TickPicker
05-19-2005, 18:09
Just completed a two day trip (albeit in the Ocala National Forest in florida) and here are some observations on my gear.
Water filter: Sawyer model SP3401 squeeze bottle with an Innova stage two sub micron filter. This filter did only an adaquate job. And as of today we haven't gotten any ill side effects. We filtered anything from pump water to water taken from a lake. It was a little slow to squeeze and only held about 16 oz of water at a time. We tried to fill our other bottles/bladders with it, so when we turned it upside down to squeeze the filtered water out, if you squeezed too hard water would also come out from around the rim of the lid, meaning you were getting unfiltered water mixed in. So you had to be careful not to squeeze too hard. Other than the slow speed and having to be real careful not to squeeze too hard, at $19.95 on sale at Sports Authority, it did the job for the budget minded.
Tent: Kelty Teton 2: This tent did an adaquate job. Although we did not experience any cold weather, we did experience some medium rain. There were no leaks observed. This tent is easy to set up quickly, even the fly was simple and used color coded snaps. I did notice that there was a thin layer of moisture on the inside of the tent where there was no fly covering. During the rain itself, there was very little ventilation, if any at all. The fly completely coverers the netting with only two small areas for ventilation on each end and the vestibule area, which was almost completely covered. Ergo, you will sweat on a warm day in the rain. I could fit my external frame pack inside with me and there was plenty of room for me and my equipment, although, at a true 6', My feet still touched the end of the tent when I layed straight out. I could have slept at an angle but then not had as much room. So 6'ers beware. There was plenty of headroom to sit up in the middle, but if you hang the little piece of fabric over the middle to put gear in you'll get rid of about four inches of headroom and i couldn't sit up. The zippers worked well and it was an easy tent to operate. Overall I was pleased with it's performance.
Sleeping Bag: Slumberjack Baffin 600 down 20 degree large. While we were not in any cold weather, I had to actually lay on top of this bag for the first part of the night. Early in the wee hours of morning in the Ocala National Forest it got in the mid sixties so I climbed inside and was quite comfortable. I'm 6' and weigh 178. I also roll and move. There was plenty of room for me even sleeping on my stomach/half sideways with one knee off to the side. Packed light and small. I really liked it.
Stove: Alcohol soda can type/denatured alcohol. It worked much better than I expected. Used about two or three oz's to bring 16 oz of water in an 18 oz stainless steel cup/pot to a slight boil. It was easy to use and couldn't ask for much lighter. I used aluminum foil folded and doubled for a windscreen, but there wasn't much wind. The only problem I have with these is you can't see the flame in daylight.
Boots: Timberland Sunapee Goucho's. A half size large. I must say that I did not wear expensive hiking socks for this trip ( I had a tight budget ) so they may have fared better with some smartwool socks and liners. That being said, after about nine miles I started to experience the beginning of a blister on my left heel. By the end of 18 miles, I had a blister on my left heel, a blister on my right little toe bottom, and one starting on the pad of my ball of my right foot. I tried these boots on with weight and wore them around the store awhile and they felt comfortable. This may just be a 'you get what you pay for" thing. But some of us budget minded folks can't afford more at first. I'll spend more next time.
Pack: CampTrails External Frame: I don't know the model, I borrowed it from a coworker. I packed about 30 lbs of stuff into it. It worked surprisingly well. It wasn't real comfortable, it rubbed a little on my shoulders and my hips, but it worked. There was no provision for a bladder but did have place for an external water bottle. There were plenty of zippered pouches on the outside and the main chamber on top and a place for your sleeping back or tent in the lower section, my bag fit perfectly in it. If I had a better padding system, I suppose it would be pretty good.
This is my first report on gear.......and I know I haven't hiked the AT yet (gonna do Georgia in September ) but this trip opened my eyes to some things I didn't want to find out on the AT. I'll have a newer, better pack, better boots, etc. :bse
Steve
The Land of the dimpled chad
Water filter: Sawyer model SP3401 squeeze bottle with an Innova stage two sub micron filter. This filter did only an adaquate job. And as of today we haven't gotten any ill side effects. We filtered anything from pump water to water taken from a lake. It was a little slow to squeeze and only held about 16 oz of water at a time. We tried to fill our other bottles/bladders with it, so when we turned it upside down to squeeze the filtered water out, if you squeezed too hard water would also come out from around the rim of the lid, meaning you were getting unfiltered water mixed in. So you had to be careful not to squeeze too hard. Other than the slow speed and having to be real careful not to squeeze too hard, at $19.95 on sale at Sports Authority, it did the job for the budget minded.
Tent: Kelty Teton 2: This tent did an adaquate job. Although we did not experience any cold weather, we did experience some medium rain. There were no leaks observed. This tent is easy to set up quickly, even the fly was simple and used color coded snaps. I did notice that there was a thin layer of moisture on the inside of the tent where there was no fly covering. During the rain itself, there was very little ventilation, if any at all. The fly completely coverers the netting with only two small areas for ventilation on each end and the vestibule area, which was almost completely covered. Ergo, you will sweat on a warm day in the rain. I could fit my external frame pack inside with me and there was plenty of room for me and my equipment, although, at a true 6', My feet still touched the end of the tent when I layed straight out. I could have slept at an angle but then not had as much room. So 6'ers beware. There was plenty of headroom to sit up in the middle, but if you hang the little piece of fabric over the middle to put gear in you'll get rid of about four inches of headroom and i couldn't sit up. The zippers worked well and it was an easy tent to operate. Overall I was pleased with it's performance.
Sleeping Bag: Slumberjack Baffin 600 down 20 degree large. While we were not in any cold weather, I had to actually lay on top of this bag for the first part of the night. Early in the wee hours of morning in the Ocala National Forest it got in the mid sixties so I climbed inside and was quite comfortable. I'm 6' and weigh 178. I also roll and move. There was plenty of room for me even sleeping on my stomach/half sideways with one knee off to the side. Packed light and small. I really liked it.
Stove: Alcohol soda can type/denatured alcohol. It worked much better than I expected. Used about two or three oz's to bring 16 oz of water in an 18 oz stainless steel cup/pot to a slight boil. It was easy to use and couldn't ask for much lighter. I used aluminum foil folded and doubled for a windscreen, but there wasn't much wind. The only problem I have with these is you can't see the flame in daylight.
Boots: Timberland Sunapee Goucho's. A half size large. I must say that I did not wear expensive hiking socks for this trip ( I had a tight budget ) so they may have fared better with some smartwool socks and liners. That being said, after about nine miles I started to experience the beginning of a blister on my left heel. By the end of 18 miles, I had a blister on my left heel, a blister on my right little toe bottom, and one starting on the pad of my ball of my right foot. I tried these boots on with weight and wore them around the store awhile and they felt comfortable. This may just be a 'you get what you pay for" thing. But some of us budget minded folks can't afford more at first. I'll spend more next time.
Pack: CampTrails External Frame: I don't know the model, I borrowed it from a coworker. I packed about 30 lbs of stuff into it. It worked surprisingly well. It wasn't real comfortable, it rubbed a little on my shoulders and my hips, but it worked. There was no provision for a bladder but did have place for an external water bottle. There were plenty of zippered pouches on the outside and the main chamber on top and a place for your sleeping back or tent in the lower section, my bag fit perfectly in it. If I had a better padding system, I suppose it would be pretty good.
This is my first report on gear.......and I know I haven't hiked the AT yet (gonna do Georgia in September ) but this trip opened my eyes to some things I didn't want to find out on the AT. I'll have a newer, better pack, better boots, etc. :bse
Steve
The Land of the dimpled chad