JMT/gear

Gear

• Aaron's gear list
• Krystle's gear list

Sample Gear Lists

• 8.22 lbs base weight
• 14 lbs base weight
• 20 lb base weight

Shakedown Notes

Krystle: Timberline Trail

• Tent: Not a huge fan. Did poorly in the wind (flapping around a LOT, wind moving right through the tent). Spaciousness is nice but the big footprint is a tradeoff (finding a good tent pad, carrying a bigger groundcloth). Trade for or buy smaller tent, save the weight.
  • Lost a tent stake. Always carry an extra or two.
  • Cowboy camping is fun, do this when possible.
• Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail shoes make good crossing and alternate shoes. Bad for walking through sand/ash (especially when hot). Socks got full of sand, soles got painfully hot.
• Get better socks, buy several pairs of the same for easy interchangeability.
• Altras were great. Only got a hot spot on the ball of my right foot when socks were damp and I was going uphill. Did not develop into a blister - might be able to toughen with training. Treat this pre-emptively with BodyGlide.
• Dirty Girl gaiters were great. Kept so much debris out of my shoes.
• Uphill technique: Short steps, keeping ankles loose (think of feet hanging loosely on hinges) helped a lot with uphill stamina.
• Handerchief/microtowel was super handy. Kept my hair out of my face, kept sun off my hair, wiped sweat off my face, dried my feet after a stream crossing, good for cleaning my legs and my dishes, etc.
• 2 lbs of food per day was sufficient. Could probably bring it down to 1.5 with good calorie management.
  • sour patch watermelons are amazing, surprisingly
  • crystal light or other sweet mixes for water are great, especially if mixing with liquor (maybe lemonade?)
  • bring whiskey
  • bring dark chocolate
  • freeze dried ice cream sandwiches were an incredible (non melting) treat
  • mountain house lasagna and beef stroganoff mountain houses were decent
  • I wish I'd brought more crackers and cheese
    • oregono ritz crackers tasted amazing
• Tea tree oil & mint toothpicks - wonderful luxury item. Freshens breath, substitute for floss, biodegradable
• 2 liters of water in the heat was just enough with the intense heat and frequent water sources. Stick with 3 just in case?
• Not sold on the Sawyer mini. Slower than the regular Sawyer. Benefit of weight saved doesn't seem huge.
• Definitely need lighter, more compact sleeping pad & bag.
• Bring head net. Bugs really do love my blood. DEET was very handy but would rather avoid toxicity if possible.
• Need better GPS, phone dies too quickly.
• Trekking poles are a must for stream crossings.
• Stuffing makes good appetizer and filler for when you put too much water in your hot food.
• I need more sunblock than I think I do, especially the backs of my shoulders.
• Hiking in shorts is great. One pair in particular was perfect. Only drawback is more scraping in rocks.
• Swimming in lakes is, indeed, very refreshing and uplifting.

Aaron: Manistee River / NCT Loop (2015/7/10)

Since there's a bunch of my kit I'm still waiting on, this was mostly a dry run in terms of food & mileage. Walked ~24 miles in 2 days with a pack that was probably about the right weight (maybe 3-5lbs heavy once I reduce shelter/sleep gear?).

• Couscous! Use spice packs for variety. Use coconut oil for stable/tasty fat.
• Spice pack ideas (measure more carefully and de-bug at home):
  • Oregano, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, sundried tomato.
  • Paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sundried tomato.
  • Ichimi pepper, miso (dried??), bonito, kombu, ginger, sugar, garlic powder, pepper.
  • ??? (aim for seven of these).
• I need to calculate better food quantities. I tend to carry 2x food I need...
• ~4oz MSR fuel canisters were good for boiling water ~6-7 times.
• Whole Foods sundried tomatoes were *awesome* chopped and steamed w couscous or pasta.
• Instant coffee (even the little starbucks sleeves) just isn't worth it. I'm going off it on the trail.
• Chia pudding (w/ or w/out oats) should be a great breakfast that prepares overnight in a jar. Check out mason "freezer jars" (they're lightweight and plastic w screw tops) that can also double as secondary food prep/eating vessels. Season w powdered dairy, sugar, dried fruit.
• Sawyer mini is slow, but fine. Might go w just aquamira and sometimes unfiltered water for JMT.

Krystle: Goat Rocks

• Tested mac & cheese and tortellini recipes, a little bit of fine tuning needed for water amounts but taste is good.
• Swapped mac & cheese recipe for Velveeta cheese packets, tested at home before sending in resupply.
• Fuel use
  • Used 0.7 oz fuel for 2 meals (4 servings)
  • Used 0.4 oz fuel for mac & cheese testing at home
  • This suggest a 4 oz fuel canister might last for 10 2-serving meals (!)
• Used around 1 L water at camp (cooking, cleaning, brushing teeth)
• Borah bug bivy was awesome
• Practiced tarp setup, need to do a little more research/practice on this
• 2000 calories per day was more than enough
• Learned to keep the day's snacks outside the canister, more easily accessible
• Zlite is totally comfy & warm enough for me, surprisingly; if anything I can fold in half as a torso pad for extra comfort & insulation and use pack for feet
• The HammockGear quilt is amazing, amazing, #OMGIloveit
  • Being able to close it around just my feet is wonderful
  • Being able to snap it around my neck is wonderful
  • Being able to use it as a blanket around camp is wonderful
• Darn tough socks were great, should still get one pair of liners just in case
• Bringing backwash syringe is probably a good idea for water filter, sandy mountain streams really muddy it up
• I very much so wished I had remembered to bring whiskey
• Feet get grossly dusty in the Altras, but otherwise they are awesome
• Sahara sun cap was a great addition to my gear
• Pack was great
• GoLite pants are a nope, the zippered pocket on the butt gave me a hotspot with the hip strap, why do they do this? Otherwise they'd be perfect....Back to leggings, unless I can find simple hiking pants
• ExOfficio sun/insect shirt was an ideal layer, and minimally stinky (did not get to test bugproofness)