I want to see Gear pics

[SpookyPistolero]

Howdy folks!

I'm on day three of my four days of block exams, and am getting a little spent and puncy. Too much caffeine in too many forms isn't helping much either. Since I'm going stir crazy from not having left my apartment in for anything other than school and work in about a week, I'm plotting what I'm going to do when I get the chance to escape. This means backpacking.

I'm into minimalist stuff, so I like to keep it light. But I'm still a bit of a gear freak. I gravitate towards things that are very cheap but still very effective. Things that see honest, heavy use and that you don't feel bad about using roughly. I'm still working on what this years kit is going to look like, but I want to see pics (or at least lists) of what people take with them on a trek.

What blades do you bring?  What kinds of packs/bags?  Do you prefer axes or saws, or heavy chopping blades?  Do you like starting fires with flint and steel or do you pack your own camp stove?  Pistol or camp rifle?

You get bonus points if you're actually using the gear in the pic. At the end of the thread, which better be hugely long, I will decide who has the most awesomist gear set-up of all. Judging will be based on a totally arbitrary point system, and all ties and discrepancies will be settled by a committee vote, consisting of three of the voices in my head, to be chosen at random.

Good luck!

[Ron]

All right I'll start.

I am not a minimalist or lightweight BP'r  so I'll get that out of the way. Backpack first.

My pack is Gregory Palisade. I needed a multi purpose pack that could be used for longer trips of one week or more. It will be used for many shorter trips but I wanted something I could count on when I go to Isle Royal.

It is a whopping 6lbs 7oz and holds up to 5100ci of gear. It has a separate section for the sleeping bag and the pack can be accessed from the top and the back. The removable cap can be used as a fanny pack but I have never used it for that purpose. The pack has an excellent suspension with Gregory's "Adjust A Cant"  belt and "Auto Cant" harness and plenty of straps giving you the ability to shift the weight around as needed. I've been out with my total weight from 31 to nearly 50lbs total weight. I could not be happier with this pack. Even with the lighter load it cinched up tight and was stable. It made the 50 lbs very manageable and using the adjustments moved the weight around as needed. The belt caused no discomfort with the heavy weight.

It has a canted bottle holder on one side and a mesh holder on the other. The center access has  a compartment . No other compartments but it has double daisy chains down the back for lashing stuff or drying clothes as you walk.
Here it is without the cap. The camera gear was in the cap on this trip and I hadn't put it on yet.

[Ron]

The clothes I wore all worked well.
Smart Wool tee seen in previous post, REI Sahara Tech shirt in this pick. TNF Paramount Convertible Pants with the zip offs to make them into shorts. Smart Wool socks, Vasque GTX boots and a Columbia fleece vest.

I use an REI lite core sleeping pad seen on the outside of the pack. I have no pics of my sleeping bag. It is a Marmot Helium 15 and is real light. It has 850 fill and is under two lbs.

[BakerMikeRomeo]

Ron, has anybody ever told you that you look kind of like that guy from Dirty Jobs?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mike8_vzoom.jpg

I will say, though, in your defense, that you're significantly less grody than Mike Rowe.



~GnSx

[Ron]

I will say, though, in your defense, that you're significantly less grody than Mike Rowe.

You might have different opinion if you were down wind of me after this trip, lol.

[Ron]

My tent is a TNF Tadpole. This pic is with the fly up, unbelievable thunder storm rolled in off of Lake Superior with incredible flashes of lightning a couple hours after this pic was taken.

I have yet to use it without the fly due to cold night time temps and/or rain on every trip this last fall. It is a two man tent but that really means one and a half. It works well as a one man Hilton. Pack and boots fit in vestibule. I have had no condensation problems even with T Storms. Probably because I was dehydrated, lol, just kidding. Very easy set up and pretty darn sturdy. The tent is free standing, some stakes are required for the fly vestibule.

sans fly


 

[Ron]

Since there are no other guys/gals posting gear pics. Here is a link to a movie on youtube about two guys who hiked the PCT back in the late 90's. The documentary won some independent film awards in Cali.

It is in two parts, I really enjoyed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AXhlHoNxo8&mode=related&search=

[Manedwolf]

No pics, unfortunately, but as for gear, I really like the lightweight and not-messy Jetboil stove, and as for firearms, a folded Sub 2000 goes in the pack in one of the long side pouches. It gets unfolded and put next to the sleeping bag in the tent at night. I'm nowhere near bear country, but two-legged predators can show up anywhere. 4lbs, only 16" long when folded up is hard to beat for a camping rifle!

[280plus]

No pix but here's my day pack list, or some of it anyhoo:

Homemade mini survival kit, includes a small pocket knife, single edge razor blades, lotsa other small stuff, mini fire starters, waterproofed matches etc.
Homemade first aid kit
1" x 4" candle
100% DEET
Strike anywhere matches in waterproof container
2 compasses and map(s), one compass happens to have a built in thermometer.
Whistle
A few yards of parachute cord
2 L of water usually
some kind of small packaged trail type food - a couple clif bars or whatever
an MRE for dire emergency only
Partial roll of TP
Swiss Army poncho, rip stop nylon, doubles as ground cloth or emergency shelter, has grommets.
One of those survival blankets
Mini SAS survival manual
a pen
Headlamp and batteries
Various sized plastic bags maybe a couple gallon sized zip locks and a couple kitchen sized garbage bags. Comes in handy for trash and to keep feet/socks dry should your boots get wet inside.
1 pair Dry socks
Extra layer(s) if it's cold, or might be later.
Water purification tabs

I carry a slightly larger folding knife in my pocket. Never carried big blades or axes. You can break fairly heavy dead wood just by wedging it between two close trees and snapping it off between them.

I also usually carry my S&W 332 Airweight in a pants pocket with a full speedloader in another pocket.

That's all I can think of right now.

[jebaker]

My wife and I hiked the AT in 2002. We tried to go pretty light, and our packs weighed about 15 lbs each without water and food. I carried:

Mountainsmith Ghost Backpack
Equinox sil nylon pack cover
4 Equinox Sil stuff sacks
Western Mountaineering Ultralite Sleeping Bag
3/4 length Ridge Rest
PUR Hiker water filter
Petzl Zipka headlamp
Homemade soda can alcohol stove
MSR Titanium Cookset
MSR Titanium cup
.8L MSR Titanium Fuel Bottle
Leatherman Micra Multi-tool
Olympus Stylus Camera w/ film & batteries
Patagonia Capilene Lightweight long underwear pants
Patagonia Long Underwear lightweight Capilene Top
Columbia Nylon Shorts
Patagonia R1 fleece pants
Patagonia R1 fleece vest
Patagonia Short Sleeve Capilene T
Marmot Precip rain jacket and pants
Moonstone Cirrus synthetic down jacket
2 pair Bridgedale trail running socks
Swix thin wool hat
Marmot Spare Pair gloves

My wife carried:

Osprey Aether 60 backpack
Equinox sil nylon pack cover
4 Equinox Sil stuff sacks
Western Mountaineering Ultralite Sleeping Bag
Thermarest Ultra-lite, 3/4 length
Petzl Tikka headlamp
Patagonia Capilene silkweight underwear
Patagonia Capilene Lightweight long underwear pants
Patagonia Capilene Long underwear top
Mountain Hardware skirt
Patagonia Sports Bra
Patagonia R1 fleece pants
Patagonia R1 fleece vest
Patagonia Expedition Weight Zip Fleece
Marmot Precip rain jacket and pants
Moonstone Cirrus synthetic down jacket
2 pair Bridgedale light hiking socks
North Face fleece hat and gloves

We split the tent, which is a Walrus Arch Rival XV Tent. My wife hiked in Lowa Renegade GTX boots, and I went through 3 pairs of trail runners (New Balance 945, New Balance 845, and a pair of Montrails).

I don't have many pictures of the gear, but here I am filtering water somewhere between Killington, VT and Hanover, NH with the packs in front.

[280plus]

You guys go end to end?

[jebaker]

You guys go end to end?

Yeah. We started on March 5 in Georgia, finished on August 15. We tried to take our time and enjoy the trip. Took a lot of zero days.

Jeff

[280plus]

Nice, that's a helluva accomplishment. I've done pieces, mostly here in CT, some NY and Mass, I just love the thing. Maybe when I retire and have nothing else to do for ~6 months I'll give it a go. 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I don't have pics, but I've been using "ultralight" backpacking gear for a few years now. 

I use a sil-nylon tarp instead of a tent.  It weighs is at bit under 1 lb, which is at least 4 lbs lighter than most tents.  It also provides much better ventilation than a tent, which keeps me drier and warmer (especially in a rainstorm) than a comparable tent.

My sleeping bag is a Western Mountaineering Carribou.  It's technically a summer weight bag, but I've found it to be perfectly comfortable and warm and safe using it as a three season bag.  It weighs an honest 1.25 lbs, roughly half of the weight of a "proper" three season bag.

My sleeping pad is a full-sized foam ridge rest.  Weighs 1 lb.  I camp on fluffy dead leaves and grass in remote areas, not on hardpacked dirt in designated campsites.  I'm warmer and more comfortable sleeping this way with my thing foam pad than I would be with a fancy inflatable mattress at a campsite.  That saves about 1 lb.  It also packs down into a sack the size of a football.

I usually cook over a small cookfire.  I lash three stout sticks together at their tops, then spread their legs out to make a tripod.  From this I hang a small cookpot over a small fire.  This bit of basic boyscout fieldcraft saves me the need to carry a stove and fuel bottle, which saves 2 or 3 lbs.

The smaller, lighter gear means I can use a smaller "weekend" type pack for my lengthiest trips.  I use an old Mountainsmith Bugaboo pack, which weighs less than my "real" backpacking pack (~3 lbs for the weekender, vs ~6 lbs for the big pack).  It's also more comfortable.

Trim some weight from your clothing selection and you can prolly save another 2 to 4 lbs.

On short trips I use Micropur tablets instead of humping my Sweetwater filter.  The tablets are quicker, easier, and more reliable, plus they eliminate another pound or two of packweight.

These few simple changes eliminated 13 to 16 lbs from my load.  It brought my 35 lb pack down to 20 lbs.  In most cases my "ultralight" gear is actually more effective, more comfortable, and safer than the conventional gear it replaced.  I would use it even if it didn't weigh less.

Lots of folks here and THR like to run-down the ultralight idea.  They say that going into the back country without heaps of sturdy gear is dangerous.  Hogwash.  It's the gear you carry between your ears, your fieldcraft and experience, that'll keep you safe and comfortable.  And that gear doesn't weigh a thing.

[doczinn]

"Pack light, freeze at night" is usually meant as an admonition. For me, it's a philosophy.

[Ron]

"Pack light, freeze at night" is usually meant as an admonition. For me, it's a philosophy.

I normally end up with too many clothes and too much food. Most of my hiking has been done in the fall so I always packed worst case scenario to keep from being cold. I got chilled one night in camp on Lake Superior and finally I gave up and crawled into my bag to warm up. Vowed to not let that happen again, I hate being cold.

Hows that "Sweetwater" work out for you HTG? That is the only pump I have ever used. It was my buddies and we never had any issues with it, I thought it was great. In one of my gear buying frenzies I picked one up. I almost bought the MiniWorks instead but decided why experiment when I was happy with the Sweetwater. 

In that same gear buying frenzy I picked up a Jetboil. I have used one and have used a white gas stove and they both worked fine. I liked the self contained package of the Jetboil so that is what I went with. A lot of the gear I have used was my buddies. I'm trying to gear up for some solo hiking this spring.

I'm very new to backpacking and I have to say it has almost eclipsed shooting as far as favorite hobbies.

Did anyone watch that link about the guys out west? 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Hows that "Sweetwater" work out for you HTG? That is the only pump I have ever used. It was my buddies and we never had any issues with it, I thought it was great. In one of my gear buying frenzies I picked one up. I almost bought the MiniWorks instead but decided why experiment when I was happy with the Sweetwater. 

It works as advertised.  I've never had any problems with it aside from filter elements clogging and needing to be replaced, which is  routine maintenance.  But it's gadgety and mechanical.  There are lots of little parts and tubes and fidley bits and such, so something could conceivably break or get lost or whatever.  Simpler is better, and it doesn't strike me as all that simple.

[280plus]

Water filters...

Reminds me of the time when my dear late friend Bruce were out in the backwoods with a bunch of Boy Scouts and he was holding the tube in the bottle whilst I was pumping away. There was a few of the boys hanging around watching. Suddenly Bruce loses the tube and it flies out of the bottle squirting water everywhere. Without thinking I say, "Don't you hate it when that happens?" Bruce and me proceed to laugh our patooies off. The kids are like, "What's so funny?" Which made us laugh even more. 

[SpookyPistolero]

Wahoo for the pretty pics folks! Thanks for showing them. I'm about to fall asleep as I type, but they're still very invigorating to see. I'll post a quick pack list for myself later.

PS - Thats a helluva hike jebaker! Nice little stroll. ;)f

[Ron]

jebaker, do you post at any bping forums?

It would be interesting to read a trail report of your trip if you have ever posted one.

That is one heck of an accomplishment, very cool.

[jebaker]

jebaker, do you post at any bping forums?

It would be interesting to read a trail report of your trip if you have ever posted one.

That is one heck of an accomplishment, very cool.

Ron,
  We had a webpage that a friend was updating for us. It is:

http://www.jeffandstacey.com/oldweb/AT_Page.html

It was a life changing trip for both of us. Hopefully we can do it agin soon.

Jeff

[280plus]

Let me know if you do, I'l hump supplies and whatever into the trail for you at Bear Mountain in CT. I'll meet you at the cairn. 

[charby]

Wife just bought me a Snowpeak Trek 700 Ti pot, I hope to use it soon.

-C