I took advantage of a big sale last week, and purchased a backpack and a backpacking stove. I have a day pack, an average size Dakine backpack with a waist belt and camelbak bladder sleeve. However I have had my eye on larger, lighter packs that I can take on overnight and weekend trips for a while now. I found a 20% off sale somewhat locally and decided to jump on it.
After doing a bit of research at home and shopping around online for the last month or two, I knew what I was looking for. I watched Steep & Cheap for about a month whenever I had access to it, and nothing promising turned up. When I heard about a 20% off sale at a local outfitter, I decided I better pick some stuff up or I might miss out.
I decided on an Osprey Exos 46, at 20% off it come in at just under $150.00. The pack is super light, less than 2.5 lbs. with an aluminum frame making it sturdy enough to jam full for a weekend trip. I haven’t gotten a chance to hit the trail with it yet, but I’m shooting for an over night trip early next week.
I also picked up a small, compact backpacking stove while this sale was going on (I would be stupid to go back after the sale had ended). I was given some good advice on a variety of stoves, and decided on an MSR PocketRocket. This stove is quite small and compact, yet feels very rugged and reliable, and it came with a hard plastic case for storage. The only issues I have with the stove are the narrow base and the one-use fuel canisters. I see that MSR makes an attachment for stability, which I will get if need be (it shouldn’t be too difficult to stabilize this in the woods, with access to so many shims). The canisters are one-use, and I’m sure many of them end up in landfills.
However, the guide that helped me with the stoves told me that after the tank is completely drained, a hole can be punched in the side of it with a standard can opener and the canister can be recycled. This made my decision a little easier, and without this information I probably would have spent the extra money on a WhisperLite which has a refillable fuel canister.
I am excited to try out my new gear, and you can bet that I will write a review of both products after I use them. If you have either of these products, and love or hate anything about them please, let us know!
