[at-l] gear

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

At 05:52 PM 8/28/01 -0700, Alexis Geiter wrote:

>Does anyone have any experience with Moose Creek
>hiking pants?  Also, I'm looking for a new backpack.
>5'8" female, kinda heavy.

Forget that you are female and your dimensions.  Well
don't totally  forget it but don't make that your first
consideration.  Think first of how much the pack weighs
and you will avoid the most common mistake made in
gearing up.  Don't even touch a pack until you read the
tag that says how much it weighs.  Absolutely forget
about any pack that weighs five pounds or more.  I
bet most of use are now looking for packs that weigh less
than four pounds?  And some of us are using packs
that weigh less than 2 pounds.  That's a bit light for a
beginner but it is doable with caution and determination.

The "industry" is slowly undergoing a revolution.  Manufacturers
are beginning to see the "lite" and devote more of their R&D into
developing packs that are sturdy enough to do the job but don't
weigh so much as to take a lot of the JOY out of walking all day.

Hikers are beginning to realize that they really don't need three
piece cooksets and solar showers to enjoy their hike and in
fact, a lighter load adds more enjoyment than some of the
accoutrements.

This is coming from someone who was used to lugging a 45 pound
pack for a weekend just a couple years ago but then learned here that
there is a better way <VVVBG>  and now can go for a weekend
with half that weight in a 3000 cubic inch pack.  Don't
listen to the people at the store.  They may be straight with you
but they may just try and sell you what they have in stock. I'd
be pleased to help you anyway I can.  BTW..if you can give
us a generally idea of where you live, we may be able to point you
to a really good gear store with knowledgeable staff who can help
you make a smart choice and fit.



>Thanks,
>
>Alexis
>
>=====
>"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, to feel, do 
>just as one pleases."
>                                 - William Hazlitt
>
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