luxuries?

[Erik Sund]

Linsey's post reminded me that I used to be a lot worse. On anything longer than a one night trip I used to carry a small electric travel razor in order to avoid the discomfort of shaving after skipping a couple of days. As I gradually reduced the weight of my gear (I'm around 8 lbs base weight now) I found that I could no longer justify devoting a half pound of a 8.5 pound base weight for a single piece of essentially cosmetic equipment and was forced to reform my ways.

Thank you for listening. I feel much better after confessing.

[Anonymous]

Dennis,

Just try to take their SlingLights away? I have raised these boys appreciate the luxuries in life, whereever they are.

[Stephen Eggleston]

big fuzzy bedsocks

a swiss army classic knife with scissors in my 1st aid kit and a lock blade for everything else

an almost full-length sleeping pad

instant hand warmer packs

[Denis Hazlewood]

John,
I'm glad you raised them boys up right. But rully, I can hear 'em say:"Dad you brought us all the way up here an all you got to drink is water?"

Where in Arizona is them hills? They's impressive. Howdya bleach the red outa them red rocks?

[Ken Helwig]

Single Malt Scotch, namely of the Highlands variety!!! Nice to sip on some good Scotch and and watch the alpine glow after a long day on the trail!

[Anonymous]

Dennis,

Those "hills" are in the Miter Basin running south off of Mt. Whitney. We are just below Sky Blue Lake and I believe the back drop is the end of a ridge that runs southeast from Mt. Pickering, a fir piece from Arizona. By the way I was up there this past weekend and I have never seen it this free of snow and ice this early. Even the meadows, which should be gushing with water and marshy, are bleached and burned like you'd expect in August and September and the streams are mere streamlets. It is, forgive me, apocalyptic in appearance to look up Owens Valley see only a little snow in a few crevices.

[Denis Hazlewood]

John,
Yikes! This is not good. And not just for us Californicators sitting in our hot tubs, drinking water & flushing toilets.
I'm leading beginning backpacking groups this summer and our late season trips are mostly above the treeline. I can't take folks places where water is chancy. I better be looking for lower "chain 'o' lakes" venues.

[Jim Sweeney]

Here's a reasonably lightweight luxury–a Coughlan water bag. At 1.75 oz and about $6.00, it's a very easy way to have a lot of water–2.5 gal–close to hand. It fills easily, is self supporting, and packs very small.

[Denis Hazlewood]

Can you give us more info on where to find tis bag. I have one of Coughlin's bags and use it often. Mine must be filled with my pot, used as a dipper, or from falling water. Also is not free standing and must be hung. I made a lanyard with a loop and toggle, which works if one is able to find a propper tree limb. I have, on occasion, hammered a tent stake into a tree as a hanging point. The bag makes a great place from which to filter water. I cover the top with my bandana to keep out falling debris.

[Jim Sweeney]

I bought two bags recently from backcountrygear.com.

I'm sure we have the same bags, and you're right, the bags are a little unstable if set on the ground. They do work well when hung from a tree, though it's more difficult to get the water out as the opening tends to narrow when hung. On the ground I prop them up with rocks, and that seems to work well if I'm careful, though I have poked a hole in one by bumping it into a sharp rock. Luckily the hole was up high, and it was the next to last day of the trip.

Usually I fill them in a creek, and orient the opening into the current, which helps them fill. One bag full will give me enough water to make dinner, wash out any clothes I need to wash, and bathe. When the bag is on the ground, it's OK to to dip a Snowpeak 900 into it, but that's a little harder to do that if it's hung.

I think that, for a while, Dancing Lightly was selling a lighter version, perhaps made of silnylon, but I think they're no longer in operation.

[R K]

My luxury is my sleeping pad. I use Gossamer Gear Nightlight ¾ length. I bought the wide version and cut it down from 30 in to 24 in. I can sprawl out into any position that’s comfortable without waking up partially on the ground.

I did just pick up an Exped downmat 7. Initial testing is positive; however I’m not sure I can justify the weight.

[Denis Hazlewood]

James,
I have found that, when hung by only one handle, one may pour by grabbing a "pinch" of the bottom of the bag,on the suspended side, and lifting until water spills over the lip into your pot. The only water carrier I ike much is an empty one gallon "Crystal Geyser" jug. Look for one with a plastic "bail" handle. The jug is square and the top tapers with a 4 sided pyramid shape. I cut a hole just large enough for my water filter. The whole thing weighs very little and, though it won't fit inside my pack, I just lash it to the top bar of my LuxuryLite pack. It rattles in the wind a bit but it fills my wierdness quotient, as well as my water carrying needs. If one makes camp, as one should, away from water sources, it's nice to have water in camp and close at hand.

[Author]

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