[pct-l] pct-l Digest, Vol 41, Issue 54

[Hiker97 at aol.com]

Ronnie Jo writes: I feel I can work with the sleeping bag  arrangement, as I 
refuse to sleep cold. I have arthritis, and there is  absolutely nothing that 
will spoil a day faster than waking up stiff because you  slept cold.  The 
idea though too is, that I need to be able to handle this  pack solo, with my bad 
back, even on really "bad" days. And a sleeping bag  compartment is a "must" 
to me. I hate the idea of digging through my entire pack  every night to get 
to my sleeping gear. It just sounds like too much work at the  end of a long 
day.
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I would also consider the installation you use under your  bag.  This is very 
important for sleeping warm on cold ground and cool on  warm ground.  I use 
the GossamerGear ThinLite 1/4 inch pads under my tent  and a torso pad inside 
the tent.  This really makes a big difference for  very little weight.  I also 
have a nice juicy pillow to sleep on, which is  excellent installation for the 
head area besides the comfort.  The pillow  is a super light Therm-a-Rest 
Trekker Pillow Case at 2.3 ounces.  I just  throw in a piece of foam and my tent 
fly.  Nice.
 
I keep my 16 ounce NunatakUSA.com Ghost bag in the top part of my GoLite  
Breeze pack.  It does not get crushed and can gently expand.   Everything I need 
during the day is either in outside pouches on my pack or on  my waist belt.  
No problem.
 
Another pack option for you is go  to LuxuryLite.com and take a look at their 
packs.  You can keep your bag in  a separate cylinder on the pack frame.  I 
have one of their packs and it is  very light and gives a nice ride.  I switch 
between my 18 ounce Breeze pack and my LuxuryLite pack  depending on how I 
feel. 
 
Hope these ideas help -----  Switchback the Comfy Camper
PS: On the subject of umbrellas,  LuxuryLite has an interesting umbrella  too.




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