On my recent backpacking trip, I took quite a few pieces of new gear. I wanted to share some of the reasons why it was great.
As usual with my infrequent backpacking trips, by the time it comes around, I have a roundup of new equipment to take along. Some of it is replacing worn out items, but more often it comes down to upgrades as the camping technology improves.
Tent and Trekking Poles
My most important new gear this trip was a tent, the Six Moon Designs Scout. This tent uses trekking poles as the structural element. This makes it quite lightweight, containing no poles of it’s own. It also sets up very fast, due to not having a separate rain fly. It has good door access and lots of ventilation. It’s unique diamond shape made it quite roomy in the parts that mattered, around where your arms naturally lay.
The only downside I ran into was the requirement to have solid stakes holding the tension. One campsite of the three had very loose soil, and it was difficult to get a secure tie-down.
Along with the tent, this was also the first trip in which I took my own trekking poles. I do think it helped take some of the strain and swelling off of the hands, and generally made walking at bit more enjoyable by giving the arms something to do.
Pillow
I upgraded my hiking pillow to the Nemo Fillo, as recommended by many reviewers. It is as good as they said and made a big difference in my sleep quality. The top layer of foam gives it home-like pillow comfort, while the the inflatable bag gives it a proper height.
Stove pot
Since my old cooking pot was cracked, I got the classic TOAKS 750ml pot. I also switched to carrying the small fuel bottles instead of the medium size, as one nests perfectly in the pot with room for the stove on top. I also brought a cheap fuel bottle stand from amazon, which didn’t feel essential for stability, but did keep the base of the fuel can out of the dirt (since it was going inside the cooking pot).
The markings on the inside of the TOAKS are useful, and a big improvement over my previous one.
Card Game
I brought a card game, Star Realms, to play in camp. This game was new to us, neither having played it before. It is about the size of two standard card decks, for two players, and has a similar feel to magic or other battle games. Star Realms was pretty fun, and quick to play, without having too many pieces. I would bring it along again.