Word of the Day: Comfort
"Everything you need is already inside." ~ Bill Bowerman, Co-Founder of Nike
I thought I would do a mini review on the gear we used on the PCT this last summer. I'll highlight the major gear we loved on this post, and show the pieces of gear I'm not so enamored with on the next post.
I Love this Gear!
The Light Heart Solo
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| Lego's gear all in one neat package |
I thought I would do a mini review on the gear we used on the PCT this last summer. I'll highlight the major gear we loved on this post, and show the pieces of gear I'm not so enamored with on the next post.
I Love this Gear!
The Light Heart Solo
 |
| The Light Heart tent in action on the PCT |
I actually adore this tent! It has performed better than expected in all kinds of weather. I have not spent one night with condensation dripping off the sides. I wake up dry, and get dressed dry. What more can you ask for? The secret? It is actually considered a double wall tent with the fly attached to the tent body. I had Judy attach the wedge for those evenings that are rainy or super cold, when I need to cook under some kind of shelter. This tent is light, really easy to set up, and uses my hiking poles along the sides of the tent as supports that don't get in the way of sitting or lying down. Roomy, even with my pack and all my gear inside. I never sleep with my gear outside my tent.
Here's the link to find out more yourself. Highly recommend looking into this: http://lightheartgear.com/. I will be carrying this the whole way.
Backpack: Osprey Aura 50
This pack is for those of us who don't care for our packs hanging off our shoulders. This pack has an internal frame, and is so comfortable I can overlook a few minor down sides to this particular pack. I have had it for about 10 years, and it is still going strong. It carries 19lbs with remarkable ease, and can handle up to 50lbs if I need it to. My pack is usually filled with about 14-16lbs on most of my through hike, except for the Sierras, which gets a tad bit heavier. My one complaint about this pack is that the interior is a little cramped, and I have to really maneuver my gear around to get it to fit properly. This is such a small problem though, the comfort of this pack outweighs this minor flaw. Lego recently tweaked the pack back onto it's frame, (it was slipping and not fitting well on it's frame this last summer) and it is remarkably even more comfortable now. The bear canister fits right under the lid on top of the pack, so I won't have trouble trying to fit it inside. This was a fantastic purchase from REI.
Clothing
I purchased the Sport Skirt just a few days before we left for the trail. I loved the fit and the shorts underneath never rode up or created chaffing. The shorts fit well on the leg. It even has a pocket under the skirt in the shorts to put an ipod into, never used it, but may in the future. I wear leggings underneath for keeping my legs warm on cool days. I will be wearing this again this summer.
Dirty Girl Gaiters, enough said. These are the best invention ever for the long distance hiker. I attached the Velcro onto my shoes with Gorilla Glue, and never had a problem with the Velcro coming off. My gaiters were the puppy paw prints and the giraffe, I will be adding about three more pairs in brighter colors. I love variety, I'll be using one pair for each section, then switching to another pair. These are super easy to take on and off, and really keep the small stones and debris out of my shoes. Click here for your very own pair: dirtygirlgaiters.com.
I was a little leary of taking a solar charger, not many had good reviews from other hikers. But what to do with all of our electronics? We were in desperate need of a good charger. This one was different. There have been a number of other hikers that have used this, and have really liked it. So we bit the bullet and ordered two. Absolutely one of the best purchases we made. We purchased the SCharger-5. We fitted them to the top of our packs to charge our devices while hiking, which worked well for Lego. I much preferred just setting everything up to charge while taking breaks. I was able to charge my ipad while the charger was sitting in full sun over the course of an hour or two, and I had a full charge again. It worked great and is stylish. Can't beat that combination! It is about the size of a small notebook, and weighs 8.6 oz. It also comes with a money back guarantee, but I don't think you will be wanting to use that. Here is their website: http://www.suntactics.com/.
The solar charger swings back over the top of the pack and lays flat on top when Lego is wearing the pack.
Here's the link to find out more yourself. Highly recommend looking into this: http://lightheartgear.com/. I will be carrying this the whole way.
Backpack: Osprey Aura 50
This pack is for those of us who don't care for our packs hanging off our shoulders. This pack has an internal frame, and is so comfortable I can overlook a few minor down sides to this particular pack. I have had it for about 10 years, and it is still going strong. It carries 19lbs with remarkable ease, and can handle up to 50lbs if I need it to. My pack is usually filled with about 14-16lbs on most of my through hike, except for the Sierras, which gets a tad bit heavier. My one complaint about this pack is that the interior is a little cramped, and I have to really maneuver my gear around to get it to fit properly. This is such a small problem though, the comfort of this pack outweighs this minor flaw. Lego recently tweaked the pack back onto it's frame, (it was slipping and not fitting well on it's frame this last summer) and it is remarkably even more comfortable now. The bear canister fits right under the lid on top of the pack, so I won't have trouble trying to fit it inside. This was a fantastic purchase from REI.Clothing
I purchased the Sport Skirt just a few days before we left for the trail. I loved the fit and the shorts underneath never rode up or created chaffing. The shorts fit well on the leg. It even has a pocket under the skirt in the shorts to put an ipod into, never used it, but may in the future. I wear leggings underneath for keeping my legs warm on cool days. I will be wearing this again this summer.Dirty Girl Gaiters, enough said. These are the best invention ever for the long distance hiker. I attached the Velcro onto my shoes with Gorilla Glue, and never had a problem with the Velcro coming off. My gaiters were the puppy paw prints and the giraffe, I will be adding about three more pairs in brighter colors. I love variety, I'll be using one pair for each section, then switching to another pair. These are super easy to take on and off, and really keep the small stones and debris out of my shoes. Click here for your very own pair: dirtygirlgaiters.com.
The JetBoil Stove
I will definitely be using this again on this hike. Although it supposedly is just to be used for boiling water, I cooked in it every night and had no problem with it. The secret is to keep stirring every so often so food doesn't stick to the bottom, especially pasta. Lego did burn his macaroni and cheese once. I really only carry food that needs to be rehydrated for a few minutes, my food doesn't need a lot of cooking, so this cook system serves me well. It boils fast, and is big enough to cook a full meal in it. I have the Titanium Sol, so it is super light. I got rid of the supports for the base, and the handle on the side of the pot. I just didn't need them. This stove is sturdy on it's own, not much risk of tipping over and starting a fire. I feel good about this safety factor, especially in Southern California.
Suntactics Solar Charger
I was a little leary of taking a solar charger, not many had good reviews from other hikers. But what to do with all of our electronics? We were in desperate need of a good charger. This one was different. There have been a number of other hikers that have used this, and have really liked it. So we bit the bullet and ordered two. Absolutely one of the best purchases we made. We purchased the SCharger-5. We fitted them to the top of our packs to charge our devices while hiking, which worked well for Lego. I much preferred just setting everything up to charge while taking breaks. I was able to charge my ipad while the charger was sitting in full sun over the course of an hour or two, and I had a full charge again. It worked great and is stylish. Can't beat that combination! It is about the size of a small notebook, and weighs 8.6 oz. It also comes with a money back guarantee, but I don't think you will be wanting to use that. Here is their website: http://www.suntactics.com/.The solar charger swings back over the top of the pack and lays flat on top when Lego is wearing the pack.
"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out." ~ Proverbs 18:15
Thank you Annie for your nice comment. I wish I could continue this blog, but it is not to be. I love blogging, I'll see if sometime in the future I'll have something else to write about.
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