Gear Mods

On each trip I make a few changes to the gear and food I bring. I look to make improvements to increase comfort or decrease weight based on learnings from the prior trip, and make other changes to adapt to the new conditions I might expect to find on the upcoming trail. Here are the gear changes I made for the Florida Trail and how they turned out:

1. Plastic groundsheet 

I like using a groundsheet under my tent. Ultralight backpackers don't use them, but I like that they keep the bottom of the tent floor clean in wet conditions. If the bottom gets dirty and wet, you have to wipe it down (with a bandanna you'd also rather keep clean) or the dirt and moisture transfers to the tent when you roll it up. Since I expected lots of wet ground on this trip, I left my nylon groundsheet at home and made a custom one from clear polycro plastic(the kind used to insulate windows) with Tyvek tape acting as hem tape to strengthen the edges. (Thanks, Robert, for the Tyvek tape suggestion!)

Verdict: A+  

It worked just as desired. It was often quite wet and dirty in the mornings, and I could simply fold it in half, roll it up, and store it without having any mess transfer to the tent or backpack. The tent bottom stayed clean and dry. And it's not just the outside bottom that stays dry; the tent floor inside never feels damp because there's no seepage, and that's a big comfort win. Will definitely do again. 

2. Collapsible Solar Lantern

Backpacking during the shorter days of winter, I expected two to five hours of 'dark time' time in the tent each night after sunset. To provide light and not have to rely only on a headlamp, I brought a lightweight solar powered lantern. It's collapsible, doesn't need batteries, weighs about a quarter pound, and I could hang it from the inside top of my tent at night. 

Verdict: B+   

It worked just as anticipated, always had power for light in the evenings, and I liked having the entire tent lighted vs light only pointing to where I was looking, as with a headlamp. Not an A+ only because it mostly duplicates what a headlamp does, yet doesn't replace it. Plus, the headlamp requires batteries, and I would have to carry extras given the total amount of evening time I wanted to light. If push came to shove weight-wise, this would be on the chopping block. 

3. Extra Socks

I brought two extra pair of socks, again anticipating lots of wet and mud. 

Verdict:  A-

It was very helpful to have extra pairs. First, better odds of having dry or mostly dry socks in the morning. Second, I changed socks and wore up to 3 different pair on days that were hard on my feet, like the swamp and muddy marsh days, as well as the long pavement days. As my feet swelled or the socks became gritty with dirt or mud, I'd swap out for a cleaner, fresher pair. Plus they were different weights, and I could pick what felt best for conditions. Would definitely do again in similar conditions. Maybe not five pair, but perhaps four. 

4. Collapsible Bowl

I brought a lightweight, collapsible silicone bowl to try on this trip. The bottom also functioned as a cutting board. 

Verdict: B  

I really liked having the bowl, and used it often. I liked not having to hold my food pouch the whole time I was eating, and not having to worry about the pouch tipping over if I set it down. The cutting board bottom was super helpful cutting soft jerkys safely for ramen. But it is purely a nice-to-have item, not a must have.  Like the lantern, if I were pressured on weight, this might not make the final cut. I did use it regularly, though. 

5.  No Long Sleeve Base Layer

I didn't bring a warm, long sleeve shirt on this trip. I figured it would rarely be cold, and when it did get cold, wouldn't last long. I had to subtract something from my kit to make up for the extras already noted above, and this is what I sacrificed. I still packed both a synthetic vest and a down puffy, and I gambled those would be good enough. After all, it's Florida, how cold can it get?

Verdict:  Pass

It did fall below freezing twice, but the cold nights mostly warmed up fast in the mornings. The morning of the second cold snap, though, felt like one of the coldest days I've had on any trail. Temps in the high 30s and low 40s plus a biting cold breeze. Brrr. Nevertheless, I never needed to wear all my layers at once, and even the two nights that fell below freezing weren't so cold that I needed a long sleeve thermal layer. Saving weight here worked out fine. 

6. Different Breakfast Mix Recipe

I bring a powdered breakfast mix based on a recipe that Triple-Z, my hiking partner on the Arizona Trail, introduced to me. Instant coffee, chocolate instant breakfast mix, and instant whole milk. I made my own for the Pacific Northwest Trail last summer, but quickly discovered it was too rich or heavy to easily digest while exercising, and I suspected dairy was the culprit.  I like a cold, mocha-like drink in the mornings though, so I tried some modifications for Florida. I replaced the whole milk powder with oat flour and dry coconut creamer to skip the dairy but still have a creamy, milk-like base. I replaced the instant breakfast mix with cocoa powder and just a little sugar. And I added Flaxseed meal for some healthy fats and omega-3s. 

Verdict: A-  

The mix was delicious, quite enjoyable, and I looked forward to it each morning. It provided a good amount of calories in liquid form and got me to drink more fluids early in the day. Two thumbs up, definitely a keeper. 

So what didn't work?  A couple of things I would say.  First, I didn't bring gloves; I figured they'd be an almost never used item, and I could get by with socks over my hands, and super thin plastic bags over those. But when I did  want them on the couple cold mornings, all my warm socks were wet. How could I not anticipate that?  I brought extra socks because I figured they'd be wet!  I should have tried my thin sock liners, but when it came time, it just seemed too goofy to wear socks and plastic bags on my hands.  Nothing else I wear is goofy like that, so I walked with bare, stiff, cold hands. Again, brrr! In hindsight I wish I'd at least tried them to see if the combo would have been warm enough. Now I don't know.  For future trips however, I think I'll add a lightweight pair of gloves or mittens with a separate, waterproof shell. If I'm going to carry something to keep my hands warm, I need to make it something I'll actually wear!

Second, the combination of using an umbrella and a hiking pole at the same time didn't work as well as I want. On the third rainy morning, I noticed my right cuff was wicking moisture up my sleeve but my left cuff was not. Huh, that's odd, I thought; I wonder why?  At first I thought the elastic was looser on that cuff, but that wasn't the culprit. Turns out that as I walk with a hiking pole, my wrist is higher than my elbow for half the stride. With the umbrella up, using a hiking pole put my hand right under the drip line where the rain was sheeting off, and the rainwater was running down my hand and wrist and into my sleeve. Huh. I put my hiking pole away, kept both hands under the umbrella, and the problem stopped. I didn't notice the issue on the first two rainy days because those were roadwalks and I didn't use the hiking poles. On uneven or rock and root strewn ground though, I would like to use one pole plus the umbrella. I'm going to want to work out a solution for that. 

In the end, I would say the gear changes for this trip worked well. I don't know if I'll ever arrive at one, perfect solution, but I liked the way the setup for this trip worked out.  I was better prepared for the frequent wet conditions as well as the much longer nights. When you're outside and exposed to whatever nature has on offer day after day, it's nice to have a few luxuries to enjoy!