Equipment Update

Over the course of my initial equipment acquisition and experimentation, the Camino Boards have been invaluable.

My Keens are just fantastic – they were broken in by the end of my first hike.

My pack – an Osprey Kestrel 48 – is comfortable and roomy. Even with 15 pounds packed in, it weighs almost nothing on my back.

And of course, there’s my adventury hat.

All of these things were recommended by folks on the forum.

I’m starting to get to the nitty-gritty, though. Technical clothing. Socks. Titanium spork.

At some point, I’ll have to get some rain gear. My pack comes with a built-in rain cover, which I’ve not yet had the opportunity to test. Then there’s the jacket. The Eddie Bauer rain jacket I obtained at the local thrift shop doesn’t really do a good job with pelting rain, a fact I discovered on one of my many equipment trials.

I’ve been putting this stuff through the paces during our weekend hikes and, in some cases, during the week. Failures so far?

My original shoes never got comfortable.

The rain jacket, obviously.

The Columbia fleece I got is awfully warm. Perhaps too warm. It’s bulky and weighs a ton. And yet… I’m really going to want it if the April weather on the Camino next year is anything like what it was this April.