Date: 2009-10-12
To: Gear Reviews Pt. 2 - Clothing, Shoes, Accessories
Miles today: 0.0

Before beginning our six-month hike, Tag-along and I spent considerable time selecting and testing hiking equipment and clothing. The goal in this journal entry is to critique our gear choices and honestly assess how each performed in the real world of thru hiking. Here is Part 2 - Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories¢¦ClothingPatagonia Hiking Socks - Tag-along hiked with a pair of mid-weight socks for the first month and liked them. When she switched to the lightweight, she had concerns about this sock ¢balling up¢ in the heal area and giving her a tender spot on the side of her heal. My Patagonia socks quickly became threadbare where stitching connected top material to the toe area. FINAL VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDEDBridgedale and Darn Tough Hiking Socks ¢ After experiencing problems with Patagonia socks early on, we switched to Bridgedale and Darn Tough Socks. Both brands were very comfortable, padded in the right places, and seemed almost indestructible. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDUnder Armour Underwear ¢ This is a great hiking underwear option! Under Armour men and women¢s Compression Shorts have a 6-inch inseam, are lightweight, breathable, built with seams that feel smooth against the skin, and discourage chafing. In spite of repeated washings, they still look as new as the day we bought them. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDPatagonia Houdini Wind Jacket ¢ Weighing in just 3.5 ounces, we loved this front zippered, hooded wind jacket. It is breathable, quick drying, comes with a draw cord hem, and stuffs into its own hidden chest pocket. While not waterproof, the DWR finish sheds water in light rain. Tag-along probably used hers every day at some time or another. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDMontBell Peak Shell Rain Jacket - The MontBell Peak Rain Shell (13 ounces) is touted to be very breathable, a claim we generally agree with. It features 18-inch long pit zips and a host of other features usually found only on heavier jackets. Through the first couple months, our Peak Shell Jackets protected us very well on many rainy windy and some times cold days. Later on they tended to become water soaked in continuous rain. Later on they tended to become water soaked in continuous rain. Perhaps it is too much to expect any rain jacket to perform well through an entire six month hike, especially during a year as wet as 2009. Thru hikers might want to plan for a mid hike waterproofing retreatment using an appropriate product. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDED ONLY IF WATERPROOFING RETREATMENT IF APPLIED WHEN NEEDEDMountain Hardware Convertible Pants and Hiking Skirt ¢ Tag-along began hiking with Mountain Hardware Convertible Pants and later switched to the same company¢s hiking skirt in two different sizes. She finished with a pair of shorts. All pieces of clothing were very comfortable, durable, and come with a DWR finish to shed water. She had a Mountain Hardware short-sleeved shirt and ended with a one of their rain jackets. Tag-along loves Mountain Hardware clothing! FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDExOfficial Convertible Hiking Pants ¢ I was very pleased with these comfortable lightweight nylon pants. Specifically, I appreciated the mesh-lined pockets, leg pocket with zipper (nice for keeping my hiking wallet while in town), and tendency to resist water and wrinkling. I cut out the built in mesh underwear. Later in our hike, I lost weight and downsized to a new pair with smaller waistline. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDPatagonia Trail Running Shorts ¢ Although I hiked in these everyday for six months, my Patagonia Trail Running Shorts still look new. They are very comfortable with a nine-inch inseam and tend to dry quickly. I frequently used the deep side zipper pockets for storing snacks and other items needed during the day. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDPatagonia Capilene 3 Bottom and Top Base Layer ¢ These top and bottom base layers both worked well - keeping us warm on cold March/April days. Later in our hike I switched to a thinner pair of Capilene 1 bottoms and found they provided sufficient insulation. The neckline stitching on my long sleeve top unraveled, but was replaced for free by Patagonia. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDED WITH HESITATION DUE TO POOR NECKLINE STITCHINGRain Pants ¢ Tag-along began hiking in March with Marmot and I began with Northface Rain Pants. Both brands performed well on certain days when we moved through cold, rainy, very windy weather our first two months. As the weather warmed up we sent them home because they were too warm to hike in. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDED FOR EARLY SPRING HIKING ONLYMontBell Wind Pants ¢ Unfortunately we didn¢t learn about this compact two-ounce water resistant option until late in our hike. They were just what we needed on a cold blustery day as we hiked to the summit of Mt. Washington. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDBuff Headwear ¢ We used this durable lightweight multifunctional headwear frequently in cold conditions and while in camp. Mine doubled as a pillowcase as well. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDULA Rain Wrap ¢ This three-ounce wonder became our lower half cover of choice during rainy days. To avoid a wet clammy feeling, wear a lightweight leg base layer, or hike it up so that bare skin is not touching the silnylon material. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDEDShoesMontbell Hardrock Trail Shoes ¢ We began hiking and were happy with pre 2009 Hardrocks. After the company was sold to Columbia in 2009, the Hardrock was redesigned. Tag-along, and other hikers we encountered, experienced foot problems wearing the 2009¢s. Tag-along was able to find two more pair of pre "09 Hardrocks to finish the trail with. FINAL VERDICT: PRE 2009¢S RECOMMENDED (if you can find them) / 2009¢S NOT RECOMMENDEDSalomon Trail Shoes ¢ When I found out I couldn¢t locate pre 2009 Hardrocks in my size, I converted to the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX, which turned out to be a great option! This was my first Gore-Tex shoe. They kept my feet dry much of the time, yet seemed reasonably breathable. The Quick Fit lacing system ensured a secure fit. Don¢t attach gators clips to the laces, however, as this will cause them to fail. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDWaldies ¢ Carrying this 11-ounce Croc knockoff was well worth it. We put them on in camp immediately after getting in and wore them while in town. Many days our feet were sore and the cushioned bottom provided welcome relief. They also came in handy when fording rivers. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDAccessoriesMontBell Inflatable Pillow - Weighing in at 2.7 ounces, this is a comfortable pillow option for backpackers. Unfortunately, we both noticed slow air leak problems late in our hike. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDED WITH HESITATION DUE TO AIR LEAKSPetzi Tikka Headlamp ¢ Being early risers, we depended on this headlamp to begin hiking on many dark mornings. Both on the trail and in camp, it provided all the light we needed. A long battery life, tilting light body, and battery life indicator (blinks 3 times when the battery gets low) make this a great choice. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDSea to Summit Stuff Sacks ¢ We trusted these watertight stuff sacks to protect our clothing and never had a problem. Great product! FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDULA Pack Cover ¢ Although we liked the fact that this pack cover was lightweight, it was marginally effective in an all day continuous soaking rain. Perhaps that is true of most pack covers. It tended to pool water in the bottom area. Tag-along later purchased a Granite Gear rain cover and I purchased a Sea to Summit cover. We can¢t evaluate those products, however, because rain ceased in final stages of our hike. FINAL VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDEDAqua Mira Water Treatment ¢ Tag-along and I left our filter at home and never had any regrets or water related illness while on the trail. In fact we met very few thru hikers that carried a filter. Aqua Mira is easy to use and doesn¢t affect the taste of water. Occasionally, if there were floaties in water, we filtered through a clean bandana. FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDPlatypus 2 Liter Zip Lock Hydration Bladder ¢ The zip lock top incorporated into this bladder seemed like a great idea because it opens wide for easy filling, cleaning, and makes a convenient carry handle. Unfortunately, late in our hike, we both developed leaking problems around the zipper area. FINAL VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDEDBlackberry Curve ¢ We used this four-ounce PDA phone, which offers direct Internet access, for updating our journal, receiving email, and staying in touch with family. Throughout our hike, Verizon service seemed to be more reliable than other providers. We even had cell service throughout most of Maine, which was unexpected. To extend battery life, we turned off network connections when Internet access wasn¢t needed, preventing the phone from continually ¢pinging¢ cell towers. Our journals were written in ¢Memo Pad,¢ and then copied and pasted directly on the Trail Journals website. Originally we thought the Blackberry would serve as our camera, but choose to carry a camera to ensure higher quality pictures. FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMENDED Brunton Flex Foldable Stove ¢ This 3.4 ounce canister stove consistently performed well throughout our hike. Cold temperatures and changes in altitude didn¢t seem to phase it. To reduce fuel consumption, we made an inexpensive 3-sided windscreen from an oven liner. The oversized head on the Brunton Flex supported our cooking pot in a stable manner. We stored stove, canister, and Sporks in a lightweight 1.8 titanium cooking pot with skillet top. Our cooking pot did double duty - serving as our eating plates as well . FINAL VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED NOTE: In our September 8 Trail Journals entry we mentioned meeting Goatman, who sometimes hikes with his pet Goat. This morning we added some great pictures of Goatman and his goat to that (9/8) entry. These are well worth checking out. Look for our final journal entry soon - Final Reflections About Our Thru Hike