With the next adventure only a few weeks away, we have begun taking the time to break in our new equipment bought for this trip (other than the damn bug nets). Last Saturday we hiked Lebanon Hills Regional Park for about 1 1/2 hours to test both our stamina and our equipment.

Bug Bite Counter – Steph: 1, Jason: 0

First up was hiking boots – We have cold-weather boots we’ve used locally and on our trip to Ireland last fall, but with the next trip’s weather being much warmer we decided to spend money to be more comfortable and better prepared. The goal was to shop around and not spend more than $100 for something we might use less often. After multiple stops, and as per usual multiple returns for one of us, we were able to find the below. One of us is more modern while the other prefers traditional styles.

For other warm weather hiking trips I reviewed this article: https://modernhiker.com/9-rules-for-hiking-in-hot-weather

You can guess whose leg is whose.

Also taken with us was our new insulated canteen and day pack. In the past we’ve lugged around my old Under Armour backpack, which works great, but in the conditions we anticipate may cause unnecessary exhaustion due to poor ventilation. It is a school/work backpack after all and I’ve used it for years (and I love buying backpacks for some odd reason). It’s a good size for short trips that only need some snacks and other peripheral items like tissue, sunscreen or rain ponchos.

The canteen is also new and in testing has kept ice cubes whole for multiple hours even with opening and closing the lid often. Previously we’ve had a plastic, filtered bottle but were afraid it could melt in the hot dry air in the middle of Australia’s Great Sandy Desert.

Interested in seeing more or learning something else? Leave a comment.

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Obligatory hiking selfie: