razmaspaz

Its the dead of winter, so to stave off the cold I turn to summer trip planning.

For me, backpacking is the hub that all of my other hobbies shoot out from. It offers an excuse for sightseeing, fishing, cooking, photography, and even reading. I suppose if I was so inclined I could do some writing too.

Saturday I’m getting together with friends to plan a trip out west. We aren’t really sure yet where the trip will be, but the Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountain National Park come to mind as good choices. A rim to rim hike is on my life list of things to do, as is summiting a 14er.

All this indoors stuff is killing me. Trip planning is like my therapy. Well that and buying gear. Something I haven’t been doing much of this year. Once I get the location nailed down, I’m sure I’ll have a list of stuff I need.

Right now though I’ve got a couple things on the list:

Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 Superlight tent: I have a tent, and its a good tent. It weighs less than 6 pounds, is pretty much bombproof, and I don’t get much condensation in it. Problem is, last time out I used a smaller, lighter pack, and it was just too full. I’ve caught the lightweight bug. I’m hoping ot lower my core pack weight by a couple more pounds this year, and this tent, at 2lbs. 14oz. could be just the ticket.

MontBell America, Inc. Ultralight Down Jacket - Men’s: Either the Rockies or the Grand Canyon can get cold. I think its time I picked up some insurance against cold weather. This piece was pretty highly rated by backpaker, and at 7oz, its like its not even in the pack.

Primus EtaPower Express Fuel Efficient Stove: I’ve also got one of these on the list. I went on a trip last fall with a guy who had its big borther (Primus EtaPower EF Fuel Efficient Stove). The EtaPower rocks. The EtaPower is a little heavy, but the Express, well if it can boil water as fast as the EtaPower, and simmer anywhere close to as well as Big Bro, I’m all over it.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: I don’t know that its really backpacking gear, but the new object of my affection is a wide angle lens. I’ve read mixed reviews about lens problems, but it sounds like Sigma has been quick to take care of them, and this sounds like a great lens for an adventure to the Grand Canyon or the top of Longs Peak. This is another big reason to lighten the pack load, more weight can be allocated to carrying camera equipment.

If you’re wondering about all the links to Amazon, here’s the deal.