Prologue
Outfitting
A couple years ago I outfitted Ted
with backpacking gear so he could go on a hike. It consisted of a
light-weight sleeping bag, a high-quality, lightweight tent, and a
multi-day backpack. For Christmas I got him a lightweight
backpacking stove. We made a footprint for the tent out of heavy
plastic. He already had a number of other small accessories, and
had a good time on the hike.
Recently, it was Tom's turn.
And with Tom now preparing to go hiking with the rest of the troop, I
decided it was time for me to get outfitted as well. It has been
38 years since I was serious about backpacking. I decided I should
join the boys and really engage this activity. With my recent work
to get in better shape, this seems like a good way to celebrate.
Needless to say, outfitting two
people at the same time was a little bit costly. I was able to
keep it reasonable for Tom since he'll grow out of his backpack and
sleeping bag - no sense buying the killer gear when in a couple years he
will need new stuff. Still, I got him a great tent, and very good
pack and sleeping bag. I picked up a few other accessories as
well, things that make hiking at least "comfortable".
For me, I could not stand the
thought of sleeping on cold hard ground so I got an insulated, light
weight pad, and a zero-degree bag.
 
For the tent, I wanted a bit more
room that the boys have - enough to get my bigger body and gear inside
at night with a little bit of room to spare. The Big Agnes
Seedhouse Large was perfect. Rather than spend a fortune on the
footprint, I got the much cheaper and likely better All Weather Space
Blanket. I also took the advice of a few reviewers and got myself
a few extra tent stakes. I sat one evening and cut lanyards and
tied them to the tend stakes so that I would have a handle to pull them
out of the ground, using yellow cord to make it easier to find them.
     
I wasn't going to get another
stove but given how small they are and cooking for three might be
difficult, I ended up getting one. I picked up what I hope will be
my last set of camping utensils. We'll see. I got a cheap
aluminum plate, a stainless bowl, and a collapsible cup. I also
dug up my old canteen cups and brought them back into service with a
good scrubbing to polish them up.
    
canteen cup
My old hiking pack is hanging in
the garage. But it was not particularly groundbreaking when I
bought it 36 years ago. I was sure I needed to update to a modern
pack. I was hugely impressed by the pack I bought because of how
well it places the weight of the load on my back and hips. Worlds
apart from my old pack. I got a couple links to secure stuff to
the pack, and a rain cover for the pack, in bright orange so I don't
have to wear an orange vest during hunting season.
   
The idea of having to drink water
in the woods isn't new to me but a purifying system is. The
scoutmaster showed us one at a meeting and I decided that it made good
sense to get one. The unit I purchased as a pre-screen and a
filter system that delivers pumped water. I added some paper
filters to pre-filter the water to keep the main filters cleaner.
For digging fire pits and cat holes I got a folding shovel. A
replica sold at Wal*Mart is five times less expensive and only an ounce
lighter - perhaps it is less sturdy - we shall see...
 
We use way too many paper towels
on campouts. So I got us each a camp towel that we can wash and
dry over and over. That will eliminate the paper towel use and
give us something to use instead.
 
The thought of sitting on the
ground was not very attractive. This camp chair is very light and
small, and turns out to be fairly comfortable to sit on. We'll see
how it works for the hike...
camera GPS iPod
Muster
coming soon
Trail
coming soon
Epilogue
coming soon
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