Richard Gear's Latest Answers
Our man Gear answers questions daysacs for the tall, travel towels and which waterproof fabric is best.
Posted: 28 November 2007
by Jon
Our man Gear, Richard Gear, has been tending his plantation
of Christmas trees this week, but still found a few spare hours to
answer your questions.
So far Richard has manfully answered over 500 kit queries and you
can find all his past answers together with a 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 suggests a day sac for a six foot plus fella,
ponders the vagaries of travel towels - say no to Pertex in this case
- and delves into the pros and cons of Gore-Tex, eVent and Paramo for
Scottish use.
|
|
Q: Hi, I am 6'2" and I'm looking for a daypack (35L
ish). I need something with a long enough back. Where would
you suggest I start looking? Thanks for your help.
A: Gear here, Richard Gear. Unfortunately most day
packs come in an average, standardised sort of length to
suit the 'average' back. The thinking seems to be that with
lighter loads, it's not as crucial to get sizing right, so
if you're taller or shorter than average, finding a
comfortable pack can be problematic.
Fortunately a select handfull of manufacturers do produce
day-sacks in different sizes. Less fortunately, they're not
the cheapest options out there ...
Full
Answer
|
|
|
Q: What's the best travel towel on the market?
A: Gear here, Richard 'Meticulously Hygenic' Gear,
king of the open air ablute. It's always a good idea to wash
regularly even when trekking. It'll keep your tent buddies
happy and could stop you rotting away unnecessarily.
If you're really hardcore, you can get away with using a
spare fleece pullover as a towel, particularly on a shorter
trip. For longer jaunts you have several options.....
Full
Answer
|
|
|
Q: I've just moved to the Highlands, near
Glencoe, which is as good an excuse as any to get a new set
of waterproofs. I just can't decide whether to go for Paramo
or similar, or Goretex/eVent. The trouble is I get very hot,
very quickly, which of course means sweaty too. I think
Paramo etc for sweat issues, then goretex/event because of
the heat issues. It would be for hillwalking, scrambling and
some mountaineering?
A: Gear here, Richard 'Waterproof' Gear, doyenne
of deluge and duke of DWR. You'll be glad to know, in
classic fashion, that there is no 'right answer' to your question,
just a selection of options with different pros and cons, so
there.
Paramo does actually work very well for some people. It's
effectively waterproof - unless you sit in a puddle or lean
against a wet surface when pressure will force water through
- it's very breathable, has no condensation issues and it's
easy to maintain and repair if you tear 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...
Discuss this story
|
