Tag Gear

Walking SW Ireland #2 – Gear

Robert Bradt


Between mid-May to late June 2024, I will be walking along the SW coast of Ireland, taking in the Kerry Way, the Dingle Way, the North Kerry Way, and parts of the Burren Way in Clare and the Western Way in Galway. This is the story of part of that journey.

A big thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee over the past year. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me, to cover things like the costs of running this blog, new shoes and gear, and journeys like this. If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees.

*****

So having decided to walk about in Ireland, I went through the gear I took last year in walking about Nova Scotia, and told myself that I needed to pare down the weight.  I schlepped the best part of 40 lbs with food, water, stove fuel, plus all the other stuff – tent, sleep system, cooking gear, spare clothes, etc.

It was right at the limit of what I could carry, and knowing that, I made some choices to either leave stuff out for this trip, or replace it with some lighter kit.

So here’s the list of what I am planning to carry.  I’m down from about 14 kg (32 lbs) base weight to more like 9 kg (20 lbs), and with Ireland being well supplied with corner shops for food and wee streams for water, I can carry less weight there too.  I am hoping that most days I’ll be at about 11 kg (25 lbs), with about 12.5 kg (29 lb) max if I have 2-3 days of food and full water.

*****

Gear

I bought all the gear myself – I didn’t receive anything from any supplier as a promo or in exchange for a review.  I bought most of my stuff from the following:

Pack

  • Osprey Exos Pro 58L pack, with rain cover
  • All my gear fits either inside the pack or in the outside stuff pockets 

Trekking poles

  • Black Diamond Trail collapsible poles – they are almost always in my hands, but I can tuck them into one of the outside pack pockets if needed

Shelter system

  • Durston X-Mid 1P tent, with the optional groundsheet
    • Durston tent stuff sack
    • 6 MSR Mini Groundhog stakes plus 2 Durston shepherd hook stakes
    • 8 spare mini titanium stakes plus a set of 4 MSR spare guylines – I’m anticipating windy conditions 
  • A piece of plastic salvaged from a shipping bag as a small  vestibule groundsheet to keep my pack off the wet grass
(The tent on the left is the Durston)

I agonized over this choice, by the way.  It will rain, often, this being Ireland, and I thought the bigger 2-person MEC tent that I have would be nice if I’m hunkered down for hours out of the wet.  

But it weighs about 800g more than the Durston, so in the end I decided to go with the lighter tent.  Besides, I like the coziness of the Durston having used it last year, and it has the advantage of allowing a quick fly-first pitch so that the inner stays dry if you are setting up in the rain.

Sleep system

  • Therm-a-Rest Vesper 0C rated down quilt
  • Therm-a-Rest Prolite Short self-inflating sleeping pad
  • Appalachian Gear Company Alpaca sleeping bag liner
  • MEC inflatable pillow with a merino wool buff as a pillow case
  • a pair of light sweatpants used as pajamas
  • a long sleeve T shirt used as pajamas
  • a 10L dry bag to hold all the sleep gear

Clothes

  • What I will wear every day
    • a pair of walking shorts, merino wool socks, athletic underwear, and athletic wick away T-shirt, and an athletic wick away long sleeve shirt
    • A MEC baseball style sun hat
    • a pair of Merrell Rogue high top hiking shoes
  • In the pack is a 10L dry bag with spare clothes
    • 1 pair of walking pants (convertible to shorts)
    • 1 wick away synthetic material athletic T-shirt
    • 1 pair of merino wool hiking socks
    • 1 pair of wick away synthetic material athletic underwear
  • Also in the pack are my outer layers
    • 1 lightweight fleecy
    • 1 lightweight Patagonia Houdini water resistant windbreaker 
    • 1 Sea to Summit rain poncho (converts to a tarp if needed)
    • 1 MEC light down puffy jacket
    • 1 pair of runners lightweight gloves
  • A pair of camp flip flops
  • A dirty clothes bag – just a reusable cloth grocery store bag that I could wash

Cook System

  • A MSR Pocket Rocket stove w 110g fuel canister and MSR stove supports
  • A Vargo titanium mug
  • An MSR titanium 700 ml pot
  • A Vargo long-handled titanium spoon
  • A plastic spork
  • A fire steel sparker 
  • A back-up small disposable lighter in a Ziplock bag
  • A small scrubber, a washcloth, and some Wilderness Wash soap, in a Ziplock bag
  • A leather pot grabber made from scraps I got from our local cobbler
  • Salt and pepper in little packets inside a small watertight container

Health and Safety

  • A toiletries kit in a 3L dry bag with a quick dry camp towel, a small washcloth, deodorant, nail clippers, toothbrush, regular toothpaste, and a salt/baking soda tooth cleaning mix for when I am in a wilderness spot
  • A first aid kit with tick tweezers, blister & regular bandages, KT tape, petroleum jelly, alcohol swabs, scissors, allergy tablets, and ibuprofen tablets
  • A headlamp
  • A bug net to wear over my hat
  • A whistle (built-in to the pack’s sternum strap)
  • A VersaFlow water filtration kit + a CNOC 2L Vecto collapsible water bag
  • A supply of water purification tablets (if in doubt about the water source, I like to filter plus use the tabs, to be safe)
  • A Vargo titanium shovel for digging cat holes, aka the poop shovel
  • A small supply of toilet paper in a zip lock bag
  • A package of compostable disposable wipes
  • A packet of Sea to Summit travel wash soap leaves
  • A bottle of Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash concentrated all-purpose soap
  • A mini tube of sunblock
  • A small container of hand sanitizer 

Electronics

  • Electronics in a small dry bag
    • iPad mini
    • A couple of multi-connector cables
    • A Nitecore 10,000 milliamp power pack
    • A dual port charging brick
    • A Canada to Ireland plug adapter 
    • Apple earbuds
    • A headlamp

Tools and Repair Kit

  • A fix-it kit with some safety pins, a couple of small ring clamps, a short roll of duct tape, a mini sewing kit, and some inflatable-gear patches
  • A spare bootlace that doubles as a clothes line
  • A food hang kit – 10m of paracord with a carabiner attached to a loop on one end, plus a small drawstring sack used as a rock bag
  • A few small carabiners
  • 4 plastic clothes pegs
  • 2 mini bungee cords
  • My sunglasses in a zip lock bag
  • My Swiss Army knife
  • A few disposable eyeglass wipes 
  • A reflective arm band
  • A Crunch-It fuel canister recycling tool

Consumables

  • A 20L KINStudio Kevlar critterproof food bag that holds my cooking gear plus
    • Trail snacks – some combo of granola bars, raw pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds, dried fruit, turkey jerky, banana chips, sesame bars, etc.
    • 1 day’s worth of food (usually, but I will have a couple of short stretches where I will need 2-3 days worth)  – tortillas or pita breads, cheese, noodles, ramen, canned fish, oatmeal, etc.
    • A ziplock bag with instant coffee packets and tea bags
  • A fuel canister for the stove
  • 1L of water, at start of day
  • If I am far from a water source for the night, I will use my 2L CNOC bottle for extra

What I’m Not Taking

The stuff I’ve omitted to save weight is perhaps as interesting as what I am taking.  

  • Swapping a Gregory Baltoro 65L pack for the Osprey Exos Pro saves about 1.5 kg
  • Carrying 1 change of clothes instead of 2 saves about 1 kg
  • Carrying less water and food saves about 1 to 1.5 kg
  • Swapping my old MEC rain jacket and rain pants for a poncho and a light windbreaker saved about 500g, more than enough to offset the extra weight of the down puffy jacket
  • Leaving behind the Helinox Chair Zero camp chair saved almost 500g
  • Paring down my first aid kit, toiletries, fix-it kit, and misc gear saved more than 500g
  • Swapping my Vargo alcohol stove for the iso-butane stove saved about 250g on the fuel and associated fuel bottle
  • Buying some other lighter gear like a new fleece jumper, new dry bags, new power bank and charger, etc saved another 250g or so

It’s amazing how little things add up.  Just reducing the number of stuff sacks and zip lock bags was more than 100g in weight savings.  If you really want to save pack weight, put each individual item on a kitchen scale and measure it to the gram, and soon you too will be cutting the ends off your toothbrush.

Gear – MEC Seat Cushion

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

Check out my other gear reviews here and see what those other readers have been browsing.

What is it?: MEC Seat Cushion, from Mountain Equipment Co-op.

How much?: $27 CAD plus tax. (Note – got mine on sale)

Where, when, how do I use it?: Sometimes when you’re walking, you just want a dry spot to sit for a bit when you take a break. You can plunk down anywhere if you’re tired enough, but if it’s raining or damp, you’re going to get wet. And, not to be delicate about it, a frozen rock numb-bum is not a pleasant thing.

This handy seat cushion helps with both of these problems. It’s water resistant so you have a dry place to sit, and it gives you a layer of insulation and padding to keep you off a cold, hard surface.

The design is quite simple – 2-3 puffs will inflate it, and the twist valve seals well. Then just unscrew the valve and roll it up to expel the air. It’s light and compact enough to toss into your pack and just leave it there.

I’ve used this several times on day hikes and it really makes a difference. My old bones don’t like sitting on rocks anymore, and it’s great even in more civilized settings like when you’re on a picnic table, park bench, or wooden deck chair.

[Update – June 2022 – I took my seat pad with me on my 27-day PEI Island Walk. It proved to be handy several times, especially on road sections of the walk where there were no benches to sit on for a rest. Instead, I’d look for a roadside rock or some church steps, and once the paved drive of an abandoned house – in those cases, using the seat cushion helped to provide a comfortable, dry spot for a rest. And the weight and size of the cushion weren’t noticeable alongside the other things I was carrying.]

I bought two since they were on sale, so my wife has one as well. She likes it too!

Would I buy it again?: Sure. With age comes the wisdom to know when to splurge!

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Oboz Yellowstone Hiking Boots

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past few years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

Check out my other gear reviews here and see what those other readers have been browsing.

.

What is it?: Oboz Yellowstone Premium Mid B-Dry Hiking Boots

How much?: $300 plus tax, at Mountain Equipment Co-op

Where, when, how do I use it?: I bought these in April 2021 to replace my Zamberlan hiking boots. So far this pair has approximately 150-200 hours of walking on them, over a combination of rough trails, gravel paths, and paved roads.

Soles and tread have plenty of wear left after about 500-600 km

I wear them whenever I am going on a longish walk, say 2 hours or more, and I also have been wearing them around town this winter when the snow is deepish. I am planning a 700-km camino walk with a 10-12 kg pack later this year so I’ve put them away for now as I’d like to get that out of the way on this pair. If that works, I’ll probably retire them with more than 1000 km on them – though if they are still holding up it would be great to keep going to see what it takes to wear them out completely.

[Update – June 2022 – I did wear the boots doing the PEI Island Walk, and put about 720 km on them. They held up well on a mix of gravel trail, dirt roads, and paved roads. I had two heavy rain days on that trip, and they did well in that too with respect to drying out quickly afterwards. A bit of dubbin to recondition the leather, and I think they will do me another few hundred km]

Uppers after completing PEI Island Walk – 700+ km
Soles after the PEI walk – still some wear left

When I bought them, I was looking at a new pair of Zamberlans. What sold me on these was the fit and the relative low weight. They come with a good insole already but I took that out because I wear custom orthotics and these work great that way. The fit is true to size. I find them pretty supportive – I’ve stepped awkwardly on stones and sticks a number of times but haven’t turned an ankle yet.

They are warm, I’ll grant you, when it’s hot. There’s no getting around that when you have leather uppers with water resistant liners. That said, they keep my feet pretty dry when stepping into ankle high puddles. Even an accidental quick step into a knee-deep puddle wasn’t that bad – they lace up pretty tight so I didn’t pick up a full boot of water and walking for another hour with a damp boot didn’t result in blisters.

I usually wear Merino wool-based compression hiking socks and I’ve never had blister issues with these boots. That said, if you walk long enough you’ll get blisters no matter what you’re wearing, and I’ve not yet worn them all day every day for 3+ weeks like I will later this summer, so we’ll see. So far, so good.

[Update – June 2022 – I did get blisters on my first couple of days on my PEI walk, wearing merino wool socks. I put that down to simple lack of conditioning, and overly tight lacing. Once I figured out the right degree of lace tightening (surprisingly loose compared to what I was used to) and my feet toughened up, I was fine. The fit of the boots stayed pretty true, despite wear and tear on the soles and give in the uppers as the leather softened.]

I like the leather uppers, because they’re easy to care for with a bit of dubbin, The inside lining still looks like new. The soles and treads are holding up even on asphalt roads. The lacing system is great – you can get them snug without feeling they’re overly tight. Overall the quality seems pretty high – no sprung seams or stitches so far. [Update – June 2022 – over all, they’re in pretty good shape considering there’s at least 1500 km on them].

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I think so. Good boots. Happy feet = walking sweet.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Deuter RaceX daypack

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Deuter RaceX knapsack.

How much?: about $90 CAD + tax

Where, when, how do I use it?: I bought this in 2017 to use on day walks around town. Since then I’ve also used it as a light office laptop bag – the hydration sleeve fits a Macbook.

It’s probably been on at least 1000km of walks with me, and carried its share of weekly shopping too. BTW you can get 4 bottles of wine into it no problem, 5 in a pinch if they are the long slim Alsatian style bottles. I use it quite a bit, especially in summer when you need lots of water.

It’s about a 12L bag, pretty small yet big enough to hold water, sunglasses, a light rain jacket, and some snacks for a day hike. It’s got lots of pockets, including 2 side mesh pockets for water bottles, plus a small and large compartment, and 3 pockets inside the large compartment of which one is for a hydration bag. There’s a hydration port and a little Velcro support on one of the straps to keep the hydration tube near your mouth. Even if full to bursting, it easily fits as a carry-on bag for airlines.

I like that it features mesh straps as well as raised mesh cushions on the back, so that air can circulate and it doesn’t cling to you. It’s pretty light weight, only around 550g empty, and it can carry a few kilos with no issue. There’s a waist strap and a sternum strap, and a decent amount of adjustability in the shoulder straps.

I have a relatively long torso, and on me I have to extend the shoulder straps to almost full length in order to get the waist strap sitting on my hips, so if I am not carrying much I just let clip the waist strap behind my back and hitch it up a bit higher for more comfort. At the same time, it’s adjustable enough that my wife can wear it too even though she’s shorter than I am, by just cinching the shoulder straps. That was a big feature for me – I didn’t want this particular pack to be mine only, since there are times when we are both out for hikes and I can take my bigger daypack and give her this lighter one.

Finally, it comes with a decent rain cover that’s easy to put on/off, and tucks away easily. If the bag does get rained on without the cover, it still keeps things pretty dry unless it’s been soaked for hours. The outer cover has some good florescent flashing on it, so it shows up well against headlights at night, which is good because I got a grey/silver one. The rain cover itself is a dayglo yellow so that works well too.

Would I buy it again?: It’s been pretty hard-wearing and looks near-new after 3 years of use. I assume I will get years more out of it so by the time I wear it out, Deuter will probably have come out with some new model. That said, I like the Deuter products and would definitely look at their line in future.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Osprey Talon 22 daypack

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Osprey Talon 22 daypack

How much?: $150 CAD + tax, plus $35 + tax for the rain cover

Where, when, how do I use it?: I bought this recently, in spring 2020. Partly this was because I wanted a bigger pack for day hikes than the Deuter RaceX 12L pack that I also use. Partly it was simply because the Osprey was on sale, so I ended up getting it for about $60 off the combined price of the pack and the rain cover.

I’ve used it multiple times in just the first few weeks, for hikes as well as shopping runs, where BTW the extra bottle wine capacity (6-8 bottles versus 4-5 for the Deuter) is a useful feature. I’m planning to use it as my go-to day-hike pack. I like it for several reasons:

  1. It’s the right Goldilocks size, not too big nor too small.
  2. It comes in sizes, so I was able to get the long one that fits my long torso.
  3. It has a semi-rigid frame-like structure, meaning it’s stiff enough to feel like it’s got a frame but it doesn’t actually have one which keeps weight down
  4. The waist belt has side pockets, useful for little things like COVID-19 essentials (face masks and hand sanitizer), Clif bars, Swiss Army knife, etc.
  5. The outside mesh pockets are big enough to hold a 1L Nalgene bottle
  6. There are lots of pockets inside and out to organize your stuff, and it’s got a hydration sleeve with a port for the tube as well.
  7. It will hold a laptop no problem in the hydration sleeve.
  8. It’s relatively water resistant even without the rain cover, and really good with the cover on.

Compared to the smaller Deuter bag, the Osprey bag is heavier of course, but not by as much as you’d think. The Talon holds 22L in volume versus 12L, but it weights only 810g versus 550g, a decent tradeoff of weight for load, and you can carry up to around 8 or 9kg with it.

The biggest thing for me is the adjustability of the strap system. While I like my Deuter RaceX bag too, the Osprey just fits me better because it’s longer. I took it out for a 4 hour hike the other day, carrying 2L of water plus snacks with an ice pack, rain jacket, sun glasses, a seat cushion, and COVID-19 masks and hand sanitizer, so pushing 4kg with the weight of the bag itself, and once I had it adjusted it rode well up and down hills and stairs feeling light and comfortable the whole time. And that was on a 30C day when I was perspiring a lot – the mesh back system really helped.

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I like this bag. Since it’s new and I’ll likely get years out of it, by the time I’m ready for a new one Osprey will have some other model out. That said, I’d definitely look at their products again.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Gregory Paragon 38 backpack

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Gregory Paragon 38 backpack. I think this model is being discontinued however, as the Gregory website has it on clearance. There’s a bigger 48 model still available I think.

How much?: about $200 CAD including tax

Where, when, how do I use it?: I bought this in the spring of 2019, because I was planning to start doing some long multi-day walks. By multi-day, I mean anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months. That said, this pack is more for walks with accommodation along the way than it is for pure backpack wilderness hiking. Think of things like the Camino de Santiago.

To date, while I haven’t taken it out of Ontario, it has been used for my 200km Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto walk. On that trip, I booked B&Bs and hotels for each night, so I was just carrying clothes, rain gear, shaving kit, first aid kit, an iPad, sundries, snacks, and water. Even so, my full pack weighed in at around 11 or 12 kg for the 6 day walk. I could have been more economical in packing, and with more planning and experience I am sure I could make it work for longer trips without adding too much if any weight.

I picked it because it fit well. Gregory packs are sized by length, and since I have a long torso I needed the medium/long model. When I tried it in the store, with a couple of 5 kg weights tossed in, I was able to adjust it easily to my frame and get the weight sitting on my hips. The belt system is good, and the straps allow you to adjust it pretty much however you need it.

This has an aluminum internal frame to carry the load and the material is relatively heavy nylon for durability. The back is meshed as are the cushions, and properly adjusted it will float a bit off your back so that there is some air circulation.

I like the storage. There are side pockets on the waist belt that are big enough for multiple Clif bars. The side mesh pockets can hold a 1L Nalgene bottle. There’s a big stretch mesh exterior pocket on the back that I used for my rain jacket and the rain cover. Inside, there are multiple pockets including one for a hydration bag, and the top cover has multiple pockets too that worked well for handy access to snacks and the first aid kit. I like that you can get into the main compartment from the top or from the bottom.

Another plus is that there are multiple strap and clip-on points. I used the ones on the bottom of the pack to strap on my walking poles, but I could still reach around and unclip the straps to get the poles while walking if I needed to. With a couple of bungee cords, you can use the exterior tie-down loops to hold other stuff too.

The pack kept my stuff dry in light rain, though I did have moisture inside the pack from sweating through the fabric. The rain cover works well in heavier downpours, and it’s a nice bright dayglo yellow so if I’m walking along a busy road I’ll use the rain cover just for the visibility.

The biggest con is the weight given the size. This is a 38L pack after all, yet it weighs nearly 1.5kg empty. There are lighter ones on the market that hold more, though they are also more expensive than this one.

Would I buy it again?: Not sure. I like the fit of the Gregory packs, and the versatility of the pockets and straps. However, if I could find something lighter with the same or greater volume, then I think I’d go for that as long as it wasn’t too much more expensive. All that said, if this model is discontinued then I’d have to look for a new bag anyway. I’d probably start with Gregory to see what they have, and if I couldn’t find what I needed then since I have an Osprey and a Deuter daypack, I’d see what those manufacturers had.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Black Diamond Alpine FLZ trekking poles

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Black Diamond FLZ Cork-handled carbon-fibre trekking poles

How much?: $190 CAD + tax

Where, when, how do I use it?: I bought these in 2018, anticipating that I was going to start doing some long hikes. Since then, I’ve taken them out on several hikes of different lengths, the longest a 200km walk from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto which included about 88km of the Bruce Trail.

I wasn’t really a big believer in trekking poles. I had used borrowed ones before, in particular on a few hikes in Ireland. There, I was using just one pole because the owner had the other. It was useful when climbing bogging hill sides to have the extra “leg” but I didn’t think they’d make much difference on a flatter walk.

That changed when I used them on the Bruce Trail. The Niagara section is actually fairly moderate compared to the northern stretches of the Trail, but I found it a workout when carrying about 12kg in a backpack. Going up and down hills, cliffs, and ravines on rocky, uneven ground is tough, and the poles paid for themselves by saving me a couple of times from taking a header, spraining an ankle, or worse.

If you use trekking poles properly, adjusted for your height, you can transfer a fair amount of the work from your leg muscles to your arms which would otherwise just be swinging. That helps a lot both uphill and downhill. I also found them very useful going down hill on broken rock, to pick out which rocks seemed planted and which were loose.

I like the cork handles on these poles – I was walking in September but it was still in the mid-20s and I was perspiring a lot. Plastic handles would have become slippery, but the cork let you grip without feeling hot. In other seasons, the cork grips are still grippy even with gloves on in winter. These poles are “handed”, meaning there is a left and a right which you need to respect that so that the wrist straps sit correctly without chaffing. You can use them without the wrist straps, but it’s amazing how many times your hand comes off a pole so the straps mean fewer times bending down with a heavy pack on your back to pick them up.

The length adjustment and the folding mechanisms on these poles work pretty well. The pair I have extend to 120 cm, and that works for my height (175 cm). If you were taller, you’d probably want longer poles.

They are lightweight, since they are made of carbon fibre. They are plenty stiff however, and they’ve never bent or felt like they were getting wobbly even when I felt like I had most of my weight leaning on one pole.

I like the tips too. They have a smallish metal tip with a little plastic cap on it that works well on rock and rough ground, and they also come with a rubber cap that you can put on when on sidewalks or roads if the clicking bugs you. The metal tip with the plastic works well on snow, and you can get sharper metal winter tips if you need something even pointier. The standard baskets are fine for most seasons, even winter, but if you are facing deep snow you can get bigger baskets like you’d see on a ski pole.

Overall, I’m convinced. For everyday hikes around the city, I don’t bother with them. But for rough ground, especially with a pack, I’d go so far as to call good trekking poles a life-saver, and these Black Diamond poles fill that role really well. Granted, I’ve never used another pair so I can’t compare them to other makes and models, but these feel right and they work so that’s good enough for me.

Would I buy it again?: Yup. There used to be an advert in the UK for a brand of deck sealant, where the tagline was “It does exactly what it says on the tin”. That’s what I like about these poles – no fuss, they just work.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Fitbit Charge2

Robert Bradt

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Fitbit Charge2 fitness tracker. The Fitbit Charge4 is the latest version. The Fitbit Inspire is close to the Charge2.

How much?: I got the Charge2 as a gift almost 4 years ago. The current model, the Charge4, is about $200, and the Inspire is about $100.

Where, when, how do I use it?: In 2016, my health wasn’t great – I was overweight, with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and suffering from stress-related angina. I knew I had to make some lifestyle changes, and my family helped out by buying me a Fitbit to get me off my butt and out walking.

And it’s worked. Since Nov 2016, I’ve logged more than 14 million steps over 10,600+ km while climbing the equivalent of 33,000 flights of stairs. I’ve lost about 30 pounds, my blood pressure is back to normal, and my cholesterol is under control.

Of course that’s not simply because of the Fitbit. I’m eating better, sleeping better, and walking daily. What the Fitbit does well is nudge you. I’ve set mine to vibrate every hour to remind me to get up out of my chair and walk at least 250 steps each hour. It also tracks my sleep so I can see how much restful deep sleep I’m getting. And it tracks my heart rate as it measures exercise, and that is logged against my activity targets. Having a goal and measuring against is a big part of the motivation you need to keep active – that, and having your son tell you that he doesn’t want you to die of a heart attack.

Over the years, it’s been pretty trouble-free. There isn’t much to do except wear it and charge it. So far the battery is holding up – I can still get about 3-4 days of use out of a full charge, down from 5+ originally, so I assume that is the limiting factor. Once the battery can’t hold a charge I’ll have to replace it.

That said, while this is supposed to be GPS enabled, it’s not super accurate on distances. Depending on the terrain, it can under- or over-shoot by as much as 15%, so on flat ground I find that I walk 10%-15% further as per Google Maps distance measurements compared to what the Fitbit says, and on hilly terrain it can be the opposite. For that reason, I take its distances with a grain of salt. What matters more to me is active minutes per day and per week – as long as it tracks my heart rate to motivate me to actually stay active, it doesn’t really matter to me whether Fitbit says I walked 9 km when I really did 10 km.

Would I buy it again?: Yes. I’ve worn out 3 bands on it, but the Charge2 is still chugging away. When I finally wear it out, I’ll by the latest model.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Tilley T3 Hat

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Tilley T3 Cotton Duck hat. It’s Canada Day, so let’s talk about Canadian icons!

How much?: I bought it in Sydney Australia in 2007 and now I can’t remember what I paid. Today you can buy it from Tilley for $85 CAD + tax.

Where, when, how do I use it?: This is my go-to summer hat. As I said, I bought it in Australia. I was posted there on a work assignment in January 2007, at the height of summer, and quickly learned how fierce the Aussie sun can be. We lived in a flat near Circular Quay, and close to that is an area known as the Rocks. This cluster of renovated old stone buildings is today a buzzing little shopping district, amongst which was a hat shop. I popped in on Australia Day (Jan 26) when we were out in the crowds enjoying the celebrations and I was getting scorched.

At the time, I was just looking for a basic hat, but when I saw the Tilley I immediately knew I had to buy this iconic Canadian classic and uphold my maple-leafness downunder. I wore it most days as we explored the countryside, and it’s been a summer staple since.

It’s getting a little battered and sweat-stained, but 13 years later it’s still going strong. I wash it occasionally, taking care to stretch out the band while it’s still damp so that it doesn’t shrink. Otherwise, since I started my walks in 2016, it just gets folded up and carted around and stuffed in knapsacks and worn in the sun. It has one job, and it does it really well.

I can’t think if any real issues with it. The light colour is reflective, it breathes pretty well through the vent holes, the absorbent brim keeps sweat out of my eyes, there are proper chin ties in case it gets really windy, and it floats if it falls in the water. You can even stuff an emergency $20 into the secret pocket in the top.

Inside, there’s information on how to get a replacement if it ever breaks down. Alex Tilley, who designed, says it’s the finest hat in the world. I’m not going to argue.

Would I buy it again?: If I ever lost it, then yes absolutely, though I won’t have to because it’s insured against loss (you get that when you buy it). But barring that, I can’t see how I’ll ever wear it out. You buy a Tilley hat once. I like that.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – New Balance 1450 Walking Shoes

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

*****

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: New Balance MW1450WK walking shoes.

How much?: about $180 CAD + tax

Where, when, how do I use them?: I bought these in August 2019 after I had worn out my New Balance 990 running shoes. I knew I was going to be doing a long 200km walk from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto in a few weeks, and since it was partly Bruce Trail offroad hiking and partly Waterfront Trail paved trails, I wanted something that could handle both. Basically, I wanted something heavier than a running shoe but lighter than a hiking boot. These fit the bill.

They have GoreTex uppers so they’re pretty water resistant. I have worn them through my share of puddles and small streams and as long as it wasn’t above ankle height, they have kept my feet dry. In fact, I wore them in the late autumn and early spring shoulder seasons so they’ve seen their share of slush, sleet, and light snow as well as mud and puddles.

At this point they probably have around 500 km on them, and judging by the soles, I can get a bit more before I completely wear them out. I have had to have the local shoe repair guy put some soft leather into the back of the heels where I wore out the lining, but other than that they’ve held up well.

Since I wear custom orthotics, I got an extra wide pair which has proven to be a wise choice – there’s lots of room for both the orthotics and thicker socks. I did have some blisters early on as I was breaking them in, but I put that down to the wrong choice of socks. Since then, they’ve worked pretty well.

One thing to consider is that, if you aren’t carrying heavy loads, you can probably get away with these even on backpacking offroad trails. The high ankle style gives a good amount of support, and the soles and footbeds are solid too. I still wouldn’t say they are a true substitute for full-on hiking boots, but they can work. It might just boil down to your own preferences – since they are lighter than full hiking boots, that might mean the difference between a 25km day and a 30km day.

Would I buy them again?: I think so, if I still need a “between” boot/shoe. I like the NB 990 running shoes for roads and paved trails, and I like my Zamberlan hiking boots for off-road stuff. If in future it looks like I’m going to be in one of those betwixt and between situations where I can only take one pair of something, I think I’d look at these again.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.