Gear Picks
Ladies,
What are your gear picks so far?
Specifically:
Shelter, Sleeping Bag, Sleeping Pad, Water Filter
Z-packs Solplex for tent, made my own bag(had a Montbell #3 downhugger I gave to my sister), Neo-Air Xtherm large with a custom haircut to 65 inches, and a full size Sawyer squeeze. Buy the lightest gear you can afford that will do the job. Rule of thumb, "Total pack weight should not exceed 20% of your ideal weight.".
ZPacks Duplex (love the amount of space for one person while still being light)
Enlightened Equipment Convert Quilt/Bag rated to 10*F
Klymit Insulated Static V Light, although it started losing air and had to send it in for fix or replacement. Not sure where it was leaking, but it was fairly comfortable and light. I had to use a Exped Downmat for the last two trips and it was too narrow which I suspect had something to do with sleeping badly.
Sawyer Squeeze...works great, but has to be back-flushed periodically. It should be done after every 4-5 day trip; mine almost quit working because I hadn't done it in over 7 days of three separate trips, including a rough-looking water source.
I am, however, looking at hammocking. I always seem to sleep rough when camping, especially lately and when it's cold. I toss and turn a lot so I'm hoping that I might do better in a hammock.
If you want something a little be more free-standing than ZPacks tents, you can get a Big Agnes Copper Spur... they are in the ballpark of twice the weight at half the price (the UL2 is on sale for $365 compared to $600 for ZPacks Duplex).
I don't know what everyone is using on the AT, but on a recent JMT thru hike, the Copper Spur was by far the single most popular tent. At Guitar Lake, I counted about 30 tents, with about 5 or 6 of them (~20%) being Copper Spurs.
I also hear a lot of good reviews on the TarpTents... another option similar to ZPack tents that are once again heavier in your pack but lighter on your wallet.
I really like my Jacks R Better Sierra Sniveller (that's a quilt). It's rated to 25 degrees, which is comfortable for me to about 35. But last winter I paired it with a pair of generic down pants and my puff jacket over merino long johns and used it successfully down to the low twenties. It was a great price for a quilt in that range, and it has held up very well.
Pack - Osprey Exos 48L
Tent - Hennessey Hammock - Asym (Been using for several years and sleep better in it than tent)
Bag - Down LLBean 35 degree (Purchased in their discount store so cheap for light weight down, will get a 10 degree down bag for start of my thru hike 2017)
Filter - Katadyn filter (I have used this filter for section hikes for 8 years. Know it's not light weight but I have had great success getting water from small puddles and skinny trickles with it. Also use a camelback and this allows me to fill the bladder without removing it from the pack. )
Pad - Klymit Insulated Static V Light
How does the Klymit pad work in the hammock?Originally Posted by kizzybean
I have Klymit Inertia O-zone that I use in my hammock. It easily deflates to the size of a litre water bottle. Four good breaths blow it up. It looks like Swiss cheese …
I am impressed with it. My only wish is that I could fit it inside my sleeping bag — which I can't do readily, since my bag is on the small side for my large frame. When I do squeeze it into my bag, I don't slip around on the Klymit.
Normally when the Klymit is underneath my bag, I have to do a bit of gyration to make sure all of me is actually on top of the Klymit. … At least that helps me keep warm!
I've slept comfortably enough down to freezing with this arrangement, down to the rated capability of my bag.
Bruce Traillium, brucetraillium.wordpress.com
I use the pad like Traillium and only partially inflate. I chose that for my thru hike verses an underquilt in the event I need to go to ground or sleep in a shelter, also a little cheaper.
Have you heard anything on the Big Agnes Flycreek? It's almost a full pound lighter and about 40$ cheaper.
Tent: Sierra Designs Flash UL 2 (My husband and I hike together, so we share the weight of the tent.). I have been very pleased with the tent so far. Big enough for both of us and some space to spare. I LOVE the two doors on the sides.
Pad: Kylmit Static V insulated pad. Doesn't take too much to fill the pad and I find it very comfortable. My bag has a sleeve on the back that the pad slips into which is nice. It also has places near the foot where the bag can be attached to the pad, but I haven't felt the need to use them.
Bag: Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed. My husband loves his, but I found mine too tight from the knees down. I used an old down jacket to add a panel down the front and put a zipper in it so I can free up my legs when I want. I wish I had purchased an Enlightened Equipment Revelation instead, but I'm going to use this until I need a replacement.
Filter: Sawyer mini. Has worked perfectly and easily every time.
Pillow: This is important to me because I have a neck injury. At first I used the Klymit inflatable pillow, but it did not have enough loft. Now I have a Therm-a-Rest compressible pillow. A better night's sleep is worth the extra volume.
Pack: Osprey Ariel 55L. I have been very pleased with this pack. My only complaint with it is if I hike in a sleeveless shirt, the straps irritate my skin. An old sock with the foot cut off slipped over the strap fixes that. My husband has the Osprey Atmos 50. I like my pack better than his.
I have a balky Walmart travel pillow. It's light, but I actually appreciate that it takes up some space otherwise I'd have a hard time filling my pack!
Gear picks
Tent - Six moon designs solo + footprint
Bag - Enlightened Revelation
Bag - Deuter 45-50L
Water - Sawyer mini
Cook - Toaks - 650 - BSR stove
Trekking poles - REI for women
I also have base layer bottom and top
Last edited by Breindy; 09-22-2016 at 12:30. Reason: more to add
Tent - Copper Spur....I picked Copper Spur over the Flycreek because the side entry was easier for me to use.
Bag - 20 degree down quilt (Underground Quilts)
Pad - Neo- Air XTherm
Filter - Sawyer Squeeze
The BA Flycreek has two audiences - Those who love it and those who are not fans. The biggest complaints (IMO) are that it is front entry and there is not a whole lot of headroom.
With that, I have a BA Flycreek UL2 and I love it. Then again, I am not a guy who is 6'2" and trying to get in and out of this tent. That might change my perspective. Instead, I am a woman who is 5'6" and have never had issues with getting in and out of this tent. I have also not had issues with headroom. I was gifted this tent, but chose the 2 person version because the UL1 was not really worth the weight I would save. I love being able to keep my pack in my tent and have room to move about.
The BA Flycreek is a solid tent. It is not a free-standing tent, but it can be pitched using just the poles in a pinch (though, I wouldn't personally make a habit of it). I personally do not have a bad thing to say about this tent as I have not had any issues with mine.
It is still a pretty popular tent on the trail. One of the great things about it is you can often find this tent at a local outfitter and check it out before you buy. Additionally, the good sales are about to start happening for trail gear! If you watch the internet, one can often get amazing deals beginning this time of year.
I am switching things up to go with a Zpacks tent for next summer, but my BA Flycreek will most likely remain my shoulder-season tent for the trips where a double-wall tent is preferable.
I've slept in a fly creek before... it's like getting in a sleeping bag. .. didn't like it, much prefer a side entry.
Are you the same C-shell that hiked with BonBon?
Zpacks arc haul pack
Dutch halfwit hammock
warbonnet yeti UQ
hammockgear burrow 20 quilt
hammockgear cuben tarp
full size sawyer
thermarest neoair short in case I have to use a shelter
i turned to hammocks last year and sleep so much better and my old bones don't creak as much in the morning.
I'm spending downtime this winter playing with alcohol stoves.
for right now I'm just doing week long AT sections and local overnighters, but trying everything for a 2019 thru
........+1
Big Agnes 2P Angel Springs tent, Osprey Ariel 65 backpack, Marmot Helium Down bag, Nemo Air Insulated Pad and Sawyer Filter.
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