Went on a short overnighter last weekend and tried a bunch of gear I had never used before. So this is simply a first impression on some new (for me) gear. Those looking for some full on review please move along, nothing to see here…. This was a short trip, I didn't really 'test' any of the gear.
First up, a 50 degree Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt. Yes, I know, EE doesn't sell an Enigma quilt, and they don't sell a 50 degree quilt. This was Tim's prototype that he let me borrow for this and an upcoming trip. Then I hope to convince him to make me one…. :-) So, this is Tim's quilt, they're not for sale (yet anyway), but I think it's a great design and it worked wonderfully for the night I had it out. I hope he adds it to his offerings.
Temps got to around the low 50s, and this quilt kept me plenty toasty just loosely draped over me (and even pushed down off my chest for part of the night) in my hammock. It's built for Tim, so it's about 5" longer and wider than I need, and it still only weighs 10 oz. I know he used water resistant down (don't know what flavor) but forget what the shell material is. It's unique design has continuous side baffles than run down to the footbox, across the footbox and back up the other side. This allows you to push down away from the side and down to the footbox area if your feet need a bit of extra warmth. The down did not shift at all in the baffles on my chest/abdomen. I really, really like this quilt.
.
The pic doesn't show it, but all three horizontal footbox baffles have continuous baffles up both sides/underneath as well. The footbox is a sewn footbox.
Next, my new Elemental Horizons Kalais pack. I had mine made all dyneema. Really like this pack. I packed heavy on purpose just to see how this pack would carry with a load (I didn't weigh the load, never do, but I was carrying about 1.5 pounds of field projector equipment [we enjoyed Wolfman Meets Frankenstein after it got dark] and two cold beers and a full frozen water bottle, discussed later). This pack does the best job of transferring weight to my hips of any of the many packs I've owned over the last few years. I really like the double-draw hip belt. Plenty of room in this pack, of course. I've been thinking about a JMT hike with no resupply, this is the pack I'll use for that hike.
.
I picked up an Arc'teryx Nuclei hoody and took it on this trip for wear around camp after the temps dropped. Comfortable jacket, has hand pockets which I like, hood fits well, was nice and warm at 55 degrees after dark. I wore it to 'bed' and took it off in less than 10 minutes as it and the quilt were way too warm together. This jacket could easily go under 50 degrees, I'll find out how far in the months ahead. Overall, I'm impressed with it on its first night out.
.
Cold beer. And I mean ice cold beer. I bought one of those Escape Pods from Simple Outdoor Store (makers of Outsak). This thing really works. I put an insulated cycling bottle full of water in the freezer overnight, and then loaded that and two cold beers from the fridge (boy, the Old Chub Scotch Ale is a fine beverage) into the pod, put it at the top of my pack, and headed off into the woods. It was a fairly short hike – we started around noon or so and hit camp by 3 I think. After chatting with another group for a bit, I put my pack down and pulled out the beer. It was still ice cold. Really. Not just cool or a bit cold, but ice cold. The insulated bottle was still frozen. That cold beer went down really, really nicely!
.
I got a new pair of Locus Gear CP3 flicklock poles from a BPL member and used them for the first time on this trip. They worked well after I tightened up the flick lock mechanisms. One pole slipped a bit before I did that, but it's an easy trail fix if you have something to use as a screwdriver. I see he's got a new fliplock mechanism on the most recent poles, not sure what he changed. I like these poles, and would use them whenever I was using my Lightheart Gear Solo shelter, as these poles are just easier to adjust the height on than my GG LT4s. But I'll probably continue using the LT4s for most of my hiking now that I'm back to using a hammock for most of my trips.
.
Lastly, my TrailLite Designs cuben dog bowl. I don't hike with my pup, I actually got the bowl to use as a wash-up basin. And it worked well for this purpose. I got the large, but would probably get the small, the large is really big! It's a simple design, very light of course, and holds its shape well when filled with water. I used it to take a quick sponge bath away from water sources, it would also work well for washing dishes and such. For those looking for a lightweight bowl for their pups, you can't do much better than this. And for those who like to have a wash basin kinda thing, you can't do much better than this. I'll be taking it on all my trips. Might even start bringing a bit of Dr. Bronners with me on longer trips.
.
