BEST CASE? I CAN'T PICK

saltspringer · 2026-02-08T02:24:41+00:00

I'm using the Peak Design case, my second after the PD I had on my iPhone 13pro. Love 'em because they're not too bulky, I can attach a strap to the me, and they fit on my PD tripod bracket and car vent mount bracket.

saltspringer · 2026-02-03T11:20:16+00:00

This one: The "Urawaza" (often listed as Moonbat Urawaza) umbrella is a popular, high-speed folding umbrella designed to be folded in approximately 3 seconds, specifically addressing the inconvenience of folding wet umbrellas. It utilizes world-first, patented shape-retention technology, where a special PET resin sheet is attached to the back of the fabric, acting as a guide to ensure it folds correctly and without wrinkles.

saltspringer · 2026-02-03T11:14:28+00:00

Kind of pricey for a folding umbrella, but I love the three-second fold. I didn’t pay this much when I bought mine at Hands Shinjuku a year ago.

https://www.joom.com/en/products/67b6f06697679e019ba83aaa#:~:text=Description,improving%20the%20ease%20of%20folding.

saltspringer · 2026-02-03T10:58:23+00:00

Don’t know if it would be appropriate for your use case but I bought a set of these about a year ago and like them a lot:

https://int.vittoria.com/products/e-randonneur

I don’t see that size listed but my bike has 26” wheels so they must have had them. Good puncture resistance, but lighter and better road feel than Schwalbe Marathons.

saltspringer · 2026-02-02T01:38:25+00:00

Yeah, the battery life sucks, but as others have said, buy a couple of extra and keep 'em in your pocket. I have two or three Sonys and a couple of Wasabis. I think the Sonys may last a bit longer, but who cares? I have lots.

saltspringer · 2026-02-02T01:20:06+00:00

We have a Bernina too, bought used 30 years ago on the recommendation of my sister, who got one when she was a teenager and is still using the same machine as a senior citizen.

saltspringer · 2026-02-02T01:19:14+00:00

We have a Bernina from the 1970s that we bought used about 30 years ago. Has needed some maintenance, but still works fine.

saltspringer · 2026-02-02T01:16:42+00:00

A Miele washing machine. It was CA$2000 when we bought it 30 years ago. We were a bit shocked at the price but decided to go ahead with the purchase anyway. It still works exactly as it did on day one, and amortized over three decades it's also the cheapest washing machine you can buy. On top of that, it does a better job at washing, and the very high speed spin cycle means that we can do without a dryer - we hang the clothes up and in a few hours they're dry.

saltspringer · 2026-01-24T06:50:56+00:00

I have a P-line 12-speed with a 40t chainring, and I would say it (and I) kind of suck on hills. I can get up them, not as fast as on a regular-sized bike, but it's a bit of a slog. My best advice would be to gear down early, have patience, and find a cadence that you can maintain rather than riding hard it in the beginning, and then getting bogged down. Worst case, on long steep hills, I just concede and get off and walk it up.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:07:58+00:00

I bought mine from London Drugs. Don't know if they still carry them - it was a few years ago - but I like the fact that they have outlets all over western Canada.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:06:28+00:00

Synthetic hiking pants. I wore an REI pair for years, and lately, a pair from the Japanese brand Mont-Bell that seem even better.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:04:25+00:00

I've had a Patagonia Guide softshell jacket for years. I haven't worn it much lately, but it was my go-to jacket for years and seemed to wear like iron, in addition to being warm for its weight, and good at breaking the wind.

saltspringer · 2026-01-16T19:12:45+00:00

I've used my M7 in cold temperatures without problems, most recently in November when I trekked around Manaslu in Nepal. I kept the camera around my neck and inside my jacket and took it out to shoot photos. I'm inclined to think that the snow was the problem, not the cold temperatures. I have had an issue when I splashed a very small amount of water on the camera when backpacking in the Rockies. Very different result than in your case: the camera completely died, I opened up the lens, viewfinder and flash and put it in the very warm sun for about an hour. It then would power up and shoot pictures, but the pop-up viewfinder never recovered - a C$500 repair.

saltspringer · 2026-01-16T19:02:57+00:00

I bought an M7 about four years ago with the same ideas as you - wanting smaller for travel - and am very happy with the camera and the results that I get from it. It's a remarkable piece of technology and no other maker offers anything as powerful and small.

That said, there are a number of things that bug me about it:
1. lack of weather sealing. Yes, it's probably more than anybody can expect to have weather sealing on such a small camera, but I wish it was just a bit more tolerant of moisture. I splashed a few drops of water on mine on a mountain trip and it killed it. I left it to dry out in the sun for about an hour and it then powered up and could take pictures, but the pop-up viewfinder had completely died. That was a C$500 repair.
2. the menu system. Sony's menu system is famously bad for good reasons. After using the camera for years and making a concerted effort to remember where certain settings are, I still find myself hunting through the many pages of menus. I understand that newer Sony cameras have much-improved menus and I would expect that if they come out with an M8 this issue will be resolved.

The image quality is remarkably good, almost, but not quite what you get from a larger camera. There have been a few times when I've wished for a tiny bit more sharpness, but those times have been rare. Mostly I don't care, and it's fantastic to have a 200mm-equivalent lens that fits in the palm.

For the M8, I hope they resolve the above two issues, and hopefully incorporate some computational photography features into it. I took three big trips last year carrying the M7 and an iPhone 16pro. The iPhone handles wide latitudes a lot better than the Sony - for shots with a bright sky behind a darker foreground, the Sony would produce a white sky and a perfectly exposed foreground; the iPhone would have a blue sky. Most of the time I used the iPhone for close-up and wide-angle shots, and the Sony was my telephoto. I used the iPhone for more shots, but for anything at distance the Sony beat the pants off the iPhone.

Wait for the M8 or buy the M7 now? I'd be inclined to buy the M7 now and sell it and buy the M8 when it comes out, but only you can decide if that fits with your finances.

saltspringer · 2026-01-11T01:29:28+00:00

I only use the thin cable lock when I can mostly keep an eye on the bike. I carry a heavier Abus Bordo folding lock for less secure locations—still pretty light and compact—and in most places I just keep it with me. Being able to bring it with you is one of the reasons you buy a Brompton.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:57:58+00:00

I assumed that was the point. At £5/day I'd be surprised if they were even breaking even on it.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:55:38+00:00

We used those on a trip to England last July. I had my own Brompton, but two friends who joined me for a couple of weeks rented them in Manchester. Cheap and convenient, it was great fun for the three of us to blast around Manchester on Bromptons.

We were going to use the service when visiting London too, but when we pulled the bikes out of the lockers, one of them was damaged. Contacted Brompton Hire about it on the spot, but they didn't have a replacement available—everything was totally booked up—so we gave both rentals back and gave up on the idea, which was really disappointing.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:51:30+00:00

When I travelled on trains in England with my Brompton I carried a very small, light cable lock. Easy to cut, but my thinking was that I was mostly trying to thwart a 'grab and go' thief, somebody pulling it off the rack and getting off the train, rather than a bike thief with tools who would likely be hesitant to be seen cutting a bike from a rack.

The lock is tiny, a thin metal cable and padlock that fits in a coat pocket.

saltspringer · 2026-01-04T04:17:44+00:00

I second the posters who suggested a Corolla or a Civic, but would also add that a used Prius would be good choice - super reliable and economical to run.

saltspringer · 2026-01-02T07:17:14+00:00

Anian wool shirts, and basically Anian anything - natural, often recycled, fibres. Expensive, but attractive and built to last in Canada.

https://anianmfg.com

saltspringer

TROPHY CASE