My lightweight gear list (sub 10 pound base)

[CoconutTree]

hayshaker, what is that fancy titanium stuff?

Connie, the woods is full of tarp stakes. I don't carry tarp stakes for the same reason i don't carry firewood. Also, i sort of enjoy the process of figuring out how i want to anchor my tarp each night. Yes, i am strange in that way.

[RockDoc]

I know from experience that freezing your ass is a high probability if you start north in early April, depending on the weather.

You are not specific about your warm clothes... I would prescribe a merino wool base layer, from head to toe.
Down coat or sweater yes, but down pants?? OK maybe.

[CoconutTree]

My gear list has every item of clothing i am taking, that isn't specific?

I could take wool long johns instead of down pants, but that would not save any weight and would not be as warm. I don't need a layer on my legs for hiking. i don't care if they get wet. Why should i carry wool?

When i switch to my summer bag, i plan to use the down pants to extend the rating until it gets warmer. I also like to travel and i am looking for a camping setup that will fit into my carry-on sized travel bag. I think down pants/jacket combo inplace of a sleeping bag might work for that when the weather is warm enough.

[Cheyou]

How do u charge the battery bank Don't u need a 2A wall charger, charge cables ? I c a stove listed but no wind screen or other cooking tools. Sewing/ repair kit.

thom

[Cheyou]

How do u charge the battery bank Don't u need a 2A wall charger, charge cables ? I c a stove listed but no wind screen or other cooking tools. Sewing/ repair kit.

thom

I c you changed your list . Warmer quilt is a good idea . Window shrink film works well for a ground cloth. It will b on sale soon .

Thom

[CoconutTree]

Thom, huh? must be talking about another gear list, mine has not changed since i started this thread

[Cheyou]

Thom, huh? must be talking about another gear list, mine has not changed since i started this thread

Yes I was on the wrong gear list !! Nice light kit . How do u charge the battery pack ? I need a wall charger for mine . Sorry for the mixup

Thom

[CoconutTree]

No problem. Camera battery will last a few hundred shots, so it will need a charge about once a month for my level of usage. It needs a wall charger which I will put in a bounce box along with extra guide book sections, cell phone, and whatever else i don't need on the trail.

With 2 batteries, i could leave the charger at home, and swap batteries via mail, with someone at home charging the batteries and mailing them back.

[hayshaker170]

[QUOTE=CoconutTree;2028359]hayshaker, what is that fancy titanium stuff?

I guess I was fooled by it's titanium color, I guess it's actually 7075 aluminum. I thought I had at least one cool titanium thing, so thanks for ruining it for me. My gear coolness factor was just downgraded. Ha ha!

[Dogwood]

I recognize redundancy in a rain poncho, wind pants, rain pants, and rain jacket. I'm assuming your rain pants and rain jacket are MB Versalite pants and MB Versalite jacket with your listed wts. These both breathe decently (decent MVTR specs)that they MAY be able to suffice also as wind pants and/or wind shirt. I had a MB Versalite Rain Jacket that I employed as a rain jacket, wind jacket, for sleeping in, easing insect pressure, and for a bit of warmth conservation at times.

My concern is the unpredictable nature of April into May. Can snow, sleet, rain for 3 days straight, be cool, then a few days later be 80*/muggy/sunny/muddy. What will keep you warm, comfortable and dry on your lower half as you hike in several days of cold possibly freezing heavy rain? Not really feasible hiking in down pants that are part of your sleep system? How about mixing in light wt convertible pants or silk wt bottoms into the mix and doing away with straight wind pants. This way you don't add wt but have less dedicated apparel adding the flexibilty/verstilty thta ypu might want with the April/may weather. I'm not saying to do this necessarily. I'm saying consider it.

Curious as to what model is your wind jacket? Again, I'm not recognizing you hiking comfortably in the Uniglo down jacket. Great for camp but wearing while hiking ehhh? I like your idea of a synthetic jacket maybe something like a lite wt Patagonia Nano Puff. Perhaps even starting with a light to med wt synthetic vest rather than a jacket. Throw a LS light wt shirt w/ a deep chest zip into that combo w/ the merino tee. This covers you in camp too. Likewise the convertible pants and/or silk wt synthetic bottom are worn while hiking and in camp. Have you ever or how often have you worn the shorts, windpants, rain pants together? with the rain poncho? with the Uniglo Down jacket? Not seeing that scenario for your hike very often!

As said Joe Valesco will make you a customized CF tarp perhaps even a cat cut for you. Durability of CF cat traps is a product of several factors.Your usage, construction methods, material selected, etc If you want a well made customized 8 CF cat cut tarp Ron Bell over at Mountain Laurel Designs has done SHWEET CF customized sized tarps for me. Rec MLD highly for a CF tarp!

I'm a tarper and cowboy camper. I have somewhat advanced UL kits. FWIW, and I say this respectfully to you, and this is NOT that huge a deal, but your kit wt still can be trimmed slightly by several ozs quite easily from what I can see. Although possible, especially when I get into the gram weenie zone, I MIGHT consider not bringing along stakes and using what I find. On your hike though, IF you do indeed plan on tarping in the heavy spring rains of the AT, I personally can find it a PITA to find impromptu stakes for my tarp needs in a downpour when a set of 6-8 Ti or Al stakes can be had for 2 oz maybe less. All your call though.


It's my guess you'll have a few nights where it will be so cold you'll be well below the 20* EE quilt rating. Not that big of a deal for tenters w/ the rest of your kit but with a an open A frame tarp configured shelter, and that I'm assuming your cold comfort zone adaptability MIGHT be compromised by you being from San Jose, it is something you might want to give thought to. PERHAPS, head to a AT lean to early on the coldest projected night temps? Perhaps, use the tarp somehow as insulation under or around you in the lean to? Those few extra degrees out of the wind and w/ the barest of extra insulation from the tarp can make a difference in sleep comfort.

[CoconutTree]

Dogwood, Thanks for the well thought out reply.

The poncho + wind shell (jacket+pants) + rain shell (jacket+pants)combination is not common, but one i find very functional. I think rain shells make poor substitutes for wind shells, and actually even my curent wind shell isn't as breathable as i would prefer. I will use my wind shell almost every day i am on the trail. Rain jacket/pants is too hot, too narrow of a temperature range, and the waterproofing layer is too fragile, for daily use. It is primarily too help keep me warm in cold rainy conditions, and occasionally to supplemental warmth in dry conditions.

If i have a rain shell, why carry a poncho? Aren't they redundant? Poncho works great in the rain, it keeps you reasonably dry, it has some ventilation, and you can access the contents of your pack without rain getting in, it makes it easy to stop and take a break and eat a snack. It just isn't very warm in cold windy rain. Rain shells, provide more coverage for cold conditions, but it is only partially successful in keeping you dry, becoming much less dry the more you use them. You stay much dryer with poncho over the rain shell, and therefore warmer. You'll still get wet eventually in heavy rain, but it helps. You might call this a luxury, but i think the combination is functional enough to justify the weight. Without this combo, you need warmer clothing to compensate.

For 3 days of freezing rain: Using only poncho, rain shell, merino t shirt and nylon shorts, i should be able to get by, but I admit it would be challenging. Adding a synthetic puffy top makes it much more manageable. I don't think a layer for my legs is that important, while hiking. If i do want to wear the down pants, i am not worried about getting them wet, because the 20 degree down quilt should keep me warm at night without the need for down pants.

The MLD tarps do look pretty sweet. I have been looking more into DIY and now i am actually leaning towards making my own.

I am starting in mid april. You think a few nights will be below 20 then? I think there will be a few nights below 30, but unlikely to go below 20. I haven't tested the lower limits of this setup, but suspect it can handle below 20 if it had to. It is interesting that you think a lean-to is warmer than sleeping on the ground. I always thought it was the other way.

[Weather-man]

wrong thread

[Weather-man]

Ha. See my post above. Wrong thread! Oh well

[Dogwood]

You have thought things out for yourself and that's what's most important. Some of my comment I should have rephrased more as asking rather than telling.

"I am starting in mid april. You think a few nights will be below 20 then? I think there will be a few nights below 30, but unlikely to go below 20. I haven't tested the lower limits of this setup, but suspect it can handle below 20 if it had to."

Determining weather as an absolute, especially since it can be influenced by many things(elevation, exposure, winds, etc) is certainly iffy in unpredictable April. IMO the BEST that can be done is allowing for a range of conditions in April. You're doing that. However, after considering historical avgs, I positively do recommend you take a kit for April, possibly early May nights, that addresses below freezing temps WITHOUT wind chill and wetness factored in that all can rob heat. This is perhaps more important for you as a A frame config. tarper compared to an enclosed tenter.

Tarp specs, set up configurations, CS selection, depth of your tarping experience you bring to the show, integration of other gear in your sleep system, etc definitely factor into your sleep comfort. I really like your 120" ridgeline length for the AT in spring and since no bivy is being included. I assume no excessive front pointing is part of the design. Since your EE Revelation quilt is a long I suspect you're 6ft+. You're going to want the extra ridgeline length. If you haven't made your DIY CF tarp yet you might consider a trapezoidal tarp with the 7 ft width on your foot end and a bit wider on the head end, maybe something about 8 ft. The extra coverage might be appreciated on the wet AT in spring/summer especially if utilizing lean-tos is not a major part of your hike plan. The added wt is quite minimal for the appreciated coverage for the AT. I'm relating this from past experiences. Don't be stupid light. It's the wet east coast AT not San Jose, not the PCT, AZT or even the Sierra. Curious: is your EE Revelation constructed of Down Tek and/or customized with a more weather repellent fabric footbox? These quilt spec questions aren't game changers on the AT but going onto more remote wetter hikes it might be. It's all about finding that sweet zone that keeps changing based on different hikes.

"It is interesting that you think a lean-to is warmer than sleeping on the ground. I always thought it was the other way."

It depends. I could sleep on the ground cowboy camping nestled under or in a grove of thick evergreens or between heat sinking boulders with a thick insulated ground layer of duff or evergreen boughs with an appropriately integrated kit and it be warmer than a drafty older AT lean to in a middle of the lean to position with 4 other damp ATers with wet gear surrounding me. Personally, I like taking the least draftiest position in AT lean tos which is usually a corner position in well built newer non drafty lean tos perhaps upstairs if the lean to is on two levels. I find upstairs in corner spots is usually most out of the wind or the least exposed on the AT. Don't have all the downstairs foot traffic and wet gear to contend with either. NOT all AT lean tos are equal. You might consider which way the rain/wind etc is coming from in relation to their open faces, how many others are in the lean to, what is their awareness like, etc. Sometimes(often?) I find it better to move on and camp away from AT lean tos!

[CoconutTree]

There are certainly no guarantees about the weather.

My initial plan was a 6.5x9.5 silnylon flat tarp, which matches the effective area of my current 7x10 plastic sheet tarp after accounting for the effects of the sheetbend corner tieouts. I used a 6x10 plastic sheet tarp to thru hike the AT in 99, which worked, but was confining in wet weather. Cuben is light enough that sizing up makes a lot of sense, therefore 7x10. That is the flat-tarp equivalent size, with cat curves, the outer dimensions will be 7'8x10'2. I am not planning to do trapazoidal shape. I am 5'11 BTW. The 9 foot ridgeline tarps i often see sold make no sense to me, although you can always toss a rain jacket over your feet or look for natural cover to enhance your shelter.

I ordered the long/wide quilt for extra room to wrap up on cold nights. I am neither tall or wide. A little extra goes a long way. My first homemade quilt was a bit too trim and I will never make that mistake again.

My quilt will have downtek, but as far as i can tell there is no evidence to support the marketing claims that it provides any benefit for the user. My down jacket has a similar treatment and at least it doesn't appear to be harmful. I noticed western mountaineering's bags do not use this stuff.

I enjoy staying in lean-tos sometimes, but it can get a little cramped in bad weather. I rode out a severe storm warning night under my tarp last year on the AT and it was much more restful than it would have been to squeeze into the nearby shelter.

[Dogwood]

I missed you saying that you did a 99 AT thru. My mistake also that I assumed you wanted a gear review rather than just a sharing of your kit possibly comparing it to others.

I'd say you already know the April-early May weather scenario, lean to scenarios, etc so need to ask or confirm with anyone here about what you've already personally experienced? Hmm? I respectfully ask, have you considerde there are perhaps better places to make ind depth light wt/UL kit comparisons?

You seem to be contradicting some of your words and actions.

"The 9 foot(118 ' or so!) ridgeline tarps i often see sold make no sense to me,...." If that is the case why are you contemplating making your own 7'x10' (120" ridgeline?) tarp?

"...as far as i can tell there is no evidence to support the marketing claims that it provides any benefit for the user." If that is so why does your EE Revelation reflect the use of Down Tek in its choice of insulation?

"I noticed western mountaineering's bags do not use this stuff." Currently they don't but they have considered using it. I totally respect WM for their reasons and design standards in this regard...so much so that I have satisfactorily owned four different model WM sleeping bags. IMO, WM takes a different design approach in conserving down loft/warmth in their sleeping bag designs. Whether one recognizes that as a more or less valid design is up to personal opinion. 1) their sleeping bag temp ratings can be a bit conservative in the first place so slight loss of loft/temp rating may not be as critical as other generously temp rated sleeping bags in general wide spread conditions 2) WM, IMHO, WM has choice quality down from all the WM bags I've seen cut open to examine the quality of the down. IMO, not all down quality is equal across a wide selection of spec parameters! 3) WM, at least in large part, approaches down loft conservation by offering several different high quality high thread count shell fabrics with very good quality DWR treatments 4) you're comparing quilt design with high end hooded sleeping bag design. It's a slightly different animal IMHO. 5) For the most part I recognize a quilt choice of options to be wider in scope than sleeping bag options. Hence I see hydrophobic down a slightly more common option with quilt choices than sleeping bag choices.

I currently have two EE quilts. Pleased with all my WM sleeping bags and EE quilts. Different gear for different conditions.

FWIW, I have an FF Swallow UL 900 fp in untreated down that I also thoroughly have been pleased with. This sleeping bag also has a excellent quality Pertex Endurance UL shell with a quality DWR treatment.

[CoconutTree]

Sorry for the confusion, not my intention. Started the thread saying this will be my third long distance hike and that i thru hiked in 99. The "Ultra light hikers forum" on whiteblaze is the wrong place to discuss and compare lightweight gear for hiking the AT? On my 99 hike I started mid may, and never had weather under 40 in that spring. April weather will be a new experience.

For a tarp, I think 9' is too short, 9.5' just long enough for my 5'11 frame, and 10' more reasonable when a light weight material is available. Also if the tarp is longer on the ridgeline than the sides, then the effective length is less than ridgeline length. If i was one of the taller hikers on the trail, even 10' might be too short. Stomach sleepers will also need a bit more length and side sleepers a bit less length. I am a side sleeper so that helps.

I use down tek because it was the default choice. No other reason.

[lonehiker]

Not taking your puffy is anathema to many (if not most) on these forums.

[CoconutTree]

huh? I am taking a puffy.

[rainydaykid]

Sorry for the confusion, not my intention. Started the thread saying this will be my third long distance hike and that i thru hiked in 99. The "Ultra light hikers forum" on whiteblaze is the wrong place to discuss and compare lightweight gear for hiking the AT? On my 99 hike I started mid may, and never had weather under 40 in that spring. April weather will be a new experience.

For a tarp, I think 9' is too short, 9.5' just long enough for my 5'11 frame, and 10' more reasonable when a light weight material is available. Also if the tarp is longer on the ridgeline than the sides, then the effective length is less than ridgeline length. If i was one of the taller hikers on the trail, even 10' might be too short. Stomach sleepers will also need a bit more length and side sleepers a bit less length. I am a side sleeper so that helps.

I use down tek because it was the default choice. No other reason.

I'm 5'11, and I've used an 8" ridgeline for years with no issues. I have a homemade tarptent design that uses a ridgeline clipped around a tree and mosquito netting on both ends, and I can fold in the front and rear for warmth in winter.

I'll post my gear list here soon, 10.5lbs base, good to 20 or so.