Whoo Hoo....new gear!

“Just ordered Lowa Vertex boots from Northern Mountain Supply $60.00 below list and free fed ex shipping!”

“My new Eureka Spitfire just came! Wahooooo! 2lbs 12ozs! So much better than the four pounder that I have been carrying.

I was going to get the Spitfire UL, but after renting the Sierra Designs Lightyear and feeling pressed for space, I asked my friend to bring his tents to the Boy Scout meeting to set up so I could check them out. He brought his Tarptent Contrail and his Spitfire. I decided the space and the vestibule was worth the extra weight and got the Spitfire; it was nice the the price dropped down to $89. The Tarptent would be great for me for summer camping, but it bothered me that the fly did not extend to the ground. I also worried about the thinness of the floor fabric.”

“yeah and it's got that goofy exclamation point goin' for it too!”

“YEAH! IT DOES!!!!”

“Got my Thermo max 3/4 insulated pad, and SD Elevation jacket.....gonna try and get the Troop to want to go to North Ga in April!.”

“Sounds like fun to me”

“My Granite Gear Vapor Trail showed up, along with a pocket knife I bought. The VT is a medium. It's gonna be close if it actually fits. I'm going to load it up in the next day or so and see how it feels. Empty, it doesn't feel quite long enough.”

“Yes! My man Birch ordered me a new sleepy bag while I was at work yesterday! Finally get a new summer bag. WOOT!
Ended up getting it for a mere $93, instead of $179 w/ my 20% off coupon and the dividend.”

“Do tell, whatddya get?”

“With the impending sale of the house and all (knock on wood) I've been considering outfitting myself with an ultralight kit.

Dunno if I'm going to or not though.”

“Just do it. It's only money, right?

Are you British now?”

“I got the BA Horse Thief, 35°, 750 fill down. Thought about the Yampa at 40° and 650 fill but it weighs more.”

“Are you British now?

No, I have better teeth.”

“Good score then. Sass be liking the BA.

A BA Seedhouse 1 I was watching on ebay went for $90. It was down at $60 until a couple of hours before auction end. I was interested at $60, but not at $90. Still a good price.”

“Touche'. I've only heard the Brits use the phrase, "kit."

Speaking of, Reece has a little boy in his first grade class named Touche'.”

“This past weekend I scored a pair of Nike Gortex trail runners for $35 bucks at REI. Also picked up some Silnet, Waterproofer for my Asolos and a few silnylon stuff sacks”

“You shoe whore, didn't you just post some Montrails on another thread? WoundedDDX might be a better name for you.”

“I've been looking at those LaSportiva Orions and feeling like a shoe whore m'self!

In Transit: shorts from REI, B-ball cap and chocolate from Scharffen Berger.

(they've got gift baskets, too.....)”

“Ha Ha John! Actually, I ordered the wrong size shoe, so the Merrills will be going back.”

“knee, your dwr wore off on your asolo's? mine did... and i put on a fresh coat before the grand canyon. be sure to get the leather good and wet before you apply it so the stuff gets into the leather. otherwise i think it sits on the surface and just scuffs off or something. i washed and re-treated them when i got back and they look good as new, literally.

i put sno-seal on my leather boots, the north face. that stuff is the bomb but the asolos have suede which i don't thin sno-seal is really best for... prolly ruin it.”

“So get the boot wet first, then apply the stuff to the wet boot?

Also, I plan on appling the seam seal the the floor of my tent so the pad stays in one place. What is the ratio for seam seal to mineral spirits I need to use?”

“i soak the boot so the suede is saturated, then put the stuff on. this draws the dwr stuff into the boot... or so i figure based on the instructions.

for leather boots i put the boot in the oven on warm and then put sno-seal on them... as much as the leather will soak up.

i have used a 2:1 mineral spirits to silicone mixture with good results. if you want it thinner you can go 3:1. i wouldn't thin it more than 3:1. So for a 1 person tent perhaps 1 TBS of silicone and 2 TBS of mineral spirits would do the job if you were careful.
last edited: 3/27/07 10:16:08 AM”

“i wonder if you could put that stuff on the pad rather than on the tent? i just thought of this but have never tried it. i bet if you painted an "X" with this stuff on the bottom of the pad that would keep it from slipping.”

“I got new boots a while back and wore them the first time about a month ago. They are all leather. It was an offtrail trip and they got roughed up pretty good. Now they look like worn in boots which is good. I wiped them down with a wet rag to get the crap off and now they sort of have that dry leather look. I must admit, I've never owned good boots. How do I care for them? Do you normally use a leather conditioner after each trip? Any suggestions?”

“That is something I never thought of Jim. The pad I would be applying the mixture to is my 3/4 BA Air Core.

I am going to try it this evening. What is the worst that can happen?”

“i have nooooo idea.”

“Thermarest used to make a product called "Slip-Fix"... a 'rubberised aerosol' you might say (I think I still have half a can around here somewhere). I don't know why they quit making it, but it was pretty nasty stuff, only to be applied in a very well ventilated area... like outside... under a carport or in a garage with the door open on a windy day.

There should still be similar products on the market for applications like tennis racquet grips and the like... I haven't played tennis in a while. Let's see ---

http://www.nrcsports.com/html/tennis_grip_accessories_cart_8.html

http://www.muellersportsmed.com/retailgripenhancers.htm



and, of course.... Pine Tar!

http://www.cbssportsstore.com/sm-rawlings-pine-tar-spray--pi-12919.html”

“Do any of you use the TrailLight chair? I'm going to Philmont with a bunch of teenagers and am thinking about carrying one. Also, I heard there may be a lighter model made of Titanium.”

“You mean SlingLite?”

“Sorry, yes, Slinglite.”

“There are two SlingLite type chairs that I know of. The Crazy Creek version and the SlingLite version.
The true SlingLite is a fine very comfortable chair but pricey. The cheaper Crazy Creek slinglite is heavyer.
Both are awkward to pack, but some people here swear by them.
last edited: 3/29/07 4:02:02 PM”

“I put the Sil-Net on the bottom of the BA pad 2 nights ago. Inflated it first.

Checked it this morning and I have a leak! Rat Farts! Gotta do the bathtub test tonight or should I just buy a new one?

I was thinking about the full length mummy style BA Air core.”

“i did say i didntw knwo what it would do to the pad...n ow i know what it owuld do to the pad. obvouis design error”

“bathtub test that bad boy”

“I carried a Crazy Creek slinglite last summer at Philmont. No question that it was the right thing to do - when I wasn't in it one of the boys was. You won't regret the weight. I was pretty light on other stuff though.

Just scored an Arcteryx Alpha SL jacket and pants from REI. Almost as light as precip stuff but real Gortex.”

“Don't bathtub test it.... just buy another one and send the old one to me!!!! I'll give it a good home”

“I cannot find the bastard of a hole! I had the pad in the tub for 30 minutes and cannot find it. I know threr is a leak though.

I inflated it and it lost a bit in a night.”

“Just bought a brand new jetboil stove, with the extra 'companion cup' for 60 bucks!!!!!!!”

“I just place an order for a TT Contrail shelter. I'll try and give a short review on it after, I've set it up and seam sealed it?”

“Has anyone tried the MealGear bowls that just received an Editor's Choice award from Backpacker Magazine? They look perfect for a Philmont expedition but I cannot find any stores (online or otherwise) that carry them.”

“You gotta buy info....?

I thought marketing always gave that away free.

Sheesh hard times ahead.”

“WK, maybe the leak's in the valve? I still gotta test my BA aircore and see if I can find my leak. Been putting it off for almost a year now.

Picked up my Horse Thief today!! It is a sweet little bag. No more tight summer bags for me!

While I was at REI I spotted this dude and couldn't resist:


http://www.rei.com/product/742238
last edited: 4/04/07 12:18:39 PM”

“New Throlo socks as well as my red crocs came yesterday. I should be getting the new pad and my skirt soon.”

“sacco had a gorillapod up in PA last week - i really liked it and want one for meself now.

My best new gear was a wind shirt on clearance at REI - blocks wind and light rain very effectively, packs into the size of a tennis ball and weighs around 2 oz, with pit zips to boot. REI brand at 17 bucks on the clearance rack!”

“I got a camp seat for my thermarest pad with my dividend check.........weeeee....now i can sit in my tent all comfy..........”

“...betsie bay graflite greenlanderkayak paddle.



hopefully they will start making it in a few weeks.

...26 oz
last edited: 4/04/07 8:13:47 PM”

“Looks like an alien tourist taking pictures.”

“It's pretty nifty. Has a quick release so you just slide the tripod onto the camera, press a button and slide it back off.
Ab and I went to a zoo and couldn't find anyone to take our picture in the big wooden kangaroo w/ joey cutout. There was nothing to set the camera on and no one around. Now I can wrap that thing around the ostrich pen fence and get in the photo.
I think This thing is my most favorite new gear in a long time. Not only does it work really well, it's fun to fiddle with and only cost $22. I give it *****


Jim, Birch and I watched a guy smaller than me tow two giant women in a tandam kayak through two foot ocean waves with a greenland style paddle. It was impressive. Yours is very pretty.”

“Gotta delivery at work just now. BA air core full length mummy pad. Much heavier than the 3/4 length.

I need to find a way to cut at least 7 ounces now.

I should get my kilt tomorrow.”