As I get older I am finding that my pack is getting a little heavier due to wanting a bit more comfort. My base weight is creeping up but is still in a range that I can comfortably carry. As you will see, I love Cuben Fiber (now Dyneema) and am willing to spend the extra bucks to carry a lighter tent/shelter.
Tents/Shelters Backpacks Air Pads Pillows Sleeping Bags/Quilts Miscellaneous Gear
Tarptent Double Rainbow Li (28 oz, Dyneema 2020): I bought this shelter/tent at the last minute before departing for the John Muir Trail (JMT) at the end of June 2020. Soon after the JMT trip, this tent went with me on the Timberline Trail (40 miles around), and on a 60 mile PCT section hike from Mt Adams through the Goat Rocks Wilderness to White Pass, and recently on the Enchanted Valley trip. Love the spacious interior and easy setup.
Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon (27 oz, Dyneema 2019): Yes, I'm one of the maniacs who bought this very expensive tent. Hey, I'm Gadget Girl and a sucker for Cuber Fiber (okay, Dyneema). I am well aware on how fragile this tent is as they used the thinnest .34 Cuben Fiber for the rainfly. Click here for my personal review of this tent. Note: I ended up returning this tent and bought the Tarptent DW Li.
MLD Superlight Solo Bivy (7.5 oz Size L 2016): On my big 2016 PCT hike we each carried this bivy for the desert section. It worked quite well in the dry environment and saved a bunch of weight to carry. I was forced to buy the large size due to the heighth of the air pad I was using. The owner of MLD was willing to customize the netting with a larger opening. It helped with air flow and not feeling claustraphobic. The Bivys do look like coffins though! We thought we would cowboy camp instead of using the bivys but that thought was laid to rest when we would come across rattlesnakes in the late afternoon. I would love to use this more but living in the Pacific Northwest is not quite the right conditions for it.
SMD Skyscape X (17 oz, Cuben Fiber 2016): When I bought this shelter, the designer had just moved the poles from inside to outside. It was a poor move. I changed it back to inside. My experience with critters and deer demanded that all equipment, especially hiking poles must be inside the tent. I really enjoyed this tent. It worked well for several section hikes. I loved that it only needed five stakes, but I added a sixth stake to the pointy front end to keep it from floating around. The side netting is pretty baggy and definitely could have used a redesign. But, I recently purchased a 25 inch XTherm and cut off the excess (see Youtube on how to do this, it worked great) and discovered that the extra five inches of width ate up most of the extra room in this shelter. It's now a struggle on where to put the backpack and other gear. It also created an issue on the foot of the quilt and pushed it up onto the shelter causing condensation on it every morning. I tried going back to my 20 inch air pad but once you try a 25 inch pad, there's no going back to a smaller width. I also wish that this tent had a proper bathtub. Lots of debris gets in the tent, sort of like magic. I have considered sewing in Cuben Fiber on the walls for a makeshift bathtub. This shelter would be an incredible tent if the baggy side netting was fixed, the bathtub floor was properly engineered with 8 inch walls, it was expanded to accommodate a 25 inch air pad, and that the foot of the shelter was raised up about 4 inches. Unfortunately this shelter is no longer offered. I may take the time and do a little redesign and create a shelter based on this model to fit my requirements. I do still take this shelter on overnighters just for the fun of it. I like this shelter that much.
Lightheart Gear Cuben Solong 6 (27 oz, Cuben Fiber 2015): I LOVED this shelter. It was my most used and favorite shelter until June 2020. I was so bummed when I found out that the owner no longer makes the Cuben Fiber version of this tent. Only 27 ounces and a joy to "live in". Worth every penny. Using two hiking poles for setup, it goes up quickly. Love Cuben Fiber, never sags. Unfortunately it was at the end of its life span. It still works great in dry weather, but I've noticed seepage in the fabric and pooling in the corners of the tent when it rains. Bummer. If Lightheart Gear decides to start making this again in Dyneema, I will be first in line.
Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus (17 oz, Cuben Fiber 2012): This first generation shelter went with me on several long distance hikes. On its maiden voyage in the Sierra from Tuolumne Meadows to Bishop Pass, I experienced many days of thunderstorms, hail, and heavy rain. The rain would hit the ground and bounce underneath the entry way and smash against the mesh wall, splashing everything inside. It was a dirty mess. I grabbed all the plastic bags I had and used up my white tape taping everything to the inside mesh to try to keep the dirt and mud out. After 10 days of use, I discovered how much I hated having a mesh floor. So when I returned from the section hike, I decided to buy the bathtub that goes with this shelter and cut out that nasty floor mesh. I left about 3-4 inches of mesh between the bathtub and the walls for circulation. It worked great for a couple of other section hikes until I started having issues with the low entry. The shelter also has a huge footprint and uses a lot of stakes.
Big Agnes Flycreek 2 (2 lbs, 4 oz, silnylon 2010): I wanted to love this tent but quickly found out that I extremely disliked the front entry. On a section hike in the Washington Cascades, we ended up in torrential rain. Quickly set up the tents and that night I woke up with water dripping on me. I couldn't believe it. It was leaking on me at the hub, from where the poles connect together. I contacted Big Agnes and sent the rain fly in for inspection and hopefully replacement. They couldn't find anything wrong with the rain fly and sent it back.
Tarptent Squall 2 (approx 2 lbs, silnylon 2009): When I started with long distance hiking, I used a two person Tarptent Squall 2 shelter. This is a big tent with amazing room for two, but too much space for one person. It can use one or two hiking poles. Never seem to need two poles. I keep it around in case a novice backpacker wants to go for an overnighter and doesn't have gear.
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ULA Circuit, size S: I love, love, love this pack. It is my primary pack, except for hiking in the Sierra. It has over 3,000 miles on it and is just starting to show its age (year 2020). Comfortable harness, large hipbelt pockets, a simple design with amazing toughness.
ULA Catalyst, size S: Another ULA pack that I use for bigger trips where I need to carry a bear canister or winter type clothing and tent. It is a great pack.
Gregory Pack, size S: A well made pack but about three pounds heavier than my ULA Circuit. Once I tired of carrying a 40 lb pack on the first two PCT section hikes (2009 and 2010), I learned about how to backpack lighter. The wallet took it in the shorts, but in the long run my body thanks me for it everytime we hit the trail and this pack has been retired. Still in great shape, but don't want to carry the extra weight.
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Ahhh, the agony of air pads. Back in the good old days when I was a teenager, I used a thin blue foam pad. Remember those? I still have it, although I've cut it in half and now use it as a big sitpad in winter months to keep my body off the snow. I also still have the very first original Thermest self inflating pad, complete with brass tightener. Used that pad in my 20's.
Thermarest Women's Pro Pad: A lovely bright pink pad that self inflated. Used it a number of years until I discovered the comfort of air pads.
Exped Synmat UL 7, size S: My first air pad and it worked very well for a handful of years until I switched from sleeping bag to a quilt. I quickly realized I needed more insulation under me. Purchased the snozzle to go with it. I still use this pad when it's forecasted to be warm overnight.
Exped Downmat, size S: Loved this pad. This time the snozzle came with it. It was a little heavy but oh, the comfort. It did get a tiny puncture on a section hike and at first I didn't get why there were so many tiny feathers in my tent. Finally figured it out, found a lake, pumped up the pad and found and fixed the leak. Haven't had one since but I still find feathers in the tent every time I use it.
Thermarest Xtherm Mummy Pad: Yes, Xtherms crinkle and make noises when one turns over at night, but the magic of reflecting heat back at you really works. I used this pad for a year or so until I kept waking up with numb shoulders and arms. Although it is a "20 inch" pad, when you inflate it, it sort of becomes something less than 20 inches. My arms kept falling off the pad. This pad was the first mummy shaped pad and I finally decided I preferred a rectangle pad instead. Yes, the mummy shape saves a bit of weight, but the waking up and having to shake my arms and hands to get circulation back wasn't worth it.
Thermarest Xtherm 25" Pad: Based on the issue with the 20 inch width on the mummy Xtherm and losing some of that width to inflation, I decided to go with a 25 inch Xtherm. I am only 5' 5", but that little extra width is so worth it. I was forced to get a regular size, which I didn't want or need, but I watched a YouTube video on how to cut down an Xtherm and make it the size I wanted. That first cut was nerve wracking, considering how expensive these pads are, but followed the instructions and voila! A custom sized air pad just for me. No more numb shoulders and arms. The pad is a tad heavy but worth every ounce for a delightful sleep each night.
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Oh, the agony, is the extra weight worth taking a pillow?
Stuffsack Pillow, tent bag and homemade bags: For years I simply took my tent bag and filled it with clothing. It worked okay, but it was always so round. Sometimes I slept okay, and other nights were a thrash. I made a couple of stuffsack pillows which were a bit more comfortable but were a little heavy. Then air pad pillows were created.
Exped Air Pillow, 1.9 oz : I was so excited to get my first air pad pillow! It looked comfortable and I couldn't wait to use it. Much to my dismay, it was only 2.5 inches high. I struggled with that pillow, finally gave up and sold it. Back to the tent bag and stuffing it with clothes while I searched for a taller pillow.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow, 1.7 oz: Back to a stuff sack pillow, I bought the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow. It had Dyneema on one side (did I tell you how much I like Dyneema?) and a soft fleece on the other side. It works extremely well when I take my big Montbell Down Parka with me on a section hike. It pumps that baby up to the heighth I needed. But on long distance hikes like the PCT, the stuffing and unstuffing of the stuff sack every day got very old. I still have this pillow and use it occasionally.
Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow, size L, 4 oz: Yep folks, four ounces for a pillow! Yikes. But oh so nice not having to stuff the pillow sack every night on long trips. And a nice 5.1 inches in heighth!
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My very first sleeping bag was a duck down REI bag. I was just a teenager and didn't have a clue on gear. I practially froze to death on my first overnighter on Mt Rainier. Nowadays I try to check and compare survival and comfort ratings. I now know that with a 15 degree bag, I'm only good until 29 degrees and then I start feeling chilled.
Marmot 15 degree bag: Heavy, but it was comfortable and it worked.
Montbell 15 degree Downhugger 800 bag: I so wanted to love this bag. Used it for several PCT section hikes and every night I felt like I was being strangled. It was not the bag for me.
Katabatic 15 degree Sawatch Quilt: Back in 2015 I switched to a quilt. No more strangulation for me. Katabatic has great products so I bit the bullet and bought the Sawatch model. I've been quite happy with it and I do use a down hood to go with it. Again, once the temperature drops below 29 degrees, I start to feel it. The lowest temperature I experienced in it was 18 degrees. I had to put on my down jacket to stay warm enough through the entire night. I also threw my rain jacket on top even though I knew it would create some condensation on my quilt.
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Airpad Inflator: Laugh all you want, but once you try an airpad inflator you won't want to go back to inflating your airpadand air pillow any other way. I use a Giga Pump 2.0. Only 2.3 ounces and also has a built-in flashlight and a 1300mah rechargeable battery. How cool is that?
Rechargeable Headlamp: Love the powerful beam of my headlamp, only drawback for that big light is the weight at 3.6 ounces.
Umbrella: I absolutely LOVE my Golite umbrella. Shields me from the sun and rain. I even use it in snowstorms. I attach it to my backpack for a hands free operation. The only drawback is when it's windy. It's been turned insideout a few times from the wind but thankfully it pops right back to its proper position.
Battery Packs: With all my rechargeable gadgets on the trail, I need to recharge them one way or another. I tried a big powerful solar panel but it was too much of a hassle to recharge all my electronics. Switched to Anker battery packs and haven't looked back. I have a 10,000, a 12,000, and a 20,000 and take what I need for whatever the length of trip is. A 10,000 is good for one or two nights, I can push the 12,000 for about 3-5 nights, and I've used the 20,000 for nine nights, although I arrived at the end with no charge left.
Camera: I love my Sony RX100 VI. It has a one inch sensor that makes it easy to give images a good crop without losing too much resolution. It's hefty at 11.1 ounces but every ounce is worth it for beautiful photos.
Cell Phone: My Samsung Note 9 is a workhorse. I use it for navigation, reading books on the trail, communicating with the outside world, snapping quick pics, and it connects nicely with the Inreach Explorer.
Inreach Explorer: Many people use the Mini but I have stayed with the larger Inreach Explorer. Because it has maps, I can use it to navigate and communicate if something happens to my cell phone.
Backpacking Chair: I do have a one pound backpacking chair that gets to go on short trips with me. This is definitely a luxury item but worth it if I know I will be spending time in camp visiting or reading. I sometimes use it inside my tent when it's raining outside.
Pack Cover: I ditched the store bought ones and now just use a black plastic 55 gallon plastic bag. I cut slits in it for the harness so I can slip it on and off. The store bought ones kept getting saturated, but I'm guaranteed a dry pack with plastic. And it's lighter!