From: James C. McMaster (Jim) (mcmasjc@tatanka.stortek.com)
Date: Wed Dec 04 2002 - 11:47:22 CST
First off, PLEASE turn off the HTML email. It takes forever to load, and
clutters up the digest.
In message <160.1812a89c.2b1f7c7d@aol.com>, Gbeaglegolf@aol.com said:
> Our troop has a trek in August 03 and all of the boys and adults will be
> going on their first trek. My question is what would be the recommended gear
> that you would definitely take on your next trek. Specifically which boots,
> backpacks, sleeping bags have proven to work best. I have the tents down
> after the discussions on it over the past few days.
>
Boots: There is no "best" brand. Every hiker's foot is different, and each
needs the boot that fits him beat. I recommend going to all the good outdoor
stores, and trying on every boot to see what fits best. When I did that, I
only had to slip one of most pairs on to determine they were not "right". I
ended up with a pair of Zamberlins that were perfect. There was an EMS brand
that was almost as good for $30 less, but spent the extra money for
"perfect." I intend to keep them a long time.
There are light, medium, heavy and mountaineering boots. Which you need
depends on the terrain you are hiking, your weight, and the amount you will
be carrying. I live in Colorado, in terrain thet is similar to Philmont's,
weigh 205 pounds and Philmont packs go 50-60 pounds. I like a medium-weight
boot for that combination, but your mileage may vary.
The Philmont materials talk about backpack size. Internal vs. external frame
is a religious argument I will not go into. I prefer internal, myself. The
most important thing is, again, fitting the pack to the hiker. Again, go
into an outdoor store and try a bunch on. Many store employees will adjust
the pack to you. Take along a bag of "stuff" to fill it out and weight it to
see how it feels with a load. Gorwing Scouts should get a pack that can
adjust with them. Younger Scouts with a smaller frame often do well with a
Women's model backpack, although it can be difficult to get a Scout to accept
this.
Philmont temperatures in August tend to bottom out in the 30s at lower
elevations, and probably 10s at elevation. I have taken a 20 degree mummy
bag twice and never been cold. In fact, last year I slept on my Thermarest
and used the bag like a quilt except for one night on top of Mount Phillips.
If I owned a 30 degree bag I would take that, but have never wanted to buy
another bag. Of course, I "sleep warm", and cold-sensitive people might not
react the same.
-- Jim McMaster mailto:mcmasjc@tatanka.stortek.com Scoutmaster, Troop 70; Longs Peak Council, BSA; Boulder, CO, USA I used to be a Buffalo... Troop Home Page: http://www.troop70boulder.org ------------------------------------------------------- Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/ Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp ------------------------------------------------------- Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com ------------------------------------------------------- As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. -------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Thu Mar 13 2003 - 10:37:36 CST