Thermarest Women's Trail Pro Sleeping Mat

Christmas time usually means some new backpacking gear for me. In this case, I bought myself a little something. I have been looking to upgrade my bulky, heavy sleeping mat for something lighter and more pack-friendly. Since I am not very tall, I was also looking for something more size-appropriate. Six feet of length was translating to me carrying unnecessary material and weight. This, coupled with a huge sale at Sports Chalet resulted in a brand new Thermarest Women's Trail Pro Sleeping Mat.

Want the short version: BUY IT. Buy it now and here's why...

For you backpacking fanatics out there, reason number one is its weight. It's light and compact and comes with its own stuff sack. On short trips, it's small enough to stuff in my bag instead of strapping on the bottom. For you technically oriented people, the inflatable sleeping mats are a go-to because of the added warmth. You will really benefit from the layer of air between you and the cold ground. From my experience so far, it has done an excellent job of maintaining the air volume in the mattress and I haven't noticed significant deflation in the mornings.

All of this aside, my favorite part is that I can sleep on my side for short periods during the night. I'm a natural side sleeper and have always found my backpacking mats unwilling to let me sleep on my side for more than a few minutes. This one by no means provides a full night of side sleeping, but it will definitely allow you a little bit.

My only word of advice is to pay attention to the sizing. When they say 5'6" they really mean 5'5." If you don't buy the right size, you're going to have a bad time.

It's proven itself in Joshua Tree in the winter and I am headed to San Jacinto in a few weeks where I expect it to perform just as well in the cold. I love this mat and I couldn't be any happier. 

Simple Knit Beanie

It's getting a little bit chilly here in Southern California so it was time to break out the knitting needles and do something I've been wanting to for a long time: knit a beanie! I don't have a good beanie for backpacking, skiing and other general outdoors activities, so this was a perfect rainy day project. The beanie is very simple, with a k2 p2 around for the brim and a straight stockinette stitch for the rest. I knit it on circular needles, which are my new favorite thing.

Simple Knit Beanie

Here's what you will need:

-1 pair of US size 8 circular needles (16")
-3.5 ounces of medium weight yarn (something soft and warm so it won't make your forehead itchy)
-1 set of US size 8 DPNs

I used this pattern with a few of my own adjustments. I found that subtracting 2" from the brim wasn't quite enough for a nice, tight fit. I have started subtracting 2.5"-3", depending on the bulkiness of the yarn. I also make the brim 5"-6" thick. Luckily, this is a forgiving pattern and it doesn't take long to churn one out. It's easy to develop a feel for sizing the beanie after you make one or two.

After knitting a few of these for myself, my boyfriend and my sister, I got to try them out in Joshua Tree. It got down to right around freezing both times I have used it and I am very satisfied. The tight knit kept my head warm through the day and all night. My only takeaway is to use a VERY soft yarn, as a little bit of wear can make the beanie scratchy and itchier than initially anticipated.

Happy knitting!

Backpacking Tech: Garmin Oregon 450t

We got our Garmin Oregon 450t today! We bought it off Amazon in preparation for our upcoming Joshua Tree trip. In the past we haven't taken any navigational helpers other than a detailed topo map and a compass, but we decided to invest in a Garmin for our trips into the desert. We went ahead and got the 450t, which has the 100k topo maps pre-loaded. The plan is to put in our waypoints and use it periodically to make sure we are on the right track. And in case we get lost, to point us in the right direction. It's important to not screw around in the desert, especially with no viable water supplies.

UPDATE: We didn't end up going to Point Mugu because I hurt my hip at the gym. Instead, we settled on trying out our Garmin on Seascape Trail on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. More about this trail to come. As for the Garmin, it doesn't have the most user-friendly interface and I would strongly advise spending some serious time with it before you go on any real trips. It does give you a lot of options for planning out your trip though. You can manually add waypoints, and then turn them into a custom route. You can also download .gpx files from the internet, and load them into tracks. We tried both on our little hike and it worked out great. Since the waypoints can make it tough to gauge the actual trail distance, I think I prefer to use the track feature. We were also able to record our own hike on the GPS, and my survival expert hiking buddy (also boyfriend) is working on extracting a .gpx file to post here.

On the whole, it seems to acquire a signal quickly and it never drops out. We had it out and were playing with it for several hours (on maximum brightness) and the battery was still full by the time we left. So far, I am satisfied with our purchase, but I will be spending some more time with it to learn how to navigate through some of the otherwise confusing functions and interface.

Point Mugu is on the agenda for next week and we will have to see how it handles a longer, more remote hike through the Santa Monica mountains.