Asics 5-in Split running shorts

The first shop I went into in Amsterdam was an Asics concept store. It's near the Light Supply area. Quite prominent and fairly large store. Here I saw the 5-in split running shorts. Available at € 30. On my second visit to the store I bought it after a trial wear.

This is clearly one of the most expensive running gear I have ever purchased, apart from my shoes and a pair of Adidas compression pants. Is it worth it? Well, I don't really know. But if you leave the cost bit aside, it is certainly a great pair of running shorts. It is very light, airy, roomy, stylish. It dries out in real quick time. These are what many elite marathoners wear. And that's precisely the reason why I bought them :-) You may not run like an elite marathoner but you must look and feel like one !!! That's my motto in life - like it or hate it :-)

Almost all the running shorts that I have worn have had problems with the crutch area. They are perhaps a little too tight for free movement of the legs. Like you cannot really do a full squat without adjusting them a bit. This one has no such problem whatsoever.

My most favourite running shorts so far has been the New Balance that I had bought years ago. That material is a little more plasticky than this. It's unbreathable. But it lasted forever except that its stitches around the crutch broke. This one might well outlast that without anything breaking.

The Asics shorts have only one real problem. It has a pathetic little pocket meant only for a mobile phone. I normally run with a fat Turkish face towel. It is very difficult to shove that in. The pouch of the pocket hangs on the back - on the side of the thigh. That makes shoving something very difficult. However, if you want to carry a phone - it's ideal.

I am wearing it for every evening run now, meaning three times a week. Let me see how long it lasts. 

Motorola Moto G5S

Just pulled the trigger on a Moto G5S. After a lot of pussyfooting over what to buy and what not to buy, from where to buy and how to pay etc. Finally settled on this model. As it turns out, the model has just been launched in August. I didn't know this before deciding to buy. I have never bought anything so fresh on the market. I prefer to wait and watch and let a new launch establish itself. But with phones and computers that strategy does not work. Technology is evolving so fast, before anything is established a new development kills the predecessor. 

This is perhaps the first time I spent so much time on choosing a phone. Earlier the choice was simple. Now there is a mind boggling array and so many features to consider. My priorities were simple. It must have the latest OS (Nougat, I think), Gorilla Glass 3 at least, minimum 3000 mAh battery, panorama feature in the camera and a metal body. I have no clue about processors, hence had no priority there. In this phone I am told they use Qualcom Snapdragon, which is supposed to be a good choice.

If everything was equal I would go for a non-Chinese brand with a better camera. I ended up picking up the Motorola despite it now being Chinese owned. I am shamelessly racist about anything Chinese but increasingly we have to accept their domination in the manufacturing space. 

From GSM Arena

My next set of updates will come after the phone is delivered. Amazon takes its own sweet time to deliver something. I have bought it on COD. Let me see when it arrives.

September 122, 2017

The phone arrived yesterday. Nicely packed in a jiffy bag. Though the package might look casual it was not damaged in any way. The box had the phone, a black charger and a white head phone. There is also a small pin for the SIM card tray. The phone is discretely heavy. Not too heavy to be an extra load in the pocket but not too light either, giving it a personality.

The back cannot be opened. It's sealed. Even the battery cannot be taken out or user replaced. Batteries in any case are not supplied by mobile companies and changing a battery does not solve any problem. In fact if I could get a new battery for my older Samsung I don't think I would have bought this new phone.

The transition from the old phone to the new one was relatively smooth. All the numbers got transferred. All the apps also got downloaded once again into the new phone. This is the beauty of google. They know everything about me. It is scary. But makes a few things like the phone transition smooth.

The phone's display is very nice. Way better than my previous phone's. Of course that being a way cheaper phone is perhaps not comparable.

Though Samsung makes a big song and dance about Super Amoled display, this display - IPS LCD - isn't too bad either. The camera is also fairly decent. I took a picture of Mampu and that looked pretty nice. Even the old photographs taken with my previous camera look nice on this phone.

The phone gets charged pretty fast. But if the data is on, the phone gets heated up quite a bit. More than just warm. It gets really hot. Switching off data during the charging process helped, it seemed. Charging speed is faster when the battery is relatively empty. Like, from 20 to 30 per cent it goes up really fast. But from 90 to 100 it takes a much longer time.

There are obviously lots of differences between the way you do things on a Samsung and on Motorola. I am having to work things out right now. Changing over to Samsung from my Nokia was an even more painful experience. That was an upgrade to touch screen and smart phone from an ordinary phone. I think they have given it a fancy name - feature phone.

One obvious disadvantage I think is absence of Samsung's equivalent of a "gallery". Gallery is where all your media files are stored, including the downloaded files from whatsapp or any other app like facebook or telegram etc. You can create albums there and keep your photographs neatly arranged. Here the gallery is google's "photos". I cannot seem to find out how to create albums there.

Another disadvantage over Samsung is the absence of a smart switch that toggles between wi-fi and data, depending on which is faster. It is particularly useful in places like my house where connectivity is poor. If I keep both wi fi and data pack on, it chooses the faster connection. Here it is not so. You are either on wi-fi or on data pack.

I have chosen not to use any screen protector or back cover with this phone. I did not buy any back cover for my Samsung also, which had a plastic body. It was just fine with no scratch mark. Of course it came with a screen protector on the front. I didn't take it off. But I refused to give it a jacket. My Nokia's back was totally ruined by all the scratch marks caused by the trapped dust inside the jacket.

Regarding the front cover, I paid a premium for this phone's Gorilla 3 glass, that is virtually unbreakable and unscratchable.  

Long Term Usage Update

It is pointless writing about it now because I am sure the phone is discontinued but let me say that this Gorilla 3 glass being unbreakable is a myth. Phone's display cover glass cracked after a drop on the floor. Some pixels also got broken after another fall. I don't know the current series of Gorilla that is selling. Will have to see how durable it is. But the phone is working fine so far, touch wood.

Deuter AC Lite 26 lit

Stok Kangri - Sept 18

Before going to Roopkund in June 2017, I bought a smaller backpack that I would carry during the trek. I had decided to give my main back pack for the mules to carry and take a small pack for myself. This would carry my camera gear, my rain wear, my down jacket, medicines, some basic snacks, water bottles etc. In Sandakhphu I used my Lowepro for the job. But then I did not have anything other than my camera gear, water and some very basic snacks. Sandakphu was much easier than Roopkund and also I would have access to the porter, should I really need something. Roopkund would be different and my Lowepro wouldn't be able to carry it all. 

Finally I zeroed in on the Deuter 26 lit AC Lite, which I bought off Amazon. It came in the colours black and granite. I am not too fussy about the colour of my pack. 

I am quite happy with my purchase and would recommend the Deuter brand for anyone who wants to go for it and needs a validation.

The sack looks small but it has an incredible ability to accommodate whatever you give it. I gave it a Canon 7D with 24-70 lens, also fondly called the brick. I had another 18-55 lens wrapped in possibly a lightweight base layer from Columbia. I had the Marmot Precip rainwear (upper) and the Marmot down jacket. I possibly had a towel too. These went into the main sack. In the compartment meant for the hydration pack, I kept the food/snacks. Some date palms and other stuff. Not much bulk or weight. I also kept a few spare socks and the poncho I bought from IH in Wan. It was very very small. Less than palm size (and completely useless in rain).

The sack was certainly not full at all. There was a lot of space. 

The top cover of the sack has two zippered pockets. One inside and another outside. I kept my camera accessories like batteries, cards and cleaning kit inside. The outside pocket carried my red diary, medicines and lots of this and that including my wallet, phone, GPS, plane and train tickets etc.

My sack weighed a total of about 7 kgs. 

The backbreaking trail from Pathar Nachauni to Kallu Vinayak - Roopkund '17

The sack came with a rain cover. In fact I had kept my Precip in the small opening at the bottom with the rain cover !!!

The straps are very nice and comfortable on the shoulder and chest. You could adjust them on the go without much hassle. The waist strap is more like a belly strap because the sack itself is small and I am 5'10" :-) But that's fine. I had no problem walking with it except when I was panting really hard (and I breathe through my belly). But it is easy to readjust the waist strap.

This sack can accommodate a hydration pack and has the facility to take out the pipe. But I kept my water bottles on the two mesh side pockets outside. I would have loved to have a vertical pocket outside. 

The only con of the sack is it is difficult to keep it standing on the ground. That might well be because of the nature of the items that I put inside the sack. If I had kept my sleeping back in it, it would have easily stood its ground. 

There are other usual features like loops for trekking pole etc but I didn't use them. 

The sack is not water proof at all. I walked in snowfall that turned into a rain for a couple of hours without putting the rain cover. I was feeling too lazy and kept telling myself - the sack was born in Germany. I am sure it will stop the water. The sack was thoroughly drenched when I reached camp. 

Overall it's a nice value for money sack. Lightweight. No frills. Ideal for a multi-day trek when you are giving away your main sack for porters to carry. I am happy with the purchase.

Long Term Use Report

I have now used the sack for three trips. Roopkund, Netherlands and Stok Kangri. There are a few negatives that come out that are worth talking about. A. The mesh of the side pocket got torn. I have no clue how. But it did get torn a bit. I guess I will have to repair it with Gorilla tape. The rain cover, which does a fantastic job of protection against rain, got torn possibly during some flight where the sack was booked as a cabin luggage. Here also I will have to perhaps use either Gorilla tape or replace it altogether.

The third point of course is its non-waterproofness. Otherwise, it's a great bag.