So I'm not exactly an expert on this, but on at least every trip, someone looks at my stuff and says, "wow, I need to get me that". I even convinced the cheap-o Ted to invest. So, here are some tips.
1. Nylons. Yup, when I travel I have 0% cotton clothing. This is more true for humid areas, but they also assist in dry places and cold places. Nylons wick moisture and dry fast. This means a couple things. It means it'll keep you cooler by breathing and can actually dry in the humidity. You can take less clothing since you can wash each night and have them dry by morning. In cold weather, they take the sweat away so you don't get chilly when you stop moving. They pack smaller and in general stain less. Another good alternative is merino wool. Get an ultra thin version - these also retain less stink. I have one from several different companies. Let me know if you want my opinion.
2. No Jeans. Worst idea ever in any situation unless you're in air conditioned places or weather like SF.
3. Socks. Dude, they take up space and every country sells them for super cheap. So unless you know you need them....
4. compression sack. Waterproof if you can. I prefer the Sea to Summit eVent compression dry bag. What a great way to save space.
5. Hiking backpack. Unless the furthest you have to go is from the bus to the hotel, this makes life way easier. What to look for? You'll probably want a minimum of a 50L if you pack super light for up to several weeks and up to an 85L if you pack lots and are taking your life with you. A zip that opens it up is better than a top-loader. You can get one with a detachable day bag, but I'd carry it on your chest just to be safe. Remember to take a roll of tape to wrap it up to check in for the flight.
6. Shoes. The key is multi use. I like to take the strapped sandals. I can use them to walk around, shower, not have to worry about wet socks, rafting and the like. The second pair is usually a waterproof light-hiking shoe which lets me hike, jog, walk around with my feet dry.
7. Rain gear. Lots of times, I just don't care. But if you do, get some packlight gear. It's relatively cheap, gets real small so you can take it anywhere and is reasonably breathable. eVent is a more expensive but better alternative. Gore Tex Pro is bulkier and stiffer but just as light, more breathable and invincible.
8. Sleeping bag liner. It's small, gives a little warmth and you can be sure of it's cleanliness. You can get them in cotton, silk, fleece or other synthetic stuff.
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
Pre-backpacking
So, some of my friends and others have asked what I take hiking. Well, I can take pictures of my gear later, but here are some quick tips.
1. NO COTTON. It's heavy, doesn't dry well, isn't weatherproof, isn't warm... it's your enemy. The only use for cotton is a bandanna maybe.
2. Weight matters. For a 4-5 day trip you should be looking at 40-50lbs. In alpine conditions, you really should have a max of 40lbs. For mountaineering or comfort camping, you'll need more, but you should talk to an expert about that.
3. Don't fall in love with brands. A lot of companies make gear. Sometimes, they don't get it right so go to a store and play with everything. Also, the most expensive isn't always the best, but it kinda is. Sure your Northface jacket looks great but everyone knows you're serious when you bust out the Arc'teryx Alpha SV.
4. Start small. Normal hiking will be 10mi on mild terrain with a 35-45lbs pack. 15mi tops, 5mi if strenuous. Try car camping with your gear or maybe 5mi.
5. Do with less. I stress this again because weight is critical. I'm not an ultralight backpacker (they cut the tags off their shirts, trim shoe laces, etc...) but a light pack is the key to enjoying a multi-day excursion. You just have to know what is and is not necessary equipment.
1. NO COTTON. It's heavy, doesn't dry well, isn't weatherproof, isn't warm... it's your enemy. The only use for cotton is a bandanna maybe.
2. Weight matters. For a 4-5 day trip you should be looking at 40-50lbs. In alpine conditions, you really should have a max of 40lbs. For mountaineering or comfort camping, you'll need more, but you should talk to an expert about that.
3. Don't fall in love with brands. A lot of companies make gear. Sometimes, they don't get it right so go to a store and play with everything. Also, the most expensive isn't always the best, but it kinda is. Sure your Northface jacket looks great but everyone knows you're serious when you bust out the Arc'teryx Alpha SV.
4. Start small. Normal hiking will be 10mi on mild terrain with a 35-45lbs pack. 15mi tops, 5mi if strenuous. Try car camping with your gear or maybe 5mi.
5. Do with less. I stress this again because weight is critical. I'm not an ultralight backpacker (they cut the tags off their shirts, trim shoe laces, etc...) but a light pack is the key to enjoying a multi-day excursion. You just have to know what is and is not necessary equipment.
Skyline to the Sea
Ah, the first adventure of the 2011 summer season. This trail starts off at Castle Rock (junction of 9 and 35) and curves down into Big Basin state park and ends at Wadell beach. There's a lot to say but since I already put a few pictures on Facebook, I'll say what I liked.
Castle Rock is great. It covers a damp, dark, oak woodlands and runs over to the ridgeline chaparral. If you take the southward loop, you'll soon run into these giant boulders covered in moss. They remind of slumbering giants waiting to be awakened to take revenge on the world.... right. So this is a pretty good bouldering spot. If you travel on the trails, there's actually be spots that you can top-rope. There are waterfalls and by far the view from the ridge is the best of the trip.
NORMAL people stop after about 10mi. We (and by that I mean JohnE) wanted to save an extra day of work so we passed this point. Unfortunately Lane camp has no water. We took a detour to get water which was supposed to lengthen our trip by only 2mi. So instead of 3 miles downhill, we had 5 steep uphill. We barely beat out the sun, covering 22miles in 9 hours.
Laughably, we drank a lot of water in the last gasp. We probably had the same amount as if we came straight.
We ate SO much at night. And as usual, when tents say 4 people, they mean for Stephanie Park/Sharon Nam/Oompa Loompa sized people. Since it was too cold for bugs, I slept outside. Great choice since everyone inside woke up covered in "human dew" (David: Yeah, I noticed my sleeping bag was wet. Ed: Dude, it's just dew. Me: Yeah, HUMAN dew.) or condensation from people breathing.
The next part covers my most favorite places to hike - old second growth redwood forests. Gigantic trees, some that fall over the trail, fields of clovers spreading to the river. It just has an old feel to it. Sounds deaden here and makes you want to whisper as the trees stand as sentries in these ancient cathedrals. (by the way if you don't want to kill yourself, you can park for $10 and just start here).
17mi or so on day 2, we crawl to our car. We thought about going to be beach, but it would be an extra 2 miles. I drove there just to touch the water. It was awesome. The next trip might be a 7 day 50-60mil trail ending in Mt. Whitney.
Castle Rock is great. It covers a damp, dark, oak woodlands and runs over to the ridgeline chaparral. If you take the southward loop, you'll soon run into these giant boulders covered in moss. They remind of slumbering giants waiting to be awakened to take revenge on the world.... right. So this is a pretty good bouldering spot. If you travel on the trails, there's actually be spots that you can top-rope. There are waterfalls and by far the view from the ridge is the best of the trip.
NORMAL people stop after about 10mi. We (and by that I mean JohnE) wanted to save an extra day of work so we passed this point. Unfortunately Lane camp has no water. We took a detour to get water which was supposed to lengthen our trip by only 2mi. So instead of 3 miles downhill, we had 5 steep uphill. We barely beat out the sun, covering 22miles in 9 hours.
Laughably, we drank a lot of water in the last gasp. We probably had the same amount as if we came straight.
We ate SO much at night. And as usual, when tents say 4 people, they mean for Stephanie Park/Sharon Nam/Oompa Loompa sized people. Since it was too cold for bugs, I slept outside. Great choice since everyone inside woke up covered in "human dew" (David: Yeah, I noticed my sleeping bag was wet. Ed: Dude, it's just dew. Me: Yeah, HUMAN dew.) or condensation from people breathing.
The next part covers my most favorite places to hike - old second growth redwood forests. Gigantic trees, some that fall over the trail, fields of clovers spreading to the river. It just has an old feel to it. Sounds deaden here and makes you want to whisper as the trees stand as sentries in these ancient cathedrals. (by the way if you don't want to kill yourself, you can park for $10 and just start here).
17mi or so on day 2, we crawl to our car. We thought about going to be beach, but it would be an extra 2 miles. I drove there just to touch the water. It was awesome. The next trip might be a 7 day 50-60mil trail ending in Mt. Whitney.
Let's go to Letts Lake
Well, with the long Memorial Day weekend, I had a chance to go camping again. I think half of the excitement is the ability to use any new toys that I had gotten since my last trip. The first thing people always comment is, "Why is your pack so big?" I just shrug until eventually there's a point where they say, "Oh, do we have ____" or "I wish we had ____". YYEEESSSSSS, here's my chance. Into my pack I dive to find the gizmo (you'd be surprised how many people buy canned food but forget a can opener). "Do you have something for EVERYTHING?" They ask. I try. and no one is allowed to have more gadgets than me.
Letts Lake is on the Eastern side of the Mendocino National Park and is mostly woody and this early in the year, there is NO running water. Also, the bathrooms are deep holes - it gives you a sense of eternity below you when you're trying to sit on.. ahhaha. It was about 80 during the day, down to 35 at night. Thank goodness for my super warm sleeping bag in which I was sweating while a buddy of mine slept only fitfully due to the cold. No mosquitoes, but 10000s of flying bugs which is a reason to keep the fire going. It's a stocked lake and full of snowmelt at a chilly 50 degrees.
Anyway, here's a shot of our base camp.
My stuff is the small one labeled the "dog house". But it's light and keeps all the flying bugs off... unfortunately, this time, there were lots and lots of spiders and the bottom is open. I smushed a few against my face in the night, but they bit me a few times. I call it a draw. I'm researching alternatives.
First thing was a hike. It was a 10mi round trip hike through a "wilderness area" but because of snow, we coudln't make it to the top (maybe did 8mi). Cool because that means there are less people and you can camp anywhere you want, fish, whatever.
The first of 284 types of lavender.
The hike is a grueling climb almost straight up most of the way but offered some beautiful vistas all the way to the Sierras (hard to tell in the pics)
And also, some less beautiful vistas too.
Here's us near the top before we ran into the snow.
Afterward, we spent a lot of time fishing. I think there's just some primal tug that makes men want to catch food, kill and eat it. It's just so satisfying. And yes, I am wearing the same thing because hey, no showers, no worries. Actually some of the guys had brought razors and stuff in case we met girls *shakes head*.
I made a few friends when I dove into the lake (freezing) to get a lure they had snagged on a tree. Afterward, we helped a few of them catch their first fish and gave them a bunch (we had caught 20). They were funny kids and kept us entertained.
Other than that, we goofed around the fire... maybe too loud since the next day, our neighbors gave us some firewood and said, "So, I heard you guys talking about some spiritual stuff last night...." The first thing we were thinking was, "Oh crap, they heard everything?!?!" But they were a pair of older believers and it was a joy to speak with them, however briefly.
yeah so even though I casually knew Jerry and didn't know the other 2 at all, our commonality in the Lord (and maybe lack of girls) made it real easy to talk and get along. Weird thing was, within a few hours of knowing me, the said, "Maybe you should be nicer to girls." Why does everyone say that? Hiking for views, fishing, burning things and - all made for a great time.
Letts Lake is on the Eastern side of the Mendocino National Park and is mostly woody and this early in the year, there is NO running water. Also, the bathrooms are deep holes - it gives you a sense of eternity below you when you're trying to sit on.. ahhaha. It was about 80 during the day, down to 35 at night. Thank goodness for my super warm sleeping bag in which I was sweating while a buddy of mine slept only fitfully due to the cold. No mosquitoes, but 10000s of flying bugs which is a reason to keep the fire going. It's a stocked lake and full of snowmelt at a chilly 50 degrees.
Anyway, here's a shot of our base camp.
My stuff is the small one labeled the "dog house". But it's light and keeps all the flying bugs off... unfortunately, this time, there were lots and lots of spiders and the bottom is open. I smushed a few against my face in the night, but they bit me a few times. I call it a draw. I'm researching alternatives.
First thing was a hike. It was a 10mi round trip hike through a "wilderness area" but because of snow, we coudln't make it to the top (maybe did 8mi). Cool because that means there are less people and you can camp anywhere you want, fish, whatever.
The first of 284 types of lavender.
The hike is a grueling climb almost straight up most of the way but offered some beautiful vistas all the way to the Sierras (hard to tell in the pics)
And also, some less beautiful vistas too.
Here's us near the top before we ran into the snow.
Afterward, we spent a lot of time fishing. I think there's just some primal tug that makes men want to catch food, kill and eat it. It's just so satisfying. And yes, I am wearing the same thing because hey, no showers, no worries. Actually some of the guys had brought razors and stuff in case we met girls *shakes head*.
I made a few friends when I dove into the lake (freezing) to get a lure they had snagged on a tree. Afterward, we helped a few of them catch their first fish and gave them a bunch (we had caught 20). They were funny kids and kept us entertained.
Other than that, we goofed around the fire... maybe too loud since the next day, our neighbors gave us some firewood and said, "So, I heard you guys talking about some spiritual stuff last night...." The first thing we were thinking was, "Oh crap, they heard everything?!?!" But they were a pair of older believers and it was a joy to speak with them, however briefly.
yeah so even though I casually knew Jerry and didn't know the other 2 at all, our commonality in the Lord (and maybe lack of girls) made it real easy to talk and get along. Weird thing was, within a few hours of knowing me, the said, "Maybe you should be nicer to girls." Why does everyone say that? Hiking for views, fishing, burning things and - all made for a great time.
North fork, American River
Right, so this weekend I had a chance to camp and go rafting. I like camping and it gives me a chance to try out some new gear.
Ah, the dinner of champions.
This is a stick adapter. It's like $1 for a set of 4 (one of which I promptly lost) But it's a handy way to not burn a stick and cook stuff. I like it.
I got to try out my knife too. But I got too juiced while trying to start a fire so wouldn't you know it, I cut myself (rule 1, always cut away from body parts).
One of those, if I don't see it - it'll be fine deals.
Unfortunately, it didn't stop bleeding so I had to take a closer look.
As you can see, the fat and muscle tissue shows so it's kinda serious. At least this means my knife was really really sharp (yay). Sigh, so I guess there's just one thing I can do now.
Yup, duct tape fixes everything. See? You can hardly tell there's anything wrong.
Later on, I got it "professionally" looked at.
At least right now (We'll see about infection, etc...) going was a great choice. It's a class 4 rapids for the first half and calmer in the second. My guide was awesome and he kept doing crazy stuff the other rafts wouldn't. He'd also tell us how people always die, or how sometimes guides have bad days too - Oh but never at this river and of course, he's on his A+ game today.... right. Anyway, his antics got us stuck under a "wave" and one of the ladies got "toastered" (you know, imagine the bread getting shot out).
Though I had reservations about the other rafters as they were older, they were cool. One was an older couple who invited me to go sailing with them (they live on a sailboat in Alameda). It's hard to tell, but in the videos, we're always laughing - even as we're hitting rough patches, they get ejected or plastered with water. It only egged the guide on to do more stuff and of course, led to more enjoyment for us. The North Fork of the American River is a Class 4 for the first 5mi, class 2-3 for the last 5. It only runs from May to June and water temps are 50. The rapids aren't always the most spectacular looking, but the class 4 part is strung together and make for an exciting day.
Here are a couple photos I took while rafting. You can see a couple videos on my facebook.
The North Fork has some of the best scenic views
What it looks like after you get ejected from the raft.
Ah, the dinner of champions.
This is a stick adapter. It's like $1 for a set of 4 (one of which I promptly lost) But it's a handy way to not burn a stick and cook stuff. I like it.
I got to try out my knife too. But I got too juiced while trying to start a fire so wouldn't you know it, I cut myself (rule 1, always cut away from body parts).
One of those, if I don't see it - it'll be fine deals.
Unfortunately, it didn't stop bleeding so I had to take a closer look.
As you can see, the fat and muscle tissue shows so it's kinda serious. At least this means my knife was really really sharp (yay). Sigh, so I guess there's just one thing I can do now.
Yup, duct tape fixes everything. See? You can hardly tell there's anything wrong.
Later on, I got it "professionally" looked at.
At least right now (We'll see about infection, etc...) going was a great choice. It's a class 4 rapids for the first half and calmer in the second. My guide was awesome and he kept doing crazy stuff the other rafts wouldn't. He'd also tell us how people always die, or how sometimes guides have bad days too - Oh but never at this river and of course, he's on his A+ game today.... right. Anyway, his antics got us stuck under a "wave" and one of the ladies got "toastered" (you know, imagine the bread getting shot out).
Though I had reservations about the other rafters as they were older, they were cool. One was an older couple who invited me to go sailing with them (they live on a sailboat in Alameda). It's hard to tell, but in the videos, we're always laughing - even as we're hitting rough patches, they get ejected or plastered with water. It only egged the guide on to do more stuff and of course, led to more enjoyment for us. The North Fork of the American River is a Class 4 for the first 5mi, class 2-3 for the last 5. It only runs from May to June and water temps are 50. The rapids aren't always the most spectacular looking, but the class 4 part is strung together and make for an exciting day.
Here are a couple photos I took while rafting. You can see a couple videos on my facebook.
The North Fork has some of the best scenic views
What it looks like after you get ejected from the raft.
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