READERS – What do you want investigated in 2007?

Adam wrote:
> In South Australia, almost all of my trips involve carrying rediculous amounts of water (bare minumum is starting with 3L), and all of them involve off-track and off-trail walking, through scrub that will tear alomst all UL and SUL packs and rainwear to pieces in minutes. The average walk length for me is about a week, unsupported.

> I know that there is no way a Gore Paclite 3 Jacket will stand up to Acacia sp. scrub, for example.

Ah, Adam, can I interest you in a really tough second hand GoreTex jacket which has only been through the NSW scrub a few times … :-) Our Acacia sp are not that sharp – pity about some of the rest though … ;-}

Believe it or not, I have been wearing a silnylon poncho/parka in some of our light scrub sometimes. The very smooth surface tends to slide over the scrub far more than the rough surface of the old Taslan GoreTex fabrics. That’s some of the time. If it does get a pinhole, the silnylon does NOT leak anywhere nearly as much as a punctured Goretex membrane. Holes in the GT membrane seem to GROW instantly.

However, I have to confess that sometimes I just put my raingear away and bash through the scrub in tough full-length unproofed nylon gear, with a good hat keeping my head and shoulders moderately sheltered. Sure, I get wet, but in heavy scrub I am usually working hard enough that I don’t get too cold. The hat is important: it blocks the rain from my head and a bit from my shoulders.

But thanks everyone for the ideas and suggestions. Yep, working on it.

Cheers
Roger Caffin

Are you from NSW Roger?

On my first couple of overnight walks as a scout I simply used a cheap $5 plastic poncho. It worked fine, although it was mostly on trails, with a bit of open scrub and pine forest off track.

I will have to investigate a silnylon parka and try it out.

I do agree on the work factor and using non-breathable fabrics. I have one of the last MONT gore-tex jackets produced. It is a great jacket, but I tend to sweat it up big time when working hard with a pack, so I am considering using lighter, still tough, but less breathable fabrics. It is only in Tasmania and the Aus Alps where I personally would prefer to have a really breathable jacket, due to the cold. I do have a pair of light (maybe 5 or 6 oz) coated nylon overpants that seem really tough, but do not breath a bit. I used them in Tasmania in March, and found that I didn’t sweat them up at all-they had enough ventilation at the top and bottom, and perhaps I just don’t sweat that much in my legs compared to my upper body.

On some occasions I ahve also employed that “wet bash” technique, although it has usually not been raining that hard. I find you get pretty wet though-especially if you are the first person going through the scrub!

NSW scrub is pretty weak. Haha! I reckon by changing technique slightly I could easily get away with a poncho in most of SA-if it is really raining hard enough (pretty damn rare even in winter) and I am in potentially damaging scrub, I would just have to sit/sleep it out (usually not that long).

I’ll have to give it another go I reckon.

Seriously though, a review on tough, yet LW or UL jackets would be great.

Has anyone ever used desaliators or made their own for use on coastal walks or in deserts? Maybe a review on them would be good (maybe just for me tho, haha!).

Cheers guys and girls

Perhaps a study on the choice of type of footwear, specifically related to the nature and severity of injuries.

Hello everyone- these are some great ideas! Thanks- I’ve got inspiration for several new articles now!

Doug Johnson, Trekking Systems Editor

By the way- I thought you might like to know that we editors are in Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Washington (that’s me), D.C., and Australia. We’ve also had editors from Georgia and New Zealand…so those on staff are pretty well spread out!

> Are you from NSW Roger?
Sydney, NSW – Blue Mts, and Wollemi NP.

> I will have to investigate a silnylon parka and try it out.
Er … no. Silnylon poncho, sure, but not a closed parka. SWEAT!

Pants: I’m using either silnylon chaps (wierd, but they work, see my Review of the Oware ones here) or GoLite Whims with the legs expanded so they fit over my shoes.

> On some occasions I ahve also employed that “wet bash” technique, although it has usually not been raining that hard. I find you get pretty wet though-especially if you are the first person going through the scrub!
Yeah, true, but keep moving and EATING! Not so smart in Tasmania or the Alps though, -cold plus wind.

> NSW scrub is pretty weak.
I’m laughing too, but maybe for a different reason… Try some ‘lawyer’ vine jungle.

Ill just wait till you do a review of tought jackets then.

I have heard about this lawyer vine, not experienced it yet. I am guessing thats the same stuff as wait a while or lantana?

I was giving you crap about NSW scrub-you guys have some pretty tough places in the Blue Mountains. I hear Wollami is pretty hard to get into.

I just got back from a weeklong walk in the North Japan Alps and have to admit that the weakest part of my effort to cut weight from my pack is the food. On this last trip my week’s worth of meals weighed almost half of my entire pack weight! I’ve spent so much time with the equipment that I haven’t yet really given the food aspect the five-year long consideration that I’ve so far given the equipment. That is something I’d really like to see: more in-depth articles on types, methods of preparation, and packing techniques for food and meals. And preferably not the constant loads of candy that I see in so many gear lists. I am a diabetic and the glycemic spikes of candy and overloads of sugar just don’t work for me in the mountains. (Getting a hypoglycemic attack in the mountains when you’re in the midst of climbing a vertical trail is truy a terrifying thing)

This is not so much a topic of investigation, but an improvement on the usability of the web site– why not make a “FAQs” section that can be updated periodically to cover some of the state of the art in that particular field. These FAQs could avoid some of the thread redundancy that probably annoys the old timers (things like: hammock under insulation questions, tarp guyline lengths, size of one man tarps, cat vs. flat tarps, etc)– of course most of this info is covered somewhere in the site, in some forum, but I think we can all agree that it is not very easy to find. It seems that a FAQ could help newbies get up to speed easier and faster, and with less heartache for all involved.

“why not make a “FAQs” section that can be updated periodically to cover some of the state of the art in that particular field”

To piggyback on Dane’s idea, how about something like a glossary in wiki form? This would be something that forum participants could access and modify openly. It could be a simple at-hand reference for terms like base weight, catenary, Big Three, handy knots, silnylon, clo, lumen, types of fuel, etc. Maybe it could also have information on manufacturers, MYOG product sourcing, fabric details, etc.

So what gets mentioned and hashed out in the forums could receive a permanent, orderly place in the wiki-glossary, with the ability link back and forth.
-Mark

As a recent backpacker trying to go light, an easy-to-find source of state-of-art info would be a real boost. Running Google searches on forum threads eventually nails down tips and info, but is very time-consuming. Good idea.

In case someone is counting these votes I just wanted to step in and second the idea of a BPL wiki. That is fast becoming THE “industry standard” for an informational clearinghouse.

Hope it’s not too late for a few more random ideas. I’m a newbie but here goes.

I’d like to see reviews of the following:

hiking insoles (superfeet, dr. scholls, sorbathane, etc.) Which ones are the best for the weight?

ultralight gaiters (montbell, dirty girls, etc.)

Pentax W20 and WPi

ultralight synthetic short sleeve shirts (montbell, patagonia, Golite, etc.) A chart with actual weights would be helpful. Which ones provide adequate sun protection?

I’d also like to see articles investigating the following:

specific backpacking menus/nutrition versus weight. What does the BPL staff eat?

Chlorine Dioxide drops are great but is it safe to drink water treated the night before? How cold does the water have to be to require a 4 hour wait?

What’s the deal with bear cannisters? Are Ursacks the future or will anyone make a newer and lighter hard sided option? Fully titanium can? All carbon fiber cannister anyone? Is the cost out of this world? I am hoping that the smart people at BPL will invent and sell something we can use where these are required (Yosemite etc.)

And finally, I love when you outline the brief history of lightweight products. For instance, which ones were the lightest and who came and took over the top spot. I like it when there are lists or charts of the top several ultralight champs for quick and easy comparison. I’ll stop now.

Keep up the great work guys. You are a life saver!

> Ill just wait till you do a review of tought jackets then.
Hum … this is Backpacking LIGHT. Tough jackets are HEAVY.
The trouble is, if you rely on your ‘tough’ jacket, sooner or later you will trash it. That’s been my experience, anyhow.

> lawyer vine, not experienced it yet. I am guessing thats the same stuff as wait a while or lantana?
Same as ‘wait-awhile’.
Lantana is completely different – awful stuff, but not as prevalent in the rainforest valleys.

> I hear Wollami is pretty hard to get into.
Yeah … took us all afternoon to get down about 300 m height and along about 1.5 km, from ridge to creek. Bit rough. But then, getting out was slightly more epic that trip. Good trip tho!

I would like to see a comparison between the different waterproof breathable membranes on the market. I would love to see a scientific and real world evaluation between Gore-Tex Paclite, eVent, and Proprietary technologies as used by Mont-Bell, TNF (Diad), Go Lite (Virga) and others. I would love to see actual numbers to see how breathable these membranes are, how truly waterproof they are (long term: example- I have heard rumors that eVent was not as waterproof as originally thought) and how they compare to each other.

Although you might feel that it is slightly of your market, I would like to see some more traditional “lightweight” gear reviews. I feel there are a ton of “lightweight” hikers such as myself (20-25lbs) that are not interested in traditional equipment, but are not yet ready for that cueben(sp) fiber backpack.

I would like to see a overview and comparison of lightweight frame packs as well as reviews and comparisons between lightweight double wall tents (2 person examples: MSR Hubba Hubba, Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 SL, REI Quarter Dome, and others.

I also second some earlier opinions such as

A synthetic insulation review (perhaps even including down-(the benchmark of insulation) to compare and contrast with)

More “traditional” sleep system reviews

Water treatment: Chlorine Dioxide (Aqua Mira, Miox, etc..), Lightweight Filters (Katahan Hiker, MSR Sweetwater, etc.), and UV (Steripen) When to use each one and advantages and disadvantages of each.

BTW- Thank you for doing such great in depth unbiased reviews. Sometimes a bad review is as good as a favorable review to a reader and much harder to come by in today’s commercial world of outdoor publications.

This idea just hit me: how about a nice overview of winter hiking footwear options? There are a number of different product designs out there from shoes or boots; neoprene socks or waterproofs or to gaiters & WPB shoes, etc. A lot of it could boil down to personal preference, but there are trade-offs with each. I’d like to see a
good summary of “best practices” for the non-skiing, snow & slush hiker.

-Mark

> how about a nice overview of winter hiking footwear options? There are a number of different product designs out there from shoes or boots; neoprene socks or waterproofs or to gaiters & WPB shoes, etc.

On a recent snowshoe trip I wore NON-waterproof Salomon approach shoes and very thick Darn Tough Vermont socks. Sure, I got wet feet in the snow. But those Darn Tough socks are so thick it didn’t matter. I had warm feet regardless.
Lesson #1: You won’t die if your feet get wet – truly! Just make sure you have lots of circulation in your feet: footwear not too tight.
Lesson #2: Those DTV socks are fantastic. I even PAID for some more! From Australia!
Lesson #3: Our readers seem more interested in techniques for pushing the limit a bit beyond their current comfort zone, rather than in endless Product Reviews. We Hear You!

I second Mark’s request regarding winter hiking boots and practices.

As Roger suspects, I would love to read more articles on technique and skills from winter camping to food preparation.

Here is a cheap but important gear review; emergency whistles. I hope I never use one but if I do, I’d like to know that I’m blowing the loudest one out there!

Coping with midges with SUL techniques. You guys really should try the Scottish Highlands in May or June. What would you use for a Coast to Coast walk, say from Lochcarron to Montrose?

Better forum software for BPL.com.

Still some great ideas that have been untouched. Cool to see so many of the same names still around. Bitch as we may BPL is still providing something of value to us.