Gear Reviews

I had the chance to try out all of my new backpacking gear last weekend. I will write a few comments on each item, describing my likes/dislikes of each.

Snowpeak Gigapower canister stove - This stove works great for what we will be using it for. It is very light weight, folds up & fits into a very small carrying case, and the auto ignition feature is a major plus. The boil time is very quick when using a full canister, and only increased slightly as the canister got close to becoming empty. I have nothing negative to say about this product.

Eureka Tetragon 7 (3 person / 3 season) tent - Nothing really new to write about concerning this tent since my last review. I still haven't had a chance to try it out during a rain storm. I'm sure I will get a chance soon. One thing that I will say is that I am really impressed with how well ventilated this tent is. There is basically no condensation build up inside the tent over the course of the night. All of the condensation build up occurs on the underside of the fly. 2 adults & all of their gear can easily fit into this tent, with room to spare.

Therm-a-Rest Trail Lite sleeping pad w/stuff sack - This sleeping pad is very comfortable and relatively light weight for the cost. It does a good job of insulating your body from the cold ground. The only complaint that I have concerns the water resistant stuff sack, which I bought separately from but is made to fit this sleeping pad. It could have been made just a little bigger. It normally takes me at least 2 tries before I can successfully roll the pad tight enough to fit into the stuff sack. Other than that, a great sleeping system.

Slumberjack Talon +40 Sleeping Bag - This was an item that I bought at the spur of the moment while at Cabela's and didn't do any research on because the price seemed to be right. This is a good warm weather, middle of summer bag. On my trip last weekend, I would feel comfortable in the bag when lying down for the evening, but as morning approached, I would become chilled and have to put on a layer of clothing to stay comfortable. I am not positive what the temperature got down to at night, but I believe it was the upper to mid 50's. So, my only complaint is that the temperature rating for this bag does not seem to be accurate.