Gear Updated
Posted By Tynan
Our original gear list has changed. We’ve added a few gems and have also dumped some poor performing or no longer useful stuff.
The Losers:
Stuff that hit the trash can.
#1 on the loser list, a spot earned for being total failures, are those Solomon XCR Pro 3D shoes. They served me well for a while, but then when it got really wet they soaked through and left me totally uncomfortable. This happened while at Yakushima. Worst of all, they have NO E-MAIL so I can’t even tell them what a failure their product is.
#2 on the loser list is are the Seal Skinz gloves. They leaked very early on and continued to make my hands miserable. When I need gloves next (next year probably), I’ll go for some liners and a waterproof shell for them.
#3 (in my book, not Todd’s) are patagonia or any non wool shirts. They smell bad really quickly and aren’t as comfortable as the wool shirts. I now have three Icebreaker Bodyfit 150 shirts, and that’s it.
#4 My smartwool zip long sleeve shirt had to go. It was too tight and made me look like I was emo or something. I left it at Elliot’s place in Japan in case someone there wanted a shirt.
#5 My Treo 700p phone. Sprint screwed me over this month by taking away all of my discounts (thanks… I’ve been using 0 minutes.), so I’m porting my number over and will just use my Nokia from now on. Goodbye monthly fee.
The Unneeded:
Stuff that’s getting shipped back home (thanks, parents!)
When I get my new shoes (below), I’ll get rid of my Rainbow Sandals. I love them, but they take up a bunch of space and my new shoes can be used in their stead. Don’t get me wrong - these are the best sandals I can imagine… I just don’t need them anymore.
Headphone amp and its 8 AAA batteries. I love this thing but it turns out that our laptops and MP3 players put out enough juice that it’s not a necessity.
All socks. I love my Smartwool socks more than life itself, but they won’t work with my new shoes.
Terramar wool leggings. I don’t think we’ll be anywhere cold enough to need these. Plus I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the crotch area leaves enough room below to store a bag of groceries. It’s weird.
My awesome R. Kelly style sunglasses. They’re great, but not necessary.
The New and Exciting:
Vibram Five Finger shoes. These things are so cool it’s ridiculous. They are very light and thin (which is a lot better for your legs and joints), and look like ninja shoes. Todd has the classics, which he got in San Francisco, and I’m getting on the gravy train late by having a pair of KSOs sent to Bangkok.
Luxury Lite Cot. This thing is fantastic too - it’s the smallest portable cot, and is super comfortable. Great for staying at people’s houses who don’t have couches, sleeping in the airport with an overnight layover, camping, or sleeping in the park in Pamplona after running with the bulls.
It could be argued that we don’t actually need to be bringing our beds around with us everywhere we go, but… it’s just so cool and there’s nothing worse than sleeping somewhere uncomfortable… like a cave floor for example.
Sea to Summit Silk Liner. If you’re going to bring your bed around, why not have luxurious silk sheets to go with it? The liner is smaller than a coke can when packed up and weighs a fraction of a pound. It unfolds to be like a super thin silk sleeping bag. It only gives you about 10 degrees of warmth, but it’s very comfortable, fits the Luxury Lite perfectly, and has a convenient stuff pocket at the top to make a pillow. As a bonus, I can use this if we stay at a hostel some time.
KettleStack Kettlebell. For taking our crossfit workout on the road there’s nothing better (or even comparable) than the kettlestack. We carry the lightweight handles around and buy cheap weights wherever we go, or use the gym’s. Check out my gadling review of them.
AlokSaks. After the fiasco in Panama that left Todd’s video camera half-inoperable, we’ve wised up to water protection. These bags take up no space, keep water out, and can also be used as pillows if inflated. They’re also very good for packing with and “shrink wrapping” our stuff by forcing all the air out. We each got enough so that we could sink our backpacks underwater and our clothes and electronics would be dry. I reviewed these for Gadling as well.
Tiny portable hard drives (link goes to something similar.. ours is a no name from Akihabara). We bought new hard drives to store all of our pictures and video, and put our old ones in these enclosures. They use the same cable we already carry for our phones and mp3 players, and require no extra power source.
Fenix L1D flashlights. Todd lost his Arc Light and decided to go with a Fenix flashlight. They’re bigger than the Arc Lights, but are also a ton brighter, last longer, and have cool accessories like red filters and light diffusers. I had to order one too. They haven’t come in yet, but we should get them in Bangkok.
 Stumble it! |
18 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jake
I’ve seen the Five Fingers around the Bay Area. They’re pretty cool and trendy… but as your ONLY shoes for traveling? That seems a bit crazy to me. I’ll be interested to hear how it turns out. What if you guys want to go out for a fancy dinner?
Jun 2nd, 2008
Lee
Second the Five Fingers - I’m in the UK and managed to track some down to a department store for the bargain price of £35! They only have the classics and sadly they only had sand when I got them rather than the nice colour you show in the picture. But having worn them constantly while I’ve been about the house and garden the last week or so they are very comfortable.
I wondered about the use as the only shoes when travelling like Jake above - having thought about it myself I think the KSO versions in the black would at a push be inconspicuous enough to be “smart”-ish!
Hope to hear how they work out longer term
Jun 2nd, 2008
Tim
Sucks to see the shoes were such failures, I bought mine a couple days ago when they were on sale at BackCountry, but I haven’t gotten them yet. I don’t think my expectations are nearly as high as yours though and I’m sure they will be better than my New Balances I got a Shoe Carnival for $20. And BackCountry has a 365 day return policy so if they end up being huge disappointments I’ll send them back.
How did Todd’s shoes hold up?
I got some Aloksaks after seeing them in your packing video and I’m extremely satisfied with them.
The Sea to Summit silk liner looks cool and I wish I had known about it earlier, as I’m staying in a hostel for a couple weeks.
The Five Fingers look cool but as for your only shoes? I’m skeptical but let me know how it works out.
The Luxury Lite cot also looks cool but seems like it would take up a lot of space, maybe strap it to the outside of your bag?
Jun 2nd, 2008
Christine Gilbert
Unrelated… Email me the link to your antartica job post and I’ll add it to my list….
Jun 2nd, 2008
Dova
I’m in need of new climbing shoes (busted toe in my current ones) and I’m going to give the FiveFingers a try I do believe. They look like they’d be fantastic. Probably take a bit of warm-up period to get used to the different pressure points I’ll experience, but worth it.
Jun 2nd, 2008
Eric
Hey Tynan,
Vibram’s Five Fingers are certainly an innovative design. But if you want a waterproof shoe that offers durability, superb foot support, and comfort, I highly suggest Chaco’s sandals. I own a pair of the Z2s and they are fantastic! You can not go wrong with Chaco’s.
(Don’t buy into the hype)
Jun 2nd, 2008
Ryan Madison
Thanks for the updates!! I like those vibram five finger shoes.
Jun 3rd, 2008
cz
Just grabbed a KSO pair myself, though had to do quite some searching to find my size in stock. Thanks for the tip, I love the being barefoot concept plus they look pretty fucking cool.
Jun 3rd, 2008
vanmartin
When do we get an update on how your stay in Taiwan was?
Jun 4th, 2008
Arun
Nice Update. I’m definitly gonna get some of those Aloksacs!
Jun 4th, 2008
James The Professional Adventurer
Those kicks are funny – lol
I use a keychain LED light – bright as hell but tiny
Jun 5th, 2008
Lucas
I have a Fenix light and they are fuggin awesome. I dunno why you didnt just replace your shoes with vibrams. Shoes have their place too man.
Also, Icebreaker rules.
Jun 5th, 2008
Hoku
One of the shoe guys at whole earth tells me that if your feet are going to get wet the KSO’s stay on better than the classics. The strap fights the suction created by lifting your foot in water.
I will be ordering a pair myself soon.
Jun 6th, 2008
Lucas
Oh, in my last post I meant why nor replace your Sandals with Vibrams, and have some shoes too
Jun 6th, 2008
Todd
Hoku, I can’t imagine anything pulling these off my feet. If anything, they’re a little snugger than I’d like, so I wouldn’t say a more secure fit is a reason to get the KSOs. I’d still want mine over any of the other styles.
If any of you are interested in Fenix flashlights, we ordered from fenix-store.com. Great prices, and they’re so confident in Fenix that they’ll replace yours if you break it.. no need to worry about warranty service (which is lifetime anyway).
Tim, I got rid of my shoes as well. The Five Fingers’ll be fine for hiking or anything else. The North Face shoes weren’t very grippy and the sole started to separate in one place after very little use, though they were very waterproof.
The coolest thing about the FFs is they change the way you walk for the better. I’ll post about that.
Jun 7th, 2008
Eric
Yes please. I may be no podiatrist, but what does someone (much like me) do when there are no arches on the feet? My feet overpronate, which if left ignored, can cause much knee and back pain. The FFs rely on naturally ‘good’ feet with little-to no support (which I imagine is important for carrying heavy loads and preventing twisting or damaging of the ankle). I am skeptical Todd.
Jun 8th, 2008
Moose
great update. one thing i would have to suggest is using resistance bands. They are perfect and im quite surprised that you arent using them. one of the stronger resistance bands can provide up to 50kg of force. That is more then enough to get a good workout. and the best thing is, resistance bands don’t weigh anything (well not much anyway) and the chances of injuring yourself are lowered.
Jul 4th, 2008
NUGIJOE
How did you guys manage to fit the Luxury Lite Cot on/in your packs?
Nov 21st, 2008
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