Travel Gear

One of the most important aspects of travel planning is no doubt packing the right gear. I try to take gear on my trip that I already own, however for this trip I needed to buy a few things. This is mostly due to the fact that I have only been traveling through warmer climates. This trip however takes me through the cold Winter of Europe and the last remains of the bitter cold Winter in Siberia. Therefore I want to make sure that I am safe and snug out there. I decided to buy a few new clothes and shoes, which I’d like to share my first hands-on-experience with you in this blog post.

Shoes – Mammut T Aenergy GTX

I knew that I need a warm pair of shoes for some parts of my trip as I intend to do some hiking in the Ural Mountains. So the logical thing would be to go and buy super warm snow/hiking boots. But the problem with these is that they are very heavy, bulky and only good for this one particular activity. My trip however includes different temperatures and climates. Therefore a super warm hiking boot would not be very useful outside Siberia. I have tried on the Hudson Bay Texapore from Jack Wolfskin, which I felt was very warm and comfortable. But I was unsure whether or not to buy it after asking some more experts about what to bring on my trip. As pointed out earlier the Hudson Bay Texapore is this kind of super warm hiking boot, which wasn’t practical on my trip. So I continued my search for more versatile boots. Also I was worried that I’ll have cold feet when compromising on the shoes. However I was told that it is better to wear warm and thick socks in lighter but waterproof boots such as the Mammut T Aenergy GTX. When I tried them on they fitted my feet perfectly and I felt very comfortable in them. The Mammut shoe is lighter than the one from Jack Wolfskin and is easier to clean as it is all synthetics instead of leather. The Mammut boots would also be suitable to wear in warmer places. I decided to go for the Mammut T Aenergy GTX. I gave it already a few small test when I went sledging the other day. It held up perfectly and confirmed my expectations. I went to Uetliberg in Zürich and the temperatures were around 0°C with ice and snow. I had perfectly warm feets with merino wool socks.

Jackets

Warm and functional clothing is very important to me and especially on this trip where I am expecting temperatures well below zero and well above. I was searching for a Jacket that keeps me warm, is light and when packed away only takes up little space. Of course there is no Jacket that I can wear on my whole trip and that fulfills the before mentioned criteria. After reading up on what to wear (TravelIndependent helped a bit) I decided on buying multiple layers of clothing. Now I have a down Jacket from Jack Wolfskin and Windstopper Jacket that I can wear over the down Jacket.  Underneath I can wear warm merion shirts from icebreaker.

Rucksack – Denali 60

I already own a Berghaus 45+8 liter rucksack that I used for various travels to South-East-Asia. It is a good rucksack but has a few things that I don’t like about it. Namely that it has no front access, which is very annoying as always the thing you need is at the bottom and the only way to get to it is to unload everything first. It is the perfect size however sometimes I wish to have this tinny bit more space to fit in some things I bought on the road. What I like a lot about my Berghaus rucksack are the various side pocket it offers. For my travel from London to Singapore by Train I knew that I need a little bit more space, front access and pockets on the sides. I have done some internet research as well as visiting a few outdoor stores around town. I came across the Denali 60 rucksack from Jack Wolfskin, which was on sale as well. It provided all the important things I was looking for and was reasonably priced as well (due to sale). I ended up buying the Denali 60. I haven’t field tested it yet but I am sure it will be perfect for my needs.

** Note: I am not associated with any of the companies, brands, sellers, etc.. mentioned in this post. I have included the link as it might be useful for fellow travelers.