It is REI day, time to make a dent in our gear list for the Continental Divide Trail and our bank account. Some of our acquisitions:

• North Face Slick Rock tent. It weighs 4 lb 9 oz, maybe half a pound more than the lightest options but with some important features. It has two poles, is free-standing, and has a door on each side. It has many of the same features as my Canyonlands, which has served me well. My only reservation is that my feet will touch the bottom when I stretch out – hopefully still OK in wet conditions.
• Nalgene Fair Share cups. These hold 1 liter and have a screw-top lid. We’ll use them as cups, bowls, and water bottles. We’d prefer something similar in a 16-20 oz size, but there doesn’t seem to be anything like it.
• Silk sleeping bag liners. I have no experience with these, but we’re hoping they will increase bag warmth and decrease smelliness and the need to wash the bags.
• Black Diamond Ice Axe. We get a 60-cm, l4 oz model for me. I plan to let Ann use mine, a 55-cm which I think weighs only 10 oz.
• Vasque Trail Runners. I try a lot of shoes on. They are generally too wide, Solomons especially. I also get a pair of SmartFeet green insoles to experiment with.

Of course we also got a lot of odds and ends like bottles and stuff sacks. We still haven’t made any major food purchases.