Whoo Hoo....new gear!

“


My new tent!

and on sale too!
last edited: 9/22/05 6:30:41 PM”

“Bought some new Danner Mountain Light II today (my first new pair of hiking boots since 1974!) and received my new Eureka Spitfire solo tent. Am very happy with both!”

“

I'm likin' this tent. I weighed it, as received (with STEEL stakes, no less!) it weighs 3lbs. 4oz. (as advertised). Plenty roomy for 1 with excellent fly coverage. Price paid, $64.95 + $12.00 shipping!
last edited: 9/23/05 2:32:11 AM”

“Birch has had a pair of danner mtn lights since 1996. He even wears them to work in winter. They're indestructible! Good boots.”

“my Canon EOS 350D came a couple days ago.
today I got my 4GB FlashCard. Got a really good deal on the flashcard from dell. Ended up paying only $146 [that included shipping]

Time to play and take pictures.”

“SmartWool "Versaweight Zip-T - Men's"

Good deal ... 1/2 price. The non-zip verison is on sale as well, but I like being able to unzip it if I get too hot.

http://backcountrygear.com/catalog/appareldetail.cfm?PRODUCTS__ProductID=SW523”

“My 20D came today....it is soooooo clean I can't even tell it was used! Updated the firmware.....now it's good to go!

Tracking says my new lens will be here Monday! =)”

“When I get depressed I buy new gear. So I bought a few goodies.

1. New backpack ("Daypack"): GoLite Vision - $95



2. Katadyn Mini Water Filter - $69



3. SmartWool Versaweight Zip-T - $42



Now I am waiting for the big brown truck...”

“I recently found a pair of rip stop nylon athletic pants at old navy. At $20 I'll give them a try.”

“Hey, Pitts, where did you get the Smartwool? And could you get depressed for me, too? I want one of those. What will double depression get?”

“Damn you, Pitts. Yesterday you had me running around looking for a Gentle Leader and now I am buying Smartwool shirts.”

“I got the smartwool @ backcountrygear.com, a favorite store of mine.

http://backcountrygear.com/catalog/appareldetail.cfm?PRODUCTS__ProductID=SW523

I posted the URL a few days ago. It's a super deal. Also, browse their clearance if you don't want the zip top. I like the zip top because I can unzip a bit if I get too hot, but if you prefer the crew top it's on sale as well.”

“I want to know what you do when you're happy, if you go on shopping sprees when depressed!!”

“Ox: I recently found some Gramicci pants in the clearance rack at REI. They are big-time no frills... three pockets (two up front and one in the back), integrated belt but no belt loops or buckles, some elastic in the waist, and no fly. I thought they were woman's pants at first (they are unisex). They are cut very well and the crotch is seamed with a "V" so the fit is very tight. Major freedom of movement. I am thinking they would make good pants for climbing. 100% nylon.

Here is a picture of the pants, or the closest thing I could find to them on the web. I got them 1/2 price. Note the fit is tight. Try them on for size before you buy them.



I took them on a recent backpacking trip and was very pleased. I usually wear convertable hiking pants (the kind that has as much room for storage as the external pockets of your backpack!) These Gramicci pants were much lighter and not having all the pockets forced me to rethink what I carried and I think I shaved some weight off of my total setup. I was a heck of a lot more comfortable. In short I think this might be a better choice for me.”

“BTW, for that SmartWool top, here is the link to the woman's version of the shirt. Very nice, if you ask me.

http://backcountrygear.com/catalog/appareldetail.cfm/SMW530”

“My new tent arrived! Just got a call from the wife.

I will try to get it set up in the living room tonight!”

“Pitts, I think I'll use the ones I got for after hike clothes on cooler nights. I want to get some nice water proof/resistant pants at some point. Any suggestions on a pair that are good for both hiking and skiing (another sport I'll be taking up soon)?”

“Ox: I don't ski so I can't help you there. I have a pair of Mountain Hardware Winter Wander pants that I love but only wear in the winter. They are pricy but I got them 1/2 price somewhere a while ago. They are not waterproof but are very nice pants. I wouldn't pay 80 bucks (2x what I paid) for them, however.”

“Not going to get a chance to set the tent up this week. Get to it on Saturday”

“Pitts, thanks for the advice”

“Nooo problem, although I don't know what advice I offered other than don't pay $80 for a pair of pants. :)”

“That's enough for me :)”

“Ox, I have some Norwegian army pants for skiing. They're thick wool with double knees and butt. I paid $15 for them at the Army surplus. They're perfect.
Also have windblock fleece pants I like but they tend to be hotter than the wool ones.
I don't think I'd wear water proof because of the lack of ventilation. Most days you're skiing the snow isn't melting anyways.”

“That's true Sass, but I also wanted to wear them backpacking. Trying to find something that will span both sports”

“Pitts,
I have some gramacci pants (sale rack at REI as well.) They are Sooo comfortable and very lightweight! I love them!

Aside from the legs being a bit long (I'm only 5'4") they work well for me-- I like the fact that they aren't too heavy so my legs don't get too hot) and that they dry very quickly... I wouldn't have bought them if they weren't on the sale rack though...

Thinkbubelz has some Gramacci shorts-- you are right-- they allow for a lot of freedom of movement due to how they put an extra wedge of fabric in the crotch are.”

“I agree with Sass--
Thinkbubelz and I find that our waterproof pants tend to make us too hot-- and then they just seal in the heat and make our legs sweat--the end result is we tend to take off the waterproof pants not long after we start moving...”

“that wedge in the crotch is called a "gusset". A necessity for good range of motion. Sass has some gramicci pants and loves em. Never tried em myself.”

“I got my Katadyn Mini Water Filter today. What a flimsy piece of crap. I am use to the MSR Waterworks EX which is pretty tough, so I am thinking I had better give it a chance...”

“hahaha, I have one. will take you 2 hours to fill up a nalgene. [well, not 2 hours, but it's slowwwwww] I didnt' pay for it...thank god.

I guess u could use it on dayhikes or for emergency purposes.”

“I bought some new boxers. Blue with green frogs all over them. Woohoo!”

“Pitts, make sure you keep the element spotlessly clean on the new filter, it clogs soooo easily.”

“It would be nice if it worked out. It's so much lighter than the MSR. I have to keep the MSR very clean too or it doesn't pump water. At first I had a problem with this but I realized it was taking stuff out of the water so this wasn't a bad thing. Just a little annoying.”

“I always have a coffee filter covering my acorn on my filter. Helps a lot.”

“Yep, I do the same, especially since I melted the little piece of foam that goes into it.”

“That will tend to shorten the life of a filter. I need to get one of those ultralight water buckets too. I find a big difference when not pumping straight from the source and pumping from a bucket.”

“nigal: how do you keep the coffee filter attached? rubber band?”

“I use a twist-tie.

Oops, I'm not Nigal. Sorry.”

“I always have a coffee filter covering my acorn

i thought you just said you bought some new boxers??!! LOL”

“LMAO!!!

:D”

“Nigal - http://www.trailquest.net/dlgcwatersac.html”

“that's a mighty fine sack you got there tnt!”

“LOL.”

“wow, it's been a while since I bought real new gear...at least 4 month or more. [my camera don't count, that's a toy]

I guess I could call my solomon mountaineering boots new gear.

I got a small list thou:

I really need a winterstove this year.
an ice axe

I am sure I'll get a color GPS for an aniversary present.

that's it! my winterlist is getting smaller. I think I'll be going on a freeze yer ass off trip this year. whoohooo.

I still love my black diamond lighthouse!”

““I got my Katadyn Mini Water Filter today. What a flimsy piece of crap. I am use to the MSR Waterworks EX which is pretty tough, so I am thinking I had better give it a chance...”
pitts
3:01:38 PM
9/30/05

I have been playing with it (using clean water) and I have found some interesting things that I am sure some of you can validate.

1. The first batch of water, as in the first time water was ever run through it, I ran through it was VILE. I mean it smelled like pesticides or something. It was really wierd. I dumped it out and got a fresh cup (distilled from a jug). All the future batches came out fine.

2. I found that the pump worked much better if I found something hard to push against. If I just held it in my hand and pumped (like I would with the MSR) it was a lot of work and really slow going. If I put it against the ground or my boot it worked much better. It was still slow, which is to be expected since it's a smaller unit, but it was not nearly as much work to get the same result.

3. I can see that if you got to working the handle too hard that you could probably break the thing. Like most ultralight gear you have to take extra good care of it.

4. I am wondering if anyone has had problems with the O-Rings needing to be greased in the field? Or is that just a regular "at home" thing you do once in a while. I don't recall ever having to grease an O-ring with my MSR.

I am liking what it does to my overall pack weight and volume. I guess if I was really hard core I would go with Aquamira (I keep it as a backup now over the iodine I used to carry after a post someone made on TT).”

“Pitts,

For number 1 could it have been the activated charcoal coming out that caused the smell? Most filters have a permanent activated charcoal element to them and the first time you pump through some of it comes out. Should have said so in the directions if that was the case.

Looks like according to the manual it should have pushed out some "harmless ceramic dust" when first pumped through.
last edited: 10/01/05 11:42:58 AM”

“I had a charcoal issue with one of my other filters. Yupp, it's normal, and yupp the directions should've stated so. I can't remember having the same problem with the mini.

Never thought it had a chemical smell thou. I was able to smell the charcol, but that's about it.

Every waterfilter can break. I had someone use my first need deluxe and break the handle. Got to be careful, that's all. if you have to push down on the handle too hard, maybe you need to flush the filter.

My personal opinion or let's say speaking out of experience is. I rather save pack weight on everything else, but not on the waterfilter. I may share a filter with someone, but if I depend on my waterfilter, I ain't taking the mini with me. For me it's a time waster. If I don't take the first need or my PUR, I rather take a coffee filter and Aquamira.

oh and btw: women on this board do know about gear and backpacking. *grins*
last edited: 10/01/05 11:52:55 AM”

“yupp...checked my mini instructions. you can have the charcol "problem" which isnt' really a problem.

should be tasteless thou. I don't understand the pesticide smell.”

“"Getting a charge out of backpacking"

Peter Weiss


A backpack enhanced with springs, gears, and a generator converts the up-and-down motions of the wearer into enough electricity to power portable electronic gadgets.


References:

Kuo, A.D. 2005. Harvesting energy by improving the economy of human walking. Science 309(Sept. 9):1686-1687.

Rome, L.C., et al. 2005. Generating electricity while walking with loads. Science 309(Sept. 9):1725-1728.


Further Readings:

A version of this article written for younger readers is available at Science News for Kids:

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20051005/Note3.asp





last edited: 10/01/05 8:16:37 PM”

“Micro Puff Pullover - by Patagonia - $109 (good deal)



http://www.mgear.com/pages/product/product.asp/CMP/KNC-97950/cmpn/97950/store/MG/item/102726

I have the vest and I love it. It is very warm and the weight to loft ratio is excellent. It makes an excellent layer in any layering clothing system. I have wanted the jacket for years. This is a fair enough price that I'll pop for it.”

“

Coghlan's Fuel Tablets (Hexamine fuel) - 24 tablets. - $2.17!

Note these are each 1/2 the size of an Esbit tablet so you are getting the same amount of fuel as you would if you bought 12 Esbit tablets. I break Esbit tablets in half sometimes so actually this is easier for me.

I have no idea why they are so cheap. I have burned the Coghlan's tablets before and they work about as well as the Esbit tablets. They generally cost more than this. I ordered a few packs so I can report in when I know if they are any good.

I know a lot of people don't like hexamine fuel, but for those that do this might be a really good deal for you... a chance to stock up.

http://campingsurvival.com/fueltablets.html
last edited: 10/04/05 2:27:40 PM”