[pct-l] A few gear questions

[Nathan Adame]

Hello Everyone,

In planning for the 2013 year I have a few questions for the group:


At this point I am considering two tents: The Six Moon Design Haven with
netting or the Tarp Tent StratosSpire 2.  They are very comparable tents
but the Haven is a bit smaller, lighter and more expensive (~6oz,3sf,$25)


The extra space on the TT vestibules (33in on each side) would be very nice
for storing gear and better ventilation in a storm but I worry it will be
hard to find spots on the trail to support the large footprint (7ft L X 9ft
W),


I have read books where people say they could not find a spot to sleep
other than directly on the trail. Is this a valid concern or will there be
enough room 99% of the time?


 I think overall the tent comparison comes down to extra living space vrs,
6oz less weight. Any advice is greatly appreciated.



 My wife and I will both bring Iphone’s (4S) for music, Halfmiles Map
App(As backup), and our only cameras.


We are just starting to map out our resupply points but it looks like we
will be in a town roughly every 3 days. My guess is we can get around 1.5
days of power from each phone so we will need to recharge on the trail. My
two considerations are a solar charger or an external battery.

The pros of a solar charger is you never run out of power (provided you’re
in a sunny area) and you don’t have to wait hours in town for all of your
battery’s to charge.


 So far I am leaning towards 1 6000mAh(4 Charges) battery backup.  There
are other options out there that offer 7 charges and 11 charges but I am
just not sure how much power one typical uses.


I would expect we would listen to a few hours of music a day, check
Halfmiles Map app about a dozen times, and frequent photos.


Did anyone use an Iphone in 2012 and what was your experience on battery
life? I would be very interested in hearing real life experience on the
trail.

Currently my wife and I have two good sleeping bags. A Marmot Pinnacle (44
oz) and an REI Joule (35oz) We are considering getting a 20 degree extra
wide quilt to share between us or just use one sleeping bag unzipped with
individual silk liners for around 700miles. Is this realistic with some of
the higher passes in the desert? It would reduce our weigh from 79oz to
25.5oz almost 2 liters of water.  We have shared an unzipped sleeping bag
in the past without issue into the 40s,


Thanks for the advice!

Nathan