Gear: What You Need to Walk Around the Earth

source - WorldWalk-Peacetour blog


Accessories

Mats: They provide comfort and protection from cold. The polyethylene foam sleeping mats or mattresses were a present. They’re quite good, nothing extraordinary, though.



Hiking Hats: They’re from Quecha again, a brand that combines affordable prices with acceptable durability. These hats were really important for Ferenc an István in the desert, they were durable and they protected their head, face and neck from sunshine. And it was pretty easy to keep them clean as well, a rinse of clean water did the job. The nape flap could be a bit bigger to fully cover the ears, a light wind can blow it off. After the extremely strong usage it’s a bit ragged—mostly where the visor joins the hat, but it’s OK.



Trousers: Another peace of the equipment from Quechua. They’re worth their price, they survived half a year in the Sahara. They’re light, breathable and comfortable. But after half a year they decay very fast, you can’t repair or patch them. There were some weird color changes, the trousers of Ferenc became white-yellow, István’s: yellow-green. They’re easy to wash, they dry in a reasonable time. A good choice.



Shoes: For the Walking Part

Running Shoes: Their first shoes were Nike Dart V running shoes. They had survived more than 2.000 miles, nothing was wrong, there were only small flaws: the rubber of the tips separated, the softer materials gave up, but all these were repairable.



The death of these shoes arrives when the hard rubber layer on the sole of the shoes wears away. There is only a soft spongy layer under—or above—it. These shoes aren’t designed for long periods of walking, they can heat-up very much. And you know heat means sweat, and blisters will surely appear. Sweat means stinky shoes as well, so you have to wash them regularly, but it’s not easy to dry them. They are comfortable, strong and relatively cheap, the boys repeated and purchased identical pairs to replace their worn-out first ones.

Hiking Shoes: Their third pairs were Salomon Exit Aeros. These are not running but hiking shoes. The sole of them seemes to be too hard, but after a couple of miles it became acceptable, but not that comfortable as the sole of the Nike. Their uppers are surprisingly tough, although the mesh parts are a bit weak.



The shoes let the boys’ feet breathe, but let the sand of the desert in, too. And sand between your toes is not what you call a pleasant experience. Its sole was strong enough, and due to the breathable uppers, their feet were less hot, less stinky. These shoes not a bad choice, but the WorldWalkers are not sure, if they will buy them again.