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For those of you following the Quest, Bob and I spent the day shopping.
He leaves for Warren's school on the 11th. All comments appreciated,
welcome, and desired.
Between stops, we had many excellent conversations. Among them were his
concerns over simple things like, "How do you crap in the
woods?" I will lend him the appropriate literature. We played many
'what if' games, and I answered many 'how do I' questions. All of these
were typical newbie fears, concerns, and questions so I will not bore you
with the details.
First stop was The Sports Authority. The selection was, to be honest,
poor. I bought another pair of Thorlo Lt. Hiker CoolMax socks. The
packaging indicates that there is also a Lt. Hiker Wool/Silk, but I am
unsure of the difference. Life was far simpler when I just walked into
army surplus and got green wool socks in the right size... The CoolMax
seems to be working for me.
Bob did not purchase any socks, as he has chosen Fox River 'Backpacking
Fox' Duraspun socks as his sock of choice. Is anyone else using these?
Bob and I both bought some stuff sacks by Outdoor Products, as they
were reasonably priced. We also looked at packs, with the future in mind,
and Bob was ready to buy one, but was easily dissuaded. He was VERY keen
on the Jansport Rockies II (Rockies 100), and I must admit that it fit him
well, and was very comfortable on me too. However, at 6 pounds, 14 ounces,
it's on the heavy side despite its reasonable price. He liked the Kelty's
as well, but the ones he liked were similarly heavy.
Second stop was Perretts Army/Navy Surplus - a place I have normally
bought lots of my stuff over the years. They had nothing we needed, but we
checked out a Jansport external frame pack that wasn't as heavy as the
Rockies II, but that neither of us liked.
Third stop was to eat Sushi at Little Tokyo. Very nice.
Fourth stop was Adventure Sports. (www.adventuresportsla.com) This was
the most successful stop. The people there are friendly, courteous,
knowledgeable, and Bob has pledged to buy most of his stuff from them due
to their level of commitment.
Bob bought:
A pair of Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters. He wanted to
know why he needed these, and I told him, 'The first time you get a rock,
some snow, a twig, or some scree in your boot, you will immediately want
these.'
A lexan spoon.
A 1.25 ounce bottle of DEET. (Ben's 100 MAX formula.)
Lifeboat matches.
A Brunton map compass. (Very nice!)
I bought:
A pair of OR Low Gaiters to replace a badly abused pair. (My God... I
am actually replacing gear...)
A lexan spoon to replace my steel one. (Yes, I carried a steel
spoon...)
A bottle of DEET.
A Platypus Hoser 2 hydration pack. I have never used a water bag with a
hose for drinking. The availability of a shower attachment sounded
alluring. If the bag withstands heating on hot stones for a hot shower, I
might just be in love... Bob swears by his water system, and so maybe it
is a case of the master learning from the student. I'm willing to try
anything three or four hundred times...
I also lusted after a pair of Julbo sunglasses, but the $$$ was far
from right.
Bob checked out the sleeping bags. I tried to steer him into a Western
Mountaineering bag, but he was very keen on the large Mountain Hardware
bags. He is a pretty big person, and the WM bags seemed small to him. I
dissuaded him from any impulse purchase, not that this was difficult to
do. Advice about MH bags appreciated. What other really large bags are
there? Ya'll will think me daffy, but I'm still using an army surplus
mummy bag...
He next examined the tents, and I think that he is going to buy the
Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD despite my desire to steer him into a
Hennessy. In any case, the CD is a good choice, and he has to carry it,
not me. One of the hikers in the store claimed to carry 12 pounds worth of
tent. I didn't let Bob talk to him long. Again, no impulse purchase was
made. Does anyone have an opinion along the lines of, "Rather than
the Clip Flashlight, I would use...?"
He also looked at Lowe back packs. All of them were fantastically large
to me.
What we didn't get in time for the school was:
Leatherman Wave tool. (I know it's heavy...) Leatherman Micra First aid
kit (Will assemble Tuesday.) Notebook
Other things to cover Tuesday:
How to lace & tie boots.
Shane
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