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Name: Boardwalk72

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If you are a believer that a good night's sleep makes all the difference in a camping trip then this is the pad for you. It's a little bulky for a wilderness trip but if you can spare some weight it's worth it.

I used this pad up in the BWCA for 5 nights and I slept better on this pad than my bed at home. The pump sack works very well and makes it easy to get the pad inflated. Packs down about the size of a 3 season sleeping bag and weighs close to 4 pounds. It's modular in a way that you can remove the memory foam and cover to have just the air mattress which is a bonus as well.

This is an expensive pad but for a good night's sleep without feeling the bumps and ruts underneath you while you're sleeping, it's worth every penny.

I purchased one of these portage packs to use in the BWCA in lieu of a standard hiking pack. You can fit a ton of gear in this bag. Organization is a bit tricky with no compartments but it is fully waterproof which is a fair trade. Shoulder straps are comfy and the hip belt does function fair for supporting the weight off of your shoulders. The longest portage I performed was about 5/8 of a mile and I had over 60 pounds of gear in the pack. Not quite as comfortable as a traditional hiking pack but realistically being a portage pack it performed admirably. Rides very nice in the bottom of a canoe and has plenty of external attachment points for hanging other stuff (rope, pfd, nalgene, etc.) which is very nice for portaging. There are a lot of options out there for portage packs but for the price and performance I am very pleased with this pack.

I received one of the SealLine Ultra Sil Drybags as a gift for a boundary waters trip. I primarily used it to store a pull over and some other clothes and electronics while day tripping from base camp. This bag protected everything very well from spray and rain. It's also very light and packs down extremely small. I was surprised at how durable the bag is for how thin it is. I will be purchasing another to store my down sleeping bag in. Great product.

This is a great paddle for the price. Straight shaft design with rock guard and is solid wood throughout. Comfortable grip and the blade size gives good power. I have used one of these on some rough rocky waters and the rock guard works very well the straight shaft allows for strokes that aren't very effective with a bent shaft paddle. This is a sleeper in the bending branches lineup.

I bought one of these on a whim to carry into the BWCA instead of a chair. I'm glad I did! Not only is it nice to kick back and take a quick nap but it doubles nicely as a chair! Only takes about 5 minutes to set up using rope instead of straps for suspension. Packs down small and is nice and lite. Next trip I may set up with this instead of a tent.

I have been camping with the 4 person version of this tent for a number of years. Good solid tent and easy to set up with the 2 main pole design. Sheds water week and so far seems to be durable. The only complaint I have is with the storm flaps for the zippers, they allow some water to drip in if it's raining hard enough or long enough. Otherwise a very good product.

Pretty hard to go wrong with this stove as it has been a pack light standard for a long time.

Pros:
Light weight
Multiple fuel bottle sizes
Works great
Heat times are fast
Pretty bullet proof

Cons:
More complicated than a canister stove
Stability on softer surfaces isn't very good

Overall this is my favorite of all the backpacking stoves I have trialed. If prefer to use a stove that is refillable, the whisperlite is a solid choice.

This paddle is a highly functional work of art. By far one of my favorite compliments to my canoe experience. Light weight, very comfortable and strong. I use the XL bent shaft paddle and the power produced by this paddle will really get you moving. Only down side is the cost is hard to swallow over the bending branches beginner paddles which are great quality paddles as well.

I used this filter recently on a 5 day trip into the BWCA. Filtered water for 4 people for the duration of the trip. I added the sediment prefilter to the setup as this is an optional piece. The filter worked very well and produced great quality water. You have to clean it often though if you filter water near the shore, even with the 10 micron prefilter. The advertised filter life is around 750 liters which I cannot attest to with the amount of water that has passed through my filter so far. I think this is a good filter at a good price.