Date: 2009-10-08
To: Gear review
Miles today: 0.0

Hi y'all,I went through my gear in the gear section and put a final review on each piece. I'll also share some thoughts below. Just remember that gear choice is very personal and that I did witness a whole lot of people having success out there with tons of different gear. The "right" gear is the gear that helps YOU get down the trail.It's weird, but good gear can be nice, but it's you that needs to get down the trail, mentally. What "bad gear" (gear not working for you) does is become a hinderance and that hurts mentally. Basically, make sure the gear you take aids you. If you fight with it constantly, or its annoying, it needs to go.Also remember that this was my first overnight backpacking trip. I've only used one piece of gear, maybe two if I replaced what I originally started with. So I am no gear expert.But I love giving my two cents .... so here it is: You'll need a tent. Obviously a personal choice. When deciding on whether you want a one-man or two-man, or a hammock. Give your gear some thought. What are you going to do with it (your backpack) in bad weather? Also, some places have tent pads (rasied wooden platforms). Free-standing tents work better on those. Also, Lunch Box and Sunnuke used single wall tents (no rain fly required) and had problems all the time with condensation and "moist tents" even when ventilating properly. Just some things to think about.I recommend hiking poles, especially for older people and people carrying heavy packs. I saw many hikers without them also. There are two popular types of locking mechanisms, the "screw-to-tighten" and the "clamp" type. I saw people having problems with the screw-type. I didn't see anybody having problems with the clamp type. Bottom line: check both types out and see what you think before buying.Wind is a factor. When purchasing hats and gloves, find a "model" with windstopper material. You will not be sorry. I just got lucky and the "models" I bought just happened to have it. Thanks God for looking out!!If you are buying a new camera for the trip, and can afford it, get one that is waterproof. You all got lucky that I didn't!! Can you imagine how many pictures I would have taken this year if I could have taken pictures on rainy days!! Also, get one that has a "memo record" feature. Once you take a picture, you can record a memo for each picture helping you remeber where you were. This feature was priceless to me. Thanks Peanut (AT '08) for that suggestion. Also, think of how you are going to handle camera storage cards and batteries. I got lucky, the model I purchased had a very small battery charger that I simply carried with me and recharged my own battery in town. The battery never ran down. I did carry a spare battery also, but never needed it. I recommend just buying 2-3 4Gb storage cards. Fill one up, send it home, put in the new one. Each one will hold 700 - 1000 pictures at highest resolution (average point-n-shoot models). Water purification/filtering: Wow, a lot of different stuff out there. Personal choice. I will always use Aqua Mira. Affordable, available up and down the A.T., and very easy to use. Definitely not the only way to go though.Camp towel: Worth every bit of carrying the 2 oz. Much better at getting water off my rain fly than a bandana. Also better for drying feet off after swimming or fording a river.Sleeping pad: In my mind, a good night's sleep is the best thing you can do for yourself. I carried a full-length mattress and will again in any situation when I will use an air mattress. On my next adventure, I'll use the NeoAir from Thermarest. Sure, it might be a little heavier (not much) but I'll get better, more comfortable sleep. I know it. And it's not that much more than most other models, about $120 at REI.Pack cover: I used an REI packcover (1st half) and an Osprey pack cover (2nd half), and both worked as advertised. Just buy the $8-10 model at REI. You'll end up buying about 3 of them to last the whole trip. You will tear them eventually, and the laminate will wear off after a couple of months of use. Some people simply used garbage bags. I'll use the REI cover on my next adventure. I had some hikers in my vacinity complaining about their pack covers not keeping their pack dry. I didn't want to offend them so never asked how that was possible. Mine worked as advertised .... simple idea .... waterproof material over pack ....wallah!! Clothing: Good luck here! So many different options that my head was about to explode trying to nail this down. Just stick with the layering principle and you'll be all right. You'll be dealing with temps from the 30's to the 90's. Basically, think just short shirt for normal day-to-day, something a little warmer for chilly morning hikes, something to layer up for really chilly hikes or to wear during breaks. Need a layer for wearing in rainy or windy weather. Then possibly a layer for wearing at camp when standing around camp at night. For legs; normal shorts, pants, light warm layer, and some wind pants. Maybe a warmer layer for cold nights in camp. Bottom line: No checklist here, layers that you think will work for you.