Anthony Galluscio Backpacking Tent Review

• Item: Backpacking Tent
• Quantity: 1
• Make: Big Agnes
• Model: Fly Creek HV UL mtnGLO Tent: 1-Person, 3-Season, Gray/Silver
• Cost: $399.00
• Weight: 36.125 oz
• Rating: Good
• Notes: This backpacking tent has LED lighting that lights the inside of the tent and makes it visible from the outside in the dark. I was initially unsure that I would trade this kind of convenience for the cost of additional weight. However, upon further inspection, the lighting does not seem to add much to the weight (probably on the order of single digit ounces).  Furthermore, I find the lighting useful when camping in the woods on a moonless night. I really like having the lighting to find my way back easily if I have to leave the tent in the middle of the night.  Therefore, I am glad I purchased the version with the built-in lighting.

Another feature I like about this tent is that it is free standing, but can be staked down. You can pick the tent up still on the frame and shake it out before storing it, which helps minimize maintenance. This tent is very easy to set up and the instructions are super easy to follow. Additionally, you have the option of pitching only the rain fly if you so chose.

The pros of this tent are that it is light, durable, easy to set up, and will keep you dry.  Also, the quality and construction of this tent is excellent. On the con side I find this tent to be very small, my pack does not fit very well in the vestibule and definitely will not fit inside the tent with me. Overall, I like this tent enough that I am not in the market for a different one. The size is the only reason I give this tent a “good” instead of an “excellent.”

• Link: https://goo.gl/6GXnKV

Anthony Galluscio Sleeping Pad Review

• Item: Sleeping Pad
• Quantity: 1
• Make: Therm-a-rest
• Model: NeoAir XLite Large,Marigold
• Cost: $179.90
• Weight: 17 oz
• Rating: Good
• Notes: I think a comfortable night’s sleep on the trail starts with a good sleeping pad. It seems intuitive that the more weight you are willing to carry, the more comfortable you will be. However, this pad defies that rule  by packing a lot of comfort into a low amount of weight and small form factor. The pad rolls up incredibly small and is quite light at 17 ounces. This  pad has a mummy bag shape and, with my 6’2″ frame, I have no problem fitting on it comfortably. The pad is very comfortable to sleep on and stays inflated throughout the night. This pad is as comfortable as any ground pad I have slept on when camping. The pros of this pad are the packed size, weight, and incredible comfort. The only con I can think of is that this pad is noisy when you roll over.  That is the only thing reason I rated this sleeping pad as “good” rather than “excellent.”
• Link: https://goo.gl/kdGVmP

Anthony Galluscio Hiking Shoes Review

• Item: Hiking Shoes
• Quantity: 1 pair
• Make: Merrell
• Model: Men’s Moab Ventilator Hiking Shoe
• Cost: $84.00
• Weight: 32.5 oz
• Rating: Fair
• Notes: I chose these shoes because they are not too heavy and provide good support. The shoes that I purchased for the Foothills Trail thru-hike represent at least the fifth pair of this exact shoe that I have owned. I find these shoes to be comfortable right out of the box and this is my shoe of choice for casual wear and light day hiking.  However, I had never hiked a grueling seventy seven miles through the mountains wearing these shoes until my Foothills Trail thru-hike. The toe box on these shoes is quite wide.  While that is great for casual wear, it does provide opportunity for blisters. The pros are that the insole is removable and the shoes dry easily over night. The cons are that the shape of the shoe is conducive to light, rather than strenuous, hiking. In summary, in the future I plan to wear these for casual wear, but not for strenuous hiking.
• Link: https://goo.gl/qUExjn

Anthony Galluscio’s Compression Shorts Review

• Item: Compression Shorts
• Quantity: 2
• Make: Nike
• Model: Pro Combat (long)
• Cost: $20/each
• Weight: 2.38 oz each
• Rating: Poor
• Notes: I wore these shorts that supposedly fit up to 3 inches larger than my waist size. However, they are too tight for hiking. About one day into the hike my left leg started to go numb due to pressure on my lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. As a result, I cut the band with a knife, which helped tremendously but ruined the shorts. That was five months ago and I am just starting to get the feeling back in my leg. This is not a general complaint about Nike. I have a lot of Nike gear that I like. Rather, I think that I would avoid wearing tight compression shorts when hiking, independent of the brand.
• Link: https://www.amazon.com/Nike-Mens-Long-Compression-Shorts/dp/B00AACR6SM

Anthony Galluscio Social Media

I was trying to think of a way to store all of my (Anthony Galluscio Social Media) various social media links. So, I thought I would put a list into a blog posting and update it as they change. To that end, please see all of my existing social media sites below:

• Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108457465691551470331.
• WordPress (this blog): https://anthonygalluscio.com.
• BrandYourself.com Profile: http://www.anthonygalluscio.net.
• About.me Profile: http://www.anthonygalluscio.org.
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonygalluscio.
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tonygalluscio.
• Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Anthony-Galluscio.
• Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_xltIqL26eTykt0WH8zz.g

In summary, I will update this blog post as I add social media sites. Otherwise, it is very difficult to keep track of all of them. Since this post will not change frequently, I will republish this post if I establish a new social media presence.  However, I will only provide an update to the existing publication if one of the links above changes.

Introduction

Hello everyone! Last September when I (Anthony Galluscio) thru-hiked the Foothills Trail I was thoughtful about the gear I selected for the trip. However, some of my gear gained high marks and some did not.  Consequently, my goal is to go through my gear piece by piece and provide reviews that may help other hikers.  Especially relevant, I will review my lightweight backpacking stove.

Pictures

Here is my stove:

In addition, here is my fuel canister. I carried two, but did not need both.

Anthony Galluscio’s Review

• Item: Stove
• Make: MSR
• Model: Pocket Rocket
• Cost: $42.50
• Weight: 4 ounces
• Rating: Excellent
• Notes:  I hiked for seven days and camped for six nights using this stove every evening to boil water.  Therefore, I have ample experience using this stove in the field. This stove is capable of bringing water to a boil in minutes. The stove stores in a very small plastic case and is easy to remove. The stove arms fold out easily and the stove is simple to use without instructions.  I did not use even a fraction on one canister of fuel. Overall the stove is easy to light, heats water rapidly, and provides a stable-enough platform. In summary, I was very impressed with this little stove and I would not trade it.
• Link: https://www.amazon.com/MSR-11792-PocketRocket-Stove/dp/B000A8C5QE

Introducing Anthony Galluscio

This initial posting pertains to introducing Anthony Galluscio. That’s me! My name is Anthony Galluscio. I am the President of Veratics, Inc. Even more importantly, I have a wonderful wife and four great kids. Two of my “kids” are adults and two are well on their way. I am very proud of them all.

This is my first post on this new word press site. To that end,  for future posts I have a goal of covering topics of interest to me that are not related to my work. I will plan to describe my hikes and review equipment that I have used. I also review camping trips that we make in our Jayco Jayflight 23RB travel trailer.

My wife, Becca, and I have a young Cairn Terrier named Sophie that we love and care for.  Therefore,  I will tell you all about Sophie along the way too.

In conclusion, I’ll post this now and next time I promise to add some photos or something more interesting. So, goodbye for now!

For more information go to : http://www.anthonygalluscio.net or http://www.anthonygalluscio.org