IMHO, you're asking the right questions and making fair comparisons! I don't say that very often. Yeah you can hammock especially in the northern half just got to, as always, be mindful of weather and where it's appropriate to hang(BL said it - hike high camp low if suspecting nasty weather). A hammock on the JMT does somewhat limit your potential camping choices in foul weather but good news is that the JMT has some of the fairest weather for its elevation for any trail in the world. Got to plan where you'll camp at some pt if sleeping in the hammock and weather is rainy or LIGHTLY snowing. Little forethought and a hammock is definitely doable. Weather is generally amenable on the JMT up to about Oct. After Mid Oct anything can happen weather wise. In 3 JMT thrus(one SOBO July, one SOBO Sept, one finishing up the third wk of Oct(flip flopped, don't ask) and 1 SHR thru(finished up NOBO third wk Oct, got dumped on twice during that thru, F*&^ing beautiful out there at that time of the yr though!) I've cowboyed in a UL Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight bivy 90 % of the nights. Under a cuben or spinnaker tarp the rest of those times. My JMT kit is much like Miners. In addition when going through the Sierras on my PCT thru in mid June only set my tarp up once. Mid Sept starts getting colder and with a greater possabilty each succeeding day some light pow but even if you do get some in mid sept it'll probably burn off that day. Good chance you'll get some light rime and ice though(on gear, plants, rocks, maybe surface of tarns). As fair as the weather can be in the Sierras for the elevation during late july to late Sept it's NOT a place to leave insulation, rain jacket, possibly rain pants home especially when you start getting deep into Sept! take a Ul rain jacket that doubles as your wind jacket. Take a vest or insulating jacket.
As Qiwiz said, Stakes or rocks are fine for JMT shelters too. Not all the ground is rock! Bring peg, Al MSR Groundhogs heavier Ti Skewers, or Ti Vargo stakes if concerned.
*Does anybody think cuben groundcloth + cuben tarp + 20 degree quilt + sleeping pad (no bug protection) would be a bad idea for the JMT in September?"
BINGO! Money Zone! Was gonna tell ya to leave HMG's Echo II bug insert home for a mid Sept JMT hike. NOT needed FOR BUGS in Sept! That'll save ya some ozs(like 14-15)! Take the beak though. Nice to have the beak for the JMT in Mid sept just in case. Wt penalty isn't all that great either for the extra protection especially if you roll with the 20* quilt. That HMG ECHO(I or II) shelter is IMO in the JMT MONEY ZONE. two mid sized people, bit a Ul lower volume gear under the echo II tarp, and pitching low and you shouldn't need bivy sacks to go along with the Echo II.
Don't want any of the extra considerations with the hammocks and HMG Echo II having to have the security that you think enclosed in a piece fabric might entail and don't mind paying the price in a few ozs take a tent/tarptent shelter.
"I'm a little leary of the quilt option when the temps could (and likely will) drop into the twenties."
That's your call. Base it on how you sleep, your knowledge of using a quilt in sub 30* temps, the rest of your kit, etc
Pad, I go with the old Thermarest Shortie Prolite 3 and now in the last few yrs a Neo Air Shortie. If doing a quilt in mid Sept on the Jmt under a tarp or cowboying I roll with a 66" long X 20"womens Neo Air. I'm 6'4" and when using a quilt and it starts getting near 30*and below I switch to a warmer and longer Neo Air and/or add a 1/4-3/8 CCF pad to the mix when it regularly drops to 20*. I only got about 120 nights with my 20* down quilt though so am still ironing things out. ie; I toss and turn and side sleep. i like Enlightened Equipment and JRB quilts. I got a EE Prodigy 50* synthetic on order from Tim.
If doing it the cowboy way bring along a Tyvek ground sheet. Don't sweat the Polycro or Cuben wt savings. Not all that big anyhow. Take the extra abrasion resistance and durability of the Tyvek. Don't particularly like a cuben groundsheet for the JMT. It might limit my campsite choices. I like sleeping on slabs, ridges and summits.
How ya getting out at Muir Trail Ranch? As you might have noted by my JMT adventures Sept and early Oct perhaps getting into late Oct are some of my favorite times to be in the Sierras. Love it there.
Originally Posted by Miner
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