Dummy guide to Kg Adidas and mountaineering equipments

AFTER THE MUDDY TREK > Left: Kg Adidas Cap Goco, Bottom: Kg Adidas Cap Bowling with shoe lace, Top & Right: Cushioned shoes.

• Kg Adidas shoes

As I have mentioned in my article "Of Shoes and Mountain Feet"  about Kg Adidas, it is a recommended shoe for trekking in Malaysia and Asia as most terrain are muddy, soft and includes river crossing. I like wearing it during my trekking for many reasons. 


First, it has good grip for trekking and because of this, I only need minimal energy to push myself up or balance my body when descending on steep hike. Its thin sole also provides good reflexology for my feet when trekking on uneven terrain (the mud).  A good advise for wearing Kg Adidas to avoid injury when trekking on not so muddy terrain and rocks that often comes together with muddy terrain; or even with heavy backpack while benefiting the stretching feet arch muscles, is to wear 2 pair of socks- one thick & long pair and one thin (or old) pair. Long, tight socks serves as Leech socks while you have double layer underneath again :).


 I quoted point number 111 from Barefoot Walking and Living Health Benefits (And 125 Reasons To Go Barefoot):


 Free from the constraints of shoes, (Dr. Irene) Davis said, musculature in the arches benefits. "When you're barefoot and you don't have any support under the arch, especially when you are hiking on uneven terrain, your feet have to work really hard to stabilize you. If you don't have something underneath it supporting it, the foot muscles are going to have to work harder. So I really think that hiking and even just walking barefoot helps to strengthen the muscles of the arch." (Darren Richardson, Barefootin', note -- Darren is a very experienced barefoot hiker and full-time barefooter and Dr. Davis is a professor of physical therapy)


Second, it only needs minimal cleaning by squirting a hose with heavy pressure water against the mud stuck in between the studs and its surface. 

It also dries up fast due to its rubber material as opposed to thick cushioned shoes that would have taken one full day of hot sun to dry.

It is super light, and makes a multi-purpose shoes as sandals (without sockings) to walk around at campsite.   

And lastly, it is cheap! Price ranges between RM5 ringgit to RM9 ringgit only.  :)

Kg Adidas sizes ranged from size 36 to 43 in ladies and men versions. There are many brands with different material quality and comes in two design, with shoe lace or without shoe lace. Buy the ones with studs as they provide good grip on muddy trail and steep soft trail. The ones without studs are meant for waterfall trekking. Depending on number of uses, its wear and tear is the studs. They often run out of flower and once that happens you can use it for waterfall trekking or even as your Crocs to walk on wet floors (in Malaysia, it rains throughout the monsoon season from October to December). 

How to purchase the right size? Purchase one size bigger but not too big as it is meant to fit around your feet! If you wear too small, your toes might end up getting blisters. The best test is to wear a pair of thick sockings on it. Or if you don't have any sockings with you, tuck your pointing finger into the gap between your back feet and shoe end - if your finger gets through the gap without difficulty, it means it is too big. Get one size smaller than this shoe. Also try the ones with shoe laces and without shoe laces. Without shoe laces suits those with broad or big feet. With laces also could fit broad feet as well.

Recommended Cap (termed as "brand" in Malay language) for shoes with studs are:-

The best brand: Cap Bowling

The next best brands: Cap Goco, Cap Osaki, Cap Gajah, Cap Ostrich

The worst: Cap Bintang

Cap Osaki

Cap Ostrich

Kg Adidas is available at markets or sundry shops in small towns and villages outside Klang Valley. That includes at Kota Kinabalu, Tambunan, Dabong near KTM station, Sg Lembing, Ulu Yam and Kg Raja Indian shops. They are also available in the small shops in the cities.

Kg adidas shops in Klang Valley:-

1) PJ Old Town: 1st floor, Jalan terus 4/42, above Pasar Besar Othman. Opens in the morning everyday. There is only one shoe shop around. Brands: Osaki, Bowling, Goco.

2) Old Klang Road: Cheong Keng Trading, 3 Jalan Sawi, Taman Goodwood, Jl. Kuchai Lama. 03-79826422, 016-2486486. Opening hours: 10am to 11pm everyday. Brands: Gajah.

3) Kepong: 31, Jalan Burung Tiong, Tmn Bukit Maluri. 03-62763468. Opening hours: Mon - Fri 10am to 7pm; Weekend 10am to 8pm. (Best you call the shop in advance before closing time.) Brands: Osaki, Goco

4) Serendah: shoe shop behind Police Station. 

• Backpack / rucksack

It is by far the most important thing in hiking.  Invest in a good backpack, also known as rucksack, for protection to your back and comfortable weight lifting for long trekking. Backpack for hiking in Malaysian jungles had to be made of sturdy material so it won't get torn from rotans, thorny plants and bamboos.  A poor quality bag will gives you problem in the jungle; imagine in the middle of jungle suddenly your backpack broke, and all your important and expensive stuff cannot be brought back home by hands.  

I have no preference for brands but among the brands available in Malaysia, Deuter and Karrimor makes good backpack for hiking.  A friend recommended MacPac from New Zealand, however it is very limited in Malaysia. For backpack hike over 2 days and 1 night, a large backpack of 60L - 65L makes ideal bag size for woman. For man, 65L - 70L rucksack fits. 

Why bigger bag? So you can load bigger items that are often lighter!  There are bag size in 55L+10L, meaning 55L bag with 2 side pockets in 10L.  It means you cannot expand the bag anymore. But 55L-65L al bag allows you to expand the size up to 65L and I find that useful as I often have big items to fit in.

To purchase your backpack, you need to try out the backpack to suit your body frame, as they comes in sizes at the padded strap and waist strap. More information on how to pack light in your backpack will be explained in next article.   

• Tents & Sleeping bag + mat

Often we think about good bed and invest more on tents and sleeping bag+ mat. But the real fact is, the best investment is light and waterproof tent, and right sleeping bag to keep you warm.  

Light and waterproof tent. Flysheet is a must to have- the bigger the better, ie 10x11 or 10x12 fits 5 person. A large flysheet protects you and your big backpack in your tent, hammock or cooking and even makes bigger A-frame open tent with groundsheet underneath it. Remember that a big backpack is like another human size. Flysheet can be obtained from Evergreen for under RM100 depending on size as they are locally produced as compared to imported ones that you find at other camping shops at above RM200! Groundsheets, however, can be purchased at any sundry shops as long as they are light. Blue and orange groundsheets from Evergreen is pretty heavy as they are "heavy duty" but last longer.

Right sleeping bag+mat. Mummy shaped sleeping bag suits for thin hiker while rectangular standard sleeping bag suits for large sized hiker. Overland from Tearproof shop has this mummy sleeping bag. For camping in Malaysian jungle with altitude above 1300m, the best sleeping bag warmth level is 12 degrees and below. If you have back problem, be it shoulder, upper back or lower back, invest in light, thin air-mattress. Therma-Rest offers this type of lightweight air-mattress in different sizes and warmth level.  It costs around RM300-400 for Malaysian warm temperature with cold wind while  RM500 range is meant for camping at snow-capped mountains or at winter. A cheaper version would be from Taiwan or China, try searching at Pertama Complex backpack and camping shops at 1st or 2nd floor.  

For those who is on tight budget or able to sleep on the hard ground with minimal cushion, buy the aluminium + blue layer mat from Ace Hardware at only RM5. This type of mat is prone to get wet; however you can buy a water resistant mat in black colour from Indonesia.

• Walking pole/ stick

There are many brands ranging from cheap China made brands to branded ones like brand no.1, Leki. Go for China made walking pole if you are doing dayhike, or irregular hiker as it cost only RM25 on average (if you are in China it is only RM10).  

I used to buy China made walking pole for most of my hardcore trips but often end up spoilt after 2 or 3 times use per trip due to its spring problem. I was told by dealers not to screw and unscrew it tight, but that was not often the case.  In Malaysia, however, there are few branded walking pole. Among the common ones are Komperdell that costs around RM700 for carbon as single pole and also in a pair. Leki pole can be found in Singapore shops. Since I am on budget, I managed to get an aluminium walking pole Mountainsmith for RM99 that comes with lifetime warranty, available at Lafuma in Bangsar. 

Walking pole is a good hiking tool as it balances your legs during trekking if you are carrying heavy backpack.  You do not want to injure your legs if you gets clumsy or exhausted, right? One walking pole is good enough for speed rather than on two walking poles, when you have trees, rocks or roots to hang on. Two walking poles are feasible when there are are no trees for grip, ie the desert.

 

• Bladder or no bladder? 

It depends. 

If you are heavy gulper, best to have bladder handy so you can drink all the time in sips. 

If you are handful during hiking, bladder helps to "feed" you. 

As for me, I like 100 Plus and water is not sufficient to quench my thirst during trekking. So I never carry bladder in my hike trips because I cannot fill it with sugar and salt. Most importantly, your body has sufficient energy, water and minerals. Sodium is lost through your perspiration released from your body; and that is where you need more sodium or minerals. Salt is one of the element in sodium. It depends on individual. The more you sweat and release other forms of liquid (runny nose, urinating), the more water and sodium you need. But the bigger intake of water would cause less water retention in your body.  Now you know why a bladder helps - it gives you sips instead of gulps so you have high water retention in your body.

Hypothermia is a condition when ones felt lethargic, had blur vision and lost balance during hike. It is due to heavy drinking and heavy sweating. There is less water retention in our body as a result of these. It means our body is lacking sodium. Instead of drinking more isotonic drinks, take Oral Rehydrate Salts (ORS) and salty food. Salty food is solid and thus retain sodium in the body longer than liquid base like ORS.   

 

Malaysia

Camping equipments
1) Lafuma (Yellowstone Sdn Bhd)
   16 (Ground Floor), Jalan Telawi Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan.
    Tel: 603-2287 1118

2) Tearproof Sdn Bhd

* 2nd Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, Psn Mid Valley, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Tel: 603-2282 1405

 

* 1st Floor, Times Square, Jln Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan,. Tel: 603-2143 4959

3) World of Outdoors
* Lot T225B, 3rd Floor, The Gardens, Mid Valley City,
   Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur

        Business Hour
        10.00am – 10.00pm

* 5th Floor, Sogo Shopping Complex, Sogo Pernas Building,
   190 Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.

        Business Hour
        10.00am–  9.30pm  (Mon - Thurs, Sun)
        10.00am– 10.00pm (Fri,Sat,Sales period,Eve of Public Holiday)

* Lot 1-36 to 1-39A, e@Curve, Jalan PJU 7/3,
   Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

        Business Hour
        10.00am– 10.00pm

4) Evergreen Adventure Sdn Bhd
    No. 46, Jalan Kilang Midah, Taman Midah Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 603-9173 6000.
5) Backpack shops at Pertama Complex.
    Look for shops at 1st or 2nd floor. There are wide range of designs and you can bargain there.

6) Sports Direct
MST GOLF PLAZANo. 8, Jalan SS13/5, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor. TEL :  + 03-5566 8700

Singapore

At this moment, I can think of a hiking shop in Spore.

1) Campers' Corner