Date: 2015-09-29
From: Katahdin

To: Gear Review
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Gear report card:REI Womens Flash 58 backpack- 2lbs 14 oz. $189This was a decent pack for the money. It is on sale right now for $139. What I liked: it was a lightweight pack for the money- classified as an ultralight pack. It had lots of little zippered pockets; on the hip belts and on the shoulder straps. It fit all of my gear with no problem. It has a removable brain, but I never removed it. I wish the brain could have converted to a daypack for slack packing, but it didn't. What I didn't like- the mesh on the shoulder straps was uncomfortable. The shoulder straps themselves were uncomfortable. They were OK if I had a shirt with sleeves, but very irritating when I was wearing a tank top. About 400 miles or so into the hike, one of the little clips on the load lifter strap broke. I called REI to see if they could send a replacement clip, but they could not. They had to replace the entire pack. I had to PAY for this new pack upfront, then when I returned the damaged pack, I would get a refund. So I did that, although it felt very wasteful to replace an entire pack (that I was at this point deeply attached to) for a little clip, and when they refunded my money, they did a large portion on a gift card-(because i asked for REI gift cards for Christmas so I could buy gear). That annoyed me. I paid cash for the new pack, got REI money back. Plus, they put the rest of the money back on the original card I had used to buy the first pack, which had been cancelled- not back on my current card, so I had to go through all that straightening out while on the trail. The customer service folks at REI are hit or miss. Some are very helpful and knowledgable and some seem to require medication to get through their workday. I got one of those people in the case of the refund fiasco on the backpack. All I wanted was a little clip! Anyway- this is a good pack if you want to save money and still go light. I washed this pack at least 10 times and only had to sew up the bottom twice, which is a miracle with all of the butt slides down rocks I did. Dental floss works well for that.Backpack grade-B+   REI Customer service grade-C-   My attitude on the phone with them- F (sorry)Sleeping Pad- Big Agnes Air Core Insulated Sleeping Pad1lb 13 oz $119.95I had two of these. The first one started leaking at the valve around the beginning of Virginia. The place I bought it in Orlando would not replace it for me even though it was only a couple of months old. I called Big Agnes directly ,and they, after a few back and forth phone calls through mountains with spotty signals, were finally willing to swap it out. So, they sent a new one. That one started leaking at the valve about a month later. This is a very comfortable sleep pad. But it leaks. Not only mine, but the majority of folks I met with this pad had the same problem. Too bad because it is so comfy. But it is heavy too. After the second time it leaked, I didn't bother calling Big Agnes. Katwalk sent me her NeoAir and i used that the rest of the hike. Much much lighter- not as comfy, but did not leak at all.BA Sleeping pad- FTent- Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 23lbs 2oz- $399.99I really loved this tent. It NEVER leaked. I even have a video of the floor during a torrential downpour and lightning storm. Somehow I set up in what became a river. The water rushed between the tyveck and the tent floor and I still didn't get wet, even though it felt like I was on a waterbed. It was easy to set up, easy to break down. I never regretted going with the 2 person size, it was like my little condo. Around 5 pm I would start fantasizing about being in my bag, in my tent, reading a book. It was my happy place. Then I noticed a problem with a couple of the poles. They were starting to split at the attachment points, one split all the way through. I decided to call Big Agnes directly because there was no way I was going to pay $400 upfront to REI to replace it then have it all refunded on gift cards, which I mostly used to buy the tent. I talked to the same guy who helped me with my sleep pad. Big Agnes agreed to send me "loaner "poles and repair mine. After some complaining by me, they agreed not to charge me for the loaner poles unless I failed to return them. OK, this all seemed a little tedious, but they claimed to not have any new poles they could just swap out with me. They sent me the loaner poles, forgot to put a return label for my poles in the box so I paid to mail them out. 4 nights into the loaner poles, one of the attachment thingies snapped right off of the wheel and the pole popped up and put a hole in the ventilation screen of my rainfly. And I was camping above treeline in the Whites. Ahem, I know I should not have been doing that, but I was in a sweet little stealth spot that is in the "secret stealth spots in the whites" list that is being circulated. I managed to McGuyver the tent with a tent stake that D.No had, and my tent stood wonky in the cold wind, but kept me protected.I called the guy I had been working with and he was so apologetic and concerned in a -my feet are on my desk and I am trying to understand why my yo-yo works the way it does and also eat hummus while I talk to you-kind of way. I explained to him, very patiently I thought, that my tent was my shelter. Without my tent, I might DIE. I really needed poles that worked. The ones they sent were obviously ones that had been previously repaired, and the break was where they had broken before, you could tell by looking at it. Plus now, I had a hole in my tent. I told him I could fix the hole with duct tape (oh cool, he said) but I need tent poles asap. Anyway, this tent pole thing went on and on and poles were mailed to the wrong address and the whole thing was a mess. But I finally got a set of loaner poles that worked for the rest of the trip. I still love my tent.Tent Grade-A      Big Agnes Customer Service grade- A for politeness F for attention to detail. But I am giving myself an A PLUS for being patient and not being a big snot like I was with REI.Trekking poles-REI Shocklight Traverse15.5 ounces $89I beat these poles up. I literally hurled them down big rock scrambles, watching them bounce down on the rocks. They have no paint left on them. They never failed me. Plus, I think the rubber grips kept me from being shocked worse than I was with the indirect lightning strike on Killington. I love them.Trekking pole grade A+++++++++++Sleeping bag- Big Agnes Womens Mummy-22 degree down bagat 2lbs7oz, it was heavier than I wanted, but it kept me warm as long as the temps didn't go into the 20s. I thought the 22 degree rating meant that the bag would keep you warm at that temperature, but I guess it means it will just keep you alive at that temp. I added a Sea to Summit Thermo;its 16 degree liner and stayed toasty with the combination. The sleeping bag is super comfortable.Sleeping bag- ALiner-AChubby girls- I wore mens wool boxer shorts and loved them. Wool does not stink as bad as other fabrics and the boxers were super comfortable. I had a wool long sleeve and long pants base layer combo for my night time clothes. I really liked changing into nice dry non stinking clothes to sleep in every night.Boots-Salomon Quest 4D II GTX $230Boots vs. shoes are such a personal choice. I needed these. When I switched to lowcut boots halfway through, I sprained my ankles repeatedly and fractured a bone in my foot. Go with what your needs are. I needed ankle support. I loved these boots because they really supported my ankles and feet. They were grippy, they stayed dry for hours in the rain. Yes, when they got wet they stayed wet longer than non water resistant boots, and they stunk like roadkill- but it was all worth it for the quality of the boots. Take good care of your feet.Boots- A+Stove- I started with a mini-mo jet boil. It was a great little stove and super easy to use. But it was on the heavy side. I decided to go cold and sent the stove home but did not enjoy life without hot tea or a warm meal. A cyber trail angel following my journal sent me a homemade beer can alcohol stove. After going through a learning curve that nearly caused me to burn down southern Maine (with D.No's expert help) I got the hang of it and loved it. It weighs practically nothing, so the only weight is in the alcohol.Filter- Sawyer Squeeze- full size. I never got sick so I give it an A+!!Got my crocs and down jacket at the goodwill store.My best gear- SMART WATER BOTTLES!!! Only replaced them once or twice.If I did another long distance hike- I would invest in lighter everything. The only piece of gear here that I would use again would be an alcohol stove, the poles, the smart water bottles, and the filter. This gear was good, some was great, but having now thru hiked, I have a clear understanding of weight and how it can impact your hike. For me- next hike will be much lighter.