[williswall]

We're in the process of doing a thorough culling of stuff in our house and I came across a notebook filled with observations, including this one of a 1993 WT hike. It's interesting for me to read my thoughts from 18 years ago so thought I'd share the section on my gear notes. Observations on the actual hike is posted here in the trip report section Wonderland Trail Hike: 9/17 - 9/20 1993 Dana Designs Pack: minus the lid, although I wonder about the weight on this pack (6.5 lbs), I can carry comfortably all day with no adverse effects on hips or shoulders. Maybe X-tra weight is worth it. Feathered Friends Rock Wren (this is the old sewn through version) Packs real small, wonderfully light (1 lb 10 ozs). First night noticed I was at threshold of chill early in the AM...neither warm nor chilled. Also wearing only socks and micro fleece top/bottom. 2nd night no problem. 3rd night also wore capilene and micro fleece. Started with Marmot coat also but took off because too warm and it was slightly damp. Worried about down contamination. Finally settled down w/ arms out (in shelter at Indian Bar and inside bivy). Early AM woke to slight chill, put arms inside and zipped-nicely warm. 35 degrees/snow in AM. Wore it around that morning and changed pants in it for privacy. OR Bivy: used poles on 2nd night in actual campsite. Other nights shelter and porch of ranger cabin at Golden Lakes. Great if it's not raining - that would be difficult. OR Seattle Sombrero: works great in rain, also keeps snow out of neck Katadyn Micro Filter: compact and light. Takes a long time to fill bottle - 7-9 minutes. Balance between weight and ease of use? Very light but time consuming. Whisperlite Stove: fires well, conked out on me once. Seems to have one setting....ON. Cannot vary for a simmer, maybe needs adjustment, but I already replaced parts and cleaned. Too old? (1986) Micro Lite Headlamp: til 10 PM 1st night. 8:30 2nd and 9:00 3rd. Replaced batteries once. Seem to get @ 5 hours use. Had to turn on at 7:50 PM. Makes trail hiking at night a snap, comfortable on head, invaluable for working around camp in dark. Clothes: Amphipant: ideal, noticed is even warm with temps in 40s Marmot Lite Loft Sweater: really used pit zips, wore while hiking downhill or on flat. In constant use whole hike. Capilene: warm, dries quickly, doesn't smell too bad after 4 days Goretex Shell/Campmor: used mostly for warmth (stops, downhill). Hood is not great, some restriction to vision Helly Hensen Rain Pants: used for snow - seems to be more waterproof than breathable, got hot. Boots: Salomon: much improved over leather Gore-Tex line ones, but still a fair amount of dampness (on sock liners) due to my sweaty feet. However, boots dry quickly. Bottoms of feet still "barked" after 15-20 miles. Discuss more on feet later. Patagonia Balaclava: at 35-45, too hot to sleep in. Very versatile and used during rest or on top of head early AM when cold w/ ears out. Dries quickly Gloves: wool w/ mitten overpart - fingerless. Ability to pull back mitten part allowed use after heating up. Good for chores before and after hiking for dexterity. Got fairly wet with snow but remained warm throughout. * Recommend overmitts for rain. This would have been much worse than snow. Gaiters: keep top of boot dry, but strap under shallow heel constantly collected "dirt balls"/ dirt with wet snow. Had to constantly "scruff" feet to rid these. Finally pulled straps out and hung behind heel, so gaiters didn't cover as much boot. FEET: what to do. Last day boots got fairly wet (from Indian Bar to Longmire) due to wet ground foliage. Gaiters cannot protect toe area. Bottoms of feet were very sore, almost cracked by Longmire (5:30 PM). Required some serious drying out. If I hadn't been pushing to end hike, would have had to stop and dry feet. On other days, had to battle sore bottoms last part of day (mentally). Try sandals for forest trails and around camp? Poles: How did I ever hike without them? Obvious mechanics, uphill (esp steps) allows upper body to pull up some load, saving legs from all the work. Stability going downhill - good for creek crossings. Never had "shaky" legs. Gives hands something to do. Of all equipment, these are by far the most useful for the weight. Invaluable on steep terrain. Dana Designs Rain Fly: used a couple of times. Not needed for snow or light rain, as I had pack lined with garbage bag. However, probably worth it for extended rain. Seems pretty heavy, and I didn't use the "over the head" option. Make my own? Ridge Rest 3/4 pad: Very light, but hard to put in bivy. Not as cushiony as therm-a-rest, but comfortable enough Crazy Creek Chair: used as sleeping pad on foot area. Great for sitting comfortably and enjoying food breaks, or resting feet. Worth the weight for comfort. Could be used as the only pad in summer. Bakepacker: for pancake meals. Must take more advantage of this, but uses much more fuel due to 15-20 minutes burn time to bake. Food is worth it. Other Items: spare batteries X 4, first aid kit incl 10 essentials, 2 lighters, 1 box matches, 30-40 feet cord (for hanging food), 1 package Coughlins TP (all used up - 4 days is about it for one of these), 1 garbage bag, food.