Sea to Summit Nylon Tarp Poncho

 Sea to Summit has two ponchos. One is the Ultrasil - costing upwards of Rs 9,000. The other is a nylon poncho at 6K plus. While Ultrasil is very light and thin the nylon tarp is thicker. After much research I settled for the cheaper one. My main objective is to have it during trek and take it out during a big shower. Because it covers both the man and the backpack.  

I am afraid I didn't find too many online reviews for it. Almost all the reviews are about its usefulness as a tarp (Americanese for tarpaulin). There is this growing trend among western hikers to ditch the tent and go more minimalistic with just a tarp that you can pitch as a shelter with your walking stick for support etc. or by tying it to two trees with a rope. I don't see myself doing that in the near future. 

I wanted to see comments about its usefulness as a poncho. People say you are likely to sweat a lot in it. More than in the Ultrsil. That is true for all rain protection gear. I have a Colombia rain jacket that makes me sweat. I get so wet that sometimes I wonder if it would've been better to get drenched in rain water than in salty sweat. But that which cannot be cured must be endured.

I am yet to unpack the poncho. It looks barely larger than a cricket ball. It is so well packed that I am afraid I might not be able to pack it back. But I have to do it before my trip because  discovering it in the trail can have catastrophic effect on my comfort. 

Like my S2S Sprint bag this is also going to go on my cycling trips. 

 

Sea to Summit Sprint

 Last evening (30th March, 2025) my latest gear arrived by post. A 20-lit backpack from Sea To Summit. The model name is Sprint. It costs upward of Rs 9000. But I organised a six month EMI scheme with S2S India. I intend to pay for it from my monthly pension. And thanks to them for trusting me in good faith.

The bag is supposed to be water proof and extremely light. It has a roll top closure that requires 4 folds minimum to make it waterproof. I bought it with a view to take on treks where I personally carry only small items that's needed on the trail. Rest I outsource to porters/mules. I have so far been using the larger Deuter backpack for this purpose. This S2S is much lighter and water proof which are two very major plus points. 

But it has a few disadvantages too. It does not have any waist belt and there is no external pockets for water bottles. The model that has these things (and some other features too like a much firmer back panel) costs Rs 26,000. If I was still in service or if the stock market was booming I would probably buy that :-) But let's get on with what I have and not fret over what I don't have.

Last night, in my excitement to try out this new gear immediately, I went out for a short walk. I loaded it with two fat Dalrymple books and a 1 lit water bottle. So the total weight must have been around 3 kilos. It sat very well on the back. It did not bounce against my back as I suspected and I almost did not feel it was there. I was missing the waist belt but that is perhaps a more psychological requirement than anything real.

It has a thin layer of back panel to sit comfortably on the back. I hope it does not soak in and transfer all my sweat from the back. It also has a string on the outside to stuff a jacket or something. They call it compression system. That is you can pull the string tight to make the bag more compact.

My idea for it is to carry my camera, some dry food, a poncho, a towel and a jacket in it on the trail. And of course water bottles. I usually carry two one litre bottles in my Deuter. One of them is filled with electrolytes. In this I wish to carry two 750 ml cycling bidons because their top closure is a lot more dependable to not leak. I might carry another small bidon in the pocket of my shirt (I have carried 1 lit Kinley bottles in them in the past). I have to put these things for real in the bag and go out a few times to see how it performs. Carrying water bottle and camera side by side does not agree in my mind. I might end up carrying a very thin S2S dry bag - purchased in Amsterdam - as a double protection for the camera. 

Ditching the old trusted Deuter for something this small and thin will take a lot of mental strength. But it's a very handy bag that has another advantage over the Deuter. Suppose I am going from Siliguri to Yuksom in a shared jeep. The large Forclaz duffle will go on top of the jeep. If I have the Deuter the jeep conductor will want to put it on the roof too because it's larger and will not be comfortable to carry on my lap in the jeep. The S2S is small and looks very light and handy. No one will ask me to put it up on the roof. Actually I might even put it in the duffle and put everything up on the roof. My only concern is the camera.

The inside of the bag has a waterproof lining and white. That makes looking inside the bag for things rather easy. The seams are entirely sealed. I hope they stay well for a long time. The Lowe Alpine dry bags I had purchased from Trek Kit did not last for too long. Same with my Marmot tent. They flake off. 

The base of the bag is quite thick. It's a 420D material. But the upper part is really thin that makes it extremely light. They say the buckles are field replaceable. That would imply I carry a star key of the right size and a spare buckle. Good luck with that. But at home I can. 

While I will use it in Goechala for sure, I see myself using it as almost a daily back pack. I was thinking of rucking on a regular basis and this bag would be ideal for that. But I do not want to put iron barbel weights. Concentrated weight may not be good for the fabric. I see it as a must take gear for any cycling trip for sure. Light, form fitting on the back and waterproof. But I guess this is targetted at ultra marathoners - it lacks a hydration pack pouch though. But hydration packs require a hole for the pipe to come out. That would compromise the waterproofness of it. 

I will keep updating the other pros and cons of the bag as I go. 

Salewa Hiking Boots

My Meindl suddenly crumbled a few months ago. I had bought it off the Kathmandu store in Amsterdam. The sole came off and the mid sole became brittle and became dust. Very unfortunate that it didn't survive more than five years of very light use. Perhaps that was what did it in. Covid kept us home bound for a long time.

After that I started wearing the Timberland more extensively. It had already gone to Mr Mochi once. But after the North Bengal bird festival it gave in completely. The pasting came off once again. I somehow managed to finish the trek but the shoe will obviously have to be retired off. While I will take it to Mr Mochi once again, I cannot depend on it for long hikes on rough roads. It can at best serve as a motorcycle riding boot where long walks will not be involved. The shoes served me well for about eight years and I am very happy with them.

Incidentally I am keeping the Meindls with me for now. In case I go to England or the US I intend to try and get them repaired. They have highly professional repair shops there, which we don't have here. In fact Meindl itself repairs them - one has to send them through the dealer - but it costs 110 pounds or more. I shall see how to deal with it.

I knew I would buy the Salwa but was keeping it pending. But finally after coming home from Lepchakha I pulled the trigger on the Salewa MS MTN Trainer Lite Mid GTX. The colour is called Brown Bungee Cord and the size I chose is 8. I placed the order on 11th March, 2023.

The listed price is Rs 14000. But it would've worked out cheaper by tweleve hundred bucks due to all the cash back schemes. 

Salewa is a German/Italian company that is based in Tirol. Officially the company is Italian but I guess the owners are German. Tirol is in the Italian-German-Austrian border and home to most of the legendary mountain boot manufacturers for more than a hundred years. This area has also produced many legendary mountaineers like Reinhold Messner or Peter Habeler. So mountain and skiing boot makers with any pedigree are all based here. That way Salewa ticks a major box off. Incidentally, designed as they are in Tirol, the boots are manufactured in Vietnam.

The box was delieverd in a day. I had ordered it on a Saturday (I had come backon Friday) and it came home on Sunday. Well packed in the original Salewa box. The first visual imprssion was it looks a tad narrow. I put them on and it fitted just fine. No problem whatsoever. My feet are slightly broad in the front but fit was not a problem for me. I felt a small hump under the bridge/arch of my left foot. Only on the left foot. I will come to that later.

I walked a few steps inside the house on the tiled floor of my flat to check for the basic fit and feel. The sole felt almost sticky. I am hoping the grip would be very good on mountain trails. These are not Vibram soles. They have used soles from a company called Pomoca. This is one of their group companies and perhaps explains why the boot is cheaper. This is my first pair of mountain boots that do not have Vibram soles. Many other companies too do not use Vibram any more, perhaps for their price. 

My Salewa came with Goretex lining though. This is a major requirement for me while buying mountain boots. I think Goretex is worth the price you pay. It makes your boots absolutely water proof (unless of course water sips in throug the top, in which case even a gumboot is not waterproof). Some companies like Columbia have ditched GTX for their inhouse material but I have no experience with them. Not using GTX certainly makes anything significantly cheaper.

On Monday I went for my maiden walk in them. I had a haircut to take and I decided to walk it out and chose the Salewa as my boot. I added it to my gear list on Garmin Connect and made it the default shoe for any recorded walking activity. This means every time I walk with the Garmin on, these shoes will be added to the activity and I can see how many kilometers it has covered. I hope to get at least a couple of thousand kilometers out of them with a good part of that being in the mountains. However, with my current condition of the knees I don't know for how long I will be able to nurture the dreams of walking in the mountains. 

I intend to use these as my main shoes for any walk. Be it in the city, jungles or mountains. That's the best way to keep a pair of boots happy. They are not happy to be kept in shoe racks. This is also true for most things like a car, motorcycle, camera, recorder, computer. Anything that stays idle for a long time develops problems. 

Out on the street I could feel that hump under the bridge of my left foot. I once had plantar fascitiis and this happened. Even the softest and the most comfortable pair of sports shoes were hurting me under the bridge as if the sole had bulged up. So I realised may be my sole is not in best shape after the walks in Lepchakha. But after some time, perhaps less than a kilometer, the hump started to become less pronounced. By the end of the day that feeling was gone. 

I don't know if the shape of the boot adjusted to my feet but it's okay now.

The boots also felt a little warmer than usual. Goretex certainly makes anything warmer. But this particular warmth is perhaps to do with the boots' material and how it is sealed. I am okay with it. Even in Calcutta this was fine for me.

I couldn't feel that grippy stickiness of the sole I felt off the box at home any more on the street. And the boots had no signs of any stiff new boot. It didn't require any breaking in unless that left foot issue was about breaking in. If it is so, then it got broken in within a kilometer. 

The shoes, I must say, are not as comfortable as my Meindls. That sole in my Meindl had a midsole which was quite soft and gave great cushioning. But that is the part that crumbled like dry leaves or cookies and made it unrepairable in India. 

The lace is slightly shorter than I have seen in my other hiking boots. That is not a problem for me though. It's just an observation.

Among other things, the boots have rand around the toes only. Not a full rand. That's fine for me, given that I am not into heavy mountaineering. They also have two loops in the back to hang them, if necessary. They have some technical name that I forget now. I think bootstrap. They have no practical utility except that they give the boots a professional look.

I am hoping  that these boots will serve me for at least a couple of thousand kilometers or more over the next at least 8/10 years. Let me see if they live up to my expectations. I am going to keep a tab. 

Time to retire after eight years

Adventures With The Salewa

May 2023 - Calcutta to Sandakphu driving trip. Combination of self drive (to and from Manebhanjang) and Land Rover taxi. 

Bought a pair of Bata in-soles for Rs 500 before the VoF trek. Improved comfort considerably. 

July 2023 - Valley of Flowers 21st to 26th July, 2023. The boots performed pretty well on wet rocks while going downhill with a 5/6 kg load on back. Not as comfortable as the Meindls but has a good grip. Perhaps better grip than the Meindls. 

At VoF with the Salewas on

October 24 - Annapurna Base Camp - Completed the six day ABC trek in Nepal in these boots. They performed just fine. No problem. The toe nails are intact. They both fell off after VOF.

At MBC 

New Weapon of Choice

Sunday, May 5, 2024

The big boy just got a new toy. It's a new lens. After retirement I had bought a new mirrorless camera - Canon R7. I made do with the old 400 mm lens with an adaptor. But I always knew I would have to go for a compatible mirrorless lens with RF mount. Within my affordable range I found the 100-500 would suit me fine. Partha and Suranjan both have it.

The lens at 100 mm 

When I spoke to Tanvir about it he said he had an almost new but used one at Rs 1.7L. The new one would cost me Rs 2.2L. I was a little apprehensive about buying something used at such a high price. I don't know why a person would sell off an almost new lens unless she broke it or did something equally dreadful. So I decided I would get it officially checked by Canon. Suranjan spoke to the Canon guy, Jayanta De, who promised to examine it if brought to their workshop.

Tanvir was kind enough to lend me the lens for a couple of days. That was on a Saturday. I went straight to Dhakuria Lake and took a few shots of the Asian Openbills and a few night herons and even some flying black kites and crows in flight. Nothing seemed wrong with the glass. In fact the crow in flight was tac sharp. Although sharpness at 500 wasn't nothing much to write home about compared to my prime, what I liked about the lens is its IS. My prime doesn't have IS and I am increasingly finding it difficult to take handheld shots with it at lower shutter speeds. I shoot these days on shutter speed priority with the speed set at 400. With this I could easily step down much further. I guess I shot even at 1/60 sec handheld with it. With some practice I should be able to step down even farther.

However, since I am so used to the feather light 400 mm, my initial reaction to the new lens was "this is really heavy" :-) Apparently this is a very light lens. I would perhaps get used to its weight soon.

On Monday I went to Canon and got it tested. What I was told (after a few hours) is that the lens belongs to one Dr Susmita Dutta. It has about a year and a half of warranty still left (it was bought in November 2023). Although it had once been brought to the workshop (and they couldn't tell me exactly why) they found nothing wrong with the lens. It was perfectly in order, they said. 

In the form of a possible explanation, they said, it could have come for either a software upgrade (yes lenses also need software updates) or for calibration with the camera. I was convinced that I could buy it.

I went back and paid Tanvir the amount. I paid through Monisha's cashback card for which Tanvir charged Rs 1700. In revenge I took a Nissi UV filter from him for free. 

However, what irked me is that there was no hood with the lens. Tanvir gave me the canvas lens bag and the lens back cover etc but not the hood. He said he would get it from the original user and asked me to come back after a couple of days. I phoned back after a couple of days. The hood was still not found. 

The lens fully extended to 500 mm

I felt rather distraught. Mentally I decided, either I get the original Canon hood or I return the lens and buy a new lens. I wouldn't settle for anything in between. I was somehow convinced that this person perhaps dropped the lens and broke the hood and wants to sell it off now. On Saturday (yesterday 4th May, 2024) I called Tanvir to say I am coming to discuss it. He said they have found the hood. I went quickly to his shop by Metro and procured the white lens hood. 

It's a lovely little hood with a window for using polariser filter (hardly anyone does it these days but they improve the photographic quality several notches up). One might think what's the big deal about a lens hood. After all it's just a piece of plastic, albeit a well engineered one.

These hoods are very difficult to find in the aftermarket. No one wants to stock them because hardly anyone buys them. Even if they are available they cost a bomb. I think something like Rs 8K for what is essentially a plastic cup without a bottom. But using the lens without the hood is out of question. Apart from its stray light stopping abilities it's a protection against small nicks and bruises while walking in forests. A stray branch can easily put a scratch mark even with the hood on. 

And there is a heaven and hell difference between the original hood and a replacement, aftermarket hood. I would never buy a third party hood. 

While my 400 mm came with a fixed and retractable hood, this one is obviously a detachable one. 

Anyway, I am pretty happy with the lens now. If Canon comes out with an affordable 500 or even 400 mm prime I might go for it and sell this off. I wouldn't be paying for the depreciation. If I could get one, I would also love to have an old 500 mm tele.  

As of now the lens has the Nissi UV filter on. I have a Hoya on the 24-70. I will swap the two. The Hoya on my 400 prime has a small scratch. I will possibly change it with a new Nissi.

As of now I am not too sure what to do with the 400 mm prime. I am emotionally very attached to it. Let me see how much I use it. If I find it is not finding too much use then I might sell it off. It should fetch me at least 35K if I sold it now. I will possibly get it cleaned once. It's been ten years since I bought it or perhaps more. I have never touched it for cleaning so far. 

Saucony Excursion TR 16 GTX

This morning (12th December, 2023) my Saucony Excurssion TR 16 GTX arrived from Amazon. It cost us Rs 8K. We certainly didn't pay cash for it but used Monisha's gift vouchers given by the bank on completion of her 30 years with them.

It's supposed to be a trail running shoe and I loved it right away. The grip of the soles feels fantastic. It's Saucony's own sole and not Vibram. The fit is really nice and neutral (I take size 8). Fits me like a glove. It's also pretty light unlike other trail running shoes which are typically a little heavier than normal running shoes. I am sure it can be easily used for low altitude treks. I have added it to my list of gear on Garmin Connect and it will be automatically added to my runs - if and when I do.

I got it mainly because I loved the price and also with a view to ultimately replace the very old Quechuas, which I use for all sorts of rough adventures including daily cycling. I will not go cycling in the Saucony - at least as of now. This pair will be used for other adventure outings like this forthcoming motorcycling trip to Darjeeling etc.

For cycling I have my new Bata Power. I think that Quechua pair is going on for the last eight years or so. I got it repaired from Mr Mochi at least 3/4 times. It should be given an honourable retirement now. Next time I go to the mountains I will take it with me and give it away to a porter. They are usually very poor and would love such a free gift. 

My Timberland has also given way after several years of rugged use. I will give it away to the young boy across the street who always asks me to get him a pair like that. I think he has some developmental issues and isn't quite normal. They aren't very well off also. 

So this Saucony and Power are going to replace my Quechua and Timberland. The Power is very el cheapo. I think I paid Rs 1200 for it.

My immediate reaction to the Saucony is - I love the pair. One of the best sneakers I have ever bought. Even the lace feels very nice and not nylony (which feel like they wouldn't sit tight and might slip lose). I shall have to see how long they last. I will go for a short run soon with them. 

The price is simply great. Such a pair should easily cost Rs 12K. Amazon is selling it for 8K. On the Saucony India website it is available for 7K. But I cannot use my gift vouchers on that site. The non-GTX version is even cheaper. I think 5K. 

So, here I am with a new pair of shoes that fits me fine, comes at a great price, has fantastic grip and looks great. What else do I need?

But the true test of a pair of shoes comes from its longevity and durability. I would expect it to last me at least for five years before it needs any repair. Let me see how it goes. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

14th December, 2023

First Walk Impressions

Went on a 5 km walk around the house for the first time in these shoes this evening. They are pretty light and very comfortable. The right foot is a little loose as usual for me because that foot is a tad smaller. I have to live with it.

JBL Flip 5

 Bought it on September 30 at 6.5K off Amazon. 

Rab Venant

19th September, 2023

For my 59th birthday I got Monisha to gift me a pair of Rab Venant trousers. I bought it off Amazon because we have a lot of Amazon vouchers available with us. Monisha got them as gift from her office on completion of her 30 years with them. It cost us Rs 5950 and frankly if I had to pay it in cash I don't think I would buy them. I have never worn trousers that are these expensive. And this is after a good discount. The actual price is more than 9K !!!

I bought it in size 30 and colour cummin. It fits me quite well. Both around the waist and length. It feels very stretchy. Even the pocket material feels stretchy. It has one vertical pocket with a zip on the right leg and four other regular pockets. One of the hip pockets has a deep side pocket with it that has a loop on top. I have no idea what that is for. Actually these are positioned as rock climbing pants. So perhaps they have some technical utility. I am not sure. One of the belt loops on the back also has another loop. Again I am clueless why. You could perhaps hang a few carabiners from there. There is one other loop kind of thing on the left leg of the pants. Again I have no idea what that is for. 

What I like about this pair is that it's very very light and should dry fast. I have a Marmot that I use for trekking. But the only problem with that is it's very very large for me on the waist. I have reduced around my waist since buying them plus they are at least one size larger than they should be. I mean if this is 34, I would need 28 perhaps. 

This Rab fits me fine. It has an elastic kind of waist with two buttons in the front. They are small and you have to pay attention while closing them. But that's okay. 

Being rock climbing pants I am hoping that they will be tought and durable. They feel very comfortable. I will add more comments when I do at least one trek in them. I guess these will be my principal trekking pants now, with the Marmot going as a spare.