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 – Teva Sunkosi 2

by Mike Barish on

More and more, I’ve found that my vacations involve fewer hotels and rental cars and more tents and hiking. As such, it was time for me to stop pretending that running shoes and flips flops were the proper footwear for camping trips and outdoor adventures. Not wanting to have to pack separate trail shoes and water shoes on my trips, I needed something that could handle dry terrain, allow me to trudge through water and then dry quickly afterwards. In other words, I needed some amphibious footwear. And amphibious is just the word that Teva uses to describe their Sunkosi 2 shoe.

I decided to test out the Sunkosi 2 in both wet and dry conditions, and not just on a run-of-the-mill hike or camping trip. No, I took the Sunkosi 2 with me to Australia for a walk through the muddy mangroves of Far North Queensland and a day of old-fashioned farm work in the bush town of Goomeri. I needed shoes that would protect my feet, give me good traction and dry quickly enough for me to pack them up with the rest of my gear since we were traveling nearly everyday.
The Sunkosi 2 more than held its own in the loose, sticky mud of the mangroves. With my feet sinking several inches into the mud with each step, the Sunkosi 2 maintained a solid grip thanks to the Quick-Pull lacing system. Despite the extreme suction of the mud, the Sunkosi 2 only loosened slightly during the taxing walk. Water drained out of the shoes’ mesh immediately after I stepped out of shin-deep pools of tidewater.

Unfortunately, that mesh could not handle the large amount of sediment that managed to enter the shoes. Walking through the loose sand and silt of the mangroves, some solids found their way into the shoes. Before the sediment had entered the shoes, they were beyond comfortable. Once it was trapped inside, however, I experienced discomfort and rubbing on the interior of the shoe that resulted in matching blisters on both feet.

The next morning, I found that the Sunkosi 2 had not completely dried from the previous days mangrove walk. This was most certainly caused by the tropical climate of Queensland and the humid conditions in which they were set out to dry. By no means were they sopping wet in the morning, but they were not quite bone dry either. To give them a second chance in less tropical conditions, once I returned home fro Australia I wore the Sunkosi 2 on a dismal day and aimed for every puddle I saw. I allowed them to dry overnight on my balcony after the rain had stopped and the humidity had broken and they were dry by morning.

On the Australian farm, the Sunkosi 2 was a work-horse. I was concerned that they might lack the tread that I needed on dry ground. But they were comfortable, sturdy and durable. They even protected my feet admirably when I gracefully crashed a dirt bike into a shed. I spent a long day taking on some dangerous farm tasks, and the Sunkosi 2 protected my feet and kept me comfortable. I was more than pleased with how it performed as a makeshift trail shoe.

So, here’s what you need to know about the Sunkosi 2:

Pros

  • Amphibious in every sense of the word
  • Comfortable and secure even in extreme conditions
  • Quick-Pull lacing system is easy to use
  • Offers excellent protection
  • Mesh drains water instantly

Cons

  • Allowed a fair amount of debris to enter the shoes
  • Chaffed once debris was trapped in shoe
  • Won’t completely dry in humid conditions

Overall, I was quite impressed with the Sunkosi 2. I’d love to see them dry a bit quicker, but humid conditions can have that effect on gear. And mangroves are gnarly enough to get sediment just about everywhere, no matter how secure or snug your shoes are. The Sunkosi 2 performed more than admirably when I needed them most – both in water and on land.

So, I have to say that I would definitely recommend the Teva Sunkosi 2. They sell for $100 at the Teva website and are available at most outdoor gear stores.

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?

Galley Gossip: A question about packing (it’s all about the shoes!)

by Heather Poole on

Dear Heather,

Love your blog and your web site! I laugh all the time. I usually only fly once a year for a cruise, but when I do I always see people doing what you write about and I laugh. I also try to remember to do and not do what you write about. I’ve never had a bad experience with flight staff or any flight for that matter. I’m about to go on vacation and I do have a question about luggage. With all the restrictions on checked luggage, I’m trying to make the most of my carry on bags. I’ve called the airline and they refer my questions to TSA and TSA refers me to the web site or the airline (talk about run around), but some answers are not on TSA or the airline’s web site. For instance – can hair dryers, flat irons and travel irons go in your carry on? My usual carry on fits nicely in the overhead compartment, but how big of a bag can I fit under the seat? (I’ll be on a Continental 757-200 and 737-900 ) Trying to keep the weight of my checked bag down, I would like to use a bigger under the seat bag for shoes and such. The 3-1-1 rule is that per person or per carry on? I try to book a hotel near shopping so I don’t have to transport toiletries, etc. but I also hate packing that stuff in my checked bag for fear they would leak (I wrap them well and seal them in zip locks and cosmetic bags but you just never know). Any information you can give me would be helpful. Thanks and keep up the great blogging. I love it.
Debbie

Dear Debbie,

First of all, I’m glad to hear you like my blog. I’m even happier to hear you’ve never had a problem with a flight staff or on any flight for that matter. You’re one of the few.

Hair dryers, flat irons and travel irons can go inside your carry on luggage. Though I must ask why you are hauling a travel iron along with you on a trip? Do you really want to lug that thing around and then spend your precious time ironing on vacation when you could be relaxing on vacation – in wrinkle free clothes? Isn’t that what vacation is for? Relaxing. Not ironing. Personally, I’d rather not iron, and that’s why I wear the navy blue polyester dress when I’m working. However, whenever I do bring along something that must be ironed, I just hang it up in the shower and let the steam take care of the wrinkles. Now if you must take the iron with you, I guess I should tell you about a pilot I know who sprays his uniform shirts with starch before packing them inside his suitcase. He said it works.

I’m sorry to hear you’re getting the run around from the airline and TSA, but my guess is TSA is telling you to go to the airline website because every airline is different and has their own set of rules about how much luggage you can bring on-board and what it will cost to check each piece of luggage. I bet the airline is sending you to the TSA website because their rules are different from the airlines rules in regards to what you can and can not take through airport security. Me, I’d play it safe and leave the liquids at home, like you said, check one bag (if it’s too large to bring onboard with you) and take a smaller bag on the airplane.

Because you sound concerned about your bag fitting under your seat, it sounds like your bag may be a wee bit big. Just so you know, my crew tote-bag doesn’t always fit under the seat in front of me. It all depends on the airplane and how much I’ve managed to stuff inside my tote. While most of the time my bag does fit under the seat without a problem, I have had an issue on the 737, but all I had to do was take out a few books, the big bottle of water I had bought in the airport terminal after I passed through security (don’t forget to purchase yours!), turn my bag on its side and give it a good shove. Whatever you do, do not over pack and make sure that the bag going under the seat in front of you is squishable.

Packing for a long trip isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be hard, either. The tricky part, if you’re a woman, is figuring out which shoes you’re going to take with you, because when you’re a woman it’s all about the shoes. Am I wrong? Shoes take up too much space in the bag. That’s why I’m going to tell you to leave all those shoes you’ve packed in your smaller bag at home. I mean do you really need all of them?

Now I’m not the most fashionable person on vacation, but I do manage to have a good time and look okay doing so. The key is picking out only two pairs of shoes (a nice pair and a walking pair) to take with you and then coordinating all your outfits around them. If you’re smart you’ll be able to wear both pairs of shoes with most of your outfits. Whenever I’m going on a long trip, I pack two pairs of nice pants and two pairs of jeans (or cargo pants). When it comes to my shirts I always stick with basic colors – black, white and maybe even brown. That way I’m able to mix and match all my pieces which creates even more outfits. I use colorful accessories to dress it up or down.

See that photo over there on the right? Those are my shoes. That’s what I wore in Italy – a beat up pair of slip on canvas shoes and a pair of black boots. I made sure to wear the boots whenever traveling because my walking shoes took up less space in my bag. (Shove a few pairs of socks inside the shoes to save even more room.) Of course I packed everything for my ten day trip to Italy inside my crew luggage – a rollaboard and a tote-bag -that’s it. No need to check bags. Don’t forget, less bags equals less stress. You want to have fun, right?

The only reason I was able to make it through those ten days in Italy with only one suitcase and a tote-bag was because I rolled my clothes tightly, which resulted in me being able to pack even more clothing, I found a laundromat in Venice, which allowed me to get to know the locals and feel like a true Venetian, and I only took two pairs of shoes, which made it possible for me to get it all in one rolling bag, which is why I was able to swing my tote over my shoulder and carry that one very heavy bag up the Spanish Steps in Rome as if I were super woman in black boots.

A word of advice; If you can’t carry it (or lift it) by yourself, don’t pack it, don’t take it, otherwise you may not enjoy your trip. I had to learn that the hard way.

Hope that helps, Debbie. Enjoy your cruise! And make sure to take me with you next time.

Heather Poole

Have a question? Email me at Skydoll123@yahoo.com

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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.