Bighorns and Beartooths Backpacking

Well, I had another interesting fall-winter trying to sneak gear into the house without my lovely wife finding out, but I was able to pull it off without getting busted---unless she reads this, that is.

New for this year is a pair of trail shoes from Merrel. I'm not sure how they're going to work for me but they've got a gore tex lining and much lighter than my Lowa Renegade GTX's. I figure since it's getting harder and harder to drop my pack weight, as well as my own, I might as well try to lighten the load from my feet in other ways.

I'll be trying these out all winter, getting them broken in and ready for a few early summer hikes. If they don't work out I can always go back to the reliable Lowa's.

The new gear I'm most excited about, however, is the addition of a new Western Mountaineering Caribou. Rated to 35*, this 1 lb. 5 oz. bag will save me 11 ounces AND keep me warm down to freezing temps in the mountains. To supplement the bags warmth I also purchased a lightweight bottom base layer which weigh in at 5 oz. and will double as my pant legs if needed.

Since I had a more compressible sleeping bag, it was only natural that I began looking at a smaller pack. I had possession of a Six Moon Designs Traveller, but when the trip turned into a 9-nighter for Brad, Tye and I, I a Six Moon Designs Starlite found its way into the gear closet instead. Though the capacity is just a bit more than my Granite Gear Vapor Trail I think I'm going to like the flexibility this pack has to offer. Much of the pack's capacity is the three large mesh pockets and additional mesh on the back side. This will make life on the trail far easier than the top loading Vapor Trail.

My initial examination reveals that I can carry my tent, lunch, water filter, 1 liter bladder, fuel canister, water bucket, rain gear and several other smaller items in the mesh pockets alone.

Bonus: I ordered the model with hip belt pockets which means I no longer have to keep sunscreen, bug dope, camera and other small items in my pants pockets.

There are a few potential negatives with this pack. First, I'm wondering about the suspension as the frame sheet is a folded sleep pad. I bought the optional stays just in case though with my pack weight now falling well below the recommended max, I should be fine. Also, the hip belt is not nearly as robust as the Vapor Trails. Finally, I'm wondering how well the mesh pockets are going to hold up over time.

The Dorfman's hiking wardrobe was also upgraded. In addition to the bottom baselayer, I also bought a pair of boxer briefs, convertible pants and another Mountain Hardware long sleeved T which has become my new go-to shirt.

Finally, I ditched my Marmot Precip rain jacket in favor of a much lighter and compact Golite Virga figuring I'm going to be sweating and getting wet anyway so why not lose a few ounces (6 oz. to be exact) and gain some space in my pack?