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Mountain Hardwear Lamina 0°

9:17 PM | Labels:

The Mountain Hardwear Lamina 0° is MHW's mid level zero degree offering. With both left or right zipper options available and a long version for those over 6'2,  the Lamina has plenty of options in order to find the perfect fit.  However,  as far as features go,  there isn't a whole lot to talk about.  The bag lacks a zippered foot box and the guard keeping your zipper from snagging is adequate at best.  It does have the standard face gasket and tailored hood. However, these two features are compromised by the bag's draw strings which have the habit of bunching up and coming undone. I have been testing the Lamina for about two years now and have developed a love/hate relationship with this middle of the road synthetic bag. The list of positives is relatively short, the bag is tailored nicely and fits fairly loose along the body leaving plenty of room to maneuver. Also, it has, for a synthetic bag, a very high warmth to compression ratio. This allows you to compress it to the size of roughly a basketball inside of its included compression sack. I will most likely be picking up another bag in the near future as this bag simply is not light enough nor does it have the construction quality and features that other bags afford. I picked this bag up on an impulse buy at my local gear shop as it was on sale and my old bag was in dire need of replacement. While it offers a high warmth to compression ratio, the Lamina falls down in the area of features and build quality.

2/5


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SOL Thermal Bivvy

10:31 PM | Labels:

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We’ve all hiked with gear that was too heavy.  And while the blisters are still healing, we vow to never carry that much again.  But where do you draw the line?   After water and food, our shelter is usually the next heaviest item.  When I was preparing to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain, I read that you pack your fears.  When it comes to shelter, I’m afraid of rain.  When I think of using a tarp, I think rain will run under and soak my bag.  But tents are heavy.  And camping in winter in a hammock means carrying an under quilt, sleeping bag, over quilt, hammock, rain fly, straps and ropes and it takes up more room in your pack compared to a tent. All this leads me to bivvy shelters.
I plan to try the military Gore-Tex bivvy soon, but what I had on hand was an SOL Thermal bivvy.  So, last night I slept in the SOL bivvy.  I laid out the bivvy and opened the Velcro closures across the top and part way down one side.  I inflated my Big Agnes insulated air mattress and slipped that into the bivvy.  Then I rolled out my huge, thick Coleman 0 degree sleeping bag and shoved it into the bivvy on top of the air mattress.  Finally I wriggled into the sleeping bag on the air mattress inside the bivvy and closed the seams using the Velcro.  Whew!
I’m 5′ 11′ and there was plenty of length to close the bivvy, but the bivvy itself was a tight fit, read straight jacket.  I wanted to test this bivvy because the word on them is that they don’t breathe and you wind up wet inside because of condensation.  I didn’t feel any condensation.  Yes, at first I felt like a mummy in a sarcophagus, but by morning I was comfortable.  I was never cold or wet during the night.  The bivvy did the job it was asked to do.  I did cause a small tear (4″) on the side seam when I was working to get into the bivvy, but that was my fault.  I could have taken my time and not torn it at all. 
Despite taking some time adjusting to the snug fit, I was comfortable all night.  I’m impressed by this bivvy.  And it wasn’t even the one I had planned to test.  I planned to test the 2-man bivvy because it has enough room to roll around and it’s longer.  However, this one weighs just 8.9 oz. compared to the 6 lb 7 oz of the North Face Rock 32 tent we carried to Glacier Nat. Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  That’s a huge weight savings!  I’ll post a review about the two-man bivvy as soon as I find it.  Until then – peace!
Jerry W

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Smoky Mountain Loop

10:16 PM | Labels:

Smokey Mountain Loop


Still some snow
The Smokey’s offer a plethora of hiking and backpacking opportunities, ranging from two hour picnics to multi-day excursions. The relatively modest gains in elevation provide the perfect opportunity for beginners and intermediates alike to train for more strenuous trips.
We started off late on a Saturday afternoon in early March. The distance to the first campground is roughly 5 miles from the big creek trailhead. With only a few hours of light left, we set off down the wide gravel trail. Night fell as we reached our large and conveniently flat campsite. Campsite 37 lies just beyond Big Creek itself which allows for easy refilling of water bladders and bottles. The next morning we packed up and left the campsite at roughly 11am.

                      Convenient Creek
The distance given for this leg of the trip is 4.8 miles, however my GPS recorded 5.4 as their are several switchbacks as you climb the mountain. We chose this hike as our first of the season. In order to get a feel for the level of fitness we were in. Day 2 really highlighted the work we would need to do to prepare for some of our more challenging hikes. The second day takes you from just east of camp on the Swallow Fork trail heading towards the 5,600 ft. Mt Sterling. This trail is much more narrow and difficult then the previous day’s. Allot plenty of time to tackle this segment as it can be quite demanding. When you reach the summit and arrive at campsite 38, you will notice the old fire tower. This 60 foot tower is still accessible and provides absolutely gorgeous views of the surrounding terrain.

60 ft. Fire Tower
Depending on the time of year, be prepared for colder temps as it got down into the teens that last night. Day three consists of a long downhill jaunt back to the trail head along Baxter Creek Trail. Make sure you stop and change socks along this portion of the trail as the steep terrain and root covered trail provide plenty of opportunities for a blister or two to sneak in.
All in all, the Big Creek Loop provides brilliant views, numerous water crossings, and a fantastic chance to see just how much you need to improve before setting off on a bigger adventure.
Time needed: Two nights
Difficulty: Moderate

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Making it to the top.

10:08 PM | Labels:

Worth It

 You have made it to the the top. The view is amazing and worth the work, but how did you survive the trip to the top? That’s where we come in. Our job at Survive the Hike is to give you the advice, gear review’s, and trip reports that will help you tackle any trail.

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