Some of The Usual Suspects (l-r: Stan “Beastmaster”/G-4; Russ/Mariposa Plus w/belt pockets; Alan “Rambler”/Murmur, The One, LT4s; John “Call Me Ishmael”/G5, Nightlight Torso Pad, “Deluxe” Williwabbit Tyvek Rain Jacket; bottom: Bonnie “The Bonster”) made a (Deep South) mid-winter tuneup/shakedown hike in the Savage Gulf (South Cumberland Area, TN) in February.  In addition to the typical challenge of locating “stored” gear, after some months of disuse, everyone brought along at least one new technique or piece of gear to try out.  Between the four of us, we had two pairs of lighter shoes, a 3.3-ounce tarp shelter, a 4.6-ounce rain jacket (“Deluxe” version of Will Rietveld’s Hooded Tyvek Rain Jacket, w/separating zipper, zipper storm flap and pockets), and a substitute stove fuel.  Suter Falls is one of many waterfalls running into the  Savage Gulf this time of year, even though the water quickly  disappears underground and most of the canyon floor stream bed is dry.

John Potter
Call Me Ishmael

My trail name is Barefoot Jake.  I currently live on a Sail Boat in Port Angeles, Wa.  As far back as I can remember I’ve had an obsession with the outdoors and in particular the Olympic National Park.  This is the primary reason on what keeps me in this area.  Not too many regions you can be traversing the alpine in the morning, then later that night be curled up next to a beach fire watching the sunset.  Read more about Jake…

The Kumo SuperLight backpack is for those who want a durable smaller volume frameless pack that is appropriate for a variety of uses.  It is a Murmur gone rugged and is constructed out of our all new 140d Dyneema GGridstop™.   The Kumo™ was named in honor of our great friends and customers in Japan as well as to describe the pack itself.  Kumo™ is Japanese for “Cloud”, and can also mean “Spider”.

Constructed largely of our custom 140d dyneema GGridstop™ nylon on the Murmur platform it is more durable and has added features. The features include a zippered top pocket, a 1.5″ webbing belt, a full hydration sleeve, a new compression/lashing system, and a new sternum strap assembly.  Unlike the Murmur the Kumo™ will be available in two sizes, medium and soon in large.  Weighing in at 14.5oz, the Kumo™ is designed for a wide range of activities including backpacking, travel, day hiking and would also make an excellent summit pack. A tough little pack with a rich feature set at home on the trail, the Camino de Santiago or in an airport.  Click Here to see the Product Page.

Welcome Benjamin Moryson to our Trail Ambassador Family!   Benjamin is a Germany based backpacker and outdoor blogger. In his youth he spent lots of time outside with hiking and playing in nature. As he got older the time for the hobbies was limited.  At the age of 24 he changed his mind and he went back to his hiking roots. He started his hiking career again with a 40 pound pack. After a couple of problems with health, Benjamin began to become interested in lightweight backpacking. Reducing the pack weight was a fantastic process for him and he still tries to save each gram. In that time he also started his blogging career to share the experiences with others. When he is not backpacking he is working in a foundry which is very exciting, but also exhausting or he spends time on his farm with three horses. In addition to backpacking he also likes mountainbiking and packrafting.  See more about Benjamin on his page…

Diane Soini, one of our Trail Ambassadors, sent us a few photos from one of her trips over the winter.  We thought it was funny that she actually followed a bear.  Heck, most of us go the other way!

Did a little overnighter in the Sespe Wilderness on the Piedra Blanca trail. More snow than expected. Here are pictures of me hiking in the snow with my G4. We found our way through the snow by following a bear.

Diane Soini

Glen-

I don’t know if you are still looking at ideas for packs to carry bear canisters but I had good luck last summer with the Mariposa+ with a bungee cord setup on top of the pack.  Worked better than my previous Mariposa because the grosgrain loops were symmetrical on each side of the pack. The earlier model did not have the grosgrain loops in the same place on each side of the pack and would pull the canister backwards.  I carry the food inside the pack in a stuff sack during the day and stick it in the can at night.  I put the shelter and down  jacket in the canister during the day and it carries much better that way.  Worked great.  We did 11 days wandering in the southern Sierra with that setup last summer and it was fine, including some nice cross country (actually carried 12 days of food but came out a day early.

We were stopped on the trail by folks who had trouble believing that we were in for twelve days with our setup.  I was wondering if you ever considered making up some Gossamer Gear stickers with the website address that could be handed out.  I told people the name and url but don’t know how many remember it.  Just an idea.

Robert

Please welcome Reuben to our Trail Ambassador family.  He is a survival instructor and minimalist in the purest sense.

Bio: Writer, photographer, adventurer, and martial arts trainer (Muay Thai), Reuben has spent 30 years hiking and backpacking through the wildernesses of California, Nevada, and Arizona: often with an air of extreme discipline towards his super Ultralight gear. He has traveled abroad in extreme environments, from the cold climate of Alaska and New Zealand to the desert heat of Egypt. He continues studying primitive techniques in survival and the construction and uses of knives and edged tools from places such as the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and numerous countries in Asia. Reuben has published many articles on knife use, Bushcraft, shelters, and remains a lifetime student of survival.  Read more here…

Gary and Kiki live in Gothic, Colorado and have been huge Gossamer Gear advocates for many years.  and care-take a backcountry hut during the winter.   They ski in and out carrying provisions (yes with their GG packs).  Summers are often devoted to some type of adventure, be it long-distance hiking or bike touring.

This summer, 2012, they are planning a 10-year anniversary hike of the Appalachian Trail.  Their favorite gear are the LT4 Lightrek Poles and the Mariposa Plus backpack.  Read more about them here….