How to complain about the quality of your gear

Broken backpack straps, headlamp that stops working, leaking tent, broken zipper, holes in shoes? It usually happens at the worst time, and that’s why you should always be ready. On the moment, the only thing you can do is to try to save the day with a trick. I did my Salkantay trek with duct tape around my hiking shoes (duck tape will fix almost everything). It was not pretty but it got me to Machu Picchu!

Once the emergency passed, if the product has clearly not performed as good as you expected, there is only one thing to do: complain and file a warranty claim. Here is a maybe very french topic: 8 steps guide on how to complain about the bad quality of your outdoor gear (and negotiate an exchange or refund).

Bad luck with your gear? Say something!

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How to never be cold again

Miserable. It is the word that sums up the best how you can feel when you are soaked to the bones, shivering, depressed, upset, disappointed and ready to call your mum to tell her to get you home when you are supposed to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Was it after biking under the rain for 3 hours? Or when the winds of Patagonia were blowing so much that you thought the tent will fly away? Was it after spending the all day with wet feet after following a path that disappeared under the flood?  Everybody who has spent a bit of time outside has one of these war stories.
Never let the weather bring you down again with these simple rules on how to stay warm outside whatever the seasons throw at you.

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How to choose the best backpack for you

This summer, after all these years of good services it was time to give my old and loved Quechua backpack a well deserved retirement.

When you love outdoors like I do, a visit to your local outdoor shop can turn into a half day activity. For backpackers or hikers, the backpack becomes quickly an extension of yourself, a part of you or your team that you hope will never let you down at the wrong moment.
I am a nerd when it comes to outdoor gear and buying a new backpack ended being a 3 months activity. I am sharing here the process I followed and recommend so that you can also find the best travel or hiking backpack for you!

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In my backpack – Hiking equipment

Packing for a travel is never an easy process, but when you are heading out into the wild with no option to buy missing items, it becomes even more critical to give it some good thoughts.
What to pack and what to leave home? How to make sure you can keep going even if the weather change? I am sharing here my packing list for the happy trekker along with a few learnings and tips, acquired kilometre after kilometre.
So, what's hiding inside the backpack?

So, what’s hiding inside the backpack?

Packing list for going trekking

If you want to be a minimalist packer, any item that goes into your backpack should answer one of the 3 essential goals of a hiker: stay dry, stay warm, stay clean. This, and some good food of course, will ensure you remain a decent human being even if you are trekking for more than a week without showering (think it’s too gross, it is still time to move to another post ;-)?)

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Packing tips for active travelers

The road is the best teacher. During my 7 months of travelling in South America, I have been packing/ unpacking what seems to be ten thousand times. I got a rid of a few things, lost a few others. In this post, I am sharing my “packing learnings and tips” for the active traveler, getting ready for 3 days or 12 months of active explorations. Discover the items I loved and what I should have never packed.

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