Equipment that Just Works | Day 7 on the JMT

In my last post I talked generally about the equipment that I carried on the trail.  Today I’d like to review a few standout pieces of equipment.
Selecting ultra light equipment is unfortunately not as simple as going down to REI and picking out the one that fits best, works best or looks best.  Most ultra light equipment manufacturers sell only from their website and advertise only via modern day word of mouth.  It took me a long time researching this and that to finally determine what equipment i was going to use.  In order to save you some time here are my recommendations.

Backpack- Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus
Selecting the backpack was probably the single hardest decision.  The pack had to hold all of the other items and do it comfortably.  Additionally it had to withstand the abuse I was going to subject it to over three weeks and 230+ miles.  I read several reviews of the previous versions of this pack and it seemed with the 2009 version they had worked out all of the issues with the older versions.  As soon as the Mariposa Plus arrived I filled it up with its hiking load and was releived to find that not only would it carry all of my gear it would also carry a Wild Ideas Weekender inside!
On the trail the Mariposa plus was consistently comfortable with my typical load of ~24 lbs(including camera gear).  Molly and I each carried a bear canister.  We had one Wild Ideas Weekender and one Bear Vault BV 500.  The Bear Vault is more comfortable when carried in this pack due to its slightly smaller diameter.  If I were to d it again I would add 6 ounces and carry the Bear Vault.  I really liked the external mesh pockets, they were perfect for stuffing unused clothing layers for easy retrieval.
By the end of the hike there were a few spots in the main compartment fabric that had either suffered a puncture or abrasion damage.  The ripstop fabric was very effective at preventing the spread of damage.  The damaged sections did not impact the function of the pack in any way, however if it had rained the damage would have let water in.  Whe we returned home I emailed Gossamer Gear and told them about the damage, the replied quickly and said send it in.  Two weeks later I had the backpack back in my hands ready to use.  They had gone through the packs with a fine toothed comb and fixed every damaged location no matter how minor.  I was very impressed with their service.

Sleeping Bag- Montbell Ultra Light super Stretch #3
In my mind a sleeping bag is successful if it keeps you warm when it’s cold and lets you breathe when it’s not.  The Montbell Sleeping bag did that very well in my mind.  This bag squishes down into a package just slightly larger than a nalgene bottle and then fluffs up enough to keep you warm on a 30 degree F night.  I was cold one night during the trip.  That night Molly and I decided to sleep Just below trail crest on Mt Whitney at an elevation of 13,550 ft.  That night the temperatures got into the low 20′s or perhaps the teens, temperatures far below what the bag was designed for.  While I was cold I did not die and was able to sleep reasonably well.

Clothing-Merino Wool
I tried merino wool for the first time this trip and I am hooked for life.  There are several manufacturers of this stuff (I guess I mean processors as sheep are probably considered the manufacturers), but we got ours from Icebreaker.  There are many amazing things about merino wool but my favorite two are; a lack of odor and warmth even when wet.
We washed our clothes every three or four days but this did not prevent my Railriders Nylon shirt from becoming soo nasty that I refused to wear it on the last day.  The Icebreaker shirt in contrast never held an odor and never made me want to vomit.  If I were to do it again I would wear a very light weight Merino Wool shirt instead of the Railriders Eco Mesh shirt.

8-2-09
Heavy Day.
Today was scheduled to be an easy day and for the most part it was.  We slept in and did not get on the trail until 10:00 or so.  We had a light breakfast in anticipation of the big lunch ahead at Reds Meadow  We arrived at Reds Meadow right at noon and immediately checked on our resupply package.  Along with our package was a note from Dad and the $20 I had lent him for the bus after he lost his wallet.  He had found his wallet right where Mom said it was.  Lunch was good but maybe a little bit too much food.  I had a bacon cheeseburger and a chocolate malt it was yummy!  While at Reds Meadow we met a guy named “Boots” who was hiking portions of the JMT/PCT and taking pictures of everyone he met along the way.  He took pictures of me fixing up Molly’s blisters which were pretty bad today.  The Hike to our camp at Deer Creek was easy but my pack weighs more now than it has so far.  I look forward to eating some food and lightening the load a bit.  Deer Creek has tons of mosquitoes and this led us to have our first campfire.  The campfire was surprisingly  pleasant!  Tomorrow will likely be longer than scheduled.

Tagged as: Hiking, JMT, John Muir Trail, Reds Meadow