Cabin Loop East, Day 3

The third day, Sunday, was easier than Saturday. We hiked in and out of seven draws and two canyons. Only the last canyon was a quad-killer. We hiked up Dane Canyon, across Coyote Spring, Bill McClintock Draw, several unnamed draws, into the "shallow" Dane Canyon and through the deep Barbershop Canyon. We did not like the Barbershop Spring area at the top of Barbershp canyon, so we hiked a little further and stayed in a pine forest for the night. We were closely missed by eight thunderstorms that night, and two more crashed over us. There was one thunderclap that caught all three of us by surprise, and we jumped in unison! The next morning was wet and partly coudy, a perfect fourth day of hiking.

Heading out of Dane Spring and South toward Coyote Spring

Wandering a bit in Dane Canyon

Over McCLintock Ridge to Barbershop Canyon

Well deserved lunch stop before Barbershop Canyon

Someone built a hut on McClintock Ridge!

Starting down into Barbershop Canyon

A large group of butterflies on a dog poo in Dane Canyon

See the video

Aelin looking funny at our camp between Barbershop Spring and the Houston Trail

A mass of butterflies on 

a large dog poo in Dane Canyon south

 

 

 

 

Cabin Loop East, Day 1-2

From Thursday July 7 to Monday July 11, my daughter and I experienced the best backpack trip we have had, and the second best trip I have ever had (the best was my trips in the Sawtooth Wilderness in the Rockies in Idaho). We hiked the full East Loop Cabin Trail on the Rim in Arizona. We had plenty of monsoon rain, and walked through some of the best forests I have seen in Arizona. Our equipment performed flawlessly. After each day, weary and aching, we were revitalized after a night sleeping in our incomparable Hennessey Hammocks wrapped cozily in our cocoons of JrB and homemade down quilts. The hammocks are a major reason I can still backpack like this. The Goal 0 solar panel never failed to provide full power for my smartphone/camera/GPS, considering the daily rain and clouds we enjoyed. Following are some pictures and videos of our trip. Our pack weights for the five days were 24 lbs for Aelin's and 32 lbs for me. I still need to shave off 2-3 more pounds for my five day weight.

The first night we stopped at one of our favorite places at General Spring. The second day, Saturday, we started out at Pinchot Cabin and made our way across several draws, ridges and canyons to our second stop at Dane Spring. We met two pairs of hikers, had a cool conversation with one and prevented the second pair from going the wrong way. We camped at a beautiful spot on a cliff overlooking Dane Canyon at Dane Spring. Saturday was the roughest of the trip, as it had the most elevation changes of the trip. We hiked through several deep canyons and draws that day.

Our first morning, Saturday, at General Springs

can you see the green froggler? Aelin loves these guys, and we listen to their loud chirpings in the evenings after supper

Aelin warming her hands in the long-cold fire at General Springs Cabin

Monsoon season brings out the best

Some moth we found hiding on the trail

From Pinchot Cabin, on the trail toward Dick Hart Draw/Spring

Here Aelin is making obeisance to

the Giant Mullein (mullein leaves are a wild medicinal we have used many times)

The trail down into Dick Hart Draw

Aelin was constantly on the prowl for small crops

of wild strawberries we came across the entire trip

The trail down into Dane Canyon and heading to Moonshine Spring

The spring in Dane Canyon

The trail up to Dane Spring, our second night stop

The cabin at Dane spring

This is on our way into Dane Canyon north

This is about halfway up the switchback out of Dane Canyon north

This is Dane Spring at the top of the west side of Dane Canyon north

Our Next Trip This Week

Here we go on our next trip! Since the fires have closed the Blue and the Bear Wallow Wildernesses in the Hannagan Meadow area, we have decided to go back to the Cabin Loop Trail and hike the whole thing. Last time we made only about a third of the trip. We are also in the middle of the Arizona monsoon season, so we will have the opportunity to enjoy some thunderstorms in the backcountry. I will be giving an in-the-field test of my new REI Flash 65 backpack, and I will also be able to see how the Goal Zero Adventure Kit performs in much less than constantly sunny conditions. Another piece of kit I have not given a thorough test to is my Jacks-R-Better Cat Tarp. Since rain is guaranteed, I will be using it for rest stops and for nighttime coverage. I will be posting pictures, videos and words next week upon our return.

Backpack Comparison: REI Flash 65 vs. Gregory Z65

Since my beloved Moonbow Gearskin custom backpack is not working for what I want it to do now, I have been testing two of the better lightweight backpacks on the market that are suited for lightweight two to ten day trips. My base weight (everything except food and water) right now is just under fifteen pounds. I have just shaved off about four pounds from my base weight, and I am looking at ways to drop another couple of pounds. For this last trip of five days, my total weight was 25 pounds, including food and 3 liters of water.


I have ended up returning the Gregory Z65 and keeping the REI Flash 65 due to two main considerations: fit and cost. The Flash 65 fits me better, and it costs $50 less. There are other reasons, two of the more important being weight and organization. See the video for more information.

Video review of all the solar chargers I have evaluated

The video review and this text focus mainly on the Goal 0 system, the one I found that actually works.



I have purchased, used and tested every lightweight solar charging device on the market that I could find. The Goal0 Nomad 7 and Guide 10 set is the only one that works sufficiently that I can be completely off the grid with my backpacking devices and have no need for extra batteries. See below for solar panels tested. I have been testing portable solar panels for several years now, and the Goal 0 products are the best.

The Nomad 7 is the only solar panel that has the capability to charge an adequate battery pack, my headlamp AAA's, AND my smartphone/GPS all in the same day in full sunlight. It is the only panel that has reserve capacity to charge my devices in less than full sun (shady/cloudy). No other panel has the output of the Nomad 7. Its closest competitor is the Brunton panel. The Brunton weighs 20% more and is rated to output 30% less than the Nomad 7 (Brunton = 5 watts, Nomad 7 = 7 watts). In my testing the lower output was verified. The off-axis performance of the Nomad 7 is superior. It maintains full output to a greater angle of sun than any other panel I have tested. The Nomad 7 is the only panel, in my knowledge, that uses the more efficient mono-crystalline panels. It does seem to give it an edge in real-world usage. As far as flexibility, that characteristic has nothing to do with panel efficiency. Another of the well-thought out features of the Nomad 7 is the connection options. The Xpal SP-2000 and the Solio both rely on many different tips to connect to different devices. The Nomad 7 has three great options built in: 6.5 volt fast charge for the Guide 10 charger, 5 V USB connector, and a port that the included 12V female car lighter adapter plugs into. Every portable device has the option of an inexpensive car power adapter, and the Nomad 7 nicely offers that ability.

The Guide 10 charger works to its rated specifications, unlike most of the other solar devices I have used. It charges AA and AAA batteries. It charges them faster with the Nomad 7 than any other solar panel/charger combination that I have tested. The Goal 0 batteries that ship with the Guide 10 are the best of their type I have tested. They are low-discharge, like the Eneloops, but much better. The Eneloops are rated at 2000 mAh, but charge only to about 1900 mAh capacity. The Goal 0 are rated at 2000 mAh, but charge to 2200 mAh. The guide 10 has some very well thought out features, including the LED flashlight, the function switch and the built-in hanging loop. These touches all demonstrate that the designers are users, and thought well about how these devices would be used.

All is not perfect, though. The Guide 10 does have an overheating problem, but only in very strong sunlight and under certain conditions. This is a known issue that is being fixed as I write this. This brings me to one of my most important experiences; customer service. Goal 0 has the best customer service by far than any other of the solar panel manufacturers I have tested in this group. Immediate phone contact, responsiveness to questions and warranty service are far and away some of the best I have experienced.

Following is a list of the solar panels I have tested, and short comparison comments on each.

1. Powerfilm USB + AA: This one has a great form factor, is flexible and very durable, and is the lightest weight and most compact of all the solar chargers. Its fatal flaw is that it simply does not put out enough power to be practical in extended backpacking. It does not fully charge the AA batteries when it indicates a full charge, and is not nearly as flexible as the Nomad 7 for connection. The unit was replaced on warranty, but the replacement performed exactly the same. I tested a total of four of these, and all performed the same. Customer service was good, after spending weeks trying to get their attention, and this happened several times.
2. Solio Classic: This one has a nice form factor, but the unit simply does not charge its internal battery nor a connected device at all adequately. Just in case, I had it replaced on warranty and the replacement performed exactly the same.
3. Xpal Power SP-2000: Same as the Solio. Internal battery rated at 2000 mAh, only charges to about 1100-1300. Not enough power overall to be practical. Very good customer service.
4. Brunton Explorer: A good panel, but not enough overall power. Weighs 20% more than the Nomad 7, output is 30% less

Pictures from Cabin Loop trail June, 2011