[at-l] My Gear List (seriously)

[Tim.Hewitt@fairchildsemi.com (Tim Hewitt)]

WHHAWKINS@aol.com wrote:

I would never even hint that Wildbill's yo-yos and my simple thru are
comparable, but I do differ with his opinions here. As I said, everyone has
different ideas on gear - what works for them and what does not - and that's
what makes it fun.

[clip]
> 
> *** Keep the footprint, it protects the floor ot the tent.

Between my now 13 year old Scouting son and myself, we have over 100 nights
on the Flashlight without the footprint and the bottom is as sound as the
day I bought it. Pull the empty tent over you in a well lit space and look
for holes in the floor as a test. There are no thin spots in my tent. The
footprint is a gimmick in my opinion. I would not do this with the Nomad, as
the material is very thin and needs the extra protection. The Clip
Flashlight material is not thin at all, and in fact is thicker than my Nomad
_and_ it's groundcloth together!

> *** You will then have to get it back later. I carried a 10=BA bag on my thr=
> ee=20
> thru-hikes. On the first I sent it home in the summer and used a poncho=20
> liner. On the yo-yo hike it carried it for the whole hike. Used it like a=20
> blanket when it was warmer.

I was able to use my 40 degree bag all the way North once I switched, with
no cold nights at all. I think it depends much on your personal heat
generation and insulation capabilities, as well as the particular year you
get. My 40 degree bag in Maine was fine all the way up till the 21st of
September. Many people got their warm bags back by Hanover, but I was still
sleeping on top of mine most nights then.

> 
> ***Get Tevas or tevas type of sandal. You want something that will stay on=20
> your feet. The slip on types will not.=20

Only if you plan to use them other than in camp. The extra weight of Tevas
is a killer. I don't even like wearing them now - just picking them up makes
me wince :). I'd look for an alternative like the nylon running shoe if
keeping your camp shoes on your feet is a huge deal. Pilgrim wore these and
I was envious (did I say that?).

I had no problem with the plastic sandals, but I did not hike in them, and I
did not do any major ridge climbing for water with them on either. I kept my
boots on till any major work was done, then changed to sandals to simply
rest my dogs.

Know your gear. Know it's limitations. Know your limitations, and you can go
light and be comfortable too.

-p

-- 
Paddler
GA>ME Class of 99
http://paddler99.trailstories.com