Date: 2003-09-03
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Miles today: 0.0

Gear Review Part IIRain Gear:I love my Frogg Toggs! I had them for almost a year before March and they¢re still going strong. And for the price, compared to the gore-tex garbage that most people pay for, they¢re just incredible. They are NOT breathable which means that I did not wear them to keep me dry: I wore them to keep me warm. It was only in Spring and in the White Mts when I wore them while I was hiking. Other than that, I wore the jacket if it was raining while I was at camp. I started out carrying the rain pants but rarely used them and sent them home after the 2nd month.Water Treatment:I used Aqua Mira the whole time and never got sick. There¢s no aftertaste in the water. Worst thing about it is that you have to wait a total of 20 minutes before drinking it, but since it wasn¢t a very dry year, I was rarely in desperate need of water. Water Containers:My Platy BigZip held up the whole way and I loved it. I was, at first, worried about its durability but the zippy part never broke or lost its seal. It was a 1.8 L and that size worked well. I also started out with a hard-shell Nalgene bottle but soon got rid of that for the collapsible 1L bottle. At Trail Days I got another one: one to use for drinking water in camp, the other (with a widemouth lid) to use for mixing drinks like Crystal Light or whatever. I¢m very happy with how this worked out. Headlamp:Princeton Tec Aurora Headlamps were definitely the most popular headlamps out on the trail, which doesn¢t necessarily mean they¢re the best but it does mean something. I loved mine. I had to change the batteries twice but that¢s because I did a fair share of night hiking with it. It held up great. I carried a little backup LED but never had to use it.Leki Trekking Poles:I lost count of how many times these have saved my ankles from a sprain or worse. They helped my ankles, my knees, and probably my posture. I don¢t know how far I would have gotten without them. But on the flat areas and the steep rocky climbs, it was nice to put them away for a while now and then. Boots:I started out in Vasque Clarions but, looking back, this was probably overkill. They didn¢t hold up for more than 500 miles which was disappointing. So while in Damascus, on the advice of LT, I bought a pair of Montrail Javas with Gore-tex. They lasted until Delaware Water Gap, which shocked me! They look like tennis shoes but gave me the ankle support I needed and were so much lighter than the original boots I started in. After DWG, I bought a pair of Merrells which lasted an embarrassing 70 miles. REI exchanged them (they¢re a great company) for the Montrail Vitesse which took me all the way to Katadin (over 600 miles). The stitching held up but the tread was wearing down. The Vitesse are wonderful shoes. They don¢t have the goretex so were even lighter than the Javas. It rained so much that the goretex was making things worse anyway. I¢ve recently bought another pair of Vitesse which should last forever. Montrail earned a loyal customer this summer.I also used gaiters for the first 2 months and sent them home in May when there was no threat of snow. Pocketmail:This became my luxury item on the trail. I took care to keep it dry and it held up the entire way. I only changed the batteries once. It was an ideal way to stay in touch with family and friends while I was away. This was also how I sent journals to my brother who then posted them on this webpage. I bought mine from Ebay, which was risky, but worked out. Gooooooooooooooo Pocketmail!I think that¢s it for this Gear Review. If anyone has any questions about the gear (esp if I left something out of this review), my journal, Lord of the Rings :-), or anything feel free to email me (go to ¢About¢ for my address). But I¢m an expert on not being an expert.I¢ll post a final entry before the year is done. By then, I might have something really deep and inspiring to say about my Journey¢¦ but don¢t hold your breath.