This weekend, I took the new Rucksack out for a 10.5 mi hike/overnight camp at a nearby State Park. My brother accompanied me on the trail/camp, and his failure to listen to some of my recommendations, prior to departure, was interesting.
The CFP-90 has replaced my original pack, as the original:
- Had no frame for support
- Could not hold so much as an additional toothpick it was so full. The problem? I didn’t have any chow in it.
The CFP-90 is the heat. I’m really, really glad I opted for this pack. The storage capacity is absurd, the layout is great, and it carries the load as comfortably as possible. Definitely more comfortable than the ALICE, I was able to bear 35lbs, before the addition of food and water, for 10.5 miles pretty easily. It’s not as organized as the original BOB kit, so I was required to procure more stuff sacks and organizing boxes for my gear.
Obviously, new items have been added to the kit (tarp, tent, etc.), but until the pack is finalised, I’m not going to bore anyone with the details.
Again, I learned a little bit more of what was waste, and what I was lacking. The main goal of this outing was to refine my kit before next weekend’s “long haul” weekend hike with a work buddy.
Quick Shot of the Trail From a Distance:
Once arriving to the Park, the first order of business was to set up camp.
I’d gotten a cheap, Texsport tent that is light as a feather and “good enough” until I could decide on a high-end tent. The tent is quite easy to set up, big enough for a sleeper and his or her gear, waterproof, has a tub/tarpaulin bottom, etc, and extremely low-impact visually. Nothing makes my stomach churn more than seeing a chartreuse tent with electric pink trim, burning my retina for hours after viewing. The tent’s weight is approximately 3lbs. Upon breakdown of the site, I upgraded the cheap, poorly constructed guy lines with 550 cord, and purchased new stakes for the tent, as the aluminum stakes that were included are extremely flimsy.
Cheap, Light, Simple, Texsport A-Frame:
Tent erected, belly growlin’, it was lunchtime.
For lunch I had:
- Hot dogs
- “Instant” Macaroni & Cheese
- Turkey Chili
- Baked Beans
All of the above can be prepared in the Jetboil with ease. The Turkey Chili and Beans were obviously canned, the instant mac is the Kraft “microwaveable” mac ‘n’ cheese, I just prepped them like I would Ramen. Once everything was heated, lunch was ready.
Down the Gullet:
For this trip, I opted to try my Merrell Moab Ventilator Boots. Less rugged than the Converse boots, they’re a very nice trail hiking boot. Ideally I’d like something more rugged than the Merrell boots, but less full-bore than the Converse. Overall, the Merrells left no blisters, or barking dogs, but for more than a few days of hiking, I’d prefer something with more heft.
Ventilate Me:
Hoofing it on the trails was work, but it wasn’t too bad. The afternoon high was around 58 degrees, and mostly cloudy. I was surprised how quickly the terrain was tackled with a heavy load. Occasional breaks were taken to rehydrate, and to avoid lactate concentration.
The Landlord, Keister Parkin’:
After returning to camp, supper was busted out. I cooked Success® Boil-in-Bag brown rice in the Jetboil, added canned chicken, a bag of stir-fry vegetables, green curry, and coconut cream into a spicy sweet, absolutely delicious slop.
Mark 15 mod 81 Stool Softening Device:
After the gut-bomb was consumed, the camp-fire was setup. One lesson I learned, the “petroleum jelly/cotton ball candles” are an absolute waste of time, space, and effort. If a good fire can’t be started with one match or flick from the Bic, it was built wrong. Plain and simple.
Let the Flames Lick Me:
After sippin’ chocolate, and warming up by the fire, I scurried off to bed. For a pillow, I took of my fleece and balled it up.
The overnight low dipped down to 36 degrees, which was pretty chilly. I awoke at 3 a.m. to notice my face was near frozen. I sinched the hood of the mummy bag back down into a ninja mask, exposing only my eyeballs, and the bridge of my nose, then passed back out. Despite the cold, I slept in only a T-shirt and pants, and never had issues with chills, nor was I ever uncomfortable. The Snugpak bag obviously was realistic with it’s 35-42 degree comfort rating.
My brother’s experience was a different story, his cheap closed-cell foam mat provided little warmth or comfort, his cheap sleeping bag grossly exaggerated it’s temperature rating, he slept with a fleece on, field coat liner on, inside of a mummy bag, and under a wool blanket, and “froze his ASS off”.
As well, he wore shorts, which I highly recommended against. During breaks, the mosquitos ate him alive. As well, disregarding my pleas, he wore trail shoes instead of boots, and moaned about beat up ankles, and discomfort.
In the morning, cold cereal and pop-tarts were munched, and pack up was easy. I took the break down of the site to make some minor upgrades to the tent, basically replacing the cheap guy lines with 550 cord. I used my camp towel to mop up any condensation from the interior of the tent from hot breath on a cold waterproof canopy. The tent and tarp packed into the side pouches of the CFP-90 with ease, and I still have 75% of the main compartment available for other items.
Some lessons learned on this trip:
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Despite only planning for an overnighter, the camera batteries, of course, died before I went to bed. With no spares, I was prevented from further documentation.
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Despite being an awesome light, the SF G2 is not a headlamp. A headlamp is an absolute necessity. Manuevering in the tent, and performing routine tasks with the G2 was a PITA.
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I wasted way, WAY too much water on cleanup. Again, my brother recommended rinsing with packed in water to clean the dishes. Waste. Pure, unbridled, waste. Being only 300 or so feet from a lake, my plan was to procure water from the lake for cleaning, and then lightly coating the items with santizer for sterility. This would have saved the remnants of the packed in water for drinking. Alternately, I could have boiled some leftover water in the Jetboil, dipped the utensils, and poured the boiling brew over he dirty dishes, once particulates were removed. Camp cleanup is a big challenge.
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Speaking of water, I have absolutely no treatment systems, other than the Jetboil. I’d rather not waste fuel on boiling drinking water, so put a filter on the “must have” list.
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There is no such thing as “too much” 550 cord.
Next weekend might be interesting. I may be able to assemble a hiking party of 3, and we’re heading to the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail has some elevation differences ranging from 765’ to 5843’. It’s definitely bear country, so some crafty measures will be required to avoid Smokey gettin’ my chow.
'Til next time,
Mike
