From time to time, unique gear gems come across my path. Here, I explore their features and how they benefit us as hikers, divers, or fitness enthusiasts.

Trekking Poles

Embedded in the video, Trekking Poles – Larapinta Trail, you will find a combination of educational information (e.g., various trekking pole gait patterns) and gear highlights (e.g., Komperdell Carbon Zero), filmed while hiking the beautiful Larapinta Trail.

Shoe Laces & Lacing

No gear failure is ideal, but a broken lace is both frustrating and problematic. While a criss-cross lacing style (i.e., new shoe lacing pattern) might be as far as you have given thought to lacing patterns, there are a few extra styles that are worthy of note. This video highlights these styles, the situations where they are most helpful, and introduces a lace brand that has never let me down.

Lacing Design

There are three variations of the standard lacing pattern worth noting. These lacing designs help adjust your shoe fit to accommodate changes in foot volume (which increases with hiking duration and temperature) and wetness (which increases foot slippage).

Scout Lacing. BE PREPARED is the Scout motto, and using this simple modification across the top of your foot will help limit forward slippage on descents, especially if your shoes are wet or a big/wide fit.

Skip Lacing. This design is for individuals who experience pressure sensitivity at the top of the foot (fibular nerve compression) or midfoot compression, such as neuromas.

Heel Lock Lacing. This builds on the Scout lacing technique. Depending on your eyelet/speed lacing design, there are a couple of options. Again, the goal is to limit/prevent forward-siding of your foot in the shoe, which causes black toe injuries and blisters on the sole of your foot or under the metatarsal heads.

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