CyberScoutUSA, your camping and hiking gear connection

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CyberScoutUSA has been camping and hiking since the 1960's, mainly in New York State, especially in the Adirondack Mountains, Forever Wild. California, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arkansas, Maine, Connecticut, and yes, New Jersey have been on the trail. Australia, too. From canvas duck tents and ground cloths to screened nylon tents, from leather paratrooper boots to Vibram-soled Hermann Survivors to ultra-lightweight hiking boots, from cooking on wood fires to hi-tech iso-butane stoves, from canvas Yucca and steel-framed Alice packs to hybrid-frames, cotton-batting to goosedown to modern synthetic sleeping bags, heavy D-cell flashlights to LED headlamps, CyberScout has used them all. Now more "experienced", the weight reduction alone is a blessing! But, somehow the pack still manages to creep up past 35 to 50 pounds. Why is that?

An old haunt, the Adirondacks is not just for camping, but also for hiking. When we are in the south eastern part of Adirondack Park, we like to stay in the Lake George region. Many summers were spent 30 or so miles north of Lake George Village. There's more to do in this area than you will ever have time for, so plan on a few visits. Some points of interest will be added in the near future, so check back here.

At CyberScoutUSA, we have used and recommend the following suppliers: Cabela's, Eastern Mountain Sports, o2 Gear Shop and Amazon.

Our tents are Cabelas XPG Ultralight 2 and 3-person for backpacking, and XPG Deluxe 4-person variant for basecamp up to a week or so. The Troop swears by Kelty tents, mostly the Kelty Gunnison. My personal sizing guide is that you should add 1 to the actual number of occupants than the manufacturer rates the tent. For example, the XPG 2-person for going solo, 3-person for a pair, and the 4-person holds a max of three. Your comfort may vary.

For longer term basecamp, the Coleman WeatherMaster Screened 6 Tent does extremely well. The screened-in "porch" is a luxury you will wonder how you did without. It really keeps the mosquitos down, providing an "airlock" between the great outdoors and your sleep chambers. Use it to doff wet muddy clothing and boots, and keeping gear out of direct rain. Great for just sitting around in the evening without getting eaten alive.

Sleeping bags include

and a 33 year old 40oz goosedown bag of uncertain origin. As for new down, I'm looking at the Marmot line very closely.

So, okay now you have a sleeping bag, but you want to make it a little more versatile and extend its season. Sea-To-Summit has the best bag liners in my opinion. All of us have spent nights where it is too warm and muggy to sleep zipped up, but it's too cool to sleep out of the bag or even open. A Sea to Summit Adaptor CoolMax® liner will wick away moisture and make zipping up an option. If you want a warm-weather bag and are concerned the temperature may dip a little too low for it, but you don't want to pack your cold-weather one, try one of these liners. For extending your bag's rating down 10° there's the Sea to Summit Silk Travel liner. Silk is a wonderful material, breathable and warm. For a 15° advantage, there's the Sea to Summit Reactor Thermolite® Liner liner, and for getting 25° more opt for the Sea To Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite® Liner. They are worth the money. Depending on how you sleep, hot or cold, and what you now own, you may be able to skip that second cold-weather bag. Great for season transitions, too.

Sleeping pads are a luxury in mild weather, and absolutely necessary in winter here up north. From May to October we only use a closed-cell pad, but opt for comfort over light weight. The Therm-A-Rest Ridge Rest sleeping pad, Long version thank you, is good for up to a week if you prepare the ground and are not sleeping on rock. It's heavier than say the 1 lb. Z-Lite, but worth it for us taller, more massive, folks or colder, rougher ground.
The rest of the year, Fall to late Spring, we add inflatable Therm-A-Rest pads. We had several older "self-inflating" Explorer models, which are heavier then newer models. Now the preferred pad is the Therm-A-Rest Trail Pro. Lighter, loftier and faster-filling. Placed on top of the Ridge Rest pad, you get decent insulation even in the dead of winter. Just don't roll off!

In backpacks we use Kelty Trekker 3950 external frames, and a Kelty Super Tioga 4900 which is no longer made but handles the heavier loads easily. Its L-shaped frame bottom is handy. The Troop mostly uses similar Kelty external frame packs. Friends and family use Gregory internal frames, especially the Baltoro 70 and Palisade 80.

Lighting:
We swear by Petzl TakTikka Plus headlamps, with tiny PrincetonTec backups.

Stoves:
Stoves for base camp are Coleman 1 and 2-burner propane for warmer weather. Classic gear.
For backpacking, it's a Primus ETA Express Stove System. It's light, and boils water amazingly fast.

The Troop likes MSR WhisperLite Backpacking Stoves which can use white gas, kerosene or unleaded gasoline. For "car camping" and basecamp they like Coleman Dual-Fuel Powerhouse 2-burner stoves.

Cooking Gear:
We like the GSI Dualist cookset, GSI HAE Tea Kettle and several GSI Stainless Steel Bottle Cups. We have some MSR gear as well. The Troop uses an eclectic mix.

Biners are an essential. Most of us like the Nite Ize S-Biners, which come in different sizes. They are flatter and S-shaped with 2 separate clips. We keep a No. 4 75-lb capacity S-biner on the grab loop on each backpack, the No. 2 on daypacks and for hanging LED lanterns in the tents. You'll find a scores of uses for them, they are very versatile. The No. 10 can handle 100 lbs. But, do NOT use them for climbing or otherwise supporting sentient beings!

For hydration, we prefer using Sigg and Kleen Kanteen. But, we still use Nalgene HDPE Wide-Mouth when we need the volume, with Guyot Designs Splashguards. No more #7s here!

Schrade is a long time favorite, going back at least 30 years. Gerber is nice, too. But, I always carry a Leatherman!

For cleanliness we all carry Sea-to-Summit Soap Leaves. You can't beat it for light weight, convenience and neatness. No more sloppy liquid soap or soap bars needed!
Sea-to-Summit Dry Lite towels are perfect for camp use. They are thirsty, lightweight, and fast-drying. The X-Large is a generous 30"x60", my choice.

Boots:
We personally use and recommend Merrel and Wolverine boots. Socks are Wigwam wool hikers. I especially like the older weaves, most prefer the more cushy knits.

Please check out Amazon, Cabelas and EMS for your camping and hiking needs. And check back often to see what we use and recommend. Thanks from all of us at CyberScoutUSA.com.

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