A Little Closer To Heaven

Get that thing outta my sight!

I’ve been a die-hard Snicker’s Marathon bar eater for a long time. Lately though, I’m sick and tired of the taste almost to the point of gagging! No joke. The aftertaste is getting worse and worse. I need something new that I can eat on the go while I hike without making myself sick.

The bottom line: They taste great the first 100 times you eat them. But they leave a pretty typical nasty energy bar aftertaste. Buy em’, try em’, but don’t do either all the time.

So here’s where you come in! I need a new favorite energy bar! What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments.

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For those of you who are curious…here’s a list of the gear I’m bringing on my thru-hike:

Clothing:

1. Frogg Toggs Signature Suit (It may be ugly…but I’ll be dry).

2.Patagonia Capilene 3 Crew

3. Patagonia Capilene 3 Bottoms

4. Marmot Reactor Full Zip Jacket

5. Smartwool Hikers

6. Icebreaker Wool Gloves

7. The North Face Logo Beanie

8. Bass Sandals

Sleep:

1. Bag: The North Face Cat’s Meow 20 Degree

2. Pad: Campmor Cheap Self-Inflating Pad (Hey, it gets the job done).

Shelter:

1. MSR Hubba Hubba Fly and Footprint Only

Kitchen:

1. Coleman eXponent FI Ultralight Stove

2. Coleman 70/30 fuel (1 1/2 canisters)

3. Coleman eXponent Solo Cook Kit (Pot and Lid only)

4. Guyot Designs Squishy Bowl

5. Lite My Fire Spork (2)

6. Camelbak 1.5 Bladder

7. Camelbak Better Bottle 32 oz.

8. Nalgene Lexan Bottle 32 oz.

9. Steripen and Pre-filter

10. 3 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 3 Dinners, snacks, Propel packets

Orientation:

1. Cheap Wal-Mart Compass

2. Buffalo River Hiking Trails by Tim Ernst

Survival:

1. Kershaw Chive 1600 Pocket Knife

2. Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .9

3. Princeton Tec Eos headlamp

4. Zippo Slim lighter

5. Home Made Firestarter (cotton balls covered in Vaseline and shoved into a film canister)

Extras/Toiletries:

1. Sea to Summit Pack Towel

2. Sea to Summit Soap Leaves

3. Germ-X travel bottle

4. Hefty Contractor Bags (3)

5. Notepad and Pen (so I can give you all trip reports when I return)

6. Pocket Bible

7. Stride Gum (fresh breath)

8. dental floss

9. Kodak Easyshare Z710 camera

10. M Rock Digital SLR camera case

11. Joby Gorillapod

12. Coleman eXponent Pack-a-way Lantern

13. Extra Batteries (AAA and AA)

14. Toilet Paper

15. Playing Cards

16. Ziplock Baggies (several)

Wearing at the Start of my hike:

1. Patagonia Capilene 1 Tee

2. Columbia Hiker Button Up

3. Underwear (of course)

4. The North Face Paramount Pants

5. Smartwool Adrenaline Hiker Socks

6. Vasque Kota XCR GTX Trail Runners

Well, I think that just about covers it. Seems like a lot for a 4 day trip (probably around 35 pounds)…but I like to be comfortable. Also, going in early spring adds a lot gear that may or may not be needed making for more weight. Tomorrow, I’ll give you my itinerary.

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Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posts during the latter portion of last week. Here’s the deal…when I don’t work, I don’t blog. I work in a school system and it was canceled for snow…so I didn’t work.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way…I can’t believe I didn’t mention this at all last week:

The Pack Rat , an amazing outdoors store in Fayetteville, AR just had one of the best sales I’ve ever seen. They actually put everything in their store at 10% off and marked most of their 2007 products to at least 50% off. What’s that mean? HUGE savings! It also means many brands you never see on sale were at least 10% cheaper. The sale itself lasted from 12-5 on Sunday and I was one of the first ten people in the door.

Why? For one tent at a price you won’t believe. Today, I became the proud owner of a 2007 MSR Hubba Hubba that I only paid $150 for. You can look all over the internet and it’s never below $300. It was a steal. And there was only one for sale! And I was the first person to get my hands on it.

I’m looking very forward to trying this bad boy out. It’s a very spacious 2 man tent that weighs 3.8 lbs. For even less weight you can pitch just the rain fly and footprint. It’s supposedly very durable, weatherproof, and I set it up in the store in about 2 minutes!

Also,  I purchased a new daypack. I bought the 2007 Osprey Talon 22. I’m also very excited about this pack. It’s lightweight, comfortable, has hipbelt pockets, and has an external hydration sleeve for easy fillups. Backpacker Magazine rated the Talon 33 as the best all-around day pack last year. This pack has the same features, but is a little smaller. I’m stoked about trying this out!

All in all, it was a great weekend for me and I got some awesome deals on gear. It’s one of the best outdoors stores I know. I’ll be sure to post before their next big sale for all my readers in or near the Fayetteville area.

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I just received my favorite annual issue from Backpacker Magazine. It’s the 2008 gear guide and it’s now on sale! Regardless of what you may think about their reviews, they have the details on almost every new piece of hiking gear available. I’ve used their top picks in the past and have not been disappointed for the most part.

This year’s issue is definitely worth a read, if for no other reason than seeing what gear is/soon will be available. In it, you’ll find detailed information on every piece of 2008 gear, tips for taking care of the gear you already own, gear that’s good for the environment, and some of the best gear for the money.

Another awesome place to read about new gear for 2008 is here . I always enjoy reading what the Gear Junkie has to say about things.

2008 looks like it’s gonna be an amazing year for gear. Hey that’s kind of catchy…2008: The Year of Gear. I like it! Honestly though, after checking out the new gear for this year, I’ve definitely added a lot to my wish list.

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After hearing all of the praises of this lantern, I had to get one for myself. I am a gadget fiend, so this was right up my alley. It’s a tiny, lightweight lantern with a rubber encasing that packs away (hence the name) into itself. It runs off of double A batteries and uses mirrors and LED lighting to illuminate a fairly large area.

I have to admit, when I opened this present on Christmas day, I got envious stares from all of the males in my grandparent’s house. And for good reason. It’s got a very sleek look to it, and it performs exceptionally well. The light really is surprisingly bright and powerful. The batteries last for quite a while, too. The only problem I have encountered after quite a few uses, is that it’s a little tough to pull the lantern out of it’s casing when it’s been packed away for a while. It also feels a little fragile even though it’s got a rubber casing around it. I’d be a little hesistant to drop it, even when it’s packed away. When it would get stuck, it felt like I was going to break it when I was pulling it out. It hasn’t happened yet…but we’ll see what happens in the future.

All in all, I’d have to give this product a B+. It’s a great alternative to heavier lanterns and the illumination is amazing. However, it has it’s flaws and it’s not EVERYTHING it was hyped up to be. That being said, it has a well-earned spot in my gear stash and will probably go with me on every backpacking trip because I haven’t ever seen a better performing, more lightweight lantern. I just wish it was a little more durable and opened smoother (though this could be just a problem with my particular lantern).

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