rjs34
FNG
My wife and I just completed the 35 mile Ruby Crest Trail hike in northern Nevada last week and thought I would post some of my thoughts on the gear I used. Most of it will be a brief overview so if you have any specific questions or want more in depth information let me know.
Packs:
His: KU5200 - First use of the pack in the back country. My pack was roughly 52 lbs and performed wonderfully. Very comfortable. Did have the top cover seem thread start to come apart but that was the only negative to the pack. I had a couple of long pockets and bags that worked very well.
Hers: Osprey Exos - She really liked the pack. She hasn't done much backpacking before so she doesn't have much to compare it to but it was very comfortable. Her pack was roughly 28 lbs
Water Filtration:
Sawyer inline with quick disconnects into Platypus reservoir 4l system. I had a 3l platypus bladder and she had a 3l camelbak bladder. I loved this system. I didn't keep the filter hooked into my bladder but kept it with the platypus system. I loved the ability to filter water at the end of every day at camp or strait into the bladders while in the packs eliminating the need to remove them on the trail. I also loved filling up the dirty bag with water and having it filter while doing other things at camp. Sometimes the flow would slow down on it and I would back flush occasionally which seemed to help. Sure beats pumping for 20 minutes!
Delorme InReach SE: Part of the deal with talking my wife into going on the trip was to be able to be in touch with the babysitters. I had used a SPOT with success but needed something with 2 way communication. I didn't feel the need for a sat phone and the SE seemed just right. It was a little spendy up front ($299) and the service plan is more expensive than spot but I signed up for the seasonal plan (4 months for $39/month). The SE worked very well. We could send and receive texts with ease. It was nice to have updated weather forecasts from my mom every night. The tracking worked well also. It isn't that much different than Spots. Battery life was great, DeLorme claims 100 hours and I believe it, we had plenty of battery power left after 5 days (turning it off at night).
Big Agnes UL3: Ive had the tent for a while and had no problems with it and the same was true for this trip. Fast to set up and fairly light weight.
Other Gear:
REI Flex Lite Chairs: Good little chair for around a pound. Definitely didn't need to bring these but they were nice to have.
JebBoil Sol: Have used it for a while but worked like it always does. Was able to do all breakfast and dinner mountain house along with coffee in the morning on one can for 5 days. I also got the Jetboil coffee press which was a nice little addition. Also used jetboil forks and spoons and spatula for fish in a frying pan. Kept everything in a Maxpedition 12x5 bag. It fit perfect. It added a little weight but it was very nice to have all of the cooking stuff packed away in one case which in turn fit nicely in a KU long pocket.
ALPS Mountaineering Razor Sleeping Bag Liner: This was about the only fail of the trip. I thought I could get us by with these if the temps stayed above 50 at night. Well the temps did but these didn't keep us warm enough. Even with double layer tops and bottoms we were still too cold.
Black Diamond Apollo Lantern: Great little lantern. Very bright and not very heavy.
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles: I have never used poles while hiking or hunting but after this trip that will change. I loved them, especially down hill. I really liked the cork handles.
GSI Outdoors Ultralight Nesting Bowl and Mug: Great little bowl mug set for eating and drinking coffee. Another luxury I guess.
Pad/Pillow. My wife used a Thermarest NeoAir pad and I used the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite pad. Even though I a repair kit I was afraid of puncturing them. So I put them in the Thermarest Trekker Lounge cover. This is normally used so you can convert your pad into a chair, but I pulled the rods out. This made a good (albeit heavy) cover for the sleeping pads. We used the EXPED air pillow and one very nice and unexpected positive about the trekker cover is that the pillow fits perfectly in it so that it doesn't move. Obviously there are other pillow options but I really liked having a pillow that wouldn't move.
Fishing Poles: I picked up an Emmrod Packer and Emmrod Pack-Rod for my wife and I and I have to say I love these little poles but a little spendy. They break down pretty small and are easy to pack. Very tough little pole. We just used some lures for some brookies.
Here are a few more pics.
Packs:
His: KU5200 - First use of the pack in the back country. My pack was roughly 52 lbs and performed wonderfully. Very comfortable. Did have the top cover seem thread start to come apart but that was the only negative to the pack. I had a couple of long pockets and bags that worked very well.
Hers: Osprey Exos - She really liked the pack. She hasn't done much backpacking before so she doesn't have much to compare it to but it was very comfortable. Her pack was roughly 28 lbs
Water Filtration:
Sawyer inline with quick disconnects into Platypus reservoir 4l system. I had a 3l platypus bladder and she had a 3l camelbak bladder. I loved this system. I didn't keep the filter hooked into my bladder but kept it with the platypus system. I loved the ability to filter water at the end of every day at camp or strait into the bladders while in the packs eliminating the need to remove them on the trail. I also loved filling up the dirty bag with water and having it filter while doing other things at camp. Sometimes the flow would slow down on it and I would back flush occasionally which seemed to help. Sure beats pumping for 20 minutes!
Delorme InReach SE: Part of the deal with talking my wife into going on the trip was to be able to be in touch with the babysitters. I had used a SPOT with success but needed something with 2 way communication. I didn't feel the need for a sat phone and the SE seemed just right. It was a little spendy up front ($299) and the service plan is more expensive than spot but I signed up for the seasonal plan (4 months for $39/month). The SE worked very well. We could send and receive texts with ease. It was nice to have updated weather forecasts from my mom every night. The tracking worked well also. It isn't that much different than Spots. Battery life was great, DeLorme claims 100 hours and I believe it, we had plenty of battery power left after 5 days (turning it off at night).
Big Agnes UL3: Ive had the tent for a while and had no problems with it and the same was true for this trip. Fast to set up and fairly light weight.
Other Gear:
REI Flex Lite Chairs: Good little chair for around a pound. Definitely didn't need to bring these but they were nice to have.
JebBoil Sol: Have used it for a while but worked like it always does. Was able to do all breakfast and dinner mountain house along with coffee in the morning on one can for 5 days. I also got the Jetboil coffee press which was a nice little addition. Also used jetboil forks and spoons and spatula for fish in a frying pan. Kept everything in a Maxpedition 12x5 bag. It fit perfect. It added a little weight but it was very nice to have all of the cooking stuff packed away in one case which in turn fit nicely in a KU long pocket.
ALPS Mountaineering Razor Sleeping Bag Liner: This was about the only fail of the trip. I thought I could get us by with these if the temps stayed above 50 at night. Well the temps did but these didn't keep us warm enough. Even with double layer tops and bottoms we were still too cold.
Black Diamond Apollo Lantern: Great little lantern. Very bright and not very heavy.
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles: I have never used poles while hiking or hunting but after this trip that will change. I loved them, especially down hill. I really liked the cork handles.
GSI Outdoors Ultralight Nesting Bowl and Mug: Great little bowl mug set for eating and drinking coffee. Another luxury I guess.
Pad/Pillow. My wife used a Thermarest NeoAir pad and I used the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite pad. Even though I a repair kit I was afraid of puncturing them. So I put them in the Thermarest Trekker Lounge cover. This is normally used so you can convert your pad into a chair, but I pulled the rods out. This made a good (albeit heavy) cover for the sleeping pads. We used the EXPED air pillow and one very nice and unexpected positive about the trekker cover is that the pillow fits perfectly in it so that it doesn't move. Obviously there are other pillow options but I really liked having a pillow that wouldn't move.
Fishing Poles: I picked up an Emmrod Packer and Emmrod Pack-Rod for my wife and I and I have to say I love these little poles but a little spendy. They break down pretty small and are easy to pack. Very tough little pole. We just used some lures for some brookies.
Here are a few more pics.
