As I prepare to take my mom, Liz, to buy her first pair of trail shoes, I thought I’d revisit this most frequently asked question – about buying trail shoes. Is there a ‘best shoe’? What should I look for? Where can I go to look for them?
People are magpies – indiscriminately hoarding items that MAY be of use. And when we pack for races we tend to do the same, throwing in this and that ‘just in case’. I asked a number of adventure racers to confess the unusual items lurking in their backpacks and crates, whether practical or sentimental.
Mini gaiters are easy to make, especially this basic design. You can sew these gaiters by hand (or even use fabric glue?) but they are obviously longer lasting if sewn by machine. Gaiters prevent trail debris (stones, sand, grass seeds, sticks) from getting into your shoes.
Summer on the highveld or winter in the Cape, there’s a chance that you could be caught in a downpour during a race. One quick rainstorm is hardly a worry; hours or days of continual rain can wear you down mentally.
Frequent questions about lights keep popping up on the mailing lists. I do not claim to be an expert but our training circumstances over here in Namibia prompted me to do many hours of research on the subject. So my two cents’ worth…
Short-roping is when a “guide” (the more confident person) and a “client” (the less confident person – either through inexperience, injury, exhaustion, or a variety of other reasons) move together over terrain that is subjectively or objectively hazardous.
A woman called this past week and asked me to recommend a trail shoe brand and model to her for running Cape Odyssey in October. Instead of a recommendation, she got a lecture on choosing shoes. Trail, or “off-road”, shoes have a tread more chunky and aggressive than road shoes to increase traction.
I recently did a talk on adventure racing (AR) and a lass in the front row was glowing at slides of international adventure racing legends Mike Kloser, Ian Adamson and Nathan Fa’ave projected on the wall.
The lists below will provide a basic guide and the answer to your question, “What equipment do I need?”. Some time ago the idea was raised that adventure craft should conform to a 1:10 ratio. This means that the beam width of a craft should not be less than a 10th of its length.
Making sure that you have the right personal equipment and compulsory is absolutely essential. Working from your toes to your head, if you’re kitted out correctly, you’ll definitely be better prepared.
AdventureLisa Blog