Out With The Old

There are things that I keep beyond their expiry date.

I'm not talking food, though there are some things that I find hidden at the back of the fridge that have evolved into whole new life forms. And on Saturday, after DW and I went to the LCBO to pick up a couple of bottles of port wine (after I completed my YouTube video on Portugal's Douro Valley, both she and I have craved this wonderful, fortified wine), I found an old bottle of a fortified Cabernet Franc, Canadian port-styled wine from 2001 buried at the back of our liquor cabinet.

As I pulled the stopper from the neck of the bottle, it snapped off and the rest of the dried-up cork crumbled into the bottle. There was about a quarter of the bottle left, so for fun, I decided to pour myself a tiny glass—about 10 to 15 millilitres.

What had originally been a crimson-red was now a deep gold. Smelling it, I got definite oxidation but it wasn't offensive, so I bravely took as sip. It was definitely past its prime, tasting more like prune juice than port wine.

The rest of the bottle went down the kitchen sink.

But I also keep things that should be replaced periodically, and over the past two weekends, I've finally said goodbye to a couple of essentials for my kayaking and cycling.

I've always known that if my bicycle helmet ever suffered a fall, even from a short height, it should be replaced. It should also be replaced, regardless of whether it has endured some sort of impact or not, every five to 10 years. Some sources even say that if the helmet is worn regularly, it should be swapped up every three years.

My old helmet is about eight years old, so it's not really beyond the maximum expiry date, but I have worn it fairly regularly, especially over the past three years, when cycling kept me not only fit but sane during the pandemic. When the weather cooperated, I got on my bike at every opportunity.

But after the last ride of 2022, as I hung my bike up for the season, I had my helmet on my handlebars. Just as I was hooking the wheels onto hooks that hung from my garage ceiling, the helmet slipped off.

I have pretty good reflexes and managed to catch the helmet before it hit the pavement. But I didn't have a great grip on it and as my arm came down to my side, I let go of the helmet. It dropped from about knee level.

I cursed but knew that any drop could spell the end for a helmet. And because I had already had the helmet for many years, I knew that come the spring, I'd need a new one.

I chose one with fluorescent yellow on it to stand out. It also has a built-in light at the back, for extra noticeability. If you saw my selfie shot from last Friday, you've seen that helmet.

But that wasn't the only piece of gear that I needed to replace.

DW and I have had our life jackets for many years. At least 10; possibly, 11. We certainly had them when we canoed with the kids, from Kingston to Ottawa, along the Rideau Canal system, but I seem to think that DW and I bought them the year before, when we were canoeing often on Lac Bernard, in her dad's old canoe, and we were contemplating our odyssey.

It was time for a replacement. After three seasons of kayaking with these PFDs, where we'd often complain about how the back panel would rub against the back of our seats, we wanted life vests that gave us ease of movement, some ventilation, and more pockets (our old vests had only one).

Plus, we figured, 10-plus years was a long time for a PFD.

The salesperson at our local sporting goods shop told us that five years was usually the life span for a vest. We were well overdue.

We tried on several vests that ranged in style and price. I felt sticker shock when I saw the price of life jackets: when we bought our old ones, a decade or so ago, at Costco, DW remembers paying about $35 for each of them. The top-two vests that I liked were more than $200.

The one I ultimately chose didn't have as many pockets as the other contender and wasn't my choice for colour (the runner up was a nice fluorescent green), but what sold me was the fact that it was more tapered on the back, which made it less likely to rub against the back rest of my seat, and it had a slightly better fit.

And it was 30-percent off the regular price, which still meant I was paying about four times the price of my old vest. (Incidentally, my new bike helmet was also on sale and cost less than what I paid for my old helmet.)

I can't wait to get my kayak into the water. DW and I were almost tempted to go out on Sunday, but we didn't feel quite prepared. Soon.

So for this season, it's out with the old gear and in with the new. I hope this equipment lasts a long time, though I'll try not to keep them beyond their best-before date.