- Joined
- Dec 5, 2008
- Messages
- 596
Well boys, I've shown you some pictures of the Mantario trail from some of my hikes, but I've havent hiked the whole trail yet. This weekend that's finally going to change.
This time of year can be a real joy to be on the trail, it can also get quite miserable and downright dangerous. It can go from a nice sunny day, to a rain storm to -5C at night. ***I JUST checked the 7day forecast, it calls for rain/snow on friday, rain saturday, sunny sunday***
I wouldn't mind getting some feedback on my gear, particularly clothing & shelter.
Going to be sleeping under a tarp as usual, but given the cold nights and lack of protection from the wind I'm planning on bringing a goretex bivy bag, which will also serve as a waterproof bag for my gear in the pack. My sleeping gear will be....
goretex bivy
canadian army down bag (shifted all most of the down too the top side of the bag for extra loft where it counts the most)
big agnes insulated aircore
wool blend thermal underwear (top/bottom)
thick wool socks
balaclava
As an alternative to the bivy I've considered bringing the outer bag from my Wiggy's setup, it'd give a lot more insulation but the shell on the wiggys is very breathable and a strong wind might blow right through. It's also considerably bulkier & heavier. I'm thinking the bivy + an emergency heatsheet if necessary should be a good combination, the bivy will stop convective heat loss, and any condensation that forms on the mylar blanket wont get back in through the goretex.
For clothing I plan on having....
2x merino wool hiking socks
nylon pants (the kind with the mesh lining that zip off into shorts, doubt i'll be needing the latter feature though!)
athletic undies/tshirt (from walmart, nylon/spandex, supposed to be wicking and antimicrobial, bottom line is they dry fast)
wool shirt (button up)
fleece shirt (button up)
windbreaker/rain shell
For the pants, cotton is obviously OUT, I can pick between the synthetics and wool pants. I'm leaning towards the synthetics because they'll dry quickly, and I can always put on my long underwear if it's too cold even when I'm hiking (doubt it). Some of the beaver dam crossings are pretty rough, and some spots youre guaranteed going to get wet at least half way to your knees, so I'm thinking the wool will be heavy and take a long time to dry. Plus I'd need rain pants as well.
The wool & fleece shirts I can wear to sleep if I'm cold at night, and I can fit the wool shirt over the fleece when I'm sitting around the fire.
Poncho is OUT, I always get soaked in a poncho. Got a light nylon rain jacket. Not planning on bringing rain pants.
Rest of the gear is pretty standard really, leaning towards the axe instead of saw this time though.
Let me know if theres some obvious flaws with my selection
This time of year can be a real joy to be on the trail, it can also get quite miserable and downright dangerous. It can go from a nice sunny day, to a rain storm to -5C at night. ***I JUST checked the 7day forecast, it calls for rain/snow on friday, rain saturday, sunny sunday***
I wouldn't mind getting some feedback on my gear, particularly clothing & shelter.
Going to be sleeping under a tarp as usual, but given the cold nights and lack of protection from the wind I'm planning on bringing a goretex bivy bag, which will also serve as a waterproof bag for my gear in the pack. My sleeping gear will be....
goretex bivy
canadian army down bag (shifted all most of the down too the top side of the bag for extra loft where it counts the most)
big agnes insulated aircore
wool blend thermal underwear (top/bottom)
thick wool socks
balaclava
As an alternative to the bivy I've considered bringing the outer bag from my Wiggy's setup, it'd give a lot more insulation but the shell on the wiggys is very breathable and a strong wind might blow right through. It's also considerably bulkier & heavier. I'm thinking the bivy + an emergency heatsheet if necessary should be a good combination, the bivy will stop convective heat loss, and any condensation that forms on the mylar blanket wont get back in through the goretex.
For clothing I plan on having....
2x merino wool hiking socks
nylon pants (the kind with the mesh lining that zip off into shorts, doubt i'll be needing the latter feature though!)
athletic undies/tshirt (from walmart, nylon/spandex, supposed to be wicking and antimicrobial, bottom line is they dry fast)
wool shirt (button up)
fleece shirt (button up)
windbreaker/rain shell
For the pants, cotton is obviously OUT, I can pick between the synthetics and wool pants. I'm leaning towards the synthetics because they'll dry quickly, and I can always put on my long underwear if it's too cold even when I'm hiking (doubt it). Some of the beaver dam crossings are pretty rough, and some spots youre guaranteed going to get wet at least half way to your knees, so I'm thinking the wool will be heavy and take a long time to dry. Plus I'd need rain pants as well.
The wool & fleece shirts I can wear to sleep if I'm cold at night, and I can fit the wool shirt over the fleece when I'm sitting around the fire.
Poncho is OUT, I always get soaked in a poncho. Got a light nylon rain jacket. Not planning on bringing rain pants.
Rest of the gear is pretty standard really, leaning towards the axe instead of saw this time though.
Let me know if theres some obvious flaws with my selection
