On Friday, I ventured out to the San Gabriels mountains of Southern California to do a shakedown hike of my gear, food, and comfort level with cold weather backpacking.  Yes, I know “cold weather” is a stretch in Los Angeles, but with temps around 40 degrees at night, it was a good test without going too extreme.

The prep hike followed a 6-mile trek to the affectionate Bridge to Nowhere, an eerily and fully constructed bridge in the middle of the mountains with no road leading to it or from. I did this hike a few years ago with friends and decided the comfort of knowing what to expect would be nice.  With a couple new friends in tow, this overnight adventure was a great chance to once again test out my full pack weight and gear options, and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend this trip for anyone looking for a great day hike, overnight, or multi-night trip.  With multiple river crossings, continuous ups and downs, and very rocky terrain … it doesn’t feel too far off from the Appalachian Trail. Hello Neiman!

A couple things I learned about gear during this shakedown hike

• Stuff Sacks. I don’t like how my gear is organized. The stuff sack arrangement does not have like-items together, and causes a lot of taking out, rearranging, and putting back. Some examples:  1) my bandana/towel/dishcloth needs to be packed with my mess kit, as that is where I need it most.  2) The electronics that are not used daily (e.g. battery pack) should be packed deep as I’ll only need them occasionally).  I’ll be re-thinking this before Prep Hike 3.
• Pillow. (sigh). I like the idea of having it, but didn’t use it. In my hammock, even wearing all my clothes (including raincoat) at night, I still had sufficient soft stuff to put in a stuff sack for pillow-use.  The Exped pillow I have is only 1.8 ounces but wasn’t used. I’ll keep it in my pack for now, but consider my eyebrow raised…
• Crocs. I love my crocks, I’ve talked about that before, but the issue is going to be pack space. They don’t pack down well, and my pack is very full. I decided to order a pair of Xero Z-Trails, which are similar weight but MUCH more packable. Xeros are like Tevas, and strap to your foot more tightly than Crocs, so I’ll try these out and see if I like them better or just suck up the annoyance of Crocs being attached to the outside of my pack.
• Hammock and Quilts. This was my first test of my new Dutch Chameleon and Enlightened Equipment Quilts … wow, simply wow. These products are so well made and passed the field test with flying colors. I was very warm during the cold night, and felt very comfortable. My only issue was that the underquilt is very tight on the hammock, riding high and not having enough slack to lay low. I can’t tell if this is on design or not, as it feels and looks awkward. It kept me warm, but I fear I need longer suspension chord. I’ll call EE to confirm.
• Water Filter. The friends that joined me brought a Sawyer Mini filter with a gravity bag, and I must admit, it was pretty neat.  I don’t like the idea of using force to get clean water with those filters, but the gravity concept is better than I expected. I’ll do some research, but for now will keep my Aqua Mira until they run out, then decide on the right replacement along the trail.
• Cook Set. Cold weather, cold wind, and cold water = worst efficiency of an alcohol stove. Using 2 tablespoons of alcohol, I was not able to get 2 cups water to a “raging” boil. It was hot, but not boiled. With the basic recipes in my meal plan, this shouldn’t be a problem, but I think it could get annoying over time. For now, we stick with it, but I’ve got my eye on JetBoils again.
• Boots. Something happened on this trip that hasn’t on the dozens of treks in my Oboz Sawtooth hiking boots before. Big toe pain. I’ve scaled mountains in Alaska, Montana, and California in these boots before but for some reason this time I could tell they were too small. Five days of hiking like that would easily cost me both toenails. They are a few years old, and maybe my feet have swelled a bit, so I’m going to pick up the sized up Salomon X-Mission trail runners I already planned to buy as a first replacement on the hike.
• Hammock/Quilt Storage. This is minor, but has anyone thought of creating a giant bishop bag with their hammock and underquilt stored together?  I feel like I spent a lot of time assembling and disassembling my shelter set up, and would easily see that time cut by keeping the underquilt permanently attached and stored with my hammock. Anyone else think of that?

Also, just a quick note, but the camera portrait mode on the new iPhones is amazing. This photo looks as good or better than I could pull up with our SLR. Technology .. wow.