Conquests of Tankbird

Yesterday I went to EMS and, with much ado, purchased (almost) all my gear for my summer expeditions. I have all of yesterday’s purchases out on the living room floor and photographed the lot so I can walk you item-by-item through my list. This may be more exciting for me than for you, but there are other blogs you could be reading, aren’t there?

A: My new Osprey Luna 70 pack. 4100 cubic inch capacity, fitted to me.
B: The Osprey waterproof cover for my pack, all tucked into its little pouch. So tiny, so portable, and so necessary.
C: EMS Boreal 20° sleeping bag. Primaloft synthetic fill, mummy-style, comfortable and warm (I hope).
D: Therm-A-Rest Prolite sleeping pad. Fast-and-Light series, regular length, self-inflating.
E: Therm-A-Rest stuff sack for the sleeping pad. I had to buy this separately.
F: Therm-A-Rest repair kit, in case my self-inflating pad starts to not be.
G: Leatherman “Fuse” multi-tool, with more tools than I need, just as I like it. Shoulda bought it online and saved $10, but oh well.
H: EMS Socks and Sock-liners. I got 3 pairs of socks and 1 pair of sock liners. Buy 3, get 1 free!
I: Petzl e+Lite Headlamp. Light and waterproof with five settings, including red for night vision and strobe for emergencies.
J: Camelbak 3-Liter Water Bladder, to replace my 2-Liter that’s too small for all my adventures. Chris is hoping to steal my current 2-Liter.
K: Sea-to-Summit Stuff Sacks. There are 2 of them, the black one and a gray one below it that sort of blends in. How big are they? They are approximately cat-sized.

L: Guyot Squishy Bowls. I’m very excited for these! They’re silicone and squishable. I can shove them in my pack for storage, and turn them inside out for easy cleaning. Tres fab.
M: Cat, Maine Coon variety. Named Mojo. Fits well inside a Sea-to-Summit stuff sack.
N: Sea-to-Summit Spork, anodized aluminum? Who cares; it’s a spork and sporks are cool.
O: AMC White Mountain Guide with full-color maps. Very excited to go through this!
P: EMS Women’s Thunderhead SYNC Rain Jacket. I’m in such desperate need of a raincoat that this thing makes my day. And I like green.
Q: EMS Men’s Thunderhead Rain Pants, Full-zip. The Men’s are baggy, and I have to sinch up the waist a lot, but that’s better than having them be too snug and unable to layer. Plus, the men’s are full zip and the women’s are only 3/4 zip. Whose bright idea was THAT?
R: Techwick Essentials shirt. Again, it’s green, and I like green. I have so much Techwick, it’s like an addiction. But this stuff is amazing, really.
S: Men’s zip-off pants. I have a pair of these already, but I’ve used them for painting (a lot) so they’re very paint-splattered. I wanted some nicer looking ones so they could be, um, mud-splattered instead. Again, I find that the Men’s are roomier and more comfy, plus the shorts are almost knee-length instead of mid-thigh like the women’s. I do not find short ride-up to be comfortable when hiking.
T: Nomad adventure journal. This thing is so cool: waterproof paper! I’ll need that. I wonder if I should get a special type of pen or pencil for it?
U: Techwick base layers: Lightweight shirt and Midweight pants. Base layers are awesome.

So that’s the run-down. There’s more not pictured, but that’s the majority of it. More to come!