gear review

I would consider myself a backpacker, albeit not an avid one.  On a good year, I may do one weekend trip, and I haven't made it out at all in the past four years.  I would enjoy going more, but other responsibilities get in the way.  For several years I have entertained the dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (2,180 miles from Georgia to Maine), and then writing a book about the experience.  But... remember those "other responsibilities"?  Yeah... that'll likely never happen!  Instead, over the years, I've read several other thru-hiker biographies that I have managed to find in my local library system.

This weekend, however, I'm taking my two oldest sons on their very first trip.  I'm looking forward to it, and I am hoping they like it.  I'll likely, being just the occasional weekend warrior, come home with some sort of sore-something-or-other that will make me wonder just what would cause someone to want to do that for 2,180 miles!

I began backpacking in college (1990), when my Baptist Student Union campus minister, Andy, introduced me to it.  I went on several trips throughout my college years, but with very little budget for gear, I used whatever rented, borrowed, yard sale/Goodwill purchased gear I could acquire.  Gear, even if you stick to lower/moderate end stuff can be pricey, and it is hard to justify a large expense for such an occasional activity.  Decent gear, however, makes a big difference, and I have slowly been acquiring and upgrading my collection of gear over a many year period, to the point where I have a "respectable" rig... not all the latest and greatest, mind you, but respectable and adequate for my skill and participation level.  I have been rounding up and checking out my gear over the past several days, and seeing how to best outfit the boys with mostly what pieces and parts I have on hand, and maybe only a moderate expense.  In the process, I decided to document my current gear in a blog post... if for no other reason than to be able to look back from the future as my gear continues to slowly evolve. 

My current pack is a Kelty Trekker 3950 external frame.  There is great debate over internal vs. external frame packs.  I have carried both, and, although they are a little more bulky, I prefer the classic simplicity of the external frame.  I suppose the higher-dollar internals (I carried lower-end ones) preform quite well, but performance for the dollar, I don't think you can beat the Kelty externals.

My sleeping pad alternates between an old Therm-a-Rest self-inflating pad (mine, on the left) I acquired years ago at Goodwill, and a newer RidgeRest foam pad (Jen's, on the right).  I think I prefer the RidgeRest, and I will likely replace my Therm-a-Rest with a RidgeRest at some future point.

My sleeping bag is a Quest (Dick's Sporting Goods brand) mummy bag, rated to 20 degrees (although I've been in it in the 30's, and I don't think I'd care to see 20).  You can spend a lot on sleeping bags (and it is an important item), but this bag seems to be a good value for the investment.  It adds a little more weight than carrying a bag rated lower, but to make my bag more versatile, I use an optional supplemental fleece sleeping bag liner, which I designed and sewed myself for a fraction of what you might spend on a commercially made one.  Cozy!

My "kitchen" consists of a Coleman dual-fuel stove, an MSR cookware set, a fork and spoon, and my favorite old cup that I have carried on just about every trip since 1990.  The stove is not the lightest model available, but I already had it for car camping, before I upgraded to a two-burner propane.  Even though a little bulky, I like it because it is simple and the tank and stove are one unit.

Boots were one of my big splurges.  I wear Vasque Sundowner GTX.  The verdict is still out on these boots.  I wanted them for many years, and finally bought them a few years back.  I think I like them.  They have proven great for dayhikes, but I have developed blisters on backpacking trips.  I think this is because I wore them backpacking in the past without adequate break-in.  I am curious to see how they perform this weekend.  They were a sizable expense to my budget, but I LOVE hiking, and if I treat them right, they'll last many years.

On my last trip, I added the use of a pair of SwissGear trekking poles (Wal-Mart).  Again, you can invest a lot of money on trekking poles, but these budget ones get the job done.  I first thought them a little nerdy, but they do help reduce knee strain and promote stability.  I liked them well enough to make them a regular part of my gear.

For rain gear, I utilize a $5.00 plastic poncho, and pack my items in plastic bags inside my pack.  This is an area I might want to upgrade in the future, but for now, it works... that, and I try to watch the forecast and only go backpacking in fair weather!

I prefer classic ragg wool hiking socks with polypropylene liners.  Actually, it's not so much that I prefer them... I've just never tried any of the modern performance hiking socks.  Classic ones work, so I just stick with them.

My clothing is mostly Goodwill stuff that I have acquired over the years... nothing very fancy.  I steer away from cotton as much as possible, because it is terrible when it gets wet.  I wear a pair of bright orange (I bought them for the fabric, not the color!) No Boundaries brand cotton/nylon blend pants, with zip-off legs.  I wear a cotton/polyester blend t-shirt, and I usually carry a wool sweater, a wool shirt, and a windbreaker to layer over this.  In cooler weather, I always carry a fleece winter hat, and usually a pair of gloves.

Other essential gear includes an Energizer LED headlamp, a Leatherman multitool and a first aid kit.  Also, I never go without at least one bandanna... it weighs nearly nothing and has numerous possible uses.

Certainly, this isn't exactly an exhaustive list of gear, but it covers the majority.  Hmmm... three packs are packed and ready to hit the trail... wonder what I forgot?