Your questions on venting, the best rucksack for backpacking, emergency kit and stove repair answered.
Our man Gear, Richard Gear, has been hard at work answering your
questions and delving into the ancient mysteries of venting features
and their effectiveness with different fabrics.
So far Richard has answered over 500 of your questions and you can
find all his past answers together with a shonky search mechanism at
the Ask
Richard Gear section of the site.
Browse through his past answers or ask
a question of your own...
This week Richard answers questions on which emergency equipment
to carry, which is the best backpacking rucksac, where to get an
Optimus stove repaired and why eVENT jackets tend not to have
pit-zips and the best ways of venting.
Q:
'I want to start backpacking again in my mid 60s what is the best
rucksack available. Should I just go for the lightest one
possible??
A: Hi there,
Gear here, Richard Gear, Richard, erm, Gear. Anyway, moving
swiftly on, glad to hear you're getting back into backpacking, I
don't think you'll regret it.
Pack choice isn't quite as straightforward as it might be. First
off, while it may seem like a great idea to buy the lightest pack you
can, it's not that simple. Very light packs tend to sacrifice
carrying comfort and stability for lightness. Many have minimal back
systems and little, if any, padding...
Full
answer
Q:
'Where can I get my Optimus 00 paraffin stove repaired?'
A: 'The name is Gear, Richard 'Repairo' Gear, it's a little
bit Italian and little bit funky, you know.
'Any road in, Optimus paraffin stoves are mostly simple
creatures and an Optimus dealer may well be able to provide you with
the parts you need to repair and service the stove yourself. You can
find a list of stockists on the Optimus web site at www.optimus.se
and you may be able to order a repair kit for your specific Optimus
stove...''
Full
answer
Q:
'Why do so many event jackets not have pit-zips? Are they not
necessary with that membrane as it is claimed on event site? Another,
probably easy, too: What are the most effective ways to vent? Is it
just opening main zip in front of your jacket and rolling sleeves up
to expose your forearms? If so pit-zips are not so
necessary...?'
'The name is Gear, Richard 'Earvent' Gear, a man with vents coming
out of my ears...
'The industry consensus on eVENT does appear to be that it
breathes so well that pit-zips aren't strictly necessary, which is
why relatively few eVENT jackets feature them. In fact, many eVENT
users find that they feel cooler in jackets made from the fabric
because the improved breathability allows the damp, warm fug
characteristic of many jackets, to simply escape through the
fabric....'
Full
answer
Q:
'What emergency gear should you carry with you? If you carried
everything that would be useful in an emergency you'd end up with a
70L pack all the time!'
A: 'Gear here, Richard 'Emergency' Gear, apprentice rider
of the apocalypse and outdoors wuss.
'First rule of emergency kit is that there are no absolutes. What
you should carry depends on when and where you are and whether you're
alone or part of a group. There's a world of difference between
wandering around the Cairngorm plateau on your own in January and
doing a short route in the Dales with a bunch of mates in August.'
'And as is often said, carrying too much kit is a surefire way of
increasing the chances of you actually needing it.'
Full
answer
Check out the full
Ask
Richard Gear section of the site for a searchable archive of
all Richard's past answers, some of which make sense, or ask a
question of your own...
