24: Hakadal to Skar

This was a trip of many firsts: my first tarp+bivy experience, my first real overnight trip of the season and first trip with a new friend and colleague, plus some new gear to try for the first time. Read on to learn about the trip and the experiences we had with the gear we used and the conditions we faced.

My colleague Glenn and I had been talking about a bivy+tarp trip for some time and we were both psyched to go, so when the weather forecast turned out very poor we checked and rechecked yr.no to see if it would turn out better then it looked. Well, we got some short glimpses of blue sky the first evening, but other than that we faced rain, fog and very soggy ground. Anyway, we decided to go because we were so motivated. Glenn is very cool that way, talk about positive frame of mind! Not like my mum who after being told later about the trip said "Oh, that must have been awful". No mum, it was great in a rainy, soggy but high spirited way.

The route we chose, Hakadal to Skar, is a well know trip of maybe 15-20 km, traversing some of the nicest parts of the Oslomarka area. The highest point is close to 450-500 meters and most of the trip is well marked and well maintained trail. All in all a very nice walk. We took the train to Hakadal which took about 35 minutes, got off and put the rain cover on, and then proceeded down the road to the trail head.

Like I said, the ground was very soggy because of all the precipitation, but also because snow was still melting. I was wearing Viking trail runners without a membrane and Sealskinz socks and it turned out to be a great combo. I was dry and comfortable and traversed ponds, mud and snow like a 3 year old without worrying about getting wet.

We had a late start so after maybe 2-3 hours we made camp on a small hill not far from the trail. Spruce branches we're put on the ground to flatten things out to give a nice comfortable surface to sleep on, and then the SpinnTwinn went up, followed by bivies etc.

I had some problems getting the stake for the front line to stick in the ground, so I ended up laying a big rock on the stake.

Later that night I woke up with the tarp close to my face because it somehow came lose during the night. Must have been a freak blast of wind. Securely tied to a root of a small tree it stayed up the rest of the night without a problem.

After putting up the Spinntwinn, we put up an extra 3 x 3 metres tarp to use as a place to eat. That worked out great. Doing that under the Spinntwinn would have been too cramped. Mintuu (inspired by Hendrik), barbecued steak and sausages were had and we went to sleep full and content.

The night was not undisturbed, but I managed to get some hours sleep. Like I said the tarp went down once, but I also awoke some times because of condensation dripping onto my face when the wind shook the tarp occasionally. The condensation on the tarp was massive, not surprising since the air was very saturated and only a light wind blowing. After sunrise it started blowing more and the condensation evaporated, a good thing since it rained cats and dogs too. It's kind of fascinating to be laying dry and snug under a thin piece of fabric while it is raining hard. The tarp worked great, as well as my Ptarmigan bivy which experienced zero condensation buildup, an impressive feat considering the pro-condensation circumstances. It also proteced me from the condensation splashes, well the ones that were not hitting the bug netting that is.

This was also my first time using the JRB Sierra Sniveller and that worked out great too. I really like the freedom of movement a quilt provides. The night temperature of 10C was of course no match for since it is rated to 25-30F. Glenn used a winter bag and bivy and was toasty warm and snug too. He was being bugged by the bugs though and swore to get a bug net as soon as possible.

It was still pouring down when we got up in the morning and after packing everything and taking down the SpinnTwinn we went over to the other tarp to have breakfast.

(Glenn having a good time)

(me having a good time)

Porridge and hot sweet tea was had and we then walked onwards to Skar and the bus home. The original plan was to walk the whole day, but we decided to cut the trip short because of the conditions. On the way back we stopped by a couple of DNT cabins/shelters that Glenn hadn't seen before. Reading the visitors log we saw that some french people had stayed their that night and we're the ones we passed on the trail earlier. Too bad they got to see the area under such bad conditions, and not in a few weeks time when it'll probably be sunny and nice.

The last stretch down to the bus stop was like walking in a river. The snow melting caused the trail to be filled with running water.

So how did the gear work out:

Success:

Mountain Hardwear EPIC pants and jacket - kept me nice and dry, I left the pit zips open most of the trip to get maximum venting

BPL Merino Hoody - rocks as always

Ti-Tri Caldera Cone for the MSR 0.85 Titan Kettle - continues to impress me with its performance, ease of use and fuel economy.

GG SpinnTwinn - easy to set up nice and taught. Enough space for two hikers and their gear. Only nitpick was that it actually sagged a little when wet, something I thought Spinnaker didn't do.

Fleece gloves + MLD Event mitts kept my hands warm and dry

Fail:

MYOG G4 : this was a BIG fail for me. After adding 3 litres of water (had to carry because of few good water sources) and food (0,5kg?) I had a total weight of 9.5kg when I left home. During the trip I couldn't get the pack to feel comfortable:

- the padding in the shoulder straps was insufficient and they were too narrow I think (I found out I've mad them 0.5 inch to narrow, but still)

- the lack of a sternum strap was apparent. I felt the need to use the tumb loops, but I want to have my hands free to use walking sticks. One of the thumb loops tore lose too

- the shoulder straps slid out of position because of the wet weather soaking the strap, so I had to constantly re-tighten them

- the hip belt is a joke, the padded part was too far back to make a difference, and when I tightened it I was forced to use the thumb loops to make the pack hug my back

I ended up carrying the pack without the hip belt attached, so the weight was mainly on my shoulders. This wasn't as bad on day 2 as the pack was lighter then without the water and some of the food.

I think some of these issues can be solved by packing the pack better. I didn't use a rolled up pad for structure for instance, only the z-lite in the pad holder. Maybe I should consider ordering the premade shoulder straps from thru-hiker to retrofit with. We'll see. Next time I'll be using the Mariposa Plus.

This was basically the only fail for me, so all in all my gear did ok :).

Hm, this ended up being a very long and detailed report. Let me know if you think it was too long and tedious to read.

Have a great week!

G4 pack is done

I finished the G4 pack late last night. I'm very pleased with how it turned out in the end, and how the whole process of making it has been. It has gone a lot smoother than when I made the Ray-Way. I think it's a combination of the construction being more straightforward and simpler on the G4, and the fact that I am a bit more experienced now, having done a couple of projects.

Ok, get ready for a lot of photos of the G4 (you like photos right?)

Stuffed with my huge heavy synthetic winter bag:


Here are some photos showing the pack stuffed with my Golite Adrenaline 40 bag which is a bit smaller, and with a GG SitLight in the pad holder.


I even managed to fit my Exped Downmat 7 as a frame which I think is pretty cool.

And here it is again filled with my winter bag to show capacity:

Some photos of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus (2009 model) for comparison:


A comparison of the straps and waist belt. Look how much wider the shoulder straps of the Mariposa Plus are - that will probably be more comfortable with heavy loads. The Mariposa straps are filled with the supplied foam and the G4 ones are filled with two of my socks. The G4 lacks the sternum strap with whistle, and the hipbelt pockets (optional accessory), but it has thumb loops which I like.


Some positives and negatives that spring to mind about the G4 pack and the kit from Quest Outfitters. I will of course do a thorough review when I've actually tried it in the field:

Positive:
- huge pockets on the outside with very durable mesh
- relatively easy, fun and quick construction process
- printed pattern supplied (huge)
- kit contained everything needed, even Gutermann thread
- i love the bartacks and the xbox stiches (fun to do and strong, I just like them a lot more than the multiple parallell stiching on the Ray-way)
- loops for compression
- extra wide at the bottom for a sleeping bag
- enough space in the pad holder for my exped downmat 7

Negative:
- kind of hard to stuff the shoulder straps and waist belt because of little space. If I was to do it again I would make them as wide as on the Mariposa Plus, and maybe extend the velcro opening
- my custom water bottle pocket is a bit to high for easy reach (MY fault entirely)
- should have described the silnylon color as light blue, not "silver" :), but the color grew on me
- instructions could need some more illustrations (photos) and more indepth explanation of some key points.
- should be a step in the instructions for constructing an edge for the micro mesh pieces (pad holder)
- I think the fabric used on the Mariposa is nicer than the Cordura on the G4, but I have a feeling that the Cordura will be more durable
- not sure if I will need the drawstring closure
- would have been nice to be able to tighten the pockets like on my water bottle pocket

Well, that's about it. Please leave comments if you feel like it. Take care.

Oh, I forgot to mention the weight: 402 grams, or 14.2 ounces. Will be less when I cut down the straps a bit etc.

Almost done with the G4

Been working a couple of hours each evening this week. Only the collar remains now.

(ripping seams - unevitable)

Side pinned to back piece. I made a mistake here, stiching a bit too far.

Both sides attached

Only the collar remains now, and I hope to get that done this evening or tomorrow.

Take care.

G4 side pieces done

Both side pieces of the G4 are done now. I opted to make one side a little bit different than the other, standard one (single big, tall pocket). I wanted to have a water bottle pocket and a smaller pocket above it, like on the GG Mariposa plus. The small pocket is missing the elastic in this photo btw.

The water bottle pocket is angled slightly and has a cord-lock to be able to adjust for different bottle sizes etc. I think it turned out nice, but I am not 100% sure how it will work in the field. We'll see.

Here's the other side which is just one big pocket, suitable for a tarp/tent for instance. Note that this picture contains an error. I made the "darts" at the bottom of the pocket point outwards before realizing it was wrong, and it should be the other way around, inwards that is. It was easy to fix.

And here are some pictures from the construction:

The next step is to attach the bottom pieces and then to sew all the main pieces together. Will be fun to see how it turns out!

Fleece beanie and G4 front pocket

I wanted to do something quick today so I made a fleece beanie following the instructions on the swedish site www.andersj.se (excellent site that can be readily translated with google translation).

The fleece I used was from a blanket that I found on sale. Picked it up after work and made the beanie in under an hour. Very easy. Cutting the fabric was actually the most time consuming part of the process. The pattern is for 60cm which fits my head perfectly, so no need to adjust the pattern with a photo copier or the like. I think will I go ahead and make a similar beanie/hat with whats left of Momentum and Climashield from the Minima vest project. Hopefully that will be very warm for the weight, something in the realm of the Black Rock Gear UL Down Hat.

The fleece beanie actually feels kind of strange. I don't think the fleece type used in blankets is ideal ;).

I also managed to finish the front pocket of the G4. Will go ahead and do the side pockets next, and then sew the main pieces together.

Making the G4

I'm totally into MYOG at the moment. Don't really know why. I guess it's the fun of learning something new and getting useful stuff out of it. So far I've made a Ray-Way pack and a thru-hiker.com Minima vest. At the moment I'm constructing the GVP G4 backpack, using the kit from questoutfitters.com. The G4 is an old school UL pack from the late 90s. It's got lots of volume and the trademark Gossamer Gear stuffable shoulder straps and waist belt, as well as pad holders to use ones sleeping pad as back support.

The construction is very straightforward and I've been enjoying the work a lot. If you ever want to sew your own backpack then this is a great project. The Ray-Way was definitely harder and more time consuming. I'm not really sure if I like it either. I think I prefer some kind of built in frame, like for instance in the Golite Jam / Pinnacle.

I'll post some more pictures when it's done.