i didn't see where anyone had asked this already so, i was hoping to find out if BPL.com will be represented at traildays in Damascus, VA this spring?
thanks. ..tim

Yes they'll be there. I will too. See ya there.

great! they were missed last year.
look forward to seeing yall there. thanks. ...tim

What companies other than BPL and GoLite plan to be at Trail Days in Damascus, VA this year? It was good to see the increased representation of lightweight gear at the 2006 event.

I noticed that the GoLite event is again at the same time as a talk about safety and lightweight options.

Tom

try googling trail days & i believe you will find their web site.
i believe it should have a list of most of the gear suppliers that are to be there.

Edited by slowhike on 04/22/2007 21:04:51 MDT.

Jacks R Better LLC will be at Trail Days 2007 for fourth consecutive year.... Stop in and say hello.... Couple new quilt designs... a unique Patend Pending Hammock and couple of prototype hammock tents will hopefully be unveiled at TD07.

Pan

yep, i had the privilege of getting a sneak preview of the hammock tents on a winter hammocking trip this past jan.
nice work. i believe they will catch quite a bit of attention.
the jacks wouldn't tell us much about their new hammock design... said if they did, they would have to kill us.
so i said i'd just wait until they got them ready to show.
but we're anxious to see them.
BTW... if you are interested in lightweight hammock camping, check out hammockforums.net

Edited by slowhike on 04/23/2007 18:58:10 MDT.

Excellent! I'm looking forward to see these new products, and it's nice to hear that you'll be there again. I've been enjoying my quilt, but am wishing I had gotten it overstuffed. Do you folks have a UL summer option? It seems like my summer bag or fleece liner is heavier than your 20F quilt.

The only info about vendors is about the traditional equipment suppliers that will be at the campground offering repairs to their equipment. I was wondering about the Six Moons, Gossamer Gear, Hennessey, etc. type companies.

i couldn't say for sure about which of those light weight gear makers will be there, but i believe gossamer gear was there last year.
hennessy hammocks is always there. and i'm told that speer hammocks, jacks r better, & antigravity gear (tin man) will all be side by side under a line of connected canopies.
i'll be assisting speer hammocks.
i believe golight will be there too. probably several other lightweight gear suppliers as well as some of the more traditional (heaver) gear makers.
about the top quilts, if you go to the JRB web site you can check out the "no sniveler" quilt & the lighter yet "stealth" summer weight quilt.
BTW... speer hammocks will be showing a new hammock under quilt design that's going to get attention. it's designed so that it doesn't compress the insulation even when pulled tight up against the hammock. ...tim

Edited by slowhike on 04/27/2007 14:42:59 MDT.

AntiGravityGear will be there. He mentioned that to me in a recent email. :-) He sold my book at Trail Days last year, so maybe he will this year as well :-)

MLD will be there. Maybe a few new items. Should be a fun weekend!

Any prototypes of the "Spirit" shelter to be displayed, Ron?

sara... i saw in your profile that you're the freezer bag cooking author. i need to take a closer look at that & try some new stuff. ...tim

You should ;-)


So, trip reports anyone? Someday I will get out East for it!

Here are some photos from Trails Days 2007 in Damascus, VA. I hope the suppliers and other attendees can fill in some of the details and start additional discussion.

Tent City - thruhikers (past & and present) and others camp in a wooded area at the edge of town. There were suppliers (MSR, Leki, etc.) that offered equipment repair. Also Backpacker Magazine, a Japanese film crew, and others were at the campsite.




There's a fervent subculture of hammock hangers hiding in the trees. I think that there were more hammocks than tarps. They also got some of the prime spots along the river where you couldn't put a tent.



There were some tarp folks. Here is an Super-ultra-light version...assuming that 40-50 people were sleeping under it.

Edited by TomClark on 05/27/2007 14:34:44 MDT.

I didn't see BPL there this year, but there was a growing number of lightweight vendors.

Brian Vargo returned with his line of Ti gear, and a new stove.





Ron Bell from Mountain Laurel Designs had a full line of tarps, packs, and some new lightweight bags. He had several versions, with insulation on one side and a breathable material on the other. Ron...give us some more detail on this since it's not on your webpage yet.




Gossamer Gear showed off their new packs and shelters. Grant & Jeff were at the booth, but Glen must have been off hiking.



The big dogs were at GoLite. They sponsored two Fast Packing hikes to demo lightweight backpacking practices, and did some gear give-a-aways. Coop didn't make it due to some last minute family issues.



Flyin Brian during his interactive Fastpacking hike and demo. He stated that bivies are good for folks that haven't refined their site location and pitching techniques. He also believes that the Cat Stove is the most efficient alcohol design.


Ron Moak of Six Moon Designs was there again with his Gatewood tarp and other great shelters.



Bob from Big Sky was there with his line of shelters.



I don't know the folks that sell the Packa, but they are just down the road from the festival, near Grayson Highlands and Mt. Rogers. http://www.thepacka.com/


The hammocks continue to gain ground and there were 4-5 groups selling them this year. Tom from Hennessey Hammocks drew a big crowd with his water collection and winter hammock options.



Ed Speers was back again. He's a great supporter of the hammocking crowd, and has a well written book about hammock camping.



Jacks R Better had their popular line of quilts for inside and below hammocks...but this year they had their own hammock system. Take a look.



I can't recall the name of this hammock maker..can someone supply that?


Tin Man of Antigravity Gear had his line of stoves, pots, etc. He also carried other people's products.



Trail Designs were drawing lots of attention with their Caldera Stove. I almost got one myself, but am still wrestling with the storing options.



Equinox was selling some great accessories, and got some of my business
.

There were also some people that had written books or produced videos. JR "Model T" was hawking his new book "Walking with the Ghost Whisperers" about history along the AT. He also wrote "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" about his AT thruhike. I have both. http://www.modelt.homestead.com/

Michael Thomas "Lion King" Daniels gave a viewing of his "Walking West With Freedom", which chronicles his PCT hike. This follows up his previous AT video (Walking with Freedom). The room was packed to see the great PCT imagery and follow his hike. http://imdb.com/name/nm1554266/


Rick McKinney was selling his book "Dead Men Hike No Trails." I got a copy, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Edit--I just finished reading the book, and enjoyed it. It's not a "traditional AT" book with a heavy slant toward the floral, fauna, and history of the trail. He praises Jardine's lightweight philosophy, but doesn't get into his gear other than the fact that he did not like his hammocks. The flow is...well...turbulent with frequent flashbacks to previous situations on and off the trail. He openly discusses his and other's battle with depression. His preferred treatment seems to be meds, Crown Royal, women, and hiking (not necessarily in that order). Here's a link to his site.


Mark Flagler was selling his "Appalachian Impressions " video, and promised another one from the PCT next year. http://www.flaglerfilms.com/index.cfm

Edited by TomClark on 07/08/2007 11:30:16 MDT.

Cool! Love the photos :-)

thanks for all the pictures

good pics thomas.
the new hammock line is called "Warbonnet Hammocks"
the designer Brandon is taking part in the hammocksforum web site. i believe he will chime in here later but here's a link to a thread w/ pictures & discussion on his hammocks.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1177

...tim

Edited by slowhike on 05/28/2007 11:37:40 MDT.

thanks tim. hello all. i was the new vendor at td's the name of my company is warbonnet outdoors. www.warbonnetoutdoors should be up and running in a couple of weeks. check out the above link for lots of pics, prices and descriptions. i am making side entry technical hammocks with a few new features, a perimeter loaded tarp,(which is on the same thread, but a little closer to the beginning than the rest of the pics), a full length and a half length underquilt, among other things. i can be reached at kbwaddy@gmail.com until my website is up and running...Brandon