Desk Jockey
WKR
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2015
- Messages
- 5,839
Just wrapped up a nice backpacking trip in the wind River range in Wyoming. The weather turned on us and we cut the trip to 4 nights and shaved 10 miles off the route When it started raining and temps dropped to the 40s With a forecast for more of the same. Here a few random thoughts on some gear in case they are of value for anyone:
- Sitka Ambient / Arrowhead hoody - was a great mid layer for temps 30-50. It isn’t as stretchy or breathable a my go to grid fleece, but it is far warmer and weighs about the same. It shed a little rain and did well in a bit of wind. It breathed well on the move, at least until I had to add a rain jacket overtop. I sweated pretty heavily when I used it as a mid layer. I switched to my grid fleece the next day in the same conditions (steady light rain, ~40s) and was a lot less sweaty and damp.
- Kifaru 20* slick bag - bulky and not particularly light. It repelled moisture well including a bit of rain spray.
- Crispi thors - these continue to be my go to for most hiking and hunting until the weather turns cold. On my second pair and starting to break in my third, now. If I had one gripe, is that it seems that soles wear a little quickly. I may look into having these resoled as the uppers are still in great shape and the waterproofing is going strong.
- Peak Refuel meals - we grabbed a representative selection of dinners for 5 nights for 3 hikers from REI before heading out. Probably 4-5 brands. The peak refuel were hands down favorites for taste. Pesto chicken and coconut chicken curry were the stars of the trip.
- LMNT hydration salts - these come from Robb Wolf of Paleo fame. Taste is less sweet than most sugar free options. They appeared to do the trick and disappeared before the other options - Gatorade, some grocery store stuff.
- Gossamer gear Mariposa pack - have used this bag for lightweight camping for 4 years and a 250-300 miles, it is showing a lot of wear and doesn’t seem to fit my usage Anymore. With a light load <30# it carries well. Above 30# I think the suspension just isn’t enough for me. This trip is typical for my annual adventure with a few hiking buddies - I went in loaded for 6 days / 5 nights at about 45# and the pack was far less comfortable than my hunting rigs, which is to be expected But is still unpleasant. It was annoyingly unstable on some rock scrambles and Boulder fields. It also has picked up a lot of abrasions and a few decent slashes that are going to require repairs. Overall I have liked the pack but I think I am going to upgrade it to something with more suspension. Focusing on the seek outside offerings but still researching.
- Sitka Ambient / Arrowhead hoody - was a great mid layer for temps 30-50. It isn’t as stretchy or breathable a my go to grid fleece, but it is far warmer and weighs about the same. It shed a little rain and did well in a bit of wind. It breathed well on the move, at least until I had to add a rain jacket overtop. I sweated pretty heavily when I used it as a mid layer. I switched to my grid fleece the next day in the same conditions (steady light rain, ~40s) and was a lot less sweaty and damp.
- Kifaru 20* slick bag - bulky and not particularly light. It repelled moisture well including a bit of rain spray.
- Crispi thors - these continue to be my go to for most hiking and hunting until the weather turns cold. On my second pair and starting to break in my third, now. If I had one gripe, is that it seems that soles wear a little quickly. I may look into having these resoled as the uppers are still in great shape and the waterproofing is going strong.
- Peak Refuel meals - we grabbed a representative selection of dinners for 5 nights for 3 hikers from REI before heading out. Probably 4-5 brands. The peak refuel were hands down favorites for taste. Pesto chicken and coconut chicken curry were the stars of the trip.
- LMNT hydration salts - these come from Robb Wolf of Paleo fame. Taste is less sweet than most sugar free options. They appeared to do the trick and disappeared before the other options - Gatorade, some grocery store stuff.
- Gossamer gear Mariposa pack - have used this bag for lightweight camping for 4 years and a 250-300 miles, it is showing a lot of wear and doesn’t seem to fit my usage Anymore. With a light load <30# it carries well. Above 30# I think the suspension just isn’t enough for me. This trip is typical for my annual adventure with a few hiking buddies - I went in loaded for 6 days / 5 nights at about 45# and the pack was far less comfortable than my hunting rigs, which is to be expected But is still unpleasant. It was annoyingly unstable on some rock scrambles and Boulder fields. It also has picked up a lot of abrasions and a few decent slashes that are going to require repairs. Overall I have liked the pack but I think I am going to upgrade it to something with more suspension. Focusing on the seek outside offerings but still researching.
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