Date: 2011-10-14
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It has been two and a half months now since I completed the trail, so I figured I¢d better finish up my journal with my promised review of some of the gear I carried. First the disclaimer, what worked for me won¢t necessarily be the best for you. Also I am by no means a light weight backpacker, I was embarrassed that 34 of the way through my hike at Pinkham Notch my pack weighed 36 pounds with supposedly 2 days¢ worth of food. So with that in mind I¢ll cover the important items in my pack.MSR Hubba 1 person tent - I really liked this tent for several reasons. First it was very easy and quick to set up, it seemed bombproof surviving two vicious hail storms with sharp jagged hail, and strong wind. No damage whatsoever.   It takes very little space to set up and you can squeeze it in almost any flat spot. I often took spots others wouldn¢t fit into. It offers good ventilation yet bug protection with the fly off. The only downside is I couldn¢t bring my pack inside and would usually leave it in the vestibule where it would get splashed in the rain. I soon learned to put it in a bag if it was raining hard. When it rained real hard it would often mist inside as the rain knocked the condensation off the fly. I suspect this would happen with most tents in humid rainy weather. There are other tents that looked very nice also but if I left again tomorrow I would bring this tent along.Marmot Helium 15 degree Sleeping Bag ¢ I was happy with this bag, it seemed well made, and I was almost always too warm in the bag. I liked the fact that I was always quick to warm up in the bag and it was comforting to know I had a warm spot when the temps dropped. I did have 3 or 4 night where I woke up chilled in the bag and needed to put on some more clothes or a hat. These nights were when it was cold, windy, and rainy/sleet and I would only get cold up around my shoulders and back. I¢d still be sweating where I was lying on my pad. I would bring this bag again if conditions were going to be cold.Montbell Super Spiral Down Hugger #5- At Partnership Shelter I had my old synthetic 40 degree bag delivered as I thought a light synthetic bag would be great for the wet conditions I figured I would encounter. Turns out shortly after this I was trying to lighten up some more and bought the Montbell. It turns out this was a great decision this bag is very well made, super light, and packs incredibly small. Basically everything you want in a summer bag. This is my favorite bag and will definitely come with me again.I should note I had a Sea to Summit Coolmax liner - that I used with both bags that worked out well. It kept some of the grunge out of the bags and every time I did laundry I threw it in and it would come out fresh smelling. I think this helped a lot as both bags don¢t seem to have any odor. Osprey Atmos 65 Pack - There seemed to be a lot of Osprey packs on the trail this year. Osprey makes basically the same pack in 3 different weights. The atmos is the middle weight and worked out good for me. Mammoth had the heavy version (Argon Series) that seemed very rugged and comfortable but was also heavy. Enzed had the lighter duty version (Exos 58) that I really liked but I don¢t think it would have carried the load I hauled most of the time comfortably. The hip belt on her pack wasn¢t very substantial. As it was, the straps on my pack had sort of an hourglass shape by the time I finished due to stretching I believe. I also wish I could have retrieved and placed back a water bottle in the side pockets as I liked drinking from a water bottle. I did like the way the pack is laid out especially the outside pockets and the stretch pocket. I would take this pack again, but may look for one where I could reach water bottles.Therm-a-Rest Neo-air - I can¢t say enough about this product. This pad was a difference maker in the comfort of my hike. I stressed over whether it would hold up or if it would provide enough insulation. Neither was a problem, I did baby the pad by making sure I always set up on my tyvek, and originally I had a z-light foam pad for insulation and protection but that was sent home after 3 days. I had no problems and wouldn¢t leave home to camp without it.Vasque Breeze GTX Boots  - At first I questioned the durability of these boots because the rubber started peeling off on the toe, but a little sole glue kept it in place and eventually I gooed the entire toe area to protect it from abrasions. The boots made it to Harpers Ferry before I swapped out to trail runners in an attempt to lighten up. I currently use the boots to work I around home and had put about 100 miles on them hiking and snowshoeing prior to leaving for my hike. They still have no rips or tears in them, but the soles are getting pretty worn down. If I decided I wanted to hike in boots again I would definitely consider these. I never had a blister, just two days of a hot spot on the heel that quickly toughened up after two days of tape. They are surprisingly light weight and I was glad I got the gortex as my feet stayed dry unless I walked in a downpour in shorts.Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork Trekking Poles - Another item I wouldn't leave home without. I never used hiking poles prior to my thru-hike, but now I wouldn't hike without them. The poles literally saved me from hundreds of falls during the hike. I wasn't sure if the ergo cant was a gimmick at first, but I did find that they were very comfortable to swing forward. I did bend one lower section on one pole, but was able to straighten it back out. Now I can't even remember which pole was bent. One carbide tip finally broke towards the end of the White Mountains, and I replaced both tips in Gorham. Pocket Rocket canister stove - Very easy and idiot proof. Screw the stove on the canister turn on the gas and light. Fast, compact and mostly fits in my pot. The only drawback was a couple of times I had trouble finding canisters. On the plus side, later in the hike I would often times find half full canister in the shelters or bounce boxes and if you didn¢t mind carrying them you would rarely need to purchase any.   I may consider an alcohol stove if I go again as they seemed to be popular and compact. I had tried a Pepsi can stove prior to leaving but it didn¢t seem to have a very long burn time. Quite a few had a simple alcohol stove that seemed to work well and alcohol always was easy to come by.Packa rain jacket/pack cover- The Packa is a well-made product and a great concept. However in my case when I came out of town after resupply, I found the pouch too tight to go around my pack. Sometimes I could manage to jam it in but then found I would avoid getting into my pack because I didn¢t want to have to try to fit it back in again. Also, you can¢t wear your rain jacket and have your pack covered separately, such as when you¢re picking your tent up in the rain. So you need something else to keep your pack dry while packing if you also want to stay dry. I eventually ripped the pouch trying to stuff everything in. I could have probably gotten a bigger one but ultimately decided to return it. The manufacturer refunded all my money and I was treated very well. The Packa as a raincoat was really nice as it was very loose and airy, had huge pit zips and above all it kept me dry. I wouldn¢t say anything bad about the product; it just didn¢t work for me.On a side note I eventually replaced the Packa with a Marmot Mica Rain jacket I like the fact that it¢s very light weight and extremely packable. Unfortunately, I wouldn¢t call it waterproof. Once conditions change from a mist to rain the jacket soon soaks through up around the shoulders. I also bought an Etowah Gear pack cover that was the same way, fine in a light mist but when it rained it would soak through and my pack would be wet. I eventually replaced the pack cover with an Osprey Cover that was much better. If I was doing the trail again I would carry a heavier raincoat down south when it was cold and you really don¢t want to get soaked, and then swap out to something lighter when it warms up.GSI cook set ¢This set worked out pretty well, I like the fact that I could put my canister inside the pot along with the lighter and pot scrubber. The pot is large enough to do mashed potatoes or a Knorr side. The bowl is perfect for cereal or a cup of hot something. I quickly ditched the Spork that comes with it and carried a Sea to Summit Spoon and Knife. I didn¢t find a need for a fork, but I liked having a normal knife for spreading peanut butter/nutella, or cutting cheese. My only wish is that the pot was a little wider but not so tall. It seemed a little top heavy at time but I never spilled a meal so it worked out OK. I would definitely take this set again.MSR Mini Works Filter-Very few people carried a filter on the trail most used Aqua-Mira. I¢ve had this filter for years and it has always treated me well. I hemmed and hawed for a long time about water treatment before I left because I knew the filter was heavy but figured I would just send it home when I decided what was best. Well I never sent it home and would take it again. I like having water ready to drink right after I filter while it¢s still cold; also the water is free of floatie¢s. This filter is hard to cross contaminate as your bottle screws on the bottom , so there are no clean and dirty hoses together. Plus the element is easy to clean and can be done in the field with unfiltered water. I also met quite a few people that ran out or spilled one part of the Aqua-Mira.   I filtered water for several people on the trail for one reason or another but I never needed to have someone treat water for me due to a problem with my filter. Again I was definitely in the minority but was happy with my choice. There are many other options including the Steri-Pen that looked like it worked quite well. I saw several other filters out there, but many relied on back flushes to clean and they didn¢t seem as reliable.Clothes - are very personal and it seems like any number of combinations work. Shorts - I wore a pair of Brooks running shorts with a built in brief for the entire hike. Often times I slept in them also, they dried quick, didn¢t chafe, and were cool. I also had a pair of North Face shorts sent from home, these were the same style nylon with brief but they had pockets so I used these around towns when I wanted to carry my wallet, camera, and phone.   Shirts - I started with an Icebreaker wool light weight and an EMS synthetic shirt. The wool doesn¢t stink as much, but I found as it got hot it seemed too heavy. In Damascus I bought an OR light weight synthetic shirt that I loved. It was super lightweight, dried in an instant, and I pretty much wore it every day except when I was in town and washed it. It did tend to get quite smelly but the lightness made up for it. Socks - everyone has their preference but most used a Merino Wool blend by one of the many brands. I started with LL Bean heavy wool socks with my boots, but when I went to trail runners I bought some low cut Darn Tough merino wool socks. Both were great and both are still going.Hat -I carried a LL Bean Fleece wind block hat that was great. I wish early on I had carried a Balaclava to sleep in to keep my face warm also. At times I think I wore the hat for 72 hours straight.Jackets - I carried an EMS synthetic inner liner, and an old LLBean packable down Jacket. At times I wore them both, but eventually sent home the down jacket. Later I sent home the EMS synthetic, and bought a montbell down puff jacket. It packet small and was very light weight but I thought the quality was horrible not at all what I¢d expect from Montbell. Every time I pulled it out there would be down everywhere. Nobody else¢s jacket seemed to do this, but when I brought it to Montbell¢s attention, once I got home, they seemed to fluff it off like it was no big deal and this was normal. I like the jacket even though I hardly wore it due to the warm weather. It¢s just I¢m not sure it will hold up.All in all I thought my initial gear was pretty good. I sent home a few things, but most of it was stuff I was trying lighten up on. I certainly wouldn¢t fit in with the Ultra-Light crowd, not because I don¢t want to lighten my pack weight but after hiking the whole trail I would pretty much head down to springer again with the same gear. Certain things I just won¢t give up like my filter, tent vs. tarp. You see lots of different gear combinations on the trail and in the end you realize there is no right or wrong just what you¢re happy with. I think I¢ve rambled on long enough so I¢ll leave it at that. If you have any further questions just ask in the guest book and I¢ll try to get back to you with an answer. This will be my final Journal entry for this hike. I don¢t rule out another hike in the future, in fact I¢m already looking forward to another one. This time my better half will be coming with me, and we¢ll definitely be keeping a journal.   Thanks Again and Goodbye   (for now) Earl Grey   GA->ME 2011