New Cold/Rain Gear

Yesterday I got my first shipment of the new mostly cold and rain gear that I bought for both Melissa and me. I really wanted to have decent cold and rain gear for Yellowstone so that no matter what the weather we can get some good hiking in. I basically just looked at Campmor and Sierra Trading post for everything, and went with whichever place I could get the better deal. Generally, I have an easier time finding stuff at Campmor, but sometimes Sierra has some amazing deals. Anyway here's what we got:

Binocs - I wanted a pair of small hiking binocs, because my astro binocs are too big and bulky. I just got the cheapest I could find - a 10x28 pair for $25.

Rain Coat - The single item that started this whole shopping spree. I knew I needed a decent rain coat before Yellowstone - Melissa has the one her Dad gave her from Sheila. I was a bit disappointed to not find anything under $40. I went with the small lightweight version to fit in my bag as opposed to a very nice, heavier, bulkier one I found from Sierra on serious markdown.

Rain Pants - I figured these would be nice if we get caught in the rain, and were only 10 bucks each.

Rain Pack Covers - Again, another $10 a piece that I just thought would make life better in the rain.

Long Underwear - This seemed essential for cold weather, which is a definite possibility in Yellowstone, but also for hiking in the fall/winter in Ohio. As is all of our hiking clothing, made of nylon. Another $10+ each for three pieces - top and bottom for me, and bottom for Melissa (she already had a top - but I just realized I should check if it is nylon!).

T-shirts - I got Melissa two nylon hiking tees- partly for the nylon, partly to have tees to get beat up. I had bought two nylon tees from Campmor ($7 a piece!) a month or so ago.

Long Sleeve Tees - One for each of us.

Fleece Jackets - These were the biggest thing I was unsure about on the list - quite possibly overkill. But I am now thinking that they are going to be very useful in the fall (and quite possibly in Yellowstone) and we will be glad we have them - they really seem quite nice and warm. I guess the question was really whether hoodies wouldn't work just as well, but we really got these for the same reason we got a lot of the other clothing - to be lightweight, nylon, and OK to beat up. Besides they were only $25 each and they look pretty nice - especially the color I got for Melissa.

All the stuff above was from Campmor. The stuff below I should get from Sierra on Monday.

Socks - We wanted to both have 3 pairs of liners/socks before Yellowstone. I needed 2 liners and 2 socks, and Melissa got 3 liners and 1 sock.

Convertible Pants - We wanted to have dedicated hiking pants for the usual reasons - nylon and beat-up-able. The convertibles will be nice too, since they can be either shorts or pants.

That's it! Over $300 :(. Stuff still to think about getting - one more t-shirt for each of us, a water treatment kit for emergencies, a nylon long underwear shirt for Melissa, waterproof gloves... I am sure there is plenty of other shit.

Emergency Kit

I bought a small emergency kit last week to keep in my hiking pack. The basic kit is the Personal Ten Essentials RT made by Adventure Medical Kits, which I got from Campmor. It's got a basic first aid kit, firestarter, space blanket, and whistle. I also got some iodine water treatment tablets to keep in there.

I bought two other things while I was at it. A cheap plastic poncho, which is sort of an emergency item, and a strap for my glasses, which will be useful for other activities like softball.

All that stuff is stored in a ziploc baggie in my pack, with several other gallon baggies and a trash bag to stow my pack in in a heavy downpour.

New Packs

Melissa and I got our new packs today. We both went for Camelbak 100 oz daypacks, hers the designed-for-women Isis, and mine is the Rim Runner. I have used a Camelbak bag a couple times before, and they really are very convenient. We decided that we really couldn't go wrong getting the 100 oz reservoirs over the 70 oz models. They do cost slightly more, but we are definitely going to need to carry that much water at times. I got a really good deal on Melissa's at South Summit. I got a decent deal on mine at Campmor. I also bought a compass that was on sale, because a compass seems like a good thing to have. It clips onto my bag and even has a nifty little temperature sensor.

My first impressions of the packs is quite positive, but I haven't had a chance to use them at all. There looks to be enough space for all the basic hiking kit, a few warm clothes, and a lunch. They seem to have an extraordinary amount of little hoops, clips, clasps, zippers, etc. on the outside of the bag to strap on extra gear or just keep the bag tight - I am really nor sure how much of it is entirely necessary, but we'll see. As we get a chance to test them out, I will make sure to comment on their performance. And I will make sure Melissa gets some pictures of them in use.

New Boots

I got my new hiking boots today! They are Asolo FSN 95 Gore-Tex lined boots. I got an awesome deal on them from Sierra Trading Post - $100 for boots that retail for $160. I read lots of awesome reviews of them at Trailspace. I also got a cheap pair hiking socks and sock liners from STP.

These are the first pair of hiking boots I have ever owned. They feel like little tanks for my feet. The soles definitely feel huge, and I even wear walking boots everyday. But mostly the ankle support is amazing, like nothing I have ever worn before. They feel pretty awesome.

I'm gonna get Melissa to take a picture of them for me to post soon.