RE: [Philmont]: Novice backpacker with Philmont questions

Mike,

My family has the Campmor backpacker ponchos which we use in warm weather.
Living in South Louisiana, we rarely take local trips when it is not
warm/hot with 100% humidity. We find that the ponchos give us better
ventilation in this environment. We do, however, have Gortex raingear for
the times that we are able to hike in less humid and potentially cooler
environments like Philmont. A good Gortex rainsuit, or other comparable
material, offers protections from rain and also serves as protection from
cold and wind.

Denny
Mandeville, LA
  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-philmont@troop47.com [mailto:owner-philmont@troop47.com]On
Behalf Of Michael Casey
  Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 7:13 PM
  To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
  Subject: [Philmont]: Novice backpacker with Philmont questions

  Hi All,

  I'm a novice hiker and backpacker (I must admit, I have never purified
water) and I have a lot to learn in the next 11 months because next July I'm
headed to Philmont. I just found and joined this list within the past two
weeks and I'm astounded by the level of activity. The courteous and kind
exchange of information is great and I guess attributed to the fact that
everyone is a Scouter.

  Since I have been on the list the two dominate discussions have been about
water and gear (primarily raingear). Having read there are no bad
questions, I have two:

  1. Nobody talks much about using a decent pancho. I know they
(e.g.Campmor) make backpacking panchos that fit over a pack and are more
long lasting than the kind WalMart carries. Does anyone use a good pancho
rather than a rain suit? If not, why not?

  2. Throughout the discussion on water treatment, only recently did
someone mention the MSR Miox system. No one has really commented on it.
I'm curious as to why? Maybe because it is so new? I saw it at a local
outfitter store and it's about the size of a flashlight, uses batteries and
charges a mixture of salt and ordinary water to create a "cocktail" that is
put into the water to be treated. There are no moving parts and the product
is odorless and tasteless. I've seen it on sale for $110 which seems to
compare to a good pump filter with extras filters.

  Thanks for any in put on these items.

  Mike
  ASM Troop 646

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