More Gear for my trip

It's a good thing money grows on trees! I did some shopping today for the trip.

I went to Joe's Outdoor Store for rain gear and biking gear. I'm not sure yet if I'll keep what I bought, but I know it will keep me warm, make me a little more visible, and keep me dry. Best part was its all fairly light weight, so I don't have carry a lot of extra pounds. I know the rain jacket and pants will work very well on the hike. Time will tell how they'll hold up on the bike ride. And I'm not sure if the Brooks running pants will be necessary on the hike, but they'll sure keep me warm on those cooler mornings of riding.

Next was some cooking gear. I found a set of Lexan utensils (knife, fork and spoon). About a stove, I'm fairly sure I'm going to use my Pepsi Can alcohol stove that I built for about $3.00. I've already field tested it on backpack trips, and it works great. It's about as light as you can get, in my opinion, and it will boil water in about 6 minutes.

I don't have a pot yet, and I did look at a small titanium pot at Joes for $50. It's very light, and strong, but I'm not sure I need to pay that much. I also need some sort of windscreen / support for the pot I select. I've seen a pretty easy set-up that uses an empty tin can (the size commonly used for canned peaches ... it's just a little wider than the standard can that beans or corn would come in). Start by removing both the top and the bottom, then use a pointed can opener (like you would use to open a can of pineapple juice) to make about seven air vents on the side at both the top and the bottom. I'll use pliers to bend these pointed pieces back and forth until it falls off, to reduce the weight just a bit. This now forms a nice wind screen that can fit right over the Pepsi Can Stove, and it will support whichever cooking pot I decided to purchase.

Other than that, I think I'm set with the rest of my gear. Down sleeping bag, light weight two man tent with a small rain fly, my sleeping pad (self inflating), my fleece sleeping bag liner, and my clothes. I have not weighed my base pack yet, but I'm really trying to stay at or below 25 lbs for both the bike ride and the hike.

I also did some major packing today at my apartment, moving clothes and non-essential kitchen items to my storage unit. A couple of more trips with the smaller stuff and I'll be ready to start with the larger items. Anyone need a couch or a love seat?

Happy trails! I leave for Orlando in 11 days!