I don't have a picture to go with a gear tip today, but soon.
I do have a picture to go with my post though. I am preparing for a major trip this summer, we're going to hike the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska. The trip will justify its own thread, but for now, just a peek at a recent acquisition in anticipation of the big trip.
I'm a big guy, and I carry a lot of gear, so footgear is crucial. I have a few pairs of boots, but, having wrecked my favorite pair, I needed to get a replacement pair in time to become acquainted before we hit the trail. I love gear and especially like used gear and I shop at a local outfitter here called
Second Ascent. I bought a pair of
La Sportiva Makalu boots. The link is to a list of reviews, and it seems to be a very polarizing boot. Love it or Hate it, no one was neutral about it. I bought a used pair, and naturally I tried them on before I did so. After reading the negative comments in the reviews, I think I'm going to be fine. My feet are not wider than normal, and since I got them used, they've been broken in some. Not to my feet, of course, which is why I've been wearing them everywhere since I got them. I really like them.
They're a full leather boots, like my old Tecnicas I murdered, and unlike the Asolos I am trading up from. I need the support, and I don't mind the extra weight. Also, I don't care how much snow seal you use, mesh/goretex/fabric panels in the boot will let the water in. And the first third of the Chilkoot trip will be wet. Rainforest wet. I am not hiking with wet feet dammit. So along with the boots, I bought a tube of Nikwax, and cleaned them up with a stiff brush and saturated the leather with the Nikwax. As you can see from the pictures, they cleaned up real nice.
Before and after: