Welcome to Icefire?

[jchrisobrien]

The good news is that I have a ticket to September Wildfire. The bad news is that the temperatures at night are in the low 40's again. This lead to a miserable time on my last trip.

A friend of mine reccomended Patagonia to pick up some Capilene 3 clothing, which is good at retaining heat. Part of me balks at spending as much on clothing for the trip as I would for the trip itself. The other part of me says... it was damn cold last time! I'll be talking to a globe trotter and outdoors person tonight , and get some advice. More thoughts on IceFire to come in a few days. Tomorrow morning it's time for my monthy head checkup. More on that later, too.

Comments

[cris.livejournal.com]

Dude! You didn't talk to me about your dilemma last night! I could've totally hooked you up with a warmer sleeping bag, at the very least.

anyway, my input is that base layers like the Patagonia Capilene aren't just for camping. You can find them handy for keeping you warm when you're going to work or just running errands in the winter. So don't just think of it as clothing for the trip.

Also, depending on what your planned nightly activities are, you might want to consider cheaper but bulkier polypro underwear from an Army Surplus. The only thing about those is that they don't necessarily wick sweat as well as Capilene, so they're less than optimal if you're going to be doing something aerobic. Fine if you just need something to keep you warm while you're sleeping at night. Less fine if you're working up a sweat while spinning, then letting all of that sweat freeze on you afterwards.

Finally, if you do go for the Patagonia stuff, you can save some money by shopping at Hilton's over at North Station. They usually have the best combination of cheap prices and good availability. You can sometimes find something cheaper by trawling the City Sports outlet in Downtown Crossing or keeping an eye on sales at EMS or REI, but if you need something short notice and don't feel like driving to a dozen different stores to compare prices, just go to Hilton's.

(* -- though the sleeping bag may have been too small for you, you could've unzipped it and used it as an extra blanket\insulation layer)

[silas7.livejournal.com]

I COMPLETELY planned on talking with you about this last night, I even did some research on the Capilene clothing! *smacks forehead*

I have time before I go (though I don't know if you do) and may snag the sleeping bag from you. Some coverage beats what I have... which is a big pile of blankets. You're right, the Capilene will have merit year round. I'll check out Hilton's or City Sports as well.

[cris.livejournal.com]

I leave on Friday, so if you want to borrow some gear, you should drop by tonight or tomorrow evening ( I am abstaining from movies to pack)