Richard Gear's Latest Answers

Q: Richard I have an (old) Karrimor Jaguar8 KS100e backpack, and the metal uprights in the back support have been bent. How do I get the correct profile to bend them back?

A: Gear here, Richard 'Customisable' Gear, master bender and happy pack manipulator. Customising a back system to suit your own physiology can make a significant difference to comfort and stability, so it's worth getting it right.

Many pack systems, like your Jaguar, feature aluminium staves that can be shaped to fit the curve of your back, unfortunately there's no hard and fast rule for getting it right, however, here's a general guide to optimising fit that applies to most backpacking sacs including Jaguars new and old.

First, if the back length of your pack is adjustable...'
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Q: Hi, I'm planning on going to Patagonia in January next year. I need to take a synthetic sleeping bag with me. However, all of the bags I have looked at so far dont have a temperature rating that goes very low. What can you recommend?

A: The name is Gear, Richard 'Sleeping' Gear, happiest when wrapped up warm in my tent. I'm not sure why you say that you 'need' to take a synthetic sleeping bag with you to Patagonia, I can only assume that its' bec ause you intend to be operating in damp conditions.

The problem is, as you've discovered, most synthetic bags simply aren't warm enough for serious sub-zero mountain conditions. However Mountain Equipment's premium synthetic bag ...'
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Q: an you provide a comparison table for different types of waterproof materials e.g. Gore-Tex Paclite, Gore-Tex XCR and eVent fabrics What are the merits of each? Is XCR being replaced ?

A: The name is Gear, Richard 'Perennial Breathability Questions' Gear, master of moisture vapour transfer. I can't produce a definitive table of relative performance for different waterproof fabrics, but I can give you a quick run down of the pros and cons of each of the materials you mention.

Why no breathability figures? In simple terms the lab tests to measure breathability are a bit of a can of worms and some fabrics seem to be intrinsically favoured over others. Additionally remember that venting provisions and intelligent garment use are just as important as the fabric used.

First, Gore-Tex Paclite is designed as an ultra-lightweight fabric..
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