[at-l] Re: Equipment Feedback Please

Going light is a good idea. It's a very good idea.

The first thing I'll suggest you do is join those of us on the BackpackingLight list which is hosted
by egroups.com. You'll get gobs of useful information there.

Now on to specifics....

The G4 pack is made by GVPGear <www.gvpgear.com> and is a great ultralight pack. It is designed to
carry loads up to 30 pounds though that is pushing it. To be fair I've had it closer to 35 and been
happy if not wholly comfy (I only did that when I had to carry a lot of water). I've used the G4 for
close to 550 miles of the AT (8 weeks) and been hapy with it. There are some caveats though. The
stock model is designed to fit people with lengthy torsos. Mine is about 18" and that means the pack
does bump my butt. I wish it rode higher, but it isn't horrible. I imagine Glen is talking about
2001. Send him an email and ask. He's getting 100 made now. He can also refer you to a person who
will do costum jobs.

One other thing about the G4: you don't have to use a z-rest in the back pocket to get rigidity.
Many people, including me, take an Ultralite 3/4 length therm-a-rest and make a big circle of it,
put it in the main pocket, and shove gear into the resulting cylinder. I can sleep on a z-rest just
fine, but the therm-a-rest is so much more comfortable. You do loose some internal space when doing
this, but that's hardly a big deal.

Although I've not use it the Macpac Ravine is generally considered a very good pack. It's quite
large, larger than you'll really need, and weighs about 3.5 pounds. Macpac <www.macpac.co.nz>
Backcountry Equipment <http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/> are the only people I know that
distribute in the US and they can get things from Macpac that aren't on their own web page. Some
people also really like the Wild Things AT pack though when I tried a friend's briefly it did not
work for me.

I can't comment on availability of Nomads. They are very nice tents though I don't actually own one.
I either use my Stephenson <www.warmlite.com> 2RSLD or an Integral Designs <www.integraldesigns.com>
Sil Shelter. I'll take the Sil Shelter on my Thanksgiving hike I think though the Stephensons would
be warmer. The Stephensons is among the premiere ultra light tents out there. At about 3.3 pounds
it's by far the lightest 2 person (40 some  square feet) tent you'll find. It's a 4 season tent and
I love it. It's lighter than most one man tents. It is also expensive at about $550.00.  The Sil
Shelter is a shaped tarp that is plenty big enough for one person. It goes up easily, using a hiking
pole or similar to raise it off the ground, and is almost as flexible as a standard tarp in setup
opitons.  My whole tarp setup weighs about 22 ounces I think and for AT hiking, especially in milder
conditions, the Sil Shelter is ideal.

Western Mountaineering bags are superb. I love my Iroquois. I've slept in that year round (in my
Stephenson in the winter). I'll use it on the upcoming hike again. WM temp ratings are VERY
conservative at least for a warm sleeper like me. Some other bags that interest me for warmer
weather inclue Nanatuk's Backcountry Blanket <www.nanatukgear.com> and a continuing interest in the
Rab Top Bag which I'd use as an overbag with the Iroquois in the winter (can't find a link right
now, but there are numerous mentions of the bag on Backpackinglight. RAB is a UK based comapny and I
know I've seen a website before).

Don's stove is great. If you decide you don't want to use it but like alcohol the Trangia burner is
the old standby though it's not as light or fuel efficient as Don's creation. I personally prefer
alcohol to esbit since it's easier to come by.

Water treatment: what a topic. Chemical treatment does work, up to a point. It won't kill giardia,
at least not effectively as I recall. But, it does work and certainly is light. I'd give strong
consideration to an gravity fed inline filter. The Safe Water Anywhere <www.safewateranywhere.com>
inline filter is a great little guy. It, a dirty water bag, hoses, and clean water bag combined only
weigh about 6 ounces. You just need a place to hang the system so gravity can do its thing. It isn't
as fast as a pump filter, but that's alright. You do also have to be a bit careful about silt build
up in the filter but that can be controlled. 

First aid is a particularly individual thing. Don't forget to include mole skin at the very least.
The various blister gel healing things like 2nd Skin work, but only so well. Best to avoid getting
blisters in the first place by dealing IMEDIATELY with any hot spots that develop.

What's a Blackberry PDA? What type of tripod are you going to take? Have you considered using a
monopod (Leki makes a hiking pole with monopod mount called the Sierra I think). WIth care you can
brace a monopod almost as well as a tripod as long as you help rovide the bracing.

Why are you carrying a fanny pack? I know that there are times when you want to go someplace with
just the tiny pack and not the full backpack, but is it really necessary. The camera bag I carry my
Nikon Coolpix 950, some filters, and lens cleaning stuff in, is a Tarmac something or other I think.
It is not big enough as it stands to hold additional lenses like a wide angle or teleconverter and I
need to do something about that sometime though I'm not sure what. With all the things in it that I
carry it weighs around 2 pounds and is adequately comfortable when slung over my shoulder. It has a
tendency to migrate off my thigh and start bumping me more on the front of my leg (dangerously near
my crotch sometimes), but it's padded and the camera has done quite well over the past year in it.
I've also use the LowPro AW 30 when just carrying the camera.

You seem to be doing pretty well so far. Consider weighing each item and keeping a list. That way
you can see how much it all really ways. For example, why carry a notepad and sharpie. How about
just a few sheets of paper and a pencil (I like sharpies too).

Clothing wise you'll probably want to carry a bit more. I didn't see anything for rain.And in the
winter you'll be carrying different stuff than you do in the summer. More insulation mainly.

  ** Ken **
**  Kenneth Knight    Web Design, IT Consultant, Software Engineer  **
**       krk@speakeasy.org        http://www.speakeasy.org/~krk     **
* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

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