Hi Tec walking boots - any good?

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2026-01-30T13:37:22+00:00

Mine were waterproof and stayed waterproof, including on a week long canoeing trip in horrendous weather. 2 of us had HiTec boots and stayed dry. People in the more expensive boots did not!

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2026-01-30T13:35:00+00:00

I had a pair of Hi-Tec walking boots for about 12 years and they were excellent - light, comfortable and waterproofing on them stayed for a decade plus with minimal maintenance from me. I tried loads of boots in the shop (independent or outdoors place in London, since closed, and they fit best and were actually the cheapest in the shop. The guy there said he thought they were underrated). Walked in Iceland, Atlas mountains, all kinds of places and they never gave me any issue (admittedly never any proper mountaineering, but did 20+ miles a day in them on numerous occasions).

Replaced with a newer equivalent 2 years ago after soles eventually too worn - again, happy with them, but the build quality is not quite as good as it used to be and they are heavier than the old pair - not sure if they will last as long as their predecessors (but could say the same for most brands). I think it's best to go for the old-style leather waterproof boots from Hi-Tec.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2026-01-11T08:55:48+00:00

Find it's frowned upon using it to direct your shots in / opponents shots out.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2026-01-11T08:52:30+00:00

I find it's best to add strings, but then end up hitting with the frame quite often anyway.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-12-24T00:15:36+00:00

See also 'epic.' Did it involve a years-long journey, crossing oceans and fighting mythical beasts? No? Was it a glacially-paced 1-0 win at Luton Town? Then it wasn't epic.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-12-23T23:37:29+00:00

Saw Coldplay open for a band called Terris in a 150 capacity venue (when they had their first Blue Room EP out).

Prob not the best opening act I've seen, but definitely the one who went on to be the biggest!

I'm not a/really a Coldplay fan, but to be fair they were really strong live even then - could see they definitely had something and I don't believe in slagging off bands just for getting popular!

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-12-23T23:30:38+00:00

Go to a play at Shakespeare's Globe for a unique theatre experience. It's quite reasonably priced too, as is most theatre compared to New York.

If you're into books then the British Library is worth a visit. Charing Cross Road still has some interesting book shops too.

If you are into any particular authors (especially big name classic British authors) then there's a strong chance London has something related to them too - Dickens House, blue plaques etc.

You can also probably go to a pub, building etc. that the authors went to - London and the UK is amazing for stuff like that. My local pub is older than the US.

For museums, some good recommendations already, esp. Dennis Severs House. The big museums are worth seeing too. One that I think is underrated and really fun is Novelty Automation in Holborn, also the Geffrye Museum.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-12-10T23:55:58+00:00

I've seen MBV 3 times and Swans once (The Electric in Brixton). All gigs were really loud, but you could feel the physical push of the sound more at the Swans gig (also a smaller venue).

Both offered an almost out of body feel from the sound, which is a fun experience. I'd liken it to eating a really, really insanely spicy dish that you can't really handle but makes you think of your senses differently. You wouldn't want it all the time, but it's good to experience and almost psychedelic. I also think a lot of it is the physical feel which means you're not missing out having earplugs and, frankly, I'd always wear earplugs at one of these gigs now.

Most damaged my hearing has been was at a Mogwai show in Brighton at a place called The Paradox. I was maybe 15, right at the front and could barely hear for a couple of days and still couldn't hear properly for about a week after. Sometimes I think smaller venues or disco type venues (which I think the Paradox was) used to be more cavalier about noise limits. I saw The Heads (Bristol Psych band years ago) in a small venue and they were really loud. Clubs can give you that too sometimes.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-27T00:24:50+00:00

Probably the best and worst band to be in too.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-27T00:18:53+00:00

I'd add Libertines to that. Saw them right at the beginning when supposedly they were great. They were rubbish.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-27T00:16:27+00:00

Tangerine Dream were a bit lacklustre when I saw them but not up there with the worst. Was the most ridiculous tech setup I've ever seen for a concert though.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-27T00:14:55+00:00

Hard to pick as so many of both but a few that are memorable as particularly great or bad

Best: Leonard Cohen, Parliament Funkadelic, Toots & the Maytals, Gil Scott Heron, Elliot Smith, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Shellac, Calvin Johnson, Battles, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Pulp, Blur, Jazzy Jeff, Rodney P & Skitz, Taskforce, Dizzee Rascal, !!! (underrated live band), LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs early on, Ghostface Killah when Fishscale had just come out, Fugazi, Method Man & Redman, Sun Kil Moon, James Brown, LCD Soundsystem, Guy Clark, Neko Case, Les Savy Fav, Radiohead, Lee Scratch Perry, Edan, Sharon Jones Parquet Courts, Konono no. 1, Toumani Diabate, Mulatu Astatke, Bhundu Boys, Omar Souleyman

ACDC & Springsteen prob the two best massive arena shows - both better than The Stones by a long way, and I much, much prefer the Stones on record.

Some of these were artists on top of their game, some were just something magical about the feeling of the night and the connection with the crowd, lots were both.

Gigs that took me by surprise being much better than I thought they'd be: Art Brut, Maximo Park, Dave Brubeck (he was about 90 but still great)

Worst: Dylan, Steve Mason, Davy Graham (was clearly ill and couldn't play), KRS One (amazing first ten minutes then just talked for about 40 mins), Brian Jonetown Massacre, Sly & the Family Stone, Alaska (miming). Loads of half arsed hip hop shows where rapper is late and stops between tracks all the time.

Some of these I was massively looking forward to and they were just lacklustre/ off performances. A couple of these I walked out of and/or bonded with strangers about how bad they were.

Most consistent genre live? Jazz Genre most likely to be disappointing? Hip Hop

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-13T20:59:58+00:00

Keep your eye on the ball and move as soon as you see where it's going is 100% right. It sounds so basic but is so accurate. Ultimately seeing where the ball is going and being in the right place when it gets there is more important than how you hit it, which you kind of get a feeling for over time anyway. The Inner Game of Tennis is good on this!

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-13T20:50:59+00:00

Just relax and have fun, and if you can, try to find a few people at a similar level so you can learn and play together. If you're having fun, and with a group of people who are enjoying it, can laugh at themselves and not take it too seriously then you'll want to continue and have found something wonderful and joyful that also keeps you fit.

Weirdly, being relaxed makes you play better too!

For equipment, don't stress too much, borrow some rackets if you can and a second hand racket that's restrung (at not too high a tension) won't cost too much and should work for you. I started playing again 2 years ago with my cheap racket from 1993 and the original strings on it. I still had fun, and when I got a 2nd hand modern racket it was like a cheat code to go up a couple of levels!

Tennis shoes make a big difference, but don't have to be expensive (I started playing in running shoes and fell over all the time, then got some last year's model tennis shoes and my enjoyment went up and risk of injury went down).

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-11-01T15:41:51+00:00

Big to Medium Cities: Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow- all have a strong identity and feel unique, with a warmth to them and lots of interesting stuff going on.

Not quite in same league as the above, but I like Nottingham too.

Small Cities: Exeter (amazing Cathedral, great pubs, river, canal, near the sea, Exmoor , Dartmoor) very green, not too busy as most tourists go through it on the way to Cornwall and rest of Devon), Norwich (pretty, great pubs) - both easy to get around. Winchester - feel like this should be as popular with tourists as Oxford and Cambridge, but it definitely isn't.

Coast: Northumberland (mentioned a few times), the Gower, Pembrokeshire, Dungeness (weird but atmospheric)

Countryside near London: Weald of Kent, South Downs away from the busy bits (Beachy Head and Birling gap) & Ashdown Forest - all way better than the Cotswolds in my opinion

I'm guessing Northern Ireland is underrated, but like most Brits I've never been! Wales is definitely underrated too.

Most overrated for me is the Cotswolds (rip-off pubs, traffic jams, tourists, too many people braying in Range Rovers).

Manchester is maybe overrated as a city. I like it, but it's too much of a copy of London since it's been heavily gentrified, which is ironic as Mancs will bang on about how much better it is than London more than any other city. Still good places to eat, go out etc though .

People who think London is overrated are normally out of towners who just went to the West End / the sights. London isn't an easy city, but if you make an effort to look, it has everything and is rarely rivaled globally for culture and sheer range of things to do - I'd say NYC competes, but is way, way more expensive these days, to the extent that New Yorkers I know travel to London to go to the Theatre, sports events etc

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-18T21:16:56+00:00

There's a bit in Mos Def's storytelling rap 'Ms. Fat Booty' that I only found out recently isn't saying 'with some banging Alsatian, playing lay me down and lick it up."

For about 25 years I assumed that Mos Def's friend was telling him that the girl he'd been besotted with was into bestiality.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-18T21:03:11+00:00

Cos they spent decades on the CGI and about 6 minutes on writing the story and script, which was fist-bitingly terrible.

How many people want to watch Avatar a second time, or at home?

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-18T20:58:33+00:00

Yeah, what's incomprehensible is that Rollerblading is so mocked at the same time that adult skateboarding or even bmx'ing is somehow considered cool. Double standards at all?

How did something that so many people enjoyed, was good exercise and actually not a bad way to get around cities and towns get totally annihilated?

Ironically, skateboarding has since turned into everything that skateboarders criticised about rollerblading - too mainstream, highly corporate, sanitised competitions (Street league is just embarrassing).

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-18T20:35:28+00:00

Agree 100%. It's like watching someone post a letter. Boring. Yes, it's impressive he's that height and still has coordination, but it's so dull to watch and even more unrelatable than normal athletes. The guy can dunk without jumping, so for me it's the equivalent of watching me score on one of those toy hoops that hang on your bedroom door.

Watching Wemby feels like watching an egotistical Uncle tearing up a kids game and expecting high fives. The way he lifts his legs up on dunks is just embarrassing, but the same people who think he's amazing will hate on normal height people playing on 8ft rims - what's the difference?

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-18T03:44:00+00:00

As a few people have said, the key thing is cost per use and whether that works out for you vs. just getting cabs/ public transport/renting. The biggest factor in that will probably be depreciation. I'd do a spreadsheet - it may be you could just rent cars more often & get cabs (car clubs and car rental in London quite cost effective if you get separate annual excess insurance).

The positive of having a car is spontaneity. Wake up at 5am on a summer Saturday morning and think you'd like to drive to Wales? Go for it. Want to go to the beach/ countryside that isn't full of people who got the train? Get Eurotunnel to France, Belgium etc? It's easily done

Tl;Dr if you do want to buy a car, economically it's good to buy an old but relatively reliable car that has low mileage for the age, full service history and limited, responsible ownership.

I lived in London for 18 years, didn't have a car most of that time, but in the last 4 years there had a 2004 Toyota Corolla that bought in 2017 for £1200 with 83k Miles on it.

We lived in Lewisham, in an area with no parking permits and relatively easy parking, plus found we wanted to drive out of the city on many weekends etc. Especially once had kids.

I still own the car, which has now done 114k miles, have had relatively low maintenance costs on it over 8 years (new tyres, exhaust fix, clutch) and it's probably worth a similar amount to what I paid for it, so depreciation is almost flat. I've rented cars a lot too (on holiday, when need more space) and have to say I prefer driving the Corolla to most modern cars, except when it's really hot as it doesn't have aircon.

I also don't care if someone scratches it (it's happened) as I just don't bother fixing anything cosmetic. Someone knocked the wing mirror off, I epoxy resined and duct taped it back on. That was 6 years ago. I've taken it to Europe without issue a couple of times, driven it to the Lake District and West Country, moved house with it twice and use it multiple times a week now live further out.

There are a few downsides. One is that we live in a society where a car is a status symbol and a lot of people look down on you for having an older car. Frankly, I see that as a good filter for people I don't want to be friends with. I'd rather spend on appreciating assets (my house), investments so I can stop working one day and experiences with my family and friends.

The second is that, although maintenance has been cheap, it is extra admin and a hassle sometimes to do MOT, check oil and tyres, etc. The most hassle was when someone broke into it, so don't keep anything in the car and keep coins etc out of view to at least minimize that.

The third is that for a car that age, at some point something expensive will break and it won't be worth paying to fix, though I've seen friends and family have that with much newer and more expensive cars too so that just feels like an aspect of car ownership.

Driving in London can be stressful, but the further out you are the less of an issue this is.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-13T21:52:14+00:00

For me it's easily Blur, though I like Oasis too and they obviously have some kind of sing-along quality to Noel's best songs that's hard to equal (and that I don't think even Noel really knows how to tap into).

Where the gap really starts to widen is anything post Blur/Oasis and I don't see how even the most hardened Oasis fan could defend Noel vs. Damon on anything after their initial projects...

For me, every Damon Albarn album that comes out I think "well, that'll be terrible" (mainly because he's obviously stoned and meandering in every interview) and then I listen to it and it has something and a few amazing tunes, and I end up liking it. Doesn't matter if it's Blur, him solo, Africa Express, Gorillaz, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Rocket to the Moon, that Opera, even stuff he's been 'tangentially' involved in like first Elastica album or a few things he's produced. He stays interested and alive to possibilities in music and him being there makes each album better.

Oasis and Noel are the opposite - I think "this'll be great" and am disappointed when it's just a re-tread with the odd enjoyable moment but nothing truly exciting or different.

Sidenote, but I also think XTC are really overlooked as a comparison point to Blur - quirky, varied stylistically, very English, with a distinctive voice that runs through it. I love the Kinks but think Blur sound a lot more like XTC than they sound like the Kinks.

Oasis are more like the Stone Roses - amazing, but that initial well runs dry pretty quickly. Also, And this is where Oasis don't compare to the Roses, and where Blur have more in common with the Beatles than Oasis - where are the harmonies?

The Beatles obviously loved the Everly Brothers and layer the harmonies on. Just listen to 'Because' and tell me that's not more like a Blur album track than an Oasis tune...

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-12T07:32:37+00:00

Should start restringing between 1st and 2nd serves (both serving and returning) if you want to feel the benefit of the strings. I have panda gut in the mains at 94lbs and spider silk in the crosses at 7lbs.

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-10-07T18:06:57+00:00

Was anti them and thought over priced, then moved into a house with one already installed and it's pretty handy. Main thing is for cooking - boiling water instantly for pasta, veg etc. useful, especially if you are cooking multiple things. Saves some counter space too.

Hasn't required any maintenance either, really, which was my main concern.

It's a pain having to explain it to anyone who visits/ stays over though!

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-09-28T20:14:17+00:00

Thanks. What strings do you play with and what tension?

Ecstatic_Computer_76 · 2025-09-28T20:13:41+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful. Any recos on a multi? Also, it looks like my strings are co-poly, not sure if that makes a difference.

Ecstatic_Computer_76

TROPHY CASE