Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4
Results 61 to 69 of 69
  1. #61

    Default

    Some things I'd ditch are the Spot, whistle, pillow, storm matches, Dr Bronners, most of the first aid kit, most of the repair kit, trowel, and journal (write on maps or whatever.)

    If it were me I'd mainly be focusing on putting in some big mileage weeks with full pack to get my head and body prepared.

  2. #62
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-04-2013
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    4,316

    Default

    That's an interesting idea regarding the possible custom front/shoulder pocket. I have looked at the Arc Zip description online but I am not sure that I would want a panel loader since my perception is that it has more points of failure due to the zipper. I've never had a major issue with top loading packs before. However, the idea of offloading some weight from the main pack during particularly heavy carries has some appeal especially since I might be right on the edge of the ArcBlast's capacity (although for only a very tiny percentage of the hike).


    Quote Originally Posted by Wyoming View Post
    Coffee,

    Thanks for the above post. It is very useful to me.

    I have sort of a question/comment. Re: the question about the Arc Haul. I have been thinking about the Arc Zip for the slight size plus and the nicer (to me) back pocket and panel opening. One thing I have been considering is to ask ZPacks about a custom front/shoulder pocket designed similar to the ones on the Aarn pack I have. That type of pocket adds much more useful volume than the regular shoulder pockets ZPacks sells like you are getting. And the big plus is that by having a stiffener in it and an attachment/support point on the hip belt all of the weight is carried on the belt and not the shoulder strap. So this gives you better weight distribution and a much better center of gravity, the ability to carry more weight than the Arc Blast/ZIp is designed for with no comfort penalty and less structural risk to the shoulder strap attachment location on the pack (the prime failure point), and even more convenient storage (the pockets should be designed to hold at least 1 but better two water bottle each - so about 2-3 liters volume broke into 2 sections). My Aarn pack has 5 L front pockets (a little big I think) and this type of pocket set up is ergonomically really top notch. If you are into hiking and snacking/drinking while walking this arrangement cannot be beat as one can have 4 L of water and a days worth of trail snacks sitting right in front of you for easy access.

    If one goes with an arrangement like this it is also possible to drop down to a smaller pack bag like a 52 L vice the 60 L.

  3. #63
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-04-2013
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    4,316

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Colter View Post
    Some things I'd ditch are the Spot, whistle, pillow, storm matches, Dr Bronners, most of the first aid kit, most of the repair kit, trowel, and journal (write on maps or whatever.)

    If it were me I'd mainly be focusing on putting in some big mileage weeks with full pack to get my head and body prepared.
    The SPOT or something like it is really a requirement for me to keep family in the loop. I'm leery about eliminating safey and hygiene items; however, I am planning to give both the first aid kit and repair kit a hard look to see what I can eliminate. I do plan on some longer training hikes for sure, but probably not for a couple of months. Thanks.

  4. #64
    GAME 06
    Join Date
    10-15-2004
    Location
    Prescott, Arizona
    Age
    69
    Posts
    724

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    That's an interesting idea regarding the possible custom front/shoulder pocket. I have looked at the Arc Zip description online but I am not sure that I would want a panel loader since my perception is that it has more points of failure due to the zipper. I've never had a major issue with top loading packs before. However, the idea of offloading some weight from the main pack during particularly heavy carries has some appeal especially since I might be right on the edge of the ArcBlast's capacity (although for only a very tiny percentage of the hike).
    Yeah the panel thing is just personal preference. I just really like them. I have never had a zipper failure though - that might sour me if it happened.

    When I am carrying the Aarn with the 5L each pockets all my water up to 4 L goes in them plus all my food for between breakfast and supper. plus map and other minor stuff. Then if I need more water the next 2 L go in the packs side pockets. Say one is in the desert and carrying 8 L. As you consume water you switch an empty to the side pocket and move a full one forward. When you have 2 empties you stop and move the 2 in the main body to the sides and the empties to the back. And so on. Always keep all the water you can in the front pockets. If you are only carrying 2 L then move other heavy stuff (I use food) forward to keep the weight balanced.

    This really changed the ergonomics of carrying a pack. One ends up not leaning forward at all. You stand straight up. Much less fatigue induced by the pack weight. The coolest thing for me (I have back pain issues) is that even with 30 lbs in the pack I can slip my fingers underneath the shoulder strap between it and the top of my shoulder. So zero weight is on my shoulders. Above about 30 lbs some of the weight does start to transfer to the shoulders so I would guess at 40 lbs maybe 5 lbs would be on the shoulders. This is about the limit of that model of Aarn pack for weight.

    Here is the Aarn web site. You can find lots of pics and details on the front pockets.

    http://www.aarnpacks.com/#!page-4/cfvg

  5. #65
    Registered User handlebar's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-05-2005
    Location
    Youngstown, OH
    Age
    78
    Posts
    986
    Images
    1

    Default

    If your phone has a Notepad feature, you could use that in airplane mode to record your journal.
    Handlebar
    GA-ME 06; PCT 08; CDT 10,11,12; ALT 11; MSPA 12; CT 13; Sheltowee 14; AZT 14, 15; LT 15;FT 16;NCT-NY&PA 16; GET 17-18

  6. #66
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-04-2013
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    4,316

    Default

    I've decided to go ahead with my plans for a Southbound PCT thru hike next year (very excited about it!!!), but I decided to scale back from a 100 day goal to around 120 days which I feel like I can pull off with some planning at home (to be away for four months) and without radically changing the pace that I've already proven to be able to sustain on shorter hikes. Here is my tentative plan, assuming an early July start date.

    What I'm also going to do is create a parallel NOBO plan for a 120 day thru hike just in case the winter looks like Washington state will not be passable in early July, since starting at that point is necessary based on my pace (I wouldn't get through the Sierra in time at my projected pace with a mid or late July start). My guess is that a fast NOBO start would be timed around May 15 (ending Sept 15), a time when PCT quotas were a non-issue this year.

    Around mid-late April, I will make a decision on SOBO vs NOBO based on snow conditions at that point.

    Here is my SOBO plan (118 days), obviously not intended to be rigorously adhered to at all costs, but as a guideline for planning. Obviously there are very few zero days, which is actually by design. I feel like the physical benefits of zeros can mostly be obtained by neros. I will probably use mail drops quite a bit to be able to efficiently grab my resupplies and get back on trail.

    Note: Actual starting date will be 7/1 or 7/2 at Harts Pass - nobo to the border, then SOBO starting on 7/3.
    PCTSOBOPlan.png

    HST/JMT August 2016
    TMB/Alps Sept 2015
    PCT Mile 0-857 - Apr/May 2015
    Foothills Trail Feb 2015
    Colorado Trail Aug 2014
    AT: Rockfish Gap to Boiling Springs 2014
    John Muir Trail Aug/Sept 2013

  7. #67
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-17-2014
    Location
    Boulder, Colorado
    Posts
    9

    Default

    Hey Coffee,

    I realized after working through this thread that I responded to your itinerary on the Facebook group. I actually failed in 2014 (stress fracture) trying to do a sub 100 day hike. I tried again this year and I actually had to stop at 2538 for fires on day 104. So I would have done it in about 107. But I kinda gave up on sub-100 around 1600 miles in. I did the last 825 miles at 29 mpd without a zero, despite giving up on sub-100. Anyway, here's my advice for hiking fast.

    The only thing that matters is consistency. Did you meet Sigi (the guy from the Czech Republic)? He started a week after me and he was the king of consistency of 26-27mpd every day without days off, and he caught me at mile 500. I saw his name in registers for the rest of the trail and he was around 10-14 days ahead of me at the end of the trail. With consistency in mind, you have to be either 1) really disciplined on town days or 2) skip towns to make resupplies longer, but more consistent miles. When I was going fast in Oregon and Washington, it was pretty easy to do 30-35 on full trail days, but 20 miles on a town day every 3 days really brings your miles down.

    120 is more relaxed, and I think if you just keep consistency in mind throughout the trail, you'll be alright. Keep in mind what I said on the Facebook thread about losing daylight towards the end of the trail. For this reason I would say going fast is easier going North. Long days in late June and early July were freaking glorious, and you won't really have those going South. Even in mid August I was trying to do mid-30s and the days were getting annoyingly short to do that without any night hiking. So I usually did low 30s in Washington.

    On the subject of pack weight, some of the absolute strongest hikers I met on the trail (way more capable of huge miles than I was) weren't particularly light, and for a couple of them their packs were double or triple my base weight. But going light does make it a LOT easier. It's just more fun if you're hiking higher miles to not be burdened by a heavy pack.

  8. #68
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-14-2009
    Location
    Ann Arbor, Michigan
    Age
    40
    Posts
    38

    Default

    A couple things:

    (1) I totally agree with the consistency thing. I did a 75-day AT SOBO a few years ago (~29/day, ~32/day south of NH), and minimizing zeros and small days is the key to averaging big miles. One big advantage of doing bigger miles is that you can be pickier with which resupplies you stop at, and only stop at the ones that are on or near the trail.

    (2) As I mentioned above, I'm looking at a 80-90 day trip for this coming summer, probably starting around Memorial Day. Your note about fires is interesting. How likely is it that I'll get hit by fires at some point? Will it be safe-ish to plan to hit Kennedy Meadows around June 15-20?

    Quote Originally Posted by ezabielski View Post
    Hey Coffee,

    I realized after working through this thread that I responded to your itinerary on the Facebook group. I actually failed in 2014 (stress fracture) trying to do a sub 100 day hike. I tried again this year and I actually had to stop at 2538 for fires on day 104. So I would have done it in about 107. But I kinda gave up on sub-100 around 1600 miles in. I did the last 825 miles at 29 mpd without a zero, despite giving up on sub-100. Anyway, here's my advice for hiking fast.

    The only thing that matters is consistency. Did you meet Sigi (the guy from the Czech Republic)? He started a week after me and he was the king of consistency of 26-27mpd every day without days off, and he caught me at mile 500. I saw his name in registers for the rest of the trail and he was around 10-14 days ahead of me at the end of the trail. With consistency in mind, you have to be either 1) really disciplined on town days or 2) skip towns to make resupplies longer, but more consistent miles. When I was going fast in Oregon and Washington, it was pretty easy to do 30-35 on full trail days, but 20 miles on a town day every 3 days really brings your miles down.

    120 is more relaxed, and I think if you just keep consistency in mind throughout the trail, you'll be alright. Keep in mind what I said on the Facebook thread about losing daylight towards the end of the trail. For this reason I would say going fast is easier going North. Long days in late June and early July were freaking glorious, and you won't really have those going South. Even in mid August I was trying to do mid-30s and the days were getting annoyingly short to do that without any night hiking. So I usually did low 30s in Washington.

    On the subject of pack weight, some of the absolute strongest hikers I met on the trail (way more capable of huge miles than I was) weren't particularly light, and for a couple of them their packs were double or triple my base weight. But going light does make it a LOT easier. It's just more fun if you're hiking higher miles to not be burdened by a heavy pack.

  9. #69
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-16-2011
    Location
    On the trail
    Posts
    3,789
    Images
    3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Walking Thunderbird View Post
    A couple things:

    (1) I totally agree with the consistency thing. I did a 75-day AT SOBO a few years ago (~29/day, ~32/day south of NH), and minimizing zeros and small days is the key to averaging big miles. One big advantage of doing bigger miles is that you can be pickier with which resupplies you stop at, and only stop at the ones that are on or near the trail.

    (2) As I mentioned above, I'm looking at a 80-90 day trip for this coming summer, probably starting around Memorial Day. Your note about fires is interesting. How likely is it that I'll get hit by fires at some point? Will it be safe-ish to plan to hit Kennedy Meadows around June 15-20?
    Your start date is about perfect for a hike of that duration. If you are flexible in dates you may want to monitor snow in the PNW. Everyone is always focused on the Sierra but a fast hike will also have to deal with snow up north. If you look through Swami's journal you will see what he face hiking a schedule similiar to what you are proposing. He had a different set of constraints since he was also doing the CDT and AT that year so he had to push for an earlier finish.

    unless it is a massive snow year in the PNW, I would suggest considering a SoBo. It takes a strong hiker to do the miles needed to finish the shorter window but that would be my ideal fast PCT if I were doing it again on the PCT.

    Finally, fires. You really can't plan for fires but here is where you will have an advantage. While you will start later you will likely be near the front of the pack leaving the Sierra. As you move north you will move forward in the pack. Why this is important is that it is the tal end of the Pack that will more likely get impacted by fire. You will likely follow the snow melt north. Fires often occur later in the season. During my year, 2011 I was not impacted by fires at all. But if you look at most trail journals from that year you will see that fires were an issue, I believe it was in Oregon.

    One more thought. You also probably have seen people talk about rain on the PCT especially in the PNW. you will also miss most of this. if you look at climate data for Wa you will see that August is one of the driest months and it gets continually wet as the season goes on. This, along with Sierra snow, were the factors that locked my into a May 21st start date.

Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •