wool vs. synthetics a "scientific" study

Backpacking Light posted a great article about wool vs. synthetic base-layers (click on title of post to go to the article). It is a bit long, but there is some excellent information in it, including some of the science and real-life technology behind each fabric. The following are their personal conclusions from this series of tests and field testing.

• Wool is significantly better at resisting buildup of body odors than most synthetics - even the improved ones
• Wool feels warmer and less clammy on the skin when damp
• Wool takes approximately 50 percent longer to dry than synthetics (range 40 to 60 percent). This was consistent across the board under a large range of conditions - in lab tests of fabric swatches, whole shirts on hangers, shirts on warm bodies, and actual in-field performance of shirts wet with sweat and shirts intentionally saturated with water.
• In our soak test, the difference in water absorption (x increase over dry weight) between wool and synthetics was less than we initially believed. Approximately 3x dry weight for synthetics versus 4x dry weight for wool.
• Synthetic fabrics wick moisture out faster over a larger surface area. This may in part contribute to their faster drying times but also to a chilling effect in cool and especially windy conditions.
• Synthetic fabrics are lighter than wool for comparable warmth.
• Many synthetic garments are significantly less expensive than wool.

A layer to love

On nearly every trip I guide, I get what I call "clothes envy". There is invariably some really cute and functional outdoor gear that someone wears on the trip that I either wish to own, or wish I looked half as stylish wearing the same item. Every once in a while my envy will lead me to purchase a similar item for myself. One of my favorite acquisitions from clothes envy is my REI Sahara long-sleeve button-up shirt.

I am someone who normally gets very hot in the sun, and has to wear a very lightweight shirt or tank top when I hike or paddle. But when I take a break or if it is windy I tend to cool off quickly and like to have something to cover my arms at this time. A long-sleeved shirt is a nice item to have, and a layer I almost always carry along in my pack. But layering becomes more like "clothes aerobics" when pulling things on and off over your head repeatedly. A button up shirt (and it can be any brand really, as long as it is lightweight and quick dry) is just the perfect layer in this situation. It adds enough covering for sun protection without being too hot (it even has vents you can unzip to let heat escape). It adds enough warmth without being too bulky. It adds bug protection often without needing spray. It slips on and off so easily - and heck, you don't even have to button it if you don't want. And if you need something for being in town or going out for a meal, it is a slightly fitted, stylish top.

I have brought this shirt sea kayaking in the Caribbean, hiking in Europe, multi-sport traveling through Australia, camping in Havasu Canyon and even bicycle touring. It is almost always one of the first items of clothing I grab when I pack. And it has never been a piece of clothing that has gone unworn. While I really resisted getting my first one, I now own 2 (though the original one I bought in white is still my favorite; the other one is red).

I strongly recommend adding one to your wardrobe and using it as the "long-sleeved, lightweight shirt for sun protection" that we include on so many of our trip packing lists.

Enjoy! Deb

A metaphor for what's wrong with our approach to fitness

Two metaphors really. I have the good fortune to live quite close to Lynne Brick's health club, a really great gym that has good equipment and excellent classes. As an added bonus, this branch is just for women. It's a 7 to 8 minute walk and when I have go somewhere else after working out, I drive and that takes 4 to 5 minutes. When I first moved here, my neighbors on both sides also belonged- and they both always drove. When I asked why, they said they didn't have the time. That's the first metaphor.

But this one gets me even more. The club is on the third floor and the entry is on the second. As you walk in, you can either ride up in the elevator or walk a bit further and go up the stairs at the back of the building. Which is fastest depends on the elevator, but even then we're talking maybe 1 minute. Going to a health club and then taking an elevator instead of the stairs! I understand it when someone has a baby stroller or is carrying their young child but otherwise it strikes me as absurd. And an example of what's wrong with our approach to fitness- instead of taking advantage of the natural opportunities to get exercise, like walking to neighborhood stores or taking stairs or riding our bikes, we rely on the "easiest" way to do these and then go to a health club to get our exercise. Go figure. -- Marian

Airline baggage fees - should I check or carry on?

Southwest airlines has been running a very productive add lately on TV about how they are not charging baggage fees to check luggage. However, since Southwest does not fly everywhere we want to travel, at some point will be faced with either paying the baggage checking fee or carrying on our luggage.

Someone asked me the other day in preparation for a trip what she should do. And after going over the usuals - are you bringing hiking poles, do you want to bring a pocket knife, can you fit all your clothes in a small enough bag - I realized there is one more thing involved. While the fees are certainly annoying, sometimes whether to carry-on or check-thorugh your luggage is not always about the money. Which is the bigger inconvenience to you?

Is buying trial-sized portions of everything or repacking what you have at home a big deal or expense? Will it be enough for a week? This was a tropical destination, so sunscreen was the biggest concern for quantity. Do you have time to stop and get sunscreen when you arrive and what will the cost difference be between buying it at your local superstore or getting it in beach town ? Are you someone who can live with fewer clothing changes and enjoys packing very efficiently? Are you making connections in other airports and are you ok with taking your luggage everywhere you go? Or would you worry more about whether your bag will get lost?

Personally, I do not like schlepping my luggage all around airports and through security and trying to find overhead space for it. And, so far, the fees have not been so exorbitant to make that outweigh paying for someone else to take care of my bag. I also don't get extremely stressed out about whether my luggage will make it. I assume more times than not it will all work out. Some may find they'd rather keep their luggage with them for sense of security and find the fees more distasteful than the other aspects taking check-on luggage adds.

So, next time you pack for a trip and run through the list of whether you could/should carry-on or check-through, also remember to do a self check-in to remember what type of travel personality you have. Because for some of us, the money is not the more limiting factor. Deb

Happy New Year

Today is the last day of 2009 and also the last day of the "oughts". It is also a full moon and a blue moon and a partial lunar eclipse. Energetically speaking - it should be quite a night!

It is typical to make New Years resolutions at this time of year, though I have never been one for that as I like to "take stock" of my life on a more regular basis than once a year. I do like the concept of resolutions - setting a goal for some area of improvement in your life. However, it so often happens that our lofty goals at the beginning of the year fall by the way side after a couple months. Because let's face it - it's hard to make significant changes in our life sometimes without some really strong external factor.

The self-improvement path you embark on will stick much better if you have a proverbial carrot motivating you. We all have different carrots, - signing up for a triathlon, a medical scare, a new partner or newly dating, etc. I have noticed over the past several years of working for Adventures in Good Company that signing up for an active vacation is a great motivator for the resolution to get in better physical condition. In fact, just today we received an email from someone telling us she has started a consistent exercise routine in the past month to get ready for an April trip and she is feeling (and looking) more fit. Even my exercise routine - and my enthusiasm for exercise - gets a boost when I am scheduled to guide a trip. Not only do you have a reason to get in better shape (so you can participate in the physical activities of the trip) but the trip in itself is a reward. It is a VACATION. Going to a beautiful location, having fun, eating good food and relaxing - that's motivation!

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year! May 2010 be filled with love, light, laughter, health, relaxation and adventure! And maybe even an AIGC trip! deb

Back from the Adirondacks

I just returned from our first joint venture with another company, one where we combined our respective areas of expertise. We have been offering a week-long trip in the Adirondacks at the height of the fall foliage for several years, one that was hiking and paddling with some visits to other sites. This year we worked with WomanTours for a trip that offered three days of biking, two and a half days of hiking, and a day of paddling, and WomanTours owner Jackie Marchand guided it with me. There were times when she missed not having a second full-fledged bike guide or I missed not having a regular hiking or paddling guide. But overall we worked it out and it was fun for me to have a brand new guiding experience.

It was also interesting to see how another company operates and to talk about what challenges we share and which are different. At the beginning of the trip I had a serious case of "trailer envy"-they have a trailer that is outfitted to carry luggage, extra bikes, and kitchen gear which makes setting up picnic lunches so much easier. But then Jackie told me how she plans the schedule around getting the vans with their trailers to the right places at the right times and the challenges of keeping all the bikes in good shape as they are spread out around the country. It makes our equipment challenges seem so minor in comparison! I am happy for Adventures in Good Company to keep offering almost everything but biking and to recommend WomanTours without reservation for any woman looking for a fantastic cycling tour.

Hiking or kayaking as meditation

As I was driving to the airport from our recent hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I was talking with one of the participants in the van about her recent kayaking trip. She said how much she loved kayaking, that when she did it she just became completely absorbed in the movement and the water. I said something about how it was a very meditative activity and that I had the same experience with hiking. She disagreed and said how she had once tried meditation as part of a yoga class and had really disliked it- and as a result the concept of meditation had a very negative connotation for her.

Whether we choose to call it meditation or not, I think for many of us who love being active and love being in nature, there is a common experience of our minds quieting down, the ceaseless internal chatter at least receding into the background, as we become absorbed in the motion and in our surroundings. As this happens, we become more present. I don't hike in order to have this experience, which occurs more rarely than I would like. I hike because I love being out, and I love the way my body feels, and I love seeing panoramic scenery and wildflowers and trees. And when I have those times of feeling completely present - that is a gift.