Following the Blue Blaze - Gear Review

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This is a brief description of some of the gear I used and how it performed.

Pack: GG Crown 60 – I bought this pack for one reason, because it is light, weighing only two lbs. It is also not that big which prevents me from stuffing in too many last minute items. It always seems if you have room you take along more stuff than you should. For this trip, I did buy a cap for it to store things like maps and the trail guide in to be able to access them without opening the main compartment. This pack doesn't have any secure external pockets. The pack functioned well even though I was carrying more than the recommended 30lb load. I was usually carrying between 35-40lbs. It could have a little longer shoulder strap as it cut into my chest at times.



Stove: Snow Peak LiteMax – this tiny stove performed perfectly during the trip. It doesn’t boil water super fast but was more than adequate. It also simmers which helps when cooking requires more than just boiling water. I burned two 8oz butane/propane fuel cells during my 19 days on the trail. I had hot meals every morning and evening on the trip. I noticed that the fuel burn rate was directly related to the temperature. On cold mornings, it would take much more fuel to boil water.



Hiking Poles – I would not go on a hiking trip without poles. They are vital for keeping your balance in bad footing, powering you up a steep hill and to take some stress off your knees and ankles when going downhill. I was surprised at how sore my arms were after hilly sections of the trail. When doing the wet crossing of the Encampment River, I would have gotten a lot wetter or would not have known if the rock I was going to step on was loose or not. They also provided some loft for my tarp the one time I used it.



Tent: Big Agnes Flying Squirrel 1 – this tent was a little bigger than the Marmot tent I have. The biggest differences are the spreader pole at the top that gives you plenty of head room and the rain fly comes closer to the ground. These features put this tent weight about a half pound more than the Marmot. It was nice to be able to sit up and have head room on rainy evenings and also not have to worry about rain blowing under the rain fly. The tent performed flawlessly on this trip.



Sleeping Bag: MontBell 30 degree goose down – I’ve had this bag for about seven years, buying it for a hiking trip to Wyoming in 2008. I’ve gotten lots of use out of it. It is warm down to about 25 degrees and the weight is around two pounds. You do have to make sure you dry it when you have a chance. It was an expensive bag but given the great performance and the many years I’ve gotten out of it, it was a good investment.



Sleeping Air Mattress: Thermarest NeoAir – this lightweight pad is comfortable and keeps you warm on chilly nights. I’ve had it for a couple years and am always afraid it will spring a leak. I was happy that it survived the trip. I was careful to check for sharp sticks and rocks when setting up the tent. The one downfall is that it makes noise when you are moving around at night. I tend to roll around a lot when I sleep so I warn any camp mates that it may be noisy. It was dubbed “Mr Crunchy” after a trip out west last summer when one of my trip mates set up too close to me.



AM/FM/Weather Radio: CCrane – I bought this radio prior to the trip to replace carrying separate weather and AM/FM radios. It performed very well and I got lots of use out of it. It was great to have daily weather reports to know if the rain gear should be on top in the pack or could be packed near the bottom. It was also nice to know how cold it may get overnight. I also got lots of entertainment from the AM/FM radio. I enjoy listening to the Twins on the trail and was able to find them after dark on AM, sometimes from stations as far away as Detriot and Cleveland. I was also able to listen to Sunday and Monday night football and some interesting programs on public radio.



Boots: Keen Targhee – this is one piece of gear that I have a hard time finding something that works well for me. I have small somewhat wide feet with a high arch. When I have a heavy pack on, it’s a lot of pounds per square inch on the soles of my feet. I think the mistake I made early in the trip was putting insoles inside my boots. I think they were the reason I got heel blisters. I used them because I wanted to have more cushion from the pounding of the trail. After I took them out, the blisters weren’t as bad. One piece of advice I got from Jon from Shakopee was when you feel any hot spots on your feet, cover them with duct tape. I taped my blisters every morning and that solved the problem. These boots are durable but I should have treated them with Sno-Seal and waterproof spray prior to the trip. In wet conditions, they soaked through fairly quickly.



Gaitors: these were very helpful in the muddy areas of the trail. They also kept my pants dryer on rainy days. This is another item I should have waterproofed prior to the trip. They did soak through on really wet days. They are also hot on the really warm days. The one day I didn’t wear them, my tan trail pants were muddy to the knees.



Nylon Tarp: I brought a tarp for those days when I needed a place to cook outside or to just hang out and not have to spend so much time in the tent. I only used it once on the trip and it proved worth carrying it. The weight is around a pound.

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Photos

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Pack: Granite Gear Crown 60

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Stove: Snow Peak MaxLite

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Tent: Big Agnes Flying Squirrel 1

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Drying out sleeping bag: Montbell 30 degree goose down

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Muddy gaiters and boots