The mechanism of decisions, costs and doubts

Why is light enough?

The team is something interesting to think about. Where did I start? Internet, of course! Half Way Anywhere PCT surveys, Trek blogs and photos, YouTube backpacking gear videos, there’s a ton of information. I read a lot and thought a lot, bought a couple of the same things, returned a few things, tried a few things and took a leap of faith. Ultimately, different styles for different people on how light you want to be versus how comfortable you want to be.

The tent is Durston X Dome 1+ because I don’t want to deal with trekking poles and guy ropes. I’ll accept the weight penalty for its ease and small size. I love this tent and have used it in the desert, in the rain, wind and snow. It’s not exactly a 4 season snow tent, but it will do. I currently like to cowboy camp and have some Tyvek for the tent footprint that will also work for days without a tent.

The backpack, Durston Kakwaa 55 and this was a leap of faith as I couldn’t try it on beforehand, but the good reviews did me good. I took it out in the rain and it is leaking at the seams so now it has dark racing stripes where I sealed it. And yes, I have my sleeping system and my sleeping clothes in a trash compactor bag. I can’t wait to take it out in the rain again and see if my efforts to bleach the seams on the backpack worked. Of course, living in Southern California it may be a while until it rains again.

Guess what the trekking poles are… Yes, Durston Iceline. I love them.

Here’s a chart and a breakdown by random categories. Lihat juga mnh5. Sierra’s elements are the bear boat, black diamond microspikes, and probably changing into pants to stretch out with the skeeters.

Here are the big 3 shown above.

The sleep system is the Enigma quilt along with a Zen Bivy sheet. The first time I used the quilt it didn’t work very well, it was great every time I turned around. After some reading, I purchased some loops on tape from ZPacks and was then able to properly use the Zen Bivy Sheet hooks. Oh, part of this sleeping system includes down booties and a down hood and I felt comfortable in the snow.

I’m still working on a few things, but for now, I probably have a better first aid kit than I need and luckily I haven’t had any blisters or injuries on my training walks.

The list is evolving, but for now, with some clothes worn and some worn, I weigh just under 15 pounds for my base weight. I thought I was down to 12 pounds, but I forgot to put my tent in the backpack…

I’ll update this list when I get to Big Bear and we can see what’s left, what’s gone, and maybe even what’s added.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.