Trekking South America!

Nothing can derail a perfectly good hike as fast as a niggling little blister, especially when it multiplies in size until it’s the only thing you can think of step after miserable step. We’ve all had them. But what’s a walker to do? Is there away to avoid these annoyances?

Solution ! YES please :

Double-check the hiking boot fit.If you’re a beginning backpacker and you’re not used to the feel of hiking boots, wear them at home for a couple of days for several hours to be sure they are comfortable.

Break in your boots.This is usually as much of an issue of toughening your feet as softening your boots. Any way you look at it, your feet and boots are going to have to reach a compromise, and better they work out their differences near home than on the trail.

Wear wicking socks—polypropylene or nylon are fine—under a pair of wool or wool-and-nylon blend outer socks. The wicking socks are less abrasive, plus they move moisture away from your feet. Never wear cotton socks—cotton absorbs moisture and practically guarantees blisters.

Go easy on the mileageand keep your pack weight as low as possible.

The absolutely number one most important rule of blister prevention:The second you feel the slightest hint of something rubbing in your shoe, STOP! Ignore your hiking partner’s pleas to just keep going. Find the pebble, grass-seed, clump of dirt, grain of sand, or wrinkle in the sock. If it’s a tight boot that’s causing trouble, rub the inside of your boot with the blunt, rounded end of a Swiss army knife to try to stretch the leather or fabric.

If you know you’ve got a vulnerable trouble spot, like the back of your heel, put a piece of patches anti-Blisters on it before you start walking.

Treat a hot spot with patches anti-Blisters on the trail.If a blister has already started forming (it can happen in mere seconds), use a dressing  to treat burns—and after all, blisters are nothing more than friction burns.Whether you’re putting patches anti-Blisters over a hot spot or adhesive tape over a  dressing, remember that tape adheres better to dry skin than wet skin—so use a bandanna to dry your sweaty feet first.

image by trekSA

trekSA together with Mountain Mail Order/Seven Summits organize a group discount for our next year Patagonia hiker on purchase of trekking gear.

• Hiker get 10% discount purchasing at 25 Anson road Observatory- Cape Town.
• Or 10% online discount ( password required ! ).

Mountain Mail Order activated a 10% discount for trekSA hikers.  Once you have chosen all the items and go to “Checkout”, just under the total amount, there is a box where they must enter the promotional code.  The code is ( password required ! ).  It is not case sensitive.  They must then press “Apply”.  This will automatically apply the discount to their order.

For walk in customers, you must just mention that you are (password required !) and the staff will know that they must give you the discount. Please for walk in customers note that Mountain Mail order do not hold alot of stock and that it is better for to come in well in advance so that they can order items which they may do not have.  This only takes a couple of days depending on whether suppliers have stock which is not normally a problem.If you have any queries at all, please give us a call or email ….

Caio

trekSA team.

Mountain Mail Order started up 16 years ago and has since become the largest suppliers of Trekking equipment in South Africa !

Petzl e+LITE

The bugger is tiny, super lightweight and has features that make it stand above all the usual suspects of the headlamp world.

But unfortunately , defective manufacture/design  left me many time piss off with this trekking gear :

-Although the light performed well a big problem in sandy areas , was that due to the design of the toggle switch, grains of sand would get trapped behind the switch making it impossible to move it back or forth.

-The plastic ball design supporting the headlamp eventually worn off ( few hour of use ) , leaving you with a light beam shining your belly opposite the trekking trail.

Images by TrekSA

If you have to choose only one (1) item from your backpack in the wilderness and the others stay behind , Which item you choose ?

No doubt in my mind I pick my best hiking friend Katadyn portable water filter !

This robust water filter made of heavy-duty materials is ideal for long-lasting continuous use even under extreme circumstances. The silver impregnated ceramic element is effective against bacteria and protozoa and can filter up to 50000 Liters of water with one 0.2 micron ceramic depth filter (cleanable).

How to Choose  lightweight trekking stoves ! 

Fuel stoves come in a variety of designs and most trekkers all have their favourites , the 3 Basic option are : Petrol , Gas and Alcohol  all have their respective advantages and disadvantages ! 

Petrol or liquid fuel : Many trekkers consider these stoves to be the best choice for trekking. The most popular brand for these is MSR (Mountain Safety Research) . These stoves are generally the most sophisticated in design and consequently the most expensive, the fastest and hottest stoves tend to be the Petrol stoves if you need to melt a lot of snow for water then this type of stove is your best bet.

Gas : For most people Gas stoves tend to be the most popular and the most efficient. Their weight can be very good for their performance and they can be very reliable , If you are not worried about weight or about running out of fuel then take a gas stove.When you look at Gas stoves you need to be aware that the minimum weight of an empty cartridge is 4oz/110g and of a full one is 200+g. So, with the lightest gas stove on the market you are still looking at around 200g in weight before you add-on anything to boil water in. The two main drawbacks with this type of stove are that the fuel cartridges are heavy when full and they are not all that good in cold temperatures. Gas stoves tend to be no-brainers. Light a match and you are ready to cook. All the other stoves vary in difficulty of getting and keeping them going. 

Alcohol : These are a very simple and cheap stove, they offer reasonable performance for the money invested. They are simple in design and require no priming or pressurizing ,  a number of studies have been done in the US on weight/performance of stoves for lightweight camping and the short answer is that alcohol stoves perform the best for a one or two-week trip when you include in the calculations the total fuel weight.With the alcohol stoves you also need to allow for a fuel bottle and fuel but for an efficient stove you are only looking at 1oz of fuel per meal (hot water). Your stove will vary as will the wind conditions and the external air temperature.The main drawback with these stoves is safety. 

Alcohol Stove