A Travelling Shirt

Of late I have become very fond of these new age technical material for sportswear. One great quality about them that appeals to me is their packability. They can be folded into a small ball and take very little space when you are packing. They are also easy to wash and quick to dry and obviously are very light. I was meaning to get for myself a travelling shirt for quite some time now but was undecided because they cost quite a packet. I already have a pair of cargo trousers from Marmot and a few T-shirts (Under Armour and Max). A shirt would complete the scene.

Two days ago I pulled the trigger on a Columbia travel shirt from their website here. This was with an eye on the forthcoming Stok Kangri trek. It was available at a good discount for Rs 1800. The shirt is yet to reach me. But I can always type down the details here. It's a Silver Ridge Long Sleeve in size medium and colour cypress purchased for Rs 1800 online from the Colombia India online store.

July 30, 2018

After a lot of back and forth mailing the shirt finally came home today. After placing the order they wrote back to me that they don't have my shirt in the size I had ordered. They can offer a coupon code with which I can make another purchase. There was no option for a full refund.

I had half a mind to buy a more expensive shirt (which apart from a superior fabric offers zippered pockets) but when I asked them for a coupon code they went silent. I then realised or assumed that they probably don't have the technology to generate a coupon code. So I ordered the same shirt in size L because I had read in the meanwhile in some online review that the shirts are a bit on the smaller side and one should order for a size higher than regular. This order was promptly answered and the order was executed.

But I have a word or two to say about the packaging. It's terrible. They used a very thin packaging material and packed it tight. I could have easily torn it apart while using my scissors to cut it open. In comparison, Adidas provides such fantastic boxes that we have ended up keeping all three of them. The Columbia brand is in the hands of some ghatia lala in India, for sure.

Now the shirt itself. Very nice cypress colour. Deep green. Size L is perfect for me. Though going by their sizing chart my size should be M. The pocket's closure leaves a lot to be desired. A very small square of a velcro. Also the flap does not fully open as the corner is stiched. The pocket is not meant for keeping anything very important, probably only small change.

There is a mesh vent in the under arm area. We will have to see how effective that is. There is also a loop for rolling up the sleeves.

The fabric is thin making the shirt very light. Very nice Marmot Transcend like feel. Perhaps thinner because that's after all a pair of trousers. Eqully smooth. Looks like water repellant. We shall see about that very soon.

Field Test Report After Stok Kangri

Somewhere outside Stok village

Wore this as a layer over my base layer of mostly black HD Lee during the 2018 September trek to Stok Kangri. The shirt is very light. Has two useful pockets. Packs really small. But one major disadvantage of the shirt is that it takes a relatively long time to dry off, if it gets wet.

Otherwise it's nice. It's not supposed to be a winter hiking shirt. But I used it and it worked fine so far as being a shirt was concerned. Just that the fabric does not have any special water repellant coating, like my Marmot cargo trousers. That dries really fast. This shirt got a bit wet on my penultimate day when I was walking towards Mankarmo from the base camp. Next morning it really took some time to dry out, despite being spread in the sun over a tent. So, possibly I will not buy another of this for trekking. But there is no reason to discard it either. It can be a decent shirt for my long drive trips. 

Long Nose Pliers & Adjustable Spanner

Today I had gone to the Bentinck Street area and took the opportunity to get for myself a pair of Long Nose Pliers (Taparia 1430N 170 mm) and an Adjustable Spanner (Taparia 1171N-8 205 mm). Together they cost me Rs 410. One for Rs 220 and the other for Rs 190. I can't remember which one cost how much. 

I bought them from my tested and trusted small tools supplier - Bhanubhai Desai on the corner of the lane in which you have the ABP office. Taparia is a good brand to go for. But I think the internet offers more choice and better price for these tools vis-a-vis Bhanubhai. Taparia itself has several types of long nose pliers. There is another type whose tips are pointed. Mine are rounded. Then there are various sizes. I am not even talking about various other brands that are available on Amazon or Flipkart. 

This is not really a review of the tools for their performance. Just a diary note to remember when I bought them and for how much. The spanner has a small measuring scale to measure the size of the gap/nut. I wonder if anyone uses it with any serious intent and purpose. But it looks cool. The nut with which you slide the spanner to adjust the size could be smoother. It gets stuck sometimes. It should smoothen up with use. But I don't have daily use of these tools. Specific tools are needed for specific types of work. If the right tool is not there for the right job, the work does not get done. 

The pair of pliers seemed a little small for my grip. The spanner is also not the largest. It's just 8 inches long. Longer would give better leverage but weigh more and take more space if I travel with it. 

Anker Solar Charger

Ever since Mezda brought me the Anker solar charger I have not had a chance to test it out. It has been cloudy almost every Sunday. Today I saw a nice beam of sunlight coming through the window in our bedroom. This was at around 3 pm after my late Sunday lunch. 

I set up the charger on the mattress which is laid on the floor (we don't use any bed but sleep on the floor instead). It is very very simple. Just unfold it, lay it out in the sun and connect the USB chord to whatever you want to charge. In my case I charged our power bank. What I realised is that it works perfect when the sun is strong. If it gets cloudy it stops charging. Obviously solar chargers will work only when the sun is out. There is a red light that glows showing that the charging mechanism is on. 

I will have to do a more thorough experiment to see how fast it charges a power bank or a phone.  

I intend to take it on my treks where charging the phone and other devices can be an issue because there is no electricity in the Indian Himalaya. Let me see how it works in the field. One can also use it in the car on office days. My car stays parked out in the open and under the strong sun. 

Missing Link

The front view of the missing links

Today I got for myself a couple of new "missing links" from the Giant store on Bentinck Street. It cost me Rs 150 each. Way cheaper than the online price of something like Rs 1800 for a pack of six links. Bums on the Saddle was selling one at Rs 520 plus Rs 250 for courier.

This is not really a gear for review. It is neither a gear nor a review. This is more of keeping record of the things I have and at what price. This will go into my saddle bag for road trips. It is highly unlikely that my chain would break on the road, given the low mileage that I clock and the top class maintenance of the chain. But no harm being prepared. Also, I learnt a lesson from Rana's example the other day when I had a puncture. Even if you don't need something on the road, a friend might need it and if you have it ready no harm helping him out.

Instructions on the reverse

I have explained the use of a missing link in another post. Read about it here You keep it in the saddle bag to use if your chain is broken. You also need a chain breaker tool to use it. I had said in the other post that I do not have a missing link. Now I have.

Giant is the Indian importer of KMC chains. I found this on the KMC international website. I had enquired about this item the other day with them over phone and was assured that they do have it. Today from work I went to pick up Monisha. We had some time before going to pick up Mampu from her tuition near Southern Avenue. I took the opportunity to go to Giant. While I waited in the car (getting parking on Bentinck Street on a working day evening is impossible) Monisha went to the store and got it for me.

I must mention that this link is called by different names by different manufacturers. KMC calls it a Missing Link. SRAM calls it a Power Lock. Shimano calls it a Quick Link. I prefer to call them master links. The Shimano and SRAM links are apparently not reusable. These KMCs are. I think 9 speed links are reusable but 11 speed ones aren't.

If I ever get a broken chain on the road I will use the missing link to come back home. I am certain of that. But I am equally certain that the first thing I will do before the next ride is replace the chain. A chain that breaks once will be prone to break again. But I will keep the once used link for another emergency. 

Lowepro Flipside 400

I have kept the following items in my Lowepro Flipside 400. It is stored on the last cabinet of our wardrobe in the bed room.

Giotto blower
Cleaning pen, yellow and blue cloth (all in a plastic zip lock pack)
Lexar 8 GB x 2
Sandisk 8 GB + 4 GB (one each)
Lens back cap and camera body cover - 2 sets
Yellow 7D battery back cover