Monthly Archives: June 2012

John Muir Trail Gear Check: TrekSta Evolution Mid GTX

John Muir Trail Gear: Shoes

During my John Muir Trail adventure, I’ll be spending long hours on my feet, trudging along the trail, for up to 16 (or more) miles and as long as ten (or more) hours each day. So I needed some mighty comfortable footwear.

Enter the TrekSta Evolution Mid GTX (the GTX stands for Gore-Tex, the waterproof-yet-breathable material used in countless outdoor clothing applications), winner of the coveted Backpacker Editor’s Choice in 2011.

These are one light pair of boots, about 15.3 ounces per shoe, a key factor considering I will have to lift this weight with each step that I take on the trail. So, as always with hiking, less is better.

And should you think 15.3 ounces is heavy, trail running shoes (an popular alternative for those hikers looking to move fast and save weight) can weigh around 14 ounces, like the La Sportiva Crossover GTX, or 15 ounces, like the Vasque Velocity GTX — both shoes I considered wearing on this trip.

But after reading about the Evolution, I decided on this mid-level boot instead. Having a little extra ankle support without sacrificing low weight is a bonus. Plus, I’ll most likely be encountering snow at some point, so I wanted footwear that could handle a slick surface. These bad boys have a number of of nifty “grippers” (my term) on the sole, something TrekSta calls “IceLock Technology.” As you can see, this is a company that really embraces inter-caps (and I didn’t even get into their NestFit technology).

I’ve tested these boots on a few hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. They do shed water really well and are, for the most part, very comfortable. However, the trails in the San Gabriels can get pretty hot, and the breathability of Gore-Tex tends to be less effective in warmer temperatures. So on the longer hikes, I did get a few hot spots (these can turn into blisters if left untreated), but now I know where those will happen and can perform some preventative taping.

Fortunately, so far the weather reports indicate the temperatures I’ll be hiking in along the John Muir Trail will be much cooler than what I’ve experienced in the San Gabriels.

John Muir Trail Gear Check: Honey Creek Safari Fedora

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A great adventure (like hiking the John Muir Trail), deserves a great hat. For example, there’s Indiana Jones. And Daniel Boone. And The Hatter.

My hat of choice for this particular adventure is the Honey Creek Safari Fedora, part of the Goorin Bros Grenadier Collection.

Made right here in the USA.

Why this hat?

It has classic styling, a stiff, durable brim that holds up under challenging conditions, and is made of water resistant cotton (which will be put to the test, make no mistake).

The 2″ brim is just wide enough to keep the sun out of my eyes even when it’s low on the horizon, yet narrow enough that I can take in panoramic views without obstruction.

It sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Yet it has a few distinct disadvantages for this trip.

First, it’s not compressible, so when it’s cold and I’m wearing my polka-dot Smartwool beanie (the style I have is no longer available, it seems), I’ll have to figure out a way to store the Honey Creek.

Second, It does not have a chin strap, so when it’s windy (and it will certainly be windy at some point) it might blow right off my head. Which might prove to be inconvenient.

Lastly, as mentioned before, it’s cotton, so it won’t wick moisture as well as some of the “technical” (what a funny adjective for clothing) hats on the market today.

The author, looking rather pretentious, in the Honey Creek Fedora.

So considering those points, the Honey Creek may seem a little extravagant, and perhaps a tad impractical. But, for me, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

Besides, it’s my adventure — and I like this hat.

John Muir Trail Gear Check: Panasonic Lumix TS4 Camera

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The Panasonic Lumix TS4 and Joby Gorillapod working together to get those hard-to-reach shots.

When I started looking for a camera to take with me on my hike along the John Muir Trail, I knew it had to be a rugged piece of gear.

That’s why I decided on the Panasonic Lumix TS4. First off, it has all the important proofs:

Waterproof
Dustproof
Shockproof
Freezeproof

If that’s not impressive, then consider it’s GPS-enabled with landmark-recognition, so it’ll remind me just where I was when I took some of the sure-to-be epic shots I’ll be taking. It even allows the user to create their own landmarks, which is a pretty neat function.

Now if that’s all it did, it would be enough. But it also comes with the really cool-sounding “Quad-Indicator” Yeah, that’s right. Quad. Indicator. Cool name, sure, but what does it mean?

It means that in addition to the aforementioned GPS, it has a compass, an altimeter/depth indicator, and, yes, even a barometer, to “help keep memories longer and more accurate.*” I can’t speak to the veracity of that last claim (I’m not sure that weather conditions will enhance my memory of past events), but it’s a pretty useful camera.

Oh, and thanks to its Leica lens, it takes great pictures (12.1 megapixels) and full HD video (1920 x 1080), too. You can see some of the photos I’ve taken with it in this set on Flickr.

It’s worth mentioning that with all these added functions, it’s a bit of a power hog. I’m not sure I can get two weeks of use out a single battery, so I’m bringing an extra. Another gripe: the battery charger isn’t USB-enabled; it needs a standard wall jack. Mighty inconvenient when you’re in the middle of nowhere.

Yes, even with those downsides, it’s a good camera for an adventure.

*This claim is from the Panasonic website. You can read it for yourself here.

John Muir Trail Gear Check: Goal Zero Nomad 3.5

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Goal Zero Nomad 3.5 and Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack.

What do you do when your satellite-connected smartphone runs out of power when you’re on the John Muir Trail?

Simple.

Recharge it with Goal Zero’s Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack that’s been soaking up the sun’s energy all day, thanks to the twin solar panels of Goal Zero’s Nomad 3.5 you’ve had hanging off your pack as you’ve hiked.

The Guide 10 and the Nomad 3.5 are sold together, along with four AA batteries and some connection cables, as the Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit, a mighty solar power providing package.

Guide 10 Plus Power Pack The Guide 10 is essentially a battery charger that holds four AA (or AAA, with an adapter) NiMH rechargeable batteries that is charged by the Nomad 3.5 via a special “Ultra Charge Solar Cord” (whatever that means). It’s also a small, rather powerful flashlight.

I’ve used other portable solar panels in the past with varied results (and by varied I mean from “fair” to “poor” to “crappy”), but so far this little number delivers power where it counts. On some routine field testing, the Guide 10 loaded up with 4 AA batteries charged in about 6 hours, as advertised. It even charges in less than direct sunlight (which has always been a frustrating flaw in portable solar panels), although a little more slowly.

The only downside I’ve discovered so far is that it isn’t designed to charge smartphones directly — though there’s some confusion on this point (sadly, reviews and FAQ on this page are not linkable, but the info can be found by searching for “smartphone”), but the phone charges just fine via USB from the Guide 10.

All that, and the whole thing weighs in at just under a pound. And I’ll be able to save a little more weight by carrying fewer batteries, so it’s a win all around.