Thursday, October 2, 2014

Gear to replace

I like my lists, as you may (or may not) have noticed.  Following my Uintas hike, I've now made a smaller list of gear that I need to replace, either because I did the Uintas hike without it, or because I did the Uintas hike with it and it didn't work as well as I'd hoped.  Next summer--most likely, Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho with a friend of mine and some of his teenaged boys.  I'll take my son with me, who'll be just shy of 14 years old by then; perfect age and size (presumably) to carry a real, full-sized backpack and gear.  Of course, we'll be able to share some stuff--tent, stove, etc. but he'll need to shoulder nearly a full load of stuff just for him.

Need to be replaced

  • Shoes.  I don't really want to go back into the mountains without mid-height shoes.  Besides, by nearly a year from now, my existing shoes will have significantly more wear and tear on them.  Right now, probably looking at some Keen or Merrell $100 light hikers like the Moab Ventilator or the Kovens.  If I'm OK spending a few bucks more, I might have a look at either some New Balance 703s or the Cabela's XPG Hikers.
  • Sleeping bag.  The bag I had was too light.  Wasn't warm enough.  I need to pick up something like a Kelty Cosmic Down bag.
  • Camera.  I didn't like the camera I used at all.  I need a new one, or to at least bring one of our newer, better ones when I go.  I'd like to have my own backpacking camera ideally, though.
  • Compass.  My compass got eaten/dissolved by a leaky DEET bottle.  These are cheap, though.
  • Permethrin.  I'll need to retreat my clothes.  My existing treatment's probably already worn off, or will be shortly.
  • Map.  Needless to say, my Wasatch and Uintas maps won't be much use in the Sawtooth Mountains.
Would LIKE to replace... but don't need to
  • Stove.  I don't have one.  If I plan on cooking anything without mooching off the stove of my friend, I'll need to pick up a JetBoil Zip Cooking system.  This also includes a fuel canister (sold separately) of course.
  • A lighter and some kind of scrubbing pad.  Cheap.  No biggie.
  • Pillow.  I was quite uncomfortable.  Inflatable pillows ain't cheap, though--the Exped Air Pillow is $40 bucks; $50 for the size I'd rather take.
  • Tent.  Although I wasn't unhappy with my tent, really... I'd still love to get something like a Eureka Midori 2, or the Cabela's XPG 2-person.  Probably won't, though.  Too much money.  I do still need to outfit my son too, after all.

4 comments:

  1. On second thought; rather than replacing my sleeping bag entirely, I might just end up getting a fleece liner to stick in it. That'll take a bit more room, but still be as small and as light (and certainly much cheaper) than buying a whole new bag.

    Although I'm happy with my pack, I'm giving some serious thought to picking up an alternative, too. The Ula CDT, at $135, is catching my eye.

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  2. Saw an inflatable pillow in the camping section of Meijer for $10. I guess they can be cheap after all...

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  3. That sounds like fun for next summer. I've actually had a plan to go to Redfish Lake and Little Redfish for a few years now.

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  4. I'd actually like to come out your way and hike the San Francisco peaks one of these days. And the Grand Canyon.

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