HopsnBarley
12-23-2010, 15:25
Hey all, first post here, a little background:
Did some backpacking back in the boy scouts and with my dad, usually one or two nights, sometimes three I think. Always in PA, sometimes in winter. Fast forward and now I'm 26, and I've got the itch to get back out there. I'm in the process of moving to an area with a really prime section of the MST that is perfect for weekend trips with 22 miles of trail, three shelters, and some water sources.
I'm back in PA for Christmas and I dug up our old gear. My dad's pack (L) is now perfect for me and my old pack (M) would do for my wife if she ever decides to join me, although I think once the temperature warms enough the bugs will be too bad for her.
The packs are in great shape. They are external frame and light enough. The straps are not the latest and greatest but they'll do for now. Pulling the gear out was a little safari in itself as there were some nice sized insects spending the winter in there and several remnants of old cocoons. I separated the packs from the frames and they are going round and round in the washer right now with cold water and a small amount of fragrance free detergent. I tossed the stuff sack in too. I plan to hang these to dry; let me know if you think it's ok to tumble dry maybe with no heat, or just dry them with heat. The frames and straps got a damp cloth wipe-down.
Ok, here is the more questionable stuff. Keep in mind this stuff has been jammed in the garage for about a decade.
I found a nice little stove and some fuel canisters. The stove is not ultralight and doesn't have a piezo starter but I'll gladly use it for now. The canisters are butane/propane mix and the stove is for the same. There is one partially full canister and two full ones. I'm thinking these should be perfectly good to use but I won't rely on them. In other words, I might take one old canister and one new canister on a trip, but not two old ones.
Two "self inflating" sleeping pads. These were stored (contrary to the instructions) in the rolled up, deflated, cinched down condition. I'm thinking the foam will never really recover, and they might not self inflate so great anymore. I wasn't going to throw them out yet but I'm betting that buying a new pad will be money well spent.
A sleeping bag that I haven't taken out of the sack to fully investigate yet. I'm leaning toward buying a new one. New ones are probably warmer, lighter, and more compact.
Pur hand pump water filter. I want the collective opinion on this one. Maybe a proper cleaning can give this a new life. Seems perfectly good to me, but if 10 years of storage has reduced its ability to give me safe drinking water, it isn't worth the risk.
A bottle of water purification tablets and a bottle of neutralizing tablets to accompany them. We carried these as a backup to the filter if it were to break or get lost or whatever. I'm inclined to throw these out and spend a few bucks on a new backup.
Rain covers look great, nothing wrong with those. Mess kit might get used, but freezer bag cooking seems pretty great to me so I'll probably just use a small pot for heating and an insulated mug. Ponchos are pretty heavy, we'll see about those. Headlamp is ancient, made me laugh.
Did some backpacking back in the boy scouts and with my dad, usually one or two nights, sometimes three I think. Always in PA, sometimes in winter. Fast forward and now I'm 26, and I've got the itch to get back out there. I'm in the process of moving to an area with a really prime section of the MST that is perfect for weekend trips with 22 miles of trail, three shelters, and some water sources.
I'm back in PA for Christmas and I dug up our old gear. My dad's pack (L) is now perfect for me and my old pack (M) would do for my wife if she ever decides to join me, although I think once the temperature warms enough the bugs will be too bad for her.
The packs are in great shape. They are external frame and light enough. The straps are not the latest and greatest but they'll do for now. Pulling the gear out was a little safari in itself as there were some nice sized insects spending the winter in there and several remnants of old cocoons. I separated the packs from the frames and they are going round and round in the washer right now with cold water and a small amount of fragrance free detergent. I tossed the stuff sack in too. I plan to hang these to dry; let me know if you think it's ok to tumble dry maybe with no heat, or just dry them with heat. The frames and straps got a damp cloth wipe-down.
Ok, here is the more questionable stuff. Keep in mind this stuff has been jammed in the garage for about a decade.
I found a nice little stove and some fuel canisters. The stove is not ultralight and doesn't have a piezo starter but I'll gladly use it for now. The canisters are butane/propane mix and the stove is for the same. There is one partially full canister and two full ones. I'm thinking these should be perfectly good to use but I won't rely on them. In other words, I might take one old canister and one new canister on a trip, but not two old ones.
Two "self inflating" sleeping pads. These were stored (contrary to the instructions) in the rolled up, deflated, cinched down condition. I'm thinking the foam will never really recover, and they might not self inflate so great anymore. I wasn't going to throw them out yet but I'm betting that buying a new pad will be money well spent.
A sleeping bag that I haven't taken out of the sack to fully investigate yet. I'm leaning toward buying a new one. New ones are probably warmer, lighter, and more compact.
Pur hand pump water filter. I want the collective opinion on this one. Maybe a proper cleaning can give this a new life. Seems perfectly good to me, but if 10 years of storage has reduced its ability to give me safe drinking water, it isn't worth the risk.
A bottle of water purification tablets and a bottle of neutralizing tablets to accompany them. We carried these as a backup to the filter if it were to break or get lost or whatever. I'm inclined to throw these out and spend a few bucks on a new backup.
Rain covers look great, nothing wrong with those. Mess kit might get used, but freezer bag cooking seems pretty great to me so I'll probably just use a small pot for heating and an insulated mug. Ponchos are pretty heavy, we'll see about those. Headlamp is ancient, made me laugh.