Translating Gearspeak to English (updated) (General (hiking/walking))

Name: i_p_jones

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Product:	General (hiking/walking)
Date:	19/10/00 (147 review reads)
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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. Proper walking boots give your foot more support, the soles are more solid and are designed to grip the ground better than trainers.

Boots fall into two main categories - 3-season and 4-season (aka. winter) boots. Winter boots are for anything which involves using crampons. So if you're not planning Ben Nevis in December just yet, a pair of three-season boots will do - they tend to be comfier, giving a bit more flex for going over grassy ground.

If you're not sure which you need, there's the crossover 3/4-season boots. These give some flex so they're comfy on easy walks, but are also firm enough for wearing grade 1 crampons (some take grade 2) and walking all day on snow.

Since you're likely to be wearing the boots for at least 4-5 hours of walking, it's vital that you get the right ones. Don't go straight for one pair just because your mate recommends them, or because they've got Goretex or something. Likewise, the most expensive pair in the shop might not necessarily be the best ones. It's not as clean-cut as "buy cheap get cheap". Make sure the shop has a good range of boots to try, there are salespeople to help you out, and as a bonus, some shops let you take the boots for a "test drive" for a week or so. You don't
get this offer everywhere, so it could be worth asking.

Names to look out for:
Scarpa, Meindl, Zamberlan, Brasher, La Sportiva, Salomon

Prices: £70 - £150

Socks
~~~~~
"Socks? What's he writing about socks for?" Believe it or not, there's more to a sock than a woolly tube. Socks for walking tend to have a lot more padding, keep your feet warmer, and are designed to keep blisters away.

Walking socks are still simple though, and there's only two things to look out for. First is seams - turn the socks inside out and look at the seams. If they stick out, they'll probably rub and lead to blisters - no fun, believe me. Second is the material - cotton socks aren't good, because when wet, cotton gets and stays cold. Most walking socks are made from a combination of cotton and polyester. Wool socks might be OK but they tend to get itchy.

Names to look out for:
Thorlos, Bridgedale, any "own brand" socks

Prices: £5-£10 per pair

Waterproofs
~~~~~~~~~~~
This is Britain, you're likely to get wet at some time of your time walking. Even if it's warm and dry at home, it can be totally different a few hundred feet up. Waterproof jackets aren't just waterproof either - they're windproof, so it helps to cut out the wind chill effect. Likewise with overtrousers, although they're not as essential as a jacket. But still, having cold and wet legs is no fun either.

The big word to look out for in waterproofs is breathability. Fact - in one hour of exercise, you pump out about one litre of sweat. If that gets trapped in underneath a jacket, it really is uncomfortable - speaking from experience! Breathable fabrics work by having small pores to let moisture (ie. sweat) out, but not letting water droplets (ie. rain) in. It gets more complicated than that with fabrics like Goretex, but that's the basic idea.

Like boots, it's
important you get the right jacket. When trying it on, make sure it's not too tight or too slack, especially around your shoulders. Look at the seams as well - they should be downwards so water runs off them rather than collect up in them.

Moving onto the zip - zips tend not to be waterproof or windproof themselves, so good jackets have flaps of fabric across the zip. And pockets - hip pockets should be big enough to put gloves in, with room to spare. A map pocket is a good idea as well.

And last but not least the hood - a fixed hood is better than a hood that tucks away into the collar, because fixed hoods tend to be firmer and hold up against strong wind. Likewise, a wired peak will keep its shape in strong wind.

When it comes to overtrousers, there's not as many things to look for. The main features are a long zip from the ankle towards the knee (so you can put them on while you've got boots on), a drawcord waist (to stop them falling down - elastic doesn't tend to work well on its own), and preferably no separate lining - terrible for getting caught up when you're putting them on over boots.

Names to look out for:
Lowe Alpine, Berghaus, Sprayway, Crag Hoppers, North Face, Rab

Prices: Jackets £100-£200, Overtrousers £40-60

Layering
~~~~~~~~
When it comes to clothes for a walk, layering is the big word. Three thin layers are better than one thick jumper, because the air between the layers acts as an insulator. And if you get too warm or cold, you can remove or add layers to control your temperature. Overheating can be as bad as being too cold - if you've only got one layer on, you might get some odd looks if you take it off!

Base layer - anything thin as long as it's not cotton. I think I've already mentioned this, but wet cotton stays wet and cold. If you don't mind paying a bit more, some tops are made from material that wicks away excess moisture from
your skin, so you don't get too sweaty.

(A normal T-shirt will do, although for cold days, a long-sleeved top is better)

Next to the base layer comes slightly thicker layers. Anything will do - at a push, cotton might be alright since it's not next to your skin. Layers closer to the outside should be ticker, such as a fleece or some kind of pullover.

There's a great debate over fleeces - full-length zip versus pull-over. I prefer the full-length zips, since you can keep it unzipped if it's too warm, but then like a jacket, the zip itself isn't windproof. More expensive fleeces (around £60) have extra folds around the zip to keep the wind out. It's a personal choice on this one.

Names to look out for:
Lowe Alpine Dryflo, Sprayway, Helly Hansen

Prices: £20-£30

Hats/Balaclavas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You lose about 2/3 of your body heat through your head (heat rises, remember), so on cold days, you need a hat or something. Nothing major, any kind of hat will do, as long as it's warm. Hint - many outdoors shops sell all kinds of wacky hats, as long as you don't mind being the "fool on the hill"!!

Or if you don't mind paying more, you can get fancy walking hats, with extras like waterproofness, ear flaps, chin straps, wired peaks, etc.

Although they're a fashion nightmare, balaclavas are a good idea for cold and windy days - a normal hat doesn't really keep the rest of your face warm.

Names to look out for:
Normal hats - Thinsulate, Walking hats - Lowe Alpine, Berghaus

Prices: Normal hats no more than £5, Walking hats £20-£30

Gloves
~~~~~~
Different people have different opinions on gloves. Some people don't get cold hands so make do with normal woolly gloves, others (like me) get numb fingers at the first sign of anything cold and need chunky gloves.

There's a bit of debate over Gloves v
s. Mitts. Mitts keep your fingers warmer by keeping them together, but gloves give you more use of your hands than mitts do. It's personal choice, really.

The main thing is that your gloves/mitts are warm, reasonably windproof, and don't get cold when wet. More expensive gloves have fabric outers that are waterproof, and have more features like wrist loops, velcro fasteners and reinforced patches for holding things like walking poles.

Names to look out for:
(any glove as long as it fits!)

Prices: £5-£30

Rucksack
~~~~~~~~
And finally, once you've bought your waterproofs, gloves and hats, you might just come across a day where you won't need them at all (it does happen, honest), so you'll need somewhere to carry them.

Rucksacks come in different shapes and sizes. Their sizes are measured in litres. The best all-round size is 35 litres. The shape is important as well though - a tall and narrow 35-litre rucksack will be harder to pack a bulky jacket into than a short and wide one.

As well as the shape and size, look at the straps - the shoulder straps should be reasonably close together, but without digging into your neck. There should be plenty of adjustment in the straps - you might want to adjust the straps depending on how heavy your load is. Also look for a chest strap - holding the shoulder straps together takes a lot of weight off your shoulders. A waist strap is important to stop the rucksack flopping about, and should have padding so it doesn't rub or dig in. A waist strap is also useful for things like camera pouches and water bottles.

More expensive rucksacks have extra features like air circulation between your back and the rucksack (eg. Berghaus Freeflow, Lowe Alpine Air Mesh), and some have extra adjustments to keep everything balanced (eg. Crag Hoppers Dynamic Balance).

Names to look out for:
Any rucksack will do, but for extra features look at
Lowe Alpine, Berghaus, Crag Hoppers, Karrimor

Prices: £20-£50

And Finally...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It sounds strange, but there's a fashion market in walking gear. It's not strictly true, but you might be able to get a good piece of kit, such as a jacket, at last year's prices just because this year's model is a different colour.

OK, it's not the full story, the new model might have a few extra features and tweaks, but that doesn't mean that the previous model is unusable.

For example, my waterproof jacket was reduced from £170 to £139, since in the new model, some small features like under-arm zips had been added. But overall it's still an excellent jacket, and I saved over £40. So remember to shop around.

** Update : 5/2/2001 **

(Updated to fix a few typos, and to add to the Layering section)

** 17/2/2001 **

Added the "fashion" note at the end

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