[pct-l] Gear/Weight/Risk

[John Abela]

Hello David,

>>> What is the max load you are comfortable with in this pack?

Well here is what Joe from ZPacks had to say about the same pack I use
(he makes them - and he is also a triple crowner) at his own website:


"In 2007 I carried a Blast 26 backpack on a full PCT thru-hike (2,663
miles). I carried a base weight of around 5 lbs (PCT gear list), and
generally 12-20 lbs with full food and water. At one point I carried
35 lbs for an 11 day stretch without re-supply through the High
Sierras of California. My shoulders weren't happy about that much
weight, but the pack took it like a champ! (Under 20 lbs is a more
comfortable weight with frameless packs)"  source:
http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/blast.shtml


Personally that is pushing it for me. Joe is a few years younger than
I am (and you) so he's still got the stuff that we older guys do not
have. Putting 35 pounds into this 9oz pack is more than I care to
handle - which is why I plan to change up to a heavier pack (internal
frame verses non framed) for those areas where I have to have that
kind of a load. But again, my base weight is significantly lower than
yours so the 9oz pack is even an option for me. (my other back will be
a HMG Windrider - 25.5 oz)


>>> For me it would be a tent that does not leak and a bag that will keep me warm. I have single wall tent and just did two days/nights in rain and 40 mph wind.  It handled the wind ok with extra staking but really started to mist inside and if you touched the side walls you got pretty wet. This was not just condensation, the water was moving through the material, I think.  My bag got pretty wet.

To me, any tent that gets me wet goes up for sale or goes in the
trash. I will simply not tolerate a tent that gets me wet. If I am
using a tarp, well that is different, but if I have a tent I sure as
heck had better not be getting wet. All three of my tents weigh under
2 pounds and keep me 100% dry. I have the "HMG Echo 1" [23.7 oz] the
"TarpTent Rainbow" [34 oz] and the "ZPacks HexaNet/Tarp" [14.07 oz].
The TarpTent Rainbow can suffer condensation if I am stupid and setup
on grass, but other than that, it does fine. The HMG Echo never
suffers condensation (even on grass). And, I cannot say if the ZPacks
will suffer it as nobody actually has got one in their hands yet as it
is brand new (mine is on order) but there is no reason at all it
should suffer condensation.

I think what Fallingwater said here (
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2011-February/046232.html
) about how we have been making gear to fix problems when instead we
should just fix the gear that has issues is something right-on. What
he said was specifically about quilts and bivies but the message
behind the message is what I felt was key to his post.

If we have gear in our pack that is there to resolve a problem with
another piece of gear in our pack, seriously, whats up with that?


>>> I also have 1lb Bag 35 degree and for me 35 degrees is it for that bag with Cap 3’s on and a beenie, I am thin blooded desert dweller and I don’t do cold to well.   This gear is part of my 11lb base weight. My heavy base weight includes double wall tent and 15 degree bag but that adds some pounds.

I use a 30-degree bag at 21 ounces. I have given a lot of
consideration to switching to a 35 degree bag that weighs 19 ounces,
but as so many other guys on here all say, if you have to carry weight
somewhere, let it be your sleeping bag. Nothing worse than being cold
at night. My sleeping back is 50% heavier than the next heaviest item
in my backpack. I too hate the cold.

I just got back from a hike this morning that I took to test some
clothing. You might want to give it a read through. It goes into
detail of clothing and such. Pretty much what I use is a Patagonia
Cap1 silk long sleeve shirt. Be it 100 degrees or 10 degrees. For
colder weather I include a Patagonia Cap3. For sub 20 I bring along a
Montbell UL Down Parka. For the teens I layer up big time, because at
that temp my body starts to have issues. I suffered second degree
frost bite a few years back in my feet, so, I just have to be aware of
that.

http://www.redwoodoutdoors.com/2011/02/do-you-really-need-all-those-clothing.html

Something else that might be of interest is this... Last year Paul
from hikethru.com recorded the high and low temp every day he was on
the trail. Now we all need to keep in mind that temps are different
year from year, but I think it does a good job on giving us some idea
of the different temp ranges. I know I have not said it enough, but if
you read this Paul... thanks!!

http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2010-December/042944.html


>>> I do have some of these products. For me the single wall is ok for occasional rain but would not want to sit out a 2 day storm.  My double wall set up will handle that.

Well, as I said above, if a tent gets me wet, it goes bye-bye. Last
year I bought the very popular TarpTent Moment. My first time out I
woke up with a river running through it. I called them up, got some
advice on how to change things to help keep the bathtub up, and took
it out again. Yet again, it got me wet. The next day it went up for
sale. I am not faulting the tent - the test is awesome - but for my
environment it was not the right tent. The point I guess is that so
very many folks hiking the PCT do nothing more than cowboy camp for a
good part of it. I remember reading a trailjournal last month where
somebody wrote he had exactly one night of rain in all of California.
So for one night he did not cowboy camp. If that is something you are
willing to do, it really brings into whether you need a 4 pound double
wall tent. I figure that my tent setup will weigh 14 ounces. If it
does rain a few nights, at least I am not going to be yelling at
myself every day for lugging around a 4 pound tent for no reason...
and yet I will still have something for when it does rain. Obviously
once a guy hits about section q, the ballgame changes. Others could
speak on this a whole lot better than I could.


>>> I have really been debating this one though.  I might need to look into the lighter double wall tent, currently can split weight on Hubba Hubba which is about 40oz. but I do not have solo double wall tent.

Ah, so you are hiking with somebody else? Well that pretty much
changes the vast majority of most of what I said yesterday I guess.
That said, there are some very very sweet double wall 2 man tents out
there. The TarpTent Scarp 2 at the very top of the list as far as I am
concerned. 54 ounces [3.37]

>>> I also need to come to grips with water treatment.  We always used to just used 2 drops of bleach per quart, I don’t think filters existed.  Never got sick.  Now I have this 1lb filter which is really nice with nasty water, usually split this weight.  From what I can tell most thru’s just use chemical treatment and I can do that, did it before.

Well this is one that nobody can tell you what to do. This is a
decision only you can make. There are guys on here that have hiked the
PCT and not treated water and never gotten sick. Others, haven't been
so lucky. Personally, I carry a bandanna and Aquamira. If I still do
not feel safe I can break out my esbit titanium stove and my little
msr titan cup and spend 20 minutes boiling some water. However, as I
said, that is just me. If you already have a sweet little hand pump
filter and you already have a pack that is at your weight, the extra
pound might make you feel like that pound is worth the security and
peace of mind it provides. Other options out there of course. For
about 5 ounces you can have setup a gravity filter system that filters
your water while you sleep.

Anyway, Dave, I do hope others jump in here and offer some thoughts.
Would hate for my thoughts to be the lone voice in regards to your
questions! In the end it is all about what makes you feel safe. HYOY
and go with the gear you feel good with, not what I suggest or what
anybody else suggests.

John