[pct-l] Prepared for the weather

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, all,

I’ll second Miner’s comments.  What’s necessary is gear appropriate for an
individual’s probable situations.  Gear is “appropriate” only if a hiker has
the acumen and experience to utilize it effectively and with confidence.



“Tools are deceiving.  They have a way of making you think you can use them,
as you study them and imagine yourself owing them...  There is no name for
this quality that tools … have, but it’s undeniable.”

- Geoffrey Norman



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 2:59 PM, Sean 'Miner' Nordeen <
sean at lifesadventures.net> wrote:

> Ultralight doesn't have to mean not prepared or unready for bad weather.
>  The issue is people buying UL gear and finding themselves in bad weather
> without the proper knowledge and experience (they don't even know what it is
> that they don't know).  A seasoned UL'er will carry what is necessary to be
> safe in whatever possible condtions that can happen during a planned trip.
>  Though safe doesn't always mean comfortable as some have a higher tolerance
> for discomfort then others. His experience will determine wheather or not
> safe means a baseweight of 5 lbs, 8 lbs or even more.
>
> The problem with UL is that its less forgiving and too many try the
> extremes of it without the necessary knowledge or experience and they get in
> trouble when the weather hits the fan.  I've been in high winds blowing snow
> upslope towards my camp before and as a result didn't think anything about
> using a small tarp/bivy combo for the entire PCT last year.  But a friend of
> mine that I met on the trail last year for whom the PCT was his very first
> backpacking trip, I'm glad he had more traditional gear when he started.
>
> -Miner
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Check my 2009 PCT Journal out at
> http://www.pct2009.lifesadventures.net/Journal.php
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