Which Pencil for the JMT?

[Brett Ayer]

Was all this necessary in the gear section?

Should we now start a thread on the best way to tie an invisible shoe lace.

Are the mods on vacation or is this site that far gone that the mods are afraid to log on.

[Nick Gatel]

"Was all this necessary in the gear section?"

Well it seemed like a legitimate question to me.

Many people take writing instruments on their trips. Where would our civilization be if Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, John Wesley Powell, John Muir, Jack London, Robert Service, Edward Abbey, Colin Fletcher, Chris Townsend, Harvey Butchart and a host of others had left their pencils/pens and paper at home? I dare say that backpacking would not be what it is today; it would be less.

How is a pencil less relevant than the dozens upon dozens of the JMT gear threads I have read here on BPL over the years?

Is a pencil not a piece of gear?

Some other thought provoking threads I have read here regarding the JMT over the years include such questions as…

Do I need a sleeping bag or quilt? Is a quilt better than a sleeping bag? What temperature bag or quilt for doing the JMT in July or August?

Do I need a tent? Tent or Tarp? Bivy instead of a shelter?

Do I need a smartphone, Kindle, iPod, iPad, MPS, PLB, SPOT, spare batteries, solar charger, etc.?

Do I need a wind shirt, rain jacket, or poncho? Which is best? GoreTex or eVent?

Do I need a hat? What kind of hat do I need?

Do I need boots? Are running shoes okay? How about Vibram 5 Fingers? Do I need camp shoes? Do I need water crossing shoes?

Do I need trekking poles?

How do I pee and/or poop?

Do I need tent stakes? How do you pound stakes into granite?

Do I need a bear canister? How do I store my food? Where do I get food?

How far can I hike in a day?

How do I even get to the JMT?

What stove? Is Esbit or Alcohol okay?

Do I need underwear? If I do, what kind? Is wool better than synthetic?

Do I need a camera? Which camera is best for the JMT? Should I get a DSLR or a P&S?

Can I hike in shorts? Can I hike in trousers? What shirt should I wear? Do I need sunglasses? What brand sunglasses should I buy? Do I need polarized lenses?

Are there mosquitoes? DEET or headnet? How do you sleep without a fully enclosed tent?

What should I sleep on (foam pad, insulated pad, down pad, air mattress, duft)? What size pad should I sleep on? Do I need a groundsheet? What kind of groundsheet do I need? Where can I buy a groundsheet? Should I use a groundsheet under my tent?

Is cuben better than nylon, xPac, Dymeema, Spectra, Cordura?

Do I need a framed pack? What size pack do I need? Do I need outside pockets on my pack? Who makes the best pack? Who makes the cheapest pack?

Can I fish? Can I go vegan? Can I live off the land and not bring food?

How do I treat water? Which is best; iodine, AquaMira, filter, Steripen? Can I get by without treating water. How do I get water out of a shallow area? What should I carry my water in?

Do I need a knife, or razor blade, or ax, or machete?

How many pounds, or ounces should my first aid kit weigh? What should I carry in my first aid kit? Etc., etc., etc.

Maybe if more hikers took pencils, there would be more How To books, and thus no questions here on how to hike the JMT?

I don't think a pencil is a trivial thing, and having never used one to capture the flavor of my hikes it seemed that Gear would be the logical place to ask my questions.

[John Vance]

+1 and checkmate!

[Bob Gross]

Nick, head down to the golf course and purchase, beg, borrow, or steal a quantity of short pencils. At home in your workshop, you paint them some distinctive color. Weigh them very carefully, and then put them up for sale here for an affordable price, say $2 each, shipped. Then you offer up a cuben fiber carrying case, and that would be $4 each, shipped. You would need to include a user manual.

You can make a million bucks.

–B.G.–

[Marko Botsaris]

Based on the above I think may need to divide this thread into "regular" and "irony-free" sub-threads.

[Nick Gatel]

"Based on the above I think may need to divide this thread into "regular" and "irony-free" sub-threads."

Now I am getting confused. I thought the pencils were made from lead. Are you suggesting it is actually iron? That sounds heavy. Perhaps someone makes a carbon fiber pencil; does anyone know?

[Jennifer Mitol]

Nick…touché!!!!! That was simply brilliant.

But you forgot to mention what kind of shirt I should bring when I hike the JMT…short sleeve or long? Synthetic, wool, button down, rail riders?

You know, when I first found BPL I read a few posts lamenting about how the forums had turned into a cesspool of "which tent should I buy?" and "ULA packs vs Gossamer Gear?" threads. I was a tad put off, because I was that noobie and frankly, those decisions were hard! Now, thanks to the collective wisdom I've mooched from all of you, I find that I am comfortable making my own mistakes – instead of thinking every gear and route choice has to be the absolutely forever perfect one. And now I find myself lamenting that the forums have turned into this cesspool of "which tent is best?" and "MLD Exodus vs the Ohm 2.0?"

I recently joined a JMT Facebook group…then promptly unjoined as every single question was "should I carry a 70L or a 90L pack?" You've all spoiled me so….

So seriously, which shirt should I bring?

[Nick Gatel]

Just buy a cotton/poly or poly dress shirt. You can roll up the sleeves, and can try it on at the store for proper fit.

[Gary Dunckel]

"So seriously, which shirt should I bring?"

Whatever shirt you choose, Jennifer, be sure to sew a little mini tube inside the pocket to securely store your BPL golf pencil. I'm sure that's what Nick and BG would do, and they know their golf pencils.

[Nick Gatel]

I think the last time I used a pencil was in 1968 when I voted for Pat Paulsen for President. I normally write with a fountain pen or type on a keyboard. So I have no recent experience with a pencil.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Ha!

I so enjoy it when threads make me laugh like this.
By the way, where's Max? I miss him………..

[Mary D]

I am heartily enjoying this thread!!! As in ROTFL! My dog just walked into the computer room wondering why I was laughing so hard!

[Nick Gatel]

I think he got lost, used a mechanical pencil floating in water as a compass, and it sunk to the bottom. Should have used one of those UL golf pencils without an eraser.

[Jennifer Mitol]

And here I thought you used a quill and ink.

[Gary Dunckel]

Besides Max, where's Doug, and Travis, and Konrad–they need to get in on this too.

[Nick Gatel]

"And here I thought you used a quill and ink."

I can't find them. Last year I removed a quill from my cuben quilt, using one of my wife's pencils, but found the quill was rather short.

When I prepare for a hike I use a fountain pen along with my other prep gear.

The long white thingy is a slide rule I got in 1968. Never had to change the battery. The lantern doesn't use batteries either, nor the compass, map measurer or thermometer.

[Max Dilthey]

I'm thinking this pencil conversation isn't considering a lot of factors. I just want to play devil's advocate for a minute and add some grams. Since I know I'm right, there's really no need to respond to this comment at all.

Broken pencils are a big deal, so as with anything you carry, durability HAS to be considered. I suggest going with the double-wide pencils they give kindergartners just for the peace of mind. I, myself, carry two, and I keep them in a case because I would hate for them to potentially get broken as they knock around in my cavernous 6lb backpack. There's a lot of empty space in there.

Cheers!

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi,

My local library has small cups of those short pencils on the counter for taking notes with. Try a library near you.

But, for me and the rest of my "Cuben" based gear I just took a piece of "Draftsman's" Compass Lead and wrapped some scrap Cuben fiber around the lead till it was thick enough to hold, sure. It goes really well with my Cuben Fiber Note Paper.

Do a computer search for "Draftsman's Lead" and check out Amazon.

[Nick Gatel]

"Broken pencils are a big deal, so as with anything you carry, durability HAS to be considered."

But we are all lightweight hikers here, with the skills and experience to use "fragile" items, such as .31 cuben. Perhaps for those on the Backpacker Magazine forums, it would be relevant.

[Max Dilthey]

Nick, all's well and good until you're stuck in the woods with no titanium sharpener. Then you can come crying to me about the six chapters of your autobiography you couldn't draft up between food drops.

[Nick Gatel]

Max you make a good point, about a dull point on the pencil. But you should go back and notice I asked questions about sharpening the pencil on the trail, as I don't think my Mike Clelland! razor blade is up to the task.

[Jennifer Mitol]

But Nick, that's a compass. I thought for sure you'd still be using a sextant for all your navigation.

[Nick Gatel]

"But Nick, that's a compass. I thought for sure you'd still be using a sextant for all your navigation."

I have been using a compass for a long time. I rarely bring a real tent, however that sex tent sounds promising. Where can I purchase one?

[Ken Thompson]

"My thought is to purchase everyone one of the USGS Topo Maps for the JMT."

That's a lot of maps. You'll need more than one pencil. What about a carpentry pencil? Won't roll off trail. Big enough to use as a stake. Writes nice and bold. Good for old eyes.

[D G]

These are what I generally use. Just avoid the 0.5's, those are too delicate. 0.7's are easier to use and don't break. You can probably get fine with just 2 leads for the JMT.

You don't need the mechanical pencil, you can write just fine holding the lead with your fingers.

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