4th of December, Gear..

Door four and you about equipment will learn more.

Equipment this dear topic. We all know a lot and got our own view of this, so from that point of view see this as just an advice… The base where you should do the big invest will be the; base layer, boots and shell layer.

The Base layer. Most important is to not become wet. So, you must ventilate and open and take of mid-layer etc. If not, it doesn’t matter what base layer you wearing. You will be wet, and you will freeze. A good advice is to stop after the first 20 minutes of an activity, to suit the clothing. And now we can talk about the material. If you are going to have intensive physical activity, you might can use synthetic. But I always prefer wool. The advantage with wool is that it always warming, even when its wet. And you will not become a hero when you are boiling water in a cabin and not smelling sweat.

When it comes to boots, you just must analyze what activity you are going to perform. Stiff sole or a flexible one. Are you going to use crampons, you will need stiff sole. I always prefer a stiff sole, I will get a better support for my feet’s, but others like the flexible ones. I will not dig into mountaineering boots because that can be a story by its self… The Gore-Tex boots got a lining, that protect you from blisters. But as all Gore-Tex you need to clean it for fully function of transport moist.

Shell layer. I will never leave for the mountains without a Gore-Tex jacket. What is important for me is that the pockets are deep, so things not fall out when opening it. The pocket should be placed high so you can wear harness under (for us mountaineers which climbs) It shall have a hood, big enough so you can wear helmet under. I also like to have zipper for ventilation under the arms/back. As mention before, take good care of your Gore-Tex equipment, wash it and waterproof it after. Jacket you can choose after own taste and feeling. I like small details such as pocket at the arm for compass keeping for example.