Archive for the 'My reviews' Category

Review – Merrell Siren Ventilators – First Thoughts

Posted by on July 21st 2010 in My reviews, Shiny new kit
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So, here is a preliminary review of the contents of Package 3 - a pair of Merrell Siren Ventilators in Desert Sage from Fitness Footwear Ltd..

Like BG! I have actively tried to avoid any footwear with the word 'trainers' in the description for the last 30 years. I am not so out of touch that I haven't noticed that things have moved on in design terms from the last pair that I owned (dreadful plasticky, black and yellow Gola trainers only bought because the school PE kit list demanded them), but having seen my children's feet suffer whenever  I have foolishly bought them trainers that hadn't been fitted at Clarks - I was reluctant.

Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised when I first tried these on. They felt firm and supportive but they were not crushing my E width-fitting feet.  I will say that due to the curved footbed, if you are exactly a size 4 rather than just a bit longer than a 3 and a half like myself, I would probably go up a size. I have less room beyond my toes in these than I do in a normal size 4, but they are really comfortable.

 

 

As you can see from the picture, they may not make it into a Gok Wan top ten list of stylish footwear, but when I asked my highly critical 15 year old daughter if they looked OK with my jeans and shirt, she said they were OK and was more concerned about me not wearing a belt over the shirt.... Apparently it would have shown off my 'not-so-tiny' waist! Personally I think that they look good, so far I have worn them at the gym, shopping, on a country walk and on an evening out when the dress-code was smart casual and they haven't drawn any unwelcome attention in any of those situations. I am going to get a lot of wear out of these.

So, how do they perform technically?  Well I wore them for an hour's work-out down the gym on a day so hot that they had almost all of the doors open and the fans going. I was sure of my footing through all of the lunges, step-ups etc and they didn't affect my unimpressive performances on the rowing machine or the cross-trainer.  I'm not a naturally athletic person and I guess there must be footwear specifically designed for this type of indoor exercise, but these trainers either helped or did not impede my exercises. It was good that the grip did not make it difficult to do the stretching exercises at the end, in other footwear I have had to go barefoot. I foolishly did not wear any socks, but apart from some very slight soreness on the heels, my feet were fine - not bad seeing as they had only been out the box for 3 hours.

Later that day we went for a couple of hours walk around Croft Hill. This time socks were worn, and by the end of the walk the socks were damp, but the inside of the trainers were dry - they weren't joking about the ventilator bit, it is very efficient. They felt like a more protective version of my walking sandals, very light but much more support for my feet. Obviously on a slope there is no ankle protection so I had to be more careful about my footing, but in the dry the grip is secure. Now in very hot weather or when I am pregnant, my feet swell up at the end of the day so I had to remove the trainers in the evening after the walk as they were too tight on my little toes, but the good news was that nobody complained about the smell. The anti-odour treatment was doing it's job.

So in summary, these are good all-round trainers and will definitely be packed on my next summer business trip. I may even get round to using them in a hotel gym instead of just going for a evening walk and then "resting" in the hotel bar.

If you're interested in laying your hands on some Merrells, have a look at the sale items here.

Review – Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams – First Thoughts

Posted by on July 14th 2010 in My reviews, New tricks for an old dog, Shiny new kit
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So, down to the preliminary review of the contents of Package 2 - a pair of Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams from Fitness Footwear Ltd..

I'd opted for the Army Green and Black version, on the basis that it would be a fairly neutral colour-scheme, nothing too flash. I mean, this is the first pair of trainer-type shoes that I'd acquired during the last 30 years (aside from some "trendy" toe-tectors), so I didn't want to overdo it (I must admit to being tempted by the Charcoal and Red version, though). The first image below shows the things in general, but the colour is better-represented in the second pic:

 

 

With some trepidation I pulled them on over a pair of thin trainer-socks and was pleasantly surprised by the fit, as I'm usually hard to please when it comes to this sort of thing. The arch-support is just right, and that's important to me as I have "flexible flatfoot" - a condition that's never a problem unless I'm barefoot or in flat-soled footwear. The best thing about the fit, though, is the security - with significant padding around the heels and below the ankles these things grip onto my feet perfectly, there's no slipping and sliding around inside, it's almost as if they're glued on. The soles flex in just the right place and don't have excessive torsion, and at the moment they have impressive grip on all sorts of surfaces. My only minor gripe is the sizing - I've been a size 8  for a few decades now, but these feel more like a 7.5  - there wasn't as much space beyond the toes compared to the other 8s that I own. That said, I reckon that 9s would have been too big and I guess that I'm just between sizes for this brand/model.

Within the hour they were being used on another trip up and around Croft Hill in scorching weather (more on that later). OK, it's not a major expedition, but there's some variation of terrain and plenty of steep grass to contend with. After a few hours and a few miles, all still felt good - no sweatiness, nice and cool, and very comfy. I kept them on for the rest of that day, and wore them non-stop all the next day, and there's been no soreness or rubbing.

 

 

So, what would I use them for? I reckon I'd use them on long low walks in good-to-reasonable conditions, but I'd need to build up more confidence in them before committing to wearing them up on the higher and/or rougher Lakeland Fells. It's just that I'm used to proper boots rather than what some other folk would call "Jessiehikers". Maybe I need to make that leap of faith and just do it. Regarding how they fit into my collection of outdoors footwear, they neatly fill the gap between my Keen Newports and my AKU Croda GTXs (all of which reminds me that I need to update my gear page).

I do like them, in just a few days they've become the footwear of choice for the school-walk, trips to the shops and just general dossing. I'll give them a decent work-out over the summer and report back in due course.

If you're interested in laying your hands on some Merrells, have a look at the sale items here.

Grub up!

Posted by on March 3rd 2010 in My reviews
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I've been battling my way through some handy-sized pouched meals with a view to assessing their suitability as day-hiking food. There's a good range of options, including veggie meals. As you can see, they're supposed to be microwaved, but I've been treating then as boil-in-the-bag meals and they do reheat very well. The packaging fits neatly into the Jetboil mug and doesn't to taint or tinge the boiling water, so I'm finding it OK to use just the one Jetboil burn for both a hot snack and a brew. Each pack contains 200g of whatever, so it's one for a snack or two (or one with something else) for a meal.

The results? Well, they're not exactly gourmet meals but they are quite tasty and filling. The Bombay Potatoes are rather odd, being in a tomato-based sauce which makes it a curious concoction, but it's still good to eat. Overall the contents of the range are not bad considering the prices (49p to 99p according to the current offer). There is plenty of variety to choose from, this is just a small sample of what's on offer:

 

 

Tomorrow I'll have the pleasure of testing either the Vegetable Chilli or the Meatballs & Vegetables in Gravy.

You'll notice that I've blanked-out the retailer's name. That's because they've not been bothered to reply to my requests for further information regarding these products. Seems like some businesses don't care much for free publicity.

Quechua Trews – initial review

Posted by on January 23rd 2010 in My reviews, Shiny new kit
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My used-and-abused Lowe Alpine 3xDry Schoeller Extreme Dryskin trews from TKMaxx are still going strong. They've been my default trews in all conditions, as they're warm in the winter yet cool in the summer, and they have great wind-proof qualities. I've proofed them with TX.Direct and they shed rain really well. However, there are times when they don't quite fit the bill. Although the fabric is tough and durable, and cut is "technical", they're a tad lacking in finesse - there are no venting options, no ankle-closure options, no "keepie-uppie" options. I needed to find something a bit more... versatile... and cheap!

That's where Elaina came to the rescue. Her post mentioned some suitable-sounding trews and soon we (me and the family, not me and Elaina) were racing off to the Nottingham branch of Decathlon. The men's version of their Quechua Bionnassay trews were duly tried on by me, bought by Chris and stashed away as a Christmas pressie. Since unwrapping them I've worn them most days in the worst lowland weather that we've had, and they've been great. I've no doubt that they will perform well when they eventually escape to the hills.

So, what do you get for under 40 notes?

  • A fabric that's very similar to Schoeller, but without the textured inner surface of the high-grade stuff. It's tough and durable, with just the right amount of stretch. It's billed as "Splash proof but not waterproof, not suitable for rainy weather", but when treated with TX.Direct it's got good waterproof qualities. All zips are dependable YKKs. The stitch-work isn't the neatest in the world but it's safe and strong.
  • A part-elasticated waistband with popper and fly. There's also a triple-elasticated velcro-adjustable shoulder strap which fits onto loops on the waistband, and which is easily detached. If you've got a short torso you might want to reposition the velcro on the front and cut off the excess straps. The website pics show what appear to be belt-loops but they aren't on the trews that I have.
  • Two decent-sized fleecy-lined (not net-lined as per the website spec) hand-warmer pockets and an unlined upper-leg pocket. All three have water-resistant zips.
  • Good-sized and well-positioned mesh thigh vents, closed/opened with water-resistant zips.
  • Shaped single-layer knee-sections to allow good articulation. Not reinforced as stated in the website spec.
  • Well-protected ankle areas thanks to large patches of reinforced heavy-duty fabric.
  • Ankle closures - zipped with velcro tabs. The fixed velcro needs to be longer to allow the tab to be pulled further around the ankle.
  • Zip-off internal gaiters with water-resistant lower and high-stretch upper sections, closed with a velcro strip. The hem is elasticated and lined with a grip-strip, has a two-position popper and a lace-hook for keeping them snug against whatever footwear you're wearing. The lace-hook webbing needs to extend beyond the hook to give something to grip while wearing gloves, I'll probably add some sort of puller to it sometime soon. The fixing zips are baffled so there's no zip-chafing when wearing these trews without the gaiters. Contrary to the website spec there are no under-shoe straps, which is no big deal for me as I hate the things.
  • A good fit. Yes, I know that we all have different body-shapes, but there's no denying that the waist/leg-length ratio of these trews is biased in favour of the taller figure. I've had a look at the way they're put together and reckon that it would be possible to lose a couple of inches off the length between the knee-sections and the tops of the ankle-sections, if necessary, but so far I've not felt the need to shorten them.

So, they're similar to what the ad promises, but there are quite a few differences. I knew what I was going to get, having seen them prior to purchase, but I would imagine that some folk who mail-order them might be puzzled.

Performance-wise they do well. Windproof, snow- and shower-proof as bought, waterproof when treated, and the vents actually work. They are comfortable to wear, stretching and bending in just the right places with no chafing. The shoulder-straps are effective and fit well, and the fit to footwear is adjustable and secure. Weight-wise they're middling - the dry component weights are as follows: trews 666g, shoulder-straps 76g, internal gaiters 43g each, giving a total of 828g. For the domestically-capable, they wash at 30C, dry on a cool tumble and, if you're odd enough to like pin-sharp creases in yer trews, they can be ironed on a low setting.

These pics should be fairly self-explanatory:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob’s Honey Stove – first test

Posted by on November 13th 2008 in My reviews, Shiny new kit
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OK, I found the last of the meths. Only 18ml, but it was more than enough to get the steel glowing and to provide sufficient raging flames to boil 0.5l of water in 3 minutes. I just let it rip, not bothering with the simmering ring, so a lot of heat was lost up the side of the mug, hence I'm fairly convinced that I could have been a fair bit more fuel-efficient. Here it is, sooting-up my nice shiny mug:

 

So, apart from the boil-time, what other info did you get? First, I can confirm the information provided in the instruction leaflet - the panels do warp when heated, but they do go flat again after they've cooled.  Even when warped, the top grill stayed in place. Second, in the temperate climate of my kitchen, the panels cooled sufficiently to allow handling within 2 minutes. Third, the tea's going down rather well 🙂

So, do you like it? Yes, very much. It's well-made, simple to use and very versatile. There's nothing to compare it with, as there's nothing quite like it on the market at the moment. I reckon Bob's onto a winner here.

Any more thoughts? Well, I've never had any need to take a shaving-mirror into the hills, but I'm sure that one of the nice shiny side-panels would suffice. Who knows, in dire emergency you could use one as a signalling-mirror. Oh, and those rows of holes in the side panels - they're ideally-placed for fitting a hanging-kit. I'll test the stove in a different fuel-mode as soon as I can spare the time.

Bob’s Honey Stove – first mods

Posted by on November 13th 2008 in My reviews, Shiny new kit
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Right, before we start, I just want to say that these mods weren't necessary - it's just that I like to tinker with things to make them fit in with my personal intended use, and that use doesn't necessarily align with the intended modus operandi for the equipment. The unadulterated stove is clearly capable of being used with a Trangia™ burner, Bob's demonstrated that on his site, but I wanted it to work in a different manner, so I went out on a limb and did what I felt was in the best interests of what I wanted to achieve.

Anyway, I've wielded the tinsnips and the file, and now Podcast Bob’s new Honey Stove has been adjusted to suit my needs. Here's a summary of my mods:

What’s changed? I've notched the door panel and two of the five side panels as per the following pic:

Why? To allow the top grill to be removed without taking the sides apart. It can be lifted off quite easily, even when hot if you use a pan-grabber. The top grill had to be modded too.

Tell me more! In order to allow the top grill to sit inside the walls, I snipped off two of the five tabs, it now looks like this:

Will it still fit into the slots as per the original design? Yes, but with only three tabs it'll only lock into three slots. But you guessed that already, didn't you?

So, does it work? Yes. Remove the top grill and it's easy to access the Trangia™ burner'. Replace the top grill and it supports the mug. The top edge of the stove is still capable of supporting pans, and I've not altered the bottom edge.

Are there any other benefits? Well, the weight's been reduced by a massive 4g. OK, it's not much, but it means that I don't have to saw the handle off my toothbrush.

What next? It's time for a brew, if I can find the meths.
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