Are you into adventure sports and tourism? Whether it’s trekking, rappelling, paragliding or biking, or any of the other adventure sports, they all offer a mad and breathtaking rush of adrenaline. And it’s absolutely essential to equip yourself with the right gear to make for a hassle-free and fun-filled trip. So before embarking on your next adventurous getaway, arm yourself well with accessories that will see you through the planned (and the unplanned) situations as you rough it out. Here’s a round-up of what the city’s stores have to offer.

Pack punch

Before you head to the nearest stores to buy a rucksack, make a mental checklist. The perfect rucksack must have essential features like compression straps that allow you to adjust the size of the bag according to the weight you carry, padded hip-belts so that the weight is distributed around the hips too, collapsible side-pockets for extra storage, expansion sections of extra material that allows the top to be overfilled and base opening for easy access to the bottom of the rucksack.

You could try brands like UBAC or Alpine for weather resistant rucksacks with a capacity of about 60 litres. They come in a price range of Rs 1,950 to Rs 2,500 and are equipped with collapsible pockets, base openings and padded hip-belts. You also get handy little camera bags to attach to your rucksack in the range of Rs 450 to Rs 1,050. Drop in at the UBAC outlet on M. G. Road or the Alpine showroom on Ballygunge Place East for a dekko.

At the Clubb outlet in City Centre, there are options to be explored too. We really liked the 60-litre backpack for Rs 1,233 that can be bought along with a sleeping bag for Rs 1,069. You can also opt for an 80-litre backpack for Rs 1,999. These come in a smart blue with three to four pockets. Some even offer shoe storage space. These ones too come with compression straps, padded hip-belts, collapsible side-pockets and base openings.

If you want all the works and some more added pizzazz, do go in for the backpack from Giordano in Forum. With six chambers, it comes for Rs 3,690 and in cool colour combinations like red and black or white and black.

Of course, the Samsonite models with built-in strolleys emerge the hands-down winners in this section. These double-duty rucksacks come for a cool Rs 6,199. And short of the expansion sections, they have about everything you could possibly want in a sturdy rucksack.

dress code

The most important part of your wardrobe during your sojourn in the wild will be the specially designed jacket that will protect you from the ravages of the weather.

You can go for the heavy and warm thermal jackets from Nike for Rs 4,500, while for the waterproof ones be prepared to shell out about Rs 6,000.

If that seems a bit over the top for you, drop in to Idris near Jyoti theatre for thermal-cum-waterproof jackets at Rs 3,200.

UBAC offers hollow-fill thermal jackets that can keep you warm in temperatures up to —15°c. These costs about Rs 1,180. You can also check out the cool camera jacket from UBAC, which has a special pocket to cushion your camera.

Cliffline has double-layered jackets that come for between Rs 700 and Rs 1,100. Windproof jackets will cost up to Rs 650 at Alpine, while for insular ones you will have to pay about Rs 975.

At Chakra Equipments, be prepared to shell out hollow-fill jackets that insulate you up to — 8°c. You can also check out the waterproof jackets and trousers that cost Rs 650 and Rs 550 respectively. A must buy is the hollow-fill gloves to warm you through the chill.

Watches that tell the direction and the temperature are also useful on a trek. Our choice is the impressively equipped titanium alloy Casio Protrek which costs Rs 15,495 and comes with a tachometer, altimeter, barometer, temperature indicator and a compass. The same model is available with a rubber case for Rs 13,995.

If you’d like to spend less, the Timex Tight is also a neat rubber model that comes with a compass, night glow and temperature indicator. It costs about Rs 999.

Trekking shoes are another mandatory buy for anyone planning a journey to the back of beyond. Bad shoes can really ruin a trip. Make sure that you check out the soles that offer a sturdy grip on rough and uneven terrain. Also, shoes that offer some degree of protection from water or snow top the wishlist.

Reebok has waterproof suede leather trekking shoes for Rs 2,690. The brown suede leather pair especially caught our eye at Rs 2,790.

You can also drop in at Woodland to get trekking shoes with special ankle protection coupled with excellent grip that’ll cost up to Rs 3,000.

Adidas has a range of water- resistant leather shoes with moulded soles costing between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000. But our pick is the brown and yellow Terex model that would empty your pocket by Rs 7,999.

Tent Tryst

You will need to find a secure shelter against those cutting winds and chilling rains once you retire for the night. Tents are indispensable on the adventure trail and here’s a checklist of what the stores here have to offer.

UBAC has A-shaped tents for two at Rs 4,800, while a four- person tent can be yours for about Rs 4,500. Dome-shaped tents for two will empty your pockets by Rs 3,300, while for four be prepared to shell out Rs 4,900.

You can check out four-person tents for Rs 4,800 at Alpine. They are waterproof on the outside allowing visibility from inside.

Cliffline has such tents within a range of Rs 3,800 and Rs 24,000 and come in varied colours. Chakra Equipments has waterproof dome tents for four that will cost up to Rs 5,000.

You’ll get ridge tents for Rs 8,500 at Idris which can house five people. And if you want smaller ones for two people, take a look at the dome-shaped tent at Rs 4,500. Ridge tents at Chakra Equipments for four are yours for Rs 3,500.

So when are you gearing for your next dose of adventure? Planning for it is surely no longer a daunting task.