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Archive for July 2010
Package 4 – a raci little number
The Celestron straight-through 9x50 finderscope supplied with my 8" Newtonian has served well for a while now but it's always been a neck-twisting operation to actually use it. The eyepiece is just too close to the main scope and it usually ends up in a position where it's awkward to look through it:
The original finderscope
I'd been considering shelling out for a cheap right-angled version but couldn't justify the expense, but then my luck changed - I found a cheap second-hand Orion 9x50 RACI* finderscope for sale on UK Astronomy Buy & Sell.
Setting-up is going to be a much more comfortable affair now that Package 4 has been delivered and its contents installed:
The replacement finderscope
The original finderscope won't go to waste, though - I've fitted it to the 80mm refractor in place of the supplied straight-through 6x30 which I'll keep in the spares box just-in-case.
Sorted 🙂
(* RACI = Right Angled Corrected Image)
Review – Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams – First Thoughts
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.
Packages 2 and 3
You'll have guessed where they're from, but you'll have to wait to see what's inside.
Fitness Footwear
At the back-end of 2009 Adam Smith, Marketing Specialist at Fitness Footwear Ltd., contacted me about reviewing some of his wares in return for some web-exposure for his company. At that time he was offering TNF footwear on a review-and-keep basis but I had to decline as I don't have TNF-shaped feet. Nevertheless I put him in touch with a few other bloggers from my vast blogroll in the hope that they could share in this mutually-beneficial enterprise. Some of them accepted his offer which resulted in the following reviews:
- Alan: The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR
- Steve: The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR
- Mike: The North Face Vindicator Mid GTX
- Francie: The North Face Hedgehog GTX
Well, Adam must have been happy with what he'd got out of the deal, as he's been contacting previous reviewers to offer them the chance to review some more goodies as part of his current promotion of Merrell Footwear. Indeed, he asked me for links to even more potential reviewers for his next promo, so I contacted some more folk in order to send him another list of bloggers who have expressed an interest. Please don't be offended if you've not been contacted by me regarding this opportunity - I had over a hundred potential candidates and there was no way that I was going to submit details for all of them. I'm sure that you'll understand my predicament.
Anyway, this time around we've decided to chip in with the review process. We'll be posting about it sometime soon.
