[pct-l] 1st AGPLDHG&IR

[Bighummel@aol.com (Bighummel@aol.com)]

Hear ye! Hear ye!

The First Annual Great Pacific Long Distance Hiking Gear and Invention Review 
(1st AGPLDHG&IR) is hereby announced.  All prospective participants should be 
preparing their HOME-MADE gear and inventions that make the strategies of 
long distance hiking simpler, lighter, more secure or what have you.

The prizes have been collected and are announced below.

RULES:
1) None
2) The Gadget or invention must be of your own design, construction and 
assembly, or, be a significant modification of a commercial product. STORE 
BOUGHT GADGETS OR INVENTIONS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
3) The idea is to show off your cool long distance hiking inventions and 
innovations!
4) Remember Rule #1

Categories of items may include, but are not limited to:
- Light weight stoves
- Back packs
- Modified shoes
- Unique food preparation
- Sleeping bag, quilt, suit, etc.
- Eating utensils
- Flashlights
- Hiking poles, sticks, ice ax combinations, etc.
- Tents or tarps
- Mad Monte items
- Combinations of the above

AWARDS
Awards will be given for the following categories:
- Most innovative use of useless materials
- Most creative multiple uses of one item
- Most useful gadget or invention
- Lightest weight - Most impressive design Combination
- Best alternative use of an item
- Grand Prize AGPLDHG&IR!

PRIZES
- Grand Prize 
A G4 PACK from GVP Gear (graciously donated I must add!).  About a $75 to 
$100 value!!!     This is a really cool, ultra light weight pack.  I find 
myself totally embarrassed in my complete ignorance of ultra light strategies 
and components and have found this pack to radically alter my concept of 
backpacking and seriously questioning my old, large Kelty Tioga!  It has a 
capacity of 4600 cubic inches and weighs only 11.7 ounces.  It incorporates a 
Z-Rest pad for a "frame" and is made of polyurethane-coated, 200 denier 
oxford cloth and 70 denier 2.2 oz. ripstop nylon.   I could go on and on with 
the features, but we will show it off at the ADZ, or, if your interested go 
to GVP's website:  www.gvpgear.com  (I know that this is a massive violation 
of the ADZPCTKO policy of non-commercial, non-promotional but this gear is so 
specialized to this community that I just had to make an exception.  So, sue 
me!)

Other Prizes:
Though not quite as intrinsically valuable as the G4 Pack, the other prizes 
may be viewed as equally valuable to the ultralight long distance hiker.  
They are things such as:
- a Princeton Tec Pulsar Instant Illumination Keychain Flashlight (tiny, 
tiny, ultra light weight, estimate < 1 oz.)
- a Sheffield Mini-Tool (this is THE smallest multi-tool gadget that I have 
found anywhere and while maybe not light enough for your backpack as it is 
stainless steel, it will lighten the load of your drift box)
- a Silva Thermometer / Compass keychain (possibly the lightest combination 
of decent quality and resolution to worthwhile)
- and some other lousy stuff, like space blankets!

(NOTE: Some prizes may not be of a weight that will be considered to be 
practical to carry on a PCT thru or section hike. Should this be the case the 
winner may elect to have the prize either: mailed home or to their next mail 
drop to include into their drift box, at the expense of the organizers of the 
AGPLDHG&IR.)

JUDGES
The organizers of the ADZPCTKO will chose an impartial AGPLDHG&IR judge panel 
consisting of trail angles and past thru-hikers.

CONTESTANTS START YOUR STOVES, OR SEWING MACHINES, OR DRILL PRESSES, OR 
WHATEVER!

Greg "Strider" Hummel
"Unofficial" Coordinator 3rd ADZPCTKO