Whoo Hoo....new gear!

“Where is here? I can send a care package if needed.�
XL400236

Denver, CO, I'll let ya know.”

“Roam....send me an e-mail with your addy...I can find a box to send


Ewk....I think I can still find the flavored stuff send me an e-mail I will send you some”

“Hey, just checking but does the measurement marker on the side of the Enertia packs really work...or shoudl I still measure the water I add before adding it?”

“XL, I have found that you need to use less water than what it calls for on the enteria meals. It makes the meals to soupy if you add what they say.”

“I got (yall are gonna love this)

Anti-balling plates!

woo hoo - now my crampons will no longer collect big wads of snow and be ineffective!

Also got a nifty storage bag for them to ride in.”

“Ewk, I agree, but I am wondering how accurate the marker on the side of the pouch is?”

“nevermind!!

my enteria meals are so old they don't have the measurement markers on the side of the bag. I quit using them a couple of yrs ago. I make all my own meals now.

XL,If you want them I will send them to you in exchange for the flavored grits.”

“Send me an email and what flavor of grits you want....

Ewk ever dehydrate ground beef or ground sausage (I know that is redundant but you get the idea)?

I do a couple of pounds of the stuff and it keeps for months. Try throwing the stuff in the water as you are heating it "WOW" I find if you spice the meat and sausage as you cook it...it is great.”

“I just sent you an email before I saw your post.

grits with ham and red eye gravy of course. I haven't seen that one on the shelf in a long time.

I haven't gotten around to dehydrating hamburger or sausage yet. I will have to try that. I have heard from quite a few folks that it is great.

You ever use TVP in meals. I have had it before in prepackaged meals (Fantastic Vegeterian Chili). I can buy TVP in bulk at Wild Oats but never have.”

“Ewk, get the lowest fat hamburger you can find...I season it as I cook it. Keep cooking it until it has NO grease coming off and it is broken down as small as possible. Then I drain it and pressure pat it with paper towels. Then place it on wax paper in the dehydrator all night...

Looks like grains of dirt. But when you start boiling the water throw a 35mm container full in. Get the Idaho Mashed Potatoes (I love the Loaded Stuffed Potato) and mix the ground beef in with it....Makes a shepard pie that is KILLER on the trail.”

“cool, I will have to try that. How long does it take to dehydrate the hamburger.


Ever put Smoked Oysters in with the Loaded Mashed Potatoes...yummy”

“smoked oysters in taters is yummy. Thanks for introducing me to that delicacy, Ewker.

I've dehydrated ground beef with italian and mexican seasonings. Makes for a nice sketti dinner or fajitas.
last edited: 7/21/06 12:30:54 PM”

“Ewker, my hamburger dehydrates over night....LOL wake up in the morning with the smell of seasoned hamburger wafting through the house.

Oh (in TT tradition) I am trying out these new Georgia Boot Safety Hiker...has a steel toe...DANG comfortable. Hope they will work as a long term boot. Heck for $75.00 they are comfortable and seem to be good quality.”

“XL, you ever heard of ultralight ;)

Steel Toe hiker boots..yikes. I had to wear them when I was a welder. Why is it everything that fell always hit behind the steel toe section...lol”

“Ewk..these are actually lighter than (at least they feel lighter) my duty work boots....feel supportive and comfy.”

“Woohoo! Picked up my Primus Multifuel stove today. Looks like its gonna work great. Boiled a liter of h20 in about 5 min with a Snowpeak canister. It looks pretty sturdy I can't wait to put it to the test.”

“just scored a new Mountain Hardware Backcountry Recon Jacket at Dicks for $100 bones. They had the Esposure parka for about the same price but only had a Medium.”

“Last week I accidentally shut the back door of my Durango on my REI Summit poles. I just got a new pair of REI Ascent poles in the mail and they are very nice. They are lighter than the Summit series and are a nice light green color. I gotta put some duct tape around them, and also some hunter orange tape...then I'll be ready for my AT section hike on October 6th...gonna hike approx. 140 miles in 8 days.

I also got some "Pro Bars" but haven't tried them yet. Are they any good?”

“Ummm...nope...I made a mistake. I got the REI "Traverse" poles...they are the light green ones and have the shock in them.”

“Better not hike on rainy days, lol.”

“Steepandcheap.com has the SOG Powerlock tool on ultra sale. I have the subdued version and it is fantastic....this is a good deal


http://www.steepandcheap.com/”

“9.6 ounces - maybe for around the house but no way in my pack”

“HOG I think I found a nice tent....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mongolian-Yurt-with-extras_W0QQitemZ320033462415QQihZ011QQcategoryZ36116QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem”

“AH the Cigar order has arrived....”

“Ahhh, stogies definately belong on the gear thread. LOL!”

“extra-large cancer rods”

“Huh huh! he said ROD!”

“I bought a sylnylon tarp last week, 8x10 I think. I may end up getting used to tarping.”

“Montbells UL down inner vest finally became available for women last week...I now have one...”

“Gem the cool thing about tarping (try Tyvex for ground sheet) is that you can rig the tarp so it is a single wall type tent if need be or (as I often do) open it up a bit so you can cook, relax, even smoke a FINE CIGAR during a particularly nasty rainstorm.”

“http://www.steepandcheap.com/?id=MLESXR7D&mv_pc=59

(Note, this is the short mat, but the insulation for the weight makes this a great deal IMO)
last edited: 10/06/06 8:17:10 AM”

“gem, just read about your new tarp. congrats! it took me a few trips but now much prefer tarping it...”

“LOL>..hmm inflatable, strong....LOL..so when you go out and your wife asks why you have 30 Condoms for a backpacking trip you can tell her "its for the balloon bed."”

“i ordered a western mountaineering megalite sleeping bag with 2 oz of extra down today.

i have never been 100% happy with my marmot hydrogen sleeping bag. it's rated for 30 degrees but I have had many cold nights. the WM megalite with the extra down is only a little heavier but will have more loft (5" with the extra 2oz of down) and uses continuous baffles rather than the "sewn through" design of the marmot bag. so i am hopeful this will be my last cold weather sleeping bag for for a long time.

don't get me wrong, the marmot hydrogen is an outstanding sleeping bag. it's on sale right now at backcountryedge.com for $247.20 (an outstanding deal). i just don't think it worked out as well for me as i had hoped.

I also have a marmot atom that i am very, very happy with. i think that is one of my favorite pieces of gear.”

“Jimmy I had a problem with waking up cold alot. Then another hiker mentioned that maybe I was overheating. In the winter at home I sleep with it around 50ish in the bedroom with a light blanket.

I found the other weekend that draping my bag over me like a quilt worked a lot better. I found that if my bag was totally zipped I would wake up sweating then I get cold. If my bag is unzipped...I roll and got a WIDE open space.

I am going to try the bag down to its rating this winter to see if the quilt idea works.”

“that makes a lot of sense. i pack a change of clothes to sleep in, a light-weight or mid-weight base layer depending on conditions. also i pack a pair of "sleeping socks". then if it's really cold i wear this turtle fur hat. the hat makes a huge difference. i think the material of the sleeping bag on the inside wall is cold on the skin so often i am not cold but i feel cold.

i badly want to give a quilt a try but don't want to buy one. all my sleeping bags are 1/2 zip bags so they don't easily turn into quilts. i wanted to try making one that would be heavier just to test out but i have like zero sewing skills.”

“Has anyone got a balloonbed? Looks like it may work but I don't know how good?”

“i saw that... i guess so.”

“Jimmy, I have zero sewing skills too but made a down quilt. Check my webshots link in my profile. The folder is called TT or trail talk.”

“i will... thanks!”

“Man, mad props to Nonconformist’s new employer Gander Mountain. I found a shell jacket there that is out of this world sweet. It is light brushed polyester outer that feels more like a shirt than a jacket and it’s lined with their brand of gore tex. It is real light, soft and quiet. Plus it’s camo so it’s not visually loud and I can use it for hunting too. It’s got double flap zippers and the cut is made for moving. $79.99.

I also got some of their GSX zip off pants for $29.”

“Whohoo...just got a moonstone optima bag from e-bay for 51 with shipping. Just got it, looks in really good shape, good loft seems clean (do I really want to do a Blacklight test?)

Figured I have a bunch of down bags, but never know when I will need a synthetic for rainy trips.

It is the Blue Moonstone bag....I am trying to figure out the theoretical rating right now.”

“I just got an emergency bivy - 6.4 oz. Its kinda like a space blanket sack, only a little heavier. It'll go in my emergency kit for summit attempts or winter dayhikes.

a steep and cheap deal!”

“Balloonbed? Interesting?
“Has anyone got a balloonbed? Looks like it may work but I don't know how good?”
WNCMAN
1:01:19 PM
10/11/06

I was looking at meterial to make on the other day. I figure I can make one for about 10 bucks. I may try this over the winter to perfect it for spring hiking.”

“fill the balloons with helium and the net weight can be zero in your pack. fill them with hydrogen and they can double as a fire starter.”

“LOL you slip and fall with the hydrogen balloons..."OH THE HUMANITY"...”

“replace the balloons with condoms... lots of uses for this stuff.”

“Yeah right...No honey we um use them to sleep on.....”

“I just got these the other weekend, they're very comfy! Hmm, however I now notice the description says they're for warm-weather hiking. Too bad I'm an idiot, and engage in impulse-buying, LOL! No, I knew I needed new boots, but I didn't research them before getting them. But I have some Columbia winter boots, so I think it's okay...

http://www.vasque.com/products/w-breeze.cfm”