I've had a little over a week to think about it, and I wanted to address some of the things that did or didn't go well with my recent trip. While I did have a great time even if I did hover perilously close to breaking one of my cardinal vacationing rules - that being you must spend more time at your destination than you did traveling - there were things that clearly did not go well.
First off the positive. The tent was exactly what I wanted it to be. Its warm weather use is still to be tested as it never got over 70 the whole time I was in the OBX. I was able to throw the tent up and take it down, even in the rain, with little time, effort, or frustration. Even at only a single, real use I feel it's been a worthwhile investment.
Another item that worked surprisingly well was my LED lantern. I picked up a Black Diamond Apollo, and when I got it I have to admit I was kind of pissed and disappointed. I paid $40 for a lantern and when it arrived it was tiny. I figured $40 (which was actually 20% off) would buy me a sizable, supernova bright lantern that would wake campers in a 30 mile radius. While it did not end up being that bright, the tiny 5in. lantern definitely holds it's own. It has three folding legs and a retracting globe that extends the Apollo to 9.5 in. tall and makes it super stable. It's dimmable with a max of 56 lumens and supposedly will last 60 hours (presumably at the lowest setting) and puts out more than enough to brightly light a tent or table, and dims down low enough to be a unobtrusive night light for when you hear the creepy noises outside or have to pee.
Sadly, the majority of what will become my daily-use gear got little to no use. Food was already provided, coffee was made in a full-sized coffee maker, and most other things were prearranged which meant it was Camping Lite, even considering it was car camping.
There was really only one bit of gear that flat out failed, partially through its own short-comings and partially through my poor preparation. My sleeping bag, the Marmot Trestles Trails, was a complete failure. First off it was small and cramped. At least it was for a fat guy, but I have a hard time imagining anyone calling it spacious. I understand it's sizing is as much for packability as it is for versatility as it's also meant to be used as a bag liner as much as a stand-alone bag. However, it makes for a very restrictive and uncomfortable nights sleep. The part where I failed is not anticipating or doing a weather outlook beforehand. The bag is only rated for a minimum of 55F and it easily dropped that low if not lower at night, but I'm not sure the bag would be suitable if it had just been 55F. I do think it would work excellently for hot weather as it was very airy and did an amazing job at wicking out moisture, keeping my typically hot feet cool (too cool) and dry. However, the fact that it was just absolutely uncomfortable and has me looking at alternatives.
To me, the biggest obvious failure on the trip was myself. The sleeping bag oversight aside, I didn't even remember to bring a pillow, instead resorting to using a bag of clothes. My greatest failure, though, was not acknowledging my limits - specifically of sleep deprivation. By the time I got home Monday night I had been up for nearly 48 hours with no sleep. I had absolutely no business driving, and I'm fully convinced that I did the last hour on auto-pilot alone. My determination to make it home in one run meant I stopped at every rest stop I came across in the last 250 miles of the trip to walk and shake off as much sleep as possible. I even stopped at a Waffle House to get food, but most importantly fuel up on coffee and while the place was absolutely silent and empty I was convinced I kept hearing music - there was none. I can absolutely guarantee that I will have at least one night of shitty sleep on my trip, and only one will be a miracle, so I have to make sure I don't repeat this mistake.
I learned a few good lessons, and with any luck I'll get one more overnighter before the big trip to work out some of the kinks, especially the sleeping bag. Again, I want to emphasize that I had a great time, but it could've been better with a few simple fixes
3 comments:
With the exception of the driving with no sleep bit (here's your 2x4 for Dumb Ass Award) serendipity it was a relatively controlled experiment. Another camp out is an EXCELLENT idea. (as is another sleeping bag...check out Academy Sports in case you don't have time for another mail-order)
You can hop down to Camp Croft for an overnighter. Table Rock is relatively close for you. Dunno if there's camping at Paris Mt. or not. If all else fails your back yard is always available.
I've found another highly-rated "warm weather" bag and it's got much better dimensions, it's just convincing myself to spend money on yet another bag.
I was actually thinking about taking a mini-roadtrip to Athens or Augusta. There's some cheeseball stuff in and around there and it's close if things go south. But this weekend is all kinds of up in the air right now.
Sleeping bags can be pain in the ass, indeed :) Nice to read you got some positive lessons out of it, too :)
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