6th Annual G.G.G. 1/24-26 2014

"Come to think about it….do we want to have a designated time for the gear swap and sale on Sunday morning?"

This group is like trying to herd cats. Some want to linger in bed until 9 or later, some are up and gone early. I just don't see it working out.

And yes Tony I have plenty of name tags. But thanks for the offer.

Ken,

Challenge for 2015 burn off.

Do something twisted like provide the fire starting materials to the participants and see if they can get a fire going.

Example: Fire steel, some tinder, and twigs and wood.

More of a fire building skill with competition to boil water as the time pressure element to the task.

Regarding the gear swap….yeah, like herding cats.

Maybe best to say in the parking lot Sunday….everyone figures it out for themselves.

If you need me to bring any supplies for the GGG, please let me know.

Tony

I think the entire stove kit should be packed away in your backpack.

Then, GO…

That's how it's done in the real world.

Ken was thinking how I may be able to help out and thought if I brought a good led light for the bathroom at night and a led arrow for the trail into camp, that might be helpful…

Already have those bases covered Michael. Thanks for thinking of it though. And thanks too for the offer.

Greetings!

For the G.G.G. West event coming up in January, we are planning on bringing gear for cooking demonstrations. These demos will include, regular boiling along with dry baking and maybe even some steam baking. We expect to bring 3 full Bobcat Cooking systems with all of the pots and pans needed for the demo. We will also bring several complete Snow Leopard systems, also complete with mugs and pans. I will bring as much stuff that I can fit inside my pack. We also plan on demonstrating different alcohol fuels as well as stoves designed for Esbit and Isopropyl alcohol.

I am planning on bringing various windscreens made from aluminum, stainless steel and of course titanium. These cooking systems will be available for purchase at a discounted price after all of the demonstrations are finished. Completely new systems will be ~20% off and slightly used equipment will have a steeper discount.

If you have a particular piece of equipment that you would like to see, contact me at Jon@flatcatgear.com . See you there! Jon

Jon,

Looking to seeing your gear and demos.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to come out to the G.G.G.

Hope that you will be able to mix pleasure and business while you are out there…sure you will have fun.

I know that I will have some questions about your Epicurean Titanium Stove as a means to get more boils per esbit cubes.

Anyway, excited to see more manufactures come out to make the G.G.G. all the more special.

Tony

30 days until the 2013 GGG!!!

@Jon/FCG… I would like to see one of those home emergency units. You ever get your website updated and I might order up one of those.

@All, I will probably not be taking most of my gear with me, so if I got anything you might want to see that I have drop me a message and I will get it packed up.

After last years “will cuben fiber melt” test, this year I will be bringing some more CF of different weights to see how the different weight of cuben fiber melts :-D

I will also be bringing some GG LT4’s that are totally locked up… and going to have a “bang them against a tree” session… so everybody can see how much abuse they can take before they break. ;)

I am also thinking of dropping the money for another case of handwarmers. They seemed to be fairly popular last year. If I were to do so, would those wanting some, be willing to throw in a buck to help me cover the cost??

I'll pitch in on the hand warmers. They were delightful last year.

Jon,

I've exchanged a couple emails with you in the past and I'm happy to hear you will be at GGG.

Sounds like you are bringing what I'd like to see but I'm interested in viewing both of your Isopropyl stoves if at all possible. I'd be happy to bring a bottle of Isopropyl alcohol with me to help free up some space in your pack; let me know.

As far as technique goes, I watched one of your videos yesterday where you fried some eggs/pancakes using diluted alcohol. I'm interested in buying a Banks Alpine Fry-Bake pan (8")later this spring and am interested in using it as part of this system. I would like to pick your brain at GGG to see if that's doable or not. After re-watching Ryan's video, looks like I may be able to do this with without a twig fire on top.

Greetings All!

I am compiling a list of gear demos and cooking demos that people would like to see. If you have any particular gear or food that you would like to see let me know and I will see what will fit in my pack. So far, people have requested:

ISO-Clean isopropyl alcohol stove demo
Dry baking
Esbit stoves: Epicurean and Focus Fire 14
Pan frying
The Emergency Kitchen setup.

Best regards,

Jon

Speaking of burning things. I will have a fuel dump in the courtesy tent. Some partial canisters, white gas, alcohol, and some Esbit. So if you want to try something new or were forgetful this should help you out. And some matches to go with, of course.

"I will have a fuel dump in the courtesy tent."

Definitely help those of us flying! Thanks!

Ken, if you get too much white gas if any at all, I can take some off your hands. I go through a few gallons a year, using my old stoves. Kero too. HJ wanted to see one of my rare stoves, but I'll probably leave that in the truck, so he'll have to be at the right place at the right time, I do not want to leave it in my shelter and may not have room in my pack after adding a few gallons of water.
I can finally request time off for 2014, starting on the 26th, just have to navigate thru the new system at work.
Duane
Got thru the new system, I'm in.

Jon,

I doubt that I will need hand warmers, but happy to pitch in some money to help out with your cost.

$10 or $20 bucks….just let me know what you need.

Tony

It's sad that that we have run out of room so quickly. This morning there are ten of you on standby.

Good Morning Everybody,
Due to the demand I have added another group spot for our stay at Henry Coe. #6 across the road from the other two. I have contacted those on the standby list for first dibs. For now I will say that I have 15 spots available. Please register here

GGG Registration

These will be the last available spots released. Thanks for your interest and support. I’ll see you there.

As always, feel free to PM with any questions.

Ken,

Do you need any help with funds for paying for the 2nd spot???

Tony

Thanks, but no Tony. I have it covered.

Still waiting to hear from some of those on the standby list. There are 12 more spaces available at the time of this post.

Would love to come to this, but alas the west coast thang aint easy for some of us east coasters.

Wonder if there is any interest in an east coast version of this at a different time for those of us without the moola, time, etc to make it to the west coast one?

The east coast motto could be, "it won't be as cool, but at least it's a hellava lot closer to you".

Take a look at the underutilized member map and you will see why the Bay Area meet gets the numbers of attendees it does.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=53151

Yah, makes sense. Wasn't aware of this map until now.

Justin,

I am sure that if you organize an East Coast GGG of your own, it would build up to something like we have over hear.

The 1st one was only attended by about 15-17 people and it slowly grew from there.

In our case, we have been fortunate to have Ken leading the charge on this….he has taken the idea of the GGG from Ken H., who started the 1st GGG, and turned it into the big event that it has become today.

I have picked Ken's brain last year about what advice he would give to someone if they were to organize their own GGG and here is what he came up with:

Tips for Organizing your own Gathering of Gear Geeks:

1. Site Selection

• Number of People Dictates the Location
• Human Waste Disposal Determines suitability of site selection
• Water availability at site
• Are Fires Allowed
• Online Research & Communication

2. Ease of Permit and Location Access

• Keep it simple: no special use permits, no insurance waivers, no hassles
• Parking Lot Size, Availability, and Permits for Vehicles
• Develop a working relationship with Rangers & Park Staff
• Distance Needed to Hike to Campsite Determines How Many Will Attend
• Meeting at the Trail Head or Campsite

3. The Considerate Dictator

• Pick at a Date that is good for YOU- avoid big holidays & vacations
• Creating the Online Invite: One Easy, Informative, and Updated Posting
• Don’t Be Mom; everyone is an adult- just set it up and let them show up

4. Paying for it All

• Expect to Cover Upfront Cost Out of Your Own Pocket
• Low Cost is Key for a Good Turn Out: No renting private ranch or campground
• Clear Posting of Per Person Fees to Attend & How the Money is to be Spent
• Paypal: Easy of Use and Accounting for Who Paid and When They Paid
• List of Who Has and Has Not Paid on clearly listed on the Online Invite/Forum

5. Preparation & Recruiting Help

• Master Check List to Keep on Track & Organized
• Doing a little bit all of the time…spacing out the work load
• Name Tags…help break the ice for everyone, new and old timers
• Pit Toilets/Outhouses: Toilet Paper, Wet Wipes, Glow Sticks, and Air Freshener
• Support Vehicle: Firewood, Duraflame log as fire starter, Water, Water Jugs, Shovel, Broom, Trash can, Trash bags
• Have extras of all the supplies you are taking…especially toilet paper
• On Site: Cleaning out the Fire Pits & Clean Pit Toilets/Outhouses
• Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help- people will volunteer

6. Fun Activities & Events

• Wood Stove Burn Off- fire making skills
• Encourage people to show off/share their talents: gear collections to show & tell

7. Leaving the Site Better Than You Found It

• Cleaning Up & Packing It Out
• Maintaining Good Working Relationship with Park Rangers and Staff
• Earning the Chance to Return to the Campsite by being considerate park visitors

8. Sharing the Memories

• Posting Photos & Telling the Story Online: Giving a Reason to Do It Again

Note: I have had the pleasure of posting photos of all the G.G.G.s since the first one, I would like to believe that by posting a good trip report with lots of photos of what happened at the GGG has help create interest for people to attend future ones.

Anyway, I hope that this helps…think I will create a separate thread with these tips, with the hope that it might inspire others to organize their own GGG.

Tony

Can't wait for the GGG. For anyone interested, Roger is able to ship about 8 Caffin stoves in a 1Kg box saving a whopping $21.25 over individual shipping – that's $3.75 shipping/piece instead of $25. I'm only 45 min away and would be happy to bring them. On top of this he's also offering a $5 discount for the GGG.

He recommends ordering by Jan. 8 to get them in time for the GGG. If anyone is interested, please PM me. You would pay Roger directly.

These are the latest stoves and have the upgraded tripod legs Roger has mentioned.

Latest photos of the stove at the bottom of this thread: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=79750&skip_to_post=732829

Stove information in this article in 3 parts: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/caffin-evolution-of-winter-stove-part-3.html#.Ushot9JDuAg