Things to Buy

So we've started planning our vacation - when to go, where to stay, what to do while there, etc. But we're also starting to think about what we need to buy for the trip - hiking boots, waterproof backpacks, small travel-size first aid kit for when we're hiking and I inevitably skin my knee...

A friend suggested Merrell (sp?) hiking boots, and also recommended a store in Holland - The Outpost - where they can help us find what we need for the type of hiking we're going to be doing, the climate, etc. Another friend of mine has a pair of Fivefingered-Toe shoes that somewhat intrigue me, so I looked up some information on them also (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/), and found out that they're great for watersports, some hiking, and things like that. (And The Outpost in Holland has those too!) So as far as footwear goes, I think our first stop is going to be at The Outpost in Holland (I've mentioned them three times - free advertising? If they want to send a few bucks my way for mentioning their store, I wouldn't mind that! lol) If anyone has any suggestions on the kind of footwear we should be looking at for hiking in the Caribbean, let me know!

Waterproof backpacks. They seem to come in all sizes and colors. Some have only two pockets, some have six or seven. These are not difficult to find on Amazon or other sports stores, just finding the right ones for us is going to be the challenge. (Who knows, maybe The Outpost in Holland carries these also? No pun intended with the "carries" and talking about backpacks... yeah... anyway...)

Small first aid kits? Meh. We can put that together ourselves. Probably don't need to go out and buy one when really we can throw some bandaids and triple-antibiotic ointment in a ziplock bag and go.

Oh, and another thing we've been looking at are waterproof digital cameras. The two brands that seem to keep popping up in searches and are reasonably priced are Olympus and Fuji. We're thinking the Fuji one is the way to go, along with buying a "float strap" so that if it somehow comes off our wrists it doesn't sink to the bottom of the Atlantic or anything!

So that's where we are now. I'm sure we'll come up with more things that we need (or at least want) to buy between now and then. Right now I think the main thing is the hiking boots so we can start walking now in them so we don't get blisters from having to break them in once we're in Dominica.