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Field Gear Review

Field Gear: Leatherman

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Whenever I do speaking engagements, I get asked what do I carry in my pack.

So much so that I started dragging around my pack to all the speaking engagements.

Now I can show people what I have and how I pack.

One tool I always have (unless my husband has swiped it) is my Leatherman. Now the full size Leatherman Multi-Tool clocks in at a fairly hefty 12.5 ounces and considering I’m usually carrying enough for me, my writing, and two children, and sometimes two dogs — well, 12.5 ounces starts to look pretty heavy.

 The Leatherman Skeletool series takes the weight down to right around 5.5 ounces depending on what model you get.

Leatherman’s are durable and I’ve yet to have one rust or even get scratched. Plus, it is the Mr. Gadget of tools.

Have a nail in your boot, pull it out with the needle nose pliers.

Get tangled up in some old fencing, cut it with the wire cutter.

Need to cut your pant leg free from the jaws of an angry lion, good luck with that. May I suggest the combo knife.

Desperately, want to crack open a cold one, there is a bottle opener.

Zombie apocalypse and need to open a can of beans, guess what? Yep, there is a can opener too.

Yes, Leatherman has thought of it all.

And, those are the many reason why I carry a Leatherman tool because if there is a zombie apocalypse – I’m sure not going to be camping out in the woods cooking over a fire!

 

 

Water Bottle Debate

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One of the most common questions I get is “What do you use to carry water?” The short answer is: “I use a Nalgene for short hikes less than 10 miles and a Camelbak for over 10 and pair it with the Nalgene or the collapsible Vapur bottle because I don’t want the added weight. ” (Since I take a lot of notes and photos and typically hike with the kids I am already carrying plenty of gear weight!)

I also try to only use products Made in the USA and look out for BPA which can be used in the lining of water bottles without the manufacturer having to tell you. (More info on BPA)

Go into an outfitters or sporting goods section of a box store and the array of choices is overwhelming. Here is a breakdown of my experiences and opinions about each kind of water bottle:

Nalgene: Made in the USA, no BPA, great design, various sizes to choose from, seals tight, some sizes have wide mouths big enough for ice cubes, and the bottles are nearly indestructible. I have one that is green and I have accidentally left it on top of the van, started to drive, had it tumble off, smack the ground and only have a small nick on the bottom edge! The only downside is the weight of the bottle which is why I use it on short hikes and for road trips.

CamelBak: Rugged and is literally a plastic bladder with a tube attached and the entire contraption is housed in a backpack. At the end of the tube is a bite value. Bite the value and it is like slightly turning on a spigot. This is a great water carrier if you are doing mileage or have other things to balance with your hands i.e. walking rambunctious children or dogs or trying to push a stroller. There is no downside to this pack if you do everything correctly (all the connections connected correctly) and keep the bladder clean and dry between uses. One time I didn’t properly close the lid and had the bladder slowly leak. Not much water leaked but hiking with a wet back isn’t fun. Also, if you have just the CamelBak version it is cumbersome to carry it and a backpack. But, you can buy a CamelBak backpack — problem solved.

Vapur: I discovered this little guy in my favorite store. The collapsible water bottle is Made in the USA and it has fairly wide mouth (can fit in crushed ice), screw on lid, flip top opening, and a clip. I haven’t used the clip because it didn’t look hearty enough to take a beating. But I have used this water bottle as the hidden back-up bottle. Since it is collapsible–it is easy to hide it in my pack or slide it into my makeshift compartment underneath the pack.

 

Metal: Durable and seals tight. I tried to use metal but the added weight frustrated me. I got the bright idea to freeze a half bottle of water (angled and on a side) and actually busted the sidewall! And, if you have kids here is a link to a hidden danger I would have never thought of: http://www.today.com/news/metal-water-bottles-can-endanger-kids-1B7904393. Make sure the bottle you are getting really is stainless steel and not aluminum which will come with a plastic lining.

Thermos: Keeps your drink hot or cold. While it would be nice to have a cold drink of water I don’t think I could handle the extra weight without having a conniption fit somewhere along the way. But, there are times during the summer heat a nice cold drink would be a welcome retreat! But, now that I think about it, I must say it would be pretty awesome to do a winter hike to Buzzardroost and then enjoy a steaming hot cocoa with the kids!

All in all the choice is a personal one and you’ll likely try a few different things before finding the perfect solution for how you hike. If you find cool new gear let me know by sending me a message on Facebook!

GPS Units and Mapping

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You don’t need a GPS unit to take a hike through the woods unless you are planning on going off trail. But, one of the most popular questions I get is about what kind of GPS unit I use in the field. I use a Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator to map the trails.

There are other units out on the market but one with an extended antenna works the best. I know this from experience. One day at the very beginning of working on the book, I was hiking through a wetland in August. Mosquitoes and deer flies were circling around me, it was unbelievably hot and humid, and then it started to rain! Which only made things hotter and sticker and buggier. I was trapped becasue my rinky dink little GPS unit couldn’t find a satellite signal–no signal = no hiking. From the field, I called my husband to tell him of my experience and that I was stopping by the store to return the unit. By the time I got home (muddy, stinking of bug spray, soaking wet, and sweaty) my sweet husband had already ordered my new Garmin GPS unit with an extended antenna.

When I got the Garmin GPS unit in, I went took it out in the field and was amazed at how much better it worked than the unit I had been using. The little extra bit of antenna does wonders for picking up the satellite signals. Which is good because the more satellite signals the better and more accurate your tracks and waypoints will be.

The track is the file that is basically a digital breadcrumb trail of where you have been and waypoints are digital flags of things you want to mark along the trail. Once you have the trail marked, you can use a free program like Garmin’s Basecamp to go in and make changes to the trail and waypoints. For the book, I used DeLorme maps. Here are two pictures of what those files look like before they are beautified by the cartographer and art gurus.

The spiky looking image is the elevation profile. The elevation profile is the uphill downhill map. This is good to know if you have little kids with you or a physical condition like bad knees or hip joints.

The image that looks like a drawing of a tree is the tracks and waypoints on a map. If you click on this map you can see all the notes I put on the map. This one is the cleaned one which just has the top level information. I take a bajillion field notes so my waypoints for a 10 miles hike will usually be around 200-250! I then head back to my office and distill it down to the really important or interesting points along the trail and not every single little foot bridge you may cross or bench you might sit on.

 

More Fall Hikes!

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Creek view
East Fork State Park Backpacking Trail, creek crossing

One of my favorite fall places to hike is Shawnee State Forest. Unfortunately, having the time to get there is another thing. Some great places to head to for incredible fall foliage hiking are California Woods, Bachelor Woods at Miami of Ohio, East Fork State Park Backpacking trail, and Miami Whitewater Forest.

If you are starting out in the morning, wear layers so you can stay warm in the cool damp air and as the day heats up you can peel off a layer. Of course, water wicking fabrics are the best choice. Keep the jeans at home and wear convertible pants that go from pants to shorts that you can zip off the legs when it gets too warm.

I also prefer to wear a ball cap in the fall. It keeps the sun out of my eyes and my head warm. If it is really chilly out, I use ear muffs. Yep, I look a little goofy but I’m warm, dry, and happy.

East Fork State Park Backpacking Trail lake cove

Zaleski State Forest and Moleskin

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Zaleski State Forest Backpacking Trail
Zaleski State Forest Backpacking Trail

While hiking the Zaleski State Forest backpacking trail, I noticed a hot spot forming on my right foot and my left ankle. This was likely due to the fact that the trail had been rerouted across a hill and down without it being leveled off across. This resulted in the trail being sloped to the right and angled downhill. With every step I took, my right foot was being crammed into the toe box and my left heel was shifting too much.

Zaleski State Forest Backpacking Trail

If I didn’t do something soon, I would have some lovely blisters and my expertise with cursing would get a good workout. I always carry in my pack a small package of moleskin. Don’t freak out it isn’t made from stitching tiny little mole skins together because– besides that being tedious work–it would be just gross. 

See… (no moles were harmed)

 

Only 1 velvety millimeter thick

The moleskin is just about 1 millimeter thick, has sticky backing,  and feels like a fluffy pillow is protecting your precious foot.

I use a tiny Leatherman tool and cut the piece I need, peel the backing off, and stick it on the spot that is getting a beating.

The important thing to remember is never put this on a blister.

Trust me. Never put moleskin on a blister. Ever.

If you do have a blister, you can cut the moleskin to fit around the blister or on the shoe but never put it on the blister. Sure it might feel good for a while but then you need to remove the sticky back moleskin and with it will come your skin. Ouch.

You can read my Backpacker: Rip and Go about the Zaleski Backpacking Trail on Backpacker. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love You Tomorrow. It’s only …. ummm…. right tomorrow, I’ll post the information that didn’t make it into the final copy of the Rip and Go!