Date: 2007-06-26
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Miles today: 0.0

Episode #4: The Gear CritiqueSo, I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow morning, and the trail is only a few days away. While I'm absolutely sure that I'm forgetting several really important things from my pack, I'm even more sure that I'll forget even more things from this list. Anyways, here's a few notes on some gear so that I can compare initial and final thoughts. If anybody reads this and has experienced advice, I'm all ears.Weight: with 7 days food and 3 liters water, ~40 lbs.Pack: Osprey Aether 70. Heard a lot of really good things, feels great but I haven't hiked in it yet. I've been camping for as long as I can remember, and the most important thing is that your gear should reflect your needs. I can haul as much weight as I need as long as I have enough food and water, but after a few days of hiking I develop a blisterish chafe on my hips that's just unbearable. I bought the Aether to replace my Kelty Super Tioga strictly on the basis of its advanced harness. While the Aether is several pounds lighter, that's not really the point. My one major concern is that it's packed to the brim so I'll have to find ways to save space. Tent: Sierra Designs Light Year. Major reason for this tent is because I already had it and it cost $0.00 (keep in mind I'm about to have a negative income for the next 5 months). Works great in the summer to keep breezy and cool, but it will get cold in the winter. I'm planning on switching out at some point to a heavier tent, also Sierra Designs, also had for years (these tents have been ridiculously durable). I've never had any problems with rain leaking in, but that's not to say it couldn't happen. Tarp included weighs less than 3 lbs.Sleeping Bag: Sierra Designs dark blue something-or-other. Honestly I don't care as long as it's down (lightweight and small space) and the weather's warm. I'll be switching to a heavier bag at some point, wearing clothes to bed eventually, and I'm not spending the money for a new bag just yet. I use a full-length thermarest pad for insulation/comfort, so the trick will be to keep the bag as clean and dry as possible.Water: MSR MiniWorks Filter, 1-liter nalgene and 2-liter bladder. I've just recently switched to bladders (they really are pretty nice) from my previous washed-out-coke-bottle hydration system. I've been worried about the bladder breaking or leaking, and if it happens the coke bottle will always be there, it will never leak, and it will be the cheapest replacement ever. Moving on to the filter: I know a lot of people swear by stuff like AquaMira, and I bought a bottle to try (still haven't used it yet). However, if it's anything like Iodine tablets the major issue is NOT the taste, it's the fact that if a stream is dried down to a trickle then you can't get your bottle into it to get water. If you have a filter, however, all it takes is a little puddle to put that hose into and you've got clean water. Again, gear is all about your needs. I can haul the weight of a filter, all I care about is that I have plenty of water to drink.Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket. I hate wind screens. I hate flimsy stoves. I like big, heavy, never-fail-even-in-wind-rain-and-subzero-temperatures propane stoves. Why go against every principle and get the lightest stove I can find? Because it's the middle of summer and I'll prolly never use the damn thing once before September. I shouldn't even take it, but just in case, why not, I can always take it out of the pack later. I guess the jury's still out, for now.Clothes: Random, relatively cheap sporting stuff. Athletic shirts, cool-max underwear, zip-off-leg pants designed for fishing, bug jacket, fleece vest, baseball hat, bug-repellent-soaked bandana. Although I can't go back to cotton, I can't live with myself spending so much on vacation clothes as is possible these days. Again, an overall point to remember is that the AT is not a job, it's a vacation, and if you're spending like there's no tomorrow then you might be taking the AT a little too seriously.Shoes: Merrell Ventilators. This is my first time trying a non-boot hiking shoe, I've been very pleased so far, and I'm really curious to see how they turn out. I'm using thick wool socks with high-tech polymer liners (which I think are designed to be main socks). I figure the most important thing is how fast the whole setup can dry. If your shoes are waterproof, they'll be soaking wet with sweat anyway, or rain will pour in over the top, whatever. They'll get wet. So far I've hiked ~5 mile days and everything is dry within a few hours; again, jury is still out.Other Stuff: 6-year-old O.R. pack cover, emergency poncho, lighter & matches, pair of crocs (creeks and camp), kettle, pot (cheap aluminum, NOT titanium), duct tape, ace bandage, toothbrush & paste, pen & paper, assorted small items