Date: 2015-09-01
To: Gear!
Miles today: 0.0

Here are lots of thoughts on GEAR: the essentials of the trail. Crazy to think how everything fits on a pack on your back... and yet there is SO MUCH OF IT.I was lucky to be gifted a lot of my gear, or to get it on sale before Christmas. It was still ridiculously expensive, but not as bad as it could have been.PackI started with a Granite Gear Escape AC 60 KI (Bertha). I trained with Bertha. I walked around town day after day with Bertha full of pillows, flower, sugar, and books. One day in winter, I was an idiot and put my Camelback in Bertha as I walked around town, and all of the water in the hose FROZE. Poor planning on my part.Pros:- had a lot of pockets, and a brain, so that things could be made easily accessible- was a a very pretty shade of blue (useless pro, but whatever)- fit all of my stuff, including my 800 luxury itemsCons:- the water bottle side pockets SUCKED, and my water bottles fell out every time I bent over- was kind of huge and awkwardWhen Bertha fell apart just before Rockfish Gap, I went into Waynesboro and got a replacement (thank you, Granite Gear!!). Pack #2 was a Granite Gear Crown VC 60 KI. It was glorious. Much simpler in design, it just had one huge rolltop compartment and three exterior pockets (two side, one front). I LOVED the simplicity of it, and it was easier to open, so I didn't mind that there wasn't as much accessible storage space. I put all my during-the-day things (stamp, water bottles, guidebook pages, shovel, fuel, tent poles, umbrella, SteriPen, pack cover) in the outside pockets and just made sure that I packed my lunch on top in the inside.Gertrude was (is) so light, AND comfortable.If I were to choose again, I would go with the Crown. I had considered ULA packs, but I am so glad i ended up with Gertrude. She was a dream. Except that the hip belt was slightly too big. Still, a dream.Size-wise, a lot of women go for smaller packs, but I liked the 60-liter capacity (which was actually only 55 because I had short torso model). Just in case I wanted to carry more, I was able to. And on days when I went out with a full food bag, I was able to fit it without having to strap my tent or sleeping bag on the outside of my pack.TentBig Agnes Fly Creek UL1https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/FlyCreekUL1This tent was on sale before Christmas... for around $100 cheaper on Amazon.I loved it. It held out in the pouring rain (although, of course, once it's saturated, it's saturated). It kept me dry perfectly well, though it ended up soaked often. That's the nice part of having a good sleeping pad... it keeps you up and out of the wet. In the rain, mud and water would splash up onto the sides of the bathtub, but when dry, it was easy to just wipe the dirt off.This tent was lightweight, easy to set up, and freestanding (which meant it could be set up without too much trouble on a tent platform... the only problem was staking it out in case of rain). It really did need to be properly staked out in order to effectively keep the rain out, but on clear nights, it was so nice to leave the rain fly off and sleep under the stars (but away from the bugs).It also had a vestibule, which was great because it allowed me to store my smelly pack outside of my tent but out of the rain.If I was taller, I would have gotten the UL2. The Aussie Legs ALL had the UL2... but I think the UL1 was fine for me.Mine suffered a small rip on the mesh netting of the door, but otherwise is still in good condition.Sleep SystemSleeping PadTherm-a-Rest Prolite Women's (small). If I were to choose again, I might get something more like what the Aussie Legs had, which was the REI AirRail. It was thicker, apparently also insulated, and looked much more comfortable. However, there's a trade-off - I believe that packed, these are bigger and heavier than the Therm-a-Rest.Sleeping Bag (cold weather)https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/cats-meow-4?variationId=M6QMy first bag was the North Face Cat's Meow, 20 degree mummy bag. I love this bag. A little big and heavy, but wonderful. It has a glow-in-the-dark zipper pull, and a little zip pocket perfect for ear plugs and chapstick. I would get the same one again.Sleeping Bag (warm weather)http://www.ems.com/ems-boreal-40%C2%B0-sleeping-bag-/300032451.html?dwvar_300032451_color=2650EMS Boreal 40 degree bag. I also loved this one. It was light and fairly small. The sleeping bag material is always kind of sticky and gross on sweaty hiker skin, which can be uncomfortable, but is also kind of unavoidable. I would get the same one again.Sleeping Bag LinerI bought a fleece liner when I was cold one night after switching to my summer bag. I carried it for a few weeks before sending it home. If I were to do it again, I would have bought a silk liner and kept it with me the whole time. It would have been nice to have at the end, to keep out the bugs on warm evenings. WaterSteriPen Adventurer Optihttp://www.steripen.com/adventurer-opti/I used a SteriPen to treat my water. I also carried a backup of AquaMira, just in case.I bought a bunch of batteries before I left, and had mom mail them to me when I needed them. My SteriPen took CR123 batteries... I changed them about every two weeks.I would choose the SteriPen again. It takes 90 seconds to treat a liter of water. With AquaMira, you have to wait five minutes for the chemicals to activate, and then fifteen minutes for the water to be ready for consumption. I am not that patient.Note that even a little untreated water on the outside of the bottle can contaminate your tummy, so you have to be careful to make sure all the water gets treated. If you dip your water bottle in the water source to fill it, untreated water is all over that bottle. Trail Mentor Alexa had the idea of creating a scoop and funnel from a plastic bottle cut in half (I recommend the small Gatorade bottles, they are sturdy and last). Otherwise, you can fill your water bottle up to the top before treating it so that treated water will spill out and wash away any untreated water.Unfortunately, I slipped and fell and broke mine at the end of my hike, so I used AquaMira for the last couple of weeks. The contrast was significant. I much preferred my SteriPen.Stove and FuelThe vast majority of people on the trail seem to use Jetboils and Pocket Rockets, but I used an Esbit brass alcohol stove. There is one with a heat exchanger, too (not what I had). It is also possible to use the solid fuel tablets with this set. It ran about $30, and included two pots. They seem to be a little more expensive on Amazon now: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UEL76Q/ref=s9_al_bw_g468_i2Initially, I was considering just making an alcohol stove out of a cat food can, but Aviary bought me the Esbit stove for Christmas My cook set was probably a little heavier than the Pocket Rockets/Jetboils, but I really liked it. I liked this stove a lot. I managed to "turn down the heat" using the snuffer/flame regulator, which worked fairly well.I don't know that it was necessarily easier to find denatured alcohol (or HEET, which is gas line antifreeze which comes in a yellow bottle. It's kind of toxic... but burns pretty clean) than fuel canisters, but I never had a problem getting fuel.If I had to choose again, I'd use the same stove. It has sentimental value. Maybe I like it because it seems a little low-tech, I don't know. I did lose the gasket one night in the rain, but Esbit sent me a replacement for $3.50. This was another nice feature... any unused fuel in the stove could be saved.I kept a lighter, small bottle of soap, and half a sponge in with my cook set. I usually just scrubbed my pot with my spork and my finger and drank my gray water, but when it got gross (and every time I went into town) I would wash it.Utensilhttp://www.ems.com/sea-to-summit-alpha-lite-spork/300009569.html?dwvar_300009569_color=3111#q=spork&start=4Sea-to-Summit Titanium Spork. Worked really well, was lightweight, I would buy it again StorageMy food bag was a 15L Sea-to-Summit stuff sack. I purchased Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil Nano dry bags. Next time, I would get the Ultra-Sil, but not Nano. It saves on weight, but they aren't as durable. I had a bag for odds and ends, a bag for clothing, a bag for electronics/journal/paper, and a bag for my sleeping bag that I never used.MiscellaneousKnife: Leatherman Micra. This was a pizza fairy gift. On suggestion from Alexa, I wanted a knife that had scissors, which was extremely useful for cutting moleskin in the beginning of the hike (when I had monster blisters).I didn't use my knife often during the end of my hike, but kept it with me anyway.If I got a new knife, I'd just get whatever smallest Swiss Army Knife has scissors. HeadlampThis is the modern version of what I have:http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/headlamps-and-lanterns/ion-BD620615_cfg.html#q=ion&start=1Trail Mentor Alexa gifted me with this very small Black Diamond Headlamp. It was perfect. I didn't use it as often in summer, when the sun rose early and set late.Most people had headlamps with multiple settings, including a red light setting. The benefit of the red light is that it doesn't bother people as much (nice in shelters) and doesn't ruin night vision. It kind of sucked that I didn't have the red setting, but I just used my hand to cover it and shield the light when I needed to. It worked well enough. It was so small and compact, it was wonderful. I bought a bunch of batteries for it before I left and just had mom plunk them in my mail drops when I needed them.UmbrellaSwing Trek Liteflex. Cost around $40, and weighed less than a pound. Wonderful for cold rainy days, or trips outside of the shelter, or to the bathroom, on warm, rainy days. I LOVED HAVING AN UMBRELLA IN THE SMOKIES.Trekking PolesThe new ones on the LEKI site look fancier than the ones I used.http://efingersportinggoodsco.mwrc.net/en/product.php?product_id=62739My dad let me use his trekking poles, the LEKI Makalu Anti-Shock. To extend them, you have to screw out the lower sections, pull them out, then twist them again to lock. Kind of a cool system.I LOVED these. They were beat all to heck by the end of the journey. They are scratched and banged up, and the paint on the lower sections is flaking off. The tips are a little bent. One of the straps slipped out during my descent from Baxter Peak. They are still in usable condition, however. Con: Occasionally the poles would telescope mid-hike (but I never tightened them regularly).Pro: Excellent shock absorbers.Odds and EndsI also kept with me: duct tape, tenacious tape, super glue, needles and thread, extra SteriPen batteries, extra headlamp battery, vinyl patches (in case I needed to repair my tent or Therm-a-Rest), $20 in emergency funds, lots of extra ziploc bags, camp soap, Body Glide (and, later, diaper paste), rubber bands that I never used, safety pins, an extra lighter, a few matches, AquaMira water treatment backup, and part of a PackTowl (I just chopped off a corner of a big one that I'd already had).I also carried a very small loofah. It was a luxury item. I loved being able to SCRUB all that sweat and dirt and grime off when I went into town.Bear LineDad gave me some bright yellow, reflective parachute cord which I used as my bear line/clothesline. It worked well, especially when my food bag was extra-heavy.First Aid KitI was going to just pack my own first aid kit, but dad gifted me this one for Christmas (best family ever, I'm telling you):http://www.ems.com/adventure-medical-kits-ultralight-0.5-solo-first-aid-kit/300002528.html?dwvar_300002528_color=3111#sz=24&start=21I took out some things and added some other things (moleskin!). I always carried ibuprofen with me... it was the only thing I took somewhat regularly besides fish oil and vitamins.ClothingFor the most part, nothing fancy. I picked up most of my athletic clothing at TJMaxx. I knew it would all probably get trashed, so I wasn't willing to invest a lot of money. I carried too many clothes... and I would do so again. I really liked having clean clothes to wear in town when I needed to do laundry.I will say that I was particular about my socks. Darn Tough makes AMAZING hiking socks, and has a lifetime guarantee. They are everywhere on the trail. One day when doing laundry together with Coco and Magnus and Chris, we had trouble sorting out whose were whose because some of us had the same style pairs (but different sizes, thankfully). Nearly ALL of the socks I wore on the trail were Darn Tough. I started out with one pair of Smart Wool socks but they didn't make it far before they were sent home. From then on, it was Darn Tough all the way. I wore the red panda socks that Candace sent me as pajama socks in warmer weather, but those don't really count (except to me).I started out with Patagonia rain pants (bought off of eBay), but sent them home when it got warmer. I loved having them as an extra layer of insulation and a windbreaker for the first month and a half or so.I also started with a nice EMS rain jacket, which I swapped out for a lighter and smaller Columbia children's jacket in Hamburg, PA.Once it got warm, I did NOT hike in my rain gear. It's like being a moving sauna.My one fancy clothing item was my North Face Thermoball jacket, which I carried with me the whole time. I had been considering a down jacket, but the Thermoball was recommended by an REI employee who had thru-hiked. My sleeping bags, as well as my jacket, were synthetic, so it wasn't a big deal of they got wet or damp, unlike down. This was another thing I LOVED. It doubled as a pillow in warm weather.