Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Old Bag's Sleeping Bag...


Yes the poppy-red Altus rain gear arrived and I have taken it out on one walking adventure. I think I will be quite happy with my cheerful purchase. Later I will post the hunchback photos (I become "Ginnimodo when I wear the pack under the ponch!).
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!
FYI: this really is a rain coat (with built in pack cover) and NOT a traditional poncho. Several people have advised me to not get a poncho (due to wind). For more information on this poncho, see my previous post or drop me a note. Did I mention how quickly it arrived? Ordered it from Spain on Sunday and had it in New Mexico by noon on Wednesday!
They thoughtfully included a cherry lollipop in the mailing! 8-)
On my weekend jaunt to Phoenix (to attend the delightful Arizona Renaissance Festival) I found time to go shopping with my aspiring Eagle-Scout grandson. He acted as my consultant on this shopping-expedition.
We researched the inventory of a few sporting goods stores looking for just the right woman's sleeping bag weighing in under 2 pounds and rated around 25 degrees F. We happily found a wonderful Kelty which I had read about online. It was on sale too.
At the last moment, I asked the clerk if he had a regular instead of a tall (shaving off a few more ounces from the weight). He went in the back room and reappeared moments later, with my requested item and a big grin on his face: this bag was reduced even further! I paid about $80 - well under the prices I saw on Google shopper and E-Bay.
This bag has a clever zipper at the bottom which allows me to let my feet breathe a bit. I actually waddled around with it on. I looked a bit like a penguin. Miss Zia, my pup, was pretty puzzled by my strange antics. I almost fell over from laughing at her funny facial expressions as she cocked her head from one side to the other and furrowed her sweet brow.
Besides its entertainment value, I think this sleeping bag will be just right for my Camino experience.
So my gear collection is growing. I will board the aircraft and fly off to Madrid in about eight weeks...That old Carly Simon tune (Anticipation) is running through my head as I anticipate the big adventure ahead.
More later...too much to do at the office these days...sigh. But life is good...



2 comments:

Sil said...

Planning is such fun, isn't it Ginn?!! And you are doing so well!
Next time you go shopping, take a little kitchen scale with you. You should see the look on the store personnel's faces when we whip out the digital scale and weigh socks, panties and even knife/fork combinations! Well done with your sleeping bag - asking for the shorter one was inspirational! If your shirts are a bit longer than necessary, cut a couple inches off them too. (NO, I'm not loco - every little bit counts and when you have shaved 100g or 200g off the contents of your pack, you can afford to carry that extra apple or chocolate bar when you are on the trail.)
Abrazos peregrina,
Sil

Virginia ("Ginn") said...

nks for the "warm fuzzy"...

I am planning to snip off all the tags and extra cord, etc. I am keeping the snipped items so I can get the grand total!

My shopping is about done - my Camino wardrobe is mostly extracted from my closet (shop at home first, I always say!)but it would be fun to take the scale along just to see the looks on the clerk's face. 8-)

"Ginn"