I'm new to these forums, been lurking for a good few years, and now I want to rack your brains for some knowledge (I'll try to give some of mine back sometime...)
I'm planning a trip to the Dolomites this summer between July and August, some of us are experienced and kitted up, but there will be some "newbies" coming along as well, who currently don't have any gear at all.
Hopefully they will be doing a mix of easy via ferrata and walking, nothing too difficult.
What do you reckon the minimum clothing/boots/rucksack is that they could get away with safely? How much do you think you could do this for?
I'm taking a VR trail jacket and whatever hardshell I get, but that's already well over £200 worth of gear, and they would still need boots, trousers, and a rucksack on top of this...
With luck Dolomites weather at that time of year will be settled and summery, but you can get cold days and snow flurries, or torrential thunderstorms, or prolonged rain if you're unlucky. As a general rule kit that will do 3 seasons in the UK is suitable for the Dolomites in summer. For walking it doesn't need to be highly technical (as you'll see from a lot of the continentals out in those mountains) and as such it doesn't need to be massively expensive, as long as you're not brand conscious. Check out the kit available in the likes of Milletts - the brands like Peter Storm, Craghoppers and Regatta may not be fashionable and may not have all the bells and whistles of other brands, or may not be as light as some others, but the things like fleeces, base t-shirts, walking trousers etc will do the job and don't have to cost a fortune.
I've seen people tackle easy via ferrata in quite bendy 3-season boots so although you can spend £150 on a boot that says it's designed for uses like via ferrata, for an introduction there's no need.
But don't forget the cost of harness, helmet and via ferrata protection kit - that's going to be £100+ if you buy them, I'm not sure what it'll be to hire them locally but that may make more sense.
I think I can grab enough helmets and harnesses that we'll only need the KISAs for each people - Decathlon do the Mammut set for £50, which is pretty good. Maybe hire would be better, but then some people might not like via ferrata, and others might want to do them everyday...
Aldi (see Jon's Home page article) could produce Waterproof Jacket and Trousers. Their sizes tend to be larger than stated. The most expensive item will be footware. It MUST fit and that depends on their individual sizes and shapes.
if you are a confident kit purchaser yourself, then I'd say take your friends along to a big TKMaxx and guide them in grabbing useable bargains.
I would say that it would be possible to walk out of there with a good 200 or ThermalPro fleece, a proprietary raincoat (from Lowe, Sprayway, Nike ACG or whatever) and a pair of decent 3-season boots (Garmont, Zamberlan, Raichle, Salomon all to be found on occasion) and some accessories (socks, trousers, baselayers etc) for under £200 per person total. At the worst you should be able to come out with some sensible socks and Craghopper trous...
Obviously you can't be picky about colours, brands or styles but if the kit seems fit for purpose and fits the person... you can't go wrong.
I am not saying that I recommend it, but you could do via ferrata with home-made tape harnesses for a fraction of the cost of buying for each member.
That Aldi stuff looks interesting.... certainly can't beat the prices anyway! There's one just round the corner so I'll keep my eye out.
The two TKMaxxs that I have been to in London had a really poor showing of outdoors stuff (Croydon and Ealing) - does anyone know if there are any in or near London that have a better range of stuff? I was in the one in Nottingham a while back and they had a huge amount of kit, although it was mainly ski clothing.
Thanks for the advice!
(sorry about the name change halfway through a thread!)
I've been to the Brenta Dolomites a few times and done the via Bochette - any old cheap rucsac is fine - you'll see plenty of school rucsacs at 3000m , and most Italians use a cheapo plastic mac type cape when it rains. You certainly don't need a fancy hardshell. Decent footwear is a good idea though - you can do the trails in trainers, but need something a bit more substantial for via-ferrata, especially as you have to deal with bits of snow and glaciers. So a lightweight boot, possibly gore-tex lined, is a good idea. Doesn't need to be disablingly stiff - just safe and secure on ladders and rock, but flexible enough to walk in comfortably. Most of the time you'll be in shorts and t-shirt, but when the weather does turn it is a lot colder than the UK so a big lump of insulation is worthwhile. Locals use down jackets - www.alpkit.com sell cheap ones - or you could just get a decent cheap fleece. You could leave buying or hiring via ferrata kit till you get there - its no more expensive than here. If you have some cycling gloves, or even gardening gloves, they are worth taking because the cables can be frayed.
Hatfield Galleria has a big TKMaxx that is often well-stocked with outdoors kit. Another 15mins up the A1(M) will get you to Stevenage which also has a reasonably good range (and is less busy).
On better consideration, using tape-loop harnesses is probably an economy I wouldn't want to make with beginners... although perfectly safe (IMO) it doesn't offer quite the same confidence level.
However, harnesses are quite a bit cheaper on the continent, and an entry level alpine style tape harness from a european brand such as Edelrid, Camp, A-V, Snap or Kong will set you back about 20 Euros.
