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More New Gear · Mar 22, 11:40 PM

Lexan soup spoon (0.4 oz.). I may cut the end off so that it pits into my pot. I may not—life is full of mystery.

Tyvek, 4 ft. (2.4 oz.). I am going to cut a groundcloth a little over 8 feet long and fold one end back to make a pocket for my feet for protection from the wetter elements. This material is normally wrapped around houses under construction to keep the elements out. It’s a thin plastic that crinkles like tinfoil when you first get it. I hear a run through the washer fixes that.

Thermarest Z-rest sleeping pad (15.5 oz.). I wish I could get by with the 3/4 length, but I’m freakishly tall.

Leki Makalu Tour hiking poles, 1 pair (19.2 oz.). These are Leki’s low-end hikers, with no funky grips or suspension. Still pricey, but Leki has an outstanding relationship with the hiking community, and deserves your honest support. Cue the swelling, patriotic music.

Adventure 16 bug bivy, with stuffsack (7.2 oz.). Tarps don’t have walls, so I carry an extra few ounces for a self-erecting bug screen. It looks like a sunshield that you would put in your car, only warped. And made of screen.

Ibex Flint T-shirt, large (7.1 oz.). Merino wool—Product of New-Zealand. The fit isn’t perfect, and the shirt is 4 inches to long (which a quick trip over to my grandmother’s place will fix), but it’s wool. I hope it won’t wear out before I’m done hiking. Supposedly better at doing all the things that synthetics are good at, with the benefit of being stink-resistant. That’s a big plus.

Thermo Fleece long sleeve, large (7.5 oz.). A long-sleeved merino wool base-layer—“pure new wool”. I may send it home if I don’t ever wear it.

Frogg Togg pants, XL (6.3 oz.). These are bright “hazmat cleanup team” white, but there were in the overstock/discontinued catalog, so I got them cheap.

Frogg Togg pullover, XL (6.4 oz.). I should paint a nuclear warning logo on the back and carry a geiger counter. This material feels like paper; it’s a tougher version of the popypropylene smocks that surgeons wear. At least it’s blood-proof.

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  1. Are the hiking poles really useful?
    Also, if I'm following, you have a groundcloth/tarp/bug shield to sleep in. Is this setup really lighter/better than a tent? Or do you like it for it's flexability?
    — Chris    Mar 23, 01:37 PM    #

  2. The hiking poles serve a couple purposes. First, they reduce the stress on my knees, legs and feet because I can offload weight to them. Second, I can use them to erect the tarp in the absence of trees.

    I'm probably saving about a pound by using a tarp instead of a tent--it would have been more if I were shorter and could get by with a 6x8 tarp--but that is a secondary benefit. I don't like the separation that a tent imposes between it's occupants and the outside world. You can't see the sun rise or set from inside a tent. You can't watch the wind in the trees. You can't cook dinner in a tent. You can't fit 3 people for lunch in a tent. You can't wear your shoes into a tent. You can't watch butterflies and lizards from inside a tent.

    With ~85% of my gear now, my pack looks like it will be around 15 lbs; I'm happy.
    — Tom    Mar 23, 03:15 PM    #

  3. I think that without the poles, I would not have made it very far in 2001.
    — Tom    Mar 23, 03:18 PM    #