[brian barnes]

My understanding of the kwan patterns are that they look like a lot of things… crab, shrimp, bait fish, etc… I just finished making up my own crab pattern. Here it is:

[brian barnes]

Just FYI… Big Agnes is soon to release it’s lightest 1 person tent called the UL Fly Creek. Weighs 1 pound 14 ounces. Backpackinglight just posted an announcement from the Outdoor Retailer show this week.

LINK: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18195&skip_to_post=139997#139997.

I personally use and love the single wall shelters by TarpTent (check out the SubLite Sil) and SixMoonDesigns (e.g. LunarSolo).

TarpTent (21.5 ounces, need trekking poles, $199):
http://www.tarptent.com/sublitesil.html

SMD (23 ounces, $235):
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36

Or if you want to be ultralight use SMD’s gatewood cape (poncho that turns into a tarp) and add the Serenity NetTent to keep the bugs away. Doing so, your pack just lost the added weight of your raincoat.

Cape: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=45
Net: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=55

[brian barnes]

Aaron, If you are looking for a lightweight backpacking tent that also has enough room to use comfortably while car camping take a hard look at Henry Shires’ Tarptent Double Rainbow:

http://www.tarptent.com/doublerainbow.html

The shelter has a cult following over at backpackinglight.com given Henry’s well built shelters and excellent customer service. Right now all his shelters are 20% off. It has plenty of ventilation, which decreases condensation. The design is very stable in strong winds and provides plenty of interior space – all in a 2.5 pound shelter.

Another good choice is Ron Moak’s Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo:

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=47

All the same compliments above apply to this shelter. Ron and Henry are the industry leaders in lightweight shelter design.

[brian barnes]

I wanted to thank everyone again for the advice on 8 wt rods. I was able to pick up a Winston Boron IIx 968-4 paired with a Lamson Lightspeed 3.5 for more than 50% off the retail price… It was too good of a deal to pass up and it casts great.

[brian barnes]

Thanks again for the suggestions and links… Much appreciated.

Waterworker – I’m leaning more towards a faster rod but thanks for the offer.

[brian barnes]

Thats funny Will…

[brian barnes]

Sounds like there are lots of great rods in the 8 wt size… thanks to those making recommendations. I can tell this is going to be a tough decision and a tough sell to the wife… $$$ 😮

[brian barnes]

Sounds like a great trip. Enjoyed the photo journal summarizing the occasion. The sunrise from Clingman’s Dome was gorgeous – stunning blue and orange hues. I wished I could have joined you, though all is not lost… I get to fish a small Kentucky creek tomorrow morning… 🙂 This flatlander from Kansas is excited…

[brian barnes]

Thanks all – I really appreciate the advice and especially the link to the 8 wt shootout (Thanks Abe). I wonder if Redington’s CPX will be as highly rated as its predecessor (the CPS)? It also looks like the St Croix Legend Elite may be a good mid priced rod that performs well.

[brian barnes]

Sounds good Zach. Thanks for the recipe.

[brian barnes]

Jaison and Tim – Thanks. I appreciate the input. Can either of you guys recommend a fly shop to visit while I’m in town?

[brian barnes]

Thanks DJ – I called him and he has some nice prices on the A2’s.

[brian barnes]

All – Thanks for reading. We had a great trip and it’s always fun to write it up to share it.

Drifter – My tent is a Tarp Tent Rainshadow2. http://www.tarptent.com/products.html Its a great shelter and weighs a bit less than 2.5 pounds. Very spacious for 2 people and gear. Its made for 3 people but that starts getting tight when trying to sit up.

Zach – We had planned to hike nearly 17 miles but the fishing was so good we skipped some of the non-fishing destinations (Andrews Glacier, Green Lake). Therefore, we hiked a total of 13 miles over 4 days, so the distance wasn’t bad at all, but the elevation does require some acclimation. This is one of the nice things about Glacier Gorge – that’s its relatively compact.

Eric’s fly rod is a bit dated. I tried to talk him into taking my son’s TFO 486-4 Pro but he’s partial to his old Berkley 2 pc. When he was having trouble casting into the wind, I let him cast my modestly priced Scott A2 and he loved it. I think he’s going to try and find one of these on sale since the are being replaced with the A3.

[brian barnes]

Splendid photos!

[brian barnes]

Thanks for pointing those out John. I did see these (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_CmraSpprtStrp.php) when I purchased my holster. They look like they would work great, however, I’m a lightweight backpacker and thus I scrutinize every item I carry for ways to save ounces and have them be multi-use. By using a 2.5 mm cord with carabiners, I save several ounces and can use the clips for other hiking related needs. Those ounces saved add up to pounds off my back.

I’ve also considered cutting off the belt loop attachment flap on the backside of the holster but can’t bring myself to it since I may use that function during non-backpacking events

[brian barnes]

Hey Ethan, If you check out the rope placement in the picture in my first post you’ll notice its attached to D loops on my packs shoulder strap and the 2.5 mm cord doesn’t touch me anywhere.

[brian barnes]

beautiful bokeh

[brian barnes]

Craig – It works well for me but YMMV. When I’m climbing steep inclines I shorten the length of the cord to prevent it from bouncing on my chest. One could also clip a small rope from the bottom of the holster to your pack hip belt. I didn’t want anything too fussy to take on and off. I checked out your new website – looking good. I’ll check back periodically as you get more content. If you want to see more photos from my last trip its posted on my blog here: http://minomdeplume.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/200807_rmnp_backcountry_trip/

[brian barnes]

I too have been working on a system to carry my dSLR while backpacking and fly fishing. My goals were to 1) keep the weight of the setup down, 2) keep it accessible, 3) provide protection from bumps and rain, and 4) be comfortable. After my last trip (cross park hike of RMNP) I’m happy to report I’m very satisfied with the system I used (this has been work in progress for quite a while). I found it met the above goals perfectly.

Here’s what it looks like:

Here’s the details:

Canon 10D
Lens: 17-40 L f/4
Circular Polarizer
UV filter
Lens hood
Extra battery
Extra CF card
Lens cloth

Think Tank Digital Holster, size 20 (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_DgtlHlstr.php) with shoulder strap removed and replaced with 2.5 mm nylon cord, which is threaded through the back side of the holster.

Perfection loops (http://www.animatedknots.com/perfection/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com#Overhand) are tied at each end of the cord, and an adjustment loop has been installed (using a Klemheist knot ) (http://www.animatedknots.com/klemheist/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com).

A Black Diamond Carabiner is attached to the Klemheist on one end and the perfection loop on the other end. These clips are attached to the D rings on the backpacks shoulder straps.

During rain the camera and its components are stored in a waterproof dry bag and the holster is covered with the provided rain cover. Photos of these can been seen HERE.

The weight of the holster, rain cover, and cord is 14.3 ounces. The weight of the everything mentioned above is 4.5 pounds.

The setup in action:

[brian barnes]

Assistant Professor in a research intensive School of Pharmacy. Most of my research involves how drugs improve patient outcomes after cardiac surgery. I love teaching as well… Since I work for the state, I get lots of time off. Most of my fishing is done in the backcountry (small stream and high mountain lakes). The closest trout stream is 3-4 hours away so I’ve been looking at getting into carp and gills to fill my time.

[Author]

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