A Good Night's Sleep

On the backpacking trip attempt last October, I took my son's sleeping bag.  Mine was too heavy and didn't fit into the compression sack I had purchased.  Though I tried the sleeping bag out for size to see if I fit in the youth bag, I didn't really try it to see if I could really hunker down in the bag (You know, in case I needed to be comfortable outdoors in a Nor'easter).  Surprise! I couldn't really snuggle into the bag, and I was cold the whole night.  So with the REI member dividend, the first thing I wanted to purchase was a new sleeping bag.
I settled on a Kelty Cosmic Down 20.  I wasn't really looking to get a down bag.  I have this fear of it getting wet and losing its ability to keep me warm.  But this down is treated and is called DriDown.  DriDown stays dry 10 times longer than traditional untreated down, it retains 2.7 times more loft when exposed to moisture and humidity than untreated down and it dries 33% faster than untreated down.  And don't worry about the treatment of the down, the whole process and the treatment were rated non hazardous to human health, safety and the environment from an unbiased 3rd party internationally recognized agency.  Originally I was going to get the women's bag.  But it's a pinkish color.  Let me stop here a moment to ask, why do all companies think women's stuff has to be pink? I hate pink.  I think pink for a sleeping bag is stupid- unless it also has a Disney Princess on it and is sold to a 4 year old.  Seriously, why would any outdoor gear manufacturer think that "Hey women who use this stuff want pink"? 
Anyway, back to my bag.  I checked out the men's version of the bag (in a nice blue color I might add) and found they made a men's short bag.  It saved about 3 ounces of weight compared to the women's bag (and it wasn't pink).  I compared the length (66") to other sleeping bags and found it was comparable to some of the women's bags, so I ordered it.
The bag arrived yesterday, and I immediately took it out to try it on for size.  Definitely enough room to hunker down in, and definitely warm enough.  I was sweating after only a few minutes.

All that is left to do is figure out the food (going with the ease of some Mountain House meals I think), the clothes (waiting to see what the weather will bring) and exchange a leaky sleeping pad and too big compression sack at REI (darn I so hate going to REI....).  That just leaves working on my endurance and planning a test run with the tent and new Tyvek footprint before we go.

Dividends are a Glorious Thing

This was my Easter basket.  The Easter Bunny didn't bring it, I had to buy it all myself, and I got in trouble with the husband for how much I spent.... but still worth it.  Three of the four of us heading out on this trip went to REI this weekend to get some last minute items.  March bring REI dividends and 20% coupons and both were burning holes in my pocket.  I ordered a new sleeping bag (it cost me $2 and change after the coupon and dividend), got some loksaks for food and trash, a waterproof compression sack for the new sleeping bag (but I got the Large instead of the Medium, now I want to take it back to get the Medium), a dry sack for holding all the food and hanging it from a tree (which I need to practice doing), freeze dried food, some ultra light tent stakes and a plastic bottle to use as a flask. But, because I want to lighten my load, I'm thinking of for going the flask. I think I'm going to be way too tired to bother with whiskey. 
Following the shopping spree, we hit a nearby pizza place with some of the best pizza I've had in a while, to have a planning meeting and lunch.  We worked out a game plan for our overnight stops, and talked about food and what items could be shared to save weight in each others' packs.   It was an awesome day.  The excitement is definitely building for this trip.

Christmas in March

Our rescheduled back packing trip is fast approaching, and just in time is my REI dividend.  It's really just like Christmas.  While I have already managed to procure the items I need for the trip (i.e., pack, boots, tent, etc.), I do really want a new sleeping bag. 

The sleeping bag I own now is great.  It keeps me toasty on camping trips.  However, it isn't meant for back packing, which means it's large, bulky and heavy.  Plus I purchased it from Sunny's Surplus some time ago- and their stores have been closed since 2007.  I used my son's youth sized bag when we went for our first trip attempt.  I tried his bag out at home and thought it fit. But when I went to use it in the middle of a howling nor'easter, it just wasn't long enough to hunker down in. 
So thank goodness for REI's member dividend (and 20% off coupon).  I've chosen a new sleeping bag that is only 2lbs8oz and I'll end up paying under $10 out of pocket when it's all said and done.  That leaves more money in my pocket to spend on other stuff I need.  I'm compiling a list now of all the little odds and ends I need to get before the next trip. 
Only 34 days to go!

Sleeping Bag Saga Solved

All this time that I've been preparing for this backpacking trip, I've been worrying over my sleeping bag.  I have a great bag, but it isn't a backpacking bag and therefore isn't very light.  My husband's bag is rather old and I know (from experience, or rather my cousin's experience camping at the UFO Ranch in Trout Lake, Washington) that sleeping bags loose their effectiveness over time. 











Since we're on a budget, my husband and I didn't really want to purchase new sleeping bags.  So I attempted to see if mine would be compressed small enough to at least fit easily in my pack.  But it didn't fit in the compression sack I purchased. The thoughts of sleeping bags and compression sacks were shelved for a while.  I'd figure it out later. 










So while discussing the issues recently, my 9 year old son suggested my husband use his bag.  I explain that his sleeping bag is a youth size so my husband would never fit.  "So why don't you use it, Mom" was his next suggestion.  So I tried it out.  We won't dwell on the fact that I am short enough to fit into a youth bag.  We will dwell on the fact that I fit, it's lighter than mine AND it fits into the already purchased compression sack.

Only a few other items to work on getting and we'll be set!

The Compression Sack: Round 1

So, my latest purchase at REI was a compression sack for my sleeping bag.  I've been wondering what I should do about the sleeping bag issue because mine isn't really a backpacking bag, meaning it wasn't designed with weight in mind.  Not that it's really heavy, I just know that there are sleeping bags out there that are much lighter.  Packing as light as I can has become more of a focus for me now than it was in the beginning of planning this trip.  My butt muscle injury has forced me to be more attentive in planning out what I'm taking and how much it weighs.  And since I'm trying to keep the cost of the trip down some, if I can get away without purchasing a new sleeping bag, that would be great.  So I went and got my bag and opened the compression sack and laid them out together.  Immediately, I knew I should have listened to the nice REI Salesman and purchased the larger compression sack.  But I, in my infinite wisdom, was pretty sure I could make my bag fit the compression sack in the next size down (also, it was a nice green color).  

So, I commenced stuffing.  I think I managed to get about 2/3 of the sleeping bag in the sack.  And that's it.  So the moral of this story is to listen to the nice REI Salesperson when they tell you what they recommend (they haven't steered me wrong yet).  So, I plan on seeing if my husband's bag will fit in the sack (I doubt it but I'm going to try anyway) and if that doesn't work I'm sure there are some other things I could use it for, like clothes (Though the running joke after our Catoctin hike was that we weren't bringing a change of clothes to save on weight).  I managed to find my Big Agnes sleeping pad so I can get that rolled up and ready and make sure it's good to go, except I'm not 100% certain where it's carrying bag is.  That will be the next adventure.