Gear Update/ Review

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First Gear Update: Dec. 3, 2009
Our Tale of Woe:
The most drastic change in our gear has been the loss of Courtney’s Eagle Creek collapsible daypack and its contents: Nikon D-70 DSLR, her prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and our quad-band cell phone. Of course the biggest hit for Courtney was her Nikon D-70, as it was her pride and joy, and also the most expensive item on our packing list. However, in the grand scheme of things, we were not really using the D-70 for most of our pictures. 90% of all the photos taken on this trip, including almost all of the Galapagos pictures, were shot with my little Olympus Stylus 850 SW point-and-shoot. We haven’t had much opportunity to use the D-70, and even thought about shipping it back home. Although it provides for much crisper photos, we left the D-70 behind on most of our Galapagos adventures, due to its bulkiness, as we had to do some scrambling over volcanic rock and water. Yep folks, you can get pretty good pics from a point-and-shoot these days!
Stuff We Like:
The Olympus Stylus 850 SW is very convenient, allows for quick and easy one handed deployment and operation, and can take a beating. I’ve dropped this hardy little camera two times, over hard tiled surfaces, from about 4 feet up, and it keeps snapping away perfectly. Also, all of our uploaded videos have been shot using the Olympus 850 SW. It’s really nice to know that I could keep this little camera safe in my front pocket, whip it out quickly, and don’t have to worry about getting it wet or dropping it! I would say that the Olympus 850 SW, along with our Aseus EEE netbook, are our two most important electronic devises so far on this RTW trip.That being said, our Surefire flashlights and Princeton Tec Quad Headlamps, have given us many brilliant moments, especially due to the daily rolling black-outs in all of Ecuador. Walking back to our hostel in pitch black of night is not something to look forward to, especially when the streets are spotted with potholes, dog poo, and puddles of Ecuadorian men, marking their territories!

We have also been VERY pleased with our backpacking boots! My Mammuts quickly broke-in, fit like a glove, and even with the Smartwool socks, stay comfortable temperature-wise. Courtney’s Asolo Styngers, also fit her well, and keeps her reasonable comfortable, despite her heel-spur. In addition, we feel we can and have stomped over ANYTHING with our boots on: we’ve hiked over jagged volcanic rock, trod through thick mud and hopefully not poo, and crunched over a field of broken glass, to no discomfort!

Other BIG stand-outs in my clothing department are my Athletic Works rash guards from Wal-Mart, Sugoi Spearhead Shorts, and my AE magic shorts. So far, I’ve worn this combo 99% of the time! In fact, the only time I’m not sporting these babies are when I’m showering, and at night, when they are drying! I love the AW rash guards: in fact, if I had to do it over again, I would pack about 10 of these babies in various cuts, a softshell, and nothing more, for my tops. The rash guards and the Sugoi shorts, which I use as underwear, are comfortable, durable, and they don’t stink. I know some of you will think it gross, but I’ve worn this combo for 2-week intervals, sans washing! I sweat a lot, they dry quickly, don’t hold odor, and most importantly, keep me cool and comfy all the time! I haven’t even entertained wearing their more expensive counterparts for comparison. I gotten a hole blown into my sleeveless rash guard from crazy Cuencan fireworks, but I think I will continue to wear them until they fall apart! Lastly, my AE magic cargo shorts have gotten a bit ‘holey’ but they still are super comfy to the last thread: I’m giddy to see how long they actually last!!!

Courtney raves about her Gander Mountain Thinsulate mitts/ fingerless gloves combo, which she uses to waddle around chilly Cuencan nights like a cute little penguin! These converta-mitts keep you toasty warm in mitt-mode, and gives you brail-reading traction, at presto-change-o speed! She also loves her Smartwool socks, that keep her toes snuggly warm and not-so-stinky between infrequent washes!

NyQuil! ALWAYS pack this elixir whenever you step outside the States! We did this time, after the bronchial hell we went through in Australia without this magic pill, and are SO VERY glad for it, as we caught a coughing fit, due to the fires and diesel farts in Cuenca! NyQuil: it’ll knock you out and make you feel better in the morning, promise!

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Posted by Thantcyn at 11:53 am

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