Hi guys. Sadly, this thread does not have Cruiser content. However, I did see a few nice 62's in Jackson hole last week.
I flew from Michigan to Jackon with the intent of climbing up and over Paintbrush divide via Holly lake. I spoke with the ranger station to get recent weather conditions, so the snow wasn't a surprise. Temps during the day were in the 70-82 range during the day, and 35-40 at night.
Equipment:
MSR Whisperlite Internationale - very light. I like the Internationale because I can use different fuels - in my case I use gasoline. Easy to get. And, if I have extra, I dump it back in the fuel tank of my rental car.
Boils 3qts of water scary fast. Takes a little practice to light, but once you know, its all good.
Tent:
Eureka Zeus 2. Single wall tent. Just over 3lbs with poles and lightweight stakes. Room for 1.5 people + gear. It was the perfect tent for these conditions (dry). Tends to condensate a bit if raining, as there are not that many vents.
Boots:
Old full leather Scarpa mountaineering boots. A bit of mink oil before the trip, and no issues. Waterproof. Good temperature management.
Knife:
RAT - 3. 3" blade. Great all-around. Not too big to be unweildly.
Ignition source for stove:
Light-my-fire flint striker. This is more than enough to light the stove. One or two strikes, and you've got fire. I did bring a couple of small "torches" for test purposes. One uses a butane lighter as the fuel source. Works great, under 8000 ft. Over 8000 ft, the oxigen content is too low. I found this to be a common problem with all of the "blue flame" lighters I brought. The trusty BIC works anywhere.
Kitchen:
GSI Hiker. I'm a little torn about this. I love the packaging. Comes with a nice 3qt pot, a frying pan, two insulated and two uninsulated triangular cups that all nest nicely inside a vinyl "sink" or water bucket. The MSR stove and ignition source fits nicely inside too, along with the fuel pump. Downside: A bit heavy (almost 3.5 lbs without the stove). I may consider a Ti set. If I go solo, it would be way too much to carry. However, I traveled with buddy, so for two, it was a good fit.
Light source:
I had an older Princton Tec LED headlamp (non-regulated) powered by a 4AA pack on the back of the headstrap. No issues with this. However, it was a bit overkill for camp duty. Adjustable light output. Well suited for trail finding at night, or biking.
Backpack:
ILBE. Marine issue. Made by Arcteryx (based on the BORA model, I believe). Upfitted with MOLLE attachments by Proper. No issues. Lots of attachment points. Would have been overkill for a solo trip, but since I ended up carrying over 62lbs (buddy can't carry over 30 due to hip issues), it was perfect. As with all internal packs, external access isn't very good. Careful packing is a must. I would add a few external Molle pouches for quick access items.
Bearvault:
BV-500. A requirement in the Teton national Park since 2004. Holds plenty of food for two for 7 days in the bush. I like the fact that you can see through it. Heavy when empty (2.5 lbs), but comperable to others. No tools required to open. Fits perfectly inside the ILBE, and I don't like strapping a bunch of stuff on the outside.
Sunglasses:
Cheap, $6.99 gas-station polarized find. My big melon fits only wide ones, and I drop them, a lot. So, cheap is good.
Shirts:
Columbia Tamiami Fishing vented shirt. This was the one piece of gear that stood out as THE best. Almost instant dry.
Raingear:
Eddie Bauer 200 Whittaker series. I was a bit skeptical about their re-entry into real gear again, but this looks promising.
Watch:
Suunto Core - ABC. Worked great, and accurately.
So, here are some pics.
Boiling rocks. Put hot rocks in wet socks. 5 minutes later, dry socks! Works great.
Where did the floor go?
Yours truly.
I've been to the Tetons a lot. Late June is good if you want some more technical terrain in snow. If you want dry, go late July. Early means you won't see too many people. Later in the season, it gets busy.
I'll post more pics of the individual pieces of gear soon.
It was hard to come back to reality.
I flew from Michigan to Jackon with the intent of climbing up and over Paintbrush divide via Holly lake. I spoke with the ranger station to get recent weather conditions, so the snow wasn't a surprise. Temps during the day were in the 70-82 range during the day, and 35-40 at night.
Equipment:
MSR Whisperlite Internationale - very light. I like the Internationale because I can use different fuels - in my case I use gasoline. Easy to get. And, if I have extra, I dump it back in the fuel tank of my rental car.
Boils 3qts of water scary fast. Takes a little practice to light, but once you know, its all good.
Tent:
Eureka Zeus 2. Single wall tent. Just over 3lbs with poles and lightweight stakes. Room for 1.5 people + gear. It was the perfect tent for these conditions (dry). Tends to condensate a bit if raining, as there are not that many vents.
Boots:
Old full leather Scarpa mountaineering boots. A bit of mink oil before the trip, and no issues. Waterproof. Good temperature management.
Knife:
RAT - 3. 3" blade. Great all-around. Not too big to be unweildly.
Ignition source for stove:
Light-my-fire flint striker. This is more than enough to light the stove. One or two strikes, and you've got fire. I did bring a couple of small "torches" for test purposes. One uses a butane lighter as the fuel source. Works great, under 8000 ft. Over 8000 ft, the oxigen content is too low. I found this to be a common problem with all of the "blue flame" lighters I brought. The trusty BIC works anywhere.
Kitchen:
GSI Hiker. I'm a little torn about this. I love the packaging. Comes with a nice 3qt pot, a frying pan, two insulated and two uninsulated triangular cups that all nest nicely inside a vinyl "sink" or water bucket. The MSR stove and ignition source fits nicely inside too, along with the fuel pump. Downside: A bit heavy (almost 3.5 lbs without the stove). I may consider a Ti set. If I go solo, it would be way too much to carry. However, I traveled with buddy, so for two, it was a good fit.
Light source:
I had an older Princton Tec LED headlamp (non-regulated) powered by a 4AA pack on the back of the headstrap. No issues with this. However, it was a bit overkill for camp duty. Adjustable light output. Well suited for trail finding at night, or biking.
Backpack:
ILBE. Marine issue. Made by Arcteryx (based on the BORA model, I believe). Upfitted with MOLLE attachments by Proper. No issues. Lots of attachment points. Would have been overkill for a solo trip, but since I ended up carrying over 62lbs (buddy can't carry over 30 due to hip issues), it was perfect. As with all internal packs, external access isn't very good. Careful packing is a must. I would add a few external Molle pouches for quick access items.
Bearvault:
BV-500. A requirement in the Teton national Park since 2004. Holds plenty of food for two for 7 days in the bush. I like the fact that you can see through it. Heavy when empty (2.5 lbs), but comperable to others. No tools required to open. Fits perfectly inside the ILBE, and I don't like strapping a bunch of stuff on the outside.
Sunglasses:
Cheap, $6.99 gas-station polarized find. My big melon fits only wide ones, and I drop them, a lot. So, cheap is good.
Shirts:
Columbia Tamiami Fishing vented shirt. This was the one piece of gear that stood out as THE best. Almost instant dry.
Raingear:
Eddie Bauer 200 Whittaker series. I was a bit skeptical about their re-entry into real gear again, but this looks promising.
Watch:
Suunto Core - ABC. Worked great, and accurately.
So, here are some pics.
Boiling rocks. Put hot rocks in wet socks. 5 minutes later, dry socks! Works great.
Yours truly.
I've been to the Tetons a lot. Late June is good if you want some more technical terrain in snow. If you want dry, go late July. Early means you won't see too many people. Later in the season, it gets busy.
I'll post more pics of the individual pieces of gear soon.
It was hard to come back to reality.
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