Lidl on Thursday

Cole

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20080731.index

Any views on the gear? I was thinking of buying the poles, t-shirt, socks and maybe the jacket.

dogmatix

Looks okay - but avoid the shoes. And i'm not so sure about the jacket - it looks more like a summer jacket. As for "water resistent" - that means for me it's good for short light showers and the like, not a proper rain jacket, but I could be wrong.

Cole

Agree with you about the jacket but will come in handy at sometime..can't resist these bargains.

Alun

The poles are "Nordic Walking" poles, not really designed for hillwalking. They're a bit on the lightweight side, and don't have the right tips (they're rubber, designed for road walking really).

Cole

Alun wrote: »

The poles are "Nordic Walking" poles, not really designed for hillwalking. They're a bit on the lightweight side, and don't have the right tips (they're rubber, designed for road walking really).

Thanks for that. There were going to be my main purchase.

Never use poles, was going to get them and try them out but need something decent for hillwalking. Any recommendations?

Alun

Cole wrote: »

Thanks for that. There were going to be my main purchase.

Never use poles, was going to get them and try them out but need something decent for hillwalking. Any recommendations?

Leki are a good make as are Kohla. I have Kohla shock absorbing ones and am very happy with them. They also have angled hand grips, which I personally find more comfortable than straight ones, but try both to see what you prefer. Otherwise the only other variable is 2 or 3 sections. The 3 section ones pack up smaller if you need to pack them into luggage if you take them abroad.

BTW an important thing to remember with walking poles, if you want them to last, is to remember to take them apart if they get wet at all. Otherwise the aluminium corrodes and they glue up solid, meaning you'll never be able to adjust or collapse them again.

Cole

I was just in Lidl. Not great, only bought 2 of the t-shirts.

Poles definitely unsuitable, the socks are more suitable for trainers and the jackets are not worth buying, better off spending a bit extra for a proper waterproof.

fergalr

Picked up a few of the t-shirts today... Tbh, I was pretty happy with what I got for 7euro - stitching doesn't seem super strong, but the fit is fine, and the fabric looks like it'll do a good job, will check out the cycling gear next week...