I just got the final piece of my latest shipment of gear. Here's what I got:
ULA Conduit
Tarptent Contrail
#1 Nite Ize S-Biners (5)
Rite in the Rain Mini Notebook
Fisher Space Pen
Round Box storage containers
(last 4 items are from here at the BPL store)
I am so pumped about my trip I'm going on next weekend (feb 21-22). We're doing a pretty easy trail here in Arkansas, but it will be a great chance to test the new gear. The pack is very feature rich for its weight (IMHO). And I really like the water bottle holders on the shoulder straps (an added option). I ordered two but removed one and will keep it at home as a back up. The hipbelt pockets are also very nice (another option). Some of the other features that I alredy like (again no trail use so far) are the three way mesh pockets (front pocket is perfect for at tarp or my new contrail among other things) and the elastic pad straps on the inside. It makes the pad into a great back pad/support.
The Contrail also far exceeded my expectations. It is SO easy to set up. The only thing I can't seem to get right are the sides. I cannot get the spacing the same on each side. The mesh seems like it is suppose to run parallel to the ground and connect the bathtub floor to the overhead canopy. However, the floor always seems to be off to one side. I'll have the mesh pulled tight on one side, but bunched up on the other. If anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, let me know.
Lastly, the Nite Ize S Biners are awesome! They're really strong for their size. These things are so small (think height of a quarter and width of a sharpie marker cap). I am looking forward to testing how much weight they will hold. The pen and notebook have not gotten much "testing" yet, but they will soon. I plan on seeing if the pen really will write under water.
Anyway, thats it, just excited about my new gear. Any tips on any of these gear pieces would be interesting/helpful. Thanks!
