack shouldn't go to landfill after one owner. Credit value depends on condition. The Glen 28 and Strathmore 45 come back most often and move again quickly.

First, wash the jacket properly — a technical wash like Nikwax Tech Wash, not a standard detergent. Most DWR failures are dirt in the face fabric, not the coating actually wearing off. If beading still doesn't return after washing, apply a wash-in or spray-on DWR treatment and tumble dry on low heat to reactivate it. Don't iron directly. The Nordhavn's 3L construction is more tolerant of reproofing cycles than a 2.5L laminate, but the same rules apply. If you're not sure, the care label on the jacket is accurate — follow it.