Date: 2014-12-19
To: Gear Review
Miles today: 0.0

Gear Review - if you have no interest in gear, just skip this one...There's nothing like walking 2100+ miles to test your gear. Here are the highlights and lowlights:Hammock: love the hammock - I slept better in the hammock than in the shelters or hostels or even the motel rooms. The oversize tarp, when hung high enough to stand under, makes everything so much more accessible. I strung another line below the tarp and hung everything from it within easy reach from the hammock. It didn't take long to develop a routine that made everything quick to set up and take down. But, when it got cold enough to freeze the tarp, I started having problems. Taking down the frozen tarp was not fun. Sleeping in the hammock in single-digit temps and wind was uncomfortable. So when I got the air mattress for the Smokies (you can't hang a hammoock at the shelters on the AT unless the shelter is full) I started staying in the shelters. This was uncomfortable at first, especially my hips, but I got used to it. I was usually the only person in the shelters, in fact, there were only 3 nights when I shared shelters after I started using them. They are still full of mice, damp, and dirty though.Marmot Precip raincoat and rainpants: I wore the raincoat when it rained and when it was cool to stop the wind. Once it got cold I wore it every day whether it was raining or not. When cold, I wore a fleece coat under it. The coat is cold to the feel, which works great when you roll up the sleeves of the long sleeve shirt underneath to get cool. It keeps the rain off as well as anything - no coat is perfect. Putting up the hood adds warmth. Do not put anything in the pockets that you want to stay dry, because it will get soaked. You have to keep the pockets zipped or things fall out of them, which can be disastrous on a long hike. The rain pants work great as wind pants, but after a couple of thousand miles the coating wore off and the rain poured through. I guess you can't expect them to last longer than that!Buff: I took two of these, one wool and one synthetic. I wore the wool one to cover my bald head almost every night. The sythetic one I wore as a neck warmer and to cover my lower face when it was really cold.Cap with a bill: Like a baseball cap. Kept the sweat out of my eyes when hot, and my bald head warm when cool. I wore it on top of the buff when cold, and it kept the hood of the raincoat out of my eyes when really cold or raining.iPhone: You can't hike without a smart phone anymore. There are no pay phones. You have to keep in touch with family, call for reservations, check the weather, get email and texts, and so forth.Kindle: I read at lunch and before falling asleep. The battery life was fantastic. When I finished a book, I downloaded another. I even used the backlight to change the batteries in my headlamp.cuben fiber stuff: Yes, its light, but its not durable. Worked great for the tarp, until a wind-pruned branch ripped it. But it was useless as a pack liner/dry bag. It abraded against the pack and get many holes, which I had to repair with duct tape, which sort of defeated the purpose. I had to buy a silnylon dry bag in Daleville to replace it. I also had a pack cover, and the same thing happened. It just doesn't hold up to hard use.Cadence insoles: Loved these - I had a lot of plantar fasciitis problems at various times, and these insoles are a good combination of hard and soft. They do not absorb water. They do creak when new. Look them up online.Bounce box: I kept bouncing a box forward until Harper's Ferry, then I got tired of it and sent it home. The postage was expensive and I just wasn't using it, except to cut my hair and beard.Food: Single serving Spam in a foil pouch and some cheese wrapped in a tortilla became my staple lunch food, along with a nutella and jelly burrito. Pre-cooked bacon and a clif bar was first breakfast, then nutrigrain bars and a power bar for the rest of the morning. A Snickers bar and homemade gorp in the afternoon. I only "cooked" once a day, to boil water for a Knorr side cooked in a freezer bag. I didn't cook in a pot the whole trip and never washed a dirty pot. When it got cold I doubled the water and made hot chocolate in an insulated travel cup. I also added a dessert when it got cold, a honey bun or cherry pie or Little Debbie.1/4 cup measuring spoon: I picked this up in a hiker box at the Doyle. It saved me many times when I had to dip water from seeps and springs that were barely damp.long handled silver teaspoon: An odd thing to carry. It was from a mismatched set of silver that was my grandmother's. A real silver, long handled, tea spoon that was long enough to eat out of freezer bags without getting my fingers dirty.Darn Tough socks: 2 pair went the whole way and they look like they could do another hike - but not with me wearing them!