Thursday, October 18, 2018

Gear I will always Hike with.

Gear I will always Hike with.
 I have already mentioned the Sprok, this will be coming with on the other hike excursions, I will be doing more freezer bag cooking and the Spork works well using these.
 I will not be going anywhere with my hiking poles, before using these I was a hiking pole snob and thought they were a waste. After Hiking I realize how much these helped, for balance, for stabilization , going up , going down , used for the tent poles. They are multi-use tool that should be taken on all hikes both short and long.
 My Pillow, A good nights sleep will make you have a better day of hiking, for me the catalyst for a good day of hiking was a good nights rest, I was able to do this with the use of the pillow. This made a tremendous difference in how I slept. if you read the earlier posts you would know what type of pillow I used and was happy with. That being said during a walk around our local sporting goods store I noticed a larger sea to summit pillow that I would like to try. I would say it would be about double the size and was rectangle in shape. Not sure how it would work out or if I would be willing to spend anymore money on equipment that I already have.
 A buff, My wife had an Actual BUFF while I had the knock off from COSTCO, we did use these every day, to keep the sun off, to keep the sweat off our face, keep the webs off our heads, flies off our heads as well  and slept with them on if it was cold outside, Multi use and small. Was the actual BUFF really better? Hmmm not sure about that but what I do know is that I got three at COSTCO for the cost of a BUFF.
 Dirty Girl Gators, These were another Item I wasn't 100% sold on until I used them. Around home we do hike on an old rail bed. These gators kept the small stones and dirt from entering our hiking boots , this is something you don't appreciate until it happens. On the trail they did the same thing as well as keep your laces clean when hiking through mud. A very nice product.

One more unsung hero that I used and is not mentioned to much is rope. I had a rope for a bear bag , This was used as a clothes line,bear bag rope, a tarp support as well as for other odd items along the trail, ( tent, a shoe lace etc.) I am sure it would come in handy for many items as you travel along.

These were the things that came to mind, Of course we will still need a sleep system but am thinking on trying a hammock, time will tell. As far as a stove I will continue to use my Jetboil but am happy with a cheaper model stove we purchased from Wal-Mart as well. I do have a couple of sleeping bags but would be interested in trying a Quilt.

Good Luck out there.
The Blackstone Traveler

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Gear Review - JetBoil Stove

    When embarking on the hike of the long trail we had to decide on a stove that we would carry along the way. I knew for sure I didn't want to eat cold meals , there is just something about a hot meal that makes everything alright. although there are people out there that don't want to carry the extra weight associated with a stove and fuel. I am not that person. We ultimately decided on a JETBOIL stove, I suppose for a few reasons. it boasted that it could boil 2 cups of water in two minutes, which is close to accurate. this meant less fuel being used so a fuel canister would last longer and less money spent on purchasing the fuel. It also came as a complete kit, Stove,Pot,fuel support ,cover and a bowl and packed quite nicely. I never did use the bowl as we had bowls and cups with us , but it was there just in case. The stove had an igniter so there was no need for a lighter, I did carry one anyway. It was easy to put together and just as easy to break down after the meal. It wasn't cheap by any means just over $100 Canadian but I have seen them for less on Amazon. the Jetboil being a complete unit meant that you couldn't use a different pot. I did try this on the trail and found that this didn't work at all. That was the only drawback. It worked well all throughout the hike. One problem we had was to find fuel in some of the towns but bought some extra when we found it.
   Since the Hike we have tried a few different stoves and  they were quite a bit cheaper, I would use the Jetboil stove again as I own it but to do it again I would just buy a cheaper stove with a small pot set. We did buy a PEAK stove from Wal-Mart for $14 dollars and a Stanley Pot with two cups that cost about $15 dollars this worked great.


Friday, October 12, 2018

Gear Review - Saywer mini water filter

Just the same as you we looked at a lot of water filters, From YouTube to looking at our local MEC. Ultimately we decided on the Sawyer Mini which we purchased from Amazon. This was purchased here because at the time we couldn't find them at any of our local stores. But as fate would have it a couple of months later the water filters became a stock item, go figure. The benefit form using Amazon for us Canadians is it slightly cheaper and we didn't have to pay tax. this was a win-win.
The Sawyer mini is one of the smallest on the market which translates into light weight. Although I think the lightest option would be to treat your water with chemical tablets which we did see along the trail.
  The Sawyer mini simply attached to the top of a standard water bottle, Once you filled the water battle you simply squeezed the water into another empty water battle to get a filtered water product. I say a water bottle to attache the filter to but you could use the collapsable bag that was supplied with it. To be honest this was not very good and we simply left this behind as it didn't function very well. The water bottles worked much better. It did take a small bit of time to filter water for us, there was three of us together on the trail and basically just used one filter. The product also came with a straw and a hand pump that was to be used for the filter back flush process. The straw could be used for double duty, with the pump to back flush and with the filter to get a drink. We had no issues with this along the way but did see some folks that had theirs broken, I suspect due to dropping it. overall the product worked well and I will continue to use it.
  Its funny what you learn along the trail. The first main one with regard to the water was to hydrate while at a water source, I know this sounds simple but when we first started hiking this wasn't a thought. We would fill up our bottles and hike for an hour then stop for a drink. We would consume much of our water at this point and need to get more, we were always looking for the next water source. It became laughable when we said Why Didn't We Drink at the Stream. LOL. After that we fully hydrated at water sources while filling our water bottles. The next Lesson that we learned and this was from another Hiker was to leave the Sawyer Water filter on the water bottle, I had always taken it off and placed in the backpack. This caused two issues, One I had to look for the filter every time and Two Which bottle was the unfiltered water. By leaving the Filter on the bottle both issues were resolved.

The Blackstone Traverler

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Gear Review- Spork or not to Spork

I guess things are getting boring in my life when I excited to start writing about a Spork, looking back over the gear I purchased I suppose I may have spent to much money on some items, The Sea to Summit Spork might have been one of those things...That's not entirely true or fair, Let me explain. First the good, the Long Spork worked great for inside my Jetboil stove and with the dehydrated meals in bags or in zip-lock bags. It was good to have the long handle for this , I am sure the short handle would have been a mess digging around inside of bags and the stove pot. Most folks on the trail that are cooking are using the long Spork and for the reasons listed above. The spork also worked extremely well with the trail ramen noodles that are in every store along the way. The Sea to Summit Spork comes complete with a small carabiner , These were broken within the first couple of days, they didn't hold up at all. I also had the fork/knife/spoon set which the carabiner broke on soon after using. for the amount of wear and tear on the Spork I could have just go with a cheaper brand name spork to save a couple of dollars. These do exist but at a cheaper cost BUT are usually 3 to 4 times heavier. So I guess that will ultimately drive your decision, as always with thru hiking or just out for a couple of weeks "the weight vs the cost". With the exception of carabiner the sprok held up great and will be around for many more hike expeditions. It was also lighter than he inexpensive sporks found.  Without a doubt the spork was better than a spoon and was better than a fork as it covered both functions, the only question is HOW MUCH TO SPEND.
Happy Hiking

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Gear Review - Z-Pack Arc Blast Backpack

The Backpack I purchased for the Long Trail hike was the Z-Pack Arc Blast, the first decision for buying this was the weight of course. It came in around 1.3 lbs which is remarkable when you receive it and start to fill it. Lots of room! To be fair our packs were a little heavier as I purchased a few of the add ons which consisted of two belt pouches and a lumbar pad. This added a small bit of weight but nothing that was really noticed.
When the packs arrived, I say packs as I purchased on for my charming wife as well, when they arrived I was still astonished how light these were. In fact I thought that this couldn’t really be a good pack. Even when they were unpacked I still had some skepticism about how these were going work out on the trail.  I again watched some of the Z-pack videos to make sure we had the initial setup correct which went well. The only thing left was to pack them and start hiking.  We completed some local day hikes with the packs fully loaded to get some idea how these would feel, Like the Tent I was pleasantly surprise how well it worked and how well it felt. Of course these were just day hikes so it really is hard to get a feel for it. We did do a few overnighters and again all was good. This gave us the confidence that these would work good for us.  On the long trail we didn’t have any issues at all, the pack was easy to carry VERY comfortable in spite of me carry some additional weight. If I had to find something that I didn’t like it would have been the small strap used for the shoulder straps. Not a problem early on but I suppose it worked in a bit over the course of the trail. I may have caused the issue myself  because I mentioned I did carry a little more weight than I planned. I had to assist my wife and take some of her gear. Other than that , Very impressed with the construction and how it held up during our hike.  I did notice that they now make a backpack with a zipper the “Arc Haul-Zip backpack” . The zipper may make it a little more convenient to get gear, this I would like to try. The Arc Blast is a top load and it takes a bit of time to dial in how to pack and the order to pack in. That’s life on the trail though.
Some of the features are
·         Our ultralight Flexed Arc frame keeps the pack stiff so that most weight is carried on the hips instead of the shoulders.  Which seemed to work well
·         The frame is curved to allow air flow and keep your back cushioned from the pack's contents. The air flow I didn’t notice but it was very hot during or long trail hike. There was a space between the pack and the back so the contents did sit on your back.
·         The shoulder straps and load lifter straps worked well after the initial set up
·         The belt is done with "V Style" webbing so that the top and bottom circumference can be adjusted independently. This helps wrap your hips much more securely, and prevents the belt from sliding down. This is another good option, I did watch other hikers with the single belt and it just didn’t seem to work as well as this.
Roll top closure ,Side pockets, Large stretchy mesh center pocket ,Side compression straps, top strap, and base straps,  all come together to complete the package. All the items were well thought out and work well for a day hiker/ overnight hiker and the thru hiker.  
A little on the expensive side but well worth it in my opinion. 



Monday, October 8, 2018

Gear Review - The Z-Pack Duplex Tent

I suppose you know already that my life has been influenced by YouTube videos for making some of my hiking gear choices, Not only are some of these informative some are even entertaining. So it is as no surprise to me that my tent choice was influenced by the videos I have watched. To go Ultra light there are decisions that have to be made, in case you don't what the decision is it is "weight" Now I purchased a Z-Pack Duplex tent, my original plan had me hiking by myself. But life has a funny way of changing plans, my charming wife decided she wanted to share this experience with me. I know what you are thinking it must be love. I think she just wanted to keep an eye on me. Whatever the reason she came along. I tell you this because this may help you if you decide to buy a Z-pack tent. As mentioned I purchased the Duplex which means it was made for two people. True to the description it did accommodate two people. I would say for one person it would have been perfect because you could have had your pack inside out of the weather. With two people in the tent this was not possible. Had I know about the person that was going to tag along ( my wife) i would have bought the three person tent for a little extra room. In saying that we were comfortable in the Duplex.
It was easy to set up with the use of the hiking poles. When we first started I would say the tent was not always set up to the premium state, after a few nights the kinks were worked out and we both enjoyed the nights huddled together in the Z-pack tent. It has doors fitted on both sides so each of us could enter and exit with out crawling over one another. There were mornings that I did inconvenience my wife by crawling over her but that was only because she kept waking me up. Yes due to the snoring bit, i know it was not mature to do this but I felt is was the only way of getting back at her.  Moving on...The tent was light , packed well and as stated was water proof. Thinking back we had a couple of issues with condensation inside but this was attributed to our set up and having both side vestibules closed. One addition that my wife made was to have a small tarp in the vestibule area that we could take off our hikers/ camp shoes without kneeling in the soil before entering the tent. This worked out great. We had another hiker with us convert to the Z-pack into the trip as he noticed the weight of his old tent was 2 lbs heavier than ours Z-pack duplex. with all the packing/unpacking and setting up I have not noticed any signs of wear. Overall pleased with the product and would recommend it. As I always mention, these are my experiences and everyones are different. The price may deter some folks but have a look around to see what comes in at this weight..Not much.
Again I was happy with this But would like to try a hammock next. I need help with this? any suggestions?

The Blackstone Traveler.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Gear Review, My Mattress for the Long trail

When thinking about hiking the long trail I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on equipment/gear, this is possible but usually means you sacrifice weight to do so. Anyone planning a long trek or a thru hike will understand this. There is a balancing act between inexpensive vs not effective and this as stated before will depend one persons desires. 
When it came to choosing a air mattress for my sleep system the first one I purchased was the Naturehike Air Mattress  (orange). I watched reviews on you tube that said for the price which was about $50 Canadian this would be a good light mattress. Upon receipt It seemed fine, I inflated it and rested upon it on the living room floor. In this location it was a good mattress, it was slightly different when hiking with it. We all know you can't have optimum conditions in the wilderness. Of course rocks and roots are a part of everyday life, based on this I found that this mattress was not good for me. The rocks and roots found a way to push up through the mattress. It wasn't great but better than with nothing at all. I suppose in hindsight it is good for the price.

My next decision was to go to REI and see what was available. the nice part about REI is that you could try the mattress prior to purchase, albeit in a controlled environment but you could try before you buy. After trying a few we decided on the Nemo Cosmo Air Sleeping Pad  20R.

In our opinion this was a great choice some of the elements that I liked were as follows, First it was easy to inflate as it had an integrated foot/hand pump built in. No batteries required. simply unroll and begin. if you decided to you could oral inflate but I can't see why. During the pack up time I would pull the plug after getting up and the mattress would fully deflate while I was preparing breakfast. Very easy to roll up when deflated. I end up being a side sleeper most of the time because my charming wife will not allow me to sleep on my back and snore. Really I move around quite a bit and this is big enough to allow for this movement. There is plenty of loft so you don't feel the rocks or roots when you fall asleep. It is an insulated mattress but I cannot speak about how the insulation works as we were hiking in warmer temperatures. The mattress is relatively quiet as well, some of the others we tried sounded like you were sleeping on a chip bag. Overall very happy with the mattress. Now a said at the start I didn't want to spend a lot of money but ended up purchasing two mattress to find the one that works.....Wish I had of read this review...or at least had the chance to try all the mattress first. I might have just bought one as opposed to two But such is life.
The Nemo Cosmo that I used 

Gear Review , Pillow for a nights rest.

OK OK, I know when doing a long distance hike it is important to keep your weights down, some folks get meticulous when it comes to their weight and do not take anything extra. I agree with some points of that But still like to be somewhat comfortable. One of the Items that did this for me was a pillow, I picked the sea to summit aeros pillow but there are cheaper models available out there. A hiking companion along the Long Trail had a cheaper brand from Amazon and his worked fine throughout the trip. I did like the Sea to Summit pillow for a couple of reasons, It was easy to inflate and deflate, It was easy to put back in the small bag provided. Of course it was light weight. It was built with a natural curve that was comfortable while sleeping on your back....although when camping with my wife she would wake me while sleeping on my back, something to do with the snoring....I tried to explain I snore when I sleep and I was sleeping...sorry to digress Yes the pillow, it will also work well not just for camping/hiking but also for plane or car travel. As I mentioned earlier there are different brands out there with different shapes and sizes so you have to get what works for you BUT  this Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow worked great for us...now if I was only allowed to snore!

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Gear Review - Sleeping bag- AEGISMAX Outdoor Ultra-Light Goose Down Sleeping Bag

On the Long Trail I had brought two sleeping bags with me, The one I used the most was the Aegismax Outdoor Ultra-light Goose down Sleeping bag. I purchased this one based on the size it would compress down to a very small size,  as you know space in the back pack is always an issue on a long hike. This did compress quite small which was great. Even after use it would go back into the compression bag that was supplied with it. The temperature rating was 8 degrees and I am guessing it would be good for that but I did not see those temperatures during our Hike. This was the main reason I used this bag,   the temperatures were hot in the month of September and there was no need for any thing heavier. In fact I didn't zip it up at  all based on the overnight temps. Upon receiving and unpacking it it didn't appear very durable but again I was surprised as it held up well. The cost was around $100 so based on the size and weight I thought it was worth it but would just consider it a summer bag, I am a warm sleeper anyway so I would used this in spring and certainly into the fall. I doubt my wife would do the same. Of course everyone is different and experiences are different but I was happy with this product. I will be using this on other hikes for sure.
As I was unsure of the weather in Vermont in September I also Purchased Nemo Sleeping bags. The Nemo Rave 30 for my wife and the Nemo Disco 15 for myself. WOW these are nice bags! expensive but you get what you pay for. They didn't compress to the same size as the Aegismax but were rated for lower temperatures as well. My wife just used my Nemo Disco 15 as it did compress a bit smaller than her Rave 30 so some extra room was available in the pack

Friday, October 5, 2018

Gear Review - Black Diamond Hiking Poles

While hiking the Long Trail we had lots of time to try our hiking gear, this is the start of the reviews of the equipment we purchased for the trip. I will state what we liked or didn't like with the equipment.For the most part I was happy with everything we decided on, there was of course the regular research we conducted prior to the purchase of each piece.
Todays review is on the Black Diamond Pro Trail Shock trekking poles. I was one of those people that really didn't think that a hiking pole was a necessity on the trail, the truth is I couldn't have been more wrong. We completed some preparatory hikes in our area and the trail was quite groomed and even in the rough areas it wasn't bad. With this small exposure to the trail with hiking poles it became clear that these would be something that I would and will take every where. Now the Black Diamond poles were on the expensive side but I decided on these based on the fact that they were going to be completing double duty as hiking poles by day and tent poles by night. They had a foam grip that seemed to stand up well with no deterioration during any of the hikes. They did have straps that showed some wear just after hiking 100 miles which was disappointing. I am happy to report there was not an issue with the FlickLock system at all. I am over 200 lbs and would exert this weight and more on the poles at any given time with no problems at all.  There are shock absorbers built into the handles that worked well for the first part of the trip, it was about 50 to 75 miles in that it was noted that the shock absorbers had begun to stick in the compressed position. With nothing on the trail , water was added in hopes that this would help which it did for a short time. Once back in civilization some WD-40 was purchased and this was applied to the shock absorber. After this was applied we didn't have any issues at all. My wife also used this type of trekking pole with the same results. Over all , Very happy with the product and would recommend this to others that are planning to purchase  hiking poles.





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