Gear

Technology continues to be a key feature of my hiking gear.  I will use my iPhone 4S as the hub of this endeavor supported by two small solar panels that will ride along at the top of my backpack.

The iPhone will have all of my trail maps available to view.  I use the Topo Maps App.  They are high resolution topographical USGS maps with all the detail of the originals that many of us grew up with.  The iPhone will in fact, place my current position on those maps and will enable me to navigate and plan my daily mileage schedule.

The iPhone will also allow me to keep a daily journal, attach photos, and send those journals/blog to this very site.  For this task I will need cellular coverage or a WiFi signal.  As I mentioned earlier,  You can subscribe to this Blog and you will receive an email just as soon as I post an update from the trail.

The iPhone will also connect to my SPOT Personal Locator Beacon as I mentioned on the Find Me tab on this site.

My two Power Monkey explorer solar panels are the key to making this work.  I initially bought the starter kit at REI but chose to buy an additional panel to speedup the process.  Since this brand is from the UK, I had the pleasure of buying the extra panel from the good folks at Cotswold Outdoor Store across the street from Harrods in London.

These panels charge a Lithium power cell during the day, and then at night I plug the power cell into my iPhone or my Nikon camera and it recharges them.

One other piece of gear worth mentioning is my water filter.  I found an inline water purifier by Sawyer that is installed on the hose that I drink from while hiking.  Therefore, my water container is actually contaminated.  And that's the big change.  No more squatting and pumping. I just scoop the 3L Platypus wide-mouth bag into the water, reconnect the snap-on hose fitting and I am on my way. This system works great in camp too as an on demand water supply.  I just hang it from a tall branch and use a twist valve to fill my cups and pots.

THE BASICS

Tent: Double Rainbow by Henry Shires at Tarptent.  Custom made in the USA. Roomy, Strong, now in my third season.

Pack: New for me this year is the Osprey Atmos 65 AG. Bigger than my old REI65 but lighter and a better harness.

Bag & Pad: If you are going to sleep on the ground for three weeks at 10,000' you better do it right.  My Big Agnes Mystic 15 degree, 700 fill goose down bag is literally strapped to a lumberjack size Neo Air pad.  The 2" thick air pad is 25" x 78" and only 17 ounces. When I toss or turn the bag stays put, no tangled mummy bag nonsense with this blissful combo.

Stove: Soto butane burner.  Brilliantly simple. Light, fast, reliable.

Bear Canister: BV 500.  2.8 lbs of required equipment throughout the JMT. It keeps my food safe and keeps Yogi out of the taxidermy shop.