arocknoid wrote:That's a darned good pace with pack and rehabbed knee, mile and a half and 800 ft. gain per hour. Great to hear that your knee is doing well.
Well, thank you. I'd have been more satisfied with it had I not been the slowest in the group.
But very satisfied to have had only about 4 weeks of training and still be able to get out of the canyon by noon.
arocknoid wrote:5. "Could eliminate 1/4 lb with multifunction" Murphy is waiting to kill those three birds with one stone, on impact from slipping off the bridge... BTDT. Rather have an ounce-and-a-half half frame readers for the limited-yet-crucial need than wear bifocals on the trail; impairs wildlife spotting etc.
Hmm. Well, there's a point. I'll have to think about that.
arocknoid wrote:9. "titanium stakes" Cha-ching!
Yeah, but not that bad. You can get a decent "shepard's hook" titanium wire stakes for $2.50 if you do any shopping at all. Perhaps you could find something cheaper still on eBay or at a used gear sale. A set of six is $15; a set of eight is $20. Fifteen to twenty dollars, while not cheap, isn't horrible when you consider high quality tents cost around $300 dollars. Spending $15 to $20 to support an item you just spent $300 doesn't seem too bad, at least to me. And they are stinkin'
light while being a lot less prone to bending than aluminum. The ground was really hard at the Grand Canyon. I bent 5 out of 8 of my aluminum stakes, 2 of which were bent to the point that I discarded them. One of my travel companions broke the head off of an MSR aluminum mini Ground Hog stake. There's something to be said for equipment that works, even if it does cost a bit more.
On the other hand, aluminum "V" stakes do hold better though, particularly in soft soils where titanium wire stakes just pull right out. Aluminum "V" stakes can be had for as little as $0.50 per stake with some careful shopping, about 1/5 th cost of titanium. I generally use aluminum "V" stakes with bigger tents because of their superior holding power unless I know that the ground is going to be hard in which case I will often take titanium.
Aluminum wire stakes are not in my opinion a good option. They bend too easily and don't hold very well.
Titanium "V" stakes would excel, but those are definitely not cheap, typically about $4 bucks or more per stake. A six pack costs about $25 and an eight pack is over $30. Best of both worlds though if you don't mind spending the money.
arocknoid wrote:11. "A little heavy, but important for saving battery." Hmm. must refer to soul-our battery?
Why, yes, and may the son shine down on me.
HJ