I got an Integral Designs Silwing Tarp

and an MEC Emperor Penguin Overbag

Nice toys! Santa was supposed to bring me a tarp tent to go in my gear box for SAR, but he used UPS and they failed to deliver on time.

phat
interesting tarp, I suppose its for going to ground vs hammock.

The over bag of windstopper is an interesting idea. I have windstopper items and as I understand the seams cannot be sealed, which is less of a problem in real cold of course, but I always felt that the outer half of the fuzz was wasted as far as insulation is concerned, especially in a breeze. That makes me wonder about how weight efficient the item is at nearly 2 pounds knowing that you like to go light. I'm sure its going to add warmth, but I wonder how much. It also mentions protecting you bag from moisture, I wonder if that would have as much effect for my usage since I have a seam sealed goretex sleeping bag?
I got some trail runners which will be nice for walking the dog on our community trails and they have more traction than my worn out runner shoes and cross trainers.
Jim

santa got me a pathfinder watch!
http://pathfinder.casio.com/

$anta i$ letting me $elect the be$t gear with no a$$istance $omewhere down the road with the moola I received. $$$$

Santa brought me a Gregory Palisade 2007 model. GSI dualist cook set, and MSR pocket rocket stove.

The most useful item that I'll never take with me; A scale!!!!

I was sternly told by my grown children not to open any boxes that might appear on my front doorstep until Christmas Day. I was a good girl--the only thing I opened was a shipment of Hysson's food that I had ordered myself. However, one of the arriving boxes had a Tenkara USA label on it, so I had a pretty good idea of what was inside!

Sure enough, I am now the proud owner of a Tenkara Iwana 11-foot fly rod. 2.5 ounces, and truly a thing of beauty! However, practicing has not yet been possible. 11-foot rods and 8-foot ceilings don't mix, and outside the wind has been gusting to 50 mph for most of the week.

I'm looking forward scaring off the local trout populations this summer as well as catching streamside bushes. Included were enough line and tippet to last for years. There were also some Japanese dry flies. I'll be interested to see if they will lure American trout!

A week birding in Florida. Just got back. Not hiking related, but fun nonetheless.

I now possess a GoLite Dome umbrella, in green. Santa knows I live and hike in Oregon!

Also, I have been perusing the 'net today, looking at gear. A lot of gear. Gee. Just looking won't hurt anything, will it?

I got a gift card to Sports Chalet. Although it's not hiking gear, also got a very nice cast iron griddle -- great for camping.

I got a JRB Sierra Sniveller top quilt. I got it a few days early due to being on sale.

Santa knows I like to select my own gear.

Santa does know what I like to eat. Got almond toffee in the hard to find 8 oz. boxes. It stores nicely in the freezer.

Nice! I'm a bit jealous of that gift!

Well, I'm normally a two-sleeping bag guy in winter anyway, since I've never sprung the mucho moolah for a single -30 rated down bag like an MEC Thor or a WM Puma. I supposed if I really wanted to go light in winter I'd be spending the dollars on that. But what I normally end up doing is taking my down bag (rated about -10) and sticking it inside a rectangular synthetic bag. I'm not so much interested in the exterior shell moisture resistance, my tack is to have an overbag that's keeping the frost layer out of my down bag, since I don't use a VBL. it's worked well for me - so I'll probably end up using the emperor penguin for a similar kind of way, instead of the (much heavier) rectangular synthetic bag.

At least - Santa hasn't decided to bring me a WM puma yet, and I simply can't justify that kind of money for a couple of winter trips a year when I know the gear I have, if a little bit heavier, works fine in the deep cold.

With $ome of the ca$h I got, I bid on a new WM Vapor, down, jacket with Windstopper on Ebay this morning, got it for a third off of retail from a 100% feedback retailer in CO. Someone shot in a last second bid while I was watching, other wise, it would have been a tiny bit over half price. First time I have ever watched the end of a auction. A pound of heat I am hoping, to go with my down vest now. Unisex large, I hope it fits my medium body.

duane, if you really want something thats hot on ebay you must be there at the end of the auction. You do not even enter a bid during the lead up, thats bidding against your self. It may take 15 to 30 seconds for your bid to go through so yo have your bid all ready to go and watch the changes up to 30 seconds before show time, adjust your bid accordingly, and then press enter, the winner will be determined in the last fifteen seconds.
Jim

Santa must be friends with the Jacks, because he got me a JRB Nest for my hammock! No more sweaty pads for me.

*and there was much rejoicing*

Likewise, everyone knows I like to pick my own gear, so I used $$ to order a new Neo Air, and a MB Thermowrap jacket on sale at Backcountry gear.com

I use auctionsniper.com to put in my last second bid (mine is set for 5 sec before auction closing). The fees are reasonable and one only pays if one wins.

............ that and Santa knows a good sale when he sees it.

There's a service that does this for you, now? I have been doing the "clock sync, last second" thingy for years. It amazes me how worthless it is to bid on something during the auction.

The best part is if you use me as a reference (PM for my email) I get free snipes. At least they use to do that.

Thanks Jim, I take my chances. I set a price for what I think it is worth and bid my max. If I win, I win. Picked up a chainsaw a couple years ago that way. Hoping the two saws I have bids on now fall thru. Spending all my Chri$tma$ money. It is addicting to go on Ebay and bid. I sent back a piece of junk chainsaw I "won" a few weeks ago, at least the guy took it back. Compression was not what he said and the bearings were making noise.

Being easily entertained by simple stuff, I received a "nose flute". The single lightest musical instrument currently in the stable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ZTIKOWm_I

If you hear me playing this thing in the woods, you have permission to shoot me.

Santa brought me a new headlamp, a klean kanteen knockoff, and a $50 REI card. I haven't decided what to get with the REI card, maybe some Ti.

The good news is that I did not receive a SPOT so I do not have to lug along that piece of gear which i do not view as a useful item. The bad news is that I received a solar charger for my electronic items. The problem is that I do not carry any rechargeable electronics items and the thing is about a pound.

It really bothers me that folks buy me stuff that is just going to set in the cabinet. I really do not want or need any more hiking gear but the family feels that they have to do something for husband/father/grandfather. They do not want to believe me when I tell them that I do not want anything. Once they gave a donation in my name but the problem with that was that one of my daughters gave a donation to an organization with which I disagree.

No wonder they call me GrumpyGord

Caldera Cone Stove with the full Antigravity kitchen.

Try returning the gifts you don't want! I'd rather my kids do that (and have told them so) than have something they don't want.

You might try hinting about gift certificates. I did all amazon.com certificates for the family this year--nobody would give me any hints. They now carry everything but the kitchen sink, so hopefully everyone will be happy.

Well, I'm about like GrumpyGord, I've got everything I need and more, but I still got some fun stuff.

I got a game camera. I've never hunted, but I will use it to see what critters are around here.

I've been told by two neighbors this year that we have a wolf hanging around. About a week ago I did see a big coyote on the road that goes down behind our house. He's big, but he's not wolf sized. I'd like to get a pic of him to show the neighbors. And I've got a few critter holes down back that I'll set it up in front of to see what goes in and out.

I got a Garmin "Nuvi" with the South Central Lakes Maps SD card. That should work great in the little houseboat and I can get the Topo maps for four wheeling to hiking/camping spots.

I also got a pack of 3 LED flashlights, 2 headlamps, and 2 keychain lights. It's an inexpensive "Lowes" gift pack but it was too good of a deal so I asked Santa to get one for me. The flashlights are pretty light and very bright, so they'll be good for backpacking.

And I got a vicious cold. I felt it coming on during Christmas day and couldn't do anything about it so it got a head start on me. I started taking vitamin C and snorting salt water the next day and finally kicked it last night.

It might have been "Swine Flu". I'm pretty sure some Arkansas hillbillies sneezed on me when I was out shopping last week.

A mountain hardwear tent, silnylon stuff sacks, Snow Peak Ti cookset, leatherman micra, smartwool socks, Keen gift cert, 2 platys, etc.

A very nice haul of gear.

American trout are a lot like American people. They want it now and they will eat any thing...sabre11004...

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. I also got a big ziplock bag full of " Fatwood ".

I've heard about it for years, but never had seen it before. My "Cousin-in-Law" got a couple logs from a friend who lives in Florida and he split it up into kindling sized pieces about the size of those waxy fire starter sticks you can buy at Wal-Mart in the camping section.

One piece would be plenty for a couple days on the trail, and it supposedly lights off even when wet. Cool stuff!

Fatwood, I have had a good supply for over 15 years, use a few pieces when I car camp to light up the campsite, since I don't car camp much, it'll last another 20 years. Doesn't go bad, so much pitch in it. Mine are split bigger, so for kindling, would have to be split another half dozen times.

Did you find it in California? I never heard of it while I lived there.

It's crazy stuff. It lights and burns just like those torches you see in the movies.

The baggie smells like the sticks have been soaked in turpentine or something. And the sticks are hard as can be.

Even though I live in an evergreen section of Maine (hence the Boreal) I love getting some fatwood either for Christmas or some we find ourselves. We use this to start the morning or evening fire here at the house. Yes, even though I've got spruce and cedar growing like weeds, to say nothing of several species of pine a tamarack, and a hemlock. But fat wood is like a luxury.

I never thought of taking it into the woods before, just a few sticks. Nice. I doubt it's been soaked in any other but it's own terpentines---I think it comes from various southern pines.

A SteriPEN Adventurer! As I finally begin to enter into the world of water safety. I don't preclude having a filtering device, for the times I'm dealing with turbid water. Usually, the water I deal with at least "looks" clear and safe, and the SteriPen will disrupt the DNA in protozoans, bacteria, and viruses. I can't wait for spring so I'm testing it now, in Nalgene jars.

Actually, the product is good for travelers, or during any time when safe drinking water cannot be counted on.

skippy, you been good.

Me? I just got two lumps of Esbit and plan on being better next year. (Note: I got Esbit, not Nesbit for Christmas, although I wish Santa had brought me the latter:)


Evelyn Nesbit, famous turn-of-that-century model & actress.

I live in the extreme northern Sierra, amongst the mixed conifir forest, about an hour south of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The county I live in covers a section of Lassen Peak. The tree I found years ago was only a couple miles from home and I spotted another over five years ago, but I don't need more so I have left that tree. What I have is Doug Fir, the other I think was pine.

Love that country. I was treated to living in Yosemite NP for 3 years, and the Sierras, even up to your extreme northern end, left a mark on my heart, and I need badly to go back. My part of Maine is just as coniferous, much colder, much less snowy, and of course less mountainous! But I love both situations.

With the mixed forest, it is very pretty. Other parts of the country have their own beauty. I'm not rich enough to have property all over. I think when I retire, I'll get some "traveling" property and see what's out there.

I got an Equinox Poncho tarp, fishing lures, a fleece, mountain house, and diy bamboo trekking poles. Got a lot to play with:)

Fenix LD20 flashlight! Love it!

Just ordered a Montbell Alpine Light jacket with the green I was given for Christmas. Can't wait 'till it gets here and I can try it out.