Gear Report
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Trip: Cranberry Lake 50
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Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights – 50 Miles
Gear Item
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Weight (lbs)
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Add Each Item
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Backpacks
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↓↓
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Kelty Lakota
|
3.7
|
|
3.7
|
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Coleman Elate
|
5.1
|
|
|
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Northface Recon
|
2.65
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|
|
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Sleep System
|
|
|
|
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Kelty Weekender
|
3
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|
3
|
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Aerobed Pakmat
|
4.4
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|
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Coleman Bag
|
3
|
|
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Kelty Down 40˚ Bag
|
1.8
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|
1.8
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EMS Drool Pillow
|
0.5
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0.5
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Shelter
|
|
|
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Eureka Solitaire
|
2.7
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2.7
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Outdoor Tube Tent
|
1.5
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Cooking
|
|
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Solo Wood Stove
|
0.55
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|
0.55
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Solo Pot 900
|
0.5
|
|
0.5
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Solo Alcohol Burner
|
0.33
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|
0.33
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Pop Can Alcohol Stove
|
0.12
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|
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Fuel
|
0.5
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|
0.5
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Stanley Cookpot
|
0.45
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|
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Insulated Mug
|
0.15
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0.15
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Insulated Bowl
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0.15
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0.15
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Utensils
|
0.1
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0.1
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Food System
|
↓Days/Trip↓
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|
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Backpacker's Cache
|
2.7
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3
|
2.7
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"FOOD" (lbs./days)
|
2
|
6
|
|
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Water System
|
|
|
|
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Contigo 32 oz. Bottle
|
0.25
|
|
0.25
|
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Sawyer System
|
0.15
|
|
0.15
|
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1 L Platypus
|
0.1
|
|
0.1
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|
Tools/Misc
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|
|
|
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SOG FastHawk TT
|
1.3
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|
1.3
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Toilet Paper
|
0.1
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|
0.1
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Camp Soap
|
0.1
|
|
0.1
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Moist Towelettes
|
0.1
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|
0.1
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Micro Towel
|
0.1
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|
0.1
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Dry Bag
|
0.25
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|
0.25
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First Aid Kit
|
0.1
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|
0.1
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SOL Kit
|
0.3
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|
0.3
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Flashlight
|
0.1
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0.1
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Paracord
|
0.1
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|
0.1
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Insect Repellent
|
0.1
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0.1
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Guides/Maps
|
0.25
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0.25
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Clothing System
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|
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Trekking Pants
|
0.5
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0.5
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Wool Socks
|
0.33
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0.33
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Shorts
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0.5
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Underwear
|
0.33
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0.33
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Merino Wool Shirt
|
0.5
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0.5
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Rain Shell
|
0.4
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0.4
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Boots
|
1.25
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|
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Camp/Ford Shoes
|
0.75
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0.75
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Total Lbs.
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28.9
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Above items
were all packed/carried
Worn:
- - 100% Polyester T-Shirt (Nike DryFit)
- - 100% Polyester Light-Weight Long-Sleeve T-Shirt (EMS)
- - Nylon/Spandex Trekking Pants (EMS Trailhead Zip-Off)
- - Merino Wool Light-Weight Socks
- - Ex-Officio Underwear
- - Trucker Cap (EMS)
Reviews:
Pack: Kelty Lakota
65L
Figure 1: Fully Packed
I was
initially skeptical about this pack. I had gotten it for free through a rewards
program at work a few months prior, and this was the first time that I had used
it on the trail. I had spent the couple weeks prior to the trip trying
different packing and sizing arrangements, and had walked a couple miles around
the neighborhood with it laden to get used to it. It did offer a base weight
that was more than a pound lighter than my other 65L pack, a Coleman Elate. I
had primarily been doing car or base camping in the past and typically had only
used a day pack on the trails. This pack ended up being very stable and
comfortable, and accommodated my equipment without bursting at the seams. There
are enough pockets to organize gear by “genre”, and they are well placed to
allow for easy access to items when necessary. The hip-belt also has a
convenient pocket in which I could fit my cell phone (only used for pictures)
and maps. The cinch straps are very functional and well located. The only item
I carried on the outside of the pack was my sleeping pad, in which there is a
strap system on the bottom that conveniently accommodated it. I will likely
upgrade my pack in the future, but I was pleased with it overall and intend on
using it for my next several backpacking trips.
Sleep System:
- - Kelty Weekender Sleeping Pad
- - Kelty Down 40˚ Bag
- - EMS Drool Pillow
I was able
to remain comfortable during the trip and sleep well with this system. The
sleeping pad was comfortable enough and inflates easily with only a few
breaths. I’ve used it several times and so far and have been comfortable in
both a tent and lean-to floor. Through several uses I have not had problems
losing air. I will also upgrade this piece of gear in the future, mainly in the
interest of shedding weight. I believe I could be equally comfortable in a
torso pad, and while 3 lbs. is not a lot of weight I can likely be equally
comfortable with a product that is ½ that weight.
This was my
first outing with this bag, and with a down-filled sleeping bag in general. It
also represents my first mummy bag. The forecast for the trip called for
extensive rain and nighttime temperatures possibly below 40˚, so concerns with being comfortable in this bag were among
my primary concerns. It ended up being a non-issue as I didn’t mind the mummy
bag and it never rained during the trip. The bag was light and very
compressible. I had it in a small silnylon stuff sack which compressed into a
slightly larger than softball sized roll. I packed that in a water proof bag
along with the few spare or sleep related clothing items and the pillow. The
triple barrier of protection kept the bag and clothes completely dry.
Nighttime
temperatures did get into the high 30’s, but I incorporated a heavy-weight pair
of wool socks, a merino wool shirt, a wool winter hat, and a 100% polyester
fleece-lined pair of pants into my clothing system primarily for sleeping
purposes, and I was ultimately comfortable in this system. With the clear skies
on the night we tented I left the rain fly off of the tent. As a result there
was a lot of air flow and ventilation within the tent. I was warm enough and
believe I could have been even warmer with the rain fly closed. I still would
like to test this system with the rain fly closed to ensure that condensation
will not be an issue with the small shelter I was using. It was ultimately a
very affordable bag (got it on a flash sale with a Christmas gift card) and an upgrade
to my heavy Coleman campground style bag. I think that with frequent usage and
getting compressed into the stuff sack repeatedly it could lose its loft and
only be useful as a summer bag. It should work for the next couple of multi-day
trips I have scheduled given their times and locations, but I will likely
upgrade to a better bag before long.
The EMS
Drool pillow was light (0.5 lb.) and compressed extremely small, but didn’t end
up offering a significant increase in comfort and I’m inclined to leave it in
the glove box of the car for road trips and not bring it on the trail.. The
best pillow ended up being the water proof bag when it was stuffed with the
clothes and pillow, which I used when resting on the rocks at High Falls. I
think that using the sleeping pad stuff bag to cover the nylon would make a
more comfortable pillow and would eliminate a 0.5 lb item from the pack.
Shelter: Eureka Solitaire
Figure 2: Tent Set-Up
This was
another area where I was able to utilize a Christmas gift card over the winter
to upgrade to a shelter system that was at least intended to be made for
backpacking. My previous tent was a 4.9 lb; two-person dome tent that didn’t
have a very small pack down size. I had considered hammocks and bivies and was
at one point committed to a tarp system. I simply haven’t had enough experience
with any of those options to date to potentially rely on, so I stuck with what
I knew and upgraded my tent in a budget friendly way. The tent packed down
small, was light (2.6 lbs. total), and had enough room to bring my pack into
and still keep things off the walls. I used the tent only on the first night at
East Inlet, as the other two nights were spent at lean-tos. I will always have
some shelter in my pack regardless of the trip plans. For now I can get by with
this in my pack and rely mostly on lean-tos. I intend to try using tarps on car
camping trips and get a good system for backpacking before I transition away from
tents and into tarps. There’s also room to upgrade the stakes and poles in this
tent, so I doubt that I will end up upgrading to a higher-end tent in the
future unless I discover that I’m just not a tarp kind of guy. One area I
neglected was a footprint or ground cover of any sort. The tent flooring
material wasn’t much more durable than the shell material, and while it stayed
dry for this trip I’d be nervous in wet conditions. I will definitely have a
small tarp or piece of tyvek in the future. All things considered, the tent
set-up easily in less than five minutes and was comfortable enough to pack,
carry, and use. For a $70 price tag, I would expect to have to spend
considerably more before seeing a significant increase in performance for the
extra investment.
Food and Cooking System:
- - Solo Stove
- - Solo Cookpot
- - Solo Alcohol Burner
- - 4 oz. Heet Fuel
- - Anodized Aluminum Spork
- - Insulated Sealable Mug
- - Insulated Plastic Bowl w/ Lid and Spoon
- - Garcia Backpacker’s Cache
- - 3 Dehydrated Meals
- - 3 Packs of Instant Oatmeal
- - 3 Small Canned Chicken Salad and Crackers Packs
- - 1.0 lb Trail Mix
- - 6 Asst. Energy/Protein Bars
- - .33 lb Cashews
- - 6 Slim Jims
- - 3 Tbsp. Ground Coffee
- - 6 Packets Non-Dairy Creamer
- - 6 Packets Sugar
- - 5 Conical Paper Coffee Filters
- - 3 Teabags
- - 6 Servings Powdered Sports Drink
In the past
I had graduated from a Sterno Stove to a homemade “pop can” alcohol stove. For
this trip I brought a Solo Stove system that I had gotten over the winter and
would be using for the first time. I liked the option to be able to burn biomass
or alcohol, and the alcohol burner is very nice brass with a seal-able lid to
store fuel within the stove itself. The
alcohol burner, fuel, stove, and pot stand all nest together within the cook
pot, and while a little heavier than my previous homemade kit with the pop can
stove, windscreen/pot stand, and fuel all nested within a Stanley pot, this was
about the same pack size and more flexible. I was able to bring less fuel and
burned wood on the first two mornings and nights, and used alcohol on a break
at High Falls and in following night and morning. Each method was easy enough
to use, and consistent with the reviews burning wood required constant
attention and additions of fuel to keep going strongly. It did produce a
surprisingly low amount of ash and didn’t generate a lot of smoke. It boiled
about 5 cups of water in 6 – 8 minutes. The alcohol stove worked great and with
the burner within the stove the burner burns hot and actually boiled water
quicker than the wood fire, within 4– 5 minutes on average and the flame never
went out during the trip.
Another
surprisingly good aspect of this system was the bear canister. I am planning on
multi-day high peaks trips in the future, and knew I would eventually be going
into areas where the bear canister is mandatory. I wanted to use this trip as a
trial with the canister, and while bulkier and heavier than I would like I
found that I actually liked having it on the trip. I was able to get all of my
food items, toiletries (biodegradable soap, travel toothpaste, small
toothbrush), bug dope, and a ziploc bag for trash into the canister. I could
have accommodated another two days of food, so this canister should work for a
Northville-Placid Thru-hike with mail drops or village re-supplies. It did work
well as a camp stool at times, and it was much easier to stash than stringing
lines to hang a bag. I would simply walk in a due compass direction away from
the campsite or lean-to and easily found convenient places to stash it after 80
yards or so. As another unnecessary but useful perk, I am currently in the
process of painting my canister a brighter color and using some reflective tape
to make it easier to find in the event it rolled away somewhere. I tend to buy
small stickers as souvenirs from Adirondack excursions, and I can use the
canister as a fun way display the stickers and document trips. In all I
expected the worst from the canister but it found it was a convenient way to
safely and easily pack away and carry food and odorous items.
The bowl was
used exclusively for oatmeal in the mornings, and I was able to pack away the
coffee, creamer, and sugar servings within it as another sealed odor barrier
and space saver. The mug was used for coffee in the mornings, where I would
attach a coffee filter to the mug with two small binder clips or a rubber band,
add a serving of coffee, and slowly trickle the boiling water over it while the
sealed bowl of instant oatmeal and hot water set. This ended up making a fine
cup of coffee each morning and made breakfast a reasonably simple and efficient
affair. I also used it during lunch or occasional breaks to make a sports drink
with filtered water and powdered mix. I also had an aluminum spork for use with
the dehydrated meals at dinner. A minimal set-up, but it was light, efficient,
and simple.
For food my
strategy was based on simplicity and a reasonable amount of calories, protein,
fat, and salt. The stove served a sole purpose of boiling water, and for
breakfast each day I boiled a couple cups of water for instant oatmeal in the
insulated bowl and a cup of coffee, and added a couple handfuls of trail mix or
had a protein or energy bar. Lunch was one of the pre-made canned chicken salad
and crackers. I got in the habit of always repackaging these and enjoying on
the summit of mountain on day trips. Again trail mix, energy or protein bars,
slim jims, and cashews made lunch sides and things to snack on while resting. For
dinner each night I boiled enough water for a dehydrated meal and a cup of tea.
On the third night we passed through Wanakena, and passed by the Pinecone Grill
around 6:00. We stopped in and had a burger, so after making the Inlet Flow
lean-to we were able to make camp and hit the bed without cooking dinner.
In all, I
was pleased with my cooking and food storage system. I didn’t end up bringing
an excessive amount of food and equipment, but had enough remaining fuel and
food at the end of the trip to last an extra day in an emergency. Repackaging things made fitting, preparing, and LNT etiquette a simple affair. The entire
system, everything for food, storage, and cooking, resulted in only two pack
items and was convenient to carry and use. For a future upgrade, I intend to
purchase some boil bags and package my own meals which would still just require
the addition of hot water.
Water System:
- - Sawyer Mini
- - 1L Platypus Bag
- - 1L Contigo Water Bottle
For this
trip the overabundance of water was a more likely problem than lack of sources,
so I didn’t feel the need to carry a lot. There were seldom occasions
where I was carrying a full two liters, and had the flexibility of this system
to drink directly from sources, filter directly in-line from the platypus bag,
or filter directly into the bottle. This was a flexible, lightweight and simple
system for this trip, and I could get clean water at a rate of around 1L a
minute and very little pack space. I also had several iodine purification
tablets in my first aid kit. For the next trip I will only bring one or two 1L
platypus bags and leave the water bottle behind.
Clothing System:
-
Worn
§ 100% Polyester T-Shirt (Nike DryFit)
§ 100% Polyester Light-Weight
Long-Sleeve T-Shirt (EMS)
§ Nylon/Spandex Trekking Pants (EMS
Trailhead Zip-Off)
§ Merino Wool Light-Weight Socks
§ Ex-Officio Boxer Briefs
§ Trucker Cap (EMS)
§ Salomon Hiking Boots
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Packed
§ 1 Pair Merino Wool Light-Weight Socks
§ 1 Pair Heavy-Weight Wool Socks
§ 1 Pair Ex-Officio Boxer Briefs
§ 1 Merino Wool Long-Sleeve Shirt
§ 1 Pair 100% Polyester Fleece Pants
§ 1 Rain Shell
§ 1 Fleece Winter Hat
§ 1 Pair Mesh/Foam Sneakers
My clothing
system was an area of significant upgrade during the winter months. The worn
items were exclusively hiking clothes that I was wearing for every step. This
was my first trip where I wasn’t dressed in any cotton items, and I was pleased
with how comfortable, durable, and dry the system was. I rotated two pairs of
lightweight wool hiking socks and used the heavyweight wool socks for around
camp, sleeping, and as a more cushioned pair if my foot conditions merited it.
I also rotated the boxer briefs, and hung any damp items at the campsite each
night. The merino wool shirt and fleece pants were comfortable clothes for
around the site and sleeping, and could act as extra layers if cold
temperatures were experienced. The sneakers were a very cheap pair that I
sought out specifically for the trip and turned out to be a good purchase. They
were extremely light and comfortable for around the camp, and they were also
intended for fording and swim shoes. When used for this purpose they worked
great, and afterwards I could hang on the back of my pack with karabiners and
they were dry within an hour. They also made the Rt. 3 road portions more bearable, as I stashed my pack and put these on for the highway walk.
I ultimately was more comfortable, clean, and dry
at the end than I had been on any previous hiking trips, and I feel this was largely due to
the synthetic and wool garments I used instead of my previous cotton-based
clothing. It was also very flexible and functional while being easily packed. I
was ultimately pleased with the system and would not likely add additional
items to it for future trips.
Tools and Misc.:
-
Compass
-
Knife
-
LED
Headlamp
-
Biodegradable
TP
-
Moist
Towelettes
-
Micro
Chamois Towel
-
5L
Dry Bag
-
Small
First Aid Kit
§ Ibuprofen
§ Triple Antibiotic Ointment
§ Alcohol Prep Pads
§ Band-Aids
§ Moleskin
§ Iodine Water Tablets
§ Electrolyte Pills
§ Medical Tape
§ Gauze Bandage
-
Small
SOL Kit
§ Magnesium and Striker
§ Water-proof Matches
§ Whistle
§ Dryer Lint
§ Needle and Thread
§ 2 Tea Light Candles
§ Emergency Blanket
§ Mattress and Tent Patch Kit
-
Keychain
LED Flashlight
-
Paracord
-
Insect
Repellent
-
Head
Net
-
SOG
Tactical Tomahawk
-
Guide/Map
-
Cellular
Phone
-
Solar
Rechargeable Phone Battery Pack
-
Walking
Stick
I had
dedicated a lot of time during the winter preparing for the upcoming hiking
season by researching and upgrading my gear and clothing systems while planning
trips. I was reasonably pleased with the overall performance of my systems on
this trip. While not ultra-lite, I was able to carry a minimal amount of items
while keeping pack weight and volume minimized. The cell phone was used
exclusively for picture taking. I wanted to test the charger on this trip, but
by having a fully charged phone on energy saving and airplane mode that was
used only to take photos, I still had 70% battery charge when we finished the
hike. The only other items that were brought and ultimately not used were the
head net (bugs turned out to be very minimal) and the tactical tomahawk which
turned out to be the only truly useless item that I packed. At the last minute
I included it as I could bring it and still remain under my targeted sub-30 lb.
pack weight. After the trip I can’t conceive of one situation in the future
where this would be a necessary item to have. Whether as a tool around camp or
for self- defense, there are far superior methods and practices to prevent
having to use it and in the future I will not be bringing it along. On the
bright side, it is an easy way to shed 1.3 lbs from my pack on future trips,
and I believe with a couple simple upgrades and modifications to my systems I
can be comfortable and safe in most conditions with a sub-25 lb. pack weight.