Reviews and stuff...

The GoLite Ultra 20, CAMP Magic windshirt and Neo Air reviews are in the works, but I wanted to say that I have just ordered a pair of TrekSta Evolution Mid GTX boots this evening. I have high hopes for these and will update accordingly after I have a chance to put them through their paces.

A couple of years ago I heard about this company who took thousands of scans of regular peoples feet to make a specialized last that they would use to make shoes with. This tale stuck with me, but unfortunately the company name did not. Lo and behold, as I was researching footwear to use on The Mild Bunch JMT hike I came across TrekSta and suddenly everything made sense. The NestFIT system, cool styling and earnest marketing came back to me all at once. This was the company I had forgotten about.

I look forward to beating the heck out of these boots and letting you all know how they work for me!

Christopher

Off we go into the....

Gear Geek. Ounce Counter. Knee Weenie.

Call it what you want, but when the name calling is over, I’m just plain lazy and don’t want to carry 40+ pounds on my back for 200 miles! 

Add to my propensity for lolling about a bad back, sore right hip and predilection for cool stuff (ok – maybe in my case Gear Geek is applicable too!) you have all the right ingredients to make an Aspiring Ultralight (UL) Backpacker.

And I’m not alone – just do a Google search for Ultralight Backpacking and you get over 233,000 hits. 

Among these are some fine sites for educating the traditional camping apostate, among them the King Of All Things UL BackpackingLight.com and myriad imitators. Dig even deeper and you can find sites dedicated to  making your own UL food, gear and even footwear! One could spend endless hours perusing these sites, I assure you, and come out sounding like some sort of techno dork – but nothing compares to getting out there and actually doing it.

So after so many years of researching, looking into, investigating, dreaming and talking the talk, this former REI product trainer is putting his knowledge to use on the trail. 

And with this JMT thing coming up quick, not a moment too soon...

My plan for the JMT this summer is to carry no more than 30 pounds at any given time, including food and water. Of course if Rich decides that his 6 pound 300 mm telephoto lens is too heavy, I may be swayed to carry it for him… to the next mail box where it will be sent home to him with a note saying “I told you so!”

How will he do this, you ask? 

I’m in the process of changing up my kit from top to bottom favoring UL gear that I hope will see me safely through the Sierra come summer.  This past weekend I had the pleasure of testing some of these changes out on the trail with Cali at a lovely place called Idlehour in the San Gabriel’s above Altadena. 

Cali in camp at Idlehour - a wonderful spot above Altadena!

OK – deep breath everyone, here comes the data...

Some of the highlights of what has made my pack easier to bear:

• Go Lite Ultra 20 quilt – 27 oz (Review to follow)
• Thermarest Neo Air Regular – 14 oz (Review to follow)
• CAMP Magic windshirt – 4.3 oz (Review to follow)
• First Ascent Downlight Sweater – 12.5 oz (Review to follow)
• First Aid kit – 3 oz

Now, not that you are at all interested, but these 5 changes lightened my load by 2.5 pounds when compared to my previous gear! There’s a complete list of gear carried HERE if you’re so inclined. (And no Rich, I have not figured out how to make Excel convert Ounces to Pounds using the conversion formula, though would love to!)

Two and a half pounds. Wow! 

But it’s only 2.5 pounds you say… yes, but the tent I will carry on the JMT weighs 1/3rd of what I carried on this trip – yes, 1/3rd! It’s called The One by Gossmaer Gear and it will save me a MINIMUM of 4 pounds compared to the options I already own. The pack I would like to carry weighs a full 50% less than the Osprey I carried on this trip, another pack I may try out weighs an astounding 75% less! So you can see how it adds up…

Adding to my Skin Out weight (the amount of weight carried including clothes, shoes, etc.) will be affected by my choice of footwear. I plan to use trail runners for the hike, cutting that weight by two thirds... but more on that in a later post.

BUT HOW DID THE GEAR WORK?

Very well – well enough to warrant a series of Gear Reviews that will be posted at a later date, starting with The Quilt.

 The Geek with his New Toys

That’s right, a quilt. But it’s not like that one hanging on the wall of Mom’s house, or draped across the chest at the foot of your bed. No, this quilt reduces the weight of a traditional sleeping bag by an appreciable amount, without sacrificing any notable amount of performance. In fact, for Rotisserie Sleepers like myself, it may increase performance!

Challenging accepted wisdom has been something I’ve always held dear and this new obsession seems to follow suit. 

Be gone heavy but well loved gear! Hello light of foot travel!

Christopher