Gear tests in curd-istan

“The cold, windy weather of Curd-istan (aka Waterloo-Pinckney Trail) offered a chance to try some new gear, as well as some previously used gear in new conditions.

The Marmot PreCip jacket did outstanding duty as a windbreaker, with the ventilating pit zips and slash pockets handling temp. regulation superbly when hiking. A little slippery under the hip belt. No rain, though, to test that aspect.

The GSI anodized aluminum solo boiler set is an ideal match with the PocketRocket. Good fit on the support arms, and good friction between the pot and supports, for excellent stability. The PR did its quick boiling job well considering the wind (and once I turned it up all the way, duh, though I proved it can cruise at simmer level).

The Sierra Designs Sandman Flex 3D sleeping bag is truly flexible, has a great roomy hood, and much less claustrophobic than my Cat's Meow when fully zipped in, which was definitely necessary as the temp dove well below freezing both nights. I don't know if it was a fair test for the 15+ degree rating as both nights were spent in my Eureka! Gossamer bivy tent, which has a full mesh ceiling and pitches with plenty of venting space at the bottom of the fly.

Friday night was very windy as well as in the teens, so I wasn't surprised to get a bit chilly, as the wind chill level - if not the actual temp - clearly exceeded the rating. I was wearing light weight Capilene longies and Polarguard booties, and put on a fleece sweater after a while. Saturday night was clear but not as cold (low 20s?), and the wind died as we ate dinner around the campfire. Wore more clothes to bed and only cold spots were where my knees and back pressed against the bag when curled on my side -- which isn't even possible in my old, tighter bag. Looking forward to how the bag would do in a tent that is much less drafty, but should do fine in most 3-season situations.

The Gossamer packed and pitched easily, but is just a bit too drafty for cold weather. However, the mesh ceiling meant that the condensation was on the underside of the fly, not in with me. A flip back in the morning and the frost quickly evaporated.

The VauDe Grand Canyon pack is more than spacious enough for a weekend of colder weather gear, and once again showed it can carry the weight pretty effortlessly, with plenty of adjustability. A new CamelBak Unbottle with D-rings, with a cold weather tube kit installed, strapped neatly to the pack and served effortlessly for hydration.

The one downside continues to be my struggle with footwear. The Sorbothane Ultra footbeds have pretty much eliminated the heel pain in my Asolo Fusion 95 GTX boots, but I worked up a good blister on my right heel after about 3.5 miles. The left heel, however, was fine. I had tightened the lacing on the right boot at a rest stop earlier because of heel slip. Was the blister from the early slipping or the tightening? Hmmm. Application of a Band-Aid blister block pad reduced the sensation at first, but seems to have redirected the friction as even the short walking the next day spread the blister up my heel. More hmmmm. Pressure across the forefoot caused a fair amount of discomfort. Whether the new footbeds contributed is another hmmm. A plus - the shallow lugs on the sole are excellent at self cleaning, but give pretty good grip on the trail.

Maybe my feet are just getting old, along with all my joints. But it does keep me focused on looking for more ways to keep lightening the load.

Hope these impressions help.”

“Are your boots well broken in? Maybe they're just not soft enough yet. Also if the footbed is thicker than the original it may not flex as easily and can lift your heel out of the heel pocket. Not a good thing.”

“richb, when I got blisters last May in the Badlands, it was in the same spot on the heel and with the original footbeds. Seems to be an issue during uphill segments, based on what I could feel. Why only one heel this time, I don't know.

The forefoot flex may be a break-in issue, though these aren't the stiffest soled boots I've worn. They have about 45 trail miles on them so far. Never any blister problems on day hikes with about 15-20 lbs., though there was heel strike pain then with the original footbeds.”

“I don't know any other suggestions except maybe different sock combinations and taping up before hiking.”

“I thought about it also....

Have you tryed a diffrent sox liner?

8|”

“I may actually try without liners next time, just my SmartWools. But, yeah, I may put on BlisterBlocks at the start for any serious hikes with more than a daypack or on hilly trails.”

“Or you could try the Heavy Hiking And Backpacking sox's that REI has!

They are great and I think they are way better then smartwool.

Check them out!

8)”

“I've noticed that the cushioning in the Smartwool socks flattens out a lot as it gets soaked with sweat. I always use a polypro liner and had better performance with the that combined with the thorlo trekking socks. They do take up a tad more room in the boot, but that's a good thing for me. Whenever blisters threaten I think socks are the likely culprit if your boots fit properly.”

“I didn't read this thread for a while - but now I get the title! Cute, Pekka!

I became Pekka's blister buddy on Sunday. Popped them when I got home, and the feet are feeling good now. Not quite sure I'm ready to put my new boots back on, though.

I didn't hike with liners on, but generally when I use them in my running shoes I still end up with blisters. I'll try them out with the boots next time out.”

“You might just need more break in, but I have found that synthetic liners fell slippery and offer little cushioning.

I still usually wear cotton crew socks as liners.

Yeah, I know, its blasphemy.
But I've just about never had blisters with cotton liners.

What ever your equipment or clothing is, its all about handling yourself on the trail.”

“My favorite liners of old are now unusable because the elastic at the top wore out. They are very thin, silky nylon. Current liners are polyester w/antimicrobial treatment -- very good at wicking and stink control, but maybe they aren't as slippery. Still puzzling that one heel was fine, though.

And if you are going to have a blister buddy, Smiley Girl is a great one. Thanks for the bird watching company, SG!”