25.06.2013Miscellaneous: Underwear, Bear Spray, Shaving

In this article we will address miscellaneous issues not directly related to any particular location but still to our travel.

The first one is related to underwear. Interestingly I received several emails commenting on or asking how many pairs of underwear I have packed. This is a valid request as also we have extensively discussed this issue during equipment packing. The answer is I have packed 10 pairs of underwear, Martina about the same number and we wash them as we go. Here I believe also the material of the underwear is essential which is why we chose Icebreaker underwear consisting of Australian Merino wool. It’s unique advantages are its “no stink” and quick drying properties. We can already confirm both. What is interesting as well, is that only I have received these inquiries…

The second issue is related to bear spray. Finally we have replaced our confiscated sprays with an adequate Canadian type bear spray:

Ok ok, at least Colombo (as a previous owner of bear spray) will have noticed that this is a fire distinguisher. Our Canadian bear spray looks like this:

And is approx. 25cm in height and thus at least twice the height and three times the diameter of our original sprays. Also we have learned how to use it and how to distinguish between an offensive and defensive bear (both are dangerous, but the first you empty your can on, while the later only gets a approx ~3s spray). More on this subject will follow later.

The last issue concerns shaving. I have decided not to bring a shaver on the trip and thus let my beard grow for the time of travel. So if you see a bearded guy next to Martina on the pictures, chances are good it’s me!