[at-l] *ahem* (gear list)

[askowronek at mindspring.com (amy)]

On Monday, November 10, 2003, at 10:32  PM, Jan Leitschuh wrote:

>
>>> shorts + light top for camp/sleeping clothes
>>
>> I've given up on camp/sleeping clothes.  After a few days all my stuff
>> smells bad anyway, so carrying "clean" clothes is pointless for me.
>
> But you'll need dry camp clothes in the winter/transitional months, to
> change into after sweating into your hiking clothes all day.
> Otherwise, you'll start shivering needlessly, risking hypothermia.
> Keep these clothes in a zip-lock, so they're always dry, no matter the
> weather.
>

Weeelll..  my "dry camp clothes" are my powerstretch tights.

About damp hiking clothes:  we all have these fancy schmancy
quick drying fabrics, right?  I find that if I take off my damp 
sportsbra
and put my shirt back on, I stay pretty comfy.  Or if it's cold out 
I'll swap
my layers so I dry my shirt off from the inside.

Hey, what do you do if your clothes get wet during the night while
you're sleeping in them?  (Serious question.  Happened to me once.)

> On really cold nights, sleep in your (wool toboggan) hat. While the
> brimmed one is useful for glare and March sunburn, it will be hard to
> sleep in, and possibly not retain crown heat very well. Ship it with
> summer gear?

Balaclava, man.  What good's a warm head when you have a cold
neck?

>
> Secret Shoe gear tip: Early cold weather item I found made a HUGE
> difference in my cold-weather sleeping comfort, yet scarcely weighed
> an ounce or two was a fleece neck thingie. That circular ring.
> For some reason, covering my throat in fleece really gets the
> internals toasty. Often, I would be peeling it off in the wee hours as
> others tossed and shivered. Just something light and cheap to
> experiment with.

I got one with mickey mouses all over it in Damascus last year.  :)

>
> Do you live anywhere you could test this stuff out for a really cold
> night? Be sure to spend a night in your hammock before you chose it as
> your final shelter system. It's a great sleep, but you'll need alot of
> insulation of the outside in March and April.

Seconded!  Cold weather hammocking takes practice.  I spent several
nights in my backyard perfecting my system.  That way I could come
inside and get in my nice warm bed for the rest of the night after
I woke up soaking wet *and* freezing cold.

-amy