General (hiking/walking)

General (hiking/walking): Translating Gearspeak to English (updated) (1970 words)
by i_p_jones - written on 19.10.00 (Very useful, 143 readings)
Rating:

Walking, it has to be said, is an expensive hobby. If you want to stay comfortable, you might have to part with some money. But buying the most expensive model of everything isn't always the answer - there's a lot of shopping around that needs to be done. But with so many brand names and different "systems" to look at, it can get confusing as to finding out what you need. Over the last year or so, I've been replacing my old kit, so I've put together a guide to some of the more important bits of kit. Here goes... Boots ~~~~~ Unless it's just an easy stroll around the lake, trainers won't do for fell walking. ...

Fantastic Head Torch (229 words)
by elvina - written on 19.11.00 (Very useful, 84 readings)
Rating:

If you are a runner or jogger these dark evenings are probably meaning that you have to restrict where you run or when you run if you do not want to risk your safety. My husband is a commited runner and must run every day come rain or shine, dark or light. He has all the right clothing with reflective strips etc but they don’t offer him a great deal of protection and they also do not let him see where he is running if there is no street lighting. We live in quite a rural area so until recently this has been quite a problem. He has recently found and purchased a head torch which has a battery pack which is worn on a harness round his chest, it ...

General (hiking/walking): Keeping the costs down (317 words)
by somersetsaint - written on 26.09.00 (Very useful, 45 readings)
Rating:

Walk into any high street outfitters and you will be horrified at the prices for hiking equipment: even buying a pair of trousers will set you back a minimum of 20-30 pounds, and by the time you get on to boots, compasses and rucksacks you will be considering remortgaging the house. There are several ways to reduce the outlay. The first (and perhaps most obvious) is to BORROW! This is especially true if you are trying hiking for the first time - you might spend a fortune on kit and then decide it simply isn't something you enjoy. Even if you do continue, you might buy stuff that you simply don't need and which ends up sitting in your cupboard for ...