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Hiking equipment on a budget
Want to explore nature and take up hiking, but you are a beginner and have little idea what to bring?! Do not worry, this post is especially for you!
When I began hiking in nature, my biggest uncertainty was about the clothes and equipment I needed: “I do not have proper boots! I do not have a windproof, waterproof jacket!
I do not have poles…” Thoughts like these often made me back out and miss guided hikes.
But that turned out to be completely wrong! Never give up before you try!
But what can you do when clothing and equipment are expensive?! Do not worry, there is a solution to that too!
First, as I have said in other posts, you do not go hiking to look pretty or handsome, but to enjoy nature! What matters, then, is how our equipment and clothing work, not how they look!
My advice is to look in second-hand clothing shops. You can find very good value: shoes, trainers, backpacks, tents and even hooks, axes or hammers ideal for mountaineering, a level of activity that requires more preparation than a simple hike.
Shops and sale periods
Where can you find them?! Let me tell you a few places.
There is a shoe shop on “Elbasani” Street. There you can find not only shoes for going out, but also trainers and hiking boots at prices from 1,000 to 3,000 lek.
You can find backpacks just right for hiking at the same prices. A second-hand shop on “Reshit Petrela” Street, by the former railway station, can help with exactly that.
Other shops selling good-value backpacks and equipment are on “Kavaja” Street, towards the former bus depot, and on “5 Maji” Street, at the former Dinamo factory.
If these shops do not solve the problem, another option is the eastern side of Tirana’s ring road. From the Ballet School to Brryli, there are numerous roadside shops selling second-hand clothes, or new ones at reasonable prices.
Then again, the well-known brand stores in shopping centres can themselves offer a real opportunity. During the big sales, of course. Shops such as Intersport or Adidas offer genuine discounts of up to 70%.
If you are keen on this sort of thing, it is best to wait for those periods, December/January, when prices fall considerably.
Meanwhile, you could also follow the example of Saimir Kalbaj, a fantastic guide in the Alps, who used his intuition and skills to turn a tree branch into a perfect hiking stick.
