Outdoor Adventure USA, LLC

We will use this thread to discuss gear requirements and general planning

Once we settle on our general equipment needs we will need to do an initial Skype conference call to begin working out the details. I think that most of our group is on Skype, but for those who are not, you can sign up now and be ready in time for the conference call. Skype sign-up is free and all calls to other users are free as well. You will need a high speed internet connection (DSL will do). No dial-up.

For a 14 day trip, here are some starting thoughts on gear.

1. We should bring as much firewood as possible.

2. COOLERS
From my preliminary count, we have 6 12V fridge/freezer units - Bob, Tom, Frank, Michael, Bruce and Dave. Alan, please let us know as soon as possible what kind of cooler you will be using. Due to the length of the trip, we are probably going to need to press at least one fridge unit into freezer service for some of the more perishable foods. Bob will post more on that later.

3. GAS / WATER
Water and gas are not as scarce in the areas we will be traveling as I thought. There are several locations that we will use and once I have a more definitive itinerary, I will identify the fuel and water stops and the distance between each. Regardless of gas and water availability, we should plan on each vehicle bringing 3-4 extra Jerry cans of fuel and about the same for water. Please note that your showering preferences (frequency) will dictate how much water you will need to bring.

FOOD
Bob will coordinate meal assignments. Otherwise, there are a few locations where we can purchase additional food, but given the small size of the towns (and obviously the stores), it may not be wise to count on them to supply us with everything we need. There are a couple of other locations that sell some basics and we will keep them available if the need arises. With a little luck, we will have the travel plans set up by the Meet & Greet and we can discuss how or what groceries we will buy on the trip, if any. If you will be preparing something special, it would be wise to buy it before you leave as the selection at any of the stores will most likely be limited. To the extent that we can carry everything we will need, that would be preferable.

4. SHOWERS
Our headcount is presently at 7 . On a trip of this length, showers will not just be a luxury. The current count for showers is three - Frank, Bob,and Dave. This should work.

5. OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Everyone should bring one lantern with sufficient fuel for a trip of this length. Please make sure that the lantern can produce enough light. A single LED or a one AAA battery lantern, for example, probably won't cut it.

6. THE THRONE
As might be expected, we will need to arrange for our own restroom facilities. Bring your own toilet seat, (magazine rack optional.)

7. COOKING
Each cook will probably want to have his own cooking utensils, but to the extent possible, we can avoid duplication of some items by using other gear that some of us will bring. Please post up regarding the items you will be bringing including:
-stove
-cooking utensils such as pots, pans, skillets, eating utensils, etc.
-glasses, cups, wine glasses

8. GENERAL GEAR
1. Each person should bring a chair.

2. There are rarely too many tables. If you have one, please bring it.

3. We will need some rakes, both the flexible and non flexible types.

4. A telescope, both for land and sky use, would be nice. Bruce, I believe that this is your specialty.

5. Vehicle fluids.

9. WARMTH ITEMS
At this time of the year and at the elevations we will be seeing, the night time temps will most likely be below freezing. I will post a weather information website that will give a pretty good idea of what to expect. As we get closer to the departure date, check it out so you can make any last minute gear adjustments. Although there is no way to know precisely what the weather will be, it would be wise to be prepared for very cold conditions. We can go into a longer discussion of specific needs later, but I want to mention one of the very most important items that you can carry, besides a very good sleeping bag, and that is a good ground pad. The best sleeping bag will not keep you warm if you do not have some insulation between you and the ground.

NotAMog wrote:Dave,

Do you anticipate that we will be base camping anywhere for more than a couple of days? I don't want to bring the solar panel if it won't be necessary.

Bruce:

There will probably be at least two campsites where we stay for two days.

On other topics:

1. Given the small size of the gas tank on your vehicle, you may want to consider bringing along more than two extra Jerry cans of gas.

2. Each person should bring along the vehicle fluids he will need for his vehicle. Even though this will result in a great deal of redundancy amongst the group, it will assure us that we will not get caught short of a critical fluid in the event that one of the group needs to leave early.

3. The Camp Chef Stove is a terrific camp accessory but, as you mention, it is very large and will take up a lot of storage space. Considering the fact that we will have several other stoves, which you can use, if necessary, I doubt that you need to pack the Camp Chef. Your choice. If you don't bring it, you will have more room for firewood. If your reference to the "Cook Partners" stove is the "Partner Steel Stove" then you should be covered.

I now have a 12 volt refrigertor as well, so whatever use it's necessary for is fine with me. (I still have to get it hard wired into my vehicle.)
I have a 7 gallon water container for my use (I'll need a shower facility if someone will share, I'll use my water), and will be bringing bottled water as well. I only have two five gallon "jerry cans" for my extra fuel, I have to monitor my overall vehicle weight carefully since I'll be living out of the FJ. (I'll more than likely bring some fire wood as well). I have my own chair.
Bob,
I have a Century two-burner stove and lantern, a good size REI folding table. My two breakfasts should consist of Freedom Toast one day and pancakes the next with a meats of bacon/sausage or ham, hash brown potatoes, toast jellys, maple syrup. Lunches will be some type of cold cut sandwiches and possibly a hot meat ball sub with mozzerela cheese. My dinner is in the planning stage, something with a pesto sauce. I have the minimum of cooking pots and pans so will need the use of a griddle, extra plates, cups and cutlery for serving.
No problem with the throne or reading materials.
(I hope I submitted this in the right place...)

alan.good wrote:I now have a 12 volt refrigertor as well, so whatever use it's necessary for is fine with me. (I still have to get it hard wired into my vehicle.)
I have a 7 gallon water container for my use (I'll need a shower facility if someone will share, I'll use my water), and will be bringing bottled water as well. I only have two five gallon "jerry cans" for my extra fuel, I have to monitor my overall vehicle weight carefully since I'll be living out of the FJ. (I'll more than likely bring some fire wood as well). I have my own chair.
Bob,
I have a Century two-burner stove and lantern, a good size REI folding table. My two breakfasts should consist of Freedom Toast one day and pancakes the next with a meats of bacon/sausage or ham, hash brown potatoes, toast jellys, maple syrup. Lunches will be some type of cold cut sandwiches and possibly a hot meat ball sub with mozzerela cheese. My dinner is in the planning stage, something with a pesto sauce. I have the minimum of cooking pots and pans so will need the use of a griddle, extra plates, cups and cutlery for serving.
No problem with the throne or reading materials.
(I hope I submitted this in the right place...)

Alan:

1. You will most likely need more than two Jerry cans for gas. I haven't done the final calculations, but I am guessing that 4 would probably be more appropriate, especially if you have a smallish tank.

2. We will have enough showers and you are welcome to use them.

3. I think you will probably need about 15-20 gallons of water. There are more facilities (gas and water) in the GSE, but Dark Canyon is a different matter.

I've done our trip planning for Dark Canyon on Nat Geo Topo and have drawn tracks for our trip. I also have NG Topo maps for the GSE. If you are running NG Topo, (Bob, Tom and Frank) I can email you the files and it will work perfectly with your program. If these files are not compatible with your mapping program, I can create gpx files. While not as good as the hand drawn tracks, it will probably work. Let me know if you want these files.

Alternatively, everyone who will be using a PC for navigation during the trip, should bring your computer to the Meet and Greet and I will provide a flash drive with the files for you to load.

I'd appreciate a copy of the track in GPX format if you would be so kind I'll also bring my laptop to the Meet and Greet.

In addition to paper maps, I'll be using my typical laptop nav setup for this trip which consists of a moving topo map in OziExplorer. With the aid of some homegrown utilities, the moving map will also show USGS data about any mines we see and will display mobile APRS stations.

Michael:

Tell me more about your home grown utilities.

We will be spending about a week in the general Dark Canyon area. There are a couple of towns which are within a days drive of DC, but we are not planning on making any side trips there for food or gas, unless it is absolutely necessary.

I've done a very rough calculation of our mileage during this week and we should be prepared to travel about 350 miles with the fuel that we will be carrying. Keep in mind that most of the trails will be slow and many will be in 4 lo. Plan your fuel accordingly.

The same goes for water and food, at least as far as DC is concerned. Fuel and water are a bit more available in the GSE and we will be able to get supplies a little easier. We will pass through Page traveling from the GSE to DC and we will be able to resupply there, if necessary.

Second notice: I have all of the APRS maps prepared as well as the tracks for the areas that we will visit. At this point, only Tom and Michael have requested copies. I can email most (or perhaps all, depending on the file size your email can accept) of the maps for those that would like them. I would recommend that you get them before the Meet & Greet to make sure that they are compatible with your nav or mapping programs. Otherwise, we will work on it at the M&G.

As far as GPX files are concerned, I still need to work on this - it's not coming along very well!

Dave please send my a copy of the maps. I will be running NatGeo software
so shouldn't have any issues.

EQUIPMENT ASSIGNMENTS

Based on the conference call last night:

Fire pan - Tom
Firewood - everyone
Showers - Bob, Dave, Frank
HT - everyone
Stoves - everyone
Rake (non flex) - Bob
Rake (flex) - Dave
Broom - Bob
Trasharoo - Tom, Bob, Frank, Alan
Coffee - Dave
Generator - Bob
Paper plates (250) - Alan
Eating utensils - everyone
Large stock pot - Bob
Paper towels - everyone x3

For those attending the Meet & Greet, bring your maps.