Gear! What worked and what failed!

[nu2hike]

I just finished hiking through the Ocala National forest on the Florida Trail! I added some new gear to my kit this trip and wanted to share with you my thoughts on not only my new gear but other pieces gear in my kit! What did work and what did not!
First I will mention the new items I added this trip:
Tarp Tent Notch. This was my first time to carry a tent in years. (My dog was with me on this trip and he doesn't do well when I hammock) I loved this tent! Very light weight and sets up in minutes! I purchased the partial net interior for this trip as it can get cold even in Florida. Worked perfectly! I think this may well be the most versatile tent on the market!
Neoair X-Therm: Very comfortable! Can't speak to its R value as I was in Florida, but I never got cold
Gossamer Gear 1/8 pad : extremely light weight and worked flawlessly keeping my sleeping pad from slipping on less than perfectly flat tent sites.
Jet Boil Ti Sol: OMG why didn't I get this years ago! Lightening fast and simple to use! I can't see me using an alcohol stove again!
Polycro ground cloth: light weight and did its job perfectly
Exped Pillow: very comfortable. Much better than clothes is a stuff sack.
Tried and True:
Dirty Girl gaiters: love them. They did a great job of keeping the sand out of my shoes on this trip.
Hammock Gear down top quilt: so warm and light weight. Great piece of gear wether in a hammock or tent
WalMart hat: best ten dollar hat I've ever owned for sun and rain
Gear failures!
Oddly enough the gear that I carried that failed was gear that I've used on numerous trips!
Sawyer Mini Squeeze: failed on the second day of my trip. The water sources I collected from were a real test for any water filter but to be honest I expected more from this filter.
I prefiltered the water twice through some no seeum but the filter clogged in spite of this! I back flushed it and did manage to squeeze some water through it but it required a great amount of pressure and took forever! Fortunately I was able to get water from water pumps at camp grounds near the trail.
Ive never had a single problem from the larger Sawyer squeeze. I will have to give some serious thought as to which I carry on my next trip!
Kelty Triptease: I've been using this line for my bear bag system for many years! It broke on my first night! Of course it was a simple fix but I've not been happy with this line for a while! It is reflective which some people like but honestly I've never found that to be something I needed. It is light weight but it is also abrasive. I find that it very difficult to hoist my food bag due to it cutting into the tree branch and when it's wet it's even worse! I will be looking for a better line to use.
Glad Freezer Bags: I do freezer bag cooking and every single one of these bags leaked. I've used this brand before without issue. Maybe I just got a bad batch but it was very frustrating!
Duct Tape: OK not really duct tape in general but using duct tape for blisters. Not a workable solution for me. Kinesiology tape all way round a better product for this use.
GPS: not really a product failure but a failure on my part for not bringing it on this trip. I'm spoiled to the AT where a GPS is not particularly needed. IMHO. On the Florida Trail it would have been nice to have on hand.
Over the past few years I've worked hard to get my base weight down to 12 lbs or less. For the most part I'm happy with the choices I've made. Every trip I make I reevaluate my gear: what works and what doesn't! What am I happy to be without and what I miss! The main thing I will do differently on my next trip and for trips to come is to buff up my First Aid kit! I'll admit that I had really scaled it down to a bare bones kit and even though I have rarely ever used anything in my First Aid kit I learned that when you do need it you need to carry enough to do the job!

[Southeast]

Thanks for the write-up.

[FamilyGuy]

as it can get cold even in Florida.

My favorite quote....

[Tipi Walter]

You may find some interest here---

http://christine-on-big-trip.blogspo...n-and-why.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...e_pagination=1

I am most interested in hearing about gear failures in boots and tents and clothing and sleeping bag and pads, etc. And no piece of gear should ever be reviewed until after around 400 nights in the field. Why? Because every piece of gear can and should be criticized after a sufficient length of time and usage.

So many reviews are after 9 or 10 nights and then the person says, "This tent (or whatever) works great!" Uh, come back in a couple years and we'll talk.

[4eyedbuzzard]

You may find some interest here---

http://christine-on-big-trip.blogspo...n-and-why.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...e_pagination=1

I am most interested in hearing about gear failures in boots and tents and clothing and sleeping bag and pads, etc. And no piece of gear should ever be reviewed until after around 400 nights in the field. Why? Because every piece of gear can and should be criticized after a sufficient length of time and usage.

So many reviews are after 9 or 10 nights and then the person says, "This tent (or whatever) works great!" Uh, come back in a couple years and we'll talk.

But this year's Unobtanium cookpot and Queben fiber tent will be obsolete after a few nights of use.
Okay, seriously, I think 400 nights in the field is a bit unrealistic. Even if someone spent 1/2 their year living in their tent, it would take them roughly 3 years to comment on a piece of gear, at which point there would be technology and design changes that wouldn't necessarily be represented in a fair review of gear that was currently available. Most people (not all) likely never use a piece of gear near that often before replacing it.

[Cadenza]

Walter,

By my estimation you are on the trail 3 weeks out of every month, year round, year-after-year.
You use gear more in one month (Every Month!) than most people will in their lifetime.

[rafe]

Here's something I wrote up about 6 1/2 years ago following a 587 mile sobo section through the middle portion of the AT.

Pack: Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone. Excellent. Comfy. First internal frame pack I've ever gotten along with. Spindrift collar is nice once you get used to it. Sleeping bag: Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45. Excellent summerweight bag, 20 oz. Sleeping pad: Thermarest Pro-Lite 3 short. Served me well. Used empty pack to cushion feet. Tent: Tarptent Rainbow. Did the job. Lightweight, fast setup, very roomy. But I'm still not sold on single-wall tents. Condensation is a big problem. Stove: Pocket Rocket. Nice. Canister stoves very popular on the trail. Went about 2 weeks per (large) canister. Cook pot: Evernew 1.3 liter. Nice, even if the lid never fit quite right. Water Filter: Katadyn Hiker. Not so good. Use it once on muddy/silty water, and the filter element is permanently clogged. I went through two filter replacements. Next time, Aqua Mira or back to MSR filter. Boots: New Balance 907. Worked for me. You feel every rock, though. Headlamp: Princeton Tec Scout. Went over 500 miles on one set of batteries. Camera: Canon A620. Beautiful, but not terribly compact or light. Water stowage: Platypus 3 liter. No problems. Rain Gear: Frogg Toggs. Bulky, gets dirty fast. But mostly does what it needs to do. Poles: old, generic aluminum Lekis. No problems.

[q-tip]

Thanks for the write-up. My frst BP trip was on the FT. I had a Mountineering tent, 0 degree bag, 90L pack, and more. I was sure ready for Mt. McKinley. I also had lots of trouble with water on the FT. Thank god Travel Country in Orlando had a return policy. I am better now.....my kit is 13-15 lbs., and all for only $3,500 total. Love shaving those ounces.......

[Tipi Walter]

But this year's Unobtanium cookpot and Queben fiber tent will be obsolete after a few nights of use.
Okay, seriously, I think 400 nights in the field is a bit unrealistic. Even if someone spent 1/2 their year living in their tent, it would take them roughly 3 years to comment on a piece of gear,

at which point there would be technology and design changes that wouldn't necessarily be represented in a fair review of gear that was currently available.

Most people (not all) likely never use a piece of gear near that often before replacing it.

The above bold print opens up a whole other can of worms. I.E. discontinued awesome gear quickly replaced with not-so-awesome gear. I can think of some old Nike boots that were fantastic but where are they now? Or TENTS! So many great tent designs like the Mt Hardwear Light Wedge or Muir Trail or a dozen other brands and models. Dumped into the trash heap of history and forever gone. Some of the tried and true stuff does stick around though---Hilleberg tent models, Bibler (now Black Diamond), etc. WM and Feathered Friends bags, etc.

And I can relate---I've reviewed items that have been discontinued and so what good is my review or any review??

[Franco]

TipiWe all know that you spend a lot of time outdoors but most other hikers don't.
200 nights would be more than most spend in their lifetime inside a tent, never mind 400.
Therefore as much as to you is worth spending $700 on a 6-8 pound tent that may last 20 years (in reality I see you have purchased multiple tents in less time than that anyway) others prefer to spend $350 on a 2-3 pound tent that will last them 3 to 10 years.


For example you put a link to Christine's blog (German Tourist)
As you know Christine spends at least as much time as you do hiking however doing big miles not really camping.
She, like the OP in this thread, uses Tarptents and has done for several years.
The reason is very simple, the way she hikes a 6 pound tent is out of the question for both weight and volume , yet she is a Triple Crowner with many other trails under her belt too.
BTW, no she is not sponsored, she buys her stuff .

[FamilyGuy]

Good post, Franco. There are plenty of long distance trekkers that do 30 miles a day but have fewer bag nights out than a heavy weight camper. Who do you think is harder on gear? 400 nights in the backcountry needs to be put in context because it proves nothing.