My Gear Favs

Here are some of Blissful Hiking's favorite gear picks - I love this stuff...

As I tell others, some collect shoes and what-have-you - I collect gear!
(And I've got a series of great adventures on our National Scenic Trails!) 


Sea to Summit Ether Light Insulated Sleep Pad - Check out a full review of it on SectionHiker. Nice pad, very comfy, sleeps a bit cold though compared to Neoair X Lite in my opinion.

The Evernew water bottle. Compatible with the Sawyer squeeze filter (see below which has blown out my Platypus and a substitution for the Sawyer bags which also fail. Bombproof, works great.

Socks are a hiker's best friend, and it might as well be a pair that works great and lasts forever. Hence our fav pick is Darn Tough. They are pricey but a high-quality sock with an unlimited guarantee to boot. In fact, they dare you to wear out their socks! Pretty cool.

Assorted cuben fiber stuff sacks. Waterproof, durable, great for adding protection in your backpack or for keeping sleeping bags and clothes dry. We have used them in all shapes and sizes (they make a good hiker wallet too). The thicker the material, the more durable Z Packs has a great selection. Cuben fiber (now referred to as Dyneema) has also been used in ultralight tents and backpacks as well (but they are pricey).
Other gear websites: Mountain Laurel Designs, Hyperlite Mountain Gear

Basic rain gear is a must in a hiker's backpack. If only out for short jaunts, Frogg Toggs makes an ultralight and cheap means to stay dry with a jacket and pants for around $30 bucks (though be warned, they are NOT durable for lengthy ventures). We find the jacket also provides good warmth in windy weather. Another fav is the rain kilt or rain wrap that does a great job of protecting without the need for cumbersome and hot rain pants.
Some gear shops for a rain kilt:
Lightheart Gear,  ULA

The Sawyer Filter -  a fav for Appalachian Trail adventures. We use the bigger model that filters water much quicker than its smaller mini model for a mere ounce or two more (though some like to have the smaller Sawyer mini filter attached to a Smartwater bottle for quick drinking).

Of all the eating utensils, the simple titanium spoon is our fav. Unlike the Light My Fire sporks that seem to break on a whim (and we've gone through many), This has been on dozens of trips and remains tried and true (gets out gooey stuff like PB from a jar without breaking), and good also for scraping away food while cleaning the pot, too.

National Scenic Trail Adventures - for the Wanderer in All of Us!

To a backpacker who dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail or just someone who wants to read a tale of adventure, especially with a mom and son, this one-of-a-kind book covers the trail north and south, including ideas from a teen son hiking with his mom, a solo adventure, and the spiritual aspects gleaned on a long distance adventure! Endorsed by long-distance hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis. Available on Kindle or paperback.

ORDER

So what's it like doing a long-distance hike in Florida of all places, among the palms and palmettos, and yeah, the gators, cotton mouths, and other critters? Check out Gators, Guts, and Glory! An adventure on the wild side!


ORDER

Staying Warm at Night While Backpacking

Winter is upon us. But you can still get a good night's sleep with a little planning. 

Here are some tips to staying warm at  night while out in the wild.

1. Sleep in a tent rather than an open shelter, lean-to, or “cowboy” camping. A tent can increase the temperature and provide more warmth.
2. Choose your tent site wisely. Avoid camping near bodies of water and open spaces such as grass that invite condensation (which can turn to frost inside your tent on a cold night), dampness and a chillier night's sleep.  Seek out areas out of wind and under what foliage there is (like pines or rhododendron for example). 
3. Make sure you have a good sleeping bag. Not all bags and their ratings are equal. Check the fill of the bag and the bag’s reviews with regards to how well it’s insulating properties matches the temperature rating it gives. Choose a brand name sleeping bag with a good track record. Don’t skimp on a good quality bag. Take along  a sleeping liner also to better the sleeping bag’s rating, such a silk liner (which weighs little but can extend upwards of nine degrees to the sleeping bag rating – thus a 20 degree bag can work better in temps in the high teens)
4. I have used a hand warmer in the past inside a sleeping bag to help, but they must be used with care as they can get quite hot and could cause discomfort and sometimes even burns if used improperly. Others suggest a platypus bottle filled with hot water to warm a sleeping bag, but I hesitate having liquid in a bag on the chance something could leak - then you'd be in trouble. 
5. Use a good sleeping pad. The R-value of the pad is important.  Taken from the REI web site – “Insulation is measured according to its capacity to resist (that's the "R") heat flow. The higher a pad's R-value, the better you can expect it to insulate you from cold surfaces.”  
6. Be sure you eat a warm snack before bed and keep up your fluid intake. This adds more fuel to the fire in your body, so to speak, and will keep you warmer. 
7. Wear a good insulating layer to bed such as a merino wool baselayer (but don’t overdress!) and wear a hat to bed. 
8. Also, if you carry electronics and battery-operated devices, be sure the batteries and electronics “go to bed” with you. They will stay charged a lot longer if kept warm. I have been known also to sleep with my headlamp.  

Making a List and Checking it Twice

At a speaking event at REI Richmond with my gear display

The holidays are upon us and so, too, are those great long distance hikes planned for next year. I thought I’d go ahead and post my typical gear list for a March start in the south along the Appalachian Trail and then some places that have done me well in purchasing gear.

Packing

ULA catalyst

Sil nylon or Sea to Summit pack cover

Garbage compactor bag to line it

Shelter

MSR Hubba with four stakes

Piece of tyvek for groundcover

Small amt of cord for tying off

2 small lightweight towels (one personal, one to dry off shelter)

Sleeping & Comfort

15 degree Montbell down bag (in ultralight compression bag)

Cocoon silk liner

Thermarest Neoair regular pad

Gossamer Gear thin pad

2 small cocoon pillows (luxury item)

z-rest seat pad

Cooking and water

Snowpeak litemax titanium stove and fuel canister

Lighter with book of matches as backup

Snowpeak titanium trek 700 cook pot

Lexan spoon

Pot cozy

Small cup

Sil nylon bag to store

Sea to summit waterproof food bag and 50 feet of cord

3 liter platypus bottle and cap for camp water

1 liter bottle

1 aqua fina bottle

Aqua mira to treat

Clothing (for a March start)

Hiking: long sleeve smartwool top, 1 t-shirt, one fleece pullover, pair convertible pants, sports bra, wind shirt

Three pairs of socks

Trail runners, Crocs

Three pair wicking underwear, one pair of cotton for sleep

Camp: midweight fleece pants, smartwool top, down jacket

Cuben fiber bag to store

Gloves

Hat

Precip rain jacket

Precip rain pants

Other (use Ziplocs for storage)

Eyeglass case, Ear plugs

Toilet paper, Baby wipes, (women – supply of tampons, few lightday pads, etc)

Chapstick, first aid kit, medicines

Bandana

DEET in season

Whistle

Maps and guidebook section, small Bible, small journal and pen

Trail “wallet” of credit card, debit card, medical card, some cash, license

Cell phone, charger

Camera (uses batteries), SD card, case

Headlamp

Mp3 player

Few extra batteries

Hiking Poles

Places to Buy Gear

Known trail outfitters (I like Rockfish Gap Outfitters in Waynesboro but there are many scattered along the trail corridor. You can get a few items at Dicks, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shop, etc but they will only have the small stuff if anything)

Campmor

Backcountry.com

REI

Altrec

Steep and Cheap

O2 Gear Shop

SierraTrading Post

Special places for other gear (like ULA, Gossamer Gear, Thru Hiker to make your own gear, Mountain Laurel Designs for cuben fiber products)

AppalachianTrail Conservancy for maps (map special going on now through December)

ALDHA – for guidebook

AT Guide – for guidebook

Calling On Gear - The Sleep System to Start a Hike

Okay, so what DO you bring for a sleeping bag and sleeping pad when starting a Southbound (SOBO) in late June or July? Or Northbound (NOBO) in early March?

One thing about the AT you need to know. One must be prepared for the unexpected. Unexpected temperature changes. Precipitation, anywhere from snow and sleet in March NOBO to sleet, hail, and t-storms SOBO. I have seen many hikers on forums ask for the “averages.” Well, you can get some idea of basic averages from data. But after enduring record snowfalls in 2010 to drought in New England, to record warmth in the 100 mile wilderness of Maine to snowfall on Easter Sunday in April of 2007, you need to prepare for anything and everything. And so I begin with the all important sleep system.

Southbound

Take note - you will be entering above treeline early. While NOBOS do not have to contend with it until much, much later in their hike, SOBOS encounter it in the first few weeks. Although they are hiking it in summer, one can still face high winds, temperature extremes, and all kinds of weather. So I started my SOBO with a 25 degree bag (for me it was the synthetic Marmot pounder plus left over from my ’07 hike. Sadly I see the model is no longer available online). Of course I then faced one of the hottest summers in the 100 mile wilderness in Maine. Was I upset I went with a 25 degree stet-up? No, because later on, when I did hit the elevations of the Mahoosucs and the White Mountains, I was ready for the changes. And I was comfortable. Later on when I hit the southern Appalachians in October I switched to my Montbell Hugger 15 degree down bag which worked out perfectly.

Northbound

Starting in March at Springer, you are technically still in the winter season. Yes, even if the temps are a mild 60 degrees on Springer (which it was for us in ‘07), nature has a way of catching up. While we enjoyed 70 degrees in the Smokies in mid March, last year the hikers endured 3 foot snow drifts. And while the hikers last year had gorgeous April weather to make some miles, I had snow and the teens in ’07 near Erwin, TN. I went with a 15 degree bag to start and a silk liner. I took synthetic back then but I now use the Montbell 15 degree down hugger (just recently replaced with their spiral model). It offers water repellency with coziness, plenty of give, and decent temperature ratings. And it compresses nicely in a Granite Gear compression sack (I used a Granite Gear Air Bloc solid stuff sack for my sleeping bag on my SOBO, see the picture below). You can go with a cheaper bag, but you pay the price of a model that does not always live up to its temperature ratings and functionality. And a comfortable sleep makes you ready to

hit the trail, at least that’s the way I look at it. So invest, dig into your wallet and plunk down the $$$ for a good sleeping bag.

On Sleeping pads. I also did a major switch last year with my pad. Being a side sleeper, I could never endure the feel of the z rest or other thin foam pads that the younger generation handles so well. For my NOBO ‘07 hike, I went with the Big Agnes insulated air core. It did well with colder temps. But after a few months, it began losing air and needed to be replaced. And I did seem to toss and turn a lot on it. Not certain why. Until last summer for my SOBO when I

switched to the new Thermarest neoair. It may be the way the tubing is constructed (in the neoair it is horizontal rather than vertical tubes compared to the air core), but the horizontal structure made for a more comfortable sleep, especially on my side. It is also much lighter than the BA pad. But I did take care of it after hearing reports of people tearing their pads. I never used it outside on rocks or used it as a seat pad (I saw some do that on the trail). I bought a Gossamer Gear thin pad to put under it for added insulation to protect it from the ground. Yes, I cared for it, and it took care of me for many months, nearly the entire SOBO journey. That’s pretty good for a pad.

You will hear all kinds of suggestions on bags. Just be sure you go with a well known name brand, the temperature rating right for your start, and a bag that will fit your dimensions. And get a pad that will work for you. A good night’s sleep means a good hike with less chance of injury because you won’t make mistakes. And a good hike means good memories.