Date: 2012-10-04
To: Gear Review ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Part 1
Miles today: 0.0

OK, we can¢t put off this task any longer. Here¢s the report on our original gear list: what worked, what didn¢t work, what we changed, what we should have changed, and (on a few items) what were we thinking??? We¢ll work on this in the ¢room¢ designations we used at the start, beginning with the * * KITCHEN - COOKING; HYDRATION * * stuff:Compared to the ultra light young machos who ¢cameled up,¢ drinking a lot when they found a water source but carrying none in between, we were awful heavy in the hydration equipment department. We wound up drinking a lot more Gatorade than we had planned before we began hiking. We usually left town carrying two new 32 oz. bottles each. Especially in hot weather we¢d take a sip (more often a small swig) every half hour, then switch to water or diluted powder Gatorade after the full strength Gatorade was gone. In the drought conditions in PA and NJ, this was a necessity. After we got further north and into cooler weather, we could have done a better job of balancing carrying the extra weight versus taking the time to stop for a refill. We always erred on the side of having enough liquid¢¦ In addition to the light plastic Gatorade bottles, which always worked great, we continued to carry the one heavier Nalgene bottle because it worked so well with first the MSR filter and then the Steripen pre-filter system.At the last minute we elected to carry only one 4L Platypus, which we used as our collection bag for untreated water (when necessary, we¢d use a plastic cup to initially collect water from shallow sources). We enjoyed the luxury of being able to bring water back to the campsite/ shelter to treat. Our 3L folding canteen was used only to hold treated water, and worked great.We really wanted to love the MSR Hyperflow filter. It was lightweight and could really move some water. However, we found its plastic construction made it susceptible to cracking even with the most careful handling. The company was good about sending replacements, but we always worried when it might happen again¢¦ And although we did the backflow cleaning procedure twice as often as recommended, over time, the resistance quickly built up, lengthening the time needed to filter. After seeing many folks using a Steripen, X bought us one in Waynesboro, convinced it would be quicker to use in the middle of the day. Very soon it replaced the MSR entirely, and after the Gang of Four formed, we sent the Hyperflow home as an unneeded backup. The Aqua Mira served us only as a security blanket (yes, we were overly over-redundant on water treatment!). We finally passed it to Castaway to use; however he passed the Aqua Mira back after testing it, saying because of the time delay, he¢d stick to his iodine drops. The Troverts' Three Season Gear List:N Xoz.oz.* * KITCHEN - COOKING; HYDRATION * * Empty 32 oz. Gatorade bottle (for water)1.751.75Empty 32 oz. Gatorade bottle (for water)1.75Nalgene Bottle for filter use7.35Water Filter, MSR Hyperflow9.3Folding bottle, 4L Platypus2.70Folding bottle, 4L Platypus2.70Mesh bag:1.25 Aqua Mira water treatment tablets3.70 Folding canteen, Nalgene 3L2.95 Stove cloth0.40 Stove, Trangia alcohol 3.40 Stove stand1.75 Wind screen w/ ziplock bag1.60 Lighter, Bic0.75 Matches (waterproof)0.60 MSR 1.25 liter titanium pot w/lid6.80 Cup (2), plastic 12 oz. 4.80Bowl (2), plastic 20 oz.4.55 Spoon (2) - Long-handled Sea2Summit alphalight 0.80 Kitchen sink / Bathtub - 24 oz. soft rubber Guyot "Outward Hound" 3.10 Hand sanitizer, waterless 2 oz.2.60 50' nylon cord (1/8" dia.) in ¢rock bag¢3.30Tyvek, ground cloth/sit-upon, 32 x 36"1.70Tyvek, ground cloth/sit-upon, 33 x 40"2.00 Plastic bottle (Dr. Pepper) for alcohol, RED cap0.90Food bag - 20L Sea2Summit dry sack1.00Food bag - old blue Sierra Designs stuff sack2.45Our little Trangia stove served us well, with our principal need being to boil water for a hot dinner meal. We did have to be careful to use a more sturdy bottle to carry the alcohol fuel, as the light soda bottle was too easily bent or compressed. After the Gang of Four formed, we sent our stove home, and carried the fuel canister for Kleenex¢s stove to lighten the weight. We sent the plastic bowls home very soon into the hike. After that, one of us ate out of the cooking pot (after the meal was cooked) while the other ate out of a cup. [We found our appetites to be very small at dinnertime on the trail. That's probably because we ate snacks all day long and ate a decent lunch.] The only time we missed having a plate was when we were invited to eat with a camping youth group and they said ¢bring your plates over for spaghetti.¢ Fortunately they were able to rummage around and find a few paper plates for us to use. And the long handled spoons were the only utensils we needed, except having to add a sturdy Sea2Summit plastic knife to spread peanut butter (rather than using the spoon handle). We used our little Outward Hound to take two evening ¢bird baths¢ every night until it got too chilly in Maine. We found that little rubber bowl to be indispensible¢¦For its weight, nothing in this group was more appreciated than the pieces of Tyvek used as a door mat, a seat, ground cloth in the shelters or a place to sort gear when repacking. Don¢t leave home without it! [X found a small rectangle of stiff foam plastic (about 6" x 18") in the trash at the monastery in NY which she used as a very portable seat (carried folded in half and lodged in the top of her pack's brain) the rest of the way. With our ¢roughing it deluxe¢ philosophy, this item will come on the next trip as well¢¦]And whenever we saw someone trying to tie a piece of cord around a rock, we very smugly pulled out our little zippered mesh bag which held our 50¢ line, filled it with a rock or two, tied the line to the end, and quickly had our bear bag hung!