Wednesday 9 June 2010

Gear and stuff

GPS may be the death of letterboxing. 10 figure grid references make letterboxing quick, convenient and... too easy? It might be cheating, and it aids the box thief, but the GPS is here to stay.

We haven't yet become letterboxing purists and cast aside our GPS in search of a simpler time. We get by with a beaten up (broken screened) Garmin Etrex H. That, alongside our Silva Expedition 54s have found our boxes for as long as we can remember.

We try to avoid the rain, but Sprayway and Paramo keep us dry and when the cold weather comes, we don our Canadian Mountain Equipment Co-op fleecies.
But its our boots which were treated this week. With a wash with soapy water, a warm up in the sun, and reproofing. The instructions say wash inside and out - as they are attacked by bacteria from the feet - and time to dry out. We probably don't treat our boots well enough, but the Goretex keeps going, and waterproof socks (in one of WITC's cases) will suffice. The boots will wear out before they give out!

We love the local outdoor stores and can't pass one without looking in at the latest gadgets. X-socks, and their 'breathing abilities', disposable handwarmers, Leki trekking poles...

What could we not do without on the moor? The latest edition laminated OS map. Essential.

1 comment:

4 Winds said...

Crickey, WITC, that's a lot of kit!