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Where to July/Aug of 2019???

Where to July/Aug of 2019???

After last year’s… injury we decided to try to make a go for the HST [High Sierra Trail], however, it seems that the popularity of it has been so great that in less than 12 hours ALL permits for the trail, were taken. 😦

We were NOT discouraged and after attending a class at REI in March, we found a gem of a trail that is about the same length AND it even joins the HST about half way. Intrigued?…

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As promised we are slowly getting caught up and sharing the changes we have been making over the past several months.

First up on the changes we are making to save weight – SLEEP SYSTEM and TENT. I am including the tent since we sleep inside of it and it is our heaviest stand alone item. Every little bit we can cut here adds up quickly and will have lasting impact not only on how we sleep, which means we can take on the next day on the trail more rested, it also means that we save our knees & back in the long run.

For this, I am only comparing our sleeping bags which we switched to quilts, our pillows, pads and tent. We will still each plan on taking our sleeping bag liners, Sea to Summit Extreame, when we share our full gear list and weights, these will be included.

Tent change!!

Welcome to our new home away from home on the trail! We set it up in our front yard, this is the ZPacks Duplex. Mark has plenty of head room in this Dyneema [formerly Cuben Fiber] tent. Dyneema is one of the strongest and lightest material on the planet, not only is it 15 times STRONGER than steel and Kevlar, it is also WATERPROOF! It is more expensive at around $32/yard verses about $22/yard on the highest end and $8/yd average on the lower end.

Weighing in at 22.5 oz in the bag including 10 stakes, it saves us considerable weight right off the get go.

The Duplex also uses 2 trekking poles (we used mine for the initial set up since they lock easily) and guidelines. It is not free standing, it can be made so, you have to order the parts from ZPacks. With sealed seams, it is a single walled marvel and is changing the backpacking world. You are hard to find a backpacker who has not heard of or know someone who does not have or know someone who has a Z-Pack tent it seems. It has a vestibule on either side so no crawling over each other in the middle of the night and it gives that outdoor space for packs and other gear we don’t want getting wet if and when it rains.

This is where except for our pillows which are not pictured here we changed from Slumberjack Camp Pillows to ExPed Air Pillows XL which come in at 3.6oz each.

Lets back to what we do have featured in the pictures. Starting with our sleeping pads.

Mark has opted for the most ultra light and newest technology for his, the ThermaRest NeoAir Uberlite in Regular Length is all of 9.7oz in the bag with an R-Value of 2.2. It packs down to 6 by 3.5 inches and is 20in wide by 72in long. Mark is also opting for weight savings and what he considers comfortable.

R-Value ratings are from 1.0 (minimally) to 9.5 (well insulated). You don’t need a super high R-Value unless you are in the snow or ice.

I need a bit more as far as far as how cold it is rated and height, so I went for the Q-Core SLX in Long – 17oz in the bag, which I don’t take, so it will be slightly less; for a side sleeper and someone who runs cold, this seemed to be my best option. Packing down to 4in by 8.5in in the stuff bag. Big Agnes, who makes the Q-Core SLX doesn’t use the typical R-Rating by degree rating which they rate this to 32F or 0C. It is 20in by 78in long, so more than long enough for someone who is almost 6′.

Next up, has to be one of my favorite things since we custom ordered them with our preferences.

We took the plunge and have decide to delve into the world of backpacking QUILTS compared to sleeping bags. Our Enlightened Equipment Revelation Custom Sleeping Quilts are our newest venture into lighter weight backpacking.

First, let me preface that, for us, it made sense to make the change not only for the sake of weight, in addition we did our research and knowing that the way you stay warm is with the loft of the fill in a sleeping bag or quilt and by laying on TOP of material and fill as with a traditional sleeping bag, a quilt eliminates almost all of that and is more like sleeping at home since you tuck it around you. Enlightened Equipment includes a few straps which help to secure your sleeping quilt to your sleeping pad to keep it from straying too far off during the night.

In the near future I will take you on a better tour of them and show how they attach to our sleeping pads.

We went back and forth between the Revelation and the Enigma, both of which have their advantages and disadvantages. In the end, we went with the Revelation given that it has a foot-box that we can undo completely and use the quilt as a regular quilt by the fire or for when it gets a bit warmer. The Enigma as a fulling enclosed foot-box, which cannot be opened for ventilation or so you can use it as a full open quilt. Something to consider if you make the jump into quilts as we have. Both are 850 DownTek filled Treated – how much fill in a given container – this is what gives you the warmth factor.  After taking them on the trail we will give full reviews.

Lets look at Mark’s for a moment, his Navy and Graphite, EE Revelation is rated for 20F (-6.67C), is long and wide. Mark runs hot, and given that he is a side sleeper he wanted the extra width so make sure he was covered all the way; you can see hwo covered he is in the picture. 24.6oz according to EE on the bag they sent, so I will go with their numbers.

My Purple and Midnight Blue, EE Revelation is rated for 10F (-12.22C), so no cold feet for me while on the trail this time! I ordered mine in Long and Regular width, even though I am a side sleeper, I am not wide and after trying it out at home, I had plenty of room when wrapping it around me. Mine comes in at 26.9oz due to the higher temperature rating.

Now for what you all want to know, WHAT IS THE WEIGHT COMPARISON AND SAVINGS?!

For Mark ~

Sleeping Quilt/Bag

EE Revelation Custom – 20F Long/Wide, 24.6 vs NorthFace 20F Cats Meow Long, 39oz = 14.4oz SAVED

Sleeping Pillow

ExPed Air Pillow XL 3.6oz vs SlumberJack Camp Pillow 8oz = 4.4oz SAVED

Sleeping Pad

ThermaRest NeoAir UberLite Reg 9.7oz vs REI Flash Sleeping Pad Long 20oz = 10.3oz SAVED

TOTAL SAVINGS for MARK – 29.1 or 1.81lbs

For Steph ~

Sleeping Quilt/Bag

EE Revelation Custom 10F Long 26.9oz vs NorthFace 20F Cats Meow Long, 39oz = 12.1oz SAVED

Sleeping Pilow

ExPed Air Pillow XL 3.6oz vs SlumberJack Camp Pillow 8oz = 4.4oz SAVED

Sleeping Pad

Big Agnes Q-Core SLX Long 17oz vs REI Flash Sleeping Pad Long 20oz = 3oz SAVED

TOTAL SAVINGS for STEPH – 19.5oz or 1.22lbs

I didn’t save as much as Mark in this area, which is fine given that I run colder and need the bit of extra R-Value and temperature.

TENT

Z-Pack Duplex 22.5oz vs Eureka Pinnacle 2 – 96oz = 73.5oz SAVED

TOTAL SAVINGS – for Mark, Steph and the tent…

122.1oz = 7.63lbs SAVED!!

That is a HUGE difference. DISCLAIMER – the changes we have made, do run on the more expensive side, that’s part and parcel when you switch to lighter gear. Lighter materials do run more and are more durable as a rule.

I have added links to Zpacks duplex, Enlightened Equipment Revelation Custom Sleeping Quilts and the Dyneema sites for a mater of convenience. We are NOT affiliates and are linking to them, as a mater for sharing companies that we believe in. Zpacks and EE are both what we call cottage companies meaning that they are small companies and they take their time filling orders. You may wait a month or two for a tent or quilt since they make to order.

So with all this new gear, where are we headed this summer?? High Sierra Trail? Mount Whitney?

THAT answer is coming on WEDNESDAY of this week in a BONUS Post!!

  Cutting Weight – Round 1 – Sleep System & Tent As promised we are slowly getting caught up and sharing the changes we have been making over the past several months.

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What Happened to the HST trip??

What Happened to the HST trip??

Long time no post, I thought I would play catch up since we are on Spring Break around here in Central California.

First off, we did NOT summit Whitney. A few things went wrong which I will go into shortly, first let me say that we have not given up backpacking by any measure, if anything, we have grown as backpackers.

4 things that lead to us not being able summit.

1 ~ I ignored my knees…

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Gear is prepped!!!

Only a few days until we hit the trail. Over the weekend we got things together! Sorry, no pics of the amount of food we crammed into our bear canisters, they were 9lbs each and full!

Clothing, water shoes, Bear canisters, first aid kit, everything is ready to go!

We have not weighted our packs yet, we have water bottles to add and a few last minute things such as ID, permit, etc.

Clothes are…

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Keeping Mosquitos at Bay

Keeping Mosquitos at Bay

In less than 2 weeks we will be on the trail and with that trail comes bugs, namely the dreaded MOSQUITO!! They are not only annoying, but can carry diseases like Zika and West Nile which has been found locally. Let’s avoid those, shall we.

These little blood suckers seem to prefer me to Mark for some reason, so to combat this I am pulling out the big guns!!

Let me introduce you to our friend –…

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Training for Whitney

It’s better to workout and train at home than to go out cold and get injured. Some people look at working out as a form of torture, for us, we actually enjoy it to an extent.

When it comes to working out, Mark and I encourage each other and motivate each other.

Our home training area. The elliptical gets the most use since it burns calories; put your earbuds in and some music or a movie on…

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Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie-Butter

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie-Butter

This idea came from Amber who we met at the Switchback Showcase, she did the JMT in a few DAYS! She mentioned she ate “cookie-butter” as a way to get calories. Great idea!! I didn’t know what “cookie-butter” was or is, so I did some research. It’s basically cookies crushed and turned into a “butter” or paste.

After looking for hours at recipes I came up with my own. I used store bought chocolate…

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Prepping for Whitney 2018

With just over a month until we leave for the High Sierra Trail prepping is in full swing. We leave on July 26th to get our permit and to acclimate and then officially start on the 27th with a summit date of August 2nd and our thru hike ending on August 3rd. Our friend who is dropping us off has confirmed as has the lucky person who gets to pick us up after its all over. A family member will be…

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Congratulations to this Wonderful Young Lady

Seven-year-old girl hikes Mount Kilimanjaro in honor of late dad, breaks record

http://www.foxnews.com/great-outdoors/2018/04/07/seven-year-old-girl-hikes-mount-kilimanjaro-in-honor-late-dad-breaks-record.html

Congratulations!!! We are proud you. Your father would be proud and he is.

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Dehydrating Chicken

Yes, you CAN dehydrate chicken. It takes a few steps and with little preparation, but once you do that, it’s easy and you will have chicken for backpacking or even for prepping.

When dehydrating chicken and other meat should be done at 160ºF (71ºC) to 165ºF (74ºC) . These temperatures are what is needed to safely dehydrate these foods. Internal temperature for chicken should be 165ºF or higher,…

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My First 45 Miles... Part 3

My First 45 Miles… Part 3

Thank you for coming back and joining me again as we explore my first 45 [now 55] miles on the trail. Last time I went over sleeping bags, weighing gear, filtering water and hydration bladders & bottles, and trekking poles.

So grab your sleeping bag, hot tea or coffee and let’s get going on what I have learned during.. my first 45 [55] miles, part 3.

Going a different direction this time from…

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This winter I kept busy in between kids, the holidays and life. I was able to get some much needed dehydrating time in, since it’s easy to throw fruit or veggies or even chicken [yes, you can dehydrate chicken] with relative ease and little to no prep for the most part. Times and temperatures included are what worked for me, you may need to add time for them to work for you. For this post, I will only be going over fruits, veggies and mushrooms, chicken will be next week [with step by step instructions and pictures].

The general rule of thumb when it comes to temperatures is fruits and veggies go 135ºF (57ºC) to 140ºF (60ºC).

When it came to dehydrating fruits and veggies, I went for simple – frozen. Our local grocery store had frozen fruit and veggies on sale, so I stocked up and used those. They are picked at their peak of freshness and all you do is open the bag and pour onto the dehydrator trays, so easy.

The mushrooms I used, I bought fresh then sliced, they had a learning curve since when they dehydrate, they get a lot smaller. You can either buy them sliced or slice them yourself; they need to be about 1/4in to 1/2in thick.

Tip#1 – When dehydrating do NOT mix fruits and veggies or mushrooms. The scents will permeate and mingle. If you like dehydrated strawberries smelling like green beans or possibly getting mixed together, then by all means, do them together. I like my fruits and veggies and mushrooms separate.

Tip#2 – Just because it takes 12 hours one time, doesn’t mean it will the next time; several factors such as weather, humidity, even the moisture content of what you are using can vary so please keep that in mind.

Tip #3 – Buy frozen fruit and veggies when on sale. If you have the freezer space, go for it. We have a freezer in the garage and those extra bags live in there until I’m ready for them.

BEFORE PICTURES:

Fruit – Peaches, Mangoes, Pineapple, Strawberries, Mixed berries

Veggies – Mixed [peas, carrots, green beans and lima beans], Mushrooms and Green beans

AFTER PICTURES:

Veggies – Mixed Veggies, Mushrooms, Green Beans

Fruit – Mangoes with pineapple and peaches, Strawberries, Mixed Berries

All those trays you saw really condense down.

Tip#4 – Place parchment paper or wax paper or even plastic wrap or your fruit roll up mat on the BOTTOM tray to catch any that fall through. It happens a lot and I found it was easier to do this than have a bunch on the bottom of the dehydrator after 20 hours.

Tip#5 – Let the dehydrator cool off. Don’t place your fruit or veggies into glass jars or plastic bags or plastic containers until they are cooled completely and dehydrated. Any residual moisture will gone after a few hours and they are cooled off. I let them set for the rest of the day or overnight to completely cool. 

Times:

I checked each batch at 12 hours and adjusted the temperature as needed, usually going up to the next temperature setting for the next 6 to 8 hours.

For the fruit, I found it took around 30 hours at 135ºF, they were really juicy and didn’t want to dehydrate as fast as I wanted them too. Next time, I will chop them up a bit to help them dehydrate more quickly and evenly. To tell if they are done, squeeze them, if they have give, they need a bit longer, if not, they are ready and just need to come to room temperature.

Mushrooms were easier, they were done in 14 hours at 135ºF. When they are crispy and break easily, they are done.

Mixed veggies took 20 hours on 140ºF. They were dry and didn’t want to stay on the trays at that point, they fell through the slats.

Tip#6 – Storage. I prefer to use quart size mason jars. I fill them up and they place them in our deep freezer until we are ready for them.

Tip#7 – If the sound of the dehydrator bothers you – it can be annoying after hours [we just ignore it at this point], it can be ostracized to the garage, but I strongly suggest it stay inside since you don’t want any critters getting to your food.

Note: Putting the strawberries on top did cause some of the juices to drip down to the other fruits which we don’t mind, if that bothers you, then you can do them separately or place them on the bottom rack. Everything still tasted delicious afterwards. 

Don’t forget to enjoy your hard work. Taste the veggies and fruit. Dehydrated fruit is great for snacking on as I have found myself doing, so I had to get it into the freezer as soon as possible so we have it for the trail. 

I hope you enjoyed learning how to dehydrate fruits and veggies. It’s easy and since the dehydrator does all the work, not very labor intensive. I love the smell of fruit dehydrating since it makes the whole house smell wonderful, with fresh fruit coming into season, I will be doing some of that as well, same process as above, just more preparation – peeling and slicing, and then adjusting of times.

Any questions or comments, please let us know.

Disclaimer ~ I was not injured during the making of any of these this time around. Frozen fruit and veggies do not require me to use sharp objects, excluding scissors, which I did when others were around. {Please check out our video “We’ve Been Tagged” to understand this disclaimer and to get a laugh}

Busy in the Kitchen This winter I kept busy in between kids, the holidays and life. I was able to get some much needed dehydrating time in, since it's easy to throw fruit or veggies or even chicken with relative ease and little to no prep for the most part.

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Snowshoeing Basics

Mark and I kinda live at REI it seems. We know most of the staff at our local one in Fresno and we have learned so much, so when they have classes coming up, we pay attention and sign up for any that peak our interests. Most classes offered are free and may be held on or off site. https://www.rei.com/learn.html

In one week, we were able to take both “Winter/Snow Camping Basics” and Snowshoeing…

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Playing Catch Up!

Hey Everyone! I know we were quiet this winter, it could not be helped. We had a death in the family, then illnesses and as those of you who follow us on YouTube know, I had an accident and took a chunk out of my thumb [I forgot to use a finger guard and our slicer decided to teach me a lesson; I understand now and will ALWAYS use the finger guard]. I am all healed up and my laptop is ready to…

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We’ve Been Tagged - Our Answers!!

We’ve Been Tagged – Our Answers!!

Video is up on YouTube with a few surprises!!! We’ve Been Tagged

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FourFeetUp Backpacking Banner Happy surprise in the mail today... our Backpacking Banner!! This will be going with us on our upcoming adventures and in our videos from home. In a few months, our banner will be on top of Mt Whitney.

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We got TAGGED!!

Kevin Outdoors has tagged us! Watch his video. We will have our answers up soon! Stay turned! Great honor to be tagged by him.

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