Dainon
06-06-2005, 14:54
What follows is my gear review and a few comments based upon my own limited experience. Maybe it will be of some use to those still in a planning stage.
Shires Squall Tarptent: It performed quite well for me. The ventilation was adequate such that condensation wasn't a problem. The flooring was sturdy enough such that it emerged from my hike with no tears, cuts, or pulls. It was easy to set up and take down. One thing that I didn't like was the stuff sack that came with it. In my opinion, it was too small and too "tube-like" to be of practical, everyday use, so I replaced it with a syl-nylon approximately 8X15, which was easily adequate to allow me simply to stuff without difficulty the tarp and stakes and strap it on the outside of my pack with ease. I also bought two extra stakes to allow me to guy out the sides. It's not 100% necessary to do that, but it helps keep out rain and splatter from water running off the tarp. In short, I really liked my tarptent and would readily buy another when this one is gone.
Osprey Aether 60: At first I hated the suspension on the pack. On a trial hike and also after the first day on the AT, my lower back hurt and I wanted to trash the pack and get another. However, a fellow hiker fiddled with the suspension and load-lifter strap adjustments and quickly dialed it in for me; after that, I loved the way the pack felt and it was very comfortable. The internal size is another matter. The Aether 60 is 3,500c.i. -- experienced distance hikers told me that was more than enough space to hold everything that I would need. However, while the pack did hold all of my gear, there was VERY little room to spare. I like having as much of my gear inside the pack as possible, but I had to strap the tent and sleeping bag pad to the outside. Too, I was not hiking during winter months so one should note that I was not carrying the same amount of clothing that thru-hikers would. I guess what I'm saying is that if I were doing a thru, then I would seriously consider getting a pack with, say, 4,000ci. The pack emerged without any scrapes or tears. It's a sturdy pack and, all in all, I'd give it a solid B grade. BTW, my pack weight with 4 days food and 2L water was 27.5 lbs.
Adidas Trailrunners: I had blisters on my toes. Serious blisters. Would I have had them if I had worn boots or a heavier trailrunner? No clue at all. Most tend to agree that boots tend to cause blisters more so than trailrunners, so maybe I need to change around my pre-hike training. I used Smartwool socks but I did NOT use sock liners until AFTER I had blisters. Anyway, I'd use trailrunners again rather than boots.
Western Mountaineering Ultralight Sleeping bag: It's a 20-degree bag, it's very light, and I had no problems with it. The bag did have a feather trying to poke through, but I guess that's to be expected since the bag was used on a 2004 thru. If you can afford one, I'd say it's easily worth it; I bought mine used for 1/2 the retail price and I'm happy with that decision.
Pepsi stove, coffee can pot stand, ovenliner screen: I made all of that junk -- it performed just fine, it was really light, and it didn't take up a lot of room. Indeed, my cooking setup was the thing that I was most pleased with. I used Everclear alcohol most of the time because I'm paranoid about carcinogens. The downside is that a couple of hikers wanted to drink my stove fuel.
Leki hiking sticks: I couldn't have done it without them -- they help by adding power when going up hills; they help with "braking" going downhill; they add stability. I used my daughter's Leki Classic set and wish that I'd have carried my set which is positively angled, though.
Some good decisions: (1) using a trash compactor bag as a pack liner and using Glad "tall kitchen" bags to line my sleeping bag and clothing stuff sacks. None of my stuff ever got wet, and I'm all kinds of happy about that; (2) I'm glad that I carried maps even though I didn't need them for finding my way; (3) I'm glad that I carried a mid-weight fleece top because it was quite cold some mornings; (4) Playtpus 2.4L. I'm thankful that I carried it. It folds up to nearly nothing, and I could treat water in the evenings, transfer the water to my Gatorade bottles, and then treat another 2L and leave it in the bag for breakfast, brushing teeth, and cameling. I also used it for showering on the trail. (4) I'm a clean freak and I think that washing off every evening, brushing teeth after every meal, and liberally using gelled alcohol made me feel better. I carried a small Japanese scrubbing cloth cut down to size for my evening "shower," and that in combination with Dr. Bronners made things livable. (5) I like hiking by myself and I enjoyed the solitude. Others would tend to hike in small groups and chat throughout the day, but I was quite content and happy with the silence. That said, I enjoyed having others around during the evenings; (6) Aleve. Taking 2 pills before going to bed made getting up in the mornings much easier and less painful; (7) I didn't take a cell phone and I'm glad that I didn't.
Some things that I would change: (1) Food. During pre-hike, I really obsessed over it but I found out that I had almost no appetite when hiking. I've heard that changes, but I ended up having a high protein Southbeach Diet bar for breakfast, no lunch, and a MountainHouse for dinner. I was sick of GORP after the second day and probably won't carry that stuff again. I really liked the 3.5oz tuna packets that don't require draining. I carried coffee but wish that I also had cocoa to add to it. I carried MountainHouse ChiliMac because it was the cheapest freeze dried dinner that I could find, but I wish that I had more variety. I like Idahoan potatoes but a bag is too much for me; next time I'll cut them in half. (2) I probably won't carry a book again because I was always too tired to read in the evening. (3) I would slow down everything -- I started out way too fast and that ruined my feet and knees, which caused me to quit the trail sooner than I had planned. I tended to rush everything -- eating, hiking, breaking camp -- and I need to stop that crap. (4) No more schedules while hiking. (5) I have to learn more about hydration. Twice I ran out of water -- one time was serious, the other just seriously irritating. I carried 2L and that was gone by early afternoon. The times that I ran out there were no streams/springs at hand. And I felt really stupid for getting in that situation. So I need to plan ahead better in regard to water; (6) Blister treatment. I wasn't happy at all with the standard protocol -- I want something that allows me to take off a bandage at night to let things dry thoroughly -- so I'm going to experiment with Molefoam cut into a "donut," tape, gauze, tapes, etc. If I find a miracle cure, I'll let everyone know. (7) I hiked the approach trail and wouldn't do it again. IMHO, it's simply not worth the toll it takes on someone who is just starting out.
Some things that I didn't like at all: (1) Potable Aqua. For a day hike, it's OK, but by the 2nd day it was making me sick to the extent that I boiled 2L of water in the morning just to avoid drinking it. It literally caused a blister to form on the inside of my mouth. I switched to AquaMira and that stuff didn't bother me. (2) Shelters. Yeah, I stayed in them but I never liked it and felt stupid afterward. So why did I? Because they're easy, because they're dry, and because I'm lazy. But I won't do it again unless it's pouring rain. The mice were awful and I couldn't sleep well. (3) Snickers bars. I hated the overwhelming taste of sugar and chemicals. No more for me. (4) Walaysi-Yi. I didn't care for it and I won't stop there again if I ever repeat that section. Nothing personal, just didn't like it. (5) Know-it-alls. 95% of the people I met were great folks, but there were a few who found themselves to be God's gift to hiking, had opinions on virtually every subject known to mankind, and felt a compelling need to give voice to their thoughts at all times.
Some things that I really liked: 1. The views from the tops; 2. Hiking in the early mornings; 3. the Hiawassee Inn -- the perfect motel; 4. Meeting some really great people; 5. Not seeing bears.
That's all I have to say and I'll shut up until after hiking again in Spring 2006.
Shires Squall Tarptent: It performed quite well for me. The ventilation was adequate such that condensation wasn't a problem. The flooring was sturdy enough such that it emerged from my hike with no tears, cuts, or pulls. It was easy to set up and take down. One thing that I didn't like was the stuff sack that came with it. In my opinion, it was too small and too "tube-like" to be of practical, everyday use, so I replaced it with a syl-nylon approximately 8X15, which was easily adequate to allow me simply to stuff without difficulty the tarp and stakes and strap it on the outside of my pack with ease. I also bought two extra stakes to allow me to guy out the sides. It's not 100% necessary to do that, but it helps keep out rain and splatter from water running off the tarp. In short, I really liked my tarptent and would readily buy another when this one is gone.
Osprey Aether 60: At first I hated the suspension on the pack. On a trial hike and also after the first day on the AT, my lower back hurt and I wanted to trash the pack and get another. However, a fellow hiker fiddled with the suspension and load-lifter strap adjustments and quickly dialed it in for me; after that, I loved the way the pack felt and it was very comfortable. The internal size is another matter. The Aether 60 is 3,500c.i. -- experienced distance hikers told me that was more than enough space to hold everything that I would need. However, while the pack did hold all of my gear, there was VERY little room to spare. I like having as much of my gear inside the pack as possible, but I had to strap the tent and sleeping bag pad to the outside. Too, I was not hiking during winter months so one should note that I was not carrying the same amount of clothing that thru-hikers would. I guess what I'm saying is that if I were doing a thru, then I would seriously consider getting a pack with, say, 4,000ci. The pack emerged without any scrapes or tears. It's a sturdy pack and, all in all, I'd give it a solid B grade. BTW, my pack weight with 4 days food and 2L water was 27.5 lbs.
Adidas Trailrunners: I had blisters on my toes. Serious blisters. Would I have had them if I had worn boots or a heavier trailrunner? No clue at all. Most tend to agree that boots tend to cause blisters more so than trailrunners, so maybe I need to change around my pre-hike training. I used Smartwool socks but I did NOT use sock liners until AFTER I had blisters. Anyway, I'd use trailrunners again rather than boots.
Western Mountaineering Ultralight Sleeping bag: It's a 20-degree bag, it's very light, and I had no problems with it. The bag did have a feather trying to poke through, but I guess that's to be expected since the bag was used on a 2004 thru. If you can afford one, I'd say it's easily worth it; I bought mine used for 1/2 the retail price and I'm happy with that decision.
Pepsi stove, coffee can pot stand, ovenliner screen: I made all of that junk -- it performed just fine, it was really light, and it didn't take up a lot of room. Indeed, my cooking setup was the thing that I was most pleased with. I used Everclear alcohol most of the time because I'm paranoid about carcinogens. The downside is that a couple of hikers wanted to drink my stove fuel.
Leki hiking sticks: I couldn't have done it without them -- they help by adding power when going up hills; they help with "braking" going downhill; they add stability. I used my daughter's Leki Classic set and wish that I'd have carried my set which is positively angled, though.
Some good decisions: (1) using a trash compactor bag as a pack liner and using Glad "tall kitchen" bags to line my sleeping bag and clothing stuff sacks. None of my stuff ever got wet, and I'm all kinds of happy about that; (2) I'm glad that I carried maps even though I didn't need them for finding my way; (3) I'm glad that I carried a mid-weight fleece top because it was quite cold some mornings; (4) Playtpus 2.4L. I'm thankful that I carried it. It folds up to nearly nothing, and I could treat water in the evenings, transfer the water to my Gatorade bottles, and then treat another 2L and leave it in the bag for breakfast, brushing teeth, and cameling. I also used it for showering on the trail. (4) I'm a clean freak and I think that washing off every evening, brushing teeth after every meal, and liberally using gelled alcohol made me feel better. I carried a small Japanese scrubbing cloth cut down to size for my evening "shower," and that in combination with Dr. Bronners made things livable. (5) I like hiking by myself and I enjoyed the solitude. Others would tend to hike in small groups and chat throughout the day, but I was quite content and happy with the silence. That said, I enjoyed having others around during the evenings; (6) Aleve. Taking 2 pills before going to bed made getting up in the mornings much easier and less painful; (7) I didn't take a cell phone and I'm glad that I didn't.
Some things that I would change: (1) Food. During pre-hike, I really obsessed over it but I found out that I had almost no appetite when hiking. I've heard that changes, but I ended up having a high protein Southbeach Diet bar for breakfast, no lunch, and a MountainHouse for dinner. I was sick of GORP after the second day and probably won't carry that stuff again. I really liked the 3.5oz tuna packets that don't require draining. I carried coffee but wish that I also had cocoa to add to it. I carried MountainHouse ChiliMac because it was the cheapest freeze dried dinner that I could find, but I wish that I had more variety. I like Idahoan potatoes but a bag is too much for me; next time I'll cut them in half. (2) I probably won't carry a book again because I was always too tired to read in the evening. (3) I would slow down everything -- I started out way too fast and that ruined my feet and knees, which caused me to quit the trail sooner than I had planned. I tended to rush everything -- eating, hiking, breaking camp -- and I need to stop that crap. (4) No more schedules while hiking. (5) I have to learn more about hydration. Twice I ran out of water -- one time was serious, the other just seriously irritating. I carried 2L and that was gone by early afternoon. The times that I ran out there were no streams/springs at hand. And I felt really stupid for getting in that situation. So I need to plan ahead better in regard to water; (6) Blister treatment. I wasn't happy at all with the standard protocol -- I want something that allows me to take off a bandage at night to let things dry thoroughly -- so I'm going to experiment with Molefoam cut into a "donut," tape, gauze, tapes, etc. If I find a miracle cure, I'll let everyone know. (7) I hiked the approach trail and wouldn't do it again. IMHO, it's simply not worth the toll it takes on someone who is just starting out.
Some things that I didn't like at all: (1) Potable Aqua. For a day hike, it's OK, but by the 2nd day it was making me sick to the extent that I boiled 2L of water in the morning just to avoid drinking it. It literally caused a blister to form on the inside of my mouth. I switched to AquaMira and that stuff didn't bother me. (2) Shelters. Yeah, I stayed in them but I never liked it and felt stupid afterward. So why did I? Because they're easy, because they're dry, and because I'm lazy. But I won't do it again unless it's pouring rain. The mice were awful and I couldn't sleep well. (3) Snickers bars. I hated the overwhelming taste of sugar and chemicals. No more for me. (4) Walaysi-Yi. I didn't care for it and I won't stop there again if I ever repeat that section. Nothing personal, just didn't like it. (5) Know-it-alls. 95% of the people I met were great folks, but there were a few who found themselves to be God's gift to hiking, had opinions on virtually every subject known to mankind, and felt a compelling need to give voice to their thoughts at all times.
Some things that I really liked: 1. The views from the tops; 2. Hiking in the early mornings; 3. the Hiawassee Inn -- the perfect motel; 4. Meeting some really great people; 5. Not seeing bears.
That's all I have to say and I'll shut up until after hiking again in Spring 2006.