Im going to list a few things which I am currently thinking about getting. Could you guys give some useful feedback on these items. and tell me which ones you thought were well worth the money??
Lekis?
Sleeping Pad?
Gators?
Frog Togs?
Katadyn Water Filter?
1GB Mp3 Player with FM and Disposable Batteries?
Headlamp??
Some Pros and Cons would be awesome
Hammock PhD
Leki’s - have them and use them every time. Would not leave home without them.
Sleeping Pad - used a closed cell foam one first, and went to a Prolite 3 (I think) inflatible . Heavier, but I sleep better so worth it to me.
Gator’s - have thought about it, tried them on, but have never hiked with them. I am wondering if I should and will be interested in other’s response on them.
Frogg Toggs - Have a full set and bring the jacket every year and use it regularly for warmth. I only use a rain jacket if it’s raining VERY hard (because I sweat and get wet anyway), or if it’s cold. Stopped bringing the pants. (NOTE: I typically hike between late April and the middle of June - 175 mile section, not a thru)
Katadyn Filter - use it every year, think about using something else (tablets, whatever) but have not made the switch.
Music Player capability - never have, probably never will. I have a light radio with AM/FM and short wave capability but only took it with me once. Not important to me.
Headlamp - have one, bring it/use it every time.
Hope this helps.
CBiscuit
CBiscuit
My choices:
Poles: Love 'em. Save my knees, get arms into the act while climbing.
Pad: Yes. I wouldn’t even call this optional.
Gaiters: Yes. Low stretchy breathables, just for keeping crap out of my boots.
Frogg Toggs: Too hot. Poncho, or vented GTX jacket for winter. Rain hat. Poncho is also pack cover and sometimes tarp.
Water Filter: Too heavy for one person. Aqua Mira (chemical treatment). Filters are okay if shared.
Music/Radio: Never.
Headlamp: Tiny one (Ion/Aurora/Photon stuck to a hat with a little velcro). I only use my big headlamp for SAR.
jaywalke
I never thought to use poles until I couldn’t walk from knee pain- now they are a must. Plus, like Jaywalke said, they work the arms pretty good. I use a sleeping pad because my hips go numb so I think it’s worth the weight. I use an insulmat that I have to blow up myself- I get made fun of because it looks like a big red raft. I also caryy a filter (Katadyn hiker) which I am happy with. I used to have a Sweetwater and it sucked! I never carry rain gear- I love hiking in the rain and I’d rather get wet (it’s like a shower). The only other thing I bring from your list is a headlamp. I am a slow hiker and sometimes get in late and I also like to journal at night so I like having the headlamp. Happy shopping!
Teach:nerd
Teach
Leki poles are a great item to purchase and I used mine every single day. I also used the Thermarest foam…z-lite. The headlamp that I used was an Aurora. I consider the headlamp a necessary item. Have fun shopping!
Ladybug
Ladybug
You’ll have thrown them away after the Whites. Even die hard Leki fans will have to admit that they can be a hinderance sometimes. One Leki or a solid staff is another option you might consider, that leaves one hand free to grab roots, find hand holds and swing from tree’s (I’m being serious). I just made my own staff from a downed birch branch after years using Leki’s, then going to using just one, now I love the staff. Solid, versitile, hard wearing and nice to look at. Just my opinion though.
Cheers
Cheers
Leki’s/Poles = yes, unless you are one of those lucky ones with super knees and balance
Pad - go minimal, a Zrest goes a long way
Gators - depends on where you are hiking, but mostly no
Katadyn filter - no. Try PolarPure, one bottle will last the whole AT trip, weighs about 2oz.
MP3 player - no
Frogg Toggs - no, never ownen 'em but have heard of the tearing issue too often. A Marmot Precip, or other rain jacket is all you really need, maybe cheap REI rain pants depending on where you are too.
Headlamp - yes. Look for lighweight models with AAA batteries, you don’t need to be spotting deer out there, enough to cook, read, bathroom after dark.
Your basic hiking gear is a personal decision, and you will refine what suits you over time and hikes. TJ is a great place to ask questions about gear, somebody here will always have had expereince with it to give an opinion.
-xtn :boy
airferret
I carry ONE leki 'Sport Trekker" pole to hold up my Sil Nylon tent.It has a fat wooden handle,I’am trying to find someone with a lath to cut the handle down.I really hate Lekis;I cant stand to hear someone hiking with two poles and hearing the metal tips hitting the rocks.I may throw mine away and cut a light weight branch to hold up the tent.
I use a closed cell sleeping pad from 'Only the lightest"it weight is about 7.5 oz.
My raingear is a "Wild Things"jacket w/hood.I used to carry silnylon pants but found they were too warm.I do carry them if I think I may get into a situation where Hypothermia could be a problem.
I never carry a headlamp.I use a “Photon Light”.I dont keep a journal and only use mine when I have to go to the Potty at night.
My filtration system is a Bota Bottle.It’s just a water bottle with a filter at the neck.Its been ok but I think I may just chuck it and use Aqua Mira .
I keep experimenting and hope to reach Backpacking Weight Nervana someday.
Old&In The Way
Since this question got posted twice and everyone else is using this file, I’m moving my other post to this grouping:
Lekis=4WD for the legs/feet IMHO. I’m addicted.
Sleeping pads are something you’ll want. You can go basic with a Ridgerest or Z-Rest, or you can add some comfort and warmth with a ThermaRest (many variations in thickness/weights). But most hikers use some kind of sleeping pad.
Gaiters? Not necessary but most hikers use 'em and must be for a good reason.
Frog Togs? No personal experience but I know of hikers who’ve used 'em as camp clothes and like 'em. They are not very durable, so you have to be careful with how you treat 'em.
Water filter: I prefer the MSR Miniworks because it’s idiot-proof, field-cleanable/repairable, and when it’s clean filters faster than the Katadyn I used once. It is heavier by a few ounces and bulkier tho.
MP3 Player: Somehow I’ve gotten thru life so far without this technology, so I’m not one to help on this.
Headlamp: Absolutely. Petzl makes some great lightweight models that have optional brightness options. You may want to also consider a second backup light source–something minimalist–for use when/if your main source dies. This is especially helpful if your light dies while night-hiking, as I experienced on a cloudy, foggy, moonless night last September.
Skyline
Lekis - yes. I enjoy my Leki Air Ergo Ti’s.
Sleeping Pad - yes. I enjoy my Prolite 4 short.
Gators - no.
Frog Togs - no. I went with a Marmot Precip jacket.
Katadyn Water Filter - no. I went with Aqua Mira.
1GB Mp3 Player with FM and Disposable Batteries - yes. The Iriver 799 is a 1 gb w/ radio and uses 1 AA battery… sells for $160 on Ebay.
Headlamp - yes. I love my Tikka.
guru
Just a friendly reminder that wooden sticks are always a viable option, but you don’t get to advertise for them as much like factory poles unless you keep telling people that you’re going hiking “in the woods”.
Tha Wookie
where did you get that misinformation that no one uses Leki’s past the Whites… actually I used them more. tHEY ARE FANTASTIC FOR GOING DOWN STEEP GRADES… Frogg Toggs do not tear easy. I still have my original pair from 2,000… one full thru hike, and two shorter hikes (1,200 miles and 1,600 miles) plus I used them on several short week to two week trips.
Aswah
aswah
I personally think people put way toomuch emphasis on the weight they carry thru hikers, or hiking in general. I think instead of focusing on numbers you should focus on enjoying yourself… and if that is going ultralight than so ne it. But if you like to listen to music than by all means carry an MP3 player, etc.
Lekis- I personally would not leave home without them. Long story short I got nailed by an 18 wheeler on my motor cycle. They give me support when at times my ankle hurts. Plus I tarp and use them as supports. Even people without two steel rods in one leg and a satelite dish of screws and fasteners in their hip get to like hiking with their leki’s. The shock absorbers in Leki’s make them preferable to a stick in my opinion. It’s funny, when you finally get used to walking with Lekis you simply cannot walk without them. They do take a lot of pressure off your joints and in my humbled opinion are must haves on hiking trips. I also like they for providing stability thru river crossing or other areas with treacherous footing.
Sleeping Pad? I use a therma rest. Tried other types. I like this. This is worth while weight in my opinion. Why suffer for five or six months. I know people who just slept on the ground. Great. I am not one of those people.
Gators? I personally found them to be too hot for my feet. I never really ever had a problem with stuff getting in my shoes. I did try uses panty hose cut down to the size on gators. They did work but only lasted for a short time and weren’t worth the cost.
Frogg Toggs? Very lightweight and work fantastic. I have a pair with over 5,000 miles of trail on them. No rips, the jacket has finally ceased being waterproff. The truth is I only used the pants when it was very cold. That means the very beginning of the trail and I never wore the jacket from the middle of Virginia to New York. Rain feels great when it is warm summer rain. No rain coat, gortex or otherwise is waterproof. They are shades of water proof. If you are active and walk up a mountain in a driving rain storm than you will be wet…
Katadyn Water Filter? I personally do not filter. I recommend you go with your gut instincts on this one. There have been numerous threads on water. Read everyone’s opinions and formulate your own thoughts.
1GB Mp3 Player with FM and Disposable Batteries? I used a Frontier Labs Nex ia mp3 player and would never dream of hiking without one. I do know that battery life on the Nex ia is signifiantly shortened when using the 1 gig disks versus the .5 gig disks. Apparently there is a little motor in the larger one that drains battery usage. Be very wary of manufacturers claims of battery life. They all lie. IPOD lost a court battle yesterday because thhere batteries only last 4 hour average instead of the 10 they boast. They offered every single ipod user a fifty dollar check yesterday. Be careful to keep moisture and dirt out of your mp3. I used two ziplocks with those drying packets in the inside one. My mp3 player had a great remote attached to the headphone that let you move around on your disk, increase/decrease volume etc. Plus with one set of fresh batteries (mine took two) in the player and one extra set I never ever ran out of batteries.
Headlamp?? I used one. I have tried numerous models and prefer the heavier Princeton Techs. I like to read for hours every night and found both the light too be better than the newer LED ones. I also liked the fact that I could easily adjust the direction of light better than some other light weight models.
In my humbled opinion, and with respect to ultra lighters, hiking is not a race. Fine, if you measure life’s successes by a number than going ultra light is great. I personally measure life by my experiences. I had many wonderful moments on the AT this last year carrying packages of olives, cheese fondue, sour dough bread and bottles of wine up mountain tops to watch the sunset with Lisa. I liked listening to NPR in the morning and drawing in journals. To me I was not interested in walking 20 to 30 miles every day. That is not how I derive my enjoyment while hiking.
I have hiked both ultra light and ultra heavy. I have found a mixing of both techniques works great for me. For instance, I carry a bottle of wine, but it is in a plastic soda bottle. I no longer carry 160 crayons, but fifty. Follow your own path and be an independant person. Do what works for you and have fun…
aswah
Hey,
PACK-WEIGHT is overrated!!! As for all that other stuff consult your local outfitter. Leki’s can transfer weight from your back to your poles, so why wouldn’t you ultra lighters want to go even lighter. We had a saying back in the eighty’s …better life, thru better chemistry…its not just a drug reference. Hey opinions are like…you know, we all got one. So just hike. And always “Treat Your Water Like Its Good”.
Keep Smilin’
RT
Rocky Top
Well put, Aswah… I was unable to articulate it although I feel the same…
-xtn :cheers (…and still hung over a bit)
airferret
I have a pair of Komperdell P3’s that I use. I got them off the dump (free) because the adjusters were cracked. A little melting with a soldering iron and they’re like new. Personally I wouldn’t leave home without them, they’ve saved me from some very nasty falls, especially when I’m tired at the end of the day. I also use them a lot when hiking in the Whites, which I do a lot. 21.1 ounces for the pair, which is only 10.5 ounces per hand.
My sleeping pad is a Thermarest Guidelite that I also found on the dump. It needed a hole repaired, but $5.95 later and I was sleeping in comfort. I’ve tried the foam pads and they’re just not thick enough for me. Another item I won’t leave home without. At 29.5 ounces it may seem heavy but the price was right and I sleep like a baby.
Gators. I have borrowed my older brother’s summer gators to try out as I have only winter gators. So far the jury is out, there are times I love them and time’s I’ve taken them off because they’re too hot. 3.3 ounces.
Frog Togs. I picked up some cheap windbreakers at the local Goodwill ($3) and Nikwaxed them. They work awesome and are really light as they’re nylon, but sometimes I leave the pants at home, like in the middle of summer. 12.1 ounces for the jacket and 10.3 ounces for the pants.
Katadyn water filter. I treat water for a living and also carry one, which is a new WaterWorks EX (used once or twice) I got off Ebay for $60. I have seen the effects of some of the diseases you can get from “clean” water and will always filter mine. I posted some stuff about filters and disinfectants awhile ago, you might want to try and search and use the information to help in your decision. 19.8 ounces with the Pristine (like Aqua-Mira).
For tunes I carry a small Sony S2 radio with headphones (also off the dump as the headphones were broken). It has the FM, AM, TV, and most importantly, 7 weather channels. I don’t use it all the time, but it’s there when I want to know the weather, which has helped plan my hiking. 5.1 ounces.
I also always carry a headlamp. It’s a Petzl Tikka I’ve had for about 7 or 8 years, and I wouldn’t leave home without it. For a backup I use a Princeton Tec handheld (free, it needed batteries). 2.6 ounces for the Tikka and 0.4 ounces for the PT.
Hiking isn’t about how light you can go. If you’re going ultralight but sleep like crap, get wet and cold, are undernourished, and tired all the time, what’s the point in going out. I like a balance of weight and comfort…each of us has to hike our own hike.
Lawn Sale
As a newbie hiker I injured my knees carrying too much weight without trekking poles. Not a serious injury, but enough to drive the point home about not putting too much stress on your knees.
If you hike without poles, your knees bear all of the weight you’re carrying plus the added strain of hiking on irregular terrain. Trekking poles take much of the strain off your knees, especially on downhills and other times when you risk a compression injury.
Today I wouldn’t hike without Lekkis, even thought I’ve reduced my pack weight drastically since those newbie days. Only city slikkers and those with superman’s knees hike without trekking poles.
steve hiker
Hey Aswah, I was just emphasising the point that sometimes they get in the way (I can hear people saying “thats what pole loops on packs are for”). I will say that Leki make an excellent product, good engineering backed up by good customer service.
I agree that they do aid stability and reduce stress on down hills, as long as the terrain doesn’t require any mild scrambling. Maybe it’s just an English thing, I haven’t seen many people with two poles in the English mountains, and I know it’s because the terrain is much more rugged than even southern Maine, and anybody who’s hiked southern Maine know’s what I’m talking about :happy
Cheers
Cheers