Some thoughts about my non-photography support gear

Before I took my trip to Yosemite National Park I had picked up some items to take with me that I thought I couldn't live without. I blogged about some of it here and here. I also got some other items that I didn't write about previously. I thought I'd share my thoughts on those items after being out on the road with them a bit...

Shirts

First, I had decided to get some new clothing for my trip. I have this idea that I'm going to start hiking more, including backpacking overnight. That made me start looking at better clothing. I've been reading for some time that cotton is about the worst material you can wear for hiking, so I decided to find something better.

Wrangler Long Sleeved Shirts

I found and started using a website that researches and rates outdoor equipment, as well as providing some good articles about different things such as what makes good clothing, called OutdoorGearLab.com. They, as well as other sources, basically said any man made material will be better than cotton.

I tried finding hiking shirts first but the ones from Columbia and others were cotton. It didn't make sense. I ended up getting myself a few Wrangler shirts from Amazon that have a lot of synthetic material, are wrinkle resistant, and have long sleeves. They seemed about the same as the Columbia shirts for a lot less money.

The long sleeves help protect you from the sun, mosquitoes and other bugs, and from pointy bushes and thorns. The wrinkle resistance means you look less like a slob when you put on a shirt that's been in your duffle bag. The synthetic material means it'll dry faster than cotton.

I enjoyed these shirts - they met my expectations in all regards. I did perspire even though it was generally in the 70's or low 80's and yet felt comfortable. I can't compare them to more expensive shirts because I didn't buy any

Pants

One of my favorite purchases is the pair of Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible pants I got. For me there is just no comparison between them and some denim jeans and I wish I could always wear pants like these.

Columbia Silver Ridge
Convertible Pant

Again, these are synthetic but this material is designed specifically to wick sweat away and keep you cool. That aspect seemed to work - I never felt hot in them even when sitting in the El Capitan Meadow in direct sunlight.

The biggest things I like about these pants are:

1. The light weight. They only weigh ____ ounces compared to typical blue jeans that wear ___ ounces. When I put these things on in the morning it's like putting on nothing at all. But they actually do cover you so the young girls aren't as disgusted when they see you.

2. The synthetic material glides over your skin. When I crouched, sat on the ground, and then got back up, the material easily slid over my skin unlike blue jeans which can drag across your skin and make getting up even harder for a fat, out of shape man. Again it was like being nekked but less objectionable.

What I didn't find exhilarating:

1. The belt is lightweight and wouldn't tighten up enough until I found that by creating a loop and tightening it on itself to create a knot which held it in place. Then it worked fine except it was hard to figure out how to connect the two pieces of the belt in the dark.

2. I snagged a finger nail on the inside of a pocket which is just some mesh material. I question the durability of the pockets but perhaps they're okay.

Also, I didn't convert them into shorts and am not sure I ever will. I like the protection of the long pant legs.

Underwear

I got a few pairs of the ExOfficio Men's Give-N-Go Briefs. They're not exactly cheap but they're not exactly expensive at about $20 per pair (I only paid $11.30 per pair). They are synthetic with odor prevention material. I got briefs because I wanted a less dangly experience. These were great. The synthetic material performs great as well as the "brief" style. I didn't try it but they are supposed to be hand washable and able to dry quickly.

When I saw the predicted overnight temps were in the 30 degree Fahrenheit range, I also got some long underwear before I left. I got a set of the Terramar Men's Thermolator II Pant and Terramar Men's Thermolator II Crew Tee. I put these on before going to sleep when I stayed at the Mono Lake overlook and they kept me nice and toasty while the night temperature dipped to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Darn Tough Socks

I really want more of these. With only 2 pair I had to wear them more than 2 days and wish I could either have one more pair (for a week long trip) or had taken the time to wash them. That said, I wore the first pair for 4 days. I have to say that I didn't detect any odor nor discomfort. I enjoy wearing these socks with my hiking boots.

Marmot PreCip Jacket

I didn't wear this at all. I thought I might need it when visiting the base of Yosemite Falls but since there wasn't any water coming over the falls it was not put to the test.

This was a waste of money as far as this trip was concerned but I am okay with that because I've been wanting a rain jacket for quite some time. The one I used last year at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was a cheap one that I've had since at least 1997. 

It has stood up well but in the last couple of years it has started falling apart. It's just time to replace it and I hope I get 20 years out of this Marmot PreCip.

1 Gallon Water Bottle

I use this constantly and it meets my needs.

I buy gallon bottles of drinking water from gas stations or other stores. Often they don't have a good lid that will stay on if it gets bumped around in the back of a vehicle. By pouring the contents into this bottle, which has a nice, wide, mouth and solid screw on cap, I can avoid worrying about the bottle that the water comes in from the store.

I use this when I commute to work too. I have a stainless steel travel cup that I like and I refill it from this container.

8 Liter Water Keg

I used this Seattle Sports Aquasto 8 Liter Water Keg that I got for about $10. I didn't use it a lot. I wanted it to supply water at my camp site for washing pans and hands. 

It kind of works but it doesn't have a rigid bottom so it basically flops around where you put it. You can still use the spigot, etc., once you've got it set but when you move the controls on the spigot the whole limp thing moves. 

It works, but for camping it isn't as nice as a hard plastic container. For backpacking it might be perfect since it's very light weight.

The handle was very convenient for carrying.

Campstove

This Primus Yellowstone Classic Trail Stove that I got from REI worked great. No complaints. It's small, easy to operate, and heated up my ramen noodles, oatmeal, and water for coffee without any issue. For $20 I don't think you can beat it.

If you're cooking for two or more it might be nice to have a bigger unit (which we do) but for when I'm out by myself I don't want to carry a big unit. 

The only issue I saw was that you do want to make sure you have somewhere level to set it up.

Cooking Pot

I have an issue with this pot. I got the MSR Stowaway Pot 1600ml from REI. The handle doesn't lock down very well. You can probably cook okay without the handle if you need to by using a hot pad. I tried to use the handle and it folded up on my a couple of times, mainly when trying to pour contents out of it.

There are a couple of prongs that are supposed to latch on to the handle and I couldn't bend them to make them work much better, nor could I slide the piece that goes across both sides of the handle to make the latch work better.

Other than that the pot worked fine.

Trekking Poles

I picked up a pair of Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork Trekking Poles from REI before I left.

These worked great. I had two uses for them. The new tent I got before going was only a partial tent, designed to be attached to a canopy. I didn't buy the canopy meaning that the front of the tent had no support UNTIL I fashioned some using the trekking poles! They saved my butt, at least they made it a lot easier to get in and out of the tent as well as sit up when inside of it!

I also used one while hiking down and back up from the General Sherman tree at Sequoia National Park. It really helped with the hike back up which was a bit of a hill for about 1/2 of a mile. I enjoyed being able to use my arm to help pull my mass up the path.

Note that I only used one pole when visiting the General Sherman Tree, which is my likely primary method of using them. I carried my tripod in my other arm. Since I'm right handed I used the pole in my left hand and carried my tripod in my right hand (actually, slung over my right shoulder). That way I can set the tripod down as necessary and have my dominant hand available to do my bidding like wipe the sweat off my brow.

Camera Stuff

Similar to my unfounded expectations for needing the rain jacket, I had picked up a rain jacket for my camera before leaving, to protect it from spray at Yosemite or other falls. I decided to get the Altura Photo Professional Rain Cover for Large DSLR Cameras rather than disposable covers just because I was hoping I could get it once and never have to replace it.

Since I didn't run in to any spray of any type, the unit is still in it's bag (well, I did get it out and put it on the camera before leaving to give it a test run but I didn't use it during my trip). But, I've got one. As far as this trip was concerned, the purchase was a waste of money but if I need it in the future it'll be better to have it with me than to wish I had something. That must be the boy scout in me coming out.

Sensor Cleaning

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I got my sensor cleaned prior to taking my trip. As I process my images I'm glad I did. There are still some spots that I have to get rid of now and then (as usual, they show up more when you use smaller apertures, especially f/22, which gives good sun bursts). 

I could have even picked up more spots while I was gone because I do switch lenses, sometimes often. I used all of my full frame lenses. That's why I have them. The ability to use the wide angle (starting at 16mm) up to my longest telephoto (at 500mm) is wonderful. I spent a lot of money (for me) on lenses with the idea that they'd fill needs. 

I don't swap them just for fun, though. I use the lens I need in order to get the composition I want. If you're at the base of El Capitan you aren't going to get the entire formation using a 500mm lens. You need some wide angle lens. On the other hand if you want any kind of detail when shooting climbers on the face of El Capitan you're going to want the longest telephoto you have. That's when I attached the 200-500mm zoom.