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Re: [AT-L] Re: [AT-L] boots & pads
>
> We have two of the Stephenson D.A.M s and really like them. We
> had decided not to take them on our thru-hike though because
> we thought they might be alittle fragile. If you don't know
. . . much text deleted ...
> Stay tuned and we will let you know if we do it and
> if it works or not.
>
> Sandy and Alison
> "The Smiths"
> Me to Ga '97
Take the D.A.M. thing. I have the Thermarest Ultralite II which I used on the
PCT earlier this year and I loved it. I would never think of carrying any
inflatable sleeping pad on the outside of my pack, anyway. Especially on the
PCT in southern CA. So, maybe their warning is just making a common sense
statement. Guess I wouldn't mind sleeping on a Ridgerest, but it is just so
bulky. Like most other things, I think I could get used to having it strapped
to the outside of my pack.
A friend and AT thruhiker in 89 carried Stephenson's Sleeping system, including
the D.A.M. for the entire thruhike and loved it. I only hiked the 100-mile
wilderness with him but we visit each other so I know and hear about his
equipment and how it is superior to mine. He is a total gearhead and used
the same system on his canoe trip down the entire length of the Mississippi
River the following year and during the week we spent in the Okefenokee Swamp
in 92. Those associated with the AT and the AT community for a while may
remember him - The Singing Horseman, which is a loose tranlation of his last
name - Noel DeCavalcante.
Pretty big outlay of cash initially, but in his case definitely worth it,
according to him. I'm pretty sure that he never had to use it as a raft,
but he came close on a few sandbars in the middle of the Mississippi when
rains upstream raised the water level to within inches of his tent door.
John Newman