My 2016 NOBO Gear Video!

[SplitOpenandMelt]

I'd love some feedback from you guys regarding my gear choices and how I could improve my pack weight. Also, stay tuned for more videos from the trail!

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvOHo4l-cxQ

[mattjv89]

Looking good. Here are a few suggestions but you're certainly on the right track. If you did all of these I doubt it would save more than a pound.

-If you're wearing convertible pants the shorts are a redundant item

-I started with a bottle of Dr. Bronner's and ditched it after I realized just about every shower at hostels is stocked with some kind of soap & shampoo. Of course the selection is kind of random so keep the Bronner's if you would mind smelling like green apple or other fragrant shampoo once in a while.

-Consider ditching the compression sack and stuff sack for your quilt and just stuffing it into the bottom of the trash compactor bag. It will compact down as you fill the pack with the rest of your items, and better utilizes the space by conforming to the shape of your pack more than a tightly compressed bag.

-The bag liner will have about the same affect as wearing a fleece to bed, so you could do that and save the weight of the liner. I've found those to be very generously rated, I have the "extreme" version of that liner and it doesn't seem to add much more than 10 degrees on despite the 25 rating.

[SplitOpenandMelt]

I'm afraid if I ditch the stuff sack for my quilt and a hole forms in my trash bag I could be in some trouble. I'd like to protect the quilt at all costs. Although there is no down in it so it should work well even when wet. Those are all great suggestions though, thank you.

[dbright]

some of the water sources are not big enough to fill your sawyer bags/ I took a plastic soda bottle cut it in half and use the bottom of the bottle to fill your bag with water. You could look online and there were some youtube videos on this option.

[Mtsman]

I'm on the trail now and I ditched my cut up bottle for a quart zip lock bag. It's ez to stuff anywhere in reach and it's lightweight. I can't claim the idea a hiker gave me the idea.

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[Rising3agle]

I use a SmartWater bottle to backflush my sawyer, so I don't need to take the flusher. just one less thing rolling around in my bag, not really a weight issue. The smartwater sport lid matches up pretty much perfectly with the filter nozzle.

Since you're taking your phone, you might consider the AT Guide in PDF, it's only like $8. The paper book is a lot more convenient, but the PDF on your phone would get you all the same information. Especially since you have the battery to recharge your phone 3 times. The book is 12 oz, so not insignificant to carry the whole thing. Another phone app to check out is Guthook's AT app. It's (relatively) expensive (I think $90 for all the maps) but for me it's worth every dime.

I intend to carry a sleeping bag liner, more because it's a lot easier to clean one of those than the top quilt. The one I got was a 5oz silk S2S one. I figure i can wash it when I do laundry in town, and that way help my down TQ not have to be cleaned quite as often. that's the plan, anyway.

And I agree with wanting to protect your sleeping bag. What I found with the Exos was it did really work out well shoving the quilts into a compactor bag, and putting that bag down in the bottom. With it only having the one compartment, it helps a lot for other stuff to shape to it with the bag not in a compression bag. If worried about it getting wet - maybe try putting the quilt into a compactor bag, and then putting that in the bottom of the pack liner bag. so it would still be double-bagged, and you still have your pack cover - but then the sleeping bag would conform a lot easier to space available.

overall, good looking packout. good luck on the hike.