Trekking gear in Calcutta / Kolkata

babuchand

Hi Avid,

I have also dome trekking previouly with sport shoes and hunter from BATA.
sport shoes has leeser grip to give good performance on slippery wet/snow melting tracks....as its a question of life and death
(just one slip between the two) this time i would like to buy a shoe....

have heard that woodland have problem of sole cracking..true????

adidas starts its trekking shoes from Rs2100...the Rs3000 approach trekking shoe is good.

pls give some info abt woodlands....their shoes @Rs2100 looks really nice and composed.

babu

tok

Agree with AVid.

Did find my new shoes though at REI Outlet. Brand is Hi-Tec, lightweight waterproof. Marked down to 40 USD! Very nice shoes which weigh practically nothing. Downside is durability. Appearantly they only last for a couple- three seasons. (Source is friend in the military, who uses these all the time) But for me they are very cheap compared to what we find in Sweden, and have so far worked fantastically. I can actually go jogging in them, but they still give ample ancle support!

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...=OUTLET_SEARCH

Good luck with the footsies!

cliffhanger

Thanks for ur help guy's. but why dont we get any decent mountaineering goods over here? it is not always easy and possible to bring things from outside. do you think adidas adventure shoes are suitable for hard trekking.

AvidTrekker

India exports leather uppers to Italy and other countries. I wouldn't know about trekking shoe uppers.......

There is no market for such shoes in India. I mean, not even 500 "proper" trekking shoes might be purchased all over India. These are imported. The rest make do with whatever's left over. [woodland, adidas, bata hunters etc.]

The day there is a substantial market for such shoes, believe me.... the traders will jump at the opportunity to make money. Just on pure business & profit grounds.

__________________
The Universe is an ellipsoid?... or a Spheroid?? If the sphere smiles... it becomes an ellipse. This IS Creation.

babuchand

just yesterday i went to the adidas showroom below portico of grand hotel in esplanade....they have good trekking show starting from 2100/-.
the one at Rs3000 looks and feels good....Rs3600 is the better one(imported...others assembled/made in india by adidas india).

went to woodland showroom just two shops aside...
generally their shoes have great grip and durability @Rs2000 (also complain abt cracking sole )...but heavier. It was nice to see that they have now come up with a lightweight version @Rs2200

I am considering the woodland-lighter one for my next trek in oct.....may be some of my friend will buy the adidas version(still lighter)... so after the trek we will be in a position to remark on indian trekking shoes. and to conclude abt the durability.....lets wait till it snaps

Njoy
babu

lucky

Hi Babuchand

Thanks a lot for the info. I think I'll try woodland.

lucky

jyotipg

Lucky,

Woodland shoes dont provide any kind of cushioning.. so after 3 -4 day of trek with wodland, you may start getting some very painful blisters..

I had a similar exp last year with woodlands.. and even in this trek, one of my team mate was using woodlands all thorugh the trek.. and he got some very bad blisters.. So, he had to trek wearing a think layer of crepe bandage with the shoe.

If you plan to use them, do some modifications in terms of adding an extra cushioning layer below.. One of my team mate was using a thick layer of cotton near the toes..

This time I took 2 pair of shoes. I preffrred to use adidas as long we were on open ground. I had planned to use woodlands only for serious business when we had to trek on snow..

My two rupaiyyaa..

__________________
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/himalaya_trekkers/

babuchand

jyoti, I don't know how old and primitive your woodland is.. but these days they come with quite a good cushion....try the new lighter ones. anyway its always advisible to buy trekking shoe a bit bigger than one's foot size and use cotton or sponge at the toe end....adds comfort in stiff down hills. thanx for recapitulating the idea....

Again use of anklet reduces chance of blisters at heel end and provides support against ankle-twist.

another info...Reabok also has a trekking shoe (approach kind) similar to Rs3000 variation of adidas but at a price 2490/- (just seen yesterday)
anybody can try.

__________________
Njoy

babu
visit : http://www.webmania.co.za/travelmania/babu/index.shtml

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."

cliffhanger

hi guys,
i dont have enough information about the woodland shoes .but i went to the showroom today and the new ones looks really great , the built quality is also good, and so is the padding. but there is a confusion , while one showroom is saying it is water proof the other one is saying it is water repellent. have u guys got the correct information.

babuchand

how can a shoe repel water??? are they incorporating Artificial intelligence in thoses shoes???? u know adfidas has come up with one with microchip...rational shoe yea....

yes they are water resistance for the least....hoping water repelling is something better than water proofing.

joemondal

(this is a repeat post)
hi

Calcutta has quite a few joints who manufacture and hire out equipment (mostly backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, gaiters, mittens, jackets, etc and some climbing gear).
They are all of very good quality.
The following are their contact details :

Cliffline - (033) 24160155 / 9433279318
Hi-Trek - (033) 26460979 closed on thu and sun / off.hrs 2pm to 8pm
UBAC - (033) 23512628/23543627 mon-fri 1.30am to 6pm/ sat 12noon to 6pm
Alpine - 9830194296 closed on sun and mon / off.hrs 3pm to 7pm
Ria Mount Support - (033) 22135048 / after 11am

Among the above UBAC and Ria are situated close to the hub of the city.
Others are a bit far flung.
All the above are run by mountaineers/trekkers.
Hope this helps

joe
BTW: I personally don't have much faith in woodlands. You might just be the unlucky bloke to hike with the sole of your footwear in your hands! Don't compromise on footwear.

sukanya

vishant u can check idris, near jyoti cinema. they are real good suppliers of all sorts of trekking and mountain gear. idris is now all most a brand name among the trekkers and hikers.

crimsonriver

What's the address n phone no. of Idris?

__________________
Look around and chose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be...

Last ride : Bhutan, Arunachal, Sikkim.. (Where do I ride next?)
My Travel Journal...
http://the-never-ending-road.blogspot.com

MeCasa

Water resistant means the boots have been treated to stop water from seeping in, works good when new but will need to be retreated once in a while

Waterproof generally means that the boot has a Gore-Tex or similair lining, they will not leak. However I would guess this could also mean the boots are sealed with a non breathable liner or exterior such as rubber

'Waterproof' and 'Breathable' are the best boots

cliffhanger

I agree with u ......idris is better than the rest of them......but u dont expect to find good quality sack or tent in India.....and r u sure they give tent or sack on hire? ....

__________________
CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN,
FORD EVERY STREAM,
FOLLOW EVERY RAINBOW
TIL YOU FIND YOUR DREAM