r/Ultralight

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/turtlintime on 2024-11-14 18:31:44+00:00.

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I wanted to take some time to review the ice flame NXT because I couldn't find any solid reviews for it online. Product page:

The weight of the quilt is 22.6 oz for the long version. It is rated at 28F comfort and a limit of 23F according to the website.

Upsides:

• Price. This quilt is insanely cheap. I got it for 140 on aliexpress and you can stack coupons on that.
• Design. It uses a really cool mixed box and sewn thru design that I really like to save weight and cost
• Weight. The quilt weighs 22.6 oz for the long version
• Versatility. It has a pretty similar ability to unzip into a blanket that the EE revelation has.

Mixed:

• Attachment system.
  • One thing I love about the pad is that the pad straps attach at the part where the quilt stops having box baffles. This leaves the sewn thru section of quilt underneath to block off any air gaps. The quilt also has a TON of small clips all the way along it so you can turn it basically into a sleeping bag if you want.
  • My gripe with the attachment system is that I wish it came with a loop strap like the EE has so I could attach only one side of quilt to the pad in shoulder season for easy ventilation. I ended up creating my own loop strap with a cord that wraps around my pad and then uses the excess to tie to the quilt, but it isn't super elegant
• Warmth. I am not sure how much I trust the temperature rating. I got it down to 40 degrees and still was solidly warm, but I am unsure what would happen at a lower temp. Unlike other Chinese brands, they don't have an official testing standard listed on how they got their temps so i don't know how valid it is. I will update this in a few weeks when I go on a colder trip to update how this treated me. If it can be comfortable down to 32 degrees with base layers, I would honestly be happy with that

Downsides:

• Lack of draft collar. I wish it had this, but honestly if it is cold enough to need this, you will probably be wanting to wear your down jacket which would act as your draft collar.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Wandering_Hick on 2024-11-13 15:56:58+00:00.

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Just got back from testing 6 tents in some pretty high winds. Using 2 anemometers, I measured a peak gusts of 72 km/h (45mph), which led to two of the six tents having poles bend (2 tents had already failed). Average wind speeds were 30-40 km/h (19-25 mph) with normal gusts hitting 50-55 km/h (31-34 mph).

One of the tents I was testing was the Zpacks Plex Solo. It's a tent I've seen written off for windy conditions because of how lightweight it is, so I wanted to test it out. The things I thought would help it perform in wind are the geometry, using a robust trekking pole for structural support (Costco poles), and all the guylines. The things i thought might fail were the guylines slipping or ripping off of the tent with too much load.

I set the tent up with the door on the leeward side of the wind. So the entire back panel was being hit. Overall, the tent performed very well. The pyramid shape dumped wind very effectively due to not having any steeper walls like on some of the tents with tent poles. Not having tent poles also reduced a significant point of failure for other tents. An all-in-one pitch makes a big difference when setting the tent up in the wind. I was also able to pre-stake out all the guyout points, which meant I had full guyline support for the tent very quickly after raising the centre pole. The testing showed that guylines are one of the most important factors for tent performance in wind and having 10 guyout points for such a little tent definitely helped the Plex Solo. Some of the guylines did slip a little and I had to lock the tension using a half hitch at the lineloc. The issue of linelocs slipping was happening across all the tents. The triangle line locks did better.

Edit: I pitched the tent on a sports field with good compressed soil and used a mixture of pretty robust stakes.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/fntastikr on 2024-11-13 07:26:12+00:00.

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I like using a poncho for rain as I just like it better than having a pack cover and rain jacket.

So I'm looking for a light but good poncho which is big enough for a 1.90m man to stay reasonable dry, while having the backpack under the poncho as well.

I currently have a 350g one that in emergency doubles as a tarp.

I have sadly not found one that is lighter and smaller.

The tarp function is optional as I luckily did not need to use it yet.( I carry a tent)

Additional I'm in the EU. So most of the high tech dynema companies are in the US and hard to get here.

Any recommendations?

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Boogada42 on 2024-11-13 07:24:48+00:00.

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New tent from Zpacks. Uses two trekking poles in an offset configuration. Looks kinda spacious, but they use a very lightweight DCF to get to the numbers.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/BagRoutine4826 on 2024-11-13 03:03:58+00:00.

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I've been lurking in this sub for several months to see gear recommendations. I always noticed that when someone asks about the best base layer for winter, the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh frequently gets recommended in the comments.

Honestly, I thought it was just hype. I figured all base layers were pretty much the same—how could a single base layer be as remarkable as everyone was saying?

Today, I went to my local hiking gear shop, and they had a few AirMesh layers on sale, so I decided to try one.

Holy sh*t.

First of all, they are *so* light—like featherweight. I barely felt the weight when I put one on. The inner lining is made of a fleece-like material, so it’s incredibly warm. As soon as I moved a little, I could feel the air ventilating through the fabric, cooling my sweat almost instantly. It was like the fabric was breathing.

Honestly, it’s the best Winter base layer I’ve ever tried. No exaggeration.

I did notice that when I wore it directly on my skin, it felt a bit itchy due to the fleece material. So, I wore a Fine Track Elemental layer underneath, with the AirMesh as a second layer.

The weather here today was -1°C, and I wore the following layers: Fine Track Elemental, AirMesh, Arc'teryx Proton LT, and Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody. I stayed warm, and the breathability was amazing. I usually get sweaty easily, even in winter, but this combination was perfect for me.

The AirMesh is the king.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/853simon on 2024-11-12 04:13:23+00:00.

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Gecko Gear Mini Crampons:

Obviously not out yet, but how y'all feeling about this? Seems very applicable for PCT'ers and CDT'ers, or anyone recreating in snow. Half the weight of Petzl Leopards, and bi-directional. Not sure if anyone has heard of them yet, or anyone has experience.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/BeneficialAd3474 on 2024-11-10 23:45:55+00:00.

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This is going to sound really stupid, but how can I keep safe in the event of a thunderstorm when there's no available shelter other than my tiny little tent? Could planting a trekking pole in the ground far enough away on a hill be my best bet? I know the chances of getting struck are basically zero, but I would still like to avoid that.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/johntheguitar on 2024-11-08 14:55:51+00:00.

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I know this isn't typical content for this sub, but there is a proposed mine adjacent to the porcupine mountains in the upper peninsula that I just found a petition against.

If you would be willing to sign it or pass it along, that would be appreciated.

Cheers.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/LeichtmutGear on 2024-11-08 12:16:16+00:00.

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TL;DR: I've created ultralight camera bags that offer full weather protection with a rolltop design while maintaining quick and easy access using a magnetic "quick-flip" system. These bags aim to be the lightest fully protected solution for hikers who bring their cameras on the trail—starting at 28g for compact cameras like the Sony RX100, 63g for DSLR/mirrorless cameras, and 180g for larger setups with multiple lenses. They're made from Ultra fabric, use Evazote EV50 padding, and feature DCF as an inner liner.

Pictures over here!

Note: This topic has been approved by the mods. I had to pick a flair and figured "gear review" fits best. Although I am obviously biased since I create these bags. :)

Hey everyone! 👋

Of course, the lightest camera is the one you don't bring at all ...

... but for those like me, who travel ultralight but also carry their camera on the trail, I've created a set of ultralight camera bags! I developed them for myself through an MYOG journey over the past few years, and now I hope they offer a lightweight way for other ultralight photographers to carry their gear, keeping it fully protected yet quickly accessible. 😊

I've come up with three models to suit different camera setups:

1. The Scout (28g): Designed for compact cameras like the Sony RX100 and Ricoh GR series. It's minimalistic, with 4mm padding for protection and bag rigidity. Comes with 4 small mitten clips to attach to your backpack, which can be clipped together in pairs to create "sleeves" for your shoulder straps. I'm planning to experiment with 2mm padding to shave off a few more grams.
2. The Ranger (63g for small, 76g for large): This is the standard version for mirrorless or DSLR cameras with a lens attached. Lighter than typical shoulder strap camera clips (which also require additional tripod plates), it offers both protection and quick access. This also uses 4mm padding and comes with two carabiners to clip onto your backpack.
3. The Roamer (180g for small, 200g for large): Designed for larger setups with multiple lenses. The increased weight comes from 8mm padding for added protection and rigidity, plus internal dividers to keep things organized. For the gear it carries and the protection it offers, it's still super light!

... of course, fixed sizes are not perfect for everyone and may result in a tight fit or wasted space and weight. That's why I also offer custom sizes. Also, I sew every single bag myself!

Balancing Protection and Accessibility:

One of the toughest challenges was figuring out how to make the bag both fully waterproof and quickly accessible. I wanted something that wouldn't require me to stop and take off my pack to get to my camera but also wouldn't leave my gear exposed to the elements. I chose against zippers to both save weight and eliminate potential failure points.

I ended up combining a rolltop design with a magnetic system to grant both constant protection and quick access:

• Rolltop Protection: The bag functions like a dry bag for your camera. The rolltop closure and taped seams keep out rain, dust, and whatever else the trail throws at you.
• Quick Access: Once you clip the bag to your backpack, you only need to unroll the rolltop once. Then, flip down the lid to the body, where it's held in place by magnets. This allows you to quickly access the camera simply by flipping up the lid—no zippers or buckles to fuss with. With the lid secured by magnets, the bag offers sufficient protection from light rain and dust.
• Full Protection When Needed: If the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can quickly roll the top back up for complete waterproofing (designed for three rolls).

Materials and Construction:

• Fabric: I use Ultra fabrics to keep the bags ultralight, durable and waterproof. The Roamer uses Ultra 200 X. This version is a little to stiff for the smaller rolltops of the Scout and Ranger, so they currently use regular Ultra 200. But I intend to upgrade to Ultra 100X with my next fabric order.
• Seam Design: The bags are designed with as few seams as possible to simplify waterproofing. This also means the internal padding is not sewn in, as those seams would be tough to seal. Instead, an internal padding box is taped in with a DCF liner.
• Padding: For padding, I use Evazote EV50, which is pretty good at offering protection and maintaining its shape. I use 4mm for the Scout and Ranger, 8mm for the Roamer. This results in a fair balance between protection and weight. I'm planning to test thinner padding in the Scout.
• Inner Lining: The padding is lined with DCF because cameras often have rubber elements that tend to stick to open foam.
• Dividers (Roamer): The Roamer (largest version) is additionally lined with velcro-receptive fabric on the large panels. This allows you to flexibly install the dividers to separate your gear.

Flexible Attachment Options:

As is typical for toploaders, the bags have multiple attachment points, so you can adjust how and where you carry them. I usually attach mine between my shoulder straps, which keeps the camera stable and easily accessible. It also helps distribute the weight evenly. You can also attach them to your hip belt or anywhere else on your backpack.

When climbing, jumping, etc., the bags may swing a little if attached at the highest attachment point. This is why I install attachment points along the full height; just going down one step already reduces swing. You could also use additional straps to secure the lower points and fully eliminate swing.

Pictures!

I've put together some photos here.

If you're interested in more specifics, you can check out my website: www.leichtmut.de

I'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or any suggestions you might have! I'm just starting out, and appreciate any feedback :)

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Wandering_Hick on 2024-11-07 22:53:35+00:00.

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Building off of the previous stove testing I did (effect of fuel canister level), I have completed additional tests to assess the effect on boil time and fuel consumption of pot diameter and whether a pot has a lid or no lid. I used a BRS3000 stove and Soto Windmaster for the testing. Based on the results from the fuel canister testing, I switched to using 450g fuel canisters that had some fuel burned off and MSR LowDown remote adapter to manage fuel flow. Fuel flow was limited to one 360 degree rotation of the LowDown valve (720 degrees fully opens the valve). The pots used were a Toaks 750mL (95mm), Toaks 700mL (115mm), and Toaks 1650mL (145mm).

Here are some charts with the results of the testing. And some takeaways:

1. Pot diameter affects boil times and fuel consumption for both the BRS and Windmaster.
2. The difference between the shortest BRS boil time and longest was 36%. The difference in BRS fuel consumption was 28%. The difference between the shortest Windmaster boil time and longest was 29%. The difference in Windmaster fuel consumption was 25%.
   • Fuel consumption and boil time are reduced more for the BRS than the Windmaster as pot size increases.
3. Over the course of 110g fuel canister, you'd get 6 days of use instead of 5 days if you used the 115mm diameter pot instead of the 95mm diameter pot (with a BRS stove, no lid, and the exact same conditions this testing was done).
4. Whether a lid is on a pot or not didn't really affect fuel consumption or boil time. It may become more of a factor for longer boils (e.g., colder conditions, low fuel, alcohol stove, or large amounts of water).
5. Lid on vs lid off results seems to line up with GearSkeptic's results.

I also did some fuel flow tests with the MSR LowDown adapter (charts at link above) and found similar results to when fuel flow was changed due to fuel canister levels. The regulated Windmaster is pretty steady for boil time and fuel consumption until fuel flow is reduced quite a bit. The BRS sees boil time increase and fuel consumption decrease pretty linearly as fuel flow is reduced.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/SpottyBean on 2024-11-07 05:41:15+00:00.

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Originally posted in r/UltralightAus

Where: Bibbulmun Track, southwest Australia.

When: 10/14/2024 - 10/30/2024 (16 days 13 hrs 35 mins)

Distance: Officially reported as ~620 miles (1,000 km). My watch measured 610 miles (982 km) and 74,250 ft of gain (22,630 m).

Conditions: Spring. Generally between 50–73°F (10–23°C). Lowest temp around 36°F (2°C) and hottest around 90°F (32°C). Mostly dry and fairly cloudy, with significant rain once.

Previous trip reports:

Tom's website (The Adventure Gene) is the repository of so much Bibbulmun info it's crazy. Thanks so much.

There's also the report by fellow PCT '24er Bumps from a while ago in a different season (autumn).

Introduction/Summary:

It feels a bit odd writing a report for this subreddit when my starting pack weight was about 42 lbs (19 kg). I felt far from ultralight but ended up eating my way down to my base weight of 8.3 lbs (3.7 kg) and used everything except some repair/emergency items. So it was a hike in the philosophical ultralight vein. Although my legs perhaps didn't appreciate this distinction.

The Bibbulmun Track is a long trail located in southwestern Australia. I had completed the hike in a more leisurely manner the previous year and would have called it well-graded then, but my opinion on this has now shifted. It is though well marked and well maintained. The trail goes through open Marri/Jarrah woodland, scrubby plains, majestic Karri forests and finally the southern coast.

In a fit of delusion I decided to attempt to walk the trail fully “unsupported”. From the FKT guidelines: “Unsupported means you truly have no external support of any kind. You must carry everything you need from start to finish except water from natural sources. Public taps along the trail are fine, but no water from any commercial source even if free.” The main challenge obviously being the 620 odd miles of food I’d have to carry. Resupplying in any way being against the rules. This sadly included any town food or coffee. 620 miles of food can be as many days as you decide, but it is a trade off between going longer and lighter or shorter and heavier. I decided I didn't want to carry more than 17 days of food and the entailed pace was not too impossible, and so that became my goal.

So far as I know this is the first completion of this trail in an unsupported style. I found it very challenging to say the least and I barely enjoyed any of it. The hardest hike I’ve done by a long shot. My cushy ultralight life hadn’t prepared me for the weight and crushing impact of the heavy pack. It took its toll on my body from the get go and I was just trying to hold on till the end. My mantra was: "tomorrow is a lighter day".

I met a lot of people who hike regularly with this pack weight which I find insane and definitely vindicated the ultralight style of hiking for me. I would not enjoy hiking anywhere near as much if that was my regular weight. 

I was realistically pessimistic about my chances of completing the trail. I thought the most likely outcome would be pulling out due to injury on day 4 or 5. I did have a reasonable base of hiking fitness, having done the TA, Bibbulmun and PCT within the last two years. But I still struggled physically. I did get several injuries, the most serious on day 3, but they were all minor enough and manageable enough to allow me to continue onwards, albeit carefully.

Hiking the Bibbulmun unsupported required a lot of planning and preparation. Wild/free camping along the trail is not permitted sporadically for roughly half its length. The only permissible areas for wild camping are basically State Parks that are also outside of drinking water catchment areas. Towns are also out for the unsupported hiker as paying for anything, including accommodation or camping is not allowed. I had made a schedule that threaded the needle so to speak and pretty much stuck to it. Preparing all the food was a massive task. Being local, I cooked and dehydrated all my dinners which I cold soaked on the trail. It was well worth the effort. I nailed the food so I was never hungry and finished my last snack 4 miles from the finish. 

The Report: 

I’ve written a longer narrative style trip report with photos here: Long report.

When I wrote it I was fresh off the trail (although fresh is not the word I'd have used at the time) and I go into the day by day, how I was feeling, how bad my sleep was, the ant invasion of Day 4, why Day 7 was my worst day on trail etc.

There is also a short summary I included in the FKT submission you can read here: Fastest Known Time.

As part of the FKT submission I included tracking from my watch which updated my location every second, although they didn't include the files in their reporting. So there was no short cutting or quietly making my way to a café. Although there is always a level of trust and honesty involved in these things.

The stats for each day I’ll list below, taken from my gps watch. The pack weights are estimates based on the food I allotted to each day - I didn't have a set of scales on me.

Day - Distance, total elapsed time (hr:mm), elevation gain, starting total pack weight for the day

Day 1: 30.4 miles (49.0 km), 13:00, 5,315 ft (1,620 m), 42 lbs (19 kg)

Day 2: 31.1 miles (50.0 km), 13:13, 3,980 ft (1,213 m), 40.1 lbs (18.2 kg)

Day 3: 28.8 miles (46.4 km), 12:57, 3,166 ft (965 m), 38.3 lbs (17.4 kg)

Day 4: 33.6 miles (54.0 km), 15:13, 3,619 ft (1,103 m), 36.6 lbs (16.6 kg)

Day 5: 32.2 miles (51.9 km), 14:51, 3,993 ft (1,217 m), 34.6 lbs (15.7 kg)

Day 6: 37.2 miles (59.8 km), 14:51, 4,009 ft (1,221 m), 32.6 lbs (14.8 kg)

Day 7: 36.1 miles (58.1 km), 15:00, 3,346 ft (1,020 m), 30.6 lbs (13.9 kg)

Day 8: 36.5 miles (58.7 km), 15:29, 4,140 ft (1,262 m), 28.6 lbs (13.0 kg)

Day 9: 33.8 miles (54.4 km), 13:46, 4,425 ft (1,349 m), 26.6 lbs (12.1 kg)

Day 10: 36.6 miles (58.9 km), 14:53, 4,970 ft (1,514 m), 24.7 lbs (11.2 kg)

Day 11: 34.5 miles (55.6 km), 14:08, 4,698 ft (1,432 m), 22.7 lbs (10.3 kg)

Day 12: 39.6 miles (63.7 km), 15:37, 4,324 ft (1,317 m), 20.7 lbs (9.4 kg)

Day 13: 39.3 miles (63.2 km), 15:26, 2,493 ft (760 m), 18.7 lbs (8.5 kg)

Day 14: 36.7 miles (59.1 km), 14:49, 5,180 ft (1,579 m), 16.8 lbs (7.6 kg)

Day 15: 41.8 miles (67.2 km), 16:31, 6,886 ft (2,099 m), 14.8 lbs (6.7 kg)

Day 16: 42.9 miles (69.0 km), 17:11, 5,479 ft (1,670 m), 12.6 lbs (5.7 kg)

Day 17: 39.1 miles (63.0 km), 14:46, 4,232 ft (1,290 m), 10.4 lbs (4.7 kg)

Final thoughts

I don't really know how to conclude. It was tough. There were nice moments but it kinda just sucked. I reached new lows but asymmetrically didn't get close to new highs. Except maybe finishing. It was cool breaking new ground for the trail, doing something ambitious and challenging, something no one had done before and I am proud of the achievement for sure. But I'm looking forward to enjoying the next hike.

Gear Notes: 

See Lighterpack for weights and the full list.

I went ultralight on everything except my sleeping system, intending to rely heavily on getting good sleep and recovery overnight. I ended up sleeping like trash for the first 10 nights due to having too much muscle pain to capitalise on my sleeping windows, but the strategy I think was sound. The pack also was about twice as heavy as I'd usually carry but this was a necessity as far as I am concerned given my starting weight.

Pack

The SWD Long Haul carries like a beast. I taped my hip area before the hike because I knew it would rub with the heavy weight. But other than that it worked perfectly. The ultra x has massively delaminated internally even before this hike, from the PCT, but that’s just what happens after about 2,000 miles with ultra I find (including the new x variant). The pack now has 3000+ miles on it and is going strong otherwise. I borrowed this pack from a mate I hiked with on the PCT, I would find it overkill for most other trips. For this though, it was the perfect weapon.

Shelter

There are 3-walled AT style shelters every 12 miles or so on the trail and some UL hikers opt to forego any shelter. I decided to take a shelter mainly to allow me to wild camp in those areas where it is allowed so I could more closely hike the distances I wanted to. There were also a couple of locations where shelters weren’t available and pushing on 12 miles due to weather would have been heinous on this hike. 

The tarp was great, pitched well, and kept me dry the few times it rained overnight. It measures approximately 9.7 feet (2.95 m) long and 7.2 to 5.2 feet (2.2 to 1.6 m) wide, with a cat-cut, tapered A-frame design that is slightly hexagonal. I had made a couple of these by now and barely refined the design. I went with 0.51 DCF for the weight savings. The Lineloc V from Zpacks held the 1.2 mm cord well but they weren’t tested by any high winds. There are several photos on the longer report I've linked above. 

My half bug net b...

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/RamaHikes on 2024-11-06 19:33:34+00:00.

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tl;dr I experimented with fully embracing a "wet but warm" clothing system on a recent 10-day trip in Maine in October. The trip was very wet. The main system was Mesh + Base + Alpha + Windshell + Hoodie Quarter-Poncho, and it worked fantastically well.

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I was unhappy with my clothing system for high exertion multi-day trips in all-day cold and wet conditions.

I tried waterproof/breathable rain jackets as well as the poncho/pack-cover with sleeves from 3F UL Gear. None worked for me. Even with pit zips wide open I was soaked with sweat. The poncho was flappy in the wind, and I was still soaked with sweat.

I was inspired by the Buffalo Systems approach which is advertised to keep you warm while moving in the worst of UK weather, and is specifically NOT waterproof. The Buffalo Techlite Shirt averages 480 g and is what I tried to mimic. I've never owned a Buffalo shirt, but I thought a system-based approach to build that same functionality with multiple independent layers would be more versatile.

This is the complete clothing system I used for 10 days in Maine in October this year. My trip was about 140 miles with more than 50k feet of elevation: 2 days making a loop in Baxter State Park then 8 days for the 100 Mile Wilderness plus Katahdin again.

Conditions included 40°F in-the-clouds all-day-rain, trails masquerading as streams and ponds, close rain-soaked vegetation, multiple knee-deep river fords, a sudden downpour, wet days followed by 35°F windy days, winds above tree line gusting to 40 mph, and rime ice with wind chills down to 10°F.

The solution in these conditions isn't to try to stay dry, but rather to embrace the fact that you're going to be wet — and structure your system based on that reality. I spent multiple days absolutely soaked, from the rain and the fords and from brushing against the close vegetation, but I was comfortable and warm.

Top

• finetrack Long Sleeve Mesh Shirt (67 g / 2.4 oz)
• OR Echo quarter-zip (110 g / 3.9 oz)
• Yamatomichi Light Alpha Vest/Jacket [alpha with pertex shell] (284 g / 10.0 oz)

The finetrack mesh and OR Echo shirt is fantastic across a very wide range of conditions — I've been comfortable wearing just these in a breezy +2°C, in a heat index of +40°C, and in lots of conditions in between. Links to my other posts describing that are at the bottom.

These three layers together very effectively mimic the functionality of the Buffalo Techlite piece for about an ounce or so less in my size. The finetrack mesh keeps the wet base layer off your body. The base layer pulls moisture off your skin. The alpha adds an air gap for a warm microclimate under the wind shell. The wind shell can be soaked through from rain or brushing against vegetation, and on top of the alpha it still does its job.

Bottom

• T8 Commandos (38 g / 1.3 oz)
• Yamatomichi Light Alpha Tights (111 g / 3.9 oz)
• OR Astro Pants (234 g / 8.3 oz)

I usually wear the T8 Commandos and OR Astro Pants. If I’m expecting a particularly cold day, I’ll start out wearing the Light Alpha Tights under my pants. That combo is warm well below freezing, and comfortable even above 50°F.

Head

• Sunday Afternoons UV Shield Cool Gaiter (38 g / 1.3 oz)
• Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat (69 g / 2.4 oz)
• Fleece Cap (30 g / 1.1 oz — 100 wt)

I mix and match these based on conditions. The brim of the Ultra Adventure Hat is great in the rain. The Buff/Gaiter is a great head piece on its own, and layers nicely underneath both of the others. I can layer all three together if needed.

Hands

• Sunday Afternoons UV Shield Cool Fingerless Gloves (21 g / 0.7 oz)
• Fleece Gloves
• Yama Mountain Gear Rain Pogies (26 g / 0.9 oz)

I always wear the fingerless gloves, and layer on the fleece gloves and pogies as needed.

Shell

• LightHeart Hoodie Pack Cover (162 g / 5.7 oz)

My pack fabric is X-Pac VX21 (seams are not sealed). That paired with this external cover worked well to keep my gear dry in all-day wet conditions so I didn’t need to use an internal liner. This piece has a buckle to keep it in place in high wind. The deployable/stashable hood and quarter-poncho keeps the worst off in a downpour or a cold steady rain, and provided exactly the amount of vapour barrier I wanted to feel warmer but not overheated in the worst of the wet/cold conditions. The hood works well over my fleece cap as well as over the Ultra Adventure Hat (together they create a nice rain-free zone for your face).

Puffy

• Cumulus Primelite Pullover (183 g / 6.5 oz — 3 oz down fill)

Ascending steeply above tree line in that 10°F wind chill, I wore this over the Light Alpha Vest/Jacket. It worked great. I didn’t overheat, I wasn’t soaked in sweat, and this piece wasn’t saturated.

Sleep

• Y Athletics SilverAir Merino Long Sleeve Shirt (169 g / 6 oz)
• Ridge Merino Wool Relaxed Fit Boxers (89 g / 3.1 oz)
• Wool Ankle Socks (74 g / 2.6 oz)

I carry 11.7 oz of wool sleep clothing on Fall New England trips like this. In cold and wet conditions, the comfort of changing into “fresh” shirt/underwear/socks is a huge morale boost for me. Also, my body produces a lot of oil, so a barrier between my body and my sleeping bag goes a long way towards keeping my bag cleaner long-term. Post-trip I’ll do a laundry strip on these pieces, something I’m not going to do on my sleeping bag.

On my second Katahdin ascent on this trip, I expected wind chills around 10°F above tree line. I was already worn out from intentionally pushing past my limits the previous few days so I knew I’d have to take the ascent very slowly. I was worried about being cold on the ascent, so I started the day wearing both the wool shirt and underwear as mid layers, which worked really well.

Feet

• Knee-high nylons (9 g / 0.3 oz)
• Socks
• Topo Traverse

The Topo Traverse shoes dry noticeably faster than the Ultraventure Pros did, because of the closed-cell foam of the insole. Also, they seem like they will be more durable because their construction doesn’t include the same forefoot seam where both of my Ultraventure Pros failed after ~300 trail miles.

Knee-high nylons make fantastic sock liners, and work well even under tight athletic-style socks. These plus regular application of shea butter (my balm of choice) helped me to avoid maceration and major blister problems. Higher-quality nylons do feel nicer and last longer.

Notes

• For me, when I want to add a fleece layer I always also want to add a wind layer and vice versa. Which is why I use the Yamatomichi Vest/Jacket: I can apply targeted alpha+windshell coverage. A standalone alpha shirt and wind shirt would be at least a couple ounces lighter, and would be versatile in a different way.
• An alpha hoodie and wind hoodie would change my head layer approach. It would be overall lighter, but I’m not convinced it would be better.
• I have the Large size Hoodie Pack Cover, because I was worried about it fitting over my CCF foam pad which I keep strapped on the back of my pack. I should have gotten a Medium and saved the 0.4 ounces. At some point I’ll size down on that.
• I've never tried an electrospun air-permeable membrane jacket. I don’t think I’m going to, given how well this system worked.
• Didn't list the specifics on my socks and fleece gloves because I hate the old ones I have and used on this trip and will be replacing them.

Conclusion

Mesh + Base + Alpha + Windshell + Hoodie Quarter-Poncho is a fantastic system and allowed me to be comfortably “wet but warm” in extended multi-day cold and wet conditions. This system worked fantastically well, even better than I expected.

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This is my third post in praise of the finetrack mesh next-to-skin layer. I really do love this piece. As with all the other gear listed here, I purchased my mesh shirt with my own money. I have no affiliation with finetrack. They don't even respond to my emails. (No, really, they don't. I've asked them a few questions and never gotten a response. I should try messaging on Instagram.)

For more, see my other posts:

• [Mesh Next to Skin Layer for All Conditions](https://www...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/1gl6wvk/wet_but_warm/

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Hot_Jump_2511 on 2024-11-05 15:04:04+00:00.

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I've seen a few conversations about this already but I don't think I've seen a satisfactory answer. I use a 950 fill Hammock Gear Burrow for both hammock and tent camping during the colder months. I'm primarily a hammocker and backpack through the winter months in Western and Central Pennsylvania and the Northern Appalachia.

Condensation can be an issue at times on my top quilt. I've used a Jack R Better fleece summer quilt/ liner (18 oz) over top of my down quilt with good results. The fleece quilt collects condensation from my breath/ body and it freezes on top the fleece while keeping the down quilt dry. I've added a Dutchware Argon 67 quilt liner (2.4 oz) on top of the fleece quilt for some extra wind resistance/ warmth but didn't get the same positive results in controlling condensation on my down quilt as I did with just the fleece quilt.

I'm thinking of purchasing an Alpha Direct quilt liner (8 oz) to replace the fleece quilt for the same condensation controlling application as an overquilt. I've seen Timmermade and Nunatak make AD + Argon overquilts, which leads me to believe that I can use the Argon quilt liner I already have to layer the AD quilt for the same effect.

My question is, does anyone have experience using just Alpha Direct as an overquilt for condensation management? Since AD is hydrophobic, non wicking, and has larger openings for breathability that traditional or grid fleece, will the fibers still capture cold weather condensation and prevent my down from getting soggy? I do not need the overquilt to provide extra warmth, just control condensation in a hammock.

Thanks in advance for any helpful insight!

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Beneficial-News-7854 on 2024-11-04 16:02:35+00:00.

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Trail: AT Sobo 2025, June 15 Start

Thruhike Experience: CDT sobo 2023; PCT Sobo 2019; SHR 2021

Comments: This is essentially my CDT kit, although I only carried the umbrella at the beginning and end of my hike. I get cold at night. I've tried regular width pad neoair and uberlight, but I simply sleep better on my side with a wide pad. Need sleep clothes to stay warm. Tried a Alsek 22 quilt on PCT but was too cold. Swapped it out for the wide Sawatch 15 and was better. Can I ditch the Garmin for the AT and use my phone? Is an umbrella recommended for AT? Fortunately moolah is not an issue, I'll spend coin to get weight down within reason. I'd like to be at a 10-11 lb baseweight. Can we do it?

So shake me down but keep me warm! And I don't wanna eat cold food.

One other unrelated question: Will I be vastly disappointed with the AT after the CDT and PCT?

"Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town

Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around"

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Traminho on 2024-11-04 19:26:15+00:00.

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I am currently in the market for a large sized backpack for alpine winter trips. With a robust tent, a thick sleeping bag and extra clothing some additional volume is required. All usual providers such as Atom Packs, Bonfus, Durston, Gossamer Gear, Huckepacks, Hyberg, Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG), KS Ultralight, Liteway, Zpacks & Co. do rarely sell packs with more than 50 liters. HMG would have some models with 70 liters, but according to user experiences their recent workmanship became a gambling since moving the production facility to Mexico.

Do you have any recommendations for a more or less alpine-usable pack in the range of 60 liters or above?

Within my research I stumbled across cottages like...

• Cold Cold World
• CiloGear
• Alpine Luddites
• Alpine Threadworks
• Otterbody Threadworks

Due to the innovative material choices I very much appreciate CiloGear as well as Alpine Luddites, since they are using UHMWPE. The CiloGear 75L MOB WorkSack seems to be a beast with its 2.080 g (the price tag as well :-)). Also the Alpine Luddites Alpine Machine 60/70/80 looks very promising.

Some shops do sell Mystery Ranch, which also seems to be a good quality, but far away from beeing a cottage.

Do you have any other recommendations or hints?

Thank you very much! :-)

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Objective-Resort2325 on 2024-11-01 13:18:57+00:00.

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This is a thought exercise. I don't have an actual trip planned (yet) to use this on. Just looking for ideas on where the additional weight savings opportunities are, within the bounds of safety/reason. The only things that I've so-far identified would be swapping the Uberlite Short to a GG thinlite pad (length reduced) if I were willing to sleep uncomfortably, or possibly MYOG'ing my own quilt, but it's hard to estimate if that would save weight or not.

Location/temp range/specific trip description: 3-season setup, lower temp limit 35 degrees (unless some of the optional items tagged are included.) Location: Places where water is abundant, animal pressure is low, and have full/reliable cell coverage. 2 days between resupply, and max trip length 4 days. So, like, many portions of the Appalachian Trail.

Goal Baseweight (BPW): As low as is safe and reasonable.

Budget: High.

I’m looking to: Identify opportunities and solutions for additional weight savings.

Non-negotiable Items: Patagonia Capilene Daily Cool sun shirt. I love that thing. I've tried the OR Echo and don't like it. And I absolutely love the OR sunhat. And I absolutely HATE the Rovy Avon flashlight. I tried it. Twice. The button on it pissed me off so much that I intentionally left it at a shelter on the AT. Other than that, none. I'm even open to MYOG.

Solo or with another person?: Solo

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/pretzlstyle on 2024-11-03 19:26:29+00:00.

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Okay, 40 of those miles were done on a bike. This post describes the SUL kit that I put together for a recent self-prescribed ultra event. 40 miles of cycling and 80 miles of hiking/running in a single night. I clocked it at 41 hours, 51 minutes and 5 seconds. 8,092 feet elevation gain. 4.77 lbs baseweight, or for all you liars out there, 4.24 lbs with trekking poles marked as worn.

Here's the good stuff:

• gear photos, specs, descriptions

• route

• quick video edit

• lighterpack

(the lighterpack this looks like a lot, but that's only because I log every single atom that I pack. My estimated total weight was within 0.03 lbs from the measured total weight with food and water.)

And here's the story:

I live in SE Michigan. The trail opportunities here are considerably better than one would think. We have a lot of state-owned forested land, and lots of glacial moraines which make for hilly terrain.

There are two popular backpacking routes nearby, which I have used for shakedown hikes in the past. As my ultralight-ism has been evolving, and I've gotten more into trail-running, at some point it dawned on my that I would be able to link my local trails as a human-powered mission, from my doorstep, in a single night. The criteria would be:

1. The kit would have to be < 5lbs

2. It would need to fit in the smallest pack possible

3. A significant portion of the mileage would need to be run

4. the kit could be comfortably carried on a bike

To achieve this, I came up with the following:

Pack

Black Diamond Distance 8L pack. This pack is officially 8-liters, but I've measured it at 11-liters at its absolute maximum, via a water-fill test. Yes, it's heavier than it's volume would suggest. But when it comes to running, you want a firm structure and a very capable vest. I was super happy with this pack. Here is a diagram of the packing strategy. I did not use a pack liner, since the pack is plenty small enough to fit under a standard $2 poncho.

Sleep

5'x9' membrane silpoly tarp, Argon 49/0.78 DCF/0.5 noseeum mesh bivy, 60gsm Alpha Direct quilt, torso-length GG Thinlight pad, FlexAir pillow, Polycro ground sheet. This is a complete warm-weather sleep system for 1.6 lbs. I made almost all of it at home. Here is a writeup with all of the juicy details. I did not need to use the tarp as it did not rain. I'm very happy with the bivy. I used 2-gram MYOG carbon fiber stakes. Nothing more is needed in Michigan.

Kitchen

cold soaking in a ~16 oz peanut butter jar. Trimmed down McDonalds plastic spoon. I made oatmeal and a ramen bomb in this jar. It can fit about 900 calories if you're willing to shake rather than stir.

Hydration

I ccarried 1.5 liters at a time, in two 750ml CNOC soft flasks. Heavier than other options, but this suited my needs best. 42mm allowed using a BeFree, which is lighter than e.g. a quickdraw, and they're easier to use electrolyte mixes with. Rigid bottles are out of the question for running. I came up with a solution to quickly filter from the dirty-to-clean bottle without needing to remove the clean bottle from my vest, using a Sawyer coupling cap. It was very efficient.

Food

As mentioned, cold-soaked dinners and breakfasts. Otherwise, lots of gels and other snacks. I had about 4k calories per day. Food bag was simply a gallon ziploc. Overnight, I placed it in my pack and hung the whole pack on a low tree branch (no cordage used) as an anti-rodent measure.

Ditty Bag

a small 0.5 DCF stuff sack was all I needed for my misc items. Shout out to my custom-made muscle roller from Friesen Gear. FAK was very minimal, mostly consisting of drugs and various tapes.

Poop

I carried 0.2 fl oz of soap, 5 Wysi Wipes, made my own 42mm bidet, and a QiWiz trowel.

Tech

iPhone 12 mini, 5000 mAh 21700 battery from Nitecore, RovyVon Aurora A5 (best flashlight ever), 8" USBC to Lightning cable, and other small USBC adapters. Coros Pace 2 for GPS tracking, and Shokz OpenRun for morale and sanity.

Poles

My trekking poles are each <4 oz. I made them myself out of 11mm roll-wrapped carbon fiber tubing. I made a detailed post about them here. Several people asked for updates on how they perform. They were excellent! Very happy with them. I even used them while running, so they have proven to be robust. I would be willing to take them on a long thru-hike.

Worn Clothing

Lone Peak 6, New Balance Accelerate 5" shorts with liner, Injinji merino liner socks, MoveFree Designs Desert Cap. I normally wear a sun hoody, but since I would be running, I wanted a way to better modulate my heat retention. I wore an OR Echo tee, Montbell sun sleeves, and a sun cape that I made out of scrap OR Echo fabric. These items make for what is essentially a modular sun hoody. The Montbell sun sleeves are the lightest in existence that I could find.

Carried Clothing

Montbell Ex Light wind jacket, Senchi Alpha 60 crewneck, EE Copperfield wind pants, cheapo poncho, T8 commando brefis for sleeping, spare socks, alpha direct 90gsm socks for sleping. Also a buff (OR Ubertube), and the lightest bug head net that I know of (Simblissity Designs).

Running strategy

Contrary to what this post may suggest, I am not a runner. Longest I've ever run is a half-marathon, and my training for this attempt was lacking. I was trail running something like 20-24 miles per week. Many people could crush my time by running more, but in order to avoid injury, I had to be conservative. Every 5 miles of hiking, I would run a 5k. In total I ran about 29 of the 80 trail miles. I finished the trail portion of the route in ~37 hours, which I was happy with. The bike ride between my house and the trailhead was 20 miles each way. My kit was plenty light and small enough to comfortably cycle with.

Impressions

• I loved it, and I love ultralight
• The trails, in their own humble midwestern way, were beautiful, and the weather was great. I met some friendly people.
• GG Thinlight is better than nothing as a sleeping pad. That's really all I can say about it lol.
• The Alpha 60 quilt did not work and I was cold overnight. Here's the thing... a quilt must not be over breathable. If it is, it is actually pointless. With Alpha, all of the trapped air that your body warms up is immediately exchanged for air at the ambient temperature, at the slightest breeze. It's not that I didn't realize this; I did. That's the whole point in Alpha. But I thought that my Argon 49 bivy shell would serve as a wind barrier (like a wind jacket over an alpha hoodie). But no. The gap between the two is way too substantial. I will likely make a new alpha quilt with an Argon shell directly sewn to it. I would expect it to be ~7 oz? Certainly not competitive with a very light down quilt at the same temp rating, but way easier to make, way cheaper, and would still fit into an SUL kit.
• Packaroons are dank
• The Lone Peak 6 retains its title as the best trail runner ever
• super disappointed with the Injinji merino liners. They had only like a couple hunderd miles on them, and there's holes in the toes. Admitedly, the liners are not meant to be durable trail socks in their own right. But they are light and they dry fast.
• As noted, I was very happy with the BD Distance. I am now intersted in trying other fastpacks, since it could be much lighter. The Distance packs are intended for a mixed alpine use, so they are pretty burly. I use this same pack for all of my trad climbing, and it's a beast against abrasion. A gridstop or XPac pack of the same geometry, with less padding, would shave a lot of weight. However, I haven't found any that do this without sacrificig true vest-style straps. Maybe I'll make one some day.
• I should have trained way more

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/thelyt on 2024-11-03 14:24:01+00:00.

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Ive used my liteAF 46L curved for a few multi day backpacking trips including a 1 month long thru hike and the bag is suffering from some serious delamination issues. The ultra fabric is exposed and transparent, letting water easily through the fabric now. Is this pretty common, especially with ultra200?

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Explore333 on 2024-10-30 14:29:28+00:00.

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PS Here is a YouTube video with Dan Becker & Dan Durston

Justin Outdoors - Winter camping with the X-Dome

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A positive review in Backpacker.

PS It is nice to see positive reviews after you have already purchased.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/brzt6060 on 2024-11-01 04:17:52+00:00.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Open_Novel_2575 on 2024-11-01 03:27:34+00:00.

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This past August I hiked Roper’s Sierra High Route. I decided to hike southbound from Twin Lakes to Roads End in Kings Canyon. I made a half hearted attempt to recruit a partner but my dates weren’t very flexible. Also, I was a “nonconformist” as Roper puts it and decided to hike southbound. Most of my adventures in the Sierra have been solo endeavors, so I guess it was fitting to hike the SHR alone. While I do enjoy company in the backcountry, I seldom hike with partners or groups. I’ve learned to really enjoy solo hiking because I can hike at whatever pace I feel like on any particular day. Some of the days on the route I pushed the pace, but other days I just meandered around finding nice places for afternoon naps or cool places to take pictures. Some areas were just too beautiful to blow past. That’s the beauty of solo hiking..it’s super easy to come to a consensus on how to spend each day or how far I wanna walk and at what pace. I don’t journal on my hikes, so it makes it hard to put together a quality trip report... So I apologize that this post lacks details and daily observations. Regardless, it was a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend to anyone that feels that magical magnetic pull of the High Sierra within themselves. Without a doubt this was the coolest outdoor experience I’ve ever had (times ten)! I did a ton of star gazing at nights, as the meteor showers were totally awesome while I was out there. I spent a good amount of time on every pass just trying to take everything in. I mostly used my 11”x17” maps I had printed along with a compass for navigation vs. being heavily dependent on Gaia or other map apps. It was super fun to practice my navigation skills (or lack thereof) lol. I made my share of navigational errors and had a couple slips, trips, bumps and bruises, but it wasn’t a big deal because I built in extra time for that very reason. Plus the mental and physical challenge was what made the trip so memorable. I can’t really say what parts of the route I liked the best because most everything I hiked was totally new to me and uniquely spectacular. Every step of the hike was pretty darn cool. I will probably add more to this trip report at some point. I’ve attached a link to a pretty basic slideshow I put together. Keep in mind I’ve never tried to edit a slideshow before, but I decided to take a stab at putting something together that captured some of the cool stuff I experienced. My photos could never fully capture the magical vibes of the High Sierra but here’s what I came up with:

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Boogada42 on 2024-10-30 15:01:28+00:00.

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READ THE RULES BEFORE CLICKING THE COMMENT BUTTON.

• Do not comment on anything other than deals running in late 2024.
• Do not comment looking for deals on certain things. These posts will be removed. Use Google.
• Any end of year/thanksgiving deal posts made outside of this one will be removed, per the subreddit rules.
• All deals must come directly from the manufacturer. Moderators will use this rule at their discretion.
• Deals may not be links to blemished items that are on sale.
• Deals posted in the comments must come with proof (social media link, website link etc.)
• I didn't think this needed to be said but posts talking about "campmor is ALWAYS on sale!" and "Sierra Trading Post always has great deals and will likely be even more discounted!" are not qualified "deals."
• I'll updated the post with the confirmed deals as soon as I can.

Deals:

• Tarptent - 10% sidewide, with some tents up to 20% and 35% off! November 4-22
• Mountain Laurel Designs - 10% off all orders. CODE: MLDHOLIDAY10 Starts OCT 31 Halloween and runs through NOV 30. | Each order gets an MLD Sticker. | Orders Over $100 get a free gift. Sawyer Squeeze Coupler. | Orders Over $ 200 get a free gift. Sawyer 1L Water Bag. | Orders Over $ 300 get a free gift. Sawyer Picardian Insect Repellant. Orders Over $400 get a free MLD Logo T Shirt. Must State men's size (S,M, L, XL) equivalent in order comments. | Free gifts as supplies last. | One gift per order.
• Bonfus - 50€ Off tents from October 30th to 3rd of November.
• Nashville Packs - 15% off Made to Order Packs and Straps | Limited Drop of all Black Aluula Graflyte 30/40L packs (limited amounts)| 50% off a random color/fabric Koozie when added to a MTO order. All November
• Vargo Outdoors - Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale - 25% off sitewide (Nov 29 to Dec 2nd) Code: BF2024

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/PanicAttackInAPack on 2024-10-29 04:10:15+00:00.

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Montbell standardized their shopping website combining all the regions. This also looks like it increased the prices by 30-40% across the board for shipping from Japan. It's still cheaper than buying from US direct but it's a huge price increase for a regional change. Just as an example their Torrent Flier rain jacket went from $175 to $230 and the Plasma Alpine went from $290 to over $400. You can still see the old prices by changing the shipping country to Japan but this won't help you without a freight forwarding service.

This makes them much less attractive compared to domestic options now for things like rain/wind layers. Fun while it lasted.

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/Wandering_Hick on 2024-10-28 21:46:43+00:00.

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I replicated the BPL Stovebench test of how the amount of fuel left in a canister affects stove performance. I used a 110g canister instead of a 227g and compared three different stoves (BRS3000 [BRS], Pocket Rocket 2 [PR2], Windmaster {WM]). BPL just used a non-regulated stove and never specified which one. Here are the charts with the results. The testing protocol is also part of the imgur. And some takeaways:

1. The PR2 and WM were able to boil 500mL of water 11 times (5.5L) on the dot using one 110g canister. The BRS still had ~6g of fuel remaining after 5.5L. So average fuel consumption was lowest for the BRS over the lifespan of a 100g canister.
2. The WM had the lowest average boil time at 185s, followed by the PR2 at 197s, and the BRS at 220s.
3. Differing from BPL's results, I saw a steady increase in boil time for the unregulated stoves.
4. I saw less of a plateau for the middle fuel levels when it came to fuel consumption compared to BPL, but that may be due to using the smaller canister.

I plan on doing additional variable testing (before a 30 stove performance test), such as:

• Lid vs no lid
• Pot diameter (95mm vs 115mm vs 145mm)
• Fuel can temperature
• Valve openness (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%)
• Aluminum vs titanium pots
• Fuel from different brands

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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/bornebackceaslessly on 2024-10-28 15:13:40+00:00.

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WRHR Trip Report, 7/28-8/1

Pictures 1

Pictures 2

Gear List

Intro:

For anyone that hasn’t heard of the Wind River High Route, thanks for coming out from under your rock. The Andrew Skurka version is a roughly 97 mile route featuring 65 miles of off trail travel as it follows on or near the Continental Divide through the range. You climb a few mountains, cross numerous high passes, ford creeks, rock hop endlessly, and traverse glaciers. It is a now a fairly “popular” route, but we barely saw any people along it, and only happened across three others hiking it once we left the trailhead (two had taken the shuttle with us).

I’d first earmarked this route about 5 years ago and had planned for it to happen about 3 years ago but my hiking partner at that time had some injuries that made him nervous about doing it, so we opted for the Uinta Highline Trail that summer instead. This trip had been a long time coming for me and I was excited to say the least.

Day 0

My hiking partner and I drove up from Denver to the Trail Lakes trailhead, about a 7-hour drive, the day before starting our hike. We planned to stop in Lander to grab our Wind River Indian Reservation trespass permits and eat dinner. When we got to One Stop Market for the permits the clerk told us they didn’t have permits and would need to have his manager come in to provide more, we purchased a few snacks and planned our dinner stop while waiting. Unfortunately, when the manager arrived, she informed us that she didn’t have permits and wouldn’t be able to get more until Monday, unhelpful for us.

We left hoping that we would be able to snag permits somewhere else on the way back through tomorrow as it was already after 6pm and all the other listed options were closed. We had chosen Gannett Grill for dinner, and it turned out to be a pretty good choice. The food was good and reasonably priced, but a little slow although that’s to be expected on a lovely Saturday night. It worked out fine, my hiking partner had a little work left to finish up anyway before we left for the trailhead.

We arrived a little late, the sun was just dipping below the horizon, so we scoped out the trailhead before heading for some nearby campsites. The trailhead was relatively empty, so we didn’t have any hesitations driving the car to our site for the night. We fell asleep quickly thanks to the comfortable car camping setup we brought.

Day 1 – 21.11mi, +6,873’, -3,274’, 9:50 Trailhead to camp

We are both early risers by nature so we were up and about shortly after 5am. We quickly packed up camp and made our way back to the trailhead. Like everyone else that does this hike we started off with the Wind River High Route Shuttle which was scheduled to show up at 8am. We ate breakfast and made final preparations as some more groups slowly rolled in, we made small talk with them but none were planning to do the WRHR.

We knew of one other group that would be on the shuttle with us, they somehow found my hiking partner’s lost sunglasses on the Pfiffner last year in the middle of perhaps the worst bushwhack, and without planning happened to be on the same shuttle as us this year. They rolled in around 7:45 and the shuttle showed up shortly after. A group of two and a solo hiker came out of the woodwork, making seven total on the shuttle. As we departed I asked our driver if we could stop for permits and he obliged, recommending a stop along the way that I hadn’t seen listed online anywhere. It’s a good thing we asked, because the other duo and solo hiker also needed permits.

We arrived at Bruce’s Bridge trailhead shortly before 10am, did our final final preparations, and appreciated the luxury of a pit toilet one last time before setting off around 10:30. We hiked briefly with the duo that found the sunglasses but soon found our pace to be slightly faster and were quickly alone. After the first mile or so the trail was pretty empty and we only saw a few people on the 14 or so miles to Deep Creek Lakes. This section of trail is nice, but compared to what lay ahead it’s fully boring so that’s all I’ll say about it.

We reached Deep Creek Lakes around 4:30pm, the weather forecast was calling for sporadic afternoon storms and we had heard rumbling thunder in the distance on the hike up but never hit rain. We usually start our days around 5am, so the “late” start and relatively short and easy miles left us itching to continue. We took a break at the lake which included a brief nap, a few snacks, and plenty of hydration. We checked the weather again and started making dinner as the sunglasses duo arrived at the lake. They made camp before coming to join us, but we had decided if the weather held we would push over Wind River Peak that evening.

The weather held and we left the lakes around 6:30pm. I expected the climb of Wind River Peak to be long but relatively straight forward, though it turned out to be a little more tedious than I expected so we didn’t end up reaching the summit until about 8:30. The wind had picked up and the sun was setting so we didn’t linger long.

Everyone who has looked at this route has the West Gully earmarked, it’s the first technical section and is often called the most difficult (why it’s not always considered the worst section of the route is beyond me). We expected steep and loose, which it was, but I did not expect the rocks to be as large as they were. It made for slow travel as we tried not to send rocks careening downhill onto each other. Luckily we had just enough light to see 95% of the route to the bottom before we pulled out the headlamps. At some point a fairly sizable rock shifted under my uphill foot and hit my downhill shin, it quickly swelled and had a small scrape but nothing was broken or bleeding profusely so we continued on. It turned out to be a bone bruise and the worst injury of the trip for either of us, all in all not that bad. The firm lump lingered a few months but has now receded.

In hindsight, the guide briefly mentions starting the gully from its head rather than traversing into it lower down as the map details. I was tempted to do that at the time and wish I trusted my gut, the traverse was also steep and loose, not fun to side hill across. I much prefer going straight up or straight down on loose rock.

As the grade leveled out we could breathe a little easier, but travel was still slow. We were still rock hopping and without light it was tough to tell if we were on the right track. We found some flat tundra, and given the clear night skies we easily called that good enough. Its was about 10:30pm and we were ready to call it a day, so we made camp. I decided to cowboy camp and was quickly in bed. After the trip we both said we were laying in our sleeping bags wondering if we really wanted to do this whole thing, with New York Pass and Douglass Peak Pass considered similar in stress and difficulty to the gully neither of us were feeling good. Nonetheless I slept soundly that night.

 

Day 2 – 15.59mi, +3,845’, -4,816’, 12:45 camp to camp

We had agreed to “sleep in” following our late night but I was still up and moving shortly before 6:30. In the morning light we both agreed going over Wind River Peak the previous day was the right call, it put us ahead of schedule and would make for a relatively easy day if we wanted to stay on schedule and meant pushing ahead wasn’t too much of a burden. Reviewing the map we decided to head for Black Joe Lake and eat breakfast there.

As we started off it quickly became apparent we had chosen the wrong side of the lake in the dark last night. The moraine we had to cross was made up of mostly car sized boulders that made for frustrating and slow travel. We reached slabs below and were finally able to pick up the pace, following an occasional use trail as we went. Reaching Black Joe Lake we continued on to the outlet before plopping down for a much overdue breakfast and more importantly coffee.

Big Sandy Lake, Jackass Pass, and the Cirque of the Towers lay ahead of us before lunch. I assumed this would be the most popular section of trail by a wide margin, it is noteworthy for beauty and rock climbing. We crossed paths with a few groups as we headed up Jackass Pass, but less than I expected. In the Cirque we only saw two groups with camps set up and a few people passing through. Less people than I expected to see but still the most of the hike by quite a bit.

After our lunch and siesta we headed for New York Pass, somewhat apprehensive of how it might go. The climb was mostly straight forward, but it was the descent I was most worried about. However, it turned out to be far better than expected, the short section of talus was mostly stable, then gravel and packed dirt offered much better footing. We descended quickly and in our high spirits stopped for a swim in the lake below the pass.

Passing Shadow Lake we came across a campsite with a father and his three sons out for a week long trip, it had been 35 years in the making and the dad was clearly ecstatic it was finally happening. We stopped and chatted for quite some time, both parties interested in what the other was doing and excited to share. From there the trail got stronger, it was fast and easy travel all the way to Skull Lake where we stopped for dinner.

Our original i...

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