Shinai and cold dry weather

[stinkyKote]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on leaving your shinai in the car while you're at work. it's pretty cold and dry in Canada, and the weather is pretty tough on bamboo ..

Sometimes I think I should bring my shinai inside with me to work where it's a little warmer, and maybe a tad bit moister, will this even make a difference? I'd rather not get the weird looks from my co-workers constantly, last time I came in with my shinai my boss screamed 'Hey! that better not be a rifle!' from his office as I walked by ...

[Tato]

You americans! It's the only place where a boss can ever think than one of his employees can go to his job whit a gun... :rolleyes:

The couple of times when I had to bring my Kendo equipement into my office, when I heard coments from my collegues, I took my bokken and... :p

(Of course, it's a joke)

Rei

[stinkyKote]

actually, I'm Canadian... but we're close enough to the border that the joke kinda carries over .. :D

[JSchmidt]

I often take my bogu into the office and you very quickly get used to the 'are you going fishing?' questions.

Jakob

[Kuri]

America is a continent, not a country. Canada is on the American continent, so you're American. Just like Tato is from Spain, so he's European.
:D

[stinkyKote]

well, if you really want to get into semantics, North America is the continent... thus I'm a North american-- :rolleyes:

[nodachi]

Lots of Canadians get pissed when you call them American. Things would be a lot easier if everyone just realized like stinky said, that they are North Americans, maybe... but better if Canadians are Canadians, and Americans are from the US...

Kuri... not trying to cause trouble, just curious... so do you call people from Brazil or Chile American?

[Kuri]

Originally posted by nodachi
Kuri... not trying to cause trouble, just curious... so do you call people from Brazil or Chile American?

I call them either Brazilian, Chilian, Peruvian, ..... or collectively South American. This has come about because of a highjacking of a word and is constantly misused (and most people lack an awarness of this missuse).

Back to topic. Japanese winters are pretty dry. I don't think that either leaving it your car or taking it into work work will change things in the long term. Try getting as much moisture into the shinai and sealing it in with an oil covering. That would hopefully keep the shinai from drying out too much in all environments.

[alexpollijr]

have you guys ever heard the 'hey, going to play pool so soon ' one about the shinai? it's the most popular down here, alongisde the aforementioned 'hey, goin' fishin' ain't you'

[munenmuso]

The 'hey, goin fishin ain't you' remarks usually follows me whenever I go to kendo class.

[Critical_Bill]

shinais are not the worst thing, it's bad when your car has been out in -30 degrees all day and you're late for practise so you just throw your stuff in the trunk and drive off, get to the dojo, put your gi on and AAARRRGGGHHH it's like putting on a glacier!! and you have frost on you until you start training hehe (and then after a while, you actually wish that the frost came back :) )

[saki_wooah]

hmmm I usually put my shinai and equipment in my basement so it's not too dry... Or you can take care of it properly! Oil it and sand it more often... that's all!

[Danny Boy]

K-wa,

hmm saki, hopefully your basement isnt too damp. Cos if it is ,your bogu might get mouldy.

Dan

[Tato]

I realize that most of the people who posts on this forum lives in places whit a rather umpleasant, cold, dry, freezing weather.

Note that my hometown also have some bad days, but...

On the other side you won't have a hellish summer (which I like, but I'm quite bizarre ;) ), where you'll be afraid of walk in street at lunchtime.

Remark that it produces similar problems on shinai maintenance.

Rei

[saki_wooah]

hmm saki, hopefully your basement isnt too damp. Cos if it is ,your bogu might get mouldy.
I don't have my own bogu yet... I rented one from the club


On the other side you won't have a hellish summer (which I like, but I'm quite bizarre ), where you'll be afraid of walk in street at lunchtime.

Hmmmm We both have north pole freezing winters and hellish summers.... I think it's not as hot in Spain but there is a big difference between winter and summer so I get a lot of colds during spring and autumn. Sucks. Actually, monday it was strangely hot (18°C), and the day before it was freezing cold (-5°C). Quebec climate....

[olaf]

If you're in cold, dry North America - keep your shinai in the bathroom! It's usually wetter in their, unless you have some elaborate ventilation system that keeps your bathroom dry.