first off, thanks for all the suggestions in the planning post for this trip. it was great and brutal and fun and all that stuff. i learned, despite my desires, that i don't really stop and take pictures AND moreso, when i do, they are not that good. so, i gained a new appreciation for everyone who does post amazing pictures here. extra respect if you're carrying around a real camera. i brought mine, but didnt get it out once. the only reason i even put these on flickr is to encourage myself to start backing up photos in some way. pictures of proof HERE <https://www.flickr.com/photos/133784882@N08/?>
anyway, a lot of you have done this ride already, so i thought i'd make this more of a gear review of things i hemmed and hawed about. things that dont have a ton of information and reviews out there. first and foremost, the hunqapillar was a worthy and loyal companion. i feel closer to it now than ever before. right before leaving i put on a sprung brooks, which resulted in pretty much zero butt pain, marathon supremes which were flatless and cushy enough, and a medium saddlesack which was able to fit 95% of the camping gear. left hand went numb about halfway through and i wish i had brought some gloves. other than that, smooth sailing. ok: *nemo gogo bivy tent thing*- loved it. its bigger than a bivy and slightly smaller than a tent. the arch is inflatable with no poles, making take down/pack down sooo easy and fast. it packs into a small compression sack really easy. i can see hot weather+warm body=condensation, but i got zero in 60-75 temps. the inflatable part is really robust and it has a patch kit just in case. highly recommended for fast and light travel. *goal zero solar panel-* just got the panel w/o battery. in retrospect, because of my weird/dropped/got-wet-too-many-times phone that has a hard time consistently charging, the battery wouldve been a good addition. also really liked this set up. clipped it to the front or rear and left devices in the little pouch and had power the entire trip. *jandd mini mountain panniers*- had these up front and they were rock solid. oddly, they were somewhat bigger than i needed, but they did the job with zero issues over lots of bouncy terrain *woolpower socks- *brought 3 pairs, wore only one the entire time. filthy but zero smells *cheapish wool/poly blend boxers from "core4element"-*previously had a bad run with all wool boxers that ripped after 2 rides. decided to try these that were a little thicker and had some polyester mixed in. results were definitely more durable. very comfortable, moisture wicking, breathable etc. they acquired butt stench fairly easily, though not as bad as synthetic. *wool t shirts by "nau"-*thin, breathable, comfortable, resisted BO. unfortunately, nearing the end, they had started to disintegrate....not worth 30$ *acorn tool roll*- super smart design. carried it like a mini pannier *"bicycling the pacific coast"-* infuriatingly useless the majority of the time, yet a real life saver on occassion. there has got to be a better carry-along book/map/guide for this trip. *stanley pot/cup-*super cheap and small boiling pot with 2 nesting dbl wall cups. i took a cup out and used the extra space to store the extra alcohol for the stove. used this every day. great buy 15$$$ <http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Adventure-Series-Camp-Cook-Set/16784406> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
