I wanted to put some information out there related to the gear that I am using and if I like the gear or not to help if you are looking to purchase gear. Please note that I don’t get any money from anyone for my review of gear.
Socks – I have multiple pair of wool socks and have to say that I do love the wool socks not just for hiking and camping but I seem to be using them daily now. During the gear purchasing for my adventure I read all kinds of reviews about merino wool socks and decided to give them a try. I went with 3 different brands of merino wool socks. Bambas was my first choice in socks as I like the idea of buy one and they give one. A three pack of socks was ordered and I was excited when they came. The socks looked to be well stitched and have good quality. During my urban hiking to get ready for my trip I developed a hole in one of the heals on a seam, darn. I did call Bambas and they were great on the customer service but they were out of stock on the calf merino wool socks. Bambas has a great thing that you can put you wish on their site and when the product is back in stock you will be notified. Well after 12 months, I went with a different sock from them as a replacement. The two pair of socks that I did go on the trip with did a wonderful job! The second brand I used was Darn Tough socks. I only purchased one pair as it was an impulse purchase at REI in the sale area. These socks were great and held up to the riggers of the trip and I had no issues with the socks. I wish the color was different but when you purchase from a sale area you get what you get. It was good these socks were dark in color as somedays the socks were warn more than 2 days in a row. The last pair of socks I took was a pair from REI. The REI socks worked well and did hold up well to the riggers of the trip. These socks were also a dark color and did not show the dirt which was good when laundry was not everyday. To sum it up, I liked all three of my sock brands and have purchased some regular wool socks from Bambas after I got home since I had the credit for the replacement sock. You could not go wrong with either of these socks in my opinion.
Sweater – I used to wear sweaters almost daily during the winter when I lived in the Northeast but now that I am in the South not so much. I had given away my sweaters and now had to go and get some new sweaters since I was heading out and may run into snow and cold weather. I looked at all kinds of sweaters and decided on purchasing an alpaca wool sweater from Paka Apparel. Paka has a limited array of sweaters but I did purchase “The Costa” a light sweater from them. When it arrived I fell in love with the soft fibers of the alpaca and that the fibers do not “pill” like a sheep wool will do so often. I did put the sweater through it’s paces during the start of my trip. I think that I wore that sweater for fives weeks in a row everyday. It did not get smelly, but did get a bit dirty due to me sweating and hiking with the sweater. When I returned home I put the sweater in the wash per the instructions and my sweater came out looking like new! I was so happy with the sweater that I did purchase a second one “the condor” a dark sweater. Paka sweaters are the ones for me and if and when they expand their offering of sweaters I will be purchasing more of these beauties.
Backpacks –
Hiking shoes –
Hiking poles – Let’s start by saying I was one of the people who would look at people with hiking poles and say why? I had some friends swear by them as they helped them with their hikes so I was like OK I will see what they have to offer. I went to the local REI and asked about hiking poles and did research on line about poles as well. I found that I needed to get poles with cork handles, I am a person who sweats. Cork handles will absorb the sweat better than non-natural handles and they also don’t smell. Living in a van you want stuff that does not absorb smells since it is a tight spot. The poles also should have multiple tips on the bottom for various surfaces you may encounter. The poles I finally decided on were Black Diamond poles and I would suggest to get the tip protectors as well. The tips are carbide and they don’t work well when you are on hard surfaces or the surface is full of rocks. I have used these poles for most of my hikes documented on this blog. Hiking in the Narrows I did loose both of the tip protectors due to the tips going between two rocks so I finished the hike with no tip protectors and the carbine tips were not great on wet rocks, guess the rubber tips that screw in would have been better for me that day. Additionally, I have gone through 3 sets of Black Diamond tip protectors on my journey but still think they are important to have in your arsenal of hiking equipment. The screw in rubber tips will be something that I will invest in prior to heading out for the next leg of my journey. Even with me selecting the Black Diamond poles, there are many pole on the market that you can use and I am not sure that the expense of the ones I use are needed for everyone. There are poles that cost in the $20 – $40 range that work. Make sure they are adjustable to your size and have multiple tips. Sizing options when using hiking poles your arms should be at a right angle, 90 degrees, at your elbows with your shoulders hanging down for a flat walk. The position is very comfortable and will allow your arms to assist you in your hike. Uphill the poles should be a little bit shorter and arms maybe at a 45 degree angle at the elbow and downhill the poles a bit longer with the elbow at a 105 degree angle. The elbow angles mentions should be when your are on a flat surface. The idea is that when going uphill the poles will be shorter and downhill longer. Your arms and poles assist your legs a great deal when going up and down hills. I am a pole hiker believer!
