By ManiacJWJ from Colorado Springs, CO on 5/31/2011
5out of 5
Pros: I could actually sleep, Easy To Inflate, Packs Easily, Warm, Small / Compact, Lightweight, Comfortable, Non Slip, Durable
Best Uses: Backpacking, 3 Season Camping, Car Camping
Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational
What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist
Was this a gift?: No
I'm always working to reduce the weight of my gear but I can never fall asleep while camping. Camping and backpacking is usually an exercise in "sleep deprivation". I splurged on the Nemo Astro Insulated and it will never be on the "cut list" because it was comfortable enough to fall asleep and sleep most of the night.
I put two hooks above my bath tub and then I hang the tent (the main section with the bug screen) and fly (rain cover) separately. My sleeping bag was only a little damp so I laid it on my bed. My bedroom looks like a backpacking swap meet or the garage sale at REI.
I had just finished a five mile day hike with running shoes, but I thought I should give the boots another chance. I should have packed the running shoes. The 1.6 pounds would have been worth it.
I put on my backpack, probably 27-28 pounds. I had gone overboard on the food with elaborate meals and lots of snacks. I put moleskin on my left heel and started hiking. I hiked about 30 minutes and could feel some pain on my left heel. The moleskin wasn't big enough so I put a Band-aid Advanced Healing Blister band-aid on the new hot spot. Within another 30 minutes, the blister band-aid was torn lose with the moleskin. I put on more special blister band-aids and moleskin. Needless to say, I developed another blister on my left heel and a new blister on the sole of my right food right by the toes. I will spare you the details but those blisters were on my mind 75% of the time. I filled up my Camelbak and had a liter of Gatorade after sterilizing my water with my Steripen. It kind of felt like the "Emperor's Sterilizer" hoping it was actually killing germs with the blue light. I got the water at the second stream since I still had some in my Camelbak and it had a better flow of water than the first stream. It was about 2-3 miles into the trail. I realized that I would have never found water if I had hiked to the trailhead when I was hiking Segment 2. Good decision to turn around on my last trip.
I kept hiking, went up a good size hill to over 8000 feet and a decline that lasted about 2 miles. I passed by Buffalo Creek Campground and Meadow Group Campground on my way down to Buffalo Creek. I had hiked about 8 miles in 6 hours. My feet were killing me and now when I try to find a nice place by the creek to have a nice warm dinner, it starts sprinkling. I decide to walk a little longer and figure it will be a non-cooked meal. Then it stopped raining and I was still near the creek. I started cooking and it started sprinkling again. I used my umbrella (thanks, Ray Jardine for the advice) to cover my stove and myself. Only spilled a little bit of the ramen on myself. I had more planned for the meal but decided this was enough. I had eaten about 1/3 of the food I had planned for the day. Oops!
I hiked another mile and it started sprinkling some more. I figured I better stop here. I threw my gear from inside my backpack under the umbrella so that I could get to my backpack, sleeping bag and sleeping pad. I set up the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 that I had bought for my new summer of backpacking. It was almost a pound less than my Eureka Zeus 2 and was a double wall. I don't know if it was worth the investment. Seemed about the same. I had some snacks and hung all my smelly food in my bear bag made from my tent bag and a rope. With the gun club, a few miles away, shooting guns until almost 7pm that night, I doubted there would be any bears around. I sat on a rock and listened to a bunch of teenagers who had set up camp on the next ridge until it started raining harder. I was ok with the reality that I hadn't brought my iPad. I read the pages I had photocopied from the Colorado Trail Guide Book and the maps. Wonderful book.
It rained for about an hour or two that night but not very hard. I was on the top of a small ridge so the water ran away from the tent. It quieted down the teenagers and I was actually able to sleep on this Nemo Astro Insulated sleeping pad. Another Backpacker magazine editors choice. Good decision even though it weighs a lot more than a thin closed cell foam pad.
In the morning, I cooked some oatmeal, threw in some of my gorp and had some Starbucks Via coffee. It was my first time to try it. I hadn't put in enough dry milk and stevia but it was still great. The fly (rain cover) was totally wet on top. I tried to dry it on a big rock near my tent since the sun was shining on it. Didn't work. Now I remember Ray Jardine saying to have a waterproof bag for your tent because many times you would have to pack it wet while on multi-day trips. I hadn't remembered. I turned on my Spot again so that I would have record of the trip on Spot Adventures. I didn't send an update but I knew the family could track me online.
I hiked the final 3.3 miles, took a while because it was uphill and my blisters were killing me. I had completed Segment 3 one day before scheduled. I pretty much knew I would hike all the way back to my car today. I had a wet tent and sore feet. I hiked back down to Buffalo Creek, had lunch and sat there with my boots and socks off for about 30-40 minutes. I used up the last of the moleskin and only had one more band-aid. I would never look at my feet again and push through 7-8 miles by sheer will and insanity.
I hiked up to mile 6 and then mile 6 to mile 4 (remember I'm walking back) was uphill the entire way. I wrote somewhere else is was 90-something percent uphill. It was actually 100% (I don't know why I lied). I had to find a weird looking tree about 500 feet in front of me and decide to walk to it. Then I would rest. Then I'd find another tree with two trunks and walk to it so I could rest some more. I did this over and over for 2 miles, but it only took me about an hour. Even with all that resting. I walked all the way back till about 7:15pm, 15.6 miles that day. I changed into my running shoes at the car but I couldn't push in the clutch without intense pain. I got home and took a long bath, deciding to dry and put away all my stuff today (which I did).
Things I learned on this trip:
Boots - the heck with them. I think I'll take them back to Dick's Sporting Goods Store and get some Gore-Tex running shoes (Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice, of course)
Food - I brought the 'right amount' of food last trip and about 3 times as much as I was supposed to this trip, even finishing a day early. I found when you are dead tired, you don't want to eat. Bring LESS FOOD. Bring more Gatorade (sugar-free this time).
Water - Steripen was a success, especially with the anti-bacterial wipes for the lip of the Nalgene. I might get a collapsable water container instead of a Nalgene, to save weight.
Trekking poles - I forgot to mention them. They salvaged the trip. They are wonderful. I bought Black Diamond Distance Z-Poles. 12 oz, and SO amazing! Worth the weight by saving my knees, helping me keep my balance and even helped me climb. They even helped me set a pace.
Spot Connect is a winner. The trick is NOT to turn on and off my cell phone. Leave it in airplane mode and the phone lasted the entire trip.
I like hiking even though I can hardly walk when I'm done. I think running shoes will be the key. That is what I used to backpack in (except for winter camping). I don't know why I ever tried boots.
I like pepperoni and summer sausage, that will be a repeat.
I might take a weekend off and work on accounting for USCS after going to a movie with a friend on Friday night. Then off to backpack Segment 4 (round trip). I'll keep everyone posted.
On May 28, 2011, before hiking Segment 3, I decided to complete Segment 2 of the Colorado Trail. I drove up to the Buffalo Creek area and parked at Little Scraggy Trailhead, which is the end of Segment 2 and the beginning of Segment 3. From what I had read in the Colorado Trail Guide Book, I had about 3-3.5 miles to walk to where I had turned back before. I decided to leave my backpack in the car, take a day pack instead with just my Camelbak Unbottle and some snacks (probably too many snacks). I also decided to wear my running shoes instead of the boots. I hiked about 2.5 miles in an hour and got to the big rock I had sat on at the end of my last hike. Since Segment 2 is 11.5 miles, I had actually hiked 18 miles last trip (9 miles each direction). No wonder I was so tired. It took me about an another hour to hike back. I had hiked 5 miles in 2 hours with running shoes and a day pack. No blisters, no pain. That is how it is supposed to be.
On May 13th, I planned on backpacking Segment 2 of the Colorado Trail and camping one night. It turned into a day hike. I had old Trails Illustrated maps (10 years) and maps I printed from TOPO! software. I remembered hiking a few miles with a friend 3-4 years ago. I got my gear (minus the Z-poles, GPS, and Steripen). I went to Dick's Sporting Goods to see if they had some Salewa ALP Trainer Mid GTX (because it was Backpacker's Editor's Choice for 2011 and its blister free guarantee). They didn't have them so I bought a pair of Timberland Chocorua Trail Gore-Tex mid-weight boots. I had a heavier pair of Timberlands that never gave me trouble. I should have searched harder for the Salewas.
So I started on the hike in the morning. Immediately, I realized the trail had been rerouted from what my maps had. I hiked up a pretty steep incline at first. Within a half hour, I was checking my feet because my left heel was bothering me. I had just hiked uphill and that seemed to really irritate the back of my left heel.
After an hour of hiking, now I was in the burn area (Buffalo Creek Burn Area), I checked my feet again. Sure enough, I had a blister on the back of my left heel. I put on a bandaid and some moleskin. After an hour or so, I was back in a wooded area that had been saved from the fire. There was a pleasant breeze. Snow-capped mountains were in the background. The temperature was ideal. But I was stopping every hour to take off my shoes and socks to move the moleskin and replace the bandaid. It was taking a lot of the joy out of backpacking.
Burn Area
I was in the burn area for a few hours and started running out of water. I had been in the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area before and knew there was a lot of water but not here. I thought this was the Hayman Fire Burn Area and I knew that went about 20-30 miles. I started wondering if I was going to be in burn area for a long time. I should have done more research. I couldn't tell how far I had hiked and what looked like a short distance proved to be a lot longer with all the switchbacks and curves. I also started thinking that every mile I hike, I have to hike back. I decided to turn around after sitting on a large rock in the middle of the burn area for about 30 minutes.
Buffalo Creek Fire Burn Area
I walked back. I decided to stop checking my feet and just force myself to walk by sheer will and a lot of prayer. It had taken me 6 hours to get as far as I got and 5 hours to get back. I got in my car and drove home. I had carried my tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and a lot of food for nothing. When I got home, the blisters weren't much worse than when I had checked them last. The bottoms of my feet were sore and I could hardly walk. My knees hurt a lot.
The next day, I updated my trip on Spot Adventures. You can see my trip there. I also got my notebook and wrote down what I learned:
The Spot Connect device had worked well. It hadn't sent the first "check-in" message and it left a couple gaps.
Cell phone - it was connected to the Spot Connect device by bluetooth. I could text people from high ridges since I was still pretty close to SW Denver. The battery lost a lot when I turned the phone off and later turned it back on. I wondered if I should get a solar charger and started researching those. Maybe I needed an additional GPS in case my phone died after a few hours.
The pain in my feet and knees made me wonder about taking a shorter trip next time but I just HATE sitting around, waiting until the time I can go to sleep. I had brought my iPad but I had wondered about that choice.
I realized I had forgotten to take one of my meals. I was fine because I didn't end up staying overnight.
Water - I ran out about an hour after I turned back. I had to eat snow and food with water in it for the last 4 hours. There wasn't much snow at all. I also wondered about a lighter water purifier. I also remembered stories on spotadventures.com about Segment hikers knowing the water availability. I needed to research that.
Boots - blister on left heel, knees started hurting after 5 hours and the soles of my feet hurt. Did I need to break them in longer?
Fleece jacket and pants - they seemed heavy for summer hiking and I needed a light weight option. I wondered if thermal underwear would be enough.
I really need to lose weight. My backpack weighed about 25 pounds. If I could lose 25 pounds, it would be like I was carrying nothing. If I lost 50 pounds, it would be like I was floating.
After all this misery with my feet, I realized I enjoyed hiking. I looked up the Colorado Trail and found that they had maps and a guidebook. I ordered both. The Guide Book was amazing. After buying the Colorado Trail Guide Book, I figured I had hiked about 8-8.5 miles each way. I would verify on my next trip when I hiked back to where I started. I figured I had hiked 16-17 miles round trip.
After the trip, I bought a light weight down jacket by Patagonia, a Steripen water purifier, and a GPS on Ebay for $52.50 (including shipping). I made quite a few trips to REI, even getting a pair of Black Diamond Distance Z-poles the night before I left for my second trip. I tried to break in the boots further by wearing them 4-5 days before my next trip. I decided against a solar charger. Maybe if I brought my iPad, it could talk to the Spot Connect when the phone died.
Get geared up this season. Take a look at our Men's Chocorua Trail with Gore-Tex� membrane. Back by popular demand, our Chocorua Trail boot is just perfect for day hikes and all other outdoor activities.
By ManiacJWJ from Colorado Springs, CO on 5/30/2011
1out of 5
Sizing: Feels true to size
Width: Feels true to width
Pros: Breathes Well, Durable
Cons: Causes Hotspots or Blisters, Uncomfortable
Best Uses: Wet Weather, Cold Weather, Not backpacking
Describe Yourself: Conservative
The boots were durable and seemed to breathe well.
BLISTERS I tried to use it for backpacking for my past two trips. I'm an ultralight backpacker so I have a pack with a 12 lb base weight, I have light clothes but carry a lot of water/food. I do weigh 230 lbs.
The boots fit in the store and I broke them in for a day before the trip. I tried to break them in more between trips (2 weeks apart). On both trips, though I was wearing liner socks and wool socks, I started getting hot spots within a half hour, blisters within an hour. The moleskin would be worn off within an hour to give me a blister right beside the previous one. I got blisters on the back of the heel of my left foot and on the ball of my foot on the right. I had to stop every hour to change the moleskin or bandaids. It made the hike take a lot longer and was very painful.
I have another pair of Timberland boots (don't remember model) but they were heavier. I never got blisters while backpacking but they seemed heavy. I was trying to cut some weight on the boots.
Backpack - GoLite Day Pack (don't remember model) - 16 oz (1 lb)
Tent - Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 (2 man tent but gives me room for my gear inside the tent) - 42.3 oz (2 lb 10.3 oz) (Still thinking about going without the bug mesh and floor when I don't think bugs are around, saves a pound)
Sleeping bag - Lafuma Warm n Light 1 Kilo Down (19-degree, seems more like the low 20's; weighed less when I bought it) - 39 oz (2 lbs 7oz)
Sleeping pad - Nemo Astro Insulated - 24 oz (1 lb, 8 oz)
Knife - Gerber Splice - 2 oz (I might replace with Leatherman Micra, scissors are sharper, 2 oz)
Toothbrush and toothpaste - 1.55 oz
Hipsac/Fanny Pack - 4 oz
TOTAL - 201.9 oz (12 lbs 9.8 oz)
I could drop over a pound by replacing my sleeping bag with something like Montbell Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 (1 lb 5 oz). Drop a pound by not using the bug mesh and floor to my tent.
The Nemo Astro Insulated was the first time I had a sleeping pad that was comfortable enough to actually sleep instead of enduring sleep deprivation while camping so I won't be cutting that.
I use my tent bag as my bear bag. I fill my bag that holds my sleeping bag with all my extra socks and clothes as my pillow.
If I add 20 oz of food for each full day I'm gone and average about 2 liters of water at 35.2 oz per liter, that adds 110.4 oz for food and water for a 2 day trip to knock out a segment of the Colorado Trail for a total of 312.3 oz or 19.52 pounds.
I have more weight cutting to do but I'm happy with this for now. Last updated 6/4/2010
