When it comes to my outdoor gear...well it's not as straight forward as Gina's outdoor gear. There are too many choices. All of them with their pros and cons. I know that I need a back pack for multi day trips. I'm most likely going to go with a 45 to 50 liter pack, that offers it's own compartment for the sleeping bag. But I still haven't nailed it down to what pack to order exactly. There are just too many choices. And there is the question if I should try to go for a compromise between one-day pack and multi-day packs. That way I would only have to buy one pack. But as I said it's a compromise. You're probably not entirely happy with the pack on multi-day trips especially when you plan on combining backcountry backpacking and camping. And for one-day trips it's a large pack. But I'm still not positive if I want to spend about 80 bucks on a one-day back pack. But then again there will be quite a a number of times when I will be only doing one day hikes. So the one-day back pack might just be worth the investment.
The other thing I haven't nailed quite down yet. Not sure what camping stove to get. Go for a standard one or go for UL (ultralight gear). Both have their pros and cons. The standard stove works great in most environments, but adds additional weight. But the UL stoves have the disadvantage that the get blown over more easily on exposed alpine plateaus.
Another thing I still have to figure out are the boots. In general I was thinking of going with light hiking boots. The have many advantages, but of course the weigh more. And especially on the first 150 miles there really is no need for hiking boots on the Voralpen long distance trail. In that terrain trail runners do just a fine job. But I didn't like some of the trail runners, since they don't have a vibram sole. And the standard shoe sole does a really bad job in mud. So I haven't reached an decision here either.
The one thing I have figured out is maps vs GPS. A handheld GPS device is definitely the way to go. Not only because of the weight you safe. The downside is the initial investment. So I calculated it and it turns out that finishing just the Voralpen will be enough that I have made the money, that I would be otherwise spend on maps. And since the GPS comes with a basic map of Europe and a Topo map of Austria I will be good to go for all additional hikes. Of all the choices I have in the area of GPS handhelds I've decided to go with the Garmin Oregon. I think it will work good for me and it's omen of the GPS devices with a touch screen. Not exactly the cheapest gear on the market, but will be worth the investment.
No comments:
Post a Comment