[at-l] Wow:-)

[orangebug74@yahoo.com (Orange Bug)]

Welcome to the Gear Addicts Society. Go ahead and admit that you are
addicted to gear, and get over it.

You are doing several things well, by using stuff already available and
not just filling up the credit card. I'd prefer you play around with
cooking stuff, water, sleeping systems and clothing, and then review
you backpack and tent. Along the way you might decide to look into
cheap and light versus costly and heavy. If the boyfriend has an old
Kelty external backpack, break out the fungicide and keep that gem of a
pack.

For instance, the Cabela stove for $17. For about $5, you could
consider making a soda can stove and buy a plastic bottle for denatured
alcohol. A quickly assembled hardware cloth grid makes a pot stand, and
thick aluminum foil from a pie pan becomes a wind screen. You can spend
a lot of bucks on a light titanium pot, or you can go to the local
Wal-Mart and buy a $7-8 grease pot that will be as light and perfect
for 2 meals. A Glad tupperware replacement dish becomes the second
dish. For a bit more money, a canister stove can be purchased for
hotter and longer cook times, and still keep your cooking gear well
below 2 pounds, possibly less - including fuel. 

While the PUR Hiker is an excellent filter, you can save much weight
for about the same money get a Safewater Anywhere inline filter, rig up
a gravity filter system with a Playtpus bag for dirty water and several
liter soda/water bottles to hold the clean water to drink. Even lighter
and cheaper is to use Iodine or another bleach - if you take the time
to learn how to use it well and consistently. We won't even begin to
discuss considering going without water treatment, but some do.

All gear weigh but a little bit, until you have about 50 pounds of
those little bits. Many people have thru hiked with 70 pounds of gear,
but more have completed with less. 

Resupply works well. You have less hassle over schedules for the Post
Office. You don't have to discover that by Hot Springs, you absolutely
LOATHE Liptons Noodles or some other item that you picked up at WalMart
back in January and packed for the next 5 months. Prices are
competitive to shipping, even at places on the trail like Mt Mamma's
and Rainbow Springs. Ship only items that you will not find anywhere,
such as dehydrated dried mushrooms from your basement, medicines, and
the like. YMMV.

You will want to spend time in towns along the way. You will want a
shower and shampoo. You will want to wash and dry some clothes. You
will want a bed occasionally, with or without your boyfriend. You will
want to hit the local diner and get coffee for the first time in a
week. You will crave AYCE, pizza and beer or other beverage. Towns are
money vaccuums, and you will want to budget between those competing
primal urges. 

You will want to attend a Gathering, RUCK or similar how-to experience.
A list like this can help a great deal, but few things compete with
physically confronting the beast that is long distance hiking.

Your idea of shoes sounds reasonable - if you have a very good handle
on keeping pack weight down. You don't have to go ultralight to benefit
from the concepts, and understanding the balance between conveniences
of stuff and distances walked without the weight.

Have fun with GAS!

Bill...

--- Noctturne@aol.com wrote:
> To answer some questions, so far I have a little tent from Wal-Mart
> that I have used and abused for years, and it has held up better than
> my mothers Eureka.  It's just big enough for two people and packs, 
> and it's warm.  Nick (the boyfriend) has an external frame old pack
> in his garage that I haven't gotten a good look at yet, but if it's
> not moldy I'm going to give it a test run.  I found a little
> contained fire thingy in my Cabela's catalog that's only 17 bucks,
> and eliminates the cost and weight of fuel, so I'm all for it. 
>  There's also a PUR Guide in there for $80, and  PUR Hiker for $60. 
...

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