I have a "new" pair of used hiking boots

I haven't found a supplier in Tanzania of some of the hiking gear that I use to climb Kilimnajaro. My best option has been to search for items from a well-stocked used goods market in Mwanza called Mlango Mmoja.

In 2010 I bought the pair, above, and when I bought them I felt they would last a long time. They have endured five climbs between 2010 and 2013.

Eventually they began to come apart and just before the September 2014 climb with Vitali Maembe, I bought another pair, below. They are lighter and have a front steel plate that I suspected might induce cold feet on my part during the night-long ascents from Barafu camp to the summit.

I can happily report that there is nothing to complain about this latest pair. Yet.