Equipment Failures When Walking

I once got off the bus at Rowsley and my trousers were falling down; I checked my belt and half of the buckle was missing. I managed to walk along to the shop where the shopkeeper had some twine in the back room - I bought a carton of milk to drink later.

I was walking down into Bretton Clough when I stumbled and noticed that the sole at the front of my right boot had become partially detached. I used one of the socks from the spare pair I always keep in my rucksack and pulled it over the toe end of the boot and I was able to continue without any problems. Of course the sock was ruined, shredded and caked in mud - I think the remaining sock is still at the bottom of my rucksack somewhere.

Another footwear problem; this time I was carefully closing a farm gate at Wormhill when my boot was somehow snagged by the bottom of the gate and the sole was entirely ripped off this time. I took the boot off, wore both of the socks from my spare pair on that foot to provide a bit of padding, struggled to put the boot back on and then carefully made my way back to the nearest bus stop at Blackwell Lane End.

I'd just finished eating my sandwiches on the Hallam Moors near the Redmires Reservoirs and attempted to sling my rucksack over my shoulders when one of the shoulder straps snapped. There was nothing I could do about this; fortunately it was easy and safe walking conditions back to the bus terminus at Lodge Moor.

I was once climbing over a gate and caught my trousers on a nail and ripped them. The tear was several inches long and I was unable to wear them again.

My Berghaus hiking boots are very comfortable, strong and still totally waterproof after five years, and I love them, but their grip is very poor when walking on limestone so I can only use them in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District and for some local walks - we do have limestone countryside near Doncaster, the Yorkshire Magnesian Limestone Ridge.

Twice I've bought a pair of ice grippers and both times I was disappointed. They were awkward to attach to my boots and kept coming loose and eventually the studs would break off. 

  

Review of Berghaus Freeflow 25+5 Rucksack

I've now used the rucksack for six walks and so feel that I'm able to give a fair and comprehensive review. As I wrote in my initial observations, the Berghaus Freeflow 25 + 5 is the best rucksack I've ever used. It's comfortable, rugged, practical, and well-designed. The rigid back is its best feature, preventing objects  from digging into me, or rubbing against my back...and cutting down substantially on the amount of sweat I produce; and therefore maybe I'll need to drink, and carry, less liquid.

The 5 litre capacity top pouch distributes the weight I carry high up on my shoulders; the best place for it, both for better balance, and preventing backache. I can put the heavy stuff in there, binoculars, radio, my torch, and a couple of extra bottles of pop...and they're easy to get at; especially by the person walking behind you.

Some other positive features are the easy to release clasps, only needing one hand; two hands are still required to fasten them though. If you've got cold hands or arthritic fingers I think this ease of use might well be very welcome...all the zips have easy to grab looped fasteners too.

The well padded waist band is very supportive to the lower back and holds the rucksack firmly in place, and would probably keep your lower back very warm on cold days - it also holds my map case securely in place, preventing it from flapping about in the wind and almost throttling me.

The shoulder straps are also well-padded, and easily adjustable on the move - so no chafing there.

There are quite large side pockets, elasticated loops to easily store your walking poles, space for a hydration bladder (I've never used one - they seem quite unhygienic to me; and a lot of work to keep clean and sterile) and a pull-out waterproof cover tucked away in a flap at the bottom which I haven't used yet but I'll most likely use it to sit on when the ground's wet; utilising the rucksack as a backrest.

There are one or two negative points I feel I need to cover; they are only minor points though. I've read other reviewers stating that because of the bowed design of the rigid back support this limits the amount of space available in the main part of the rucksack. I tend to agree with this observation, but this isn't a problem for me since I only have my sandwiches, waterproof clothing and a few extra bits and bats in there...and because they're packed in more tightly they don't move about; good if you need to jog to make up time.

Another minor problem I've noticed is that the rucksack is a bit unstable when it's full and placed on the ground; it tends to fall over. This is a particular drawback for myself since I travel on buses and trains all the time and it gets in the way, blocking the aisles - I also have to make sure that I clasp the waist band together otherwise people have tended to tread on the 'wings'...at least the clasp is easy to undo when I need to get off the vehicle and put the rucksack over my shoulders.

One final problem I had, which was probably my own fault though for not properly  configuring the rucksack to my body size, is that a stay on one of the shoulder straps has already come unstitched: it doesn't seem to affect the usability of the  rucksack though.

Overall I'd say that the Berghaus Freeflow 25 + 5 Rucksack is a very good general purpose rucksack for day hiking, either on your own or with friends; comfortable,  well-designed and well-made, practical  and easy to use...what else could you want?