Gear

Choosing the right gear - and the right amount of gear - will have a considerable bearing on the success of the Nakasendo walk/art project. I've already spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I'm going to take in the way of clothing, footwear, rain gear, pack, and other equipment.

Earlier this year, before the thought of an epic walk ever occured to me, I invested in a pair of New Balance 748 walking shoes. I wore these during a recent trip to Myanmar (where I did quite a bit of walking), and have worn them on all of my training walks, and they're nice and light and definitely very comfortable. So chances are I will take these in October. I'm in two minds as to whether or not I should take an extra pair of shoes. It would be an advantage to have a spare pair if the first pair got wet, but the extra weight and bulk would be a disadvantage. I may just take a pair of sandals (I got some nice Columbia ones last year), which wouldn't be ideal for walking, but could serve as backup footwear in an emergency.

Shirts and trousers I have. I bought a neat hat with a wide brim around the same time I bought the shoes, and I recently purchased a zip-up fleece vest. The hat, fleece vest, jeans, and check shirt make a nice cowboy outfit.

I'm not sure about rain gear. I was considering buying a fancy Gore-Tex raincoat, but while rummaging through a cupboard the other day I came across a poncho I bought two or three years ago for a trip to Vietnam that never got beyond the preliminary planning stage (i.e. I bought a copy of Lonely Planet Vietnam), and thought that may do the trick. I plan to test it out on a walk in the rain some time to see how it performs. I'm sure it will do a fine job keeping the rain off, but my main concern is ventilation.

The most important item of equipment will be the pack. I have a Kathmandu travel pack which I use on most of my solo overseas trips. It's like a soft suitcase really with wheels and a pull out handle. It does have straps like those on a backpack that tuck away when not in use, but these seem to have been added as a kind of afterthought. Size-wise this bag is just right, but I tried shouldering it for about the second time a few weeks ago and decided there was no way I was going to have that on my back for two straight weeks. So I hit the Internet and did a little research, and discovered that backpacks are pretty high-tech, specialized items these days. (Maybe they always have been, and I was just ignorant of the fact.) There are travel packs, day packs, two-day packs, hiking packs, alpine packs...you name it they have it. They also come in different sizes. You're supposed to measure your back with a tape measure to find out what size you take. (One website even had a short video showing you how to go about doing this.)

As for capacity, I think something in the 60L range should be about right. I was originally thinking 35-40L, but when I went and had a look at a 35L pack in a shop it looked positively tiny. Erik pointed me in the direction of this Osprey Men's Aether 60, which apparently is similar to one he used during a walk/art project in Shikoku a few years ago. So I might go in and take a look at one of those at some stage. Incidentally, one thing I didn't realize is that good packs are designed so that a lot of the weight rests on your hips instead of on your shoulders. Makes sense, really.

Another thing we have to consider is what equipment we'll need to implement the as-yet-unspecified art project associated with the walk. As this project is still in the gestation phase, it's unclear what exactly we'll need, but possibilities are a laptop computer (which will also come in handy when it comes to maintaining this blog while on the road), video camera, still camera, pen and paper, paint and brushes, scissors, clown suits (red noses optional), portable solar charger, and several balls of string. Since it was his idea to do the art project, Erik has kindly volunteered to carry all this art-related equipment. Thanks buddy!

Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 16.5km