Backpacking Gear Review

Here is my backpacking gear review, on a scale from 1 to 5 chipmunks. Five chipmunks are always cuter (and therefore better) than one. Right?

(All photos from REI or Campmor, where everything was purchased.)


Keen Targhee Hiking Boots - 5 Chipmunks!!!
I love all Keen shoes, so it was no surprise that after trying on about 20 pairs of hiking boots these felt the best. Like better than all the other ones (Hi-Tec, Montrail, NorthFace, etc.) by a magnitude of 100. They held up REALLY well and were about as comfortable as one could expect from a stiff-soled boot. One thing to note is that if you buy your "normal" size, they are not really designed to be worn with super-thick hiking socks. Personally, I don't like wearing really thick socks anyway, as they make my feet feel claustrophobic, so that was fine by me.


Campmor Peak Challenger Trekking Poles - 4 Chipmunks
At first I was skeptical. I thought trekking poles looked kind of stupid and having to use my arms so much might annoy me. HOWEVER, Mike told me he'd heard they reduce impact on your feet by as much as 60%, so I was determined to use them. And over the course of all that backpacking, I came to LOVE them. I do believe they reduce impact on your feet, and moreover, for someone who is, ahem, shall we say "balance-challenged", they are a lifesaver when going up or down steep inclines. Not to mention that I think I pulled my tired ass up the last mile of climbing on that first day solely with these poles. Also, the cork handles are quite nice, as they seem to absorb a bit of sweat.


Injinji Outdoor Socks - 4.5 Chipmunks
I looooove me some Injinji socks--I've been using their running socks for over 2 years and religiously wear them for all runs over about 5 miles to combat my problems with toe blisters. It was natural that I'd buy a pair of their outdoor socks for hiking. HOWEVER, I was completely taken aback that I still got my one horrendous toe blister while wearing them. I guess my feet and toes are that weirdly shaped? Also, as mentioned above, I like that they are not overly thick. I hear that they now make liner socks, for those folks who want to do the thick sock padding thing, without sacrificing toe comfort.


REI Sahara Convertible Pants - 4 Chipmunks
There were several things I liked about these pants. First, they were very breathable, but somehow also windproof. They also come in lengths, which is ESSENTIAL. (I mean, you can't hem hiking pants, now can you???) There was a side zipper on each leg that went all the way up to the knee, which was great if you wanted to take off your pants but not your boots. Also, when zipped off, the shorts didn't look like gym-teacher culottes, so that was good. I'm taking off one chipmunk for the fact that the rise could have been somewhat lower...and because they had elastic at the back (yuck).


REI Muir Woods Fleece Vest - 4.9 Chipmunks
This fleece vest is awesome, as is all of REI's fleecewear. I have but one VERY minor complaint--the shoulders would be ever-so-slightly-more flattering if they were about a 1/2 inch narrower. Oh, and this doesn't make a very good pillow balled up in a stuff sack. In case you were wondering.


REI Woodland Fleece Jacket - 5 Chipmunks
I don't know what the branding difference is between this jacket and the vest above (it's basically same jacket without arms). Anyway, I've had this fleece for about 2 years and I wear it almost daily in the winter. SO COZY AND WARM. Love it. Also does not make a good pillow.


GoLite Pinnacle Women's Internal Frame Backpack - ZERO Chipmunks!!!
Oh, where do I even start with this POS? I guess it's one redeeming factor is that it does indeed carry stuff. And I admit it's light. First off, there is NO INTERNAL FRAME as was advertised, which would have been really useful for evenly distributing weight within the backpack. Second, although it's rated for 40 lbs., I found it only comfortable to use at under 20 lbs. Bottom line--there's just not enough structure in this pack for that much weight. Also the material on the shoulder straps felt like it was made of brillo pads and I actually got abrasions on my shoulders from them (through my shirt even)! The nylon strap that runs horizontally between the shoulder straps towards the top of the chest was too short; with just a tee-shirt on I had it all the way let out--this is supposed to be a *women's* backpack...how's about accounting for some boobies, people? Lastly, the size charts are just WACK. My torso length was right on the line between small and medium, so we ordered me the small. BIG mistake. The waist harness was up around my ribs. WTF? We are returning it.


Mountain Hardware Lightpath 2 Tent - 3 Chipmunks
This is a very light, 2-person backpacking tent, so I understand that it's small. However, I think it's a big design flaw that the highest part of the tent is RIGHT at the opening. I'm only 5'4" and I couldn't sit upright in the tent at all. The design also made it really hard to get into and out of. On the plus side, like I said, it was light and it was also very easy to set up. [I'd also like to add that if some company made a bear-proof tent option, that would be really awesome. Anyone? Anyone?!]


Kelty Women's Light Year 20-degree Sleeping Bag - 5 Chipmunks
This was comfy and warm; no complaints. The yellow color is pretty and the zipper is easy to use (unlike on Mike's REI sleeping bag). Plus, it gets real small when you put it in the stuff sack.


Brunton Stove Tripod - 5 Chipmunks
This is a pretty nifty little gadget. It goes on the bottom of your backpacking stove so that it won't fall over if it's not on super-level ground. It folds up to around the size of a popsicle stick for packing.


Guyot Designs Squishy Bowl and Cup - 5 Chipmunks
These were light and easy to pack, but they held a lot of food/drink. The bowl holds 16+ ounces and the cup holds 6+ ounces. Plus, there's something about them that's fun to look at, from a design perspective. I have blue ones.


Freeze Dried Food - Backpacker's Pantry - 2 Chipmunks
All the BP stuff we ate was pretty gross, even for freeze dried food. I'd particularly recommend avoiding the "lasagna" and "mixed vegetables." The "macaroni and cheese" was somewhat okay, but I had a hard time getting through the entire package. It does provide calories and nutrients though. Notice my judicious use of quotation marks in this review.


Freeze Dried Food - Mountain House - 4 Chipmunks
For whatever reason, THIS freeze dried food tasted much better. The beef stew was pretty darn tasty and we liked the ice cream sandwich a lot. Mike also said he read a review that the beef and onions was especially good, although we didn't eat that one.


Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mocha Cappuccino - 20,000 Chipmunks
This stuff is sooooooooooo delicious. More cocoa than coffee, but not as sickeningly sweet as regular hot chocolate. Very yummy with low-sugar instant oatmeal for breakfast at 12,000 feet. I drank our last two packets at home this week. Sigh. I need to make sure I never buy this at the store unless we're camping--because I could easily get addicted. Okay, now I am SURE some of you are laughing at me because you know I have a very lovely espresso machine that I hardly ever use (lazy) and I profess to be a coffee snoot. But I'm telling you, this is not coffee...it's hot chocolate with a hint of coffee flavor. And it's good!

So, that's all the stuff that was worth reviewing from our trip. We did take other things like sleeping pads, a water purifier, camp stove, etc. but I either I didn't use them personally or didn't have enough of an opinion to recommend or warn against. I'd also like to mention that bandanas, while kind of dorky looking, are a really good way to keep your hair out of your face and the sweat out of your eyes without wearing a ball cap. I don't like wearing baseball caps for an extended period of time--after several hours, they just become uncomfortable to me somehow...making my head feel all claustrophobic and bothering the tops of my ears. A bandana was a good alternative.

BUT REMEMBER--IF YOU *REALLY* WANT TO BE COOL, RENT AN ALPACA.