A lot of bits and pieces to cover that don't all fit into nice neat categories. The most important of which is perhaps my water system. I'll be taking a 4L Platypus Gravityworks filter. It works really quickly and easily. It can also filter directly into a water bladder. I think I'll be taking my 2L Osprey bladder but it might get ditched along the way, and will be supplemented by the odd water bottle. For backup, I can boil water; but I will also probably take a few droplets of bleach or similar - which can be used to clean the Platypus as needed. I also have a Sawyer Squeeze Mini. In general, most people recommend just getting the normal size instead of the mini but it might be worthwhile to have a back-up filter.
To boil my water I of course need a cooker. I have the Primus Omnilite. By changing the nozzle to one of three different sizes, I can burn just about anything liquid or gas. For preference I'll either burn gas for the cleanest and easier burning but potentially clunky fuel storage; or the cleanest liquid I fuel I can get as I go along. With gas, one canister is pretty easy to take with me; but if it runs low I need to take a second and that starts getting bulky. There are also concerns with just how recyclable those canisters are anyway. Liquid is dirtier - how dirty exactly depends on the liquid - to burn but the recycling is very easy; and I can easily see how much or how little fuel I have. It'll be a tough choice but not one I have to make just yet. Most people go with gas though.
For when I've finished with my food, I'm packing the Deuce Of Spades. It's a very lightweight trowel - coming n at 17g - that's still rather durable. It isn't the most comfortable to hold in the hand but it is very light and much easier to dig catholes with than using my hiking poles or a random stick I find on the ground. Easily worth the weight.
About those hiking poles then. Leki mico vario carbon are one of the lightest set of poles on the market. When I bought them, they were the second lightest collapsible option. A foam grip keeps them from getting slick and icky with sweat. Carbon makes them incredibly lightweight and pretty durable in compression terms. I have heard horror stories at lateral forces snapping them like twigs though.... I could go for even lighter poles if I had non-adjustable ones, but those are a nightmare to get from A to B. Besides, sometimes I want them a little shorter or a little longer for long uphills and downhills.
What else is there?
Footware.
So this is an important one and I've been saving it for last for a reason. Sometimes shoes / boots are counted in the Big Three/Four with good reason. A lot of thruhikers these days are opting for lightweight, low durability, quick drying trail runners. I may yet join those ranks, but for now I am sticking with the tried and true pair of trusty boots. They protect my feet, give my ankles support, look cool, and crush things unde- give me good grip in poor conditions like snow and mud. My current pair are Lowa Renegade GTX Mid Boots. They're not the stiffest, they're not the most flexible, they're not the most anything. They're a very nice happy all rounder. I've had my pair for a while and they're still holding true, but I don't expect them to last me the whole trail. I don't know if they'll even get me half way. That's to be expected, most people go through two or three pairs at least, as far as I can tell. As I ramble further and further through the mountains I might swap them out for something different, but for now they're my very second-favourite pair of boots.
My first-favourite are an older pair of Scarpa Manta boots that I've a sentimental attachment for - they're from my first proper hike abroad; but they're far too firm, too big and too clunky for this trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment