Post Trip Gear Review

Pack- ULA Circuit – This is a great pack.  It carried well and was comfortable.  The only negative I found was that the hip belt kept coming unclipped after I resupplied at Muir Trail Ranch.  I ended up having to reinforce it with a piece of string to keep if from popping open.  My best guess is that I had the pack overload, weight wise, for the 8 plus days to finish the trail.  If this continues I will simply change it out for a beefier one later.  I also developed a hole in the back mess pocket. I think this way due to setting it down against a rock.  You have to remember this is a light weight pack, and must be treated accordingly.  Set it down carefully.  I also had a damn squirrel chew a small hole in the in the hip belt pocket in no time what so ever, before I even began the trail.

Tent –GoLite Imogene II – I loved this tent, unfortunately GoLite is now out of business and this tent is no longer commercially.  You might be able to pick one up online

used.  The 2 person was great for 1 person, though it would be snug for two.

Sleeping bag – EMS Mountain Lite 20 – I ended up taking this bag because it compacted down better than my Marmot Sawtooth. It is an older bag and is probably only 30 degree bag but it did the job. After I got home the zipper almost immediately broke, so maybe I will make a quilt out of it.

Sleeping pad – Big Agnes Air Core – This is a great pad, very comfortable.  I do not think I will ever go back to a closed cell inflatable, i.e. – Thermarest, pad ever again. The only negative about this pad is having to blow it up every night.  It probably took 2-3 minutes, or 37 breaths if I remember correctly.  I liked the fact that it is not a noisy bad. I slept near a couple of the Thermarest Neoair, and they seemed noisy to me and I was not sleeping on them.  It is not the lightest pad out there, but I will happily trade the extra weight for a good night’s sleep.

Hiking Poles – Black Diamond Trail   - Great poles. The flickocks are much better than the screw in type.  I only had to tighten locking mechanism once during the trek.

Stove – MSR Pocket Rocket – A good workhorse of a stove.  I only could not get it to light one morning, and I think that was due to a cold fuel canister, rather than the stove itself.  Next time I would start with the larger fuel canister, just to leave myself some wiggle room (my smaller one ran out the night before I resupplied at MTR). I think I only cooked 1 or 2 breakfast, and the remainder were dinners. If you wanted to take the smaller canister, replace it at Reds then again at MTR (they only had the larger sized canister for sale).

Bear Canister – BV 500 – I ended up switching to this from the Garcia about 2 weeks before I left.  I was originally concerned about being able to open it, as it seemed hard to push in the tabs.  With a little practice, and a small stick, this became a non-issue.  It also seemed to store more food than the Garcia, and I think it is a little lighter as well. Being see through it also made it easier to find what food I was looking for (I usually took out a day’s worth of food so I did not have to get into the canister during the day).

Water Purification – Sawyer Mini – I have mixed feelings about the Sawyer Mini.  It did the job and I did not get sick on the trail.  I made the mistake of not bringing the syringe to flush it with, but luckily I picked one up at MTR in the hiker box. I ended up flushing it every 2 days or so, just to keep the rate of flow up.  This is my only complaint about the filter, it was somewhat slow.  I also have the regular Sawyer Squeeze and would probably bring it next time instead.  A lot of the PCT hikers I saw had the mini attached directly to their smart water bottles.  I tried this for about half the trail.  It worked, but I like a faster flow rate of water into my mouth than what this provided.  The mini is a good filter, and you will not go wrong with it.  If I was hiking with another person and sharing weight I might go with the Platypus Gravity Filter.  It seemed pretty quick from the few times I saw one on the trail.

Bowl – Glade medium screw top – I liked this bowl but had to leave it at MTR due to a lack of space.  It was not a necessary but it kept my pot clean.  Also it was nice to be able to secure the top while my food rehydrated

SPOT - I brought this along for the folks at home, to let them know where I was when I was out of contract.  I would use it every night when I got into camp, then again in the morning to let them know that I was off and moving for the day.  I tried to remember to set it off at least once during each day as well.  From what I was told from the folks at home, it worked well, and they were happy to know that I was doing well.

Camera – Nikon AW100 –Took decent pictures and video. Overall I was not overly impressed with pictures once I got home at looked at them.  I am not sure if this is due to the camera or my use of it.  I filled up 1- 32gig memory card (about 19000 photos and hours video).  I brought along a bunch of extra cards, but ended up not needing them. I brought a total of 4 batteries.  I got about 2 days out of each one.  I was able to recharge at Reds and MTR.

Knife – Leatherman Style CS Multitool – This little multitool did the job.  I used it to open boxes at resupply, cut lucco tape for blisters.  I never really needed it for anything heavy duty.  I really debated bringing this lite of a knife but do not regret it.  I also liked the clip on it, which allowed me to clip it to my shoulder strap for easy access and kept me from losing it.

Headlamp – Black Diamond Storm – It was overkill, but never let me down.  I never night hiked, and only used it for small periods each day.  I loaded it up with Energizer Lithium batteries and never had to change them out.

Gators – Dirty Girls j – Do not argue, just go out and buy yourself a pair. These ROCK!!!!