Since 2012, the Beyond the Ultimate team have built an award-winning series of ultra-races in some of the world’s most beautiful and brutal environments. Along the way, we’ve tested countless pieces of clothing and equipment to destruction in a variety of beautiful but uniquely challenging environments.
If you want to know if a piece of kit really does what it says on the label, you could do a lot worse than giving it to a member of our team. After working on our race series, they’ll pass it back to you a year later having put it through days of monsoon rain, acres of thick mud, miles of frozen arctic lakes and hours of baking out in the desert.
Consequently, we’re always on the look-out for really good outdoor clothing and kit and we’re often asked for advice from runners on what works and where to find it. With that in mind, we've been working behind the scenes on a brand new, online store where we can stock the kit that our team has tried, tested and come to trust.
It was easy deciding which products we wanted to stock first. On entering the store you’ll find a collection of jackets which have been developed in partnership with our friends at Yeti. Yeti, the down specialists, started in Germany in 1983 with the lofty aim of producing the best sleeping bag in the world. More than 3 decades of award-winning product development later, they are producing lightweight clothing and equipment for expeditions exploring the coldest areas of the world.
Among these items you’ll find the now infamous BTU x Yeti Hardshell, a down-filled and waterproof jacket that brings together the best from two worlds: first-class down insulation and full rain protection. This 'one-piece-does-it-all' garment is a favourite among our race team who rigorously tested the early prototypes in arctic Sweden and now rely on it each winter when we head back into the snow.
You’ll rarely see a member of our team not wearing this jacket in winter. It’s become our default outer-layer for working in the arctic but also for all our other winter activities too. It has fully taped seams to keep out water and venting zips for cooling down when you’re working hard. It is extremely hard-wearing but also stylish enough for day to day wear. For the snowboarders and skiers in our team it’s also become a go-to item for messing around on the slopes.
Looking for a new waterproof for your races? We have the BTU x Yeti Ultra-Light Waterproof in Men's and Women's sizes. This multi-purpose jacket weighs only 225g, so it's ideal for stashing in your pack before any adventure and flexible enough to be useful no matter where you are. It has all the technical features you’d expect from a top-of-the-line waterproof, thumb loops, fully taped seams, adjustable hood and visor among others, and packs easily away into one of it’s own waterproof side-pockets.
This jacket has been worn by two previous winners of the Ice Ultra so there’s no questioning it’s credentials as a waterproof outer-layer for cold races, but it’s also regularly found in the packs of our race team as they use it to survive hours of jungle downpours in Peru or just as an extra layer for cool evenings by the campfire in the desert. Care has also been taken to make sure this jacket looks good too so you really can wear it anywhere.
We know you’ll enjoy the BTU x Yeti range as much as we do. Keep an eye out for new products over the coming months as we continue to work with our chosen partners on developing kit we’ll all love.