Showing posts with label Chaco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaco. Show all posts
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Gear Check: Packing for the Backcountry (Backpacks, Sleeping Bags, Tents, Duffel Bags, Dry-Sacks, Check List)
There's a lot to go over in this section so let's dive right in.
The number one consideration when purchasing backcountry hiking and camping equipment is weight. The lighter, the better. And often times, the lighter, the more pricey the item is. Of course quality is right there too since it is of no use buying a featherweight piece of poo. But that should go without saying.
Let's start with the two items that will be doing the carrying on this trip to Canada: the backpack and the duffel bag.
For the backpack, I use an ultralight, airflow system designed by Osprey. It's functional for two to three nights max; this pack is not made for weeklong or multi-week excursions. But for my purposes, it's perfect. All but two of the hikes we are doing in the Canadian mountains are long day hikes. The other two are single night backcountry outings. So this Osprey back will be just right.
For the duffel bag, I'm turning to a recent acquisition: the 140L Mammut Cargon Duffel. Everything that I will be taking with me for two weeks of hiking in Canada, will fit in this bag, save for the backpack that I am using as a carryon. My girlfriend will be using the 120 L Marmot Long-Hauler Duffel. Both are high quality duffel bags, but for men, I recommend the Mammut since the shoulder-strap system, at least on its 140L, is designed for broader shoulders, and is more comfortable carrying on your back.
The tent system is an ultralight, two-person design by Black Diamond. I've used this tent for years and it has held up against terrific wind and rain storms. When other tents were literally blasted to shreds in one of the most severe wind storms I've encountered, this tent performed like a champion. Though one of the poles became permanently disfigured in the storm, the tent still performs the way it should after all these years.
Of the two sleeping bags I have -- an ultra-light Montbell summer bag, and a Western Mountaineering ultra-light three-season -- it's the latter that will be making the trip to Canada. A Thermarest lightweight air pad is used to provide additional comfort at night. I also use a Thermarest foam pad for added support and comfort. On backcountry portions of this trip, however, the foam pad will stay in the duffel bag in order to save weight.
To protect my extra set of clothing, sleeping bag, and other items from the elements while hiking, I am using a series of "nano" Sea-to-Summit dry-sacks. While pricey, these super-light bags are a necessity if you want to keep your stuff from getting soaked. An extra dry-sack will be used to hang food away from camp, and hopefully out of reach of bears.
Other items on the check list for Canada:
- CLIF shot energy gel packs
- CLIF shot bloks
- Quest protein bars
- NUUN hydration tablets
- SaltStick eloctrolyte and caffeine capsules
- Starbucks Via instant coffee
- BodyGlide anti-chaff balm
- NipEaze nipple stickers
- Anti-Monkey Butt Powder (that's what it's called)
- Sea-to-Summit document pouch
- Sea-to-Summit toiletry bag
- Absorber synthetic drying chamois (great for wiping down a wet tent before packing it up)
- Repel 100 insect spray
- 2 48-ounce Nalgene bottles
- Sea-to-Summit mosquito net
- Dr. Scholl's moleskin
- Emergency medical kit
- Sawyer mini water filtration system
- Sea-to-Summit sleeping bag liner
- Suunto compass
- Exped air pillow
- Waterproof maps
- PacSafe passport/card wallet
- Various travel locks
- Light Spork
- Light Mug
- Light Bowl
- Light Plate
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Lip balm
- Wet wipes
- Sea-to-Summit drylite towel (much lighter and packs smaller than a normal towel)
- Plastic trowel and toilet paper (mandatory for the backcountry)
- Plastic bags (ziplocks and garbage size)
- Travel-size toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, cleaning liquid, etc.
- Pocket knife (just never know when you will need it)
- Patagonia swim suit (for post-hike swims!)
- Patagonia down vest (for chillin)
- Journal and pen (memorialize your adventures)
- Bear repellant spray (you have to have it apparently)
- Nylon rope to hang wet clothes, hang stored food in a tree, and for other needs
- Ground tarp (protect the tent bottom)
- Thermarest Tech Blanket (it's just great to have when resting above your sleeping bag)
- Mizuno trail shoes (very lightweight)
- Chaco sandals (not light, but great for rivers)
There are three items I haven't mentioned here that will also have an integral role on this trip: Canon Powershot D30 camera, Sony HDR-AS100VR POV Action Cam, and Suunto Ambit2 GPS watch. I will talk about the tech gear in the next blog entry.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Preparing for Two Weeks of Trekking in the Canadian Mountains: Gear Check - Footwear
Well, it's countdown time. We're roughly 30 days away from arriving in Calgary, where we begin our two week adventure in Canada, 11 full days of which will be hiking alpine regions. We will average 13 miles a day, trekking in some of the most beautiful terrain on Earth. I will dig deeper into our itinerary in another blog entry. First, I will say a few comments on the gear we will be bringing, beginning the discussion on footwear.
But before turning to footwear, I should say something about training. It doesn't matter what gear you bring to the mountains, if your body and mind aren't prepared, the best equipment in the world is no better than what you can find at your local garage sale. Ideally, you want to be in peak physical condition to tackle the itinerary that I've fashioned over 11 intense days of hiking the Canadian Rockies and Canadian Coastal Mountain Range. I am not in peak physical condition -- I enjoy beer and pizza too much for that to be. But here's what I've done to prepare for this trip: 1) averaged 10,000 pushups per month this year, and 2) miles and miles and miles and miles of cardio. There are many different ways to get in your cardio miles, from biking to swimming to cross-training to hiking to trail running to just get-your-ass-out-the-door-and-hit-the-pavement-with-your-feet-over-10,000-times, otherwise called running. As much as I hate every step of it, I find the latter the best way to train for endurance. The minimum cardio mileage per week to prepare for a trip of this nature is 25 miles. You should regularly be hitting 50 miles or more of cardio per week.
As for the mental state, hard physical training has the added benefit of preparing the mind. So, simply working your butt off will help you to be more mentally prepared for the type of endurance trip we are doing. But the best preparation for the mind, however, is actually getting out into the mountains, frequently, and doing some hiking and backcountry camping. Do it enough times and you will quickly experience the full range of nature's fury - sooner when pitching the tent at a peak as we do. There's nothing fun about being sand blasted by extreme winds or nearly flooded by heavy rain or becoming the human-form of a popsicle when the temperature drops below freezing. But, when you go through those experiences, you learn a great deal about yourself, and you begin to understand that you can go through a significant amount of adversity, and come out the other end of it, mentally strong.
Now, turning to footwear. Let's start first with perhaps the most important piece of equipment to a hiker -- boots. A good boot will make for a great hike; a bad boot will have you cursing up one side of the mountain, and down the other. Each person's foot is different, so ultimately it's hard to say, buy this one, or buy that one. But for my money, there's no other boot better than Asolo. Like many manufacturers in this area of the market, Asolo makes a wide range of boots, customized for a variety of terrains. Here is what I need for my hikes: lightweight, breathable, waterproof, stability, durability, and comfort. Over the years, I've put countless hard miles on my Asolo Fugitive GTX boots, and these babies are still ready for more years of mountain fun. Go with Asolo.
Maybe the next most important piece of gear for hikers - socks. Bring lots of socks, lots of high quality socks. I like Smartwool and Darn Tough for the outer layer. Yes, I said, outer layer, because you will also want to have an inner layer or "liner" sock. For my liner needs, I've turned to Injinji "toe" socks. Their toe socks provide a comfortable layer of moisture wicking material to help protect your toes, and ultimately your feet over a long day of trekking.
At the end of a long day of hiking, while resting at camp, you will want to have some sandals to slip into. Chaco makes the best hiker-oriented sandal out there in my opinion. And while I have two pairs of chacos (one that is strapped and especially suited for river crossings, and one pair to lounge around in), the one pair of sandals that I will be bringing for the backcountry portions of our trip where weight is the prime factor, are cheap $5 sandals you can find at your local beach store. Chacos are built like tanks, and are therefore too heavy to be toting around on a multi-day trek in the backcountry. For these excursions, cheap beach sandals that weigh next to nothing are the best way to go.
In the next blog entry I will comment on clothing for the lower body. For the men, I will clue you in now that the best way to hike is in a "skirt." More later.
But before turning to footwear, I should say something about training. It doesn't matter what gear you bring to the mountains, if your body and mind aren't prepared, the best equipment in the world is no better than what you can find at your local garage sale. Ideally, you want to be in peak physical condition to tackle the itinerary that I've fashioned over 11 intense days of hiking the Canadian Rockies and Canadian Coastal Mountain Range. I am not in peak physical condition -- I enjoy beer and pizza too much for that to be. But here's what I've done to prepare for this trip: 1) averaged 10,000 pushups per month this year, and 2) miles and miles and miles and miles of cardio. There are many different ways to get in your cardio miles, from biking to swimming to cross-training to hiking to trail running to just get-your-ass-out-the-door-and-hit-the-pavement-with-your-feet-over-10,000-times, otherwise called running. As much as I hate every step of it, I find the latter the best way to train for endurance. The minimum cardio mileage per week to prepare for a trip of this nature is 25 miles. You should regularly be hitting 50 miles or more of cardio per week.
As for the mental state, hard physical training has the added benefit of preparing the mind. So, simply working your butt off will help you to be more mentally prepared for the type of endurance trip we are doing. But the best preparation for the mind, however, is actually getting out into the mountains, frequently, and doing some hiking and backcountry camping. Do it enough times and you will quickly experience the full range of nature's fury - sooner when pitching the tent at a peak as we do. There's nothing fun about being sand blasted by extreme winds or nearly flooded by heavy rain or becoming the human-form of a popsicle when the temperature drops below freezing. But, when you go through those experiences, you learn a great deal about yourself, and you begin to understand that you can go through a significant amount of adversity, and come out the other end of it, mentally strong.
Now, turning to footwear. Let's start first with perhaps the most important piece of equipment to a hiker -- boots. A good boot will make for a great hike; a bad boot will have you cursing up one side of the mountain, and down the other. Each person's foot is different, so ultimately it's hard to say, buy this one, or buy that one. But for my money, there's no other boot better than Asolo. Like many manufacturers in this area of the market, Asolo makes a wide range of boots, customized for a variety of terrains. Here is what I need for my hikes: lightweight, breathable, waterproof, stability, durability, and comfort. Over the years, I've put countless hard miles on my Asolo Fugitive GTX boots, and these babies are still ready for more years of mountain fun. Go with Asolo.
Maybe the next most important piece of gear for hikers - socks. Bring lots of socks, lots of high quality socks. I like Smartwool and Darn Tough for the outer layer. Yes, I said, outer layer, because you will also want to have an inner layer or "liner" sock. For my liner needs, I've turned to Injinji "toe" socks. Their toe socks provide a comfortable layer of moisture wicking material to help protect your toes, and ultimately your feet over a long day of trekking.
At the end of a long day of hiking, while resting at camp, you will want to have some sandals to slip into. Chaco makes the best hiker-oriented sandal out there in my opinion. And while I have two pairs of chacos (one that is strapped and especially suited for river crossings, and one pair to lounge around in), the one pair of sandals that I will be bringing for the backcountry portions of our trip where weight is the prime factor, are cheap $5 sandals you can find at your local beach store. Chacos are built like tanks, and are therefore too heavy to be toting around on a multi-day trek in the backcountry. For these excursions, cheap beach sandals that weigh next to nothing are the best way to go.
In the next blog entry I will comment on clothing for the lower body. For the men, I will clue you in now that the best way to hike is in a "skirt." More later.
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