5.02.2007

More (and Last of) Gear

I went back to Alpine Shop today for some last minute gear. One thing I needed was a stool. After biking 50 to 70 miles I don't want to sit on the ground, maybe not even on a stool. A good walk would probably be best. But when I'm ready for something to eat before retiring for the night in the tent, or when I want a cup of coffee in the morning, a stool would be far better than the ground. Thus the Pack Seat tripod stool, which folds compactly into it's travel bag and weighs very little.


Figure 1: Pack Seat Tripod Stool


But if I'm going to cook noodles at night and make coffee in the morning, I need heat. Chris at the Alpine Shop showed me all sorts of stoves, all small and light weight. I wanted something simple, like Jetboil Personal cooking system. (See Figure 2.) The nice thing about this system is that it packs into itself--that is, the propane canister and the burner all nestle in in the pot. On the other hand, there
s the problem of fuel. I ended up buying five propane canisters. Wanter is supposed to boil in 90 seconds, and a canister is supposed to last 2 hours. Four canisters x 2 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds / 90 seconds = 320 boiling situtations. I'm hoping that's enough to get me to Durango, Colorado, where I can restock canisters.

Figure 2: Jetboil Personal Cooking System


Figure 3 shows my electrical gear. In the center is my Solio solar charger. The Solio uses the sun to charge a built-in lithium battery, then I can use an auto charge type of connection to power up my iPod Nano, as well as my (not pictured) Treo 700p. In the upper left corner, is a Princeton Tec 4-Mode headlamp. On high, the light is blinding, and I bet the medium mode will be fine for reading in the tent at night.

Figure 3: Electronic Gear


Now, by May 12, the beginning date for the trek from the Arch to Tor House, I need to buy clothes.

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