1) First and foremost is the (drumroll please) Lightheart Gear Solo Tent! lightheartgear.com It has definately won it's place in our hearts. It is extremely light, uses our hiking poles to set it up, and is a snap to set up in all weather conditions. But best of all, it is a double wall tent, so we have had no condensation issues ever. The tent has never leaked in even the heaviest downpours. We both have enough room for ourselves, our backpacks and plenty of room at either end, or at the sides for wet clothes. The dog could even fit in if she were with us! It has plenty of head room to sit up in, we could play cards together in the solo. And if safety is ever an issue, we could both squeeze in for the night to keep each other warm. It would be cozy, but it would work.
The one drawback to this tent, is that it is not a freestanding tent, which Pocahontas definately wanted. It has to be staked down, but in most places that is not a problem. We will let you know if we encouter stake slippage. The pros very much outweigh the cons on this piece of equipment. We can't really say enough good things about it, but we'll try. Judy Gross, who makes this particular item is a pleasure to do business with, and was very quick to get our tents to us just a few days before a backpacking trip. Another plus is that it is made in the USA.
2) Jetboil Sol Ti .JetBoil.com We were first introduced to the Jetboil while we were doing trail angeling this last year at Panther Creek in Washington. A hiker named Lunchbox got to talking with us as he was preparing his meal with a jetboil. We had been under the impression that a sufficient amount of food would never fit into a jetboil. We soon discovered we were mistaken. Lunchbox put a whole package of Top Ramen into it, along with some other noodles. We were immediately impressed with that, and then even more impressed by the quick time of actually bringing the water to a boil, and then cooking the food. In just a few months, we had our own Jetboils. You know the old saying a watched pot never boils, well, with a watched Jetboil it boils before you can even blink. (Almost) It is that fast. And since it is titanuim, it is also very light. A definate plus along a fire ravaged trail, is the fact that the jetboil flame is well encased, and we have no qualms that we might start a fire with this stove as we cook. As long as we don't set it down into the pines needles we should be good to go. We discarded the bottom cup and the fuel cannister stabilizer, it doesn't need those things on a long trail.
We will be cooking in style!
3) Dirty Girl Gaiters dirtygirlgaiters.com We both have two pairs of these gaiters. Who wouldn't, with all the color and design choices there are on the website. These gaiters are very light weight, easy to put on and take off, and have just the right amount of coverage that any long distance hiker needs. They cover the shoe and come to just above the ankles, the ideal amount of coverage to keep out dirt and small debris. They adhere to our shoes with velcro, we have attached our velcro to our shoes with Gorilla Glue. Men and women can both wear these with style, and there are a lot out on the trails. We also have a third pair that was given to us by another trail angel friend, Lost and Found, for our 23rd wedding anniversary. She actually sewed these herself, and Pocahontas will be wearing these for the first section of our hike.
4) MSR Sweetwater Water Filter http://cascadedesigns.com/MSR/Water-Treatment-And-Hydration/Basecamp-Water-Treatment-And-Hydration/SweetWater-Microfilter/product This product is worth it's weight in gold. We used this on our '99 hike, and never once got sick on any waterborne parasite. This filters out 99.9% of waterborne protazoan parasites such as Giradia and bacteria. We especially love how fast this little filter can get us good clean drinking water. We can lower the tube into almost any amount of water, and come away with great water in just a few minutes. So whether our water source is a rushing creek or a stagnant horse trough, we have the ability to get clean water.
The only drawback is that the filter inside can become clogged, and when it does, the water just squirts back at us. After a quick cleaning with a brush out in the field, it is as good as new. A new filter is good for at least 800 miles with good care and cleaning. We definately don't mind that at all.
5) The last piece we will review for now is our hiking shoes, the Merrell Moab Ventalator. http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/12006M/60953/Mens/Moab-Ventilator We both use these shoes. Merrell's just seem to adhere to our feet the best of all the brands we have tried. (We have tried quite a few) They are super comfortable to us, and we wear them everywhere. We work in them, hike in them, and play in them. The only place we haven't worn them is church! There really isn't any drawback to these shoes, except maybe the price, but we usually find them on sale at REI or Dicks, so that isn't so bad anyway. These shoes have great traction, and are sturdy enough to weather the rigors of the long trail, but not so heavy that they become burdensome over time. These shoes take us places, they are the workhorse for our long hike. We can't guarantee no blisters for the first month or so, but these shoes should lessen our chances.
And speaking of our favorite things, REI REI.com, is right up there at top with all these other things. There is an REI about an hours drive away in either direction (North to South) from us, and we get most of our equipment from them. They stand behind everything they sell, and if it breaks or we just don't need it once we buy it, they will replace it or take it back, no questions asked. It's easy squeezy and they are always pleasant and always ready to hear about our dreams and adventures. So we want to thank REI, but PLEASE, put a store in Salem, Oregon!!!!
So now onto our favorite pictures describing Thru-hiking. We have seen this on many hiker journals, so we wanted to add it to ours also. We hope it makes you laugh as much as it does us.
I love it! Especially the last photo blip! How true!!
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