Essential accessories for your trip
During your travels, you may have encountered problems, large or small, caused by unsuitable equipment:
In transit:
- a travel bag dirtied, damaged or sometimes stuck in the baggage system because a strap caught in a conveyor belt, perhaps followed by a long wait to recover the missing luggage.
- a backpack turned upside down at the airport during a painstaking inspection, with “non-compliant” items confiscated, such as an oversized shampoo bottle.
Once there:
- Minor problems: unappealing washrooms with nowhere to put your belongings; bites from mosquitoes, midges, bedbugs or ticks; tedious packing and unpacking every morning and evening; a flat phone battery…
- And major setbacks: stolen documents or money, questionable or unsafe water…
Whether on public transport, in the street, out in nature or at your accommodation, the right travel accessories help you stay comfortable and avoid problems.
Drawing on good and bad experiences, Rayon Rando reveals essentials to make travelling easier.
Practical yet compact, clever and reassuring: here are travel accessories for peace of mind.
Choosing between a waterproof jacket and rain poncho for hiking
When hiking, should you choose a rain poncho or a waterproof jacket? RayonRando shares its thoughts.
To set out the terms of the debate, I should explain that I choose one of these 2 options when going on a multi-day hike:
- Either a rain poncho; in this case I also take a lightweight windproof jacket to protect me from the wind (and cold) when it is not raining. But I do not take waterproof hiking trousers, as the poncho reaches below my knees, or a backpack cover, as the poncho already covers the backpack.
- Or a waterproof jacket, which also serves as a windproof layer when it is not raining; in this case I also take waterproof trousers and a rain cover for my backpack.
As you can see, I do not have a fixed preference. It depends on what I am going to do.
We will look at the 5 factors that help you choose between them.
Finally, we will look more specifically at what to wear when cycling in the rain, with extra accessories that help provide good rain protection on a bike.
Which backpack for a day's hiking?
The choice of small backpacks is almost endless. But many are basic models with widely varying specifications. They can disappoint hikers through unsuitable capacity or usable space, discomfort and muscular tension, or insufficient features…
Whether hiking for 2 hours or a full day, RayonRando explains the criteria to consider and offers examples to help you choose the right day hiking backpack.
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