Our man Gear, Richard Gear, has been hard at work
heroically answering your questions even though he'd much rather be
out on the hill having a good time - what a legend.
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 queries about what gear you need to
start climbing, the ankle-eating tendencies of a pair of boots,
cooking inside a GoLite tent and the variation in outdoor clothing
sizing between brands that make it harder to buy kit that fits...
Q:
'How do outdoor manufacturers decide how to do their sizes? I only
ask as in some of them I'm an XL others a medium , some have a trim
athletic fit while others look like they're designed for american
wrestlers! In a world that has big people, little people, long arms,
short arms, big chests little chests, how do they decide what sizes
to make things? Speaking of which how can you only have a small
medium and large in trousers- that to me just seems daft!?
A: Hi there,
Gear here, Richard 'one size fits all' Gear, a man in search of
the perfect fit. But enough about me. Sizing, as you've noticed,
varies from brand to brand. In a perfect world, there'd be a
cross-brand agreement on what dimensions to make small, medium, large
and so on, but in reality, each brand produces kit which is cut to
suit what its market. That means there's a fair bit of variation
between brands....
Full
answer
Q:
'Hi Richard,I've just bought myself a Hex 3 by GoLite after reading
the reviews here. Question - my boyfriend wants to cook in it when we
camp and I dont want to - my rules for camping are different, like no
cooking, no candles inside the tent! Its MY tent and I feel strongly
- he thinks I'm being a wimp. What do you think?
A: Gear here, Richard 'Cooking In Tents' Gear. Technically
you're right. No tent manufacturer will recommend using a stove
inside a tent because of the twin risks of flammability - tent
fabrics like GoLite's SilLite, silicone-impregnated rip-stop nylon
are extremely flammable - and poisoning from combustion
by-products.
Full
answer
Q:
'I have a pair of Scarpa ZG65 boots, after wearing them for five days
in the Pyrenees last year it was impossible to carry on due to
soreness and tenderness around the ankle bone. I do not understand
why it took five days before I had a problem.
The boots themselves seem to be reinforced around the ankle
area, do you think the constant rubbing during the walk could have
caused this problem. Is this something you have come across before? I
have a pair of Saloman SM lites as well (for weekend hikes only) and
have never had this problem. Advice would be appreciated before I go
out and waste another 100 quid on a different pair of boots.'
A: 'The name is Gear, Richard Gear. I'm sorry to hear about
your ankle problem, there's nothing worse than having to abandon a
much-anticipated trip due to injury.
I can't tell you what caused your ankle pain, but from your
question, it sounds like it was rubbing from the ankle cuff of the
boot against your ankle bone. It's actually something I've
occasionally suffered from myself and unfortunately it's hard to
predict from a boot-shop fitting as you've found.'
Full
answer
Q:
'How do you put together climbing gear, I'm a beginner?
A: The name is Gear, Richard 'Basic Climbing' Gear and
basic is as basic does. As a new climber, you don't actually need
very much to start with. Assuming that you're either taking some sort
of climbing course or climbing with more experienced climbers as part
of a club perhaps, you'll need two basic pieces of equipment - a pair
of rock shoes or boots and a harness. The rest, initially at least,
you should be able to borrow from your climbing partner, though a
belay device and a suitable locking carabiner are also a good
idea.
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...
Sim Kempster
