Gadlinks for Friday 8.7.09

by Brenda Yun on

This has been quite a week! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m eager for the weekend to begin. Here are some green-themed Gadlinks (to honor our green travel theme this month).

‘Til Monday, have a great weekend!

More Gadlinks HERE.

Gadling Gear Review: Keen Redmond hiking shoes

by Grant Martin on

I won’t deny that I’m a city boy when it comes to travel. Though my voyages have taken me far and wide on this great earth I usually don’t get too far outside of the city limits, and even then, it’s on a high speed train bound for the next city.

Things on my most recent vacation, however, I knew would be different. New Zealand just isn’t the sort of place where you land on the tarmac, take the subway to a few wine bars and sleep until noon. The vast, varying landscapes require – nay, plea to be tread upon, with sprawling lakes, huge mountains and cavernous canyons. For a trip like this, I would need something with traction. I would need a pair of hiking shoes.

Recommended by a colleague at Gadling, I was able to track down a pair of Keen Redmonds before I left the United States, a simple, low cut pair of shoes with all of the features found in a normal pair of hiking boots and only a fraction of the weight. Despite never having tried a pair of Keens on in my life, I faithfully ordered my size, crossed my fingers and waited until two days prior to departure before they showed up. And to my delight, they worked out fantastically.Now, before I get into the deep details of how the Redmonds worked out on the trail I’ll give you some insight into my needs as a city boy in the woods. They’re pretty basic: my shoes need to be comfortable, stay dry, grip the trail and not smell. Whether the shoes are made out of Gortex PCB297 bulletproof material, polymethyl-methacrylate or cotton candy doesn’t matter to me, as long as my needs are kept.

And how the Redmonds hold these virtues. The first thing I noticed when I put on my new shoes (two days before I left) was how comfortable they were. With a wider footprint, my feet had plenty of room to breathe while still snugly tied into the backbone of the shoe. While I figured a small nick or corner would eventually start to bother me while trekking across an entire country, these faults never arose.

Indeed, throughout the entire trip my Redmond’s performed well, staying dry after dunking them in the water in Tongariro National Park, smelling fine after tromping through the natural springs in Rotorua and keeping traction when heeling on a SailNZ yacht.

Now, long past my return from Oceania I understand why Keen has a cult following among outdoor enthusiasts. It fits well, it’s always comfortable and it performs damn well on the road. What more could you ask for?

Tossing shoes: How to insult (or avoid insulting) someone in the Middle East

by Josh Lew on

You’ve probably seen this clip or at least heard about what happened. For entertainment’s sake, here it is again: President Bush dodging a pair of shoes flung by a disgruntled Iraqi journalist.

Hitting someone with a shoe or even pointing the soles of your shoes at someone is considered an insult in the Middle East (and in many other parts of Asia as well); feet are the lowest part of the body and considered unclean. It is unclear if President Bush understood the meaning of the shoe throwing incident. I guess if you launch anything at another person’s head, you don’t think too highly of them.

Throwing shoes seems a bit impractical to me – after all, what are you going to wear when it is time to run away? Here is another Middle Eastern cultural no-no that could have been employed: shake hands or wave with your left hand. Next to the feet, this appendage is considered the dirtiest. For desert nomads past and present, the left hand is used for cleaning oneself after nature calls. Therefore, waving or shaking a left hand is traditionally considered unclean.

On the practical side, Bush’s latest misadventure in the Middle East has highlighted some cultural dos and donts that travelers headed to the Middle East might find useful. Remember: don’t throw shoes, don’t wave your left hand, and don’t be named Bush….There, you’re good to go.

Gadling Gear: Vibram Five Fingers

by Tynan on

Ultralight packing is the constant quest for perfection. Each item put away in the bag must be outrageously useful, versatile, small, and light. That rules out almost everything.

And for a while, the ultimate shoes escaped me. Sandals are light and small, but not versatile. I couldn’t run or hike with them.

I had some gore tex trail running shoes that I liked, but they weren’t light and small. They were fairly versatile, but were a disaster at the beach.

For a long time I carried two pairs of shoes. One in the backpack and one on my feet. Not perfect, but not bad.

Then I stumbled across the perfect pair of shoes by accident. My travel mate bought a pair during a brief stopover in LA.

Vibram Five Fingers.They looked ridiculous at first glance, like a combination of a glove and a ballet slipper. I had read about them online, specifically that a small subculture of runners absolutely loved them because they were like running barefoot and promoted proper running form.

But I wasn’t convinced. They seemed so minimal that they must fall short in some area or another.

As our trip took us through Southeast Asia and my friend’s Five Fingers began stealing the spotlight from his other shoes, I started regretting that I hadn’t bought a pair.

I searched across several countries trying in vain to find a pair of these shoes. They were sold out or unavailable everywhere. All of a sudden a cult following had developed and they were in short supply.

Finally I contacted Vibram to see if I could get a pair to review. They agreed under the condition I didn’t run with the bulls wearing the shoes. Fair enough.

Now I’m a full on convert. I still have my sandals (for now…), but the Gore Tex trail shoes are gone.

To put it simply, wearing Five Fingers feels like cheating. You feel like you’re walking around barefoot, but with armor. It’s weird.

The experience of walking with the five fingers is incredible. The shoes are so light that you don’t notice they’re there. You can feel the texture of the ground below you. Walking on grass is fun.

Running in the Five Fingers does take a bit of time to get used to, as Vibram will tell you, but once you get used to it it’s actually a lot better for your body than normal running shoes. For more information on that, look up the “POSE” method of running.

They’re not waterproof, but they dry quickly enough that you don’t mind getting them wet.

They’re not formal shoes by any stretch of the imagination, but I wore mine with a Tuxedo on the Queen Mary 2. The shoes are so interesting looking that they curiously asked about them rather than giving me flak for not having proper footwear.

The one thing they’re not good for, apparently, is running with the bulls. My friend got pulled out of the street because the police wouldn’t believe that they’re actually running shoes. For everything else, they’re fantastic.

The shoes come in a few different styles which you can see at Vibram’s Site. My friend swears by the Classics, and I love the KSOs that Vibram sent me because sand and gravel don’t get into them.

It’s tough to get a pair of them right now, but your best bet is probably a local high end running store or outdoor gear store. Most online stores are backed up by weeks or months.

Wading and Fishing Boots

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was wading in the creek with my son, 40 or so other kids, and their parents, I met one of the photographer/journalists for the Suburban News Publications in Columbus, Ohio. As he waded with the rest of us, he was taking photographs for an article on Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. The whole time he was snapping away he was steady even though the creek bed was rocky. I noticed his boots. So did one of the park rangers who asked about them.

I thought, “Post idea,” and listened in. Here’s most of the scoop on the boots. The wearer said the boots were L.L. Bean and great for such expeditions. He uses them for fishing also and mentioned their felt insoles. He said they also hold the terrain well so he doesn’t slip. On this particular creek wading excursion, several kids, including my son’s friend ended up unexpectedly swimming.

I went to the L.L. Bean Web site sure I could find them. Man, L.L. Bean sells a lot of boots! Here is the one that comes closest to what I remember his looking like. The Emerger Wading Boot is listed as being the best value on the market, although the ones he had looked like they were a lighter color.

Here’s a link to more L.L. Bean options. I’ve ordered clothes and a duffle bag from L.L. Bean and my uncle swears by this company. If you’re in the market for boots, look here for men’s and here for women’s. There are several choices and prices to fit a variety of needs and budgets. I went wading in an old pair of running shoes that worked fine. For a more fashionable look, the Keen Venice Sandals sure look sweet.