Keeping in mind the importance of equipment, I set out today with my younger brother, Erik, to check out the REI sale (I subscribe to the logic that if Erik approves of an item for travel, then - since he looks relatively similar to Scott, and Scott's in Puerto Rico at the moment - Scott's probably cool with it too). On the list for today? Shoes and a tent.
I should clarify: I was searching for shoes and a tent that were (1) incredibly durable, (2) remarkably lightweight, and (3) shockingly inexpensive. In other words, shoes and a tent that don't exist.
Upon arrival, I bee-lined for the nearest employee, an older gentleman re-stocking the backpacks. I had dressed carefully for the shopping trip; UCLA Recycling t-shirt, leggings, and - of course - my tevas. I was practically shouting at the world, "I am a liberal, environmental, outdoorsy type. Yet I am still a consumer, so please sell me some products that match this persona."
Which would have worked, had my opening line not exposed me. I told him my brother and I would be backpacking through South America, at which point he interrupted me to let me know that my brother had been in just a few days prior, looking at water filter equipment. Oops. Scott had also told this guy that we were grossly underprepared in terms of backpacking experience for this trip. (Strike the "outdoorsy" qualification. Still liberal and environmental, I guess.)
Search for the perfect tent
REI has quite the repertoire of tents, ranging from one-person, 2-lb tents up to 6-person, 8-lb monstrosities. My budget, as I had smugly confided in Erik before entering the store, was $100. Which, as it turns out, will only buy you a Bivy Sac**, not an actual tent.
(**waterproof sac, presumably for your sleeping back, but perhaps also to suffocate oneself inside after tiring of one's travel companion?)
Within about 7 minutes, it had become clear that I would not be spending within my price range. Instead, while perusing a list of tent dimensions, weights, and prices, I decided (a) that I was going to be spending well over $200 on said tent; and (b) that we didn't actually need a 2-person tent.
Now before you decry my brashness, check out my logic on the tent capacity. It's simple: the 1-person tent was 8 oz lighter than the 2-person one, and only 10 inches narrower. Which actually is a good thing; using this tent in Patagonia means we will probably want to be huddled together for warmth anyway. Secondly, approximately one year ago, Scott and I shared a 1-person tent with two other people (grand total = 4) in Morocco. While this adventure didn't turn out so wonderfully (involving tent-slashing, thievery of my iPod, wallet, cell phone, camera, and passport), I figure it still stands as a testament to our ability to fit into a small tent. Boom.
So the tent I have my heart set on is the 30-oz, Big Agnes Fly Creek Ultra Light 1...which costs a trim $300. Eek.
Shoe success
Shoes were much easier. I went upstairs, stared at the shoe wall for approximately 40 seconds, asked a saleslady for advice, promptly rejected the $220 pair she "highly recommended" (ok, so I tried them on first), picked up the women's version of the shoes Scott bought 5 days ago, ignored her "responsibility to provide a disclaimer," and walked out of the store with some $125 Merrell Moabs. Drove the 90 seconds to Any Mountain, found the exact same shoes (albeit in a different color) for $64, and purchased those. I'll return the REI ones tomorrow.
And so it begins. This post is obviously longer than posts will be once the journey is underway, but I've got time now, so why not outline the details? Speaking of which...
Trip start date: July 26th, 2011
Starting location: Quito, Ecuador
Trip end date: Dec 2011 (tentative)
Ending location: Buenos Aires, Argentina (tentative)
