Date: 2007-11-29
To: Setting ready
Miles today: 0.0

I have been sorting thru my gear from the 2007 hike. Most of it is good to go for the next trip. Some things need a bit of work, some things are in the no-go category and some things were deposited in the garbage can. First cut at the equipment list is posted on the TJ. This list is a work in progress and will be updated as I change ideas and collect a few more things. I have been researching sleeping bags. Someplace, I read that synthetic bags do not last very long before the loft disappears and remember thinking I would be ok with a 20 degree bag. Well, two spring seasons on the AT and mine has condensed in loft-not weight; and, it is not very warm on cold nights and on really cold nights, it is down right miserable. So, I have been looking at down bags in the 5 to 15 degree range-or about 5 to 6 inches of loft. I am liking the Western Mountaineering Badger Super DL, Marmot Helium EQ, Mountain Hardware Phantom, and Feathered Friends Lark. They all seem like nice bags, just have to figure out how to rationalize the money side of the selection criteria. I still have some time to rationalize and ponder and justify before the trip as this is way more money than I have ever spent on a sleeping bag. I guess all good things take time, the better they are, the longer they take. It has been interesting and educational researching bags. I found out that the Army has a testing facility to check out bags to make sure they are suitable for the soldiers. They place the bags in a freezer with a bunch of sensors to see what happens in a given time period. Not to be out done, our friends in Europe have developed a rating system based upon a more sophisticated testing system. The real eye opener was the comparison of bags as manufacturers get to declare what the bag will do based upon their own opinions. So, low and behold, as a class, the US synthetic bags are over rated (they claim to keep you warmer than the reality) and the feathered bags are about right. Some companies (my first cut at companies above) tend to under rate their bags. So, when Western Mountaineering says 0 degrees, it will be there or into the minus 0 degree category. But all of this is off set by the fact that some people sleep cold and some sleep warm so that my zero degree comfort level may well cook or freeze the next person. And, I know at least one person very close to me who is cold regardless of the bag......we would make the goose population go extinct to find enough feathers to meet the warm criteria. I am still sorting out what I want for a shell on the bag. Some shells breathe more than others and I don't want to find condensation on the inside of the bag. Shell material affects durability, cost and weight and seems to be another field science all by itself. A couple easy things to do, cut another piece of Tyvek so it looks pretty and makes lots of noise the first couple days. I won't wash it as research on washing has demonstrated that this will reduce the waterproofness of the fabric. Hopefully I will not be sleeping on any sloping ground the first couple days as new Tyvek makes a great glide and slide surface...The Tarp Tent goes on the hike, but it will need to be resealed. The instructions from Shires on mixing white gas and silicone sealer into a solution for painting seams works really slick and is very effective. So that is on the list of things to do in January. I really like the extra room this two person tent provides. And it is light enough that I can rationalize the additional weight. The Prolite sleeping pad is a keeper and goes on the hike. I have not found anything light and comfortable. I have used several inflatable pads and they all are too soft so that I rest on the ground someplace. I even blow them up a bit to get more air in the chamber and that helps, but does not solve the problem. The alternative is an air mattress without the insulation. Keeps me off the ground, but then colder....In heavy down pour, all my back packs leak. So, trash compactor bag for back pack liner to keep the important stuff dry. In addition to light weight back pack cover. I generally store my pack cover on my pack so I am not tempted to go just a bit more in the rain sprinkles before I stop and dig it out.My old Vapor Trail (Granite Gear) back pack has been retired to other duties and it has been replaced with modified Z55 (Gregory). The Vapor Trail has been repaired twice and I have never been real comfortable with the quality of the stitching in the pack. The Z55 allows air flow along my back and appears to have a higher quality stitching--just my opinion. However, the Z55 has a weakness in the stays so they have been replaced with a higher quality stay. Additionally, I had Mountain Air sew a couple holders for water bottles on the belt. The idea of putting a water carrier into a back pack just has never caught my fancy. And having seen a few folks with wet gear only confirms my belief that water belongs on the outside of the pack. More than once in 05 and 07, the cold weather froze the water tube on folks using bladder bags so they were having difficulty getting water to drink. I like my plastic soda or water bottles as I can get a new one every time I make a town stop and then the bottles do not get the creepy crawlies from using an expensive nagl. bottle or bladder. Not too much change in the clothing department. What I used last year worked reasonable well. I am thinking I will up grade my rain coat so it is longer length in the back. During rainy periods, when I bent over to tend the pot cooking, cold water ran where it was not suppose to go. Also, I am thinking I might get a fleece with a wind blocker membrane so it is a bit warmer. What I would really like to find would be a pull over (about 100 wt) fleece with a hood and wind blocker sans pockets-that would be the ideal. So far, all I can find are full zip (about 200 wt) and lots of pockets--I really don't have a use for ipod pocket. I might have to do the Golite thing and make my own.Boots are another major issue to be resolved. But that will be happening in the next couple months. I have used lots of brands, and am having trouble getting this to work out.Yesterday, we had a light snow (2 inches or so) and a big flock of turkeys passed thru the yard. Did they ever look lost. I suspect this is the first snow for some of the young un's and they just followed the leader across the yard and into the woods. They are going to be in for a surprise as this is just the beginning.Last night and this morning, it has been snowing. There is enough on the ground that it is time to crank up the snow thrower and move the flakes to another part of the property. So, I am out of here until next time when I will start adding some pictures to the TJ.