Gear
Sample Gear Lists
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)
