Date: 2012-09-13
From: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel

To: White Mountains Lodge and Hostel (bed)
Miles today: 0.0

(In which I do a brief gear review)-Currently sitting in my bunk-Instead of talking about the errands I ran today, I want to mention a few gear do's and don'ts that I've figured out over the last 300 miles. This might be helpful to others planning a trip, but it seems that everyone has a different experience with gear based on the hiking direction, time of year and personal preference.Gear do's for me:- Bandanna. Very versatile! I use it as my pot holder, a pack towel, a head band in warm weather and a head covering in cooler weather. I even used it as an impromptu knee brace in the 100 Mile Wilderness with surprising effectiveness.- Dry bags. The only things that stayed truly dry after that storm a few days ago when I woke up in a puddle were the things I put in my dry bag. I picked up another one for my electronics in Rangeley. The Granite Gear ones are light and seem to work well.- Athletic tape (white fabric tape, about an inch wide). This stuff has saved my feet. I've also used it on my wrist (watch chafing), and behind my knee (knee brace chafing). Mole skin seems to be a hoax, even when it's used the way it's supposed to be used. Athletic tape also seems to last longer than duct tape on your feet. It stays put for days.- Caffeine pills. I didn't expect them to be so helpful. Some hikers use 5 hour energy, and I experimented with it, but it's just not that effective for me. A little strategically timed caffeine when I'm dragging is a real boon to my hiking.- Music. I wasn't sure how often I'd use the mp3 player on my phone, but it turns out that I use it every day. More often than music even are the audio French lessons I've been listening to. One French lesson is 30 minutes long, and if I start it at the base of a long climb, by the time the lesson is over I've covered a lot of ground and don't even realize it. Just listening to music when you're in a bad mood feels amazing too.- Hiking poles. I don't think I'll ever hike without them. They have saved my ankles more times than I can count and its only been 300 miles. They also let me get some upper body work in throughout the day and I happen to use one of them to support my tent (Tarptent, Contrail)- Dental floss - this stuff is better as sewing thread than sewing thread. It's remarkably strong (not that surprising considering its intended use) and has obvious other uses. I've used it to sew up my food bag multiple times, hem my tent stuff sack, patch my bandanna from burn damage and hem shortened pack straps.Gear don'ts for me:- Internal pack "cover". I tried the trash compactor/garbage bag method inside your pack to keep things dry, rather than an external pack cover, but it's just terrible to have a wet pack. Even if the internal bag isn't damaged, and things in your pack stay dry (this didn't happen for me), you still have a wet pack. Wet packs take a long time to dry, and wet packs get heavy. I bought a pack cover in Rangeley that I'll use along with the internal bag. I'll need a pack cover for winter weather anyway.- Bug spray in Maine in late August. I'm sure there's variation year to year, but I think I've swatted 3 mosquitoes since I started this hike.- AT&T cell phone coverage. Either the contract or pay as you go versions just don't cover nearly as much of AT as Verizon. Unfortunately my phone isn't compatible with Verizon's network but I'm told I'll have great coverage when I make it to Connecticut.- Down sleeping bag in a bivy - I like my bivy, and I like my down bag, but I'm glad I didn't start using the two together. I use the synthetic bag with the bivy and the condensation can make the bag considerably wet. It's not a problem with the synthetic bag since it dries fast, but this could be a serious issue with down.This list could go on for a while, and I might come back to this post and add/modify it in the future. Keep in mind your mileage may vary. There are as many ways to hike this trail as there are hikers.