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Gear Talk

During 3-season conditions my pack usually weighs 6 or 7 pounds (minus food and water), and during the deep winter I have pared it down to a mere 14! This page explains the rationale behind some of the gear that I carry, including shelters, sleeping bags, footwear, water purification, and more.

Footwear

When in the market for new footwear, it is imperative that you find a model that is right for you. The model must compliment the shape of your foot, the height of your arch, the way in which you transition from heel to toe, among other things. It must offer adequate support and cushion given the strength of your feet and ankles, and the weight of your pack. It must be appropriate for the conditions in which you intend to use it, in terms of breathability, forefoot protection, water-resistance, warmth, etc. Lastly, it must satisfy your preferences as far as weight, style, and price.

In Spring 2007 GoLite launched a revolutionary line of trail running shoes that also work really well for lightweight backpacking. I would encourage you to check them out at GoLite-Footwear.com

For most of the year I wear trail running shoes, not hiking boots as would be expected. The reason is that, compared to boots, trail running shoes are:

  • Lighter
  • More comfortable
  • More breathable
  • Faster drying

During most 3-season conditions I wear non-waterproof shoes because shoes with "waterproof-breathable" membranes are heavier, less breathable, and hotter than their non-waterproof counterparts; moreover, they take longer to dry. Plus, I have yet to hear about a "waterproof" shoe that actually is -- when I am hiking in prolonged rain or in a persistently wet environment, water is going to find a way in, usually by coming in over the top. The most ideal running shoes become, then, those that squeegee water best and dry the fastest, and with few exceptions non-waterproof shoes will be better in doing this.

There are a few situations in which I advocate the use of different footwear. One such case is when there is enough snow on the ground to get your feet wet, and cold enough temperatures to make this uncomfortable. In this case a waterproof shoe is desirable -- like a full leather boot or a running shoe with a waterproof-breathable membrane; a gaiter can be added for additional protection. While waterproof-breathable footwear fails in wet environments, in this instance they should work, since snow is drier and easier to protect against.

In extremely cold environments, I introduce into my system a neoprene overboot, which I wear over my running shoes and oftentimes with snowshoes or crampons. The overboot provides excellent insulation, a built-in gaiter, and adequate protection from the cold dry snow. Check out the Light Energy overboots from Forty Below.

Socks & Blisters

I usually wear just one pair of socks, with the exact model depending on the season. For 3-season use I want a sock that features:

  • Excellent moisture management
  • Quick dry-ability
  • Good ventilation

The best sock I have found is the DeFeet Wool-E-Ator. Even after long high-intensity trail runs, presumably during which my feet have been sweating a great deal, I find the sock to be dry. And because the sock is so lightweight, it takes a minimal amount of time for it to dry out after being completely soaked, like by a rainstorm or a ford.

For winter use I want a sock that:

  • Manages moisture excellently
  • Keeps my foot warm
  • Is not so bulky that I need a bigger pair of shoes just for the winter

The best sock I have found is the DeFeet Blaze (the wool version), the dense knit of which keeps my foot as warm as thicker socks do, but without the bulk.

I rarely, if ever, get blisters, even without "liner" socks. I attribute this to:

  • A lightweight pack (Consider that the skin on my feet absorbs 20-40 pounds less stress per step compared to if I carried a more traditional load.)
  • Good-fitting shoes
  • Tough feet after running and hiking tens of thousands of miles over the years Hydropel, a silicone-based balm that I apply to the bottom of my feet if I expect them to be wet for a prolonged period of time, e.g. because of rainstorms, consecutive fords, wet grass/overgrowth, or extreme heat, etc. The Hyropel strengthens the dermal layer, thus preventing my feet from becoming over-hydrated, which is when they prune up, get soft, and are prone to blistering; then, when they dry out, they are prone to cracking. It is important to apply Hydropel before your feet get wet, ideally in the morning after they have dried out during the night; its effectiveness is more limited once your feet get wet.

Packs

For loads totaling 30-35 pounds or less (including all gear and all consumables) I prefer frameless packs, i.e. they have no framesheet, like a school bag. Compared packs with framesheets, frameless packs are:

  • Lighter
  • Just as durable
  • More comfortable (they conform to your back; your back need not conform to a pack)
  • Sufficient for loads up to 30 or 35 pounds, depending on the pack and the individual's strength and discomfort tolerance.

To give a frameless pack some shape and structure, I insert my closed-cell foam pad as a cylinder into the pack, then fill up the cylinder with my belongings like I'm playing a game of Tetris, trying to fill all empty spaces and to achieve tight fits.

When your load is 30 pounds or more, a framed pack may be more comfortable and more efficient. Framed packs are generally better at transferring weight from your shoulders to your lumbar region, where the load can be better supported. Framed packs also better position your center of gravity, allowing you to be less top-heavy and to walk in a more up-right position.

Shelters

I use tarps year-round. Compared to tents, tarps are:

  • Lighter
  • Often equally, or more, storm-worthy
  • Less vulnerable to condensation problems
  • More protective for their weight

I currently use three shelters, depending on the conditions I'm experiencing.

In the desert, or in seasonally dry places (e.g. the High Sierra in August), when I infrequently need a shelter or raingear, I take the GoLite Poncho Tarp, which weighs about 10 oz and costs a mere $50. Because the Poncho-Tarp doubles as raingear and triples as my pack cover, it saves me about a half-pound in other gear.

In environments where rain is more frequent, I need a shelter that offers more storm protection and that will prevent me from having to set up or break down my "shelter" while being without "raingear." (I've had to do it before, and it's not fun.) In most 3-season conditions I take the GoLite Lair 1, which I've pared down to 8.8 oz and which I combine with the GoLite Virga rain jacket and a 2mm-thick plastic bag liner for complete protection.

During the winter I want a shelter that is designed to shed snow and deflect wind. Unfortunately, traditional 4-season tents are extremely heavy (and expensive). A better option are pyramid-shaped tarps like the GoLite Hex 3; be on the lookout for a more extensive line of pyramid-shaped shelters from GoLite in Spring 2008.

A standard part of all my shelter systems is the Bozeman Mountain Works Vapr Bivy, which has a waterproof bottom, breathable nylon top, and removable bug screen. This bivy performs a number of functions: it serves as a groundsheet; it protects my sleeping bag from spindrift or rain splatter; it adds about 5 degrees of warmth; it reduces convective heat loss by offering wind protection, which is especially important when using a sleeping quilt, which I frequently do; and it protects me from flying and crawling insects.

If you choose to take a tarp, here are some tips to help you improve its storm-worthiness:

  • Pitch the shelter below treeline, where the wind will not be as strong;
  • Camp underneath a big leafy tree, which will collect driving raindrops and drop them straight down as bigger drops, which are easier to guard against; and,
  • Set up the tarp next to a big conifer, which acts as a wind- and rain-block.

Sleeping bags

Year-round I prefer down-filled sleeping bags (specifically, premium 800 fill-power down) over sleeping bags with synthetic insulations. Compared to the best synthetic insulations (like Polarguard and Primaloft), high-loft down is:

  • Lighter for its warmth
  • More compressible
  • More breathable
  • Superior in its loft retention (i.e. lifespan)

The downfall of down is that it loses its ability to insulate as it gets wet, which can happen due to condensation, perspiration, and other sources of water (e.g. rain, river fords, hydration bladder explosions, etc.). Synthetic insulations will lose their ability to insulate when wet too, though not as much. Even so, because down is such a superior insulation, even a partly wet down bag will be lighter for its warmth than a synthetic bag.

You can take measures to prevent your down-filled sleeping bag from getting wet, including:

  • Buying a bag with high-loft down (which will dry quicker) and with a premium shell fabric that features excellent breathability and water-resistance (thus helping to avoid the problems stemming from perspiration and shelter condensation);
  • Storing it in a waterproof stow sack or using a waterproof pack liner;
  • Laying it out in the mid-day sun while taking a rest break;

It's not always possible to keep your down bag dry and in consistently wet environments (think of the Olympics in March) down-insulated garments will eventually collapse. In this case a synthetic sleeping bag would be preferable.

If the constant wetness is short-lived (e.g. a week-long rainstorm) then I will still stick with down, knowing that sooner or later there will be an opportunity to dry it out. However, I will probably take more insulation than what the conditions may suggest, because I need to account for the fact that any down-filled bag or garment will not perform up-to-par towards the latter end of the wet stretch.

Sleeping bag ratings

Forget about sleeping bag ratings for a second. Instead, think about everything you carry with you that helps you to stay warm. This includes, but is not limited to: body fat, clothing (including your rain jacket, gloves, hat, extra socks, etc.), sleeping bag, sleeping pad, shelter, and (maybe) bivy sack. If you think about it this way, you notice that already you are carrying lots of "insulation" besides your sleeping bag.

So, then, it is not necessary to bring a sleeping bag with a temperature rating that perfectly matches the nighttime low you expect to encounter. Instead, the combination of all of your insulting gear needs to match that nighttime low. This is why I take just my 40-degree GoLite Feather-lite bag even when I expect temperatures to be routinely in the mid-20's -- by utilizing all of my insulation I can stay comfortable.

My clothing accounts for a large portion of my insulation, so that I can remain comfortable during the cold parts of the day (the morning and evening, and during rest stops). If instead I took a warmer sleeping bag and less clothing, I would be equally warm at night but I would be uncomfortable during those margin times. There is a trade-off of using clothing as insulation: for the amount of materials used, most garments insulate a smaller volume of your body compared to a sleeping bag -- just consider the square yardage of fabric used in the arms of your puffy jacket versus the core section.

Winter Sleep & Clothing Systems

During the deep winter I use vapor barrier liners (VBL's) in order to reduce evaporative heat loss and prevent my insulation from "collapsing." VBL's contradict modern emphasis on breathability -- they are made of non-breathable fabrics that do not permit the transfer or moisture.

To understand how VBL's prevent insulation collapse, let me explain two scenarios rating to sleeping bags assuming you were not using VBL's. In warm conditions your perspiration moves to the outside of the bag and evaporates, keeping the insulation mostly dry. But in cold conditions (starting at around 15-20 degrees) your perspiration moves towards the outside of the bag but hits the dew point before getting there (it's so cold that the dew point is actually inside your insulation). The perspiration turns into moisture and soaks the insulation; with every passing night your sleeping bag becomes wetter, heavier, and less able to insulate.

If you wear a VBL, you can prevent your perspiration from entering your sleeping bag insulation at all. And the perspiration does not just build up inside the VBL -- your skin senses that the "micro climate" between it and the VBL is fully saturated with moisture, and so it stops perspiring in that area.

Trekking Poles

I hike nowhere without my two trekking poles, which:

  • Reduce the stress on my knees by about 25 percent;
  • Provide extra traction on slippery terrain (e.g. mud, snow, sand, loose gravel);
  • Offer additional stability on technical terrain (e.g. rocky and rooty);
  • Can be used in lieu of tent poles, helping to save me weight; and,
  • Can be used to fend off aggressive dogs, boars, and bulls.

I prefer non-collapsible, non-anti-shock trekking poles. Gee, that sounds like a ski pole -- and tey essentially are, but with the addition of the carbide tip found on all trekking poles. Compared to collapsible and anti-shock poles, fixed-length poles generally are:

  • Stronger
  • Lighter
  • Less expensive
  • Quieter (no rattling or squeaking)
  • Simpler -- no joints that become over tightened or loosened

I remove the baskets and straps from my poles. I remove the baskets because of its effect on the swing weight of the pole -- having even a half-ounce less at the bottom of the pole makes a huge difference in the effort required to swing it. I remove the straps because strap-less poles are:

  • Simpler
  • Lighter
  • More glove/mitt-friendly
  • Less likely to break if it gets wedged because I can easily let go of the pole -- with straps, my momentum might carry be too far forward and cause the pole to break.

Stoves

I use a homemade alcohol stove all the time, unless I need to melt snow for water in which case a more powerful stove is needed. Alcohol stoves cannot be beat for their weight efficiency -- most stoves weigh just .3 oz and need just .6 oz of alcohol to boil 2 cups of water. Alcohol stoves rarely break and never clog up; they are much less expensive than mass-produced stoves too. Directions to make the stove that I use have been posted by Ryan Bozis (aka Major Slacker).

http://hikinghq.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1054 For other directions on how to make your own alcohol stove, or for lots of great information on different types of stoves, visit www.ZenStoves.com. To buy an alcohol stove, visit www.MiniBullDesign.com.

The only problem with the alcohol stove is that it's either on or off. If you insist on having a variable flame output, then I'd recommend a lightweight canister stove like the Vargo Jet-Ti Stove (2.7 oz). Compared to a white gas stove, canister stoves are:

  • Lighter
  • Simpler -- no pumping or priming, no fuel lines, no pre-lighting
  • Cleaner smelling

Water Containers

Platypus makes ultralight soft-sided plastic water bottles. They are one-sixth(!) the weight of a traditional lexan/Nalgene bottle (.9 oz for a 1L, 1.3 oz for a 2.4L); they are durable enough to last months on the trail; they are collapsible, so they do not consume any space in my pack when not in use; and they make great pillows at night when (mostly) filled with air or water.

Water Purification

When I am in pristine mountainous settings I rarely purify my water. In these environments I am very close to the watershed divides, and most of the water that I am drinking is coming from springs or very small creeks (which start as springs not too far uphill) so the risk of a contamination source being in the water is low. I am selective about my water sources: I look for clean creeks and streams, ideally that are full of spongy green moss and far away from any industrialized or agricultural area. If I don't like the water source, I move on. I have hiked thousands of miles without purifying my water and have never gotten sick.

When I'm not in pristine mountainous settings -- and, instead, in areas that are low-lying, beaver-infested, cow-populated, human-inhabited, etc. -- I more frequently purify my water using a chlorine-based purification treatment like Aqua Mira.

Compared to iodine, Aqua Mira is:

  • More effective against bacteria and cysts
  • Tasteless and odorless
  • Better for you -- it does not kill the good bacteria in your intestine in addition to the bad bacteria in your water
  • Designed using the same technology used in most municipal water treatment facilities

Compared to water filters, Aqua Mira is:

  • Lighter, especially when you repackage it in smaller dropper bottles from Backpacking Light
  • Less expensive
  • Faster, especially for groups or when you need large volumes of water

Lighting

On trips during which I am not planning to hike much at night, like during the long summer days or during casual trips, my lighting needs are fulfilled by a single Photon Freedom Micro light. The output of these lights, which weigh .4 oz each, is adequate for me to hike at night on decently maintained trails if need be; at lower output settings, I can set up camp, write in my journal, cook dinner, and play cards with a friend.

On trips during which I expect to do extensive night hiking, I bring the Photon Freedom plus the Tikka XP, which I have retrofitted with a waist belt for improved depth perception. Between the two lights, I have ample wattage to easily see the trail (using the Tikka) as well as to read my maps (using the Photon).

I take the Freedom Micro both when I'm backpacking and when I'm going on a long day-hike, just in case I don't make it back to my car before dark. Conveniently, the Freedom Micro comes with an attachment that allows me to clip the light onto the brim of my Headsweats visor. Read an excellent review on the Photon Freedom Micro at BackpackingLight.com.