The Hip-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"You know that you'll have to forgo aesthetics for function," says the salesman at Bogong, Little Bourke St Melbourne. "You should go with what's comfortable rather than what looks attractive."

"You mean there's such thing as attractive hiking gear?" I say, somewhat incredulously. 

I'm standing in the store decked out in my grey American Apparel dress, my new copper hue tightology tights (colourful tights are my thing this winter,) and black patent Wedge Welly gumboots. So in a sea of shapeless looking hiking garments and a lady, (whom I can only describe as "Tasmanian" looking,) trying on a hiking baby carrier behind me, I think I'm looking very out of place. And oh, we're talking hiking boots.

The salesman smiles and guides me through the basics of hiking boots 101 and patiently answers all my (stupid sounding) questions about hiking and backpacking. Unlike Kathmanpu who stupidly try to fit a 75 litre backpack to my frame, fail to load the bag with weights and then tell me that "all backpacks are going to hurt your back," the guys at Bogong are good. The sales guy carefully measures my feet ("Wow, you're right, you've got really tiny feet," he says,) and miraculously manages to find several pairs to fit. He also manages to find a backpack to fit my frame - petite girls take note, it's the Deuter Quantum 55. All of this is a relief after going to several other outdoor stores to find that there's nothing really in my size. I have yet to find a pair of women's size 8 hiking pants that fit; it's as though only the "big" people hike.
 

Purchasing hiking gear has been like navigating a complicated maze; and it's a whole other dimension of retail I've never had exposure or had to consider. In efforts to catch the tail end of the winter sales, the past week comes as huge learning curve for me. 


Best thermals to buy?
Merino wool. It's not itchy, super light, super thin, super warm and most importantly, the least likely material to smell after consecutive days of hiking.


Worst material to wear on a hike?
Cotton. Once wet, it'll rapidly draw heat away from your body.


Down versus synthetic sleeping bags?
If not wet, down wins hands down for warmth, being the most lightweight and most easily compressible. Be sure to store it in a waterproof stuff bag.




Is the bag that comes with a sleeping bag actually waterproof? 
I have not a clue, and will have to ask the guy at Mac Pac tomorrow.


How long does stocks last when Aldi decides to (randomly) stock hiking gear?
I got there on the day of the sale at 9:30am on a Saturday morning, only to find that all the merino thermals had already been taken. Since when do the eldery go hiking? Then I started noticing elderly people wearing Kathmandu fleece jackets on the tram, elderly people wearing windbreakers at the supermarket, elderly people walking around in hiking boots.... I then realised that outdoor clothing is just their typical uniform for a Melbourne winter day.

As for stylish hiking gear, I would think that Japan probably has this.


Yes, The Not So Lonely Planet is back and is embarking on another adventure. This time around, it's Boliva, Peru and Cuba. 


Stay tune.