I love the scent of vanilla too. It's weird, I found out when I was around 30 years old that I was "Chemically Sensitive" when my mother told me I was probably getting headaches from perfumes and fragrances.
I started paying attention and found she was right. Banning perfumes and other smelly stuff like nail polish and remover from our house wasn't easy with my wife and three daughters waging constant protest. That's where the Rose Oil came in. It saved me when I bought some for them all to wear instead of store bought perfume. Since I don't wear it the little vial I keep for myself will last as long as I can hang on to it. I almost always have it with me.
10-4 on the band thing. I've played rock and electronic music all my life and love to listen to music when I'm driving but not when I'm in the woods. It's a way to recharge my mind and soul. Sometimes, while walking, I get into a groove or pace and I'm able to write something. I usually make up a tune in my head and end up writing lyrics. Usually the title and hook and maybe a verse and chorus. It's funny what your mind can conceive without outside distractions. In essence, having very little is the Luxury.
Though I am very fond of Bach, Mozart & bluegrass, I don't listen to music on the trail or in my tent. I prefer to be alert to possible predators, especially the two-legged variety.
Registered: 12/23/07
Posts: 255
Loc: Expat from New Orleans, now in...
After spending a 12-hour day working my way through overgrown jungle with a machete, I could sleep on a lava rock and use a wiggling Iguana for a pillow and it would not keep me awake. However, for the nights I make camp early and am not exhausted, I NEED MY PILLOW! I don't bring my regular king size bed pillow, though I have compressed it just to see if I could make allowances... way too big! I have a little pillow that I bought in a crafts shop. It's 12 inches long and 9 inches across and 8 inches thick. It's filled with synthetic stuffing and I can compress it down to 6x5 inches and half the thickness. I use a silk stuff sack that doubles as a pillowcase. I've tried the clothing in a stuff sack "pillow", but they are not resilient enough, they always shape-shift under my head, and inevitably I end up with a zipper in my ear. My second luxury item would be my small binoculars. They save me a lot of backtracking by using them to search out a passable route far in advance. Third, I carry a Carson MA-30 MagniScope. It’s only 7 inches long, weighs 4 ounces, and includes a 3x Loupe, 8x Monocular, plus a precision 30x microscope. I enjoy the little things on the trail along with the vistas. You would not believe the variety of insects here! I carry NO music on the trail. There are too many remarkable sounds of nature to enjoy to be masking it with an Ipod. Some might consider my custom machete as being a luxury, but I can’t live without her.
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3293
Loc: Portland, OR
I'm pretty sure that a machete is not a luxury for jungle travel. Without a machete oftentimes there would be no trail at all. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
A good book, good food and no I-Pod. I actually have to put my 15 year old son in his own one person tent to keep the noise and glow from his PSP away from me . I can always find the campsite from the "Northern Lights" emanating from his tent. He also insisted on Pacific Outdoor Equipment pink flamingo tent stakes...it must be a generational thing.
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Hammockers aren't stuck up, they're just above it all.
I guess about the only luxury item I carry anymore would be a camera. I go to the mountains to get away from it all and do not want books, mp3 players, or even a gps when I'm hiking. I can't imagine sitting down to read a book or even watching a movie in the woods.
I'm usually hiking around exploring if there is any daylight left and then I like to hang out drinking tea or cocoa around the fire at night (if possible). I then crash out and like to be an early riser. A fire is the ultimate luxury for me, although I haven't really tried carrying it in my pack.
Maybe some of my food is a luxury....nutella anyone?
To me, practicing lightweight/ultralight backpacking is a facet of comfort on the trail. But 'comfort' itself has many facets besides a light pack. There's the comfort of warmth or being cool, a fully belly, good tasting food, going to bed feeling really clean and fresh, a good 'bed' and getting up feeling really good in the morning, the joy of having certain 'toys' (cameras, mp3 players, a favorite piece of gear, etc.)...
It's not all about cutting out the non-essentials...at least not for me. In fact, I cut weight so that I can more easily justify the non-essentials or the extravagant, e.g., my nearly six-ounce insulated mug.
From my early days in the Scouts I've been a big advocate for comfort. Our backpacking motto back then was, "Any fool can be uncomfortable." In other words, if it's not fun or doesn't feel good, why do it?
To me, 'luxury' items have their own place in comfort on the trail. If I dropped all mine out I'd save a pound or three. But I wouldn't be near as happy of 'comfortable'. Besides, one hiker's luxury is another's essential.
FB
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"...inalienable rights...include the right to a clean and healthful environment..." Montana Constitution
Registered: 07/25/05
Posts: 11
Loc: Port Townsend, WA
Big Agnes Cyclone Chair - just started carrying this. Totally cush and worth the hassle of assembly. I've even started to carry it with an old Ridgerest pad for day hikes.
8 X 20 Binoculars
GPS
Canon Digital Elph camera
iPhone - Started carrying it because I didn't want to leave it in the car at the trail head. I have a Kindle account so it substitutes for a book. Use it very occasionally for music if the trail back is long and boring.
I take my gas station type insulated mug. I like a hot drink after supper and the mug keeps it hot for at least 45 minutes. I also take a small AM/FM/SW radio. I always hike solo and it is nice to have in the evening while I am just laying there waiting until it is time to go to sleep. I never use it while hiking.
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