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Originally posted by several members between 2013 and 2016.
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NoNihongo
« Thread started on: Nov 11th, 2013, 05:43am »
Lightweight effective walking poles....
I know people may have different opinions but I would colour it up with messages etc.
The first time I considered using them, it was explained that 15% of the weight you carry is transferred to each pole....
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SeaMonk
« Reply #1 on: Nov 18th, 2013, 4:48pm »
If I regret not taking anything it would be my ipod. I spent most of the walk just singing to myself, which was fine, but a lad I occassionally walked with had his and I was a bit jealous whenever he mentioned the times he walked through the mountains listening to ACDC.
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John Formosa
« Reply #2 on: Nov 19th, 2013, 02:42am »
I ran into a lot of bad weather my first walk a wished I had had better rain/snow gear. I have since remedied that problem.
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ingmarbeldman
« Reply #3 on: Jan 6th, 2014, 10:36am »
I wanna stress what the previous writer wrote: raingear. But..... Especially long-sleeve raintrousers!! No matter how rain-proof-goretexed your boots are, rain drisling into your socks makes them wet inside. Horrible! It happend to me with one of those completely useless 'rain-tents' they suck
. Second problem: finding your size raintrousers in japan. Im 180cm but it took me 3 days before finding size XXXL that fit
Buy it at home. Dont budget on it! You'll have rain at some point!
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cpetersky
« Reply #4 on: Jan 6th, 2014, 11:30am »
Rain pants, huh.
I live in the greater Seattle area, where the climate is notoriously damp. I've been working on my training since September, when I just did 8 miles and thought that was exhausting. Now I'm up to 17-18 miles with a full pack.
Many times I've now walked in the pouring rain. Wearing quick dry trousers or even better yet, quick-dry tights, are fine. The legs get wet, but don't stay damp and clammy against the skin the way cotton trousers or jeans would.
My feet stay nicely dry in my boots (with wool socks and nylon liners). No rainwater trickles in. Now, when I was doing a mountain temple type practice, I climbed to a local summit. Snow, at the higher elevations, was melting in the rain, and the trail was more or less a running creek. The combo of wading through the creek and the rainstorm? Yeah, they got slightly damp. But that's an extreme situation, don't you think?
Meanwhile, rain pants sound un-breatheable, un-stretchy. Don't your legs sweat to the point you wish you weren't wearing them? Don't they restrict your range of movement?
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cpetersky
« Reply #5 on: Mar 29th, 2014, 05:10am »
I should have downloaded a couple more books on my kindle because wifi is so scarce - my chances to download another book have been basically slender to none.
I forgot to bring my reflective tape, but I got some at a bicycle shop, and put it on my staff.
There's lots of things I should not have brought: emergency food; my gallon water pouch (water bottle is adequate); my copy of sutras in romaji (could have just used the guidebook's version); vitamins; my journal - I rarely have written in it, and it is heavy.
Things I've lost so far, and I regret a little: my rosary, which was personally meaningful - but I wouldn't replace it with a random one purchased here; my hat, which I have had for many, many years, worn on many expeditions. Since a hat is an essential for me, I bought a new one here almost immediately. I also lost a pair of heavy wool socks, but it's been OK just to trade off the two remaining pairs.
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daraohuiginnca
« Reply #6 on: Aug 30th, 2014, 05:36am »
for those concerned about raingear I suggest montbell rainpants. They are superlight and good. I use zpacks rain jacket again because super light and very reliable. I use poles - they work well - Black Diamond carbon. I regret not being even lighter with what I bring so I will be down under 4Kg next spring for my second walk. Weigh everything is the secret.
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followingthearrows
« Reply #7 on: Sep 23rd, 2014, 04:09am »
I wish I had downloaded some audio books onto my music player for the many stretches of road walking...
I'm sure I became known as the whistling / singing / slightly crazy single female henro as I walked around, but there were some very long and lonely stretches where listening to a good book would have been great company smiley
(I never listened to music in the mountains / forest because of the number of snakes I saw on the path, I needed to be able to hear them, and the lovely birdsong)
Kat
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robmix
« Reply #8 on: Mar 12th, 2015, 4:52pm »
Raingear!!!! I walked late September into October and got hit by a typhoon…. Lots of rain. I had rain paints and a jacket I thought was water tight. Next time I'd opt for a full on rain poncho. I walked with an umbrella for many days.
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sbguy
« Reply #9 on: Jan 12th, 2016, 12:23am »
I regret not bringing.... too much! grin Seriously though, pack as light as you can possibly stand it! I makes a huge difference. I had a 22 lb (10 kg) pack and it made it a bit rough!
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ashre
« Reply #10 on: Jun 26th, 2016, 09:54am »
A mosquito net! If you're sleeping outside at any point it's vital and it's really hard to find them anywhere on Shikoku. Lots of places, even konbinis, sell the coils you can burn (not a good idea in a lot of wooden structures you might stay in) or deet spays (which say not to apply to your face on the instructions) but a good lightweight mosquito net would have saved my face.
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NoNihongo
« Thread started on: Nov 11th, 2013, 05:43am »
Lightweight effective walking poles....
I know people may have different opinions but I would colour it up with messages etc.
The first time I considered using them, it was explained that 15% of the weight you carry is transferred to each pole....
=====
SeaMonk
« Reply #1 on: Nov 18th, 2013, 4:48pm »
If I regret not taking anything it would be my ipod. I spent most of the walk just singing to myself, which was fine, but a lad I occassionally walked with had his and I was a bit jealous whenever he mentioned the times he walked through the mountains listening to ACDC.
=====
John Formosa
« Reply #2 on: Nov 19th, 2013, 02:42am »
I ran into a lot of bad weather my first walk a wished I had had better rain/snow gear. I have since remedied that problem.
=====
ingmarbeldman
« Reply #3 on: Jan 6th, 2014, 10:36am »
I wanna stress what the previous writer wrote: raingear. But..... Especially long-sleeve raintrousers!! No matter how rain-proof-goretexed your boots are, rain drisling into your socks makes them wet inside. Horrible! It happend to me with one of those completely useless 'rain-tents' they suck
. Second problem: finding your size raintrousers in japan. Im 180cm but it took me 3 days before finding size XXXL that fit Buy it at home. Dont budget on it! You'll have rain at some point!
=====
cpetersky
« Reply #4 on: Jan 6th, 2014, 11:30am »
Rain pants, huh.
I live in the greater Seattle area, where the climate is notoriously damp. I've been working on my training since September, when I just did 8 miles and thought that was exhausting. Now I'm up to 17-18 miles with a full pack.
Many times I've now walked in the pouring rain. Wearing quick dry trousers or even better yet, quick-dry tights, are fine. The legs get wet, but don't stay damp and clammy against the skin the way cotton trousers or jeans would.
My feet stay nicely dry in my boots (with wool socks and nylon liners). No rainwater trickles in. Now, when I was doing a mountain temple type practice, I climbed to a local summit. Snow, at the higher elevations, was melting in the rain, and the trail was more or less a running creek. The combo of wading through the creek and the rainstorm? Yeah, they got slightly damp. But that's an extreme situation, don't you think?
Meanwhile, rain pants sound un-breatheable, un-stretchy. Don't your legs sweat to the point you wish you weren't wearing them? Don't they restrict your range of movement?
=====
cpetersky
« Reply #5 on: Mar 29th, 2014, 05:10am »
I should have downloaded a couple more books on my kindle because wifi is so scarce - my chances to download another book have been basically slender to none.
I forgot to bring my reflective tape, but I got some at a bicycle shop, and put it on my staff.
There's lots of things I should not have brought: emergency food; my gallon water pouch (water bottle is adequate); my copy of sutras in romaji (could have just used the guidebook's version); vitamins; my journal - I rarely have written in it, and it is heavy.
Things I've lost so far, and I regret a little: my rosary, which was personally meaningful - but I wouldn't replace it with a random one purchased here; my hat, which I have had for many, many years, worn on many expeditions. Since a hat is an essential for me, I bought a new one here almost immediately. I also lost a pair of heavy wool socks, but it's been OK just to trade off the two remaining pairs.
=====
daraohuiginnca
« Reply #6 on: Aug 30th, 2014, 05:36am »
for those concerned about raingear I suggest montbell rainpants. They are superlight and good. I use zpacks rain jacket again because super light and very reliable. I use poles - they work well - Black Diamond carbon. I regret not being even lighter with what I bring so I will be down under 4Kg next spring for my second walk. Weigh everything is the secret.
=====
followingthearrows
« Reply #7 on: Sep 23rd, 2014, 04:09am »
I wish I had downloaded some audio books onto my music player for the many stretches of road walking...
I'm sure I became known as the whistling / singing / slightly crazy single female henro as I walked around, but there were some very long and lonely stretches where listening to a good book would have been great company smiley
(I never listened to music in the mountains / forest because of the number of snakes I saw on the path, I needed to be able to hear them, and the lovely birdsong)
Kat
=====
robmix
« Reply #8 on: Mar 12th, 2015, 4:52pm »
Raingear!!!! I walked late September into October and got hit by a typhoon…. Lots of rain. I had rain paints and a jacket I thought was water tight. Next time I'd opt for a full on rain poncho. I walked with an umbrella for many days.
=====
sbguy
« Reply #9 on: Jan 12th, 2016, 12:23am »
I regret not bringing.... too much! grin Seriously though, pack as light as you can possibly stand it! I makes a huge difference. I had a 22 lb (10 kg) pack and it made it a bit rough!
=====
ashre
« Reply #10 on: Jun 26th, 2016, 09:54am »
A mosquito net! If you're sleeping outside at any point it's vital and it's really hard to find them anywhere on Shikoku. Lots of places, even konbinis, sell the coils you can burn (not a good idea in a lot of wooden structures you might stay in) or deet spays (which say not to apply to your face on the instructions) but a good lightweight mosquito net would have saved my face.
