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Since I missed the GEAR:30 episode that Luke Koppa and Kristin Sinnott did about travel gear, you know I’d want to weigh in with some of my strong opinions. So in this conversation, Kristin and I open by discussing our recent trips; we discuss the question of ‘why we travel?’; and then, we dive into some of our favorite travel gear.
RELATED LINKS:
Bag Balm: 20% Off w/ Code: BLISTER
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Blister Summit 2025: Early-Bird Registration
TOPICS & TIMES:
Recap of our Recent Trips (6:28)
Snake Bite Black story (12:46)
Italy (18:01)
Why Do We Travel? (28:40)
Florence, Italy (32:25)
Gear Talk: Headphones (37:10)
Roller Bags (42:15)
Backpack (47:40)
Walking shoes (51:04)
Mechanical Watches (56:27)
Work Out Gear (59:02)
RELATED GEAR:
Gregory Border Traveler 30
Altra Solstice XT 2
Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones
Soundcore Anker Life Q20
Osprey Sojourn Shuttle 100L
Deuter AViANT Duffel Pro Movo
Push Up Bars
Work Out / Resistance Bands
Deuter UP Sydney
Oboz Cottonwood Low Waterproof
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS (click each to learn more):
Never had one with black currant but had many Snakebite drinks here in the states. They are damn good. Imo the best are with a dark lager and a a darker more English style cider (here in the northwest we have a brand called Spire dark and dry)
Interesting, Brian. I’ll have to try the darker lager / darker cider combo.
Also, I got this message from a listener, Ed, and it makes me think I’ll need to track down (or get good at making) this cordial:
“Hello Jonathan, I’m from the north west of the UK north of Manchester and I’ve just listened to your GEAR:30 podcast on travel gear and snake bite blacks. The black current mixer they put in a snake bite black is called a cordial, which is basically a sugary more concentrated black current juice!”
The mission to bring back the endangered Snake Bite Black continues…
Premium experience: Kronenburg 1664 (on tap) for lager, Strongbow (cider) and Ribena (blackcurrant cordial OG).
For those on a budget..any lager (on special offer) white lightening cider(I think they discontinued this after people started to lose their eye sight or something) and never scrimp on Ribena (a pantry staple)
this recipe is responsible for more fights, black-outs and indiscretion across the UK which usually end up in a kebab shop and/or a dodgy nightclub.
Best of times
Get around it!
“This recipe is responsible for more fights, black-outs and indiscretion across the UK which usually end up in a kebab shop and/or a dodgy nightclub.”
Haha. I think we’ve found a new mission for BLISTER:
1) produce honest, accurate gear reviews
2) get everyone who needs it covered with BLISTER+ injury insurance
3) make the Snake Bite Black a new staple in the Blister Community – serve at the Blister Summit??
And funny, back when I was at Oxford, it was always, only, Strongbow. Glad to hear all these years later that we were apparently doing it right.
Now I’m looking up Ribena and going to try to order some….
Jon, do you agree with the bartender at the King’s Arms that the Snake Bite Black isn’t around in the UK as much as it used to be? (It’s certainly never been a thing in the U.S., as far as I know.)
I’ve been out of the UK since 2002..but only the true believers in this magic elixyr will keep it alive.
Vital to secure sponsors support for the Summit..if you added a gyros/kebab stand you could have a very real opportunity to flip the ski community away from PBR and PB&J.
Do I send you my passport details to book my flights for the summit to be barman?
Stay tuned…
I, for one, expect to have a snake bite black at the summit next year.
Ha, we’ve got our work cut out for us….
Not caught up on the podcast yet so apologies if I am repeating stuff in there. I was introduced to snakebite 40 years ago and always understood it came from the US. Never had it with blackcurrant (though naturally would be Ribena if I did) and not really clear why you would. Many pubs in the UK used to refuse to serve snakebite due to its effects (which I can definitely attest to!) If we are going down this road of cider based shenanigans, then the Red Witch is worth consideration, a pint of cider with a double Pernod and black. Enjoy!
I was at a party at a mates place in NZ many years ago. 50 litre keg of lager, same again of cider and a 1 litre of blackcurrant cordial with a hole stabbed in the lid to add that little something extra.
Let the merriment, fights, passing out ensue.
Cholmeski, do give the blackcurrant a try. Velcro ski boot straps do the job, booster straps are better
I wish I had a time machine. That party sounds amazing.
Would love you to go down the rabbit hole and report back on great travel shoes that cover off all day travel comfort, lots of miles including a light hike & suitable for a nice restaurant.
Yeah, turns out, such a shoe is pretty money for traveling. Of course, I will be checking out the updated Altra Solstice XT for this purpose. The prior version, I was using on a 12-mile hardpack, dirt, and stone hike on the famous Cinque Terre trail; then many miles of walking around the cobbled streets of Florence; and then wearing them to dinners at not-super-fancy places. They worked. And in general, I think getting to all-black or nearly-all-black tennis shoes can pull this off.
My question to you: you okay with these looking like more subtle sneakers? Or are you trying to pull of all of the above in a shoe that looks less like a tennis shoe and a bit dressier. Seems like that’s the important line of demarcation here?